Interview with Teresa Richards

About the Author

eresa Richards writes YA, but loves anything that can be given a unique twist. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, got a degree in Speech Pathology from Brigham Young University, then moved to the east coast for a little adventure. A little adventure turned into a long one, and she spent the next fifteen years living just outside New York City.

Now she's settled somewhere between coasts with her husband and five kids, and has realized that writing is her passion. When Teresa's not writing, she can be found chasing after one of her littles, driving one of her teens around, or hiding in the house with a treat she's not planning to share. 

She is represented by Mallory Brown of Triada Literary Agency.

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The Interview

​1. Who or what inspired you to become an author?
Honestly, it was always something I wanted to do, but never got around to. It wasn’t until my husband went back to school for his MBA after we had five kids (while continuing to work full time) and I was left alone in the evenings after the kids went to bed while he did homework. I guess I was ready to use my brain again after taking care of babies for a decade. One night I sat down and just started writing. I didn’t come up for air until, three months later, I had a full-length novel.
 
2. Who are some of your favorite authors?  Do these authors inspire your own writing?
Maggie Stiefvater is at the top of the list. When I read her words, they inspire me to twist reality and see things in a new light. I also love Marissa Meyer and AG Howard. 
 
3. What top 5 books do you currently have on your TBR pile?
1) Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George
2) Seeking Mansfield by Kate Watson
3) Migon by PC Keeler
4) The Rose Queen by Alison McBain
5) a craft book—The Emotional Craft of Fiction.
 
4. If you could go to lunch with one of the characters from The Windfall App, who would it be and why?
I’d go out with Marina’s grandma, who Marina calls Popo (the Cantonese word for maternal grandma). Popo is a strong woman, but her strength is tempered with kindness. And her belief in all sorts of good luck charms makes me giggle. We wouldn’t go out to lunch, though. We’d go to The Cookie Crumb, her favorite place for a treat.
 
5. When you are not writing, what other "hats" do you wear?
I have five kids, so I’m a taxi driver, psychologist, nurse, life coach, cook, maid, etc, etc, etc. I also work part-time as an orthodontic assistant, where I take a break from torturing fictional teens and do it to real ones instead.
 
6. What inspired the idea for The Windfall App?
I heard a radio add for the state lottery where the prize was a large sum of money every day for life. My first thought was, Holy cow, that’s a lot of money. And then I started wondering—if an eighteen-year-old won, would the state really be willing to pay out that much money for the rest of that person’s life, or would they find some way out of it, through whatever means necessary?
 
7. What did you as a writer take away from writing The Windfall App?
A new appreciation for the culture I was writing in. Marina is half Chinese—her mother and grandmother emigrated from Hong Kong, and her mother married a Caucasian man. So Marina has a rich cultural history, which I really love. I enjoyed working with several close friends to get the details right, and I learned a lot in the process.
 
8. What is your current WIP?  What can you tell us about it?
I’m currently working on another YA contemporary that I’m really excited about. It’s about a girl who reinvents herself by starting a roller skating gymnastics team after a scandalous picture of her goes viral and destroys her reputation. Never heard of roller skating gymnastics? Search The Moxi Skate Team and prepare to have your mind blown. You’re welcome!

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