EMMA PASS INTERVIEW AND ACID GIVEAWAY

Happy Monday Everyone! Hope you’re having a great start to your week. Anna Li and I had a good week. She was on spring break and we went on two college visits. We liked both of the colleges--University of Michigan and Kalamazoo College.

I'm finding I'm tired a lot, especially at night, which I think is normal. But it means I'm reading less. So more of my interviews for a bit will be without me reading the books. I am planning to get back to reading blogs again at least on Mondays and Wednesdays. I've missed everyone and I know some of you are doing the A-Z challenge.

I have two winners to announce.

The winner of BEYOND THE DOOR is Carl Scott!

And the winner of THE MAKING OF NEBRASKA BROWN is Robin Hall!

Today I’m excited to have Emma Pass here to share about her debut YA dystopian, ACID. It was released in the UK last year and released in the US last month. I’ve been excited to read it since I first heard about it last year and am hoping to read it soon.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

The year is 2113. In Jenna Strong's world, ACID—the most brutal controlling police force in history—rule supreme. No throwaway comment or whispered dissent goes unnoticed—or unpunished. And it was ACID agents who locked Jenna away for life, for a horrendous crime she struggles to remember. But Jenna's violent prison time has taught her how to survive by any means necessary.

When a mysterious rebel group breaks her out, she must use her strength, speed, and skill to stay one step ahead of ACID, and try to uncover the truth about what really happened on that terrible night two years ago. They have taken her life, her freedom, and her true memories away from her. How can she reclaim anything when she doesn't know who to trust?

Strong, gritty writing, irresistible psychological suspense, and action consume the novel as Jenna struggles to survive against the all-controlling ACID. Seriously sinister stuff.


Hi Emma! Thanks so much for joining us.

1. Tell me about yourself and how you became a writer.

Hi Natalie, thanks for interviewing me! I live in the UK with my husband, who's an artist, and our crazy rescue greyhound G-Dog. I've always loved writing, and first realized that this was what I actually wanted to do for a living when I was 13 and went to see the film Jurassic Park. Afterwards, I couldn't stop thinking about it, and decided to write a story about what happened next (The Lost World hadn't been published/released yet!). This became my first ever novel, most of which I wrote in math lessons with my notebook hidden under my work. As a result, I still have to count on my fingers when I need to add up – but I've been hooked on writing ever since!

2. Funny. You’d better not give kids who are budding writers the idea to write in math class. Where did you get the idea for your story?

ACID is based on a story I wrote when I was 14, after a friend and I challenged each other to write something about a character escaping from prison in a sinister future world. Over the years, I kept coming back to the idea, and in 2008 I decided to try writing it as a YA novel. That novel became ACID.

3. So awesome you were able to come back to it and then have it become your debut novel. Your world building for this sounds fantastic. Share a bit about your world building process and any tips for the rest of us.

I've always loved to imagine 'what if?', so that's what I used as my starting point. What if a sinister police force ruled the UK instead of the government? What if they watched everyone and tried to control everything they did? What if you could get thrown in jail for the slightest of crimes? And what would technology be like? How would society function? It was a long but fun process of asking myself questions, then trying to answer them.

4. “What if” is a great question to keep asking ourselves as we write. Jenna sounds like an

amazing, strong character and is one of the reasons I really want to read this. What was your character development process like for her?

She marched into my head more or less fully formed! I do some planning, but always give my characters the freedom to develop organically as I write the first draft and uncover their stories. I didn't know much about Jenna when I first started writing about her, so learning about what had happened to her and why was very exciting.

5. It’s always great getting to know our characters. It’s like meeting a new friend. What was something you struggled with craft-wise in writing ACID and what did you learn from the process?

The plot is very complicated – the first book I'd ever written with such a complicated plot – and it took a long time to work it out and get all the twists and turns in place. It taught me that I could – and should – really stretch myself as a writer, because when I started I was convinced the idea was 'too big' for me, and felt very scared (as well as excited) about starting it.

6. Your agent is Carolyn Whitaker. Share how she became your agent and your road to publication.

I approached Carolyn for representation in 2007 with a contemporary YA novel I'd spent the previous 18 months writing. She took me on with it but unfortunately, it didn't sell, despite being on sub for almost a year. That was when I started writing ACID, which we sold to Random House Children's Publishing in 2011.

7. Awesome you kept writing while your first book was on submission. I’ve heard many debut authors recommend this while on submission. Your book debuted last year. What did you learn about marketing your book during your debut year and what advice do you have for the rest of us who haven’t been published yet about our debut year?

The biggest thing I've learned about marketing my own book is that it feels SO awkward! I still have trouble telling people I'm a writer. However, I love to shout about other people's books and their book-related news, and they do the same for me, so it all works out in the end.

8. I love shouting out about authors’ books too. How are you planning to spread the word about your book in the US? Does living in the UK make it harder?

I have been very lucky – Delacorte Press have done some amazing marketing, including artwork to promote ACID to fans of the Divergent movie, advertising on teen.com and a forthcoming blog post for Amazon. I'm part of a wonderful group of authors, The Lucky 13s, many of whom are based in the US and are helping to spread the word, and I'm also doing posts and interviews for blogs like this one.

9. Awesome Delacorte is helping with the marketing. What are you working on now?

I'm thinking about some new projects, but I don't want to say too much about them at this stage as I'm very superstitious about new stories! So watch this space…

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Emma. You can find Emma at:

Website

Blog

Twitter

Facebook

Emma’s publisher has generously offered a copy of ACID for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment through April 26th. I’ll announce the winner on April 28th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, please leave it in the comments.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. You must be 13 or older to enter. This is for US & Canada only.

Here’s what’s coming up:

On Wednesday I have a guest post conversation with debut author Skila Brown and her agent Tina Wexler about revising. There will be a giveaway of Skila’s MG book in verse CAMINAR inspired by the civil war in Guatemala. And Tina Wexler is offering a query critique too!

Next Monday I’m interviewing debut author Alexandra Duncan and giving away a copy of SALVAGE, a YA sci-fi story with fantastic world building and a contemporary feel.

Next Wednesday Rory Shay will be sharing a guest post on persistence on the path to publication and giving away a copy of ELECTED, her new YA sci-fi story.

The following Monday, I’m interviewing Dianne Salerni and giving away a copy of THE EIGHTH DAY, her new middle grade fantasy. This is a fantastic, well-plotted story that I couldn’t put down.

And don’t forget Casey’s Agent Spotlights.

Hope to see you on Wednesday!