Promised Blog Tour - Author Interview & Giveaway

I am proud to introduce Caragh O'Brien, author of the Birthmarked Trilogy! Promised, the third book in the series was released on Tuesday. If you haven't read her first two books - Birthmarked and Prized - I suggest you do so immediately. And one lucky follower will have a chance to win a copy of the whole trilogy! Don't miss that below. Now, without further stalling, here is my interview with her:

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NL: Before becoming a full-time writer, you were a high school English teacher. How do you think that affected your writing? Did you write with your students in mind?

CO: First, Emily, let me say how happy I am to be here at The Ninja Librarian. I love the awesome name of your site.

Being with teens every day deepened my understanding of human suffering, joy and curiosity, and naturally that carried over into my writing.  My students definitely inspired me.  I didn’t write with particular teens in mind, but I knew that for a book to be good enough to satisfy students like mine, it had to be the best thing I could possibly write.  The standard was insanely high.  I knew that teens were interested in complex moral situations, and that they appreciated characters with guts.  I knew I had to write honestly and have fun myself.

NL: While this book takes place in a future time once we've all killed the earth, but sometimes it felt like a historical setting. Was that something you intended?

CO: I didn’t intend for the novel to depict the earth as quite so murdered, but I can see that it looks pretty bleak.  I liked playing with the primitive, medieval-seeming conditions outside the wall because I admire how people used to manage before electricity and modern technology.  The rough conditions went well with an inventive, survivalist society and set up a nice contrast with the privileged lives of people within the wall.  It isn’t much of a stretch to look around our own world today and find people living in what looks like the past to those of us with more resources.

NL: Are there other authors who have influenced your writing?

CO: Whenever I read, I’m inspired.  I like to see what writers do with voice (The Knife of Never Letting Go), action (Ship Breaker), and pacing (Twilight).  Even though I can’t do what they can do, my reading frees me up to experiment and explore.

  

NL: In the first two books, there are different codes and cyphers. I loved trying to figure them out before Gaia did. Are you just a pro at breaking codes?

CO: Ha! Heavens no.  I just enjoy messing around with codes.  My siblings and I always played with codes as kids and I thought it would be fun to have codes in the books.  I thought I’d have one in the third book, but it never made sense to put one in, so I had to let it go.

NL: Because I work with schools, I have recently had the pleasure of trying to figure out the concept of common core and "reading across the curriculum." I couldn't help but think that these books would be perfect for Science classes, English classes, a little for the History classes, and it's a stretch for Math, but it might work. Did you write this trilogy with that in mind?

CO: Common core and differentiated instruction are the ongoing challenges, right?  Very tricky.  I was not thinking about the books in a school environment when I wrote them.  If anything, I thought they’d serve as escapist adventures that students might pick for independent reading.  That’s really how I’d most like the trilogy to be discovered and enjoyed.  That said, I’ve heard from some teachers and students who are doing very cool things with Birthmarked.  They tend to be in classrooms that foster independent thinking, open-ended inquiry, and the questioning of authority.  You know, all the dangerous stuff.

Thanks again, Emily, for having me by!  Good luck with your collection development and your blog.  It’s been a pleasure visiting with you!

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There you have it, folks. The one and only Caragh O'Brien! Such a great author. Go find her on Twitter or on Her Website!

There have been lots of stops on this blog tour. Take a moment to have a look at the rest of the posts (and more chances to win books, ahem): 

Monday 9/24                     http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com/

Tuesday 9/25                     http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/

Wednesday 9/26              http://www.lushbudgetproduction.com/

Friday 9/28                          http://www.twochicksonbooks.com/

Saturday 9/29                    http://www.thebookmonsters.com/

Monday 10/1                     http://www.areadersadventure.com/

Tuesday 10/2                     http://www.startingthenextchapter.com/

Wednesday 10/3              http://birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com/

Thursday 10/4                   You're here already! Congrats :).

Friday 10/5                          http://www.ibbookblogging.com/

Now for the giveaway... US/Canada Only. 

Want to win all three books?? 

 Here's your chance. Just fill out the form below to be entered!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Not so hard, huh?

Thanks to the Fierce Reads campaign for allowing me to host this awesome interview/giveaway. And thank you Caragh for being so willing to answer my silly questions :).

The Dark Unwinding Tour: Sharon Cameron Interview

This book tour is presented by The Book Vortex. I am so excited to present to you Sharon Cameron who has recently published her first book: The Dark Unwinding. You can see my review of it here. And now her interview...

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  Photo by Rusty Russel (2011)

1. Why did you decide to write about England when you live in Tennessee? Did you have to do a lot of research to get the place and feel right?

I’m a great believer in writing about whatever lights your own inner fire, and for me, that’s Britain. I feel incredibly at home there, especially in the West Highlands of Scotland (maybe it’s my DNA!). As far as the Victorian era, I’ve always found it fascinating, and had read a ton of writing, both fiction and non-fiction, from the period long before I ever began The Dark Unwinding. So I was coming from a very comfortable place even before I started my (exhaustive!) research. I’m a nit-picky researcher, so it helps to be researching an era you love.

2. Since your book has a historical setting: If you could go back, what historical time period would you want to live in?

Ooo, fascinating question! And one that I’ve actually given thought to many times. I can think of so many interesting historical events I’d love to see and clothes I just KNOW I’d look good in, but when I think of dentists, doctors, and the justice system I remember that “now” is really not so bad! But, if I had to choose, I think I’d want to live right at the turn of the century, before World War I, in a small idyllic village where a lost cow or what sort of pie needs baked that day might be life’s biggest problems. I think I’d like to be Anne of Green Gables, except in Scotland.

3. Are there any authors who have influenced your writing?

Oh, yes. For The Dark Unwinding, Charlotte Bronte (a la Jane Eyre) is obviously a huge influence, but I also have to give major kudos to Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca. I think that book more than any other showed me how to make the ordinary and everyday seem just a little bit creepy.

4. Did you base any of the characters off of people you know in real life?

The truth? No, not at all! For me, characters are products of their setting. What kind of person do you become if you spend your early years in Aunt Alice’s morning room? If you spend you childhood taking care of Uncle Tully? We’re all somewhat shaped by our environment, and I think a character in a book is no different.

5. Did you originally write this title with young adults in mind? It seems like a story that adults would find interesting as well.

Confession: I’ve never actually specifically written for any age group. I write for people that love stories, and when you love a story, I don’t think it matters a whit what age you are or what age that story is “supposed” to be for. I think great stories transcend age groups.

6. Will there be a sequel? It seems like there is a lot more story that could be told.

Absolutely! The sequel is scheduled for the fall of 2013. Stay tuned!

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Thank you so much for the interview! 

Find Sharon at:

Her website

On Facebook

On Twitter: @CameronSharonE

On Goodreads

Also, I have a little giveaway for you! :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Definitely go check out this book today! I loved it and I know you will too.