Get to know Brianna!

Hey!  I'm Bri!  I'm pretty excited to join the team here at Tangled!

If you could be any item on Mexican restaurant menu, what would you be and why? 

I’m not too familiar with Mexican restaurant menus, thanks to a husband with non-exotic taste buds, but I’m going to say fajitas...because we both get a kick out of pronouncing the ‘j’ when we shouldn't.

If you were an item of clothing what would you be and why? 

Yoga pants. Enough said.  

When's your birthday? 

January 2nd.

What quote inspires you most? 

I actually have a whole Pinterest board full of quotes that inspire me, each in different situations. Looking back at it now, I’m not sure I could pick just one.

What's a pet peeve you have? 

I have a really hard time with mismatched utensils at a dinner table.

Something about you that no one would know just by looking at you? 

I’m a quiet observer. Most people immediately take that as being shy or just plain rude ;)  

Who's your favorite princess and why?  

Princess Leia because she’s snarky, stands up for what she believes in, and she’s a revolutionary leader.

Why do you want to write within the YA genre? 

I like writing within the YA genre for the same reason I like reading it- because of all the new experiences that seem so much more powerful and emotional at that age when you’re still figuring out who you are. Plus, I like the throwback of remembering how I felt at that age, especially falling in love.

Which YA book character are you most like? Explain. 

Hm. The first character who popped into my head was Hermione Granger. I feed on factual information and reading in general, have quite the attitude, and our hair matches (think poofy hair from the first movie). Oh, and we share a thing for redheads.

Plotter or Pantser? 

I’m a bit of both. My first manuscript took me almost two years to write and was started on a whim with no idea whatsoever of conflict, goals, or potential direction. It wasn't until I loosely outlined things that I really had a good writing streak. Now I try to start with a very rough outline, just so I have a basic idea of where things are going, but also have the freedom to fly by the seat of my pants. Some days I just try to outline what I want to write that day. Rarely turns out the way I thought it would on paper, but that outlining gets the gears well oiled and working properly.

What do you like to do when you get stuck while writing to help work through it? 

The dishes. For whatever silly reason, my mind is able to wander freely while handwashing dishes and that missing piece just clicks into place. It gets a little messy when I drop dishes into the soapy water during my epiphany and I get a bit irritated when my husband recommends doing the dishes, but hey, it works.  

Was there a specific book you read that inspired you to start writing? 

I've always loved writing, even when I was very young. As an adult, though, there were three big series that really pushed me to want to write: Twilight, Harry Potter, and The Mortal Instruments.

What is your single most favorite thing (feel free to be as vague as you like) about your current WIP? 

For my contemporary WIP, my favorite thing is probably the fact that the two characters are standing up against something most teens just idly let happen- bullying.

What book from childhood do you most wish you had written? What book from the past year? 

I wish I had written Two Crazy Pigs, which was the book I learned to read from. Being that reading is such a big part of my life, it has sentimental value to me. A book from the past year that I wish I had written is Prodigy by Marie Lu. She did such a fantastic job with alternating POV between two characters that I’m completely envious of her skills!

Two truths and one lie about yourself.

I’m obsessed with post-it notes. I have an irrational fear of aliens. My hair is black.