Ten Questions with Emily Meehan, Acqusitions Editor of The Darkest Minds

 
All right, guys, if you read my last post, you'll know that today I am SUPER DUPER EXCITED to be here with Emily Meerhan, the editor of Alexandra Bracken's THE DARKEST MINDS. When I had an opportunity to be part of Alex's blog tour for the The Darkest Minds, I literally jumped at the chance. 

Emily Meerhan is the Editorial Director for Disney-Hyperion books, and she was formerly executive editor of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, where she developed books and series such as Elixir by Hilary Duff and the Hush, Hush trilogy by Becca Fitzpatrick. Guys, those were some big books. I'm pretty pumped to see that TDM is in such good hands. So without further ado...



Hey Emily, great to have you here! You're the editor for Alexandra Bracken's newest book, The Darkest Minds. Tell us a little about how you first discovered her book.

This was one of those books that from the very first page I knew it was something special. It was at a time when there were a lot of dystopian submissions going out and flooding my inbox, because The Hunger Games was really taking off and everyone was looking for the next big thing. But this ms was so different from all of those, so fresh and different and engaging.


Were you the acquisitions editor for The Darkest Minds? Was acquiring it a tough sell internally? Tell us how that went.

Yes, I was the acquiring editor. And I had no trouble convincing anyone how special the book was and how well we'd do publishing it. The problem was that other houses were interested too, and auctions can be unpredictable.


Hardcore fans will know that originally, The Darkest Minds had the working title of "Black is the Color." If you can explain without any spoilers, why the title change? And I know sometimes it can be a really tricky process coming up with a new title. Was this a natural title concept, or did you guys have to work on it?

Yes, I loved the original title and occasionally Laura, my assistant, will catch me calling it that still! But when we started doing jacket comps, we found that we were running into concerns that the title was misleading for what the book is about. People thought it might be confusing and readers would think the book was a contemporary novel about race relations. It was an interesting moment because I had never considered that until we started pairing the title with visuals.


Oh wow, that is interesting. I never would have thought of that. Now, what excites you most about The Darkest Minds, and this series in general?

These characters that Alex has created are unforgettable. I am obsessed with them all in their own way, and that's what excites me most about the series: where they will go and what they will do.


What's it been like, working with Bracken as an author?

Alex is a dream author because she totally gets it. She has a day job in publishing and balances everything with such aplomb. She takes a lot in stride because she knows how this process unfolds and that has been so refreshing. Also, she is a wiz at taking editorial direction. I have put her through the ringer in terms of revision and she's answered me always with even better material.


In an interview on Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, you said that a huge part of the editorial process is trusting the author, that they know where their characters are going. I thought that was really interesting. Could you elaborate on that idea of trust for us?

Ha! Well I'll never forget when Alex replied with a revision and said that Clancy was quite possibly the most disturbing thing that had ever crawled out of her brain. Oops, is that a spoiler? I hope not. Anyway, sometimes you have know that your author knows better than you. It's a tough pill for us editors to swallow. I think for me the trust is coming with where she'll take these characters in book 2, which I obviously cannot talk about. Heh heh.


*Suppresses grin* I love that, though! People always talk about wanting a good working relationship with their editors, and this illustrates why. I would think this idea of trust is especially true when working on a series, as you are, being Bracken's editor for the TDM trilogy.

Yes, there's a lot of give and take in the editorial process. I can tell an author something is really working or it's not, but ultimately it's her story and her characters. And it goes the other way too. Sometimes and author might be unsure of a direction I send her in, but it ends up leading someplace good. It's just about my favorite part of the whole process.


Talk to us about marketability. I know a novel can be very well written, but might be a tough sell due to less-than-marketable elements. Authors are told not to chase trends, but at the same time, I think it's terribly important to understand what mentality publishers and agents will have when considering to pick up a new book.

Well, in the case of this book, as I said before this came out on submission at a time when there was a lot of dystopian being bought by publishers. Which of course means that it would be published at around the same time the other books were from other publishers. But when I acquire books I don't acquire to trends. If it's an amazing story with memorable characters and I think people will love reading it as much as me, then I go after it. And that's what THE DARKEST MINDS is. And it's very gratifying to read all of the rave reviews that say the same thing.


What's one thing you wish more authors knew, or did to prep their manuscripts, before sending you those pages?

Proofread! I don't like seeing typos in manuscripts. It bugs me!

Final question! Let's go with something fun. What makes you passionate about your job?

FALLING IN LOVE WITH A STORY AND ITS CHARACTERS. YES I'M SHOUTING!!

And there you have it, guys; Emily Meerhan, Editorial Director at Disney Hyperion, shouts off about books and publishing! Emily, it was great to have you. Thanks so much for your thoughtful answers on Bracken and The Darkest Minds. Guys, if your interest isn't piqued yet, check out the blurb below and then the blog tour links right below all that. And go! Get reading! Go! :)

About The Darkest Minds

When Ruby awakened on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp." Because Ruby might have survived the mysterious disease that's killed most of America's children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby knows that she is one of the dangerous ones and, when the truth comes out, she barely escapes Thurmond with her life. On the run and desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her, Ruby joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what she did to her parents.

When they arrive at the safe haven, East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work too, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. And soon Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

The heart-pounding first book a near-future dystopian series, Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds will leave you begging for the next installment.

Alexandra Bracken was born and raised in Arizona, but moved east to study at the College of William & Mary in Virginia.  She recently relocated to New York City, where she works in publishing and lives in a charming apartment overflowing with books.  You can visit her online at www.alexandrabracken.com or on Twitter (@alexbracken). 

The Darkest Minds Blog Tour Schedule

January 6^th: TheSkipKids.com

January 7^th: Mundie Moms

January 8^th: Laura’s Review Bookshelf

January 9^th: The Book Smugglers

January 10^th: Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf

January 11^th: The Book Muncher

January 14^th: The Compulsive Reader

January 15^th: Anna Reads

January 16^th: Emily's Reading Room

January 17^th: *Headdesk*  (look. It's me! *waves*)

January 18^th: BlookGirl

January 21^st: Once Upon a Twilight

January 22^nd: Sara's Urban Fantasy Blog

January 23^rd: Good Choice Reading

January 24^th: Novel Novice

January 25: Tynga's Reviews

10 Questions With Joelle Anthony

Hey Joelle! Tell us a little about yourself as a writer—night owl, or morning bird? Does your writing have a set process, or does it evolve from book to book?

I’m more of a morning person, but not too early. I like to ease into my day, waking up around seven or eight, drinking tea (delivered by my wonderful husband) in bed while I write in my journal, eating breakfast…. Then, after I’ve procrastinated for a while, I go out to my cabin and put on some music and dance around to loosen my body up and free my mind. This is not something anyone ever needs to see! After that, I finally block the internet and get to work, writing at my treadmill desk. I generally walk about two miles per hour while I write. It takes me about four hours to do two hours of work though because I have to take lots of breaks for more food and general goofing around! Blocking the internet does help me stay focused though.

What was your process writing The Right & The Real? What did you have trouble with, and what inspired you?

I actually wrote R&R so long ago, I don’t remember my process! I think I did the first draft in 2009. It was completely edited and finished by February of 2011, so you’re asking a lot of me to stretch my memory back that far. Haha. I do remember that when writing Restoring Harmony, I had a tendency to make everything too easy on Molly, so I tried really, really hard to make things difficult for Jamie in The Right & the Real. My editor actually had to tell me several times that she didn’t like some of the other characters because they were so mean! I had to humanize the ones who were hurting Jamie so the reader could see why they did the things they did, and not think they were pure evil and mean spirited. I mean, I wasn’t writing Voldemort here! That was a challenge, especially with Jamie’s boyfriend, Josh.

The premise of The Right & The Real struck me as being deeply controversial, but at the same time, something everyone could probably relate to—whether they were on the religious side, or the pessimistic side. What drew you to explore those themes? (Did personal experience have anything to do with it?)

I never set out to debate any church or religion, and I intentionally made The Right & the Real church cult-like so no one would think I was picking on a particular group of people. It’s true that the members consider themselves Christians, but I think most Christians would have a hard time identifying with them. The thing I discovered as I researched cults was that it’s not about religion, it’s all about power, but people who are searching for happiness or the meaning of life are often easily sucked in by extreme religions, and cults are born.

I don’t have any personal experiences with it, but I am drawn to stories that put characters in unusual circumstances. With The R&R, I wondered how might a normal, middle class girl end up homeless and the story grew from there.

Ooh, way to nail it on the head. I would have to agree with you on both points--I'm a Christian, and even from reading the blurb, I can definitely say that's not how the genuine Christian church works.

Your debut novel, Restoring Harmony, came out two years ago—yay—which makes The Right & The Real your second published novel—double yay! I’m going to bet you know a bit more about the publishing industry now than when you were starting out. So what surprised you, and what do you wish you’d known sooner?

I think the biggest shock to debut authors is that having a book out changes everything and changes nothing at the same time. Unless you have a “big” book, with a huge publicity budget, you and your family are probably the most excited people out there regarding your book. I don’t mean that this is a bad thing, I just think that no matter how much you read authors saying this, you never quite believe it until you experience it. Authors roll their eyes at people who say, “You should get on Stephen Colbert,” but honestly, we’re all waiting for the call, even if it’s on a very deeply hidden level, and when it doesn’t come, it can be a bit of a downer.

The thing to remember about publishing is that you have to just keep plugging along. Having a book out is a beautiful thing, and I don’t want to diminish it in any way, but it’s not a career. It can be the first step toward a career, but if you mistake it for “making it,” you’ll probably be disappointed.

So…I just carried on and now I have two books out! Yay. Or as you said, Double Yay!

Great answer. Given all that, what did it take to get The Right & The Real on bookshelves?

My editor really loved the book from the first fifty pages, so I guess I would say it was her enthusiasm. And my agent’s. I did the work, but you can write and write and write, and if you don’t have an excellent team like that in your corner, it can be really difficult to succeed. So while I’ll take credit for doing my part, it would not be on the shelf without them.

Tell us something about your book that we wouldn’t know just by reading the blurb, hearing the hype, or looking at the cover.

You wouldn’t know that one of my favourite lines I stole directly from my father. When my husband and I were first together we went to a barbecue at my parents’ house and after we’d eaten, he and I went to serve up the dessert – ice cream. My husband is the kind of dessert eater that just likes a couple of bites to finish off his meal, not a big old slab of cake or a bucket of ice cream, and when he dished up my dad’s tiny scoop, I looked at it doubtfully, because my dad really loves ice cream, but I didn’t say anything. My husband handed the bowl to him, and Dad looked at it and said…

Oh, wait! I can’t tell you, it will spoil the book! But the character of LaVon does use a version of it when Jamie asks him if he wants whipped cream on his hot chocolate.

That cracked me up. Reminds me of my own family, and now, I must admit, terribly curious to know what your dad said!

Today’s writing culture has a pretty big obsession with rules. What’s your stand on this? Are there any particular rules you write by?

Oh, I’m a big rule follower by nature, which makes me fit in very well here in Canada. In Tennessee, where my husband is from, he says, “Darlin’, rules are just guidelines.” He also says that about the law! As for rules about writing? I don’t have a lot, but I try not to use adverbs. And I try to remove the word “that” whenever I have it and don’t really need it. And I really try hard not to use the same word twice in a paragraph, or even on a page. If it’s an unusual word, I might only use it once in the entire book.

An example might be that I would never say: Being a senior is the saddest part of high school because your senior year is all about endings. I would change it to: Being a senior is the saddest part of high school because twelfth grade is all about endings.

Actually, I would never use either of those lame sentences, but you get the idea. After I’ve written a book, I comb it carefully for things like this and it drives me crazy when the ARC comes and I see I’ve missed some!

If you knew you a teenager who aspired to be a novelist, what would you say to them?

I actually know quite a few teens who aspire to be writers because I am the writer in residence at our local school. I always tell them to keep practicing and to read a lot. But the most important thing I try to stress is to never apologize for your writing. It’s true that you’ll write some stuff that might not be that great, and next year, it might even embarrass you. But if it does, that’s because you’ve learned something! It took me seventeen years to sell my first book (I have about seven or eight finished, unpublishable manuscripts I wrote before Restoring Harmony), so just keep writing and try not to be too hard on yourself. Everything you write will teach you something, even if no one ever reads it.

I love hearing stories like that--it's proof that all this time spent developing my craft isn't a waste. That's it's a process. So what was yours? How have you grown as a writer, and how do you hope to see yourself grow in the future?

I think I’m having more fun. Before RH came out, I had a certain amount of desperation to get published, which caused me to rush things. Now I go slower. And I savour the writing. I try not to hurry, and I’m easier on myself. I take weekends off and if I try writing and it’s just not a good day, I cut my losses and do something else. There are times you have to push yourself (deadlines come to mind!), but there are also times you have to ease up, and I was never good at that before. Now I’m better.

What’s next for Joelle Anthony?

I’m working on what I hope will be my third book right now. It’s still untitled and I don’t have anything to share yet, but I’m close to finishing a first draft. Last year, my best friend died suddenly, and so it was not a good year for writing. This year is a good one. That’s what I mean about being easy on myself sometimes. I’ve learned that ebb and flow is natural and you can’t fight it.

I’ve also got my writing cabin now, which is so exciting and such a luxury that sometimes, I find myself standing in it and just laughing at how lucky I am to have such a great place to write.

Can I just say, that sounds amazing? And thank you much for sharing all this. It's been great having you here a second time and seeing how things are developing for you.

Thank you so much for having me on your blog!

Book Trailer Reveal--The Right & The Real

Okay guys. About two years ago I interviewed debut author Joelle Anthony about her first book, Restoring Harmony. So I was really excited when, a few months ago, she contacted me about her new book, The Right & The Real which is launching in just a few days. But today also happens to be Joelle's 44th birthday, and she's asked a bunch of us bloggers to help her celebrate by releasing her book trailer for the first time. So here it is!

It sounds like a really original take on the whole coming of age story, but I'll let your read more about it yourself:

Kicked out for refusing to join a cult, 17-year-old Jamie must find a way to survive on her own.

Jamie should have known something was off about the church of the Right and the Real from the start, especially when the Teacher claimed he wasn’t just an ordinary spiritual leader, but Jesus Christ, himself. But she was too taken by Josh, the eldest son of one of the church’s disciples, and his all-American good looks. Josh is the most popular boy at school too, and the first boy outside the drama geeks to give Jamie a second look. But getting her Dad involved in a cult was not part of the plan when she started dating Josh. Neither was her dad’s marriage to the fanatic Mira, or getting kicked out, or seeing Josh in secret because the church has deemed her persona non grata.

Jamie’s life has completely fallen apart. Finding her way back won’t be easy, but when her Dad gets himself into serious trouble, will Jamie be ready to rescue him, and maybe even forgive him?

--Goodreads blurb

Happy birthday Joelle! Glad I could participate. And guys, you want to know what is possibly the coolest part? On April 20th when The Right & Real launches, I'll be posting a new interview with Joelle about it. So enjoy the book trailer, feel free to comment, and don't forget to check back on the 20th.

Happy Wednesday!

Truly and always,
-Creative A

Interview with an Intern: the Bookmuncher Speaks

Today's interview is a bit different. (Every once and a while I like to do that. Just, you know, shake things up a bit.)

What has been on my mind, lately, are internships. Seems everyone but me went and got interned somewhere in the publishing industry this summer. There's a lot people say about these internships--we hear stories about reading the slushpile, getting free books, learning the secret ins-and-outs of the industry, discovering new trends.

Now that the summer is over, I found myself wondering: what did our fellow booklovers learn during their internship? Is it everything they imagined? So I decided to ask one.

Here, let me let her introduce herself--

Hi there! I’m Rachael from The Book Muncher. I attend Barnard College in New York City, and it’s my dream to work in children’s publishing.

Which is awesome. In fact, Rachel is pretty awesome herself. She runs a great YA book review blog with regular reviews, contests, and other fun bookish stuff. I'm tempted to visit NYC just to meet her. But airfare is kind of expensive, so I sent her an email instead asking for an interview. Here's what Rachael has to say about the insider scoop on literary internships.

Welcome, Rachael! Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you intern (if that's not a secret!) and how long have you been there?

Luckily for me, I landed a summer internship at Macmillan in the children’s marketing department, which I just finished in August.

I think a lot of writers would love to be publishing interns at some point, but not everyone has the time. What went into your decision to become an intern? Did you see it as a short-term thing, or a larger career move?

As a college student who aspires to work in publishing, I find the time to work internships because I know it will pay off once I graduate! Paying my dues to publishing is definitely a choice made with my future career in mind.

Publishing interns are famed to get an inside scoop on the industry. Would you say that's true? Has being on the "inside" changed the way you write or think?

I definitely think I’ve gotten quite a bit of an inside scoop! Just being able to go into an office and hear the conversations between people working (okay, I wasn’t really eavesdropping) around me gave me access to so much information I wouldn’t have encountered anywhere else. This is how I learned about the politics of publishing both within and between houses, among many other things. Has it changed the way I think? Maybe. It has definitely given me the knowledge to improve my plan of attack and shown me what to expect once I (hopefully) reach my goal.

What's something you've learned while being an intern that surprised you?

I was definitely surprised to learn that all marketing budgets not created equally. I already knew or had guessed that publishers put a lot more money into a select few “lead” titles than they do for the rest of the season’s books, because the “lead” titles are expected to be more successful. However, I didn’t know that there can still be a big difference in budgets for different lead titles. It’s always a little upsetting for me as a book lover to realize that some of my favorite books might not be reaching some other potential readers, but then again, it’s just another part of publishing politics that I’ll have to get used to.

What should other writers consider before becoming a marketing or publishing intern themselves?

Definitely consider who you want to intern for and what you want to get out of the experience. Interning for a literary agent might give you a better eye for what sells and the nature of contracts, but if you’re currently writing a manuscript or seeking an agent, that relationship could get awkward. An editorial internship at a publishing house would probably allow you to be able to develop your own writing skills while looking at others’ writing, but a publicity internship at the same house may not be all that useful.

Given your experience as an intern, what's your best piece of advice for aspiring authors?

My experience as a marketing intern didn’t really include a lot of interaction with aspiring authors, since all the material I worked with was already published or acquired. So I guess the best advice I could give is to not be intimidated by the publishing industry. Yes, it’s very tough to get your manuscript acquired by an agent and then a house, but once you get to that point, there will be people every step of the way. So don’t let the cynics get you down!

Tell us about your writing or any other projects.

Sadly I’m too busy to write right now, between school, internships, and other things (see above), but talk to me in twenty years or so once I’ve reevaluated my life and I may have projects to speak about! For now, I’m still reviewing books at my blog The Book Muncher (http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com/) and running around NYC to various book signings.

Great answers, Rachael, and thanks for stopping by!

THE BOOK MUNCHER is the reviewing alias of a prolific teen reader named Rachael Stein. She is guilty of several overflowing bookshelves in multiple states. Her literary diet is mostly dedicated to the young adult fiction genre but has been known to occasionally stray into middle grade or adult categories. She is a firm believer that reading and literacy are as essential to modern life as physical sustenance, that fiction is often truer than nonfiction, and that stories and words have the power to change the world.

Across the Universe: Interview with author Beth Revis

Today's interview is with Beth Revis, debut author of Across the Universe, a YA dystopian being released January 11, 2011.

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone--one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship--tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

I am pretty pumped about this book, but in the efforts of going straight to Beth, I'm not going to say it all right now--hoping to do a follow up post. Suffice to say, I've been doing the hot potato dance for Beth's book to come out. Here's what Beth has to say about her debut experience.

Welcome Beth! Tell us a little about yourself as a writer – do you outline, or wing it? Do you write daily, or in snatches?

I write in huge bursts--I might not write anything for a week, then I'll knock out 10k or so. It comes from when I was writing while I was a teacher--I couldn't write during the workdays, but I could during the weekends, so I used my time when I could. As for plotting or pantsing--I'm mostly a pantser, but I usually have an idea at least of the ending, and I may sketch out an outline of things that happen a few chapters ahead of where I am now, just so I get the pacing right. But mostly, I'm in panic-mode as I write and scream "What on earth happens next?!"

When – and why – did you begin writing?

I've always wanted to be a writer--I remember telling people that's what I wanted to be in elementary school. But I also always knew that I would need a back-up plan to that in order to pay the bills. I wrote my first novel in college. I'd been intending to write a short story for an anthology, but it became a 60k word monster before I could finish it. I'm still crap at short stories.

What was your process writing Across The Universe? What did you have trouble with, and what inspired you?

I knew the end--actually, the last three or so chapters--pretty fully before I started writing. There's a twisty end, and I knew the twist before I knew the setting, the plot, or the characters. So I basically built the entire world around the twist. I had the most trouble with setting--that's something I always have to work at. I think I'm more conscious of it now, but much of my setting was done in edits. Considering it's a sci fi where the spaceship setting is pretty crucial, I find this a little funny.

I love worldbuilding, and it's obvious you did a lot of this in your debut. Based on your experience, what would you encourage other writers to do as they go about developing their own worlds?

Think in terms of all the senses. When I start to describe something, I think not only of what it looks like, but what it smells like, tastes like, feels like. Broaden your description in that way. Also, shoot for making interesting comparisons. Think about what your character would think of. One of my main MCs, Amy, misses her home, so she compares everything she sees, feels, and smells, to the things she had at home.

What did it take to get Across The Universe on bookshelves?

10 years of writing practice, 10 unpublished novels, over 300 rejected queries on other projects, 50 queries on this project, 7 ruthless beta readers, 1 brilliant agent, 1 publisher who said "yes."

Tell us something about your book that we wouldn’t know just by reading the blurb.

The first chapter was originally chapter four, and was completely re-written three times before it got into the shape it's in today.

Today’s writing culture has a pretty big obsession with rules. What’s your stand on this? Are there any particular rules you write by?

Nope. I think rules are stupid. I mean--you should *know* the rules. But don't be afraid to break them. Rules--things like "don't use adverbs," and "show don't tell"--they're for beginning writers. So, learn them and practice them in the beginning. Then move on and find YOUR voice. Adverbs didn't hurt JK Rowling, and showing didn't hurt Stephanie Meyer.

If knew you a teenager who aspired to be a novelist, what would you say to them?

Don't get stuck on one novel. So many people I know write one novel, then revise and rewrite it to death when it doesn't sell. I say, write it, query it, move on. I try not to dedicate more than a year of my life to a novel--why dedicate more time to a book that won't sell? Sometime's it's the writing--you need practice, so write another novel. Sometimes it's the story--not every story is good enough for publication. Sometimes it's the market. Whatever. Just know that some books won't ever be good enough, move on, and write something new.

That's good advice for any writer, I think. Certain manuscripts are hard to let go but afterwards you realize how necessary it was. So Beth, let me ask you this: how have you grown as a writer, and how do you hope to see yourself grow in the future?

I think I pay more attention to the language. Before, I worked only on story--the plot, the characters. Now I focus more on language. What makes the words beautiful on the page? Carrie Ryan taught me that--THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH is beautifully written, even if it's a zombie book for teens. I never thought before that the quality of the language mattered, not for genre YA. But it does; it what makes good genre YA stand out.

What’s next for Beth Revis?

Finishing Book 2!

Thanks for sharing, Beth, and best of luck on the trilogy! (Oh yes. Because Across the Universe is book 1 in a trilogy. Go Beth.)

Beth Revis writes science fiction and fantasy novels for teens. Her debut novel, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, will be published by Razorbill/Penguin in Spring 2011. Beth is represented by Merrilee Heifetz at Writers House. Beth wrote her first books as a student in classrooms, when the professors did not hold her interest and she jotted down stories instead of taking notes.

Beth also runs a blog on writing (http://bethrevis.blogspot.com)

and is a participant of a group blog by debut dystopian authors (http://leaguewriters.blogspot.com).

Plain Kate: 10 Questions with Erin Bow

Today's interview is with Erin Bow, who's debut YA novel Plain Kate hits American shelves September 1st. Here's a little bit about Plain Kate:

The drizzle had broken into patches as they walked. As Drina scooped up the pale sand, Kate found herself standing in the smudge of shadow cast by the deadfall. She had never before noticed the way shadows gave things weight, made them look heavy and real and connected to the ground. Without hers...

She edged into the light.

Her shadow looked strange and thinned. It seemed not cast against the ground, but floating above it, like a fog. What Linay had said was true: No one would notice this, at first. It was just an uneasy little change, like the half-felt movement of a boat that slowly induces a great sickness.

Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver's daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden talismans are so fine that some even call her “witch-blade”: a dangerous nickname in a country where witches are hunted and burned in the square.

For Kate and her village have fallen on hard times. Kate’s father has died, leaving her alone in the world. And a mysterious fog now covers the countryside, ruining crops and spreading fear of hunger and sickness. The townspeople are looking for someone to blame, and their eyes have fallen on Kate.

Enter Linay, a stranger with a proposition: In exchange for her shadow, he’ll give Kate the means to escape the angry town, and what’s more, he’ll grant her heart’s wish. It’s a chance for her to start over, to find a home, a family, a place to belong. But Kate soon realizes she can't live shadowless forever -- and that Linay's designs are darker than she ever dreamed.

You can read the first chapter of Plain Kate here at www.ErinBow.com. I'm warning you, though; once you read the first chapter, you're not going to want to stop. Now: on to the interview!

Welcome, Erin! Tell us a little about yourself as a writer – do you outline, or wing it? Do you write daily, or in snatches?

I write Monday to Friday mornings, while my daughter is in kindergarten. I go out with her in the morning, to the nearby coffee shop -- I have a table that's "mine" -- and just write. I write with a pen in a notebook, and type things up later. I may be the last living long-hand novelist.

As for outlines -- I know I should outline, but I hardly ever do. Typically I struggle through the first third of a novel, get hopelessly stuck, and THEN have a breakthrough and about three cups of coffee and stay up all night scribbling down the outline for the rest of the book. Sometimes this requires me to go and do part one over again.

If I were to put a positive spin on this -- spin, Erin, spin! -- I'd say I have to get to know my characters and their world very well before I can understand what their story is.

When – and why – did you begin writing?

When I was two and a half I used to make up song lyrics and demand to have them written down. Early masterpieces include "No Dogs Allowed in the Grocery Store" to the tune of "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho." I think most children are natural poets and story tellers. The trick is not to stop.

As for me, I'm like the sad guy in the addiction awareness commercials: my obsession has gradually taken over more and more of my life. I would like to thank my publisher for enabling me.

What was your process writing this book? What did you have trouble with, and what inspired you?

I have trouble with plot. Always have. I've spent months stuck, and more than once. I have a note from one of the foreign agents that says: "I love the way Erin has structured Plain Kate. It's all so well thought-out, but on the other hand, it doesn't seem constructed at all, because it is written with such ease and persuasiveness."

That made me laugh, because it's not true. I had no idea what was going to happen until it happened, and even then I was often wrong.

On the other hand, I have great faith in my characters. They are real to me. I know how they talk; I know what they choose; I know even how they stand, what they look like sleeping. Really, I just feel the need to stick with them until I find out what their story is.

What did it take to get Plain Kate on bookshelves?

I had such good luck with geting published that my story is dull. I landed the agency at the very top of my list, the first one I approached. And they, in turn, got multiple offers from publishers the first time they sent the manuscript out. I am aware of how unusual this is. It's as if I got struck by lightning while winning the lottery.

On the other hand, I have a stack of drafts taller than my coffee table. So I did hold that lightning rod just as high as I could.

A lot of the magic and superstition in Kate’s world is based on Russian mythology, which I think is interesting, because it’s not something you see used an awful lot outside of fairytales.

It was fairy tales that inspired Kate's world: I had just read a three-volume set of Russian fairy tales when I started the novel. They are scrumptious: full of surprises and transformations, full of darkness -- even more full of darkness than the Grimm tales, which are darker than most people know. There are heroes that read better as tragic villains. There are some great female heroes too.

The setting turned out more Eastern European than Russian, in the end. The only thing that's explicitly Russian is the rusalka (a sort of vampiric ghost). Still, I hope I caught some of the flavor of Russian tales: the transformations, the darkness, the tragic villain, and the brave female hero. Also, because the novel grew out of fairy tales, I felt brave enough to include what might seem a Disney choice: the talking cat, Taggle. You'll have to trust me on this -- Taggle could eat any one of Mickey's minions for lunch and have class left over to shine his whiskers.

Do you think being a poet as well as a novelist helped, or hurt, your fiction skills?

Oh, I'm in love with words, and poetry has made me good with them. This, for instance, is Taggle's entrance: "He was a dandy with one ear cocked, a gleam on his claw and a glint in his eye. He sauntered through the market square elegant and tattered, admired and cursed: a highwayman, a gentleman thief. His name was Taggle, for the three kittens had been Raggle, Taggle, and Bone."

I like sentences like that. If you like sentences like that, I write a lot of them.

But I think sentences like that are useless without a good story. One of the reasons I prefer to read YA, even though I'm technically a grownup, is that in a YA novel you are guaranteed a story. It won't just be beautifully written words that add up to nothing. Being a poet did not help me there, not a bit.

Here on Headdesk, I have a minor obsession with the rules of writing. Is there any particular rule you write by?

Ribe Tuckus: keep your butt in the chair. Most mornings, when I start writing, I would rather read a book; I would rather scrub the toilet; I would rather gnaw off my own foot than write. So I've learned to keep sitting, and keep my hand moving, until the magic words come. Some mornings they never do and those are long mornings. But if I didn't sit, if I waited until I felt like writing, I'd write maybe twice a month.

If you knew a teenager who aspired to be a novelist, what would you say to them?

First, God bless you.

Second, listen: Everyone is going to tell you that this is not a good way to make a living, and everyone is right. Be prepared to keep your day job. Be prepared to eat lentils. Be prepared to keep your day job and lentils, because your developing tendency to gaze at the wall and talk to fictional people may make you unemployable anywhere better than Burger King.

But do it anyway. If you really want to, do it anyway.

Start now. Read everything. Fill notebooks with stories or just with compost -- you'll need a lot of compost to grow a few good stories. Edit and make them as good as you can make them. Find someone to share them with -- a few someones, maybe other writers, people you can both learn from and teach. People you can lean on and really trust. And then maybe think about publication. But even if you don't publish -- and many don't -- write. Because you want to. Out of love. Write, write, write.

How have you grown as a writer, and how do you hope to see yourself grow in the future?

From this book, I learned how to edit. The first re-draft I did I completely fluffed. It was as if my agent had asked me to remove walls and move the staircase and instead I'd painted and added a rug. I just didn't know how to pull a story apart, to combine two characters into one or move chucks of the plot from one end of the book to the other. It took two more edits before I really got the idea.

Next … Well, I'm sure there are other things that I not only don't know how to do, but don't even know that I don't know how to do. I intend to find out what they are, probably by attempting them and falling painfully on my face.

What’s next for Erin Bow?

I'm about half-way through another YA fantasy, called Sorrow's Knot.

In the world of Sorrow’s Knot, the dead do not rest easy. Every patch of shadow might be home to something hungry and nearly invisible, something deadly. The dead can only be repelled or destroyed with magically knotted cords and yarns. The women who tie these knots are called binders.

Otter is the daughter of Willow, a binder of great power: a proud and privileged girl who takes it for granted that the will be a binder some day herself. But when her mother's power begins to turn inward and tear her apart, Otter finds herself trapped with a responsibility she's not ready for, and a power she no longer wants.

Thanks for coming Erin, and best of luck!

About Erin Bow...I'm a city girl from farm country who studied particle physics. I even worked for a while at CERN before ditching science for a lucrative (ha!) career writing books. These days I write fantasy novels for young adults, and poetry (which is published under my maiden name, Erin Noteboom).

My first novel, Plain Kate, is due out this September from Arthur A. Levine books at Scholastic in the United States, and from Scholastic Canada. Chicken House will be publishing it in UK, Australia, and New Zealand: that debut is scheduled for January 2011.

I'm married to another YA author, James Bow. We have two preschool girls, Vivian and Eleanor, and a cat who answers (when the mood strikes him) to Augustus Asparagus, First Cat of the Empire. We are massive geeks, mild activists, and very happy.

To learn more about Erin and her writing, check her out at www.ErinBow.com

Interview with Cyn Balog

Today's interview is with Cyn Balog, about her newest novel for young adults, Sleepless.

About Sleepless:

Eron DeMarchelle isn't supposed to feel this connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce his human charges to sleep. Though he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to do so. After all, becoming too involved in one human's life could prevent him from helping others get their needed rest.

But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia, a lonely girl with fiery red hair and sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. In the past, Eron has broken rules to protect Julia, but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't reach her. Eron's time as a Sandman is coming to a close, and his replacement doesn't seem to care about his charges. Worse, Julia is facing dangers she doesn't recognize, and Eron, as he transitions back to being human, may be the only one who can save her. . . .

Even once they've become human again, Sandmen are forbidden to communicate with their charges. But Eron knows he won't be able to forget Julia. Will he risk everything for a chance to be with the girl he loves?

I don't know about you guys, but I'm completely hooked by this concept. I've been hearing about Cyn ever since she debuted, and it's an honor for me to finally get her over here for an interview. Speaking of which...

Hey Cyn, I’m so excited to have you here! Tell us a little about yourself as a writer. Do you outline, or wing it? Do you write daily, or in snatches?

I pretty much wing it up until I get to about the halfway mark in a book, then I go about writing a list of the scenes I need to complete in order to get to "the end." Because I have young children, I usually write whenever I can find the time, which isn't very often. Luckily I write quickly and haven't had to revise much.

When – and why – did you begin writing?

I started writing fiction as soon as I knew how to write. It was even before I understood that there was an actual profession out there of "writer". I just liked reading so much and wanted to create my own stories. I just thought it was something that everyone did. It came so naturally to me, which is probably why I can write so quickly now... I've been doing it forever!

Tell us about getting published. What’s your journey been like?

Even though I got an early start, I gave up on writing in college because I was told the odds were against me. That was really stupid, because by giving up, the odds of being published weren't just against me, they were impossible. Luckily, if you love something you can never truly give it up; if you love it enough it will keep calling to you. And that's what happened. Ten years later I started writing again, and a couple years after that I sold my first book. It wasn't nearly as hard as people made it out to be.

What was your process writing Sleepless? What did you have trouble with, and what inspired you?

I sold SLEEPLESS on a partial, and as a partial it was much darker than FAIRY TALE. When I started writing the last third, I faltered, because the material was SO dark and depressing. I guess dark and angsty is in these days, but my first draft of SLEEPLESS embodied hopelessness; so much so that it was painful to read. I turned it into my editor knowing exactly what she would say. I asked if I could have two months to completely rewrite the entire book, making it lighter and more hopeful. I started from scratch and finished the manuscript in 6 weeks. The thing that inspired me most was that I was very pregnant and wanted to have it done and revised before I had my baby, knowing I would have very little time after the baby was born! And I did it! I conquered preggo-brain, and I'm proud of that.

Tell me one thing I wouldn’t know about Sleepless by reading the blurb.

Eron DeMarchelle, the main character and Sandman, immigrated to the US from Italy in the early 1900's. His background was inspired by the story of my grandfather.

Name one character you liked particularly, and why.

I love Eron because he is the gentlemanly, chivalrous type. And he's a hottie, too.

Here on Headdesk, I have a minor obsession with the rules of writing. Is there any particular rule you write by?

Just write the kind of book that you would want to read. I got flak from faery-lovers for writing FAIRY TALE, which doesn't abide by any faerie lore-- and it's not meant to. I'm not a huge fantasy fan, so I just wrote something that people like myself would enjoy. With SLEEPLESS, I wanted to read a novel about a Sandman who seduces charges to sleep and falls in love with one of them, and since that didn't exist, I decided to write it.

If knew you a teenager who aspired to be a novelist, what would you say to them?

Don't let anyone tell you it isn't possible!!

How have you grown as a writer, and how do you hope to see yourself grow in the future?

My first novels have been largely commercial, and I think in the future I want to focus more on the craft and on good writing and storytelling, instead of just writing the book with the amazing hook.

What’s next for Cyn Balog?

GIMME FEVER, which is coming out in 2011, is about a misfit girl whose boyfriend returns to town after several years away. He's mysteriously become gorgeous and popular, and soon she discovers that his good looks and charm might not be all they appear to be.

Thanks for coming Cyn, and best of luck with Gimme Fever.

Cyn Balog had a massive case of insomnia while writing Sleepless. Her first book, Fairy Tale, debuted June 2009. Cyn Balog lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and daughters. Visit her online at www.cynbalog.com.