Hello, lovelies! Today on the blog, I have the honor of inviting YA author and podcaster Tara K. Ross to talk about herself and her debut novel, Fade To White (May 2020). Tara is an incredible writer, and I couldn’t be more excited to interview her! Read on to learn more about her upcoming book, writing process, favorite authors, and more!
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Interview
Without giving too much away, can you tell us what Fade To White is all about?
I would love to! Fade to White is a contemporary young adult novel with a touch of magical realism and a dusting of inspirational hope. It is the story of Thea Fenton, an anxious teen girl who despite having a picture-perfect life is falling apart on the inside. Wracked by anxiety no one seems to understand or care about, she resorts to self-harm to deflect the pain inside.
When a local teen commits suicide, Thea’s anxiety sky-rockets. Unexplainable things happen, leaving her feeling trapped within her own chaotic mind. The lines between reality and another world start to blur, and her previously mundane issues seem more daunting and insurmountable than ever.
Then she meets Khi, a mysterious new boy from the coffee shop who seems to know her better than she knows herself—and doesn’t think she’s crazy. His quiet confidence and unfounded familiarity draw her into an unconventional friendship (cue romantic subplot).
Khi journeys with her through grief, fear, and confusion to arrive at compassion for the one person Thea never thought she could love.
Your writing is so vivid, honest, and captivating. What was your inspiration for this story?
Thank you so much! When I first started writing Fade to White, I began with the story of a girl who had anxiety. There was nothing particularly special about her. She was just working through these irrational thoughts on the page. It was cathartic for me during my own struggles with post-partum anxiety. It wasn’t until I began to attend group counseling, started to exercise and eat better and dig deeper into my faith that the greater story of Fade to White formed.
In my own life, I was being reminded I had a purpose beyond wallowing in my fears. I wanted to share my passion for stories in a way that might encourage others. I began to recognize a small light in my own life, and I wanted to make that light more tangible for others just beginning to explore their own faith journey. And so, I wrote a story with that same thread of light but in a more magical way.
What is your process for writing – how do you take an idea and turn it into a fully-formed book?
I love dreaming about a story, and searching for little sparks from my own life experiences. There is usually a cue card at the beginning. That cue card gets added to as I explore new settings and form characters. Once the cue card is full, I move it to a drafting notebook and begin to do character sketches (I even created a character profile to appease my fastidious nature). I then start with a fairly detailed outline. I also have a spread sheet that I use to track my progress through each new scene and chapter. Yup, full on planner here. I do, however, veer from this spreadsheet as the story unfolds, but it helps me to check that I am reaching the big plot points at a reasonable pace.
From the outline I write a messy first draft. Once I have all the words down, I go back through and read the entire manuscript without changing anything. I make notes for each chapter about big picture changes or pacing issues. I then take those notes and write my synopsis based on chapter summaries from my spread sheet. Once I have the synopsis, I consider what themes have emerged, and a lot of the time they are different from what I had intended to explore.
With this in mind, I begin to flesh out character voices and motivations more heavily to represent their respective story arcs. Then, I go back to the beginning and begin to edit chapter by chapter with the help of revision partners. This is when I add setting details, richer prose and those small details that really peel a story off the page. It’s a long process, but I honestly enjoy every stage! It’s only with the final round of editing that I begin to complain. I am horrible with passive voice, commas and weasel words. Thank goodness for copy editors!
Can you name your top 5 favorite authors?
Oh, that is next to impossible! If I stuck to classics, I’d include Louisa May Alcott, C.S. Lewis, Lois Lowry, Katherine Patterson and Madeline L’Engle. If I went with more contemporary authors within my genre, I’d say John Green, Nadine Brandes, Sara Ella, Shawn Smucker and Jennifer Niven.
What’s currently on your nightstand?
Warning, it’s quite the eclectic collection. I’m also including my kindle app with this, because I’ve been reading a lot of ebooks with the current pandemic situation: Solo, a Women’s Devotional (The Message version), The Silence of Bones, by June Hur, Girl Online, by Zoe Sugg, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, by Hank Green (these two may be for comparative title research), The Emotional Craft of Fiction, by Donald Maass, and All Manner of Things, by Susie Finkbeiner (these last two have been staples for the last six months). I have a problem with reading one book at a time.
Is there a book that changed your life?
I don’t think I could narrow it down to one particular book, but I truly believe each book that we read helps to change us a little. When I was in high school, I was not a Christian, but I had big questions about faith. I read widely in world religions and philosophy books, but it was MG and YA fiction that hit me most powerfully. Books like Katherine Patterson’s Bridge to Terabithia, Lois Lowry’s The Giver, Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia made me wonder beyond myself. They made me question about a larger world view in the most subtle of ways.
Can you tell us your favorite scene in Fade To White, and why?
Oh, that is another tough question. There are two that stand out right away as being high on the list. The one scene is set within an ice cream parlor in the middle of November. Thea knows that her mother is about to unload bad news on her, as they never go to the Cow’s Pint in the winter, unless there is bad news. I adore ice cream, but can’t eat it myself anymore, so writing this scene was very nostalgic of my own childhood and a dynamic I had at times with my own mom.
The other scene comes later in the novel and a critical plot point. I can’t share it here, as it will be too much of a spoiler, but know that every time I look at framed family portraits now, my eyes burn a little.
What is your idea of a perfect day?
Oh, this is going to be fun! My ideal day would be set in a tropical location, let’s say Costa Rica. I’d have just finished swimming in the ocean with my family, and as they took a nap in the hammock, I’d be sitting down at my sand and water proof computer to begin drafting the final scene in a heart wrenching contemporary YA story. With a mango smoothie and panini close at hand, the final words would flow out of me, like the warm breeze sweeping up from the ocean. After writing, ‘The End‘ we’d take a walk down the coast to a quaint beach town, peruse some artisan shops, perhaps find a classic’s book store and eat dinner at a beach bistro. The sun would set on a cloudless sky and mosquitoes would never appear for the walk back home.
What do you hope the reader takes away from Fade To White after they read the final page and close the book?
In Fade to White, I wanted to tell a really good story that would make someone laugh and cry, and wonder about the characters beyond that final page. I also wanted them to see a little piece of themselves in those characters. It may sound cliché, but I want them to take away hope. The stories that have most impacted my own life were those that left me inspired for the future, that urged me to change who I am today, and that reminded me, no matter what mistakes I’ve made in the past, there will always be a chance to start again. Fade to White was built on those narratives. If this story reminds someone that they are not alone within their struggles— that there is still hope—I will breathe a little deeper.
Thank you so much to Tara for joining me today on the blog! I hope you all enjoyed this interview. Don’t forget to pre-order Fade To White and add it to Goodreads!
About Tara K. Ross

As a teen, Tara K. Ross discovered how well-written prose can change the trajectory of a person’s life. Case in point: her life. She now passes along this wisdom through her work as a school speech-language pathologist and mentor with local youth programs. She is also blessed with a ridiculously supportive family that grants her time to create stories that tackle the interplay of faith and mental health. FADE TO WHITE is her debut novel (IlluminateYA, May 2020).
When Tara is not writing or reading all things YA, you can find her rock climbing the Ontario escarpment, planning her family’s next jungle trek or blogging at www.hopeprose.com.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
About The Book

Fade To White
Publication Date: May 30th 2020
Publisher: IlluminateYA (an imprint of LPC Books)
Summary: Thea Fenton’s life looks picture-perfect, but inside, she is falling apart. Wracked by anxiety no one seems to understand or care about, she resorts to self-harm to deflect the pain inside.
When a local teen commits suicide, Thea’s anxiety skyrockets. Unexplainable things happen, leaving her feeling trapped within her own chaotic mind. The lines between reality and another world start to blur, and her previously mundane issues seem more daunting and insurmountable than ever.
Then she meets Khi, a mysterious new boy from the coffee shop who seems to know her better than she knows herself—and doesn’t think she’s crazy. His quiet confidence and unfounded familiarity draw her into an unconventional friendship.
Khi journeys with her through grief, fear, and confusion to arrive at compassion for the one person Thea never thought she could love.
A deeply transformational novel from an authentic new voice in Christian young adult fiction.
Pre-order Fade To White
Amazon | LPC
To find more books I love that feature mental health reps, search the mental health category on my blog!
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