Please help me give a big Hoosblog welcome to Cheyanne Young!

Cheyanne Young is a native Texan with a fear of cold weather and a coffee addiction that probably needs an intervention. She loves books, sarcasm, and collecting nail polish. After nearly a decade of working in engineering, Cheyanne now writes books for young adults. Cheyanne lives near the beach with her family, one spoiled rotten puppy, and a cat that is most likely plotting to take over the world. Her newest book, The Last Wish of Sasha Cade, is available now.

I’ve known Cheyanne for a few years through the online YA writing groups we’re in, and I’m thrilled to finally have her on my blog!

Tell us about your book.

My newest book, The Last Wish of Sasha Cade, is my heart book. That is, I put my entire heart into it. It only took me 27 days to write, and I knew from the start that it would be the one to get me an agent, after 5 years of trying with 4 other books. Luckily, I was right! The film rights were recently bought by Producer Jeff Norton, who is making it into a TV show! I can’t wait.

For now, here’s the blurb:

The day Raquel has been dreading for months has finally arrived. Sasha, her best friend in the whole world, has died of cancer. Overwhelmed and brokenhearted, Raquel can’t even imagine life without her.

And then a letter from Sasha arrives. Has she somehow found a way to communicate from beyond the grave?

In fact, Sasha spent her final weeks planning an elaborate scavenger hunt for the friend she would have to leave behind. When Raquel follows the instructions to return to Sasha’s grave, a mysterious stranger with striking eyes is waiting for her. There’s a secret attached to this boy that only Sasha — and now Raquel — knows.

This boy, Elijah, might be just who Raquel needs to help her move on from her terrible loss. But can Raquel remain true to herself while also honoring her friend’s final wish?  

Readers, I read this book and it is every bit as good as it sounds. You will not regret spending time with Raquel and Elijah.

Buy The Last Wish of Sasha Cade:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | IndieBound | Indigo | Book Depository  

 

Now for the fun stuff!

What’s your favorite genre? Do you read what you write?

My favorite genre, hands down, is YA contemporary. I read mostly YA, but I don’t always stick with contemporary. I love YA books of all genres, fairy books being my favorite. When it comes to adult genres, I love demented murder books. I’m a weirdo like that.

Fairies and murder — I like it!

What’s your favorite part about writing?

Being done? lol. I love brainstorming and plotting. Creating an outline is probably my favorite part, because it’s using my engineering brain to construct a story. The initial drafting part is the hardest, but then when I get to editing, I like it again. In general, I just love putting my overactive imagination to paper and giving it a purpose.

I feel that. Especially when I’m in the middle of the first draft and I start questioning why I thought writing another book was a good idea.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

When it comes to actually writing, the hardest part is trying to focus on the scene at hand and not jump around and write other parts as I think of them. But in a larger sense, the absolute hardest part of writing is having faith in yourself and your abilities. I can easily talk myself out of a manuscript because I think I’m not good enough to write it.

Yes, exactly. And because writing is such a solitary endeavor, it’s really easy to get too far inside our heads and convince ourselves that there’s no point in continuing.

What’s an activity unrelated to writing that you love?

I’m a puzzle enthusiast. I paint my nails a different shade of glitter every other day. And I love hiking with my dogs.

I can only imagine how many puzzles you’ve tackled during the past few months.

Who’s your biggest cheerleader?

My sister, and my writing pals Lynn Painter (@LAPainter) and Deirdre Riordan Hall (@DierdreSpark). I seriously couldn’t do it without them.

<3<3<3

Now I’d like to play a fun little game called This or That. As a writer, I find that a lot of interviews ask the same questions, so I always appreciate sharing something new about myself. I’m super excited about these questions—and I hope you enjoy them!

Introvert or extrovert? I’m so introverted it hurts

Morning or night person? Both!

Coffee or tea? Coffee

Sweet or salty? Sweet AND salty, heh heh

Eternal summer or four seasons? Summer!

Mountains or beach? Beach

Dogs or cats? Dogs

Over 5’5” or under? Under

Left or right-handed? Righty-tighty

Hoodie or yoga pants? Yoga pants

I’m cracking up at righty-tighty because I seriously use that EVERY day when I’m turning on the hose to water the plants in the backyard. Someday I’ll be able to remember which is which without it, but today will not be that day. Huzzah!

Thank you for having me on your blog!

Cheyanne, thank you so much for spending this time with me and my readers. Readers, you can find Cheyanne at these links—and be sure to check out The Last Wish of Sasha Cade, and all the rest of her books! 

Cheyanne is also selling face masks on her bookish Etsy shop, Nova Bookish. Be sure to check that out as well!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | IndieBound | Indigo | Book Depository  

Website  |  Twitter  |  Instagram

 

 

If you missed the previous interviews, you can read them here.