Author Interviews Archives - Page 9 of 13

#LoveOzYA Interview: Meg Caddy

Jul 1, 2016

I love Aussie YA. I love reading books from authors that live in the same country as me, that know things that people out of Australia might be so confused about. I love how sometimes they can incorporate this into their book and it is fabulous.

So in saying that, I have decided to start a new feature on Angel Reads spotlighting Australian YA Authors. Each Friday for the next couple of months, I am going to interview an OZYA Author. I thought it would be a fun way to share my love for Australian Young Adult authors with not only fellow Aussies, but everyone around the world. I want more Australian YA books to be read, because they are amazing.

First week I interview Sarah Ayoub, then Fleur Ferris, followed by Will Kostakis, then Shivaun Plozza, and Gabrielle Tozer, followed by Jay Kristoff and Kylie Fornasier, A.J Betts, Megan Jacobson then Christopher Currie and Steph Bowe and last week Tim Sinclair

This week is Meg Caddy, author of young adult novel, Waer (2016, Text Publishing)

Hi Meg, welcome to Angel Reads. First can you introduce yourself to everyone? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi there! Thanks for having me. I’m Meg Caddy, and I’m a YA fantasy/historical fiction author. I’m also short, bespectacled, bookish, geeky, (currently) red-headed, and a devoted tea-drinker. I work part-time at Dymocks in Perth, part-time at a boarding school, and part-time as an English tutor. I don’t get a lot of sleep.

What has your writing journey been like? When did you start? Why?

I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing stories. I’ve been very lucky to have a lot of support and encouragement from my family. Two of my three brothers are professional musicians and the third might well go the same way. Our parents have always encouraged us to read, to learn, and to pursue what we love.

As for how I started writing Waer…well, that’s a rather geeky tale. When we were fourteen my best friend Jenn and I had a…well, simply put, it was a two-person live-action roleplay. We both had characters, and we only spoke to each other as those characters for about a year. My character was Lycaea, and I started writing Waer as Lycaea’s backstory. I wrote throughout my highschool years, and was lucky enough to be mentored by the wonderful Juliet Marillier. Once highschool was finished, I started to edit in earnest.

What was the process of getting your first book published?

When I was twenty-one, my Dad told me about the Text Prize, an annual YA novel competition run by Text Publishing. I entered the prize and was shortlisted. The lovely Mandy Brett, an editor at Text, called me shortly after and offered me a publishing contract. That was in 2013. Waer still needed some work after that so, with Mandy’s guidance, I kept editing until it was ready. We had the launch in February this year, and it hit the shops on March 1!

What was your journey as a debut YA author in Australia? What was the hardest thing?

This is a difficult question to answer, as I feel I’ve barely started my journey as a debut YA author. I’m only just putting my jacket on! I’ll start with the good things, though.

My family and friends have been incredible. They are all-in, all the time. They come to my signings, they keep buying copies of Waer, and they celebrate each milestone with me. It’s made the journey much easier – I know that if I have a signing event or a talk, at least a few people will show up!

I also have to mention the writing community in WA, which is unique. I joined SCBWI (Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) once my book was accepted, and I’ve been a member of the KSP Foundation (Katharine Susannah Prichard) for years. The members are professional, warm, and relentlessly passionate about their craft. They constantly inspire me to do better. The booksellers in Perth are amazing as well (and I swear I don’t just say that because I work with some of them!). Everyone is so excited to support local authors. It is honestly the best part of writing in WA.

On the other hand, the hardest thing about being a debut YA author in Australia, especially in WA, is looking to the future. The writing industry has suffered several devastating blows recently, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get better any time soon. It’s a scary time, especially when you’re just starting out.

You are an OZYA author, what are some of your favourite Aussie YA books?

Oh I love this question. I’m glad of it, because my last answer ended on rather a grim note. Do I make a list? I’ll make a list.

Zac & Mia (AJ Betts) This book took my heart out, stomped on it, then mended it and gave it back.
Day Boy (Trent Jamieson) It’s an Australian post-apocalyptic vampire novel. What more could you want?
The Minnow (Diana Sweeney) Reading this felt like being underwater. Everything was surreal and beautiful, and I hardly breathed between page 1 and the end.
Wildwood Dancing (Juliet Marillier) Juliet Marillier’s classic blend of myth, fantasy, and amazing characters. Elegant and enchanting, like everything she writes.
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak) I don’t know if I could live with myself if I didn’t include this book. I can’t read it as often as I’d like, because it makes me ugly-cry for days.

The astute amongst you may have noticed that three of these titles are from Text Publishing. I’m not biased, I swear.

I haven’t had the chance to pick up Waer yet, but I love werewolf books and since (I am letting you onto something now) I am writing a werewolf books, I like to see what is out there. You can find Meg at her twitter at @MegCaddy1, her website and don’t forget to add Waer to your goodreads.

Waer by Meg Caddy

Pages: 320
Publish date: March 1st 2016
Publisher: Text Publishing
ISBN: 1922182214
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU –Dymocks

When Lowell Sencha finds the strange girl lying as if dead on the riverbank, he is startled to find that she is like them: waer. Human, but able to assume the form of a wolf. The Sencha family’s small community has kept itself sequestered and unnoticed, free from persecution. The arrival of a fellow traveller, and a hunted one at that, threatens their very survival.

Sure enough, the soldiers of the blood-purist Daeman Leldh soon descend on the village searching for her, burning and slaughtering. Lowell and the mysterious stranger are among the few to escape. And now they must find their way to the city of Luthan where, she says, they will find people to help them bring down Daeman Leldh.

If she can persuade them not to kill her.

***

Thank you Meg for joining me at Angel Reads and sharing your journey. Have you read Waer? Did you like it? Are you going to read it?

Come back next week for some more Aussie fun. If you want to know more about the #LoveOZYA movement check out the website for all the details. Also if you have any Australian YA authors that you would like to see me interview, just let me know and I can see what I can do.

#LoveOZYA Interview: Tim Sinclair

Jun 24, 2016

This week Tim Sinclair author of young adult novel Run (2013, Penguin Australia) and various other novels and poems.

Hi Tim, and welcome to Angel Reads. First can you introduce yourself to everyone? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi! Thanks for having me. I write poetry and verse novels and novel novels (you know, the ones that everyone else just calls ‘novels’).

I like to involve myself in the research of my books in as physical a way as possible – my last book Run was about parkour, which made for some pretty interesting research – but it’s proving a little harder with my current project, as it would involve me travelling forward in time to a postapocalyptic world…

What has your writing journey been like? Where did you start? Why?

I’ve been writing stories and poems for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a very wordy household, where we did daggy things like write poems on each other’s birthday presents, so I’ve always swum in language. And I’ve always been a reader, so writing seemed like a natural part of that.

What was the process of getting your first book published?

Thrilling, obviously (!) – I was travelling while it was all happening, and sitting in an internet cafe on a small island in Hong Kong waiting for the cover proofs of Nine Hours North to download is one of the highlights of my life so far.

The other word I would use would be ‘pivotal’. There it was, the culmination of a lifetime spent dreaming about being a ‘real writer’, but what I very quickly realised was that it was just the start of the next phase. There’s always something else to aim for.

Was it different when getting your subsequent books published?

Each book has its own set of excitements and challenges – I know a bit more each time around, but there’s still so much to learn. I’m writing my first novel novel at the moment – actually, series of novels – and that’s a whole other thing. So many words!

You are an OZYA author, what are some of your favourite Aussie YA books?

I hate the ‘favourites’ question! Always so hard to narrow it down… If you’re going to make me pick just a few though, I’d say Vikki Wakefield’s Inbetween Days, Fiona Wood’s Cloudwish, Margo Lanagan’s Tender Morsels, and Ambelin Kwaymullina’s The Tribe series.

You can find Tim on twitter at @Tim_Sinclair, his website and don’t forget to add his books to your goodreads.

Run by Tim Sinclair

Pages: 236
Publish date: March 2016
Publisher: Penguin Australia
ISBN: 0143567683
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Dee loves the freedom and risk of parkour. And when he’s set the ultimate parkour challenge he can’t resist, but has he got himself in way over his head? Run is a paranoid thriller – genre fiction meets literary verse novel.

***

Thank you Tim for joining me at Angel Reads. That is it for this week’s #LoveOZYA Interview. What did you think of Tim and his books? Let’s Chat!

#LoveOZYA Interview: Steph Bowe

Jun 17, 2016

First week I interview Sarah Ayoub, then Fleur Ferris, followed by Will Kostakis, then Shivaun Plozza, and Gabrielle Tozer, followed by Jay Kristoff and Kylie Fornasier, A.J Betts, Megan Jacobson and last week Christopher Currie. This week we have Steph Bowe author of Girl Saves Boy (2010, Text) and All This Could End (2013, Text)

Hi Steph, and welcome to Angel Reads. First can you introduce yourself to everyone? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m Steph Bowe! I’m the author of contemporary YA novels All This Could End and Girl Saves Boy! My first novel was published when I was sixteen, and I’m twenty-two now. I live in Queensland with my family. I’ve blogged about YA fiction for seven years. I speak in schools and deliver creative writing workshops. I read a lot. I am a big fan of tea and cake.

What has your writing journey been like? Where did you start? Why?

When I was seven years old, I vowed that I would become an author and buy a house. I was a very serious seven-year-old. I’ve written for as long as I can remember – when I was a tiny kid, I would type stories out on the computer, then erase them as soon as I was finished. Obviously, I don’t do that now. My love of writing was born out of my love of reading – the first book I remember loving was The Very Hungry Caterpillar and I’ve loved escaping into stories ever since then. I think I started writing because I loved being able to create my own universes and having absolute control over what occurred – with limitless possibilities. I just kept writing, until the rambling, bizarre, always unresolved stories I wrote as a kid turned into the complete, resolved, still-a-bit-weird novels I wrote as a teenager.

What was the process of getting your first book published?

I finished writing GIRL SAVES BOY, completed a perfunctory edit (my skill as a self-editor is far better – and more in-depth – now!) and sent the manuscript to critique readers I had met through blogging. Based on recommendations from one of my critique readers, I sent queries to a few agents and entered into a first-page contest. I signed with my agent a few weeks later. After working on an edit with my agent, the manuscript was submitted to publishers here in Australia and I was fortunate enough to get a two-book deal. The process leading to publication involved several rounds of editing with an editor, input on the final title and cover design, and, at publication time, doing speaking appearances, attending festivals and being interviewed.

Was it different when getting your proceeding books published?

I got a two-book deal with my first novel, so the process of publishing my second novel was similar to the first – but without the uncertainty. It was easier in that I was familiar with the process (none of the mystery of the first time around!) and knew who I was working with. It was trickier in that once I’d had a novel published I had experienced criticism and perfected the voice of my inner critic, and the pressure to measure up to my first novel (even in my own head) made the process of writing the novel longer and more difficult than it might otherwise have been.

What was the difference between getting your books published here in Australia and internationally?

In publishing my novels here in Australia, I’ve gotten to work very intensively with an editor on the novels, as well as having some input on the cover, publicity, and so on. GIRL SAVES BOY was translated into Spanish (as LA CHICA DEL LAGO), Catalan (as LA NOIA DEL LLAC) and Dutch (as GERED DOOR EEN MEISJE). It’s very exciting to have my novel published in other languages and read internationally, and I get a lots of emails from readers overseas but I had very little involvement with getting the foreign editions ready for publication– each of the publishers employed a translator to translate the novel, and the deals were organised by foreign agents who work with my agent.

You are an OZYA author, what are some of your favourite Aussie YA books?

I especially love contemporary Australian YA fiction – I think it’s some of the best in the world. I love Melina Marchetta’s novels – On The Jellicoe Road is my absolute favourite. Fiona Wood’s work is amazing – Cloudwish, her latest, is (in my opinion) her best. Laurinda by Alice Pung is authentic and gorgeous. Simmone Howell’s novels are always honest and real and wonderful – I love Girl Defective. Kate Constable, Penni Russon, Vikki Wakefield and Cath Crowley are some more favourites. And I do love some more supernatural YA – Leanne Hall’s This is Shyness, Rebecca Lim’s The Astrologer’s Daughter and the Rephaim series by Paula Weston are all awesome.

I have yet to read Steph Bowe books, but I hope to soon. You can find Steph on twitter at @stephbowe, her website and you can add her books to your goodreads.

Girl Saves Boy by Steph Bowe

Pages: 288
Publish date: August 30 2010
Publisher: Text Publishing
ISBN: 192165659X
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

The first time we met, Jewel Valentine saved my life.

Isn’t it enough having your very own terminal disease, without your mother dying? Or your father dating your Art teacher?

No wonder Sacha Thomas ends up in the lake that Saturday evening…

But the real question is: how does he end up in love with Jewel Valentine?

With the help of quirky teenage prodigies Little Al and True Grisham, Sacha and Jewel have a crazy adventure, with a little lobster emancipation along the way.

But Sacha’s running out of time, and Jewel has secrets of her own.

Girl Saves Boy is a hugely talented debut novel, funny and sad, silly and wise. It’s a story of life, death, love… and garden gnomes.

***

Thank you Steph for joining me at Angel Reads. That is it for this week’s #LoveOZYA Interview. What did you think of Steph and her books? Let’s Chat!