Interview with Walter Jury & Sarah Fine, co-authors of Scan

Today I have an interview with Walter Jury and Sarah Fine, co-authors of the new YA alien thriller SCAN! Walter Jury is one of the producers of the Divergent movie, and Sarah Fine is the author of the Guards of the Shadowlands series and the upcoming Of Metal and Wishes.

I had the opportunity to read SCAN a few months ago, and it was an intense read! My review, along with an ARC giveaway, will be posted next week. So keep an eye out for that! In the meantime, I included the cover and the summary of SCAN below so that you can learn more about it before you read the interview.

Scan by Walter Jury & Sarah Fine

Release Date: May 1, 2014

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Tate and his father don’t exactly get along. As Tate sees it, his father has unreasonably high expectations for Tate to be the best—at everything. Tate finally learns what he’s being prepared for when he steals one of his dad’s odd tech inventions and mercenaries ambush the school, killing his father in the process and sending Tate on the run from aliens who look just like humans.

All Tate knows--like how to make weapons out of oranges and lighter fluid--may not be enough to save him as he’s plunged into a secret inter-species conflict that’s been going on for centuries. Aided only by his girlfriend and his estranged mother, with powerful enemies closing in on all sides, Tate races to puzzle out the secret behind his father’s invention and why so many are willing to kill for it. A riveting, fast-paced adventure, Scan is a clever alien thriller with muscle and heart.

Walter Jury (left) and Sarah Fine (right).

Interview

I think author Morgan Rhodes's blurb of SCAN ("Nonstop, action-packed thrill ride") describes it perfectly. What did you enjoy the most about writing SCAN? Do you have a favorite scene?

(SPOILER ALERT) Walter's favorite scene is the final set piece. Without giving away any plot points, I will describe it as a major action sequence that involves Tate and his primary pursuer, along with a few other names in a very fun location that is described in detail, but allows for the imagination to run wild with the options as the scene progresses. With Tate's skills that we establish early on, we get a real sense of how high the stakes are and how far he can progress with his Dad's tutelage and influence guiding him.

While I was reading SCAN, I couldn't help but to be in awe of Tate and all his skills and knowledge. He was a brilliant kid. It made me wonder, how much and what kind of research went into SCAN? Was it intimidating to write about someone who pretty much excelled at everything?

Sarah consulted with a chemistry professor regarding many of the explosive chemical reactions in the book, and with one exception where she used major creative license, they're totally possible. But also, the Internet is a writer's friend. Look on Youtube for "Super Soaker flamethrower" or "nitrogen triiodide detonation" and there is a wealth of terrifying-yet-inspiring source material! DO NOT try that stuff at home PLEASE.

Tate's not the only the one with a family who is hiding big secrets about aliens, but unlike some of the others, Tate's parents never told him anything. How different would Tate be from the person he is today had his father (Fred) told him everything from the very beginning?

(SPOILER ALERT) Fred knew what he was doing. He wanted to see an advanced level of consistent maturity from Tate prior to giving him the keys to the castle of his family heritage. Consistent is the key word, because as we see adversity really fortified Tate's focus. So it was probably the right move at the time for Fred not to share the information with his son--had Fred have passed along the information, then maybe Fred would still be alive, but if Tate had demonstrated irresponsibility in a different manner, then it could have been very costly in some other manner. To answer the question directly, I believe Tate needed some real adversity to get him to a higher level of maturity--and I don't believe just his father's divulging of their family history would have been enough to change that particular aspect and weakness.

I know SCAN is Tate's story, but I love his girlfriend Christina too! She's awesome, and I kept wondering what she was thinking throughout the book. Will readers ever get a glimpse inside her head? Like maybe a novella or anything from her POV?

Great question. It is actually a great suggestion and certainly something that would be fun to write--the shootout in Act I especially, would be great to see from her perspective as it is devastating to both Tate and Christina, but maybe surreal to Christina as opposed to calamitously real to Tate. We will have to give you a special thanks if that ever becomes a novella or an ebook teaser!

I saw on Goodreads that the sequel to SCAN is called BURN. What can you tell us about it? Is this a duology or will there be more books after BURN?

BURN is currently in the works so while we are working hard to finish it, it would be premature to spoil any of the major plot points and sequences--but what we can say is: more secrets revealed, more MacGyver-like maneuvers, and definitely more action! As of now, we are looking at a duology, but we love these characters and the world-building that went around this mythology, so we certainly would be open to exploring more possibilities in the future!

Is there anything else about SCAN you would like to mention to readers?

SCAN is really a labor of love for us--it was a story that just flowed out of us very seamlessly because we so passionately wanted to look at the ramifications of a visit from aliens prior to the advent of modern technology. The characters definitely are inspired and we hope, creatively unique, to readers of all ages and all proficiencies in young adult literature. We hope everyone gets out of reading the novel the exact same feeling we had when writing it!

Finally, if you found out you were actually an alien, how would you react?

Walter: I would start researching right away in order to figure out how to get to outer space using one of those services like Elon Musk's SpaceX. At this stage, I know they are still experimental and very expensive, but it is a great excuse for me to book a costly trip to outer space and gives me the perfect retort when my wife asks what I'm doing--"Babe, I'm just planning a trip to visit some family!"

Sarah: It depends. Am I a member of the dominant species? If so: sigh of relief. Possible fist pump. If not: ACT CASUAL AND TRY TO BLEND IN.

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Thank you to both Walter Jury and Sarah Fine for answering my questions (and Stacey from Penguin for asking me to interview them)! I loved the in-depth answers, and I'm even more eager to read BURN. And anything from Christina's perspective would be awesome, if a novella or teaser ever becomes possible! :D

Well, I hoped you all enjoyed the interview! Did it make you curious to read SCAN? If so, SCAN will be released May 1, 2014 by Putnam Juvenile, a Penguin imprint. So not too long from now! And as I mentioned before I will be posting my review and a giveaway next week. Stay tuned!

Interview + Giveaway: Reckless by Danielle Weiler

Today I have YA/NA author Danielle Weiler answering questions about her new adult book Reckless! I've already read and really enjoyed Reckless. You can read my review HERE. And at the end of this interview, there's a chance to win one of two ebooks copies of Reckless!

Thanks for having me Alexa!

Thank you being here, Danielle! What was your inspiration for Reckless?

Milly came to me as a broken girl. The first line kept playing over and over in my head:

‘I am reckless. I understand this in its entirety as I’m desperately fumbling at the top button of my jeans…’

But she also assured me, ‘I can explain!’ She wrote her own story/first draft in a matter of weeks. At the time, I was thinking about how strong the connection of twins must be. I have four-year-old twin nieces and they are inseparable. I thought about the concept of long-term grief, not just directly after the event; how families can still be hurting years later and dragging themselves through every day without making much progress; how they can let walls creep up and blame creep in. I also wanted to tell a different kind of story to Friendship on Fire, which was probably more cupcake literature. Milly is edgy and dark, the girl you want to slap some sense into but also feel for tremendously.

What did you enjoy the most about writing this book?

The flashbacks between Milly and Christian (twin brother) were the most interesting in terms of process and creativity. I have five older brothers so I thought back to some of the things we did as kids and altered them to suit the story. Yes, brother number 5 used to make potato gems and eat them in front of me without sharing. Brother 4 ran over our cat. Brother 2 tried to teach me how to surf. I drew on those connections to show how close Milly and Christian were.

Do you have a favorite scene or moment?

Not in particular, but I did love writing from Jerome’s POV and I loved writing the ending.

Where do you think Milly would be if her brother hadn't died? Would Milly and Jerome still have gotten close?

Milly didn’t get a chance to really think about what she would’ve liked to pursue after school and because of the timing of Christian’s death, it knocked her off course to the point where she didn’t want to do anything.

Mmm it’s hard to say if she and Jerome would have connected, but probably not. Christian liked to keep his sister at arms length from any guy who could take advantage of her, even his best friend. Not in a controlling way, just a protective, older brother way. Unless Milly and Jerome were in the same course or job, it probably wouldn’t have happened.

Why did you decide to include some chapters from Jerome's POV?

It was a bit of gratuitous writing for me, but also to surprise the reader and perhaps to get the reader to sympathise with Jerome a little bit. I always love to read those little extra things in novels too. It makes them special, like you’re reading someone’s diary or a love note, like it was written just for you.

Did you already know how Reckless was going to end before you started writing it? Is it a definite stand-alone?

Yes I did know how it was going to end. I wrote the ending quite early on just to see if I liked it, as well as the major plot twist. I actually haven’t thought of a sequel. It’ll probably just be a stand-alone but I don’t want to rule anything out!

Are you planning to write other new adult novels?

YES! I love them. I remember an agent saying to me once, Reckless is a great concept, but make the character a few years younger because publishers prefer them younger. But how could I? Two years out of school, Milly should have had something going for her life, but she didn’t. How many young adults have that prolonged adolescence issue in their lives? They still live with Mum and Dad but technically they’re adults so don’t want to be treated like kids still.

I think there’s more freedom in new adult than YA (and I don’t mean in a Fifty Shades of Reckless kind of way). I still love YA, but I don’t feel such pressure to restrain my language and themes. I’ve started working on Friendship on Fire – the sequel and that’ll have to be NA because Daisy will be 19 and it’s not about school anymore. I like to think that I can help the genre’s popularity and for it not just to have the stigma of upper-YA-steaminess.

Bonus: Jerome or Roman? (Note: Roman is from Danielle's YA novel Friendship on Fire!)

Oh this question is unfair! My instant reaction is Roman, but Jerome is so attractive in his persistence and vulnerability and subtle humour. Can I have both? What do you think Alexa? ☺

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Ahh! I can't choose between Jerome or Roman either! haha I want them both too. Thank you for answering all my questions, Danielle! You had some really awesome and interesting answers. I'm so excited for the Friendship on Fire sequel, and I'm glad it's going to be new adult. Great job on your first new adult Reckless! :D

So are you all even more curious about Reckless? Well, you're in luck because Danielle is offering up TWO ebook copies of Reckless! Yay! The giveaway is open internationally and will end August 22. To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. :)

Interview + Giveaway with author Danielle Weiler

Today I have an interview with Australian author Danielle Weiler! Her debut YA novel Friendship on Fire was released March 1, 2011 through Sid Harta Publishers. Find out more about Danielle and her novels at her website or follow her on GoodReads. Also, you can read my review for Friendship on Fire here!

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From what I've seen, young-adult contemporaries tend to be shorter than YA novels in other genres, so I'm impressed with the length of Friendship on Fire. How long did it take you to complete? And were there any scenes cut out that you really liked?

Friendship on Fire took me 3 months to finish the first draft. Then I spent a long time polishing it and getting feedback from assessors, the target audience (my students) and friends/family. I was working full time as well but I had a bee in my bonnet. Daisy had something to say! I did have to cut out quite a bit – it’s hard to make a book that covers an entire year believable if it’s too short. I wanted readers to really see and feel the changes in all the characters, even minor ones. I was pretty lucky to be able to keep most of the scenes I wanted. My editor wanted to cut out the scene near the end of the novel where Daisy goes to Roman’s house for dinner and Roman’s parents try to find out what’s happened between them. But I put my foot down – I liked that scene. Luckily I could keep it. At one point Daisy does diagnose herself with Final Year of School Syndrome in which she lists the symptoms (facetiously) and blames school for her plight. She’s a funny girl.

There's a love-triangle in Friendship on Fire between the main character Daisy, her best friend Roman, and a guy from a different school named Nate. How would you describe the love-triangle for those who haven't read the book?

Mmm well Roman has been Daisy’s best friend since they met at the start of high school. They have both wondered if there was any chemistry between them but have been hesitant to try anything serious. Daisy sees Roman as safe, and hasn’t had the opposite of safe in order to be able to appreciate Roman for who he is. Nate is a product of his family and his environment. He’s rich, spoilt, charming, gorgeous, clever and sexy. Some believe he’s misunderstood. Some hate his guts…

Daisy ate candy called Redskins throughout the novel and you seem to be a fan of them too! Unfortunately they aren't available where I live. What exactly do Redskins taste like?

Danielle eating Redskins!

I adore Redskins. They have a strawberry/raspberry flavour and are very sticky and chewy. You have to pick little bits of it out of your back teeth. They’re about 10cm long and are wrapped individually.

I really loved the ending of Friendship on Fire. Did you know you wanted that ending from the very beginning? And do you know what Daisy is up to now? (A bit spoilery, if you haven't read the book!)

Yes I did want the ending from when I started the novel. It was still hard to write certain parts though, because you have to write in the good parts about a character and be convincing, then you have to write in how they hurt others and that can be uncomfortable because you always want to hope for the best in them. But a story wouldn’t be a story without conflict and growth. Daisy is currently at university in her third year of study. She is engaged to Roman but they haven’t made any firm plans yet because his father has become ill and the family had to move away for specialist treatment. But they write and call each other a lot.

Finally, I see that you have a second YA contemporary novel titled Reckless in Abandonment. What can you tell us about that one? Are there any plans for a release?

Ahh Reckless is a title I was toying with but I have no idea whether it’ll end up being called that. It’s an upper YA story about a girl called Milly and how a family tragedy sent her spiralling down into despair and doing stupid things. I also have a third YA manuscript with a male protagonist and it has darker themes and an edge to it that my other novels don’t have. Fingers crossed they are liked by publishers and I can keep doing what I love to do.

Thanks for having me Alexa!