Posts Tagged "Interview"

Lorraine Zago Rosenthal is the author of the incredible new novel, Other Words For Love. If you haven’t already got a copy, you must, must check it out. Lorraine was nice enough to let us steal some of her time for an interview (as well a great guest post which you can read here).

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You have a B.A. in Psychology, (which is very impressive!) what made you opt to take up writing as opposed to a career in that field?

Thank you! I began writing at a young age and had initially planned to major in English in college, but instead chose to study psychology because it was also a subject that interested me. I really enjoyed studying psychology, and this knowledge assists in fiction writing. To create believable characters, you have to consider their background, experiences, and everything else that affects them emotionally. I never planned to work in the field of psychology, and I later went on to earn graduate degrees in education and English. Throughout my education I was always writing and hoped to become an author.

Other Words For Love is incredibly heartbreaking but also moving and a story a lot of people can learn from and relate to – what inspired you to write it?

I’m a character-driven writer, and the characters were what came to me first. Ari and her family were in my mind for quite a while before I fully understood Ari’s story and began to write it. When that story crystallized, I just wanted to tell it and to share it with readers. Ari was my inspiration all along.

Most reviews I’ve read for OWFL have been incredibly positive, many with a 5 star rating, were you surprised by the response?

I was hoping for a good response but because fiction is so subjective, I knew that not all readers would give my novel five stars. I have therefore been pleasantly surprised and very grateful for the immensely positive response.

It was so interesting reading a book set in the 80s which has barely been touched on in YA Fiction, why that decade?

There are a few reasons why I chose to set the story during the 1980s. As you mentioned, the 1980s are a neglected era in YA fiction. The only other YA novel I know of that is set during this decade is The Carrie Diaries. There is YA fiction set in the 1800s, 1920s, etc., so why not the 1980s? This decade is as valid historically as any other, and I believe that no time period should be restricted from the YA genre. There are stories to tell from the viewpoint of young people in every era.

I thought that if teens could identify with historical fiction—time periods with cultures and values so different from now—then they could easily relate to a time period that they didn’t live through but wasn’t all that long ago. The ideals of the 1980s weren’t exactly the same as today, but they weren’t completely different, either. I also thought that adults who read YA fiction and lived through the 1980s might connect with the story.

But the main reason I set Other Words for Love in the 1980s is that the story wouldn’t work in the present day. As I mentioned, culture and values weren’t radically different then, but they weren’t exactly the same as today. For example—in the novel, Ari’s sister has a baby when she is seventeen years old, and although teen pregnancy isn’t encouraged now, I think it has less of a social stigma than it had during the 80s. There was no “Teen Mom” on MTV back then! Ari is more embarrassed about her sister having been a teen mother than she might be today, and Evelyn’s choices are extremely disappointing to her parents.

Also, the issue of AIDS is prevalent throughout the novel. Although AIDS unfortunately still exists, it is better understood than it was during the 80s, when it was new and many people didn’t fully comprehend how it could be contracted. There was an undercurrent of hysteria when AIDS first appeared, and this is present in Other Words for Love.

Finally, although Ari is intelligent and mature, she’s also more innocent than most girls her age would be today—for various reasons. For example, the internet didn’t exist during the 1980s, so teens didn’t have as much access to information as they do now. The 1980s were more conservative than the present time—just take a look at how teens were represented in the media back then as opposed to now.

What’s your favorite thing about the 80s?

I would say my favorite thing about the 1980s is the music. There was a lot of great music back then, especially from English artists who had a very distinctive sound.

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Thanks Lorraine!  You can follow Lorraine on twitter – @lorrainezr

Check out our review of Other Words For Love here.

Other Words For Love is available in store in the U.S. and online via Amazon or Book Depository for international readers.

It’s no secret how much j’adore Stephanie Perkins’ debut novel, Anna & the French Kiss, so it was an easy decision to make it our February Book of the Month. We got to chat with the fabulosity that is Stephanie Perkins for a quick Q&A…

Anna and the French Kiss (as its name suggests) is set in France – what made you opt to set it there? Would you consider setting a book in another city like London, Rome or *cough* Sydney?

It’s set in France, because I had a dream in which I saw a beautiful boy sitting on the steps of the Panthéon in Paris, and I couldn’t resist finding out more about him! I’m very open to writing more novels set in foreign locales, but . . . I wouldn’t write one just to write one. I’d have to have a great idea or a great character first. There always has to be a reason.

What are your favorite and least favorite moments in AATFK?

I don’t have a least favorite moment, though it was difficult to write the scene that takes place in the patisserie (not because of the desserts, but because of the content of the conversation). My favorite moment is easy — their first kiss! Swoon!

Is there a secret about one of your characters you can share with us?

Rashmi was originally two characters: Rashmi and a girl named Jennifer, who was dating Josh. Both characters were reading flat, so I combined them into one, and BOOM. An interesting character. Combining characters is one of my favorite writing tricks, something I use in almost every story I write or every critique I give. It adds instant depth.

You’ve said on your blog you think books should have more kissing in them (I couldn’t agree more), what’s the best kiss you’ve ever seen, read or had?

Oh, heavens. What a great question! The best kiss is the first one I shared with the man who became my husband. We met online, and we lived across the country from each other, and we didn’t get to meet in-person for nearly five months. When he stepped off the airplane, we didn’t even speak — we moved straight into a kiss! We even had an audience, because he’d been telling our story on the airplane, and I’d been telling the people waiting beside me at the terminal. It was very, very romantic.
I know it’s still super secret but what can you share about your upcoming projects?

I wish I could tell you! Soon, soon. All I can say now is that LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR (September 2011) takes place in America, and ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER (Fall 2012) wraps things back up in France. ANNA, LOLA, and ISLA are companion novels, which means that each story was written to stand alone. But they do have character overlap, so it’ll be more fun to read them all!

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Told you she was fabulous! Thank you Stephanie! Be sure to follow her on twitter @naturallysteph or visit her official site here.

Want a chance to win a copy of Anna & the French Kiss? Enter our giveaway here.
As always, it’s not a requirement to follow us, but we would love you x 1000 if you followed us using the Google Friends Connect located on the right sidebar

You can see our review of Anna & the French Kiss here.

Beth Revis is the author of the fantastic new novel, Across the Universe, which is our January Book of the Month! She was nice enough to take time out for a quick Q&A.

Amy and Elder’s life on the Godspeed is incredibly fascinating – where did the idea for the story come from?

The entire story revolves around the ending. I had an idea for that twisty end, and everything else—the setting, the characters, the plot—all of it came about as a way to make that ending happen.

During the early planning stages of the story who came first – Amy or Elder?

Elder. Originally, the first chapter was told in his point of view, and his voice was the easiest for me to write at first. I had to go through rather a lot of revision and rewriting with Amy—it took me awhile to figure her out, but once I had her voice down, she actually became the easier character to write.

There’s a lot of technical info about the way the ship works as well as biology, genes, space travel seen in the book, you must’ve done a lot of research before writing the book?

I had to research mostly in terms of what we don’t have and why we don’t have it. For example, I had to research why cryogenic freezing doesn’t work now (the cell walls burst when frozen) and then invent something that would make it work (the infamous “blue goo” Amy encounters in Chapter 1). In some ways, this made things easier for me—since it’s fiction, I got to do a lot of creative inventing to make the science work, and could use my imagination rather than facts.

During the Plague the ship was cut off from communications with Earth – was that someone’s doing or a computer malfunction?

Oh dear….I’m afraid I’m not going to tell you. That is something that will be addressed in the future books, though!

Most of the reviews on other blogs and on Goodreads are 4 or 5 star ratings, are you surprised by the warm reception?

Happily so! It’s so terrifying to send creative work out into the world. Even though I’m fully aware that writing and reading is an entirely subjective thing, there’s so much of me in my work that to see someone not like it feels like a personal insult when I know logically it isn’t. The wonderful reception AtU has received so far has made me thrilled beyond belief and just confirmed my idea that I have the very best readers in the whole world.

I’m sure it’s still top secret at this stage but is there anything you can share about what we can expect from the next book?

I can only say that at least 2 things you think are true from the first book….are actually lies.

And lastly, let’s finish on a fun one….crunchy or smooth peanut butter? (Would they have that on Godspeed?)

Crunchy for me! Peanuts are a crop that would be easy (and necessary) for the residents to grow, so I imagine there’s lots of peanut butter around Godspeed—and since peanut butter is so easy to make, I’d say that they can have it either way they want, crunchy or smooth!

Thank you Beth! Check out our review of Across the Universe here and Beth’s guest blog here.

There’s still time to enter our Across the Universe giveaway too, click here to enter.

Ally Condie is the author of the fantastic new novel, Matched, which is our November Book of the Month! She was nice enough to take the time out for a Q&A in the lead up to the book’s release on Nov. 30th (Dec 2nd for Australia).

**Beware of some spoilers ahead**

Cassia’s world in the Society is so complex and fascinating – where did the idea for the story come from?

Matched was inspired by a few different events—specific ones, such as a conversation with my husband and a time we chaperoned a high school prom—and general ones, like falling in love and becoming a parent.
Matched raises a lot of questions about our own society, as well as, what it means to be happy and the value of freedom – are they issues you wanted to particularly highlight?

Yes! I think happiness and freedom are both things we all want in our own lives now. And sometimes it feels like happiness and freedom don’t go hand in hand. Freedom means tough choices, living with consequences. But is true happiness possible without also knowing hardship and despair? I don’t think so. I think you have to have both sides of the coin.

How much research did you have to do before starting this novel?

I didn’t do any research before starting the novel, but as it progressed, I did do a bit of research into optimal fertility ages (so I’d know when the Society would match people) and also into game theory, the prisoner’s dilemma, etc. My husband is an economist so things like game theory and algorithms come up at the dinner table all the time. He was a great resource, but of course any mistakes in the book are mine alone. J

I guess, as the writer, you get to chose which paintings/songs/poems etc get to be included in The Hundred – did you pick your favorites or did you opt for a list of the most popular of each?

I haven’t actually made lists of all the Hundreds. The only ones I “know” for certain are the ones that I’ve used in the book. And my list of favorites would look very different from the Society’s Hundreds. The Society would be very careful not to include anything subversive or inflammatory. The Society has also eliminated a lot of diversity and culture when they made their Hundreds, which is creepy.

Though Cassia seems quite decided in this book on who her Match is, will we see Xander try to make a comeback?

I don’t want to give too much away—but I will say that Xander is not giving up.

The film rights for Matched have been picked up by Disney – has there been any progress so far?

Not yet! Disney is still looking for a screenwriter. But I will be sure to post any updates I can on the blog.

I know I’m dying to find out what happens next (as I’m sure everyone else will be), what can we expect from the next book?

Let’s see…what am I allowed to tell you? Book 2 will have two narrators telling the story. And it will be the next part of Cassia’s journey, both physically and emotionally.
Any quirky writing rituals or habits? Where do you prefer to write? Cafe, at home…etc

I like to write at home in my basement “office,” and I also like to write at the public library. I drink a LOT of water while I’m writing and I like to wear a certain hoodie. And I don’t snack a lot while I’m writing, but if I need to stay awake, cinnamon bears usually do the trick.
What’s currently in your to-read pile?

Where She Went by Gayle Forman, Great House by Nicole Krauss, and The Beyonders by Brandon Mull. I can’t wait to read them all!

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Thank you Ally! Check out our review of Matched here and Ally’s guest blog here

Lara Morgan is the author of the thrilling new novel, Genesis, the first book in the Rose Black Chronicles.

Set five hundred years into the future, the story follows Rosie Black as she deals with a world much different from the one we know.
The Melt has sunk most of the coastal cities and Newperth is divided into the haves, the “Centrals”; the have-nots, the “Bankers”; and the fringe dwellers, the “Ferals”.

Rosie Black is a Banker. When Rosie finds an unusual box, she has no idea of the grave consequences of her discovery. A mysterious organisation wants it – and will kill to get it.

Forced to rely on two strangers, Rosie is on the run. But who can she trust? Pip, the too attractive Feral, or the secretive man he calls boss?

From Earth to Mars, Rosie must learn the secrets of the box – before it’s too late.

**As always, beware of a few small spoilers**

Genesis has elements of both dystopia and sci fi, and does it quite well, what drew you to writing a book in those genres and where did the idea for Genesis come from?

I’ve been a fan of dystopian futures for years (I think it has to do with being a teenager in the 80s when we were all convinced the Cold War was going to end with a nuclear winter) and although I’m generally a positive person when I look at the way the world is today, I don’t hold out much hope for any kind of utopian future. Given the environmental damage we’ve inflicted, and our politicians’ short term policies for dealing with it, I can’t see any other alternative than for a fairly bleak future. That concern about our environment, the climate change debate, is really where the idea for Genesis came from. I’d been reading a lot of books about it and wanted to explore a future where we are dealing with the possible fallout from our present mistakes.

From the Melt, to Pip, to Riley, the actions of the past have made a huge impact on not only the story and the world but also for the characters personal lives – was that something you wanted to highlight to readers?

The past always informs the present and the more interesting or challenging a past, the higher the stakes are in the present. I like to write about consequence, for both characters and the worlds I create, so having had awful things happen in the past creates for more interesting characters and a more interesting world.

How much research did you do before starting Genesis?

A lot. I’ve always had an interest in space but I’m no scientist so I had to do heaps of research on that. I read a lot of books on climate change and I also had to research Mars, space exploration and try to get my head around the physics of the solar system and travel within it. I have a whole stack of books on astrophysics on my shelf now to add to my collection.

Will we get to hear more of Yuang’s back story?

You will get to hear more about Helios which will lead to a better understanding of why Yuang was the way he was, but Yuang himself, of course, is not in book two.

I was getting the feeling that Riley and Aunt Essie could be a good couple, am I wrong?

You’re not wrong, but love is complicated so let’s not pressure them into anything!

We’re left with a lot of unanswered question and unresolved issues (that I’m dying to get to the bottom of), what can we expect from the next book?

Equinox is going to go further into what/who Helios is and also offer up some new challenges for Rosie. Pip will return but there is also a new boy, Dalton, and the fight against Helios moves into the wild lands of the north, known as Gondwana Nation. Rosie will find out that not everything is as black and white as she thought and she’s going have to make a choice that will alter the course of her future.

In your acknowledgments you mentioned Isobelle Carmody (who I am also a big fan of), what was it like having her input/advice?

Isobelle’s advice was absolutely invaluable. She saw Genesis in its very early stages in 2007 and was really supportive which I very much needed at that stage. I’d been writing for adults beforehand and she gave me the best advice anyone’s who is writing for young adults can get which is; never let your adult characters take over from your teenage protagonist. Oh, and she is a totally awesome person as well, just in case you were wondering.

Any quirky writing rituals or habits? Where do you prefer to write? Cafe, at home…etc

I can’t write in noisy crowded places like cafes, I have to be at my desk or in a quiet place, but I must, must have tea. The writing day starts when I have a cup of tea sitting on my desk, a little to the left as I’m left handed. Irish breakfast, loose leaf, white, no sugar, thanks.

What’s currently in your to-read pile?

Fallen by Lauren Kate, The Poison Diaries by Wood Northumberland, Slights by Kaaron Warren and some research for a future project: Lilith the First Eve and The Book of Enoch

Thanks Lara! Genesis is available in store in Australia and New Zealand and online for international readers.