Welcome, Ingrid Ricks, author of Hippie Boy

I will be honest, I haven't read Hippy Boy yet but plan to do so. After seeing the cover and reading 38 fantastic reviews on Amazon, it's on my to buy list. But first, let's get to know Ingrid a little better:

1. What is your favorite book?
This changes on a monthly basis, but at the moment, I would have to say A Thousand Splendid Suns. I still get an ache in my gut when I think about that story.

2. Who is your favorite writer?
Maya Angelou.

3. If the answers to 1 & 2 are different, why?
Khaled Hosseini, who also wrote The Kite Runner, another favorite book of mine, is an amazing writer and he definitely comes in at a close second to Maya. But Maya Angelou will always be my favorite because she inspires me on so many levels. Her life is the stuff of movies and her ability to overcome such enormous life obstacles and then share her experiences through her series of gripping memoirs blows me away. I’ve learned so much from her stories and essays, primarily that regardless of the challenges you face, it’s up to you to create the life you want for yourself.

4. How old were you when you were first published?
I was twenty-one. I landed a spot on my college newspaper. I still remember my first story. It was about a local movie theater. It was 500 words and took me about twelve hours to write.

5. What writing style do you most abhor?
Dry, textbook-style biographies.

6. What is your favorite writing cliché?
If you want to write, write.

7. What is your favorite word?
Now.

8. When and how do you write? (typewriter, Mac, in a café, for four hours each morning, etc?)
I do my best writing at my local coffee shop, Aster. I usually knock out my client writing in the morning, then head over to the coffee shop each afternoon for three hours of writing. I order a double-short soy mocha and always sit at the same corner table if it’s available. I just retired my five-year-old Dell laptop and am now experiencing the luxury of writing on a MacBook Air (and keep wondering how I ever got by without it).

9. What is your greatest fear when you first turn in a manuscript? Hippie Boy is my first book and the only fear I ever had was that I wouldn’t finish it. Now that I have, I want and hope that the story resonates with readers.

10. In what era do you wish you’d been born?
I would love to be a 60s flower child for a month and hang out in Haight-Ashbury, listening to music and experiencing that lifestyle. A month would be enough though. Then I could come back to my era, which I think is a pretty amazing one.

11. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
I call my oldest daughter, who just turned thirteen, Sydalicious. It drives her crazy but it’s a habit I can’t seem to break.

12. Which talent would you most like to have?
I would love to be one of those writers who has a true gift with words and can channel those words into a masterpiece that just flows from their fingertips when they type.

13. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Having the courage to go after my writing dream and turn it into reality.

14. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
At the moment, the girl in Little Bee. She’s been through so much, and she is so strong.

15. How would you like to die?
I always joke with my husband that when we’re both in our nineties, we’ll head out one morning for a beach walk and coffee, come back home, sit down in our matching rocking chairs, hold hands, rock back together and both die instantly. Seriously…not a bad way to go.

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Tagline:
What would you do if your Mormon stepfather pinned you down and tried to cast Satan out of you? For thirteen-year-old Ingrid, the answer is simple: RUN.

Blurb:
For years, Ingrid has begged her free-wheeling dad to let her join him on the road as a tool-selling vagabond to escape the suffocating poverty and religion at home. When her devout Mormon mother marries Earl―a homeless Vietnam vet who exploits the religion’s male-dominated culture to oppress and abuse her family―she finally gets her wish. Ingrid spends the next few summers living on the margins while hustling tools with her dad and his slimy, revolving sales crew. He becomes her lifeline and escape from Earl. But when her dad is arrested, she learns the lesson that will change her life: she can’t look to others to save her; she has to save herself.

About the Author
Ingrid Ricks is a Seattle-based writer and speaker who focuses on overcoming adversity and embracing life. Her stories have been featured in Salon, Ladies’ Home Journal, The Seattle Times and numerous other publications. Hippie Boy: A Girl’s Story, is her first book.

What Others Are Saying:
“A soft-spoken yet resounding reminder of the power plays tied to religion... Ricks’ voice is true, and her prose has a poised confidence missing from the repertoires of many established authors.” Booklist
“Ingrid Ricks has shined a light on American Mormonism no less important than the light Kathryn Stockett shined on the degradation of black maids in "The Help." Hippie Boy" is for anyone who has ever felt left out, alone, bereft, bewildered, betrayed...in other words, everyone.” — Libby Maxey , Pastor, Tennessee
“When Ingrid describes life on the road with Dad, I was reminded of a movie I saw in the 80's staring Ryan O'Neil and his daughter Tatum O'Neil called "Paper Moon"…I would recommend this book to anyone! –Michelle C.

“I gave this book to a friend of mine because I was curious if my reaction to it was normal. Why did I, a man in my forties, relate so strongly to this young girl who I had absolutely nothing in common with? Paul, in his fifties, read it in two sittings and loved it as much as I did. No matter who you are, you won't be able to put the book down until you find out if this indomitable spirit gets her night in a Holiday Inn, a promised gift from her loving but struggling father, support from her troubled mother, and freedom from her dirt bag stepfather who smells like old meat.” –J Craig

“I chose this book because it was a good price to try out my new Kindle, and the premise seemed interesting enough. I did not expect to be totally hooked in to the story. I planned to read this book over several days of commutes, starting on Monday. I was so curious about (and concerned for!) the young protagonist that I devoted Tuesday evening to finishing the last 30% because I couldn't wait unti Wednesday morning.” – Michelle Mann

Amazon Book/Buy Page: http://www.amazon.com/Hippie-Boy-Girls-Story-ebook/dp/B005RGXNVU/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2