Gwen Hayes - Author Interview: Teen/Young Adult Author

What kinds of fiction did you read as a teenager, and did you have some favourites?

I went through a brief phase with the Sweet Valley High series as a teen, but there wasn't as much YA back in the olden days (1980s) so I moved right on to Stephen King, Danielle Steel, and V.C. Andrews. And, oh my goodness, we passed around Judith Krantz novels like they black market goods. So not appropriate for our age group.

Would you say your reading as a teenager has had a distinct influence on how you write fiction now, and why?

Actually, I wish I had read more books about people my own age a teen.

I'm not sure if there was a distinct influence on my writing during that time period--I'm more inclined to think that all the reading I have ever done has influenced my writing and continues to do so. The art and craft of storytelling is learned through exposure to storytelling in all its forms. Even terrible books can be a wonderful influence. Once you point out what isn't working for you while reading it, the less likely you will be to repeat the mistake.


What did you do before you became a published teen/young adult novelist, and how did you come to write your first teen/young adult novel and get it published?

I still am a bookkeeper for a small company.

I'd always been interested in writing, but it wasn't until 2007 that I decided to really pursue it. I began writing romance, but had a story percolating in my head that I knew was about teens. That story still sits on my hard drive--but it taught me a lot.

I wrote a couple other stories, but I knew when I started Falling Under that it was special. I began writing it in the spring of 2009, acquired my agent in September, and we sold it in December of that year. The book came out four years to the date that I joined a writing forum because I promised myself to try to be a published writer.

How would you describe your style of teen/young adult fiction or your approach to writing teen/young adult fiction?

I try to be honest with the characters and let them tell the story, even when that means they do things I wish they wouldn't. As a mother (of teens) sometimes it's hard to resist mothering my characters. For instance, if my daughter wanted to date a boy like Haden, we'd have words.

I don't want to teach lessons or preach to my readers, but I think that taking a character through his or her triumphs and failures naturally imparts some wisdom because the characters is learning life lessons. And if I've done my job well, the reader is living vicariously through my character, and will learn something about themselves through the experience--even if that something is "Don't date a demon."

Who is another author whose teen/young adult fiction you admire and why?

I am eagerly awaiting Sarah Ockler's new book, which comes out the same day as mine on January 3rd. I really love her voice and I always want to grab her protagonists into a big hug because they feel so real. She's fantastic.

How would you summarise one of your teen/young adult novels in one paragraph?

Dreaming Awake (releases January 3, 2012)

When Theia Alderson first encountered a mysterious, handsome boy in her dreams, she never imagined how finding Haden Black—and falling in love—could change her life. To save Haden, Theia sacrificed everything. And the dangerous bargain she made could have lasting repercussions.

How would you describe the appeal of this novel to teen/young adult readers?

I think the appeal of my books are in the romance. I am unabashedly romantic, according to one my reviews, and I am perfectly fine with that. I love love. Despite all the other plot points in my novels, I always think of the main plot as the love story.

How would you summarise a chapter from this novel in one paragraph?

I don't want to give away any spoilers! How about....What do you do when you become what you fear most?

How would you describe the contribution this chapter makes to the novel?

Dreaming Awake explores what happens after the initial fall into love for Theia and Haden. It's about relationships when the real work kicks in. It's also about not losing yourself or your values when faced with adversity as much as not losing yourself when you become part of a couple. Also, there is danger and intrigue. Fun stuff! But the chapter itself is about facing your most flawed self and either changing or accepting it.

To what extent would you say fiction written primarily for young readers is different from fiction written primarily for adult readers?

The only thing that should be different about writing fiction for young adults is the age of the protagonist. If writers are "writing down" or even watering down their fiction to sell it to the young adult market, they are doing it wrong. So, the real question is: How is writing a teen protagonist different from writing an adult protagonist? From my experience, teens live closer to the surface of their impulses and emotions than adults because they don't have as many experiences that have jaded them yet. Everything is more intense before you learn to proceed with caution. So I've had to let the character act in a way that feels irrational to me, but natural for them.

Author website: www.gwenhayes.com



Alane Ferguson - Author Interview: Teen/Young Adult Novelist

What kinds of fiction did you read as a teenager, and did you have some favourites?

As to what kinds of fiction I used to read as a teenager, I confess as a teen I skipped over teen fiction and went right on to adult literature to Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters. (I refer to this as my English tea period…) I also remember falling in love with Rhett Butler in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind, which I read at least forty times late at night while hidden beneath my covers, a flashlight tucked firmly beneath my chin. And oh, how I loved the tragic story of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which made me weep without fail as I wished for my own noble, heartbreaking love. My all time favorite novel was and is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which, interestingly, didn’t revolve around love but around morality. That book challenged me to think of life in terms or doing the right thing rather than the most expedient. And above all, Harper Lee’s writing is nothing short of transcendent.

Would you say your reading as a teenager has had a distinct influence on how you write fiction now, and why?

I’ve never actually tried to make the connection between what I read and what I now write, but having reread my lines concerning Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, I now see correlations I’ve not considered before. In The Circle of Blood, Cameryn realizes she has chosen moral flexibility in the forensic world of absolutes. Although in her mind her reasons are absolute, her actions still break the rules. Of course, in the end, Cameryn must live with the dangerous consequences of stepping off the moral rails, but I think for me that is more or less the point. It is a given that we all seek wisdom. But to get wisdom we must have experience, and that’s where we all scrape our metaphorical knees. Teenagers, both fictional and breathing, must be given grace as they inevitably test boundaries, and hopefully end up as centered as my beloved Atticus. (Remember, while young, Atticus shot birds for sport before setting down his weapon. He had lessons to learn like the rest of us.) So upon reflection, yes, I believe my favorite book has left its mark on my psyche. And whatever is in my mind inevitably flows onto the written page.

What did you do before you became a published teen/young adult novelist, and how did you come to write your first teen/young adult novel and get it published?

This is going to sound anachronistic, but I was a fulltime wife and mother. (As a teen I was a waitress in a Utah restaurant named Corey’s Kitchen, where I served none other than notorious serial killer Ted Bundy, who asked me out on a date. Thankfully, I declined. My life has been very strange…) Anyway, after I started my family, my sole focus was on my beautiful daughter, Kristin. I wanted to stay home and not miss a second of her childhood. Things were going along swimmingly until I told Kristin she was going to have a brother or sister, asking wasn’t that the most wonderful news ever? “Hurray!” I cheered. “Boo,” she replied. Which is to say Kristin took the news rather badly – she announced she liked being the only child and she wanted me to send the baby back to where it came from. After I recovered from the shock of my little angel’s reaction (she’s now a speech pathologist and adores her brother) I sat down and did what I’d seen my own mother do, which was to write. I created a story about a cat, a dog and a parrot that didn’t want a new pet in their house, but of course they all learned to love the baby in the end. When I read it to Kristin she laughed and asked me to read it again. She and her daddy and I agreed that a sibling would actually be fun, so mission accomplished.

I set that yellow lined paper inside a drawer and forgot about it. But when my published mother came to visit, Kristin pulled the pencil-scratched notes from beneath a coloring book and handed them to her grandmother. I was so embarrassed at the thought of my professional author-mother perusing my quickly penned book that I actually left the room while she read it aloud. My mother saw potential and encouraged me to revise the prose, tightening a bit here and adding a bit there. After I made the changes she convinced me to send it to a publisher (this took some doing) and, believe it or not, the first place I sent it bought That New Pet. It was even reviewed in The New York Times! After that incredibly lucky experience, the publisher asked me to write another picture book. Instead, I stumbled across a very creepy medical phenomenon that began to haunt my imagination. I called my doctor-sister to noodle out additional information. Then, as I rocked my son Daniel to sleep, I devised a very different kind of book. Instead of fluffy critters I penned my very first young adult novel, Show Me the Evidence. Lightening stuck twice when I was flown to New York as a nominee for the prestigious Edgar Alan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Mystery. Amazingly, I won the award for my very first teen novel! After I got a taste of writing for teens, I quickly discovered that YA was my favorite genre. It allows me more room to breathe as an author. Plus, I get to unleash my inner teen!

How would you describe your style of teen/young adult fiction or your approach to writing teen/young adult fiction?

My approach has been to have a style that is exciting, authentic and organic, meaning I try to draw nuance from teens who have inhabited my life before I put my fictional characters in harm’s way. Although the action in my mysteries is by its nature tense, my aim has been to create protagonists who feel real to my readers. Many teens (mostly young women) have found the Ferguson home a soft place to land during times of personal trouble because my husband and I have kept an informal open door policy for those on the edge. I have helped them while they have taught me. As I’ve listened to their struggles, I learned to recalibrate my ear to their life’s concerns and then reflect those insights into my work. Much of my fan mail expresses the deep connection my readers feel to Cameryn or Lyric or Justin. I consider it my highest compliment.

Who is another author whose teen/young adult fiction you admire and why?

My favorite teen/you adult author is Suzanne Collins. Her book The Hunger Games followed by its two subsequent novels was perfectly paced and tightly written with characters I was emotionally invested in. When Mockinjay was released I stayed up all night reading until dawn’s light illuminated my bedroom as well as the mound of tissues I’d accumulated from the poignant ending. (Yes, I am a weeper!) Those books were near perfection.

How would you summarise one of your teen/young adult novels in one paragraph?

Once again, I will copy the back blurb from my book The Christopher Killer with kudos to my publisher: The sleepy Rocky Mountain town of Silverton, Colorado hasn’t seen a murder in years—according to Pat Mahoney, the county coroner. So when his teenage daughter, Cameryn, asks if she can be his assistant—as preparation for a career in forensic pathology—he figures it’s a safe bet. But neither of them imagines that their first case will involve someone Cameryn knows . . . the fourth victim of a serial killer.

Attending her first autopsy is more difficult than Cameryn had ever expected, but she’s determined to find her friend’s murderer. Before long, Cameryn is plunged into a disturbing mystery, matching wits with everyone from the cantankerous medical examiner who doubts her abilities to the famous psychic who is predicting yet another death—soon.

How would you describe the appeal of this novel to teen/young adult readers?

It’s a mystery involving mysticism and romance, grounded on forensic science.

How would you summarise a chapter from this novel in one paragraph?

The first chapter in The Christopher Killer explains the origins of Cameryn’s strong passion for forensics. Cameryn’s grandmother, or Mammaw as she is called in the Irish tradition, voices her strong objection to her granddaughter’s choice of career, blaming Cameryn’s dark turn on her missing mother. Patrick Mahoney, Cameryn’s father, is the coroner of tiny Silverton, a town nestled high in the Colorado Mountains. His job provides a perfect access point for Cameryn, who is determined to give voice to the dead. The opening scene begins with a phone call from the new deputy concerning a body found in a rundown Silverton motel. When Patrick grumbles about his workload, Cameryn convinces her father to hire her as his assistant, and thus she begins her journey into a new, extraordinary, and very unsettling underworld to which few have access.

How would you describe the contribution this chapter makes to the novel?

It is the cornerstone, not only to the book but also to the entire series.

To what extent would you say fiction written primarily for young readers is different from fiction written primarily for adult readers?

Fiction for young readers has distinctive properties from books written for an older audience, which in some ways makes YA more difficult to write. Teen readers demand lean, faced-paced work that captures their attention and never lets go. It’s good training for a writer of any genre!

Author Website: www.alaneferguson.com



Sarah Alderson - Author Interview: Teen/Young Adult Novelist

What kinds of fiction did you read as a teenager, and did you have some favourites?

As a teenager I was reading a huge mix of literary fiction and fiction. This was before YA became a genre of its own - before Harry Potter. I remember reading and loving E. M. Forster - A room with a view - and the classics like Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, The Age of Innocence, Gone with the Wind. I also loved Louis de Bernieres south american magical realism series, Brett Easton Ellis, Douglas Coupland. Other contemporary novels The Secret History and Middlesex made me love more contemporary writers too. and I also read lots of commercial fiction too when I was younger - Jilly Cooper, Dan Brown and Bernard Cornwall being a favourite escapism of my younger years!

Would you say your reading as a teenager has had a distinct influence on how you write fiction now, and why?

I think I read really broadly - I studied English A'Level so read a lot of the classics and Shakespeare and then read a wide range of fiction. the only books I really don't read now are 'chick lit' or anything about shopping, finding a husband or weddings. More than books I think the medium of film and television has influenced my writing.

What did you do before you became a published teen/young adult novelist, and how did you come to write your first teen/young adult novel and get it published?

I worked in the non profit sector in London.

I never imagined being a writer. I didn’t staple paper together when I was 6 and write stories about fairies that lived at the bottom of the garden, I didn’t wile away time as a teenager writing angsty novels about loving and losing. Ok, I wrote some really, really awful poetry for a while which I think my ex boyfriend still has and hopefully won’t put on ebay when I’m famous. When I was about 10 I was asked to write a story about an invention – any invention that we could think of – and the page stayed blank. When I was 18 my English teacher told me not to bother applying to read English at university.

I did write other things despite these early warnings to take up maths instead; diaries, newsletters, amusing emails to friends, love letters (sent and unsent) an early blog at the start of the century, countless essays about the Renaissance, the resistance and neo realist cinema, and then once I started work I wrote millions of words of wildly creative nonsense in the form of funding reports and applications to government for large amounts of money.

I honed my creative writing on the battlefield of the British voluntary sector. And I won a lot. Anyway, the point is I never really aspired to be a writer, other than that vague notion in the back of my head to one day write a book which I think I shared with 99% of the population. Just one of those things I thought would be cool to do but which I would probably never get around to.

Then in 2009 I got sick of working and sick of living in London and my husband John and I decided that we’d pack up our lives and head off around the world with our then 3 year old daughter in tow to find a new place to live. That’s documented on the rest of this blog. About the time we were planning our route I started having panic attacks about what I’d do for money when we settled somewhere else. I was swimming one day and I thought to myself, right, gotta earn some money, or I’m screwed, so now, who’s rich? Richard Branson, but he’s a workaholic, oooh Stephanie Meyer, she ‘s rich and all for writing about vampires with angsty faces and quiffy hair, right I’m going to write a book.

And that, really is the first part of my story.

By the time I’d swum twenty lengths I had the kernel of a story idea. Every time I got stuck I’d think ‘what if…’ and so the story expanded and evolved. Having said that I always felt like the story already existed and that I was just tapping into it and writing it down. I’ll detail my writing process in another blog post later.

I started writing Hunting Lila in June. I wrote it naively, I wrote without really knowing what I was doing as is obvious by the final wordcount of my first draft (117,000 words – I had no clue that first novesl in YA should run 60-80K max – didn’t even think to google it). I finished it in November and started editing it. Then I began sending out letters to agents in London whose names I’d culled from the Writers’ and Artists’ Handbook.

I was good at writing letters – that was something I’d honed through long practice in the work place. I sent out my submissions and then I headed off with a backpack to India. Most people find themselves in India, and I was no exception, in India I realised that I wanted to be a writer, that writing was no longer just a means to an end but something that I couldn’t imagine not doing, it was my passion. I’d have daydreams where I had to choose what limbs to lose and I’d make pacts with myself that I’d be fine if I had an accident so long as I was left with my head and my right arm. If I lost my right arm I decided and could no longer write I would just want to die.

I hit the beach in Goa and started writing again – this time the sequel to Hunting Lila. I didn’t have a book deal, I didn’t have an agent but I had this story and these characters of Lila and Alex who I couldn’t let go. They haunted me. I felt like I was betraying them in some way just leaving them hanging, their story only partly told. They would actually talk away in my head, whole conversations with me as the eavesdropper and then I’d just write it down. It was an awesome way to write a book – feet buried in the sand, looking out over the Arabian sea.

Whilst I was there, I received replies from the agents I’d posted to. I had sent 12 letters. I received 9 rejections, 3 of which claimed to really like it but had no room on their lists, and I received 2 requests to read the entire manuscript.

I emailed the full manuscript through to these two agents in utter terror. At the point of getting an agent I could suddenly see the glint of light through the trees and with it came this sense that I would die if it came to nothing. (see melodrama in every aspect of my life, not just my writing). If you’ve ever got to this stage in writing you’ll appreciate how hellish the waiting is. Those points where I’ve been waiting – for an agent to get back to me, for a publisher to respond – have been the most stressful and godawful but also most exciting moments of my life, like being in the throes of labour but not knowing if the child you’re giving birth to is going to be born with a head or without one.

Anyway, both agents came back almost instantly to ask to represent me and I found myself in the amazing position of being able to choose my agent. I spoke to writer friends and asked them what I should ask and I scoured the net. Both were highly reputable, well established with excellent track records. Both were very excited about the book. It was an easy choice for me to make in the end after I spoke with both – I chose the person I got on with the most and who had clearly read the book more than once, knew it very well, and who loved the characters as much as I did.

So I signed with Amanda at Luigi Bonomi Associates and have had an amazing year working with her now. Having someone to whom I can dump creative ideas on and who knows the publishing world enough to tell me what to run with and what to ditch is more brilliant than I could have guessed. I will do a fuller blog post on literary agents later.

I spent about 2 months editing my mammoth manuscript down to 85,000 words and then after several more read throughs by Amanda we thought it was ready to send out. Amanda handles the publishers. My job was to wait. And finish work on the sequel.

She sent it to the top 11 publishers in the UK – Penguin, Hodder, Simon & Schuster, Harper, Orion etc – and then we waited for three weeks. And then another two weeks. And I got a lot of rejections that made me feel like puking. It came very close with publishers whose names I could barely whisper and only then in reverential awe. It’s an almost impossible thing to get my head around still – that editors at these publishing houses read my manuscript.

In July last year I received an offer from Simon & Schuster for Hunting Lila and its sequel.

It was a good offer, especially in this day and age, for a debut author. It wouldn’t have been enough to let me give up my day job in London (though maybe go part time) but it’s enough to live well on in Bali. We celebrated a lot. I think I may have cried.

In August we were on the final leg of our journey, a road trip of California. We were staying in a beautiful house in Montecito with friends and one day I started writing a new story. This time a stand alone novel. I’ve since found that after every book I need a 6 week break, at the end of which time I’m leaping to get back in front of a computer, almost feverish and manic with the need to write. So I started this new book and it came to me very quickly, needing very little rewriting. I had it finished by October and sent it to Amanda. She loved it but wasn’t sure that Simon & Schuster having taken such a big leap of faith on a two book deal with me already would buy a third book when the first two hadn’t yet been published.

But they did. I think I woke every person in our village in Bali, screaming about that one at 6am.

It’s November 2011 now. Hunting Lila was released in August and I have just signed a deal for the film rights. Losing Lila, the sequel will be released in summer 2012 and Fated is due for release by Simon Pulse (S&S’s paranormal imprint) in January 2012.

How would you describe your style of teen/young adult fiction or your approach to writing teen/young adult fiction?

People often comment on how authentic my teenage girl voice is. I'm not conscious of choosing a specific approach.

Who is another author whose teen/young adult fiction you admire and why?

JK Rowling. I'm in awe of how she managed to structure and plot seven extraordinarily detailed novels. Having written a series myself I know how difficult it must have been to draft all those plot lines without any recourse to go back and change anything in previous books. Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon for a reason. She writes so well and created characters that were so believable that they have become absorbed into popular culture.

How would you summarise one of your teen/young adult novels in one paragraph?

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she's prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she's been in love with her brother's best friend, Alex, since forever. Or thereabouts.After a mugging on the streets of South London goes horribly wrong and exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust - her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they've found them. Trying to uncover the truth of why her mother was killed, and the real remit of The Unit, Lila becomes a pawn in a dangerous game. Struggling to keep her secrets in a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone - there are others out there just like her - people with special powers -and her mother's killer is one of them...

How would you describe the appeal of this novel to teen/young adult readers?

From the reviews the appeal is three fold; the romance (particularly the lead character Alex), the X-men style action and the altogether different setting of a military base (which makes a change from the normal High school setting for YA romance).

How would you summarise a chapter from this novel in one paragraph?

About a third of the way through the novel Lila meets someone who tells her the truth about the mysterious organisation her brother works for and she discovers she is not alone in having a mind power.

How would you describe the contribution this chapter makes to the novel?

It's the main instigating chapter from where all the action pivots. It changes the tone and direction of the novel and from that point on the book becomes basically one long chase scene with a final explosive show down between all the characters in the book.

To what extent would you say fiction written primarily for young readers is different from fiction written primarily for adult readers?

I don't think it always is different but I would say that in YA you can stretch your imagination and write about things you wouldn't necessarily have an audience for in adult (paranormal, dystopia etc) which is why I like it. The protagonist in YA is usually someone of a similar age to the reader which is the main difference, it has a shorter word count generally and the themes addressed in YA tend to be more aimed at the key issues that come up at that age; identity, choosing your path, choosing between wrong and right. And it's always a journey of self-discovery and transformation for the main characters.

Author website: www.sarahalderson.com



Rhiannon Hart - Author Interview: Teen/Young Adult Novelist

What kinds of fiction did you read as a teenager, and did you have some favourites?

I read and loved fantasy novels best, such as the ones by Tamora Pierce and Tanith Lee. I was also fond of vampires and werewolves, and anything with a speculative fiction emphasis, like Isobelle Carmody's Obernewtyn.

Would you say your reading as a teenager has had a distinct influence on how you write fiction now, and why?

Absolutely. There are some trends that were popular in my youth that seem to have waned--like creatures of the night being monstrous rather than kissable--that I miss and want to revive in my books. Also the idea of a flawed heroine seems to have fallen by the wayside. I read a great deal of series as well and that's what I feel most comfortable writing.

What did you do before you became a published teen/young adult novelist, and how did you come to write your first teen/young adult novel and get it published?

I'm still doing it---marketing. My debut Blood Song came out this month after writing it during a unit on Young Adult Novel Writing and I was very determined to get a good agent and publishing deal. I think I spent as much time on research into the industry as I did drafting the book.

How would you describe your style of teen/young adult fiction or your approach to writing teen/young adult fiction?

Fast paced, fun, and a little frivolous. You've gotta enjoy yourself whether you're read or writing!

Who is another author whose teen/young adult fiction you admire and why?

I'm really loving the Australian fantasy that's been coming out recently, like the novels by D.M. Cornish, and contemporary novels like Vicki Wakefield's All I Ever Wanted. I like contemporary fiction with a crime bent.

How would you summarise one of your teen/young adult novels in one paragraph?

It'll have to be my debut, Blood Song. A princess feels a strange, overwhelming desire to travel northwards at the peril of her sister and herself. When she reaches her destination there are more questions than answers, and an infuriating young man who seems to be standing deliberately in her way.

How would you describe the appeal of this novel to teen/young adult readers?

I think it appeals to teenagers due to it's strong adventure element and quick pacing. The humour and romance haven't seemed to hurt either.

How would you summarise a chapter from this novel in one paragraph?

There's a chapter in which the heroine, Zeraphina, and hero, Rodden, are involved in an archery tournament in direct competition with each other. The stakes are high, especially for Zeraphina, and this stretches her abilities to the limit.

How would you describe the contribution this chapter makes to the novel?

It builds mutual and grudging respect between the two characters and shows Zeraphina just what she's capable of. Also, I hope it heightens the sexual tension.

To what extent would you say fiction written primarily for young readers is different from fiction written primarily for adult readers?

YA novels are so hopeful and all look towards the future, to the person the characters will become for the rest of their lives. It's an exciting and vital time.

Author website: www.rhiannon-hart.blogspot.com