In her debut novel How Not to Save the World, author Jessica Yinka Thomas introduces readers to Remi Austin, a young professional who ends up becoming a globe-trotting thief. Austin, however, only has the best intentions at heart, and readers of all ages and professional backgrounds will be able to identify with her. I interviewed Thomas, who’s based in Arlington, Virginia, to find out more about the background of the novel as well as her experience with writing her first novel.

Remi Austin isn’t your typical action hero, though she certainly has the gadgets, the evil villain, and the dashing love interest. Were you trying to create a modern-day, female James Bond or did you have another intention for creating Remi?

I was definitely trying to create a modern-day, female James Bond.  I great up in Nigeria and Senegal and we didn’t have TV so my family basically watched James Bond movies in the evenings on the weekend for much of my childhood. I love the adventure, the gadgets and the intrigue but I was always disappointed by the female characters who were limited to romantic interest, then sexy henchman then psychopathic bad guy as the movies got more “progressive.” But that was only a minor part of the vision for the book. Social impact was always going to be at the core of the story.  I’m inspired to write because I see storytelling as a compelling mode to engage people in big ideas. My hope is that everyone who reads my work will think about how they can find their personal path to leaving this world better than the way they found it. So I create Remi as the anti-role model for social change. You don’t have to be an international art thief to change the world. But you do need Remi’s passion and a great crew of friends helps too.

Remi traveled all over the world in How Not to Save the World, and it seemed like only locals could know many of the details you included. Did you draw on your own experiences for any parts of the novel? The chapter set in Dakar, for instance, was especially fun to read and it seemed as though you may have personally spent time there.

Absolutely! I’ve traveled to and, in some cases, lived in all of the locations featured in the novel. Growing up, I spent three years in Nigeria and seven years in Senegal. The capital, Dakar, is still one of my favorite places in the world. I’m glad it shows in the novel!

What are your plans for the future of Remi Austin? Will we find out more about her inspiring mother, her inventive friend Izi, or her wrong-fully imprisoned brother?

Absolutely, we will see more of Remi Austin, her inspiring mother’s return, her brother out of prison and her kick-ass friend Izi. I have laid out a plan for a three-book series with How Not to Save the World as the first Remi Austin Adventure. I’m hard at work on the second, tentatively titled How Not to Make Friends. I’m shooting to release it Fall 2012. I don’t want to give too much away and the story is still forming, but here is a sneak peek:  ”How NOT to Make Friends is a fast-paced suspense novel set in a world of high culture, high fashion and high-tech gadgetry, about a band of three friends who make a pact to solve the world’s problems, big and small. The novel follows Remi Austin, a modern day Robin Hood, and her best friends Izi Marley and Alex Domingo on a high speed chase around the world. There will be more intrigue, more saving the world, more gorgeous gadget-packed dresses and more international travel, but this time, the girls are working together and they’ve got friends, millions of friends…”

Can you tell us about the experience of publishing your first full novel? Any words of wisdom for aspiring writers?

The process of publishing my first novel has been an adventure! Four years ago, shortly after I completed the novel, I found a small local publisher interested in publishing the novel. After six moths of designing the cover, putting together the marketing strategy and preparing to release the novel, the publisher went out of business. It was heart breaking. Not long after that I was preparing to go on a brief maternity leave with my first child and decided to self-publish the novel with all the “free time” I was going to have. That was a disaster, for the book. I could hardly keep my attention off of my little guy and what free time I had was committed to short naps. Once I got the hang of motherhood I found a literary agent interested in representing the novel. She shopped it around all the major and minor New York publishers. Over the course of 14 months we got a stack of glowing rejection letters but no takers. That took me to last September when I decided to finally make a real commitment to self-publishing the book. I’m learning a ton about marketing myself and the book, both of which are very challenging for someone who likes to be holed up over the weekend writing.

For now, I’m focused on marketing the first novel and writing the sequel. Juggling a day job, a family, a social life in addition to writing is a delightful challenge. I have to be very strategic about fitting in my writing. Recently I’ve had the flexibility to scale back my day job to half time. So these days I can usually commit at least two hours to marketing and promoting my first novel and two hours to working on the second novel. Part of my marketing strategy includes getting book clubs to read the novel. This has actually provided fantastic feedback for me as a writer and as I work towards completing the sequel. The time I commit to writing, I don’t have a special place. I’ll often write on my lap using my laptop on my living room couch or the local library if I’m going to put in several hours. Much of the writing process for the sequel involves idea generation. The woman who runs my fitness class is probably frustrated that I will often pick up my iPhone in between sets and make notes about dialogue, character development, settings, etc. She probably thinks I’m texting my friends, but it does help my productivity and keeps my mind distracted during the bicep curls

Is there anything else you’d like to tell Woman About Town readers?

For any aspiring authors I would say write what you love! I’ve taken my inspiration from the world around me and from the parts of life that I love. I weave my travel experiences into my writing, my passion for technological innovation and my personal vision for creating large scale social and environmental change.  The story in How Not to Save the World evolved from a desire to create a compelling story that would include all of those elements. So my call to action to the readers out there is to follow your passion wherever it may lead, unless it involves breaking the law, in which case, I would say, just write about it!

Click on the title, How Not to Save the World, to purchase the paperback or eBook on Amazon.

For more information, go to the website for Jessica Yinka Thomas.