BY MINDI SCOTT

Jennifer Hubbard and I were in the Tenners debut YA novelist group in 2010, and we both had novels published that year about boys who lived by the river! Now, Jennifer has a second novel out, called Try Not to Breathe.  She’s stopped by today to answer just a few questions for me.

At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?

Jennifer Hubbard: At eight, maybe a teacher, though I was also considering “writer.” At eighteen, a scientist and a writer. At twenty-eight, the same. I suppose I’m unusual in that I became exactly what I set out to be at age eighteen.

Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self?

JH: Apparently the Breakfast Club made a much bigger impact on the rest of the world than it did on me, but I guess the one who is closest to my teenage self would be the character Anthony Michael Hall played.

Without giving away too much from your newest book, which character or scene from it are you the most pleased to have created, and why?

JH: There’s a scene in Try Not to Breathe where Ryan, the main character, confronts someone he has been afraid to confront for months. He has built this meeting up in his mind, and yet I knew the character he’s confronting would have a very different take on what had happened between them. I worked hard to make that scene significant, yet realistic.

Which are your favorite movies to watch again and again?

JH: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Crimes and Misdemeanors. Take the Money and Run. This is Spinal Tap. Dr. Strangelove.

And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. 😉

JH: I listen to more Beatles music. The breadth of their material, and the originality of their later songs, is impressive.

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Bio: Jennifer R. Hubbard (www.jenniferhubbard.com) is the author of the young-adult novels Try Not to Breathe, about a boy’s recovery from a suicide attempt, and The Secret Year, about a secret relationship and its aftermath.