A few months ago, fellow 2018 debut author Farrah Penn and I interviewed each other about our upcoming contemporary YA books and publishing experiences. Since Farrah's book, 12 STEPS TO NORMAL, comes out in just one week and my book, ALL OUT OF PRETTY, releases in less than a month, I thought this was the perfect time to share our conversation with the blogosphere. Hope you enjoy it!

12 STEPS TO NORMAL, out from Jimmy Patterson/Little, Brown in March 2018, is about a teen who moves back home after her father finishes Sober Living rehabilitation and finds her life upside-down. When she develops her own 12 steps to get back to normal, she has to redefine what “normal” really is.  

ALL OUT OF PRETTY, releasing from Creston Books in April 2018, is about straight-A student Andrea Hathaway, who finds herself indebted to her mother's drug-dealer boyfriend. In order to survive, she learns to keep her head down and her mouth shut. But soon she realizes that surviving is not enough; she must use her smarts to plan an escape—even if it means betraying her best friends and leaving her mother behind.

Farrah: It sounds like both of our books deal with different types of hardships and teenagers grappling at normalcy. What inspired you to write ALL OUT OF PRETTY?

Ingrid: For me, it always starts with character. Andrea, the MC in ALL OUT OF PRETTY, was actually a minor character in the first novel I ever tried to write back when I was a teenager. When I decided to dust off that novel and work on it years later, my critique partners mentioned how compelling Andrea was and encouraged me to write her story someday. So a couple of years later, after letting that idea percolate, Andrea’s voice and full story came to me. Once I started writing it, I couldn’t stop. TWELVE STEPS TO NORMAL sounds amazing — I can’t wait to read about Kira’s journey! How did you come up with the idea, and what was the most challenging part about writing it?

Farrah: It’s amazing how much we learn from our prior work! I have MANY shelved books and stole a kissing scene from one to put into TWELVE STEPS, haha. I wanted to write a hopeful story about a father and daughter whose relationship was rocky due to his struggle with alcoholism — yet focus on how that would directly affect Kira (my main character). But I also love a sweet romance, so I definitely wanted to include that in Kira’s journey with figuring out WHO may be right for her, and who she thinks is right for her. I think the most challenging part was writing those real, raw emotions of loving someone who is an addict, as it’s a disease my own father suffered from.

Should I move on to a fun question?! Do you have a “receiving The Call” story??

Ingrid: Yes! Well, for my agent (the awesome Shannon Hassan of Marsal Lyon Literary), the moment I remember most was getting her email after she requested my book. I’ll never forget clicking it open and reading the words “I love it!” I was so excited I couldn’t breathe. And then when she called me several months later to tell me about the offer from Creston, I basically started crying with happiness. My husband was there and we hugged, and my son was doing fist pumps in the background. It was an amazing moment. Same question back at you!

Farrah: Aww, that is so sweet your family was there to enjoy that moment with you! When my agent called to tell me TWELVE STEPS had sold, I was in the car on my lunch break running an errand. I answered through Bluetooth but ended up pulling over into some random gas station to talk because I was so surprised and excited. It was surreal! After, I immediately called my mom and sister and ended up taking a much longer lunch break than I intended (but I don’t think anyone noticed!)

But it’s a lot of work getting that life-changing call. What was your publication journey like? Was there a moment you felt like giving up?

Ingrid: Oh wow, you definitely needed to pull over for that call — and I agree that an extended lunch break was in order! I started writing ALL OUT OF PRETTY six years ago, so it has been a long and emotional journey. The first time I queried I got a lot of requests and encouragement, but no offers of representation. I started seeing a pattern in the feedback I was getting, so I took about two years to revise/rewrite and then started the query process again. I’m a pretty persistent person, so giving up was never an option for me. Of course, there were times when I felt discouraged and frustrated (like when I wrote ten different versions of chapter one and then ended up with something close to the original!), but I deeply believed in these characters and this story, and my perseverance eventually paid off!

What has been the most enjoyable — and the most difficult — part of your writing journey?

Farrah: Ugh, I love hearing success stories like this! I think publishing is a mix of perseverance, hard work, and luck. It’s subjective for SURE, but your persistence paid off!! I’m not an overnight success story, so the most difficult part for me was moving on from previous books I’d written. My agent and I went on submission with three different YA books before TWELVE STEPS sold. It’s hard not to feel like a talentless failure when you don’t get any bites, especially when you’re comparing yourself to everyone else (which, I know you shouldn’t do but I’M NOT PERFECT!!). But the most enjoyable part so far has been working with an enthusiastic, lovely publishing team who is passionate about this story. Okay, what piece of writing advice would you pass along to another debut author?

Ingrid: It looks like we are both good examples of persistence leading to success! I think your journey is super inspiring, and I understand all those fears and doubts. It’s so hard to keep moving forward, and especially hard to let go of characters you love. I’m working on a new book right now, but I still plan to go back and rework my old stories someday. Or at least mine them for gems ;) Hmm, writing advice...I think if someone asked, I would pass along the advice that I tried to follow when I was drafting: Don’t be afraid to write what scares you. That, and of course, never give up! Did you always know that you wanted to be a writer? What did you read as a teen?

Farrah: Absolutely! Those are both VERY solid pieces of advice! I’d always dreamed of becoming a writer, but I NEVER thought it’d be possible for me to do it professionally! After college I sorta had the mindset of “OK, now I need to get a good job and make money” — but then realized getting a job doesn’t mean you have to stop writing entirely. It may be challenging to make the time, but it’s not impossible! As a teen, I was ALL OVER the Fearless series by Francine Pascal. Gaia was my idol. I also read a ton of Meg Cabot (love her Mediator series!) and Sarah Dessen. And, of course, the Harry Potter books.

Ingrid: You are absolutely right about making the time to write. Ooh, and I love all those authors you mentioned. Especially Sarah Dessen — I’m a huge fan of her books!

— Lightning Round —

Hi guys, I'm so excited to "officially" share my good news here at We Heart YA!! Here's how it all happened:

Six years ago, I started writing a contemporary young adult book about an honors student who finds herself trapped in a dangerous life with her addict mother and a ruthless drug dealer. In October of 2016, a wonderful literary agent fell in love with my manuscript :) Six month after that, the story sold to a publishing house (yay!). And a few short months from now, my little book baby will be released into the wilds of the world (here's a link to prove it's not a dream).

My road to publication has been long and twisty, full of detours and potholes. And the journey didn't just start six years ago; it really started back in the 80s, when I was barely a young adult myself, pecking away on a dinosaur of a computer and writing my first novel. A lot of living and learning happened between then and now. Many, many dominoes fell into place to get me from there to here. And this past year has been nothing short of a dream come true. But it has also been a roller coaster ride, full of excitement and anxiety, exhilaration and terror. I know I'm not alone in this, so I'm planning to share a few articles about my experiences leading up to my (eeeep!) official pub date of April 3, 2018!

Next month I'll talk about what inspired the idea for the book as well as details about my publishing journey. But for now, I'd simply like to introduce you to Andrea -- my proud, beautiful-inside-and-out protagonist (hopefully someday she'll forgive me for torturing her) -- and her story, ALL OUT OF PRETTY...  

All Out of Pretty - Creston Books - 4.3.18

In keeping with our yearly tradition, we took some time to reflect on the books we read during 2016 and picked a few of our faves. These are the books that punched hard, stuck with us, and left us wrecked (in the best possible way). 

KRISTAN 

In no particular order...

THE GIRL FROM EVERYWHERE by Heidi Heilig - An #ownvoices debut full of adventure, beauty, and heart.

THE RAVEN KING by Maggie Stiefvater - An exciting ending to a truly magical series.

THE COST OF ALL THINGS by Maggie Lehrman - A thoughtful exploration of memory, forgiveness, and consequences.


 

SARAH

1. AND I DARKEN by Kiersten White is my top pick this year. Clever, beautiful language, characters to root for, killer world-building. I wish I'd written it!

2. AMONG OTHERS by Jo Walton. I'm not familiar with many of the Sci-Fi author references, but this whole book feels like a secret. This Book! I tell you...this book.

3. A COURT OF MIST AND FURY by Sarah J. Maas. I'm not one to follow the (popular) crowd, but this one made me feeeeeel so much. Addicting, sweeping, fun. Can't go wrong.

Honourable mentions (because reasons): ARCHIVIST WASP by Nicole Kornher-Stace is unforgettable. I still think of this story all the time. It's in my bones. INFANDOUS by Elana K. Arnold was the first book I read this year and not many have topped it!




INGRID

1. I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN by Jandy Nelson - These characters! Oh, these tortured characters. Every last one is seared into my heart. Guh!

2. STORY OF A GIRL by Sara Zarr - I've never wanted to rescue a character so badly until I met Deanna. The tension between her and her dad... Just. Heartbreaking.

3. FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell - Such a great, realistic love story between two extremely likable characters. Took me right back to my college days. This book has so much brilliance packed into it. Love, love it.

A few others I reeeaally liked: THE TYRANT'S DAUGHTER by J.C. Carleson, THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman, WHEN WE COLLIDED by Emery Lord and ON THE FENCE by Kasie West.





STEPHANIE 

THE SEARCH FOR WONDLA by Tony DiTerlizzi - Beautiful Middle Grade Science Fiction with great friendships and rich world building. Can't wait to read the other books!

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL by Soman Chainani - I loved how this book explored the gray areas between good and evil, loved the friendships that formed, and how it incorporated classic fairytales into the story.

CRESS by Marissa Meyer - I read the entire series this year, but this book was my favorite, Cress was definitely my favorite character.

Also loved THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING by Erika Johansen, THE SHADOWS by Jacqueline West, NIGHTBIRD by Alice Hoffman, THE NETHERGRIM by Matthew Jobin, and THE MARTIAN by Andy Weir.


 

That's it for us! What books did you love this year? 

It has been said that the setting of a book is almost like another character. That is certainly true for many of my favorite novels, in which the setting evokes vivid images as well as intimate familiarity. It's like I am living the story along with the characters; I can see, hear and feel everything around me--the trickle of a stream, the soggy heat of a summer day, or the first burst of light as the sun rises. Reading a book by authors skilled at creating rich, organic environments is a treat for the senses and one of my favorite luxuries.

Below are five books that blew me away with their solid use of setting:

Back in the early days of our blog, we posted about the importance of the first lines of a book. They serve a pretty major purpose, after all: to intrigue, draw you into the world, and (hopefully) hook you with their brilliance and lyricism.

But what about those famous -- or just really awesome -- last words? The ones that stay with you for hours, or even weeks following the end of the story. The ones that give you the flutters in your belly. Like Henry David Thoreau's from Walden: "The sun is but a morning star." Or the way Dickens ended A Tale of Two Cities: "It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."

In the spirit of honoring all authors and all the wonderful last lines out there, I've put together a fun little quiz. I'll provide the last line and you provide the name of the book/author. (Hint: Most of these are YA books, but not all!)

List as many answers as you know (without googling them) in the comments section and you'll be entered to win your choice of one of the following two books: 

HOUSE OF IVY AND SORROW by Natalie Whipple 
 
THE WAY WE BARED OUR SOULS by Willa Strayhorn 




As Jeff Probst would say, "Worth playing for?" Okay, let's get to it...

1. "Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody."

2. "All was well." 

3. "I squared my shoulders and walked forward to meet my fate, with my destiny solidly at my side."

4. "I wasn't sure what I could give, not just yet. But I knew when I told her about the comet, years from now, I would know. And I would lean close to her ear, saying the words no one else could hear, explaining it all. The language of solace, and comets, and the girls we all become, in the end."

5. "Isn't it pretty to think so?"

6. "Because love, it never dies, it never goes away, it never fades, so long as you hang onto it. Love can make you immortal." 

7. A last note from your narrator: "I am haunted by humans"

That's it ~ have fun!

Since I haven't had much time to watch movies lately, I am frighteningly out of the loop. But one night over the holidays my sister brought out THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY, insisting I would love it.

She was right. I ended up watching it again the very next day, in fact. The film was endearing and heartwarming, much like Mitty himself. Even though there are not many young adults in the film, it felt very much like a coming-of-age story. Except that instead of a confused, self-conscious teen, the protagonist was a quiet, unassuming middle-aged man who spent his free time caring for his aging mother, pining for a pretty co-worker, and daydreaming of adventure.

When Mitty finally embarked on some real adventures of his own, I felt like a supportive parent shouting, "You go, Walter!" Yes, the adventures were far-fetched (i.e., jumping from a helicopter into shark-infested waters off the coast of Greenland), but somehow it all came off as charming and delightful instead of annoying.

MITTY, starring Ben Stiller (who also directed the film), was understated and carefully executed. The cinematography was cleverly artistic and the scenery breathtaking. I still get goosebumps thinking about Mitty skateboarding down that deserted highway in Iceland. With a great soundtrack and supporting cast that includes Shirley MacLain, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott and Sean Penn, the movie is quiet and profound, humorous and quirky and surprisingly sweet, all at once...


The film was based on a four-page short story written by James Thurber in 1939, so I immediately tracked down the original story and gobbled it up. Of course, Stiller took a lot of creative license creating his version of a modern-day Mitty adventure. All I can say is, it totally worked.

Have you seen this movie yet or read the short story? What did you think?

About four years ago I was starting to revise my first manuscript, which had topped out at a whopping 189,000 words! I knew I needed to pare it way, way down so the words that were left could really shine. I was struggling with that whole concept of "less is more" when I read Gayle Forman's novel, IF I STAY. And then I understood.

IF I STAY was such an emotional read, and Forman achieved it by choosing just the right amount of material--and just the right material--to make her readers feel deeply for the characters. With straightforward but poignant prose, Forman made the lives of Mia and Adam feel authentic and brutal and intense... for me, the book was both inspirational and educational.

The other night I saw the movie version of IF I STAY and it was so moving that I cried through the whole thing. The adaptation, pacing and casting were great and the storyline stayed true to the book. Even though there is a lot of tragedy and heartache involved, it's ultimately a hopeful story about following your dreams and falling in love.

If you have a chance, go see it! And then come tell us what you think.