Writers Like Us - Darcy Woods

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for another round of Writers Like Us. This series started in January of 2013 and has included over 41 authors so far. I'm so excited Darcy Woods is number 42 and will kick off this new round of interviews. You can check them all out here.

Darcy Woods' Summer of Supernovas is out on shelves now and I just adored it to pieces. If you're looking for a fun, swoony romance to kick off your beach reading, pick this one up. In the meantime, let's learn a little about Darcy...

Darcy on Writing

• I've written 2.5 books (I rewrote my first ms from page one, hence the .5 for recycled premise), and so far one has seen the light of day. But technically not till May 10th!

• My favorite type of scene to write is forbidden first kiss scenes with toe-curling tension.

• No matter how long I've been writing, I still have issues with commas. I've been known to drop them randomly like f-bombs. My brain is not equipped for grammar-ing. 

• A typical comment from my critique partner is "*snorts*" "But why?????" ":)"

• The book I wished I wrote is Jandy Nelson's The Sky is Everywhere for ALL THE OBVIOUS REASONS. #genius

Darcy on Getting Published

• When I was querying, I felt like Houdini challenging people to punch me in the stomach. There were times it was absolutely grueling and hurt like hell. But you have to believe in yourself MORE than the pain of rejection. I've been cumulatively rejected almost 200 times. This does not make me a special flower. But it makes me tenacious, a necessary attribute from every author. 

• The biggest mistake I ever made querying was not being myself. When I queried my first ms, I was soooooo nervous! And I'm quite sure I used pompous phrases like "esteemed cadre of authors." Which I would NEVER EVER EVER use in real life. Not even if you held my feet to smoldering flames. I was just so afraid to be me. The irony, of course, is that YOU is precisely what they want to see. 

• What I love most about my agent is her tireless belief in me. During my rocky submission process, Catherine Drayton's certainty was unfailing. Unrelenting. You cannot put a price tag on that kind of loyalty. It is everything when the chips are down.

• While my book was out on sub I got carpal tunnel refreshing my email. Grew ulcers. Drank wine and ate lots of French fries--often all of these were simultaneously.

• When I got "The Call," my first thought was this is a joke. We'd already had a couple offers fall through, so I couldn't quite wrap my gray matter around it actually happening. Then when I finally realized my agent wasn't kidding, I did this weird, hysterical laugh-cry thing. And she said, "Darcy, you're going to be a published author!" I wept like a babe.

• When I saw my book sale in Publishers Marketplace, I exploded like a supernova. I think every one of my atoms lit up like sparklers. It was an unforgettable moment.

Darcy on Life Outside Writing

• If I weren't a writer, I'd probably be a Professional Closet and Refrigerator Feng Shui-er. So let's hope authoring pans out. ;)

• Secretly, I'm terrified of seaweed. Oh, I'll happily eat it, but do NOT ask me to swim where I can touch it.

• My secret boyfriend is Captain Jack Sparrow. Maybe it's odd to adore a man who wears more eyeliner than me, but I don't care. 

• Sometimes, when no one is around, I sing Broadway show tunes to my cats. I also tell my plants they're doing a great job making oxygen.

Young adult author Darcy Woods had three big loves in grade school: Reading, writing, and pizza day. Some things never change. She lives in Michigan with her madly supportive husband, two tuxedo cats (who overdress for everything) and a closet full of neatly organized shoes. Once upon a time, she served in a US Army aviation unit and threw live grenades. Now she throws words.

Darcy’s Golden Heart®-winning debut YA romance, SUMMER OF SUPERNOVAS, comes out from Random House/Crown May 10, 2016.