Featured Author - Tiffany White

[Mandie]

Tell us about your book(s)  

Aimee Freeman is looking forward to the start of her senior year. She knows her best friend Ella has been keeping secrets from her all summer long, but with football season right around the corner, the student trainer decides not to worry about it—they’ll have plenty of time to catch up on the field.

Then Ella goes missing, and Aimee realizes those secrets might be the key to finding her. As the case unfolds, Aimee discovers more than one person may have wanted to harm Ella. Was it Ella’s current boyfriend, a social outcast the entire city seems intent on blaming for her disappearance? Or her ex-boyfriend, the beloved star quarterback who has harassed Ella since their breakup? The list of potential suspects continues to grow after Aimee reads Ella’s journal, but she must first break her best friend’s secret code to reveal their identities.

Unbeknownst to Aimee, her investigation has not gone unnoticed. Ella’s abductor is watching and waiting. Will he decide Aimee needs to be silenced—making her the next target?

Where did the idea of your (latest) book come from?  

Football Sweetheart stems from growing up in high school football obsessed West Texas. From a very early age, I spent every Friday night under the lights. Is everyone familiar with Friday Night Lights? Well, I lived it—literally. I worked as a student trainer my three years of high school, just like my protagonist, Aimee, and I remember people traveling in from all over the country to watch Midland Lee versus Odessa Permian. One man drove all the way from Iowa just to watch a West Texas high school football game. Seems insane, right? But it’s normal out there…
For whatever reason, I’m addicted to real-life crime stories… Forensic Files, 48 Hours Mystery, Body of Evidence, Snapped, you name it. When I read, I read mysteries. When I watch television, which is a lot, I love a good two-hour-made-for-TV mystery. Therefore, I knew that I would write mysteries. The kidnapping in my story is also a fictionalized account loosely inspired by actual events. Unfortunately the real-life case was never officially closed, and it took place years before the internet was what it is today, so I couldn’t find much about it. But I took my memories, memories that haunted me as a little girl, twisted in a ton of fiction, and created my mystery.

 Who and what inspires you to write your books?    

I found most of the inspiration for Football Sweetheart came courtesy of my imagination and all the colorful people I have met in my life. But most of the inspiration for the additional books in teh series stems from the characters' voices in my head.

Each author has their own fascinating journey. How did you begin writing?  

Writing is something I have always loved. I was “that” girl who would help my friends knock out all of their writing assignments. In high school, I fell in love with classic literature and writing even more so, but it wasn’t until college that stories started circling around in my head. I switched my major from Biology to English, but then got lost in the world of Corporate America. After ten years of working as an Executive Assistant, I used my lay-off as my opportunity to do what I really wanted to do—write. Luckily, I have a great man by my side who has given me the freedom to tackle my dreams.

 What has been the most pleasant surprise about being a writer? How about the most unexpected downside?  

Probably the most pleasant surprise is that the well hasn't run dry... new story ideas hit me at the most random of times. The same can be said for the unexpected downside... the voices in my head won't leave me alone!

Do you have any particular writing routines or rituals?

Not really; I have tried different methods for my books. For Football Sweetheart, I sat in front of the computer and typed the story after creating an outline. For FS2, I wrote it out in a journal after creating my story arc before typing it out. I find that I write faster this way... especially when I'm at a local coffee shop. Plus it adds an extra editing step when I type what I have already written.    

Do you write in order?  

Yes. I credit this to my insane organizational habits... and my undiagnosed case of OCD. Everything must be in order.

 What is on your playlist when you write? 

I actually don't listen to anything when I write. I like complete silence. And I know what you're thinking now... writing in a coffee shop makes no sense, but there's just something about that background noise that I find very comforting. 

 Favorite writing snack?

Coffee

Where do you like to write?  

Coffee shops, curled up in an over-sized chair, at the library... but not my desk. Too many distractions that way. I would love to take a vacation somewhere desolate in a cabin and try writing that way. It just seems like an environment that would prove very beneficial to my writing habits.

 Do you have any advice for authors wanting to publish?    

Don't give up. Listen to critiques, but don't feel you have to make each and every single change suggested. Attend workshops, read books (ESPECIALLY read books), and network with other writers. And keep writing. Like everything else in life, the more we do something, the better we get.

Are you currently working on anything else?    

Yes; I am currently editing the second book in my Football Sweetheart series and finishing my plot arc for the third. 

Who is your favorite character and why? 

Hmmm.... the obvious answer would be my protagonist, Aimee Freeman, considering I've centered an entire book series around her. But I am currently writing a new character that wasn't in Football Sweetheart. I'm hoping that her character will help teenage girls with all of the awkwardness and societal struggles I know girls face today.

Favorite book of all time?    

Great Expectations

I think breakfast says a lot about a person, what is your perfect breakfast?    

Scrambled eggs (hard), crispy bacon, fresh fruit, and COFFEE! Lots of coffee. With an occasional glass of orange or apple juice.

Please tell us in one sentence why we should read your book

High School Football Can Be Murder...

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Buy Football Sweetheart

[Tiffany A. White]

Yay!!  Thank you so much for the feature, Literary Addicts!