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books

Twitterview: Sara Zarr

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I can’t even tell you how excited we are to have Sara Zarr here as part of our Twitterview series. I adored The Lucy Variations, which is out today, and I loved being able to pick her brain about the book, as well as her prior books, about her podcast “This Creative Life” and much, much more. Since I had her, I asked her as much as I could!


I’m also giving away a copy of The Lucy Variations. 


Without further ado, Sara:



Pitch The Lucy Variations in 140 characters.

16-year-old retired concert pianist reclaims her life & love of music with the help of her little brother’s cute (married) piano teacher

What inspired The Lucy Variations?

My midlife crisis & my own creative crisis, which is handily disguised in life of teen girl. Also by my experiences mentoring/being mentored

The Lucy Variations is your first novel in third-person. What made you choose that direction?

Limited 3rd allowed me to do some different things w/story than I could in 1st, while keeping close connection to character

This book tackles passion and the desire one feels to create. Did writing this feel like looking into a mirror at times?

Absolutely! It’s very much about my relationship w/ writing & writing career & how they’re 2 different things that can feel in conflict

Music plays a large role in The Lucy Variations. What music inspired you while writing it?

Junip and Jose Gonzalez were on heavy rotation in drafting, also the Shins

If Lucy’s story had a soundtrack, what would be the first, middle, and last tracks?

1. The Shins: The Rifle’s Spiral 2. Junip: In Every Direction 3. Vivaldi’s Winter from The Four Seasons

What, if anything, should readers walk away with from The Lucy Variations?

I’m always happy if they walk away with a great reading experience! Beyond that, it’s such an individual thing.

Talk a bit about the change in title and cover direction for your novel Once Was Lost, now What We Lost.

I blogged about this in some detail, but basically it’s about finding as many readers for the book as possible.

What character do you most relate to from your novels? Why?

Right now, Lucy, because her struggle to protect the love of her creative work from external demands has been mine.

If you can’t answer that definitively, what character do you think about and revisit the most? Why?

Deanna from Story of a Girl is still so real to me. I picture her out there, living her life. I feel like I could run into her on the street

You’ve developed a podcast over the last year, “This Creative Life.” What inspired its creation?

The love of talking about what it feels like to be inside the creative process, and the sense it would be valuable to others, too

What has been some of the most valuable insight you’ve gained through your Podcast guests?

That we’re not alone, that there’s no one right way to do this thing, that it’s worth doing even when it’s hard

Who is your dream guest for “This Creative Life?”

They are all my dream guests! I wish I could resurrect Robert Cormier and have him on.

What gets you jazzed to write?

Reading, walking, staring into space, and mostly not wanting to hate myself at the end of the day!

Who or what do you write for?

I write for the sense that it’s my vocation & if I don’t do it I’m rejecting something fundamental about who I am & the life I’ve been given

What scares you the most about writing or the writing process?

I’m always scared that what’s coming out onto the page isn’t good, and I won’t know how to make it good. I want it to be perfect.

Is there something you’ve always wanted to explore in your writing but have been too fearful to do yet?

I’d like to explore the experiences of adulthood and not disguise them in lives of teen girls. That feels more self-exposing.

What’s been the most satisfying part of your career to date?

Hard to choose, but the friendships & peer connections I’ve had the opportunity to form because of being a writer mean so much to me

You’ve purposefully chosen to change your writing routine in the last year. Can you talk about that decision?

The main thing was that I took a break from signing contracts. I just needed a pause to gather myself & be thoughtful about what to do next

Now that you’re developing new routines, what, if anything, do you remind yourself of? What compels you to keep going?

Like Lucy, I want to stay connected both to myself & to audience. But it has to come from sense of calling, not fear of letting others down

Who are your top three writing influences?

I could list authors, but I think the real writing influences are more the people who’ve mentored & befriended me along the way.

What was your most influential read as a teenager?

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier made me want to be a writer. Madeleine L’Engle’s House Like a Lotus stirred me up the most.

Who do you believe is breaking ground in YA right now?

I love what Matthew Quick is doing, and more people need to be reading Steve Brezenoff. Of course I’m a bit biased toward contemp realism

What’s the best writing advice you ever received?

“More poetry!” (Friend/writer Nicole Stansbury told me this & made me attentive to thinking about beauty in the midst of storytelling.)

What’s your best writing advice to give?

If you’ve never finished anything: finish. If you’ve finished: learn to be a great self-editor. This is accomplished by reading a lot.

What’s next for you?

A book I wrote with Tara Altebrando, Roomies, will be out at the end of the year. After that, who knows?

Favorite ice cream?

If I could tolerate sugar and dairy, some unholy trinity of Ben & Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, Peanut Butter Cup, and Cookie Dough.

Twitterview: Karen Healey + Giveaway of When We Wake

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Karen Healey is the author of the 2010 Morris finalist Guardian of the Dead, the 2011 Cybils finalist The Shattering, and the recently-released When We Wake, which I reviewed here. She joins us for a Twitterview this month, where she discusses her fictional future in When We Wake, writing advice, favorite dystopian reads, and upcoming projects.

We’ve also got a finished copy to give away to one lucky reader, courtesy of Little, Brown.

Pitch When We Wake in 140 characters or fewer.

Girl dies on best day of her life; wakes up 100 years later. Then everything gets worse.

What inspired you to write the book?

I wanted to write a Sleeping Beauty story! A sci-fi version that deals with climate change and politics worked for me.

How would you describe Tegan?

Passionate, persistent, honest, and so stubborn that she’d batter down stone walls with her head.

How would you describe the future world Tegan finds herself in?

Complicated! Much like our own, really – but with new ethical and environmental issues to face.

How realistic do you think that future is?

Well, the general social tolerance is realistic! But as for the worst aspects, I’m really hoping it’s not realistic at all.

The future setting is full of interesting details. What research did you do to determine what 2127 would be like?

I must admit the truth – I’m secretly a time traveller.

Would you volunteer to be cryonically frozen?

Volunteer, yes! Pay for it, never – it’s a terribly expensive process, with very little hope of success.

Tegan is a big Beatles fan, and you thank them in your acknowledgments. What’s your favorite Beatles song?

I rather like “Revolution”, “Here Comes The Sun” and “Blackbird”.

The end of the book seems purposely open-ended. Is there more to Tegan’s story waiting to be told, or do you feel it’s complete now?

There’s a sequel on its way! While We Run should come out next year. But Tegan won’t be telling that story – Abdi will.

When We Wake comes amid a YA dystopia craze. What do you think sets it apart from other books with a similar concept?

It’s actually a pre-dystopia! The world hasn’t collapsed yet – but it’s certainly on its way.

What are your three favorite dystopian reads?
I love Winter of Fire by Sherryl Jordan, Taronga by Victor Kelleher, and George Orwell’s 1984.

[Kimberly’s note: I loved Winter of Fire too, and am so glad I am reminded of it now. I highly recommend it, if you can find a copy.]

What was the most fun part of writing the book?

Definitely all the free running research! I got to sit there and watch these parkour vids and be super impressed.

Your first book, Guardian of the Dead, was a Morris finalist. How has that impacted your writing career?

It’s certainly helped get my work to librarians, and from there to readers, which is terrific!

Who do you think is breaking ground in YA right now?

Sarah Rees Brennan – she has a massive range, and an excellent take on familiar tropes.

What did you like to read as a teenager?

Masses of big map fantasy, and anything by Sherryl Jordan, Gaelyn Gordon, and Margaret Mahy.

Describe your writing process.

Let an idea sit at the back of my head and have tons of idea babies. When the idea family is too big for the space, get it out in words!

What’s the best writing advice you ever received?

Keep writing – Gaelyn Gordon said that of an early thing she read of mine. And I did.

What’s your best writing advice to give?

Keep writing! It’s the only way you’ll ever produce and improve your work!

Outside of writing, what do you do with your free time?

I’ve heard of free time. It’s a mythical beast, right, like a unicorn?

Tell us a little about your next project.

While We Run takes place six months after When We Wake. Abdi has a lot of things to say.

Twitterview: Rainbow Rowell (author of Eleanor & Park)

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Welcome our latest Twitterview victim, Rainbow Rowell, author of the recently-released YA novel Eleanor and Park. While it’s not Rowell’s first novel, this is her first YA title, and we reviewed it right here.


Rainbow stopped by to talk about inspirations and influences, why and how Omaha, Nebraska is her setting of choice, and who she sees breaking ground right now. And if you want your own copy of Eleanor and Park, there is a giveaway at the end of the interview.


Without further ado, Rainbow:


Pitch Eleanor & Park in 140 characters

Two 16-year-olds fall in love–and understand what that means. That 1st love is usually a lie or a temporary condition. But they try anyway.

OR

This is what it feels like to fall in love when you’re 16, when all you can do is hold each other’s hands as long as the world lets you.

OR

First love! True love! Star-crossed 16-year-olds read comic books and trade mixed tapes, and try not to let go of each other’s hands.

What inspired Eleanor & Park?

I’ve always wanted to write a first-love story. One that didn’t fast-forward through all the small stuff. I wanted to see if I COULD.

Eleanor & Park is set in the 1980s. Talk a bit about that.

It’s set in 86 because that’s a year I can still FEEL. Also because it was a time when underground culture was shifting/changing/subverting.

And what was the most enjoyable flashback moment in writing the story set in this era?

Probably remembering the first time I heard “alternative” music. The Smiths, The Cure. So exciting/scary. Like, “What ELSE is out there?”

Your first book, Attachments, was an adult novel, but you went YA with Eleanor & Park. Why the switch up?

I didn’t really plan it; was just the story I wanted to tell next. I’ve always read both adult & YA, so it didn’t feel like switching gears.

Both of your books have been set in Omaha, Nebraska. Any particular reason for that setting? (also: shout out to Village Inn for us midwesterns!)

I’m from Omaha. Born & mostly raised. I like the idea of setting all my books here, the way every John Waters movie is set in Baltimore.

Eleanor & Park is a romance, though it’s a bit atypical. How would you describe it?

Well…no one in this book is an ethereal beauty 🙂 It’s an intense love story that’s also intensely clumsy sometimes, and painful.

Tell us a little bit about who Eleanor is?

Eleanor is smart & funny & proud & so busy keeping her head above water, she never sees those good things. Doesn’t believe in good things.

Who is Park?

Park wants to be invisible. He thinks it’s safer & he doesn’t know what to make of himself, anyway. But he’s good & true & believes in love.

If you had to give your book a “____ meets _____” pitch, what two (or three! or four!) books/films/shows would Eleanor & Park be a meeting of?

“Juno”! “Romeo and Juliet”! That episode of “Dawson’s Creek” where Pacey gives Joey a wall.

“Pretty in Pink ÷ Cynthia Voigt’s “Homecoming.”

Eleanor & Park pubbed in the UK before the US. Were there major differences in the pub/ editorial experience on either side of the world?

Hard to say because I also changed U.S. publishers. E&P was edited by my UK editor. My U.S. editor, fortunately, was happy with that edit.

Can we talk about your non-traditional, non-stock image book cover?

IT’S WONDERFUL & I AM SO LUCKY. The cover was really important to me & St. Martin’s Press worked hard to make sure the cover fit the story.

Outside of writing, what do you do with your free time?

I work with a design agency on marketing stuff. Strategy+writing. And I have 2 kids. And I read like someone who’s afraid she’ll forget how.

Who or what do you write for?

For myself. (Is that awful?) I write because I get toxic with words if I don’t. I write the characters/stories/love stories I want to read.

What was your most influential read as a teenager?

Everything by John Irving, starting with World According to Garp. Made me see how language can perfectly marry plot. How the TELLING matters.

Who are your top three writing influences?

Beverly Cleary, Tom Robbins, Lewis Carroll. (Voice, language, music.)

Who do you believe is breaking ground in YA right now?

Wow, I don’t feel at ALL qualified to answer that. (I don’t know that I’m looking for groundbreaking, as a reader. Just GREAT, you know?)

What’s the best writing advice you ever received?

Finish your book. You can worry about almost everything else later. FINISH YOUR BOOK. (From an Omaha author who writes thrillers.)

What’s your best writing advice to give?

Nothing new here: Write A LOT. Read outside your genre. Don’t worry about what will sell; nobody really knows that anyway.

What is your writing routine?

Thursday through Sunday at the coffee shop, in 4-to-6 hour blocks. I can’t take more than a few days off, or I get lost in the story.

What gets you jazzed to write?

Writing. The deeper I get into a novel, the more I want to get back to it. I start to miss the characters. Miss their space in my head.

Do you have a writing soundtrack? Care to share a bit?

I build playlists while I write. It’s SERIOUS BUSINESS. All my playlists are on Spotify
rainbowrowell. And I blog about them on my site.

What’s next for you?

My 2nd YA book, FANGIRL, comes out in September. Coming-of-age tale of family, fanfiction & true love. And I’m writing another adult book.

Favorite ice cream?

Mint chip.

Your deepest, darkest secret?

It used to be my fanfiction addiction, but now I’ve written a whole book about that. SECRET’S OUT.


Want to win a copy of Eleanor and Park? I’ve got one to give away. I’ll pick a winner at the end of the month. 

Twitterview: Amy Spalding

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This month, we’re excited to have Amy Spalding as our Twitterview guest of honor. Amy is the debut author of The Reece Malcolm List, reviewed here. She’s eager to talk about musical theater, her book, and her biggest, darkest secret about ice cream, and much more.

We’ve also got a finished copy of The Reece Malcolm List to give away to one lucky reader.

Pitch The Reece Malcolm List in 140 characters

Long-lost mom, L.A., performing arts school, boys with good hair, complicated friendships, amazing burgers.

What inspired The Reece Malcolm List?

I’m a sucker for long-lost family stories and wanted to write my own! I thought, who is least likely to be the mom. Boom. That’s the mom.

How would you describe your main character, Devan?

Always defined herself by what she didn’t have (her mom). Overflowing with doubts/observations. Never so comfortable as when onstage.

What about Reece Malcolm?

Brilliant, intimidating, bad at cooking, caffeine addict. ANY MORE MIGHT SPOIL THE BOOK.

Your book is set in Los Angeles and the setting is noteworthy. You’re an LA transplant yourself. What’s your favorite part of LA? (*Readers: this is a trick question that makes a lot more sense when you’ve read the book)

People here are part of thriving creative communities. Also the weather’s great, restaurants are amazing, and bands rarely skip our city.

The Reece Malcolm List features musical theater. What’s your favorite show?

TIE: Ragtime, Hair, Hedwig & the Angry Inch, Merrily We Roll Along.

Honorable mention: A Little Night Music, Floyd Collins, Chess, Evita

Favorite show song?

“Journey On”

“Flesh Failures”

“Opening Doors”

“Wig in a Box”

“A Weekend in the Country”

“Big Ass Rock”

“Rainbow High”

“Skid Row”

Oh, sorry, did you ask me to keep going? (*No, but keep going, Amy)

“Science Fiction Double Feature”

“Getting Married Today”

“I’m Not That Guy”

“Real Big News”

“Git Comfortable”

“I Can Hear the Bells”

“Nobody’s Side”

What about your least favorite?

People say Phantom of the Opera’s “All I Ask of You” is romantic. I believe those people to be very wrong.

If you had to give your book a “____ meets _____” pitch, what two (or three! or four!) books/films/shows would The Reece Malcolm List be a meeting of?

Dramarama + Gilmore Girls + High School Musical? THOSE THINGS ALL HAVE ME BEAT BUT STILL.

What should readers walk away with from The Reece Malcolm List?

Don’t be a wild squirrel.

This is your first book. What’s been the best/most exciting part of the publishing process so far?

1. Getting offer. 2. Getting blurbs. 3. Getting ARCs.

What’s been the scariest or most stressful part of the process so far?

My books took a long time to sell. It was depressing and upsetting and I wanted to give up constantly.

Outside of writing, what do you do with your free time? 

I do tons of longform improv, playing on indie teams. Also I love television.

Who or what do you write for?

Sometimes I write books I would have wanted to read at 14, sometimes I write books for me now. I like them all!

What was your most influential read as a teenager?

Most influential books were as a tween: Lois Lowry’s A Summer to Die, Ann M. Martin’s Babysitters Club.

Who are your top three writing influences?

People always think I’m kidding about Ann M. Martin, but it’s true! Also Lois Lowry again here. Current YA, E. Lockhart.

Who do you believe is breaking ground in YA right now?

Excited about Sarah Skilton’s, Bruised and Leila Howland’s Nantucket Blue. Think CK Kelly Martin should be more famous.

What’s the best writing advice you ever received?

Not to me personally but Jennifer Westfeldt said to write EVERY character like you had to play them. Changed how I wrote supporting “cast”.

What’s your best writing advice to give?

Write what you love. Trends change, but if it takes longer AND YOU LOVE YOUR BOOK you’ll be glad you never wrote a robot romcom.

What is your writing routine?

I’m the worst. Hunched over a coffeetable. Camped out at Starbucks. Lunchtime at work. Don’t write like me, kids.

What gets you jazzed to write?

When I have A Big Idea. When things start to gel. When I can crack myself up like an obnoxious douche.

Do you have a writing soundtrack? Care to share a bit?

I try to center it around book’s soundtrack. For Reece it was pretty much nonstop showtunes, especially cast recordings of Merrily.

What’s next for you?

Editing my next book, Ink Is Thicker Than Water (Dec 2013!).

Favorite ice cream?

Maple bacon.

Your deepest, darkest secret?

Actually I used to hate ice cream. Then I got onboard! LIKE IN MY LATE TWENTIES.

Twitterview: Lenore Appelhans (& Giveaway)

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This month, we’ve got Lenore Appelhans, debut author of the forthcoming Level 2 (due out January 15) for our Twitterview victim. Because I read this book in an early incarnation, I don’t have a review for it. I did share my thoughts on this scifi dystopia with romance earlier, though, and you can read them here. Level 2 is the first book in a series.

Lenore’s been blogging at Presenting Lenore since 2007, and she’s on Twitter @Lenoreva.

In addition to sharing this Twitterview, I have a finished copy of Level 2 to give away to one winner at the end of the month. But without further ado . . . Presenting Lenore!:

Pitch Level 2 in 140 characters
Girl in afterlife relives her life memories and is recruited for a rebellion against the corrupt guardians of LEVEL 2.

What inspired Level 2?
Reading tons of dystopians, but wanting to explore a new twist on the genre. Plus my fascination with memory.

How would you classify Level 2 genre-wise?
1/3 dystopian afterlife thriller + 2/3 contemporary romance (sort of). It’s kind of a genre bender. Just how I like ‘em!

Did any television/movie/book help you in developing the world of Level 2?
How about song? The world is partly inspired by Tori Amos’ The Beekeeper.

What, if anything, should readers walk away with from Level 2?
I hope they walk away with their heads spinning and looking forward to further jaw-dropping revelations in the sequel.

If you had to give your book a “____ meets _____” pitch, what two (or three! or four!) books/films/shows would Level 2 be a meeting of?
THE MATRIX meets INCEPTION meets LOST meets DEFENDING YOUR LIFE – that’s how one editor we subbed to described it.

This is your first book. What’s been the best/most exciting part of the publishing process so far?
Every milestone = amazing. Seeing the cover. Holding the ARC in my hands for the first time. All the support from my book blogger buds.

What’s been the scariest or most stressful part of the process so far?
All the waiting. Publishing is such a slow process – and I thought I was a patient person!

You began your journey as a blogger. What made you pursue writing a full-blown book?
Having access to so many authors made me realize that publishing a book is an attainable dream if you work hard. So I did!

You’re a huge fan of dystopias, even running a regular dystopia series. What is your favorite dystopian novel?
I’ve read over 200 by now. So hard to choose a favorite, but I’ll go with a classic: 1984.

Who or what do you write for?
I write the type of novels I want to read, but I hope that many others enjoy it as well!

What was your most influential read as a teenager? 
HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad.

Who are your top three writing influences?
Hard! I adore authors who combine high concept with literary chops – like David Mitchell, Lauren Oliver + Laini Taylor.

Who do you believe is breaking ground in YA right now?
YA in general is so innovative and exciting right now. See: AS King, David Levithan’s EVERY DAY, Elizabeth Wein’s CODE NAME VERITY.

What’s the best writing advice you ever received?
You CAN do it, but only if you actually do it.

What’s your best writing advice to give?
READ. A LOT. Also, have a vision for your story before you start and follow that vision through to the end.

What is your writing routine?
Erratic. I can only draft from 3 pm onwards. I am not a morning person.

What gets you jazzed to write?
Spark sessions. Before I sit down, I brainstorm cool stuff that could go into the next scene.

Do you have a writing soundtrack? Care to share a bit?
I can’t listen to music while I write, but I do put together playlists for each book that I listen to before to get into the mood.

What’s next for you?
Edits for Level 3 and super secret project!

Favorite ice cream?
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. (Un)fortunately, it’s hard to find in Germany.

Your deepest, darkest secret?
Repressed. But I’ll have to face it eventually. Latest in Level 2. Or Level 3. 😉

Want a chance to win a copy of Lenore’s book? Fill out the form below. Because I’ll be sending this copy myself, I’m limiting it to US and Canada residents only.