YA Fresh

What's Fresh with Sean Beaudoin's Going Nowhere Faster

Everyone in town thought Stan was going to be something and go somewhere, but they're starting to realize that when this boy genius can't even get out of Happy Video, he's going nowhere, faster. But when things look like they're only getting worse, Stan is forced to decide what he wants to do with his life. Suddenly, he may be getting somewhere afterall. With sarcastic, dry wit reminiscent of David Sedaris and Tom Perrotta, this debut YA novel delivers with laugh-out-loud hilarity and a lot of heart.

Hi Sean, thanks for agreeing to chat! Could you please tell us a little about your writing background and how you sold Going Nowhere Faster (love this title!) to Little, Brown?

Sean: I wrote 15 issues of a DIY zine that was somewhat popular in San Francisco in the early 90's. Blogs weren't around at that point. I'd had a few short stories published in various lit journals, one of which drummed up interest from an agent or two. A friend of a friend suggested that my "voice" was perfect for YA. I was like, "You A--hole?" and he was like "No, Young Adult." I sent the agent the first three chapters of Going Nowhere Faster, and we were off and running.

Readers and writers often like to get a behind the scenes peek of an author's writing routine. It would be great if you could please share your typical writing day schedule.

Sean: I work from home and am able to devote most mornings to writing, just letting go and not thinking about it too much. In the afternoons, I get more disciplined and work on revising, editing, and the other mundane aspects of authorship: marketing/emails/phone calls. I drink an astonishing and possibly lethal amount of coffee. I have an almost-full 80gig iPod that stays on shuffle all day and is supposed to not repeat itself for a month and a half, but I could swear the same three songs keep coming up.

Please tell us about Going Nowhere Fast and what we can expect from your characters.

Sean: Going Nowhere Faster came out April 1st. There's a lot of info about it on my website, www.seanbeaudoin.com (not a shameless plug, it's just easier to read it all there.) There's also a song by Miles Ahead (the band of one of GNF's characters) as well as a video. Essentially, GNF is the story of Stan Smith, which means it's also the story of being too sensitive, too insulated, too ignored, too alone, too egotistical, too judgmental, too seventeen.

I'm definitely intrigued, Sean! What's up next? Do you have another project in the works? If so, please tell us about it.

Sean: The first draft of my second book "Sour White" is nearly complete. I hope to have it to my editor by mid-June for revisions and then into copy edit. It's a story told simultaneously from three different voices, two females and a male. It deals with some pretty small subjects: Life, Death, Afterlife, Podcasting, What It's Like To Be A Dog, Sumo, and The Perils Of Acrobatic Cheerleading. Seriously, that's what it's about.

Great, Sean, thanks for sharing with us. I wish you the best with your writing career. Would you like to close with a writing tip?

Sean: Sure. Even though I've been writing since I was 14, which back then consisted of maudlin poetry and maudlin-er journal entries, I've always sort of had the sense that writing books or stories was something "other" people did. People who were somehow Born To Write (as opposed to Run). I never really believed writing was something I could actually do. Not only in terms of making a living, but just finishing a book. As it turns out, more than anything else, you have to make yourself sit down and do it. I realize it may sound annoyingly simple, but that's my tip. It requires discipline to write every day, but not much more than it takes to get up and go to school or show up for your job. It's like playing guitar. You don't just pick up your older brother's Strat and suddenly start jamming. You have to practice. But once you get even a little bit good at it, practicing gets more and more fun. And pretty soon you're in a band. Or halfway through a manuscript.

Sean Beaudoin has used his B.A. in photography as a springboard into the following jobs: construction laborer, circus roustabout, busboy, used book buyer, hotel desk clerk, camp counselor, statue repairman (really), seller of jazz vinyl, and a nine-day stint as The World's Worst Telemarketer. He now resides in San Francisco with his wife and daughter. Information about his other published work is on the website. Visit his website, www.seanbeaudoin.com.