Q & A Friday: Author Interview – Siobhan Vivian

Hey there, book dragons! I hope you all had a lovely week. (Side note, I can’t stop using the word ‘lovely,’ thank you Jennifer Niven for bringing that back in style!!) I am very pleased to be here today with the wonderful Siobhan Vivian, author of many books, her most recent being The Last Boy and Girl in the World. 

Here’s a little bit about the book:

Goodreads | Amazon

What if your town was sliding underwater and everyone was ordered to pack up and leave? How would you and your friends spend your last days together?

While the adults plan for the future, box up their possessions, and find new places to live, Keeley Hewitt and her friends decide to go out with a bang. There are parties in abandoned houses. Canoe races down Main Street. The goal is to make the most of every minute they still have together.

And for Keeley, that means taking one last shot at the boy she’s loved forever.

There’s a weird sort of bravery that comes from knowing there’s nothing left to lose. You might do things you normally wouldn’t. Or say things you shouldn’t. The reward almost always outweighs the risk.

Almost.

It’s the end of Aberdeen, but the beginning of Keeley’s first love story. It just might not turn out the way she thought. Because it’s not always clear what’s worth fighting for and what you should let become a memory.

About Siobhan

Siobhan Vivian was born in New York City on January 12, 1979 . . . which might sound like a long time ago, but really isn’t. She grew up in Rutherford, NJ, where she got into trouble for such things as constantly talking out of turn, bringing a stray dog into school in a stolen shopping cart, passing notes to her friends, telling jokes, sneaking out, and not doing her homework.

Siobhan attended The University of the Arts, where she graduated with a degree in Writing for Film and Television. She received her MFA in Creative Writing: Children’s Literature from The New School University.

Siobhan has worked as an editor of several New York Times best-selling novels at Alloy Entertainment, a scriptwriter for The Disney Channel, and she currently teaches Writing Youth Literature at the University of Pittsburgh.

Siobhan can be reached on Twitter, Instagram,  Goodreads, Facebook, and her own website.

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I had the pleasure of meeting Siobhan at BookCon last Saturday and she was so sweet! She was the first author that I had the courage of introducing myself to, and I’m glad that I did. Siobhan and I even selfied together. (I brought a camera, so she has the photo.) We had matching pins for her book, too! I was pleasantly surprised that she remembered my pre-order because I’m sure there were many for her wonderful book. Unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to read TLBAGITW yet, but I have read The List and that was great! Without further ado, here is my interview!

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Sophie: Hi, Siobhan! Thanks for chatting today! Tell us something that we can’t find in your bio.

Siobhan Vivian: When I was a kid, I used to want to be a Talk Show Host.

S: The Last Boy and Girl in the World is different from all your other novels, can you tell us what inspired it? 

SV: I heard about a town where something similar happened (a flood, and then a complete dismantling of the neighborhood) and thought it would be an interesting place to set a story.

S: Is there a character you relate to most?

SV: Keeley is probably the closest I’ve ever come to writing about myself.

S: What was your favorite scene to write? The hardest?

SV: Favorite was definitely Secret Prom. Hardest was the showdown between Keeley’s Dad and the Governor.

S: How was writing this book different from any of the others that you wrote?

SV: Because it was loosely based off a true story, I had access to a lot of historical research. I also had to consult a lawyer and a structural engineer…a first for me on both accounts! And probably a rarity in the world of YA lit. Hahah

S: Did your writing process look different for this book than others or do you have a tried and true routine?

SV: The only thing tried and true about my routine is that I’m usually miserable during the first draft. I am a terrible first draft writer.

S: When you’re reading your piece in your head do you give your characters different voices?

SV: Sometimes!

S: Do names have any significance in your work? How do you choose names?

SV: I try to find names that sound “real”. So I often go to the newspaper, or Facebook and troll people’s friend lists.

S: I love that you troll Facebook! Would you rather read only the first page of a book or the last?

SV: First. Because then I can make up the rest in my own head!

S: I feel the same, I’d rather not be spoiled. The last page is too out of context! Alright we’ll wrap it up soon here. Are there any upcoming appearances that readers can come meet you at?

SV: I was just invited to Texas Book Festival in November. I love Austin. Can’t wait to be back there!

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Big, big thank you to Siobhan for being so friendly and taking the time to answer my questions! I really appreciate it, and look forward to what you’re coming out with next!

After I finish up When We Collided I am definitely  planning on reading this book next. I am so behind on my reading challenge this month, but thankfully I have a few books buffering me from falling behind.

I hope you enjoyed this interview as much as I did! Thanks for hanging out with me today!

Happy reading,

Sophie 🙂

Q & A Fridays: Author Interview – Cori McCarthy

Woohoo happy Friday guys! Here it is – my first author interview! Thank you so much Cori for being an awesome human and agreeing to answering these questions for me. For those of you who don’t know Cori published a book this year titled You Were Here. I had the pleasure of reading this early through my job. She also published Breaking Sky which is now in paperback from SourceBooks.

Wondering who this Cori lady is? Here’s her official bio:

Cori McCarthy started writing when she was thirteen. She earned a BA in Creative Writing from Ohio University, focusing in memoir writing and poetry. After graduation she completed UCLA’s Professional Program in Screenwriting and served as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Appalachian Ohio. In 2011, she earned an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

In geographical history, Cori was born on Guam, grew up in New England and the Midwest, studied abroad in Ireland, and now lives in Michigan. She’s traveled everywhere from Scotland to St. Petersburg, Albania to Montenegro. Like her hero Walt Whitman, her favorite city on the planet is Washington, D.C., and her favorite off-planet city is Entra.

Cori is the author of several YA books. Kirkus called her debut novel, THE COLOR OF RAIN, “[an] elegantly written and emotionally cathartic page-turner.” Her second novel, BREAKING SKY, received starred reviews fromSchool Library Journal and the Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books and is currently in development to become a film by Sony Pictures. Kirkusreviewed it as “smart, exciting, confident–and quite possibly the next Big Thing.” Her third book, YOU WERE HERE, is a contemporary mixed media novel that earned a starred review from the Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books and was hailed a VOYA Best Book.

Cori’s novel in verse, Name Me America, won the Middle Grade category for the 2014 Katherine Paterson Prize. Cori is also the co-founder of Rainbow Boxes, a charitable initiative aiming to bring LGBTQIA fiction to community libraries and GSAs across America. Tweet@RainbowBoxesYA or watch a three minute commercial for the initiative.

Cori is a contributing blogger at Through the Tollbooth and a freelance editor withYellow Bird Editor.

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I had the pleasure of meeting Cori at a signing near me and we had a wonderful time! To read more about that click here.

Now for the real interview:

Sophie: Hi, Cori! So glad to chat with you! Tell us something we can’t find in your author bio.

Cori McCarthy: I like to cook! Wait, that’s not terribly interesting. I play guitar and write really bad songs. The first really bad song I wrote was in college—it was about Hobbits. I started to play guitar because I kept dating guitarists who were not good boyfriends, so I dropped them and taught myself to play.

S: Your recent release You Were Here is dedicated to someone special. Could you say who and why?

CM: You Were Here is dedicated to my friend and classmate, Matt. Matt passed away suddenly two days before the last day of Eighth Grade. I was stunned and shocked and saddened at the time, but it wasn’t until years later that I started to really process his absence. You Were Here is about this very same latent grief that I struggled with, and dedicating this story to Matt was really cathartic…even twenty years later.

S: What inspired Jaycee, Natalie, Mik, Bishop, and Zach’s stories to be written?

CM: Oh, they’re all different parts of me! At one point, my friend and I jokingly referred to You Were Here as “A Tale of 5 Coris.” Here’s a brief rundown on how I am (or was) a little like each character:

Jaycee—I have a B.A. in Sarcasm, minor in Snark.

Natalie—I have often struggled with micromanaging my own life. I have also struggled

with depression, anxiety, and OCD throughout my life.

Mik—I wear all black. A lot.

Bishop—I draw and write poetry. Bishop’s poems were actually initially drawn by me, and then the great people at Sourcebooks had the illustrator, Sonia Liao, make them much more professional looking. I’ll attach a side-by- side image for you!

Zach—Oh, I have never been okay with growing up. For awhile in my younger life, I thought that alcohol might keep me young. It did not work. It actually aged me sneakily, and maybe every about-to- go-to-college grad should know that. Alcohol makes you feel older and act younger, but in all truth, it ages your mind in a very sad, irreversible way. For this reason, Zach was the hardest to write and definitely the saddest of the sad sacks in this misfit crew.

S: After reading the book the different media used to tell each characters’ story makes so much sense. How did you come up with that idea?

CM:It all started with Mik. I was working on Jaycee, Natalie, and Zach’s prose sections, and I sat down to capture Mik. I knew that he was a selective mute with a sort of dark beauty to him, but I didn’t know what his thoughts sounded like. I tried to write him out and failed. Mik didn’t have words inside of him. He had images. So I wrote a script for his sections. Dialogue and action; that’s it. The illustrator brought him to life, and I’m so very proud of Sonia’s work here. In truth, the multi-media was not something that I set out to. It came through the story,from the characters. I have been thinking about doing another story styled this way, but I don’t think it’ll ever be like this one.

S: Which character do you relate to the most?

CM: I related to all of them in different ways. I think more than the characters, I related to the situations. Like Jaycee and Natalie, I once experienced a huge rift in a friendship that I could neither comprehend nor easily fix. That was very hard to write.

S: Who was the hardest to write?

CM: Oops, I think I already answered this one above 

S: Okay steering away from You Were Here, your second novel Breaking Sky was optioned for film. Who would be your dream cast?

CM: Oh, I love this question. In an ideal world, Chase would be played by Hailee Steinfeld who I LOVED in Ender’s Game and True Grit. I would also love Asa Butterfield for Pippin. I have never been able to find an actor for Tristan, the love interest. But I’d love for Crackers (the psychiatrist) to be played by Kristin Bell, and for Brigadier General Kale to be played by David Boreanaz.

S: Of the two books can you say you like writing one more than the other?

CM: I liked writing Breaking Sky more because it has more jokes—more campy fun. You Were Here was cathartic to write, but it also sort of broke my heart over and over. I’d be sitting there writing, a sad, sad expression on my face, and my writing partner would look over and say, “Did you hurt your own feelings again?” And I’d say, “Yeah…”

S: How do you come up with such kick ass females?

CM: I always try to write the girls who inspired me. Chase in Breaking Sky was inspired by Starbuck in the Battlestar Galactica reboot. Jaycee was the “say anything never care about the consequences” girl that I wanted to be when I was younger. (I had too much inner cautious Natalie to really be a Jaycee.)

S: Alright we’ll wrap it up a bit here now. Do you have any upcoming appearances where people can meet you in the flesh?

CM: Oh, I do!

May 19 th Nicola’s Books in Ann Arbor, 7pm

(Link to that here) https://www.facebook.com/events/1161062693925432/

May 20 th B&N Rochester Hills, 7pm YA panel and young writers raffle

I’ll also be participating at the Barnes and Noble Teen Weekend of June 10 & 11

June 10 th B&N in Rochester Hills, 7pm

June 11 th at B&N in Grand Rapids, 12 pm

S: Any lingering comments you’d like to add?

CM: Just that it was GREAT to meet you a few weeks ago! I hope we see each other again soon!

Thanks, Cori! It was a pleasure to meet and chat with you! Thank you for taking the time to answer all my questions 🙂

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Remember Cori talking about how she put parts of You Were Here together? Well, because she’s so lovely she’s sharing some exclusive content on her drafting!

On the left is Cori’s own drawing of one of Bishop’s pieces in the novel. On the right is the illustrator’s own interpretation of Cori’s work.

Looking to get in touch with Cori? Find her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Want a copy of You Were Here? Buy from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local bookstore. Or did you want Breaking Sky? Her are links to it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or you could support your local bookstore.

I hope you enjoyed Cori’s interview as much as I did! I will be keeping you updated on her writing and what’s coming from her in the future. You should definitely go check out her two books now! I love, love, love You Were Here and she’s a wonderful author.

Happy reading!

Sophie 🙂

General Update: My Bookish Life pt. 6

Hey it’s Saturday! Yesterday, Maiya and I did a thing 🙂 Below you can see a shot from our first shoot! Yeah, we went downtown in our city, and took a bunch of pictures for the blog
and Instagram/Twitter. This was the first time we did something like it and I hope you like them! There will definitely be more pictures to come from this :)

Okay, next week will be a bit hectic for me – we’re going on a field trip Monday, a college visit Thursday, and we’re flying to Florida Friday! Other than that everything is pretty chill. Please hang in there with me!

This past week has been chill actually. We didn’t have school Thursday or Friday due to conferences and I actually didn’t have any homework to do or catch up on.

Prom update: I am not going to ask the second guy I was talking about. *sighs* He’s still into his ex-girlfriend so either way it’s best to wait for him to get over her. I do have my friends working to set me up with one guy we know from our band. *cough* Maiya *cough* He’s a nice guy, so I wouldn’t mind going with him.

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Cori McCarthy who wrote You Were Here  (which is lovely so go check it out)!!!! I had a wonderful time, and

Posing with my  signed copies

we chatted about everything from blogging to our favorite t.v. show Bones. I could not have had a better time. My awesome friend Sarah came with me, and had a great time, too! Cori was lovely enough to agree to do a Q and A on our blog here, so keep your eyes peeled for that! I also have the pleasure of helping her announce any other bookish news she may have in the future. If you have yet to read You Were Here I highly recommend going and getting a copy and supporting this awesome person. When I walked into the Barnes and Noble, there she was, just sitting all nice and waiting. I think I squealed a little. Cori and I had been communicating prior to meeting, and I was so excited to finally see her in person! She saved me the last Mik mug and gave it to me as a surprise – I couldn’t believe it. Cori also gave me a copy of her out of print book The Color of Rain which I’m hoping to get into this coming month.

All my goodies from the signing 🙂

I am still in shock that I actually met one of my favorite authors. Does this feeling ever wear off? Lol 🙂 It was amazing. *happy sighs* So I guess in conclusion that was one of the best moments of my bookish life 🙂

What else have I done in the past week you ask? Oh you know the usual. Freak out over a calculus test, band recruitment, hang out with my friends. Of course buy books. How could I not buy more books. It’s a small problem, okay? I don’t need help I can kick the addiction if I really wanted to!

Since my epic failure of trying to read two books at once, I have finished both of them and another. Reviews of all three coming soon! I am now reading The Shadow Queen by C. J. Redwine, and so far it’s really good. (Click the link if you’d like a full synopsis and to add it to your Goodreads.) It picks up right amidst the action, and I can tell I will love it.

As the end of the month approaches, keep an eye out for a book chat from The Book Junkies. This month we read The Symptoms of My Insanity by Mindy Raf. I will also be posting a wrap-up and some of my anticipated reads for April. I’m ahead on my reading challenge and I hope to keep it that way!

How are you all? How was your week?

Happy reading! (And Happy Easter to those who celebrate!)

Sophie 🙂