Behind the Book: Marcelo in the Real World + Giveaway!

"Behind the Book" explores the story behind certain 5-star books I have already read. This time it's a book that not only impressed me but touched me deeply. Francisco X. Stork is the genius behind this awesome piece of literature. Francisco was born in Mexico and came to live in Texas at age 9. This is an inspiration to those of us who aspire to be writers even if English is not our first language, because this book is "insanely well written"- quote from my review. See review here.

Photo of Francisco X. Stork by Tsar Fedorsky/Getty Images for Reed Business.

How did you come up with the story?
The initial novel was actually about Aurora, Marcelo’s mother. It was the story of a mother who loses her son and one year later discovers his journals. When I started writing the journals, I became very interested in Marcelo, the son. At that point, it was as if Marcelo was urging me to tell his story, and so I did.


Does it have to do with your life?
Marcelo in the Real World is not explicitly autobiographical although there are autobiographical elements in the story. I’ve worked in a number of law firms that are similar to the one in the book. I’ve also always had a deep, personal interest in the world’s religions, just like Marcelo.


How did you create Marcelo?
Ultimately, I think that the voice of a character is just given to you. Once I discovered his voice and his personality, I tried to think and feel and see the way someone like Marcelo would. I became Marcelo to a certain extent and I’m sure that there’s a lot of Marcelo in me.


What was your research process like?
Most of my research was on autism and Asperger’s syndrome. I read all the scholarly works as well as biographies and autobiographies of people with Asperger’s. I also interviewed a lot of kids. But the real research consisted in imagining someone like Marcelo and working hard at being him as much as possible.


How long did the book take to write?
I had many false starts where I had to rewrite the book so all told the process was about three years.


What other books influenced you?
Once I started writing the book, I stayed away from books with similar themes (i.e. other books about kids with autism or Asperger’s syndrome) because I didn’t want to be influenced.

How has the book changed your life so far?
The book has made me aware of the responsibilities that an author has to write with as much truth and beauty as he or she is capable. I have had so many e-mails and letters telling me how the book touched their lives that it is overwhelming to think about at times. I prefer to think that the book was a vehicle through which grace flowed into people’s lives.

Why do you write YA?
I didn’t start out to write YA. I started writing books about young people and YA publishers were the ones that became interested in the books. Now I think that there is a need for the kind of YA books that I am interested in writing and I feel that I’m in the right place.


What are your favorite books?
I read as much as possible of all kinds of books. Religious texts from all the world religions are some of my favorite. When I’m writing, I like to read authors who are extremely literary so that their good writing can rub off on me. I like Flannery O’Connor, Annie Dillard, John Updike, authors like these whom I can never hope to emulate - but it is still worth trying.


Name three YA books that you would call a must-read.
I think everyone should read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes; Mark Twain’s books, and J.D. Salinger’s short stories.

Muchas gracias Francisco!

Thanks to Francisco you can enter to win an autographed and personalized copy of Marcelo in the Real World.

Rules: 

• Fill out the form below 
• No extra entries on this one, but feel free to spread the word :P
• Open worldwide, ends on May 14, 2010.

Behind the Book: By the Time You Read This, I'll be Dead

Behind the Book is the feature where I pick the books I've liked the most and have a little chat with the author about how the book came to be. Julie Anne Peters' new book has been one of my favorites this year, although I warn everyone that it is a very dark and harsh book. There might be spoilers to those who have not yet read it. If you like darkish realistic fiction, you should go get yourself a copy of this wonderful book.


-How did you come up with the story?

In October of 2006, I was invited to speak at the ALAN Workshops. ALAN is the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents, an offshoot of the National Council of Teachers of English. C.J. Bott, a former educator and strong voice in the field of bullying, had assembled a panel of authors to address the issue of bullying in literature. A few months before she sent me the presentation title: Don’t Look and It Will Go Away: YA Books—A Key to Uncovering the Invisible Problem of Bullying.

I spent a long time with that title. How easy it is to turn a blind eye to the ugliness in life, the parts we don’t want to see. For my part I planned to read letters from young readers who described the harassment they’d been subjected to at school and at home for coming out as gay. For them bullying ranged from years of taunting and verbal abuse to physical assault to family disownment. Self-injury is high among gay youth, and suicide is mentioned so often in the letters I receive it’s agonizing to know gay youth feel it’s their only way out.

During that same time, there was a special report on TV about kids who’d been so severely bullied in school from kindergarten on that they’d either dropped out or were forced into home schooling. Even if they had pleaded for help, they’d received little or no adult intervention to stop the abuse. Several parents talked about their bullied kids who in the end committed suicide. Later, I’d learn the term for it: bullycide.

I came home from that conference with a thousand questions swirling in my brain. Why do some children survive bullying while others can’t? Are we born with an overarching sense of self-preservation? If we’re given free will at birth, when and why and how do we begin to exercise it in self-destructive ways? If an overly sensitive child is constantly bullied and teased with no relief in sight, how long does it take before she or he loses hope? Why are eight-year-olds cutting? How can we not know our children are hurting?

In this age of technology, where so many kids live their lives as invisible isolates in cyber communities, it wasn’t difficult to invent a site of suicide completers. I do know that many young people who kill themselves act on impulse, and I think that’s why Daelyn, my main character, was forced to wait, to count down the days, to consider all the options and alternatives. I gave her loving parents, trained professionals, God, the possibility of romantic love, a new friend and a fresh beginning. Then I left it up to her to decide her future.

-Does it have to do with your life?

I’ve known people who’ve committed suicide, and I wish they were still here. I wish I could do than provide long-distance comfort for the young people who write to me about how bullied they are. Knowing others feel victimized, less than human, or terrorized every day of their life makes me more determined to advocate for compassion and equality.

-How long did the book take to write?

I was so “in the zone” while writing this book that it took only two weeks. One day I woke from this subconscious state and there was a completed manuscript on my desk. It was titled, By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead. Of course, there would be many revisions and years before the book was published, but it felt as if this story was given to me; it had to be written.

-Can you read other books during the writing process?

Yes and no. If I’m working on a rough draft, the first draft, my brain is usually consumed with those characters and that story, so I can’t really absorb anything else. During revisions, I can turn my writing brain on and off. Plus, I need a break from the rigors of writing to the comfort of falling into a book.

-Why do you write YA?

Because I love to read YA. I may have unresolved adolescent issues . But those years of young adulthood are a time in life where you really discover who you are and what you’re made of. Every choice you make will be tested, every chance will be jumped at or overlooked, and you’ll have to face the consequences. They’re messy years, as far as mucking through the mud of your missteps, but you learn grace, and forgiveness and fortitude. There’s so much dimension to how we become ourselves that I love exploring every aspect of it.

Thank you, Julie!!!

Official Website
Goodreads / Amazon

Behind the Book: WTF

"Peter Lerangis is the author of over 150 books, for early readers through teens, which have sold nearly 3 million copies" (scholastic.com) including the Spy X series, Smiler's Bones and Book 3 of The 39 Clues, The Sword Thief. In this case, he talks about his new YA fresh/funny novel WTF. See my review here.

How did you come up with the story?

The process started in 2004 — as a totally different idea! At the time, I’d just finished a serious, research-filled novel and I was ready to write a fun, escapist, edgy thriller. My editor at Simon Pulse found a news item about a party in Westchester that ended in a standoff with police. So I went with that, blowing it into a really high-stakes, dangerous event. I used “wtf” as a working title, never thinking it would fly as a real title. Before we nailed the outline, though, my editor moved on. “Wtf” was picked up by another editor ... who moved on, and then another editor, who moved on.... Soon the whole thing was back-shelved and I started working on other stuff. Honestly I forgot about the book entirely — until 2008, when a couple of new editors dragged me to lunch. One of them, Mike delRosario, suggested we start from scratch. He said he loved heart-pounding adventures that begin with a disastrous event and just get worse. Totally up my alley. We starting riffing on ideas, talked about a multi-perspective structure, etc., but I lacked the One Big Incident. The next weekend while I was driving in Westchester County, a deer jumped into the road. Luckily it (and I) survived — and the rest is history.

Does it have to do with your life?

Bad drug deals, smashing into deer, wrecking cars, impersonating a limo driver, and being beat up by the Mafia? That was last Tuesday. Now I’m into trashing clubs. And when I’m not daydreaming ... Okay, my life’s pinnacles of excitement usually run the gamut from completing crossword puzzles to finding episodes of Lost online. That’s why I write, I guess. To dream up stupid things that other people do, while I sit home eating enchiladas and tweeting in relative comfort. Some of the book’s details actually do come from real life: The locations are places I know well in NYC. I once had a car that people used to mistake as a taxi, which was totally annoying and figures into Byron’s story. My son went to a school that was a lot like Olmsted in the book. Summers during college I worked with guys who spoke exactly like the two undercover cops. And anyone who’s lived in NYC has had one or two catastrophic experiences in clubs. All other resemblances to my real life are accidental, coincidental, and strictly demented.

How long did the book take to write?

About two months to hammer out the outline, a month to shiver in anticipation, and about five or six months to write the book.

What other books influenced?

Everything written by Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen (for the economy of words, tension, and dark humor), It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini (for the great use of voice and the setting), Catcher in the Rye (because it influences everybody whether they admit it or not), and slew of Simon Pulse books. I also wanted a fluid, visual, cinematic feel, so I watched movies by Tarantino and a cool multi-perspective film called Go.

Can you read other books during the writing process?

Great question. I know a lot of writers hate doing this. I’m the opposite. I find it necessary. At some point in most of my books I get completely stuck, and it’s usually a crisis of confidence. Even after all these years, I become convinced I’ll never finish the project, it’ll never be coherent, and I should go crawl under a rock and eat worms. Reading other people’s books, seeing their stories flow and how they work through difficult passages — that gives me courage.

How has the book changed your life so far?

I have a box of copies and they’re causing everyone in the house to trip. This results great anger and resentment, but I’m dealing with it. I’m hoping I can report some better things after people begin reading and enjoying WTF.

Why do you write YA?

Who wouldn’t want to? The characters are always more fun. Everyone’s still unfiltered, everyone’s still negotiating the twists and turns of life that older people have already settled into. Life is still thrilling and fun and not yet hammered into shape by society’s demands. The potential for stories is amazing. Besides, I basically grew out of adolescence just in time to have kids who turned into adolescents. So it feels like I never left.

What are your favorite books?

In no particular order: A Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, the stories of J. D. Salinger, anything by M. T. Anderson, The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, Portrait of the Artist a a Young Man by James Joyce, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick, Time and Again by Jack Finney, The Call of the Wild by Jack London, Waterworks by E. L. Doctorow, The Rise Of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris, Mr. Ives's Christmas by Oscar Hijuelos, Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit, Island At The Center of The World by Russell Shorto, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, A Passage To India by E. M. Forster, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key.

Name 3 YA book that you would call a must-read.

(1) The OCTAVIAN NOTHING story (which is really two books, so OK, I’m cheating) by M. T. Anderson, (2) THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie, and (3) THE BOOK THIEF by Marcus Zusak. But there are, oh, a few dozen other books that are right up there. This really is the golden age of YA literature.

~ I totally agree!! Thank you so much Peter! -- You are hilarious!

Behind the Book: If I Stay

I have the scoop behind one of the best books this year! If you haven't read it you should! (See my review here) Gayle Foreman is the wonderful author and she was so awesome, that she answered my BTB questions:


How did you come up with the story?

Mia just arrived in my head one day, fully formed, a cellist. I am not a musician. I am certainly not a cellist. I don't think I've ever picked up a cello bow, but there she was. The premise of the story was sort of in answer to a question/obsession I'd had: What would you do if something catastrophic happened to your family and you were left hanging between life and death and were somehow aware of what had happened to your family? If you could somehow choose—stay living or go with your family—what would you do? So I've thought about this for YEARS. Then all of a sudden, poof, Mia is in my head, ready to answer that question.

Does it have to do with your life?

All books do. The accident that is at the core of the book has to do with my life, though not my own life, and the whole rock and roll element comes from my years in Oregon. In an early draft, I named Adam Nick, which is my husband's name. I don't think you can write a grocery list without it being autobiographical.

How long did the book take to write?

7 years—and 3 months. Seven years to obsess on the idea, and three months once Mia arrived in my head to get out a draft. (WOW!)

What other books influenced?

Every book I read—especially books I love—influence me. I think I absorb the good ones osmotically and the bad ones, I sort of think, STAY AWAY. Don't make the mistake the author did. It's why reading is so important for writers.

Can you read other books during the writing process?

I can't not be reading during my life. I always have some book working. That said, because of the aforementioned osmosis thing, I am careful not to read anything remotely similar to what I'm working on. It can be too distracting. So I'll try to read more adult fiction when I'm working on a YA novel. Gotta read the adult books sometimes.

How has the book changed your life so far?

Mostly in that it has given me faith that I might be able to keep doing this, keep writing books. I think every writer lives in fear that the awesome privilege of writing books will be taken away, which given the climate in publishing today, is not unfounded. So to have a book that people pay attention to, embrace, read, is like insurance that I'll get to write another one. Indeed, I am working on the next one, so I've been doing less journalism, more fiction, which is nice because I prefer it and also it's easier with small children. With fiction you can work wherever, whenever. With journalism, you're always trying to do an interview and detach a clingy toddler from your lap at the same time.

Why do you write YA?

Because I am drawn to stories about young people and in today's market that means you write YA. Because I am in arrested development and am still sixteen. Because I am very lucky.

What are your favorite books?

I can't ever narrow it down to favorite books. So I can give you four favorite books I've read recently, all YA or middle grade. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. Hold Still by Nina LaCour. Those are all 2009 releases. And I just read The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, which comes out next year and is fantastic.

Name 3 YA book that you would call a must-read.

Hmm...
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (for the two people out there who haven't read it) I love Twilight. I also think it's good for budding writers to read from a publishing standpoint, to ask why it's so effective. My take: because it's an absolutely breathless ride.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It's a classic. And if it were published today, it would be considered a middle-grade novel. So a wonderful book but also a look at how things change in terms of what constitutes children's literature.

And for the third, I'd say The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky because it typifies the wonderful sub-genre of outsider lit in YA and was a sort of breakthrough YA novel and is a cult classic, deservedly so. It's also fantastic.

There are so many others. Sloppy Firsts (the Jessica Darling novels are perfectly executed YA). The three I named as my favorites from this past year. The Hunger Games. Anything by Sarah Dessen. Harry Potter. There is so much great YA/kids' lit out there!!! Happy reading!

Wow! We have similar taste in books. Thank you so, so much Gayle!
Also, the movie for this book will be made, directed by Catherine Hardwicke; let's hope it could somehow come close to the awesomeness of the book!

Amazon / Indiebound
Author's website

Behind the Book: Eyes Like Stars

One of the amazing debuts we've had this year was Lisa Mantchev with her AMAZING novel Eyes Like Stars. I loved this book! (See my review here)

How did you come up with the story?

Eyes Like Stars started as a short story, and that short story started life with the name "Beatrice Shakespeare Smith" and the four fairies flying on wires.

Does it have to do with your life?

I was a drama-junky from the time I was seven years old, and then studied theater and playwriting in college, so when I settled in to write my first novel, I knew it should be based in a theater. "Write what you know," right?

How long did the book take to write?

I spent three months writing the first draft, then it underwent several major revisions once it was acquired by Feiwel & Friends.

What other books influenced you?

I love classic fantasy novels like Alice in Wonderland and old theatrical scripts and scores for musicals like Peter Pan. I also read a lot of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Patricia McKillip and Tanith Lee.

How has the book changed your life so far?

I published short stories for six years before the novel came out, but seeing ELS on a shelf in a bookstore finally made me feel like a Real Author.

Why do you write YA?

I think the readers of Young Adult are some of the most enthusiastic people I've ever met, and it's a pleasure to write for them (no matter what their actual age.)

What are your favorite books?

Right now, I'm listening to Anansi Boys on audio in the car and marveling not only at the wonderful storyline but the fabulous job the narrator did.

Name 3 YA book that you would call a must-read.

Lets go old-school: Anne of Green Gables, The Little Princess, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Thank you Lisa!!

This book is now available and is the first in a series!

Official Website
Goodreads / Amazon
Indiebound

Behind The Book: The Maze Runner

So, first of all I want to let people know I'm not going to do this feature with books I haven't read. And second, it will only be done for books I have really enjoyed (as in 5 star reviews)
In this case, I am obsessed with this book. James Dashner is the author and this is the first book of a trilogy.

How did you come up with the story?

~ The book is heavily influenced by Ender's Game and Lord of the Flies. I love those two books, and I wanted to write something with a similar feel and tone. Most of the initial plot came to me very late one night - I was a zombie the next day!

How long did the book take to write?

~ The first draft - 4 months. But then I worked on it off and on for 3 years until it found a home.

How has the book changed your life so far?

~ Well, it's already getting a lot of attention, but I won't know the true effect until it's released on Oct. 6. But one obvious thing: the advance allowed me to become a full time writer and quit my old job of accounting. Bleck!

Why do you write YA?

~ There's just something magical about it. That's when I fell in love with reading, and writing those types of stories helps me feel that magic again.

What are your favorite books?

~ Too many! I love Dean Koontz and Stephen King, the Harry Potter books... and about a billion others!

3 YA books that are a must read

~ Speak, Ender's Game, Octavian Nothing. Thank you Sabrina!

Thank YOU James! This book is released TOMORROW! (Oct 6). I know it's in some stores already, so what are you waiting for? Its AMAZING! Read my 5 Star review here.

James is touring right now! See the schedule here

www.themazerunner.com

Goodreads / Amazon

Behind the Book: Ballads of Suburbia

One of my favorite books this year and probably the one that had most impact on me has been Ballads of Suburbia. It's a heavy and dark novel that includes many cruel realities of life and teenage years. You can read my review here. Stephanie Kuehnert -the author- is now one of my favorite authors, because I consider her writing unique. I hope you enjoy this edition of BTB, featuring Stephanie and her story behind Ballads of Suburbia.

How did you come up with the story?

~ This is a story I think I've been trying to write in some form since I was in high school, back when I was feeling the feelings that Kara was experiencing-- the loneliness, the desire to find your tribe so to speak. And growing up in the suburbs I saw all different kinds of dysfunctional families even though it was supposed to be the kind of place where things are perfect. Basically I've had these characters voices and their heartbreaking tales in my head for years, but I needed a structure. I was taking a class with the amazing author Joe Meno and he brought in a bunch of Johnny Cash CDs one day and started talking about ballads and how they were one of the original forms of storytelling. And I thought about Johnny's songs and about songs by bands like Social Distortion and the Distillers, these punk rock singers telling it like it is and I thought my suburban characters need an outlet like a ballad. I came up with the idea of the notebook and the different ballads in class that day.

Does it have to do with your life?

~ No. It's set in the town I grew up during the time I grew up there, but Kara is not me. We struggled with some of the same things like cutting and loneliness and divorced parents, but it's not my life. It just seemed like a good place to set it, somewhere I knew so well and since I knew the book was about heroin and there was a very real heroin problem in Oak Park at that time, it made sense.

How long did the book take to write?

~ Well, I wrote a version of it way back in 2000/2001. But that version was thinly veiled autobiography and I didn't like that. I wanted to give these characters their own lives, not force my life on them. So I put it away and wrote I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone and got that ballads structure idea in the middle of writing I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, but just took notes and waited. I started writing Ballads in the version that you know it in 2006 and it sold in 2008, but I was also working on IWBYJR revisions and such at that time. I dunno, total it was probably a year and a half or two years, but the brainstorming took an addition 6 years!

What other books influenced?

~ The books that have been big influences on me include Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block, Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, Hairstyles of the Damned by Joe Meno, and Bastard Out Of Carolina by Dorothy Allison. I don't know if I can point at their direct influences on Ballads. The last two definitely would have been the biggest influences on Ballads specifically. Though also the other day, I realized that The Basketball Diaries by Jim Carroll was probably a huge subconscious influence on the book.

How has the book changed your life so far?

~ Um, I wish I could say it had really changed my life, like that it was really successful and I was able to write full time or even that it made me a more confident writer, but writing is such a tightrope walk. You never feel good enough as a writer and as for success that would free me from a day job (or in my case, night job as a bartender), yeah not so much. The way it has changed me is that I feel like I have reached out to the world and a few people have read the book and are reaching back and that feels great. I went through a lot of darkness during my teenager years and I revisited that darkness in order to write this book. This book drove me to the brink of nervous breakdowns at some points. But when I get letters from kids saying it inspired them to stay sober or stop cutting or from kids who hadn't gone through anything like my characters but say that it really made them think, that makes it all worth it.

Why do you write YA?

~ Because my inner teenager is still alive and well. Because there were stories I was searching for as a teenager and rarely finding so I'm writing them. Because "coming of age" or the teenage years is the most interesting and important period of life in my mind. And most importantly because there a teenage characters in my head who need to be given a voice.

What are your favorite books?

~ Basically all the books that I named in the influences list and all the books I am about to name below. Oh and in addition to those Wicked Game and Bad to the Bone by Jeri Smith Ready. Mostly I read YA because it feel like the voices in it are some of the most real and honest in contemporary fiction. But I also love classics like Steinbeck, Hawthorne and of course Shakespeare.

Name 3 YA book that you would call a must-read.

~ Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr (it helps if you read Wicked Lovely first, but isn't necessary), and Beige by Cecil Castellucci. Oh and honorable mentions: Looking For Alaska by John Green, Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, The Hanged Man by Francesca Lia Block and Leftovers by Laura Wiess. Yeah, sorry, seven is more my kinda number :)

Thank you so much Stephanie!

Ballads of Suburbia is available in bookstores now since July 2009.

Goodreads / Amazon

Behind the Book: The Hollow

Jessica Verday, Author of The Hollow

How did you come up with the story?

~I've always loved The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, and after a visit to the real town of Sleepy Hollow in 2006, I knew it was the perfect setting for a book.

Does it have to do with your life?

~Not really. Although, I *did* grow up spending a lot of time in a church cemetery and am very comfortable visiting other cemeteries. That's probably where Abbey gets that same ability from.

How long did the book take to write?
~About a year and a half.

What other books influenced?
~The Forbidden Game Trilogy by L.J. Smith, Kissed by An Angel series by Elizabeth Chandler, Time Traveler series by Caroline B. Cooney

How has the book changed your life so far?
~It's been absolutely amazing to get email from people all around the world saying that they've read words I wrote, and have enjoyed them. That's life changing.

Why do you write YA?
~It's what the story dictated.

Name 1 YA book that you would call a must-read.
Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor

This book will be released on september 1, 2009.
Goodreads / Amazon