The Last Condo Board of the Apocalypse author Q&A

 I'm super excited to have Nina Post on my blog today answering a few of my questions about her awesome book The Last Condo Board of the Apocalypse, which I reviewed here. First of all, I just want to say Nina is awesome. She's been really friendly to me on twitter and goodreads, so you should definitely check her out. So, let's get started with some Q&A action!

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Pothole City is place unlike any other, particularly Amenity Tower. How did you come up with these locations?

 First, thanks, Megan, for hosting me on your blog! Pothole City is an alternate Chicago (which gets terrible potholes), and Amenity Tower is partly inspired by the condominium where I live. Some of my research involved attending the often ridiculous, vagary-stuffed board and committee meetings, and interviewing building personnel, who were baffled over why I wanted to know so much about the air conditioning system.

What was the hardest part of writing The Last Condo Board of the Apocalypse?

The hardest part was just keeping track of the storylines and characters, especially because I didn't use Scrivener yet :::shudder::: Now I outline and put my research notes in Scrivener, and this helps me maintain writer sanity. Figuring out the method that's right for you takes trial and error.

My favourite character was Tubiel. What a cutie! Do you have a favourite?

 Thanks! I'm particularly fond of Tubiel. I wanted his job of returning small birds to their owners to get in the way of Kelly's job, and pictured him referencing Italian fashion magazines of the 1980s to blend into human society. The inspiration for Tubiel's appearance came from someone I saw at Trader Joe's, who was small in stature and had an unusually placid expression.

The Last Condo Board of the Apocalypse is your first published work. How excited were you to see it as a finished book?

 The most exciting part was actually getting the response from the publisher telling me they wanted the book. The next most exciting part was signing the publishing contract. Having the ebook on my Kindle and the book in my hands was great, but it felt even better when my mother had them! The real Snoopy-dance thrill, however, was the initial response.

Finally, do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

 My advice for aspiring writers is to work hard, because nothing will make you improve more than writing. You learn a hell of a lot of more by finishing multiple projects. Build your platform before you start submitting. Analyze the best books, TV, and movies in your genre. Finally, be nice.