Alison Gervais Author Interview ~ JeanBookNerd

Photo Content from Alison Gervais

Alison Gervais joined the website for aspiring writers, Wattpad, her sophomore year of high school, and In 27 Days followed a few months later. In 27 Days has gone on to win a Watty Award, become the #1 title in the Adventure category, and secure nearly 20 million reads. Alison now attends the University of Colorado Pueblo pursuing a creative writing degree. If she's not writing or studying for classes, she can be found re-reading Harry Potter, watching Supernatural, or trying to win the affection of her two cats, Kovu and Rocket.

Was there a defining moment during your youth when you realized you wanted to be a writer?
This is such a tough question! I’ve always been writing for as long as I can remember – at least since the age of five – and to me, it’s just something that’s become a regular part of my daily routine.

Why is storytelling so important for all of us?
I firmly believe that everyone has a story to tell. The beauty of this is that you get to decide what medium you want to tell your story with. For me, it’s writing. For others, it could be through poetry or art or film making or anything under the sun, really. It’s something everyone can and should do because it’s so unique; you’re the only one who can tell that story.

Beyond your own work (of course), what is your all-time favorite book and why? And what is your favorite book outside of your genre?
Oh my goodness, there are SO many books that top my list of all-time favorites. I’m going to have to pick HARRY POTTER though. I started reading the books at about the age of seven or so, and just immediately fell in love. My childhood was full of magic and adventure and love even though that’s not necessarily something that happens in the “real world.”

What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author?
It’s kind of a bummer this author never personally told me these words before, but I’ve always been a fan of this quote by F Scott Fitzgerald: “You don’t write because you want to tell a story. You write because you have a story to tell.”

In your new book; IN 27 DAYS, can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it?
IN 27 DAYS is a story about a girl whose classmate commits suicide. At his funeral, she meets Death in person and ends up making a deal to go back in time 27 days to stop this classmate from killing himself. It’s a story that deals with the taboo subjects of suicide and mental health, which is something I think needs to become a part of normal day-to-day conversation. I think so many people have known someone who has committed suicide or known a friend or someone who has lost someone to suicide, and the whole thought of, “What if I’d been able to do something to stop them?” is very common, and something this story revolves around.

What part of Hadley did you enjoy writing the most?
Hadley has been one of my favorite characters to write, and I think I enjoyed it so much because she’s so relatable. She’s not a genius or a beauty queen or anything like that – she’s just a normal girl trying to do the right thing when she’s faced with extraordinary circumstances.

What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?
I don’t want to give away too much about my next project, but it’ll be coming from the “own voice” angle. It’s very exciting!

Who was your first boyfriend?
Oh boy. Not a fun experience to talk about.

Tell me about your first kiss.
It was awkward. The guy was too tall, and I still had a piece of gum in my mouth.

If you wrote a journal entry today, what would it say?
I think a journal entry of mine would say: just relax. Take deep breaths. How your book is received is out of your hands now!

Where did you go on your first airplane ride?
I want to say that it was to Sacramento, but I honestly don’t remember.

What decade during the last century would you have chosen to be a teenager?
It probably wouldn’t have been a very fun time, but I would’ve loved to have been a teenager during the 1940’s. I’m all about the 40’s aesthetics. Those women back then were the living definition of the word classy.

You can re-live any point of time in your life. Which of your past would you like to experience again?
I feel as if I would want to get a do-over for my freshman year of high school. It was a horrible time for me. It was when I’d just been diagnosed with depression, and then I went through eight months of trying to find the right type and dosage of medication, and it was a hard adjustment. I’m very lucky my family was so supportive during all of it because it wasn’t easy.

Where can readers find you?
Reading with a cup of coffee at my favorite shop in town, or at work. I’m always working!

TEN QUOTES FROM IN 27 DAYS

“There was a difference between being lonely and being alone. I thought I didn’t mind being alone because it was what I was used to. I just hadn’t realized how lonely I actually felt until I was welcomed with open arms by Archer’s family and treated like I was one of their own. I hadn’t known it was possible to miss something you’d never had.”

“You don’t get to decide who’s allowed to care about you or worry about you or make sure you’re okay. Life doesn’t work that way. I know I don’t understand everything that’s happened to you or your family. And maybe I never will. But I don’t have to understand to care.”

“How could Archer have ever felt like he needed to end his life? Didn’t he see how heavily his family relied on him? How much they loved him? How could he have wanted to leave something like that behind?”

“If you knew you had to do the right thing, but that something bad might happen to you because of it, would you do it anyway?”

“I’ll do it for the fries.”

“I can’t do math because math was invented by the devil. And I like to sleep with a dictionary under my pillow.”

“And you even used the right formulas too. That’s my girl.”

“Does that mean you’re on the market, Hadley? I’ve always had a thing for brunettes.”

“Oddio, you’re beautiful. I can see why Archer likes spending so much time with you.”

“You don’t see the change in him that we’re seeing. He’s different. He’s…happy. You should have seen the look on my grandma’s face when she heard Archer laughing on Thanksgiving.”

Hadley Jamison is shocked when she hears that her classmate, Archer Morales, has committed suicide. She didn't know the quiet, reserved guy very well, but that doesn't stop her from feeling there was something she could have done to help him.

Hoping to find some sense of closure, Hadley attends Archer's funeral. There, Hadley is approached by a man who calls himself Death and offers her a deal. If Hadley accepts, she will be sent back 27 days in time to prevent Archer from killing himself. But when Hadley agrees to Death's terms and goes back to right the past, she quickly learns her mission is harder than she ever could have known.

Hadley soon discovers Archer's reasons for being alone, and Archer realizes that having someone to confide in isn't as bad as he'd always thought. But when a series of dangerous accidents starts pushing them apart, Hadley must decide whether she is ready to risk everything - including her life - to keep Archer safe.

Praise for IN 27 DAYS

"EMOTIONAL, ADDICTING, POWERFUL. YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN." ― Kelly Anne Blount, USA Today bestselling author

You can purchase In 27 Days at the following Retailers: