Alyssa, fellow college blogger of I Am Writer - Hear Me Roar! tagged me in a blog-hop interview. You can read her list of questions and answers here. She asked me:
1. What in your opinion do you think YA (or fiction in general) needs more of?
A lot of answers to this question vary depending on what is trending at the time. If something is trending, people generally say "YA/fiction should have more of [whatever is opposite or different from the current trend]." I'll try to answer this more generally. I think YA needs more scary stuff. As much as I love paranormal, I have consistently disliked how it has been softened down for YA. I would like to see either paranormal that doesn't lose the horror elements, or just more pure YA horror.
Which leads me to...
2. What is something you would absolutely love to see a book about? (Be specific if possible!)
I want more horror retellings of fairy tales. I've had the genre on the brain lately thanks to my NaNo novel. I think fairy tales lend themselves particularly well to horror, since they were originally cautionary tales told to frighten children. Like paranormal, the original tales have been softened down and made more vanilla and less scary over the years. Let's bring back some of that fear.
3. How many non-American authors can you name? (List them!)
Ack. I don't know. I don't really pay attention to an author's country of origin. If I liked the book enough, I might read their author bio, maybe even visit their website or follow them on Twitter. But I generally don't bother to learn too much about the author. This might be because I write reviews. I feel like I can't be honest enough in my review if I research the author's personal life and background too much. I'm sure I know quite a few non-American authors by name, but I don't know who they are, if that makes sense.
Margaret Atwood is Canadian, though. She's famous.
4. How many non-American YA authors can you name? (List them!)
The first three that come to mind are JK Rowling, Darren Shan, and Garth Nix. I liked their books so much that I developed a bit of an obsession and sort of Internet stalked them soooo...
5. What are books that have made you sob and/or cry out loud?
Oh, dear, difficult question. Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch was the last one that reduced me to an "I'm going to throw this across the room and sob" wreck.
6. What is your favourite book from childhood?
Taggerung by Brian Jacques (another non-American author) got me into the Redwall world. I also started reading The Fellowship of the Ring when I was 11 and never looked back. Vivian Vande Velde and Tamora Pierce were also authors I enjoyed, Vande Velde more so because Pierce's books tended to tackle all that awkward sex stuff which I did not enjoy reading about. I still really, really like her Protector of the Small quartet, in particular the last book Lady Knight. Mostly because the protagonist was down to earth and sensible like me, and didn't bother with any of that silly romance and sleeping around stuff.
I was probably too young for a lot of the stuff I read as a kid. But my older self appreciates that series in particular -- oh look, a virgin protagonist who has an interest in love but who doesn't seek out a man to complete her or feel guilty about not having had sex or children. It's not like Pierce is trying to preach abstinence; the character just has a very strong sense of self and doesn't have a romance or sex for the sake of doing it. That's something you don't see a lot of in YA. Romance taking the backseat in a non-romance genre??? Whaaaat?
7. What do you like to do that has absolutely nothing to do with reading, writing, or anything of the like?
I like to do theatre and I like to knit. :)
8. What does diversity mean to you?
Diversity is connected to the experiences people have with how their differences from others have shaped their perspectives and experiences on life.
9. How would you describe your style of clothing?
"Whatever I can wear that is clean and looks mostly decent for the activities of the day."
10. What is your goal in life? (It could be at the moment or overall).
My goal right now is to finish NaNoWriMo. And to not have a meltdown while doing it. ;P
-
To continue this blog tag, link back to the person who tagged you, answer their ten questions, then make ten more questions and tag ten more people. Now, my ten questions for you are...
1. Do you think NaNoWriMo works?
2. Have you ever done NaNoWriMo or are you doing it now, and how did it turn out for you?
3. You are trapped alone in a room for the next year with only one book to read. Which book do you choose?
4. Do you prefer e-readers or paper books, and why?
5. What is the hardest thing you have ever written?
6. What is your favorite book (or books) from childhood?
7. What book has had the most profound impact on your writing?
8. Do you have a favorite genre to read?
9. Do you have a favorite genre to write? Is this the same or different from your favorite genre to read, and why?
10. And lastly, a fun question...You can choose one of the Deathly Hallows. Do you choose the Elder Wand, the Invisibility Cloak, or the Resurrection Stone?
1. What in your opinion do you think YA (or fiction in general) needs more of?
A lot of answers to this question vary depending on what is trending at the time. If something is trending, people generally say "YA/fiction should have more of [whatever is opposite or different from the current trend]." I'll try to answer this more generally. I think YA needs more scary stuff. As much as I love paranormal, I have consistently disliked how it has been softened down for YA. I would like to see either paranormal that doesn't lose the horror elements, or just more pure YA horror.
Which leads me to...
2. What is something you would absolutely love to see a book about? (Be specific if possible!)
I want more horror retellings of fairy tales. I've had the genre on the brain lately thanks to my NaNo novel. I think fairy tales lend themselves particularly well to horror, since they were originally cautionary tales told to frighten children. Like paranormal, the original tales have been softened down and made more vanilla and less scary over the years. Let's bring back some of that fear.
3. How many non-American authors can you name? (List them!)
Ack. I don't know. I don't really pay attention to an author's country of origin. If I liked the book enough, I might read their author bio, maybe even visit their website or follow them on Twitter. But I generally don't bother to learn too much about the author. This might be because I write reviews. I feel like I can't be honest enough in my review if I research the author's personal life and background too much. I'm sure I know quite a few non-American authors by name, but I don't know who they are, if that makes sense.
Margaret Atwood is Canadian, though. She's famous.
4. How many non-American YA authors can you name? (List them!)
The first three that come to mind are JK Rowling, Darren Shan, and Garth Nix. I liked their books so much that I developed a bit of an obsession and sort of Internet stalked them soooo...
5. What are books that have made you sob and/or cry out loud?
Oh, dear, difficult question. Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch was the last one that reduced me to an "I'm going to throw this across the room and sob" wreck.
6. What is your favourite book from childhood?
Taggerung by Brian Jacques (another non-American author) got me into the Redwall world. I also started reading The Fellowship of the Ring when I was 11 and never looked back. Vivian Vande Velde and Tamora Pierce were also authors I enjoyed, Vande Velde more so because Pierce's books tended to tackle all that awkward sex stuff which I did not enjoy reading about. I still really, really like her Protector of the Small quartet, in particular the last book Lady Knight. Mostly because the protagonist was down to earth and sensible like me, and didn't bother with any of that silly romance and sleeping around stuff.
I was probably too young for a lot of the stuff I read as a kid. But my older self appreciates that series in particular -- oh look, a virgin protagonist who has an interest in love but who doesn't seek out a man to complete her or feel guilty about not having had sex or children. It's not like Pierce is trying to preach abstinence; the character just has a very strong sense of self and doesn't have a romance or sex for the sake of doing it. That's something you don't see a lot of in YA. Romance taking the backseat in a non-romance genre??? Whaaaat?
7. What do you like to do that has absolutely nothing to do with reading, writing, or anything of the like?
I like to do theatre and I like to knit. :)
8. What does diversity mean to you?
Diversity is connected to the experiences people have with how their differences from others have shaped their perspectives and experiences on life.
9. How would you describe your style of clothing?
"Whatever I can wear that is clean and looks mostly decent for the activities of the day."
10. What is your goal in life? (It could be at the moment or overall).
My goal right now is to finish NaNoWriMo. And to not have a meltdown while doing it. ;P
-
To continue this blog tag, link back to the person who tagged you, answer their ten questions, then make ten more questions and tag ten more people. Now, my ten questions for you are...
1. Do you think NaNoWriMo works?
2. Have you ever done NaNoWriMo or are you doing it now, and how did it turn out for you?
3. You are trapped alone in a room for the next year with only one book to read. Which book do you choose?
4. Do you prefer e-readers or paper books, and why?
5. What is the hardest thing you have ever written?
6. What is your favorite book (or books) from childhood?
7. What book has had the most profound impact on your writing?
8. Do you have a favorite genre to read?
9. Do you have a favorite genre to write? Is this the same or different from your favorite genre to read, and why?
10. And lastly, a fun question...You can choose one of the Deathly Hallows. Do you choose the Elder Wand, the Invisibility Cloak, or the Resurrection Stone?
Funny, most of the times I have seen you, you were in fact wearing pants.
ReplyDeleteHaha. This has been a recent phase of mine this year. I bought a lot of skirts and dresses and have been trying to wear them. I don't know where this rebellion against pants came but...
DeleteRedwall books are really great. For me, it was 'Triss' that got me into them. I have to re-read Rakkety Tam, actually.. I feel like I never have much time for proper reading any more!
ReplyDeleteMy mother attempted to throw out all my Redwall books when I went to college. I was like NO NO NO YOU CANNOT TOUCH THESE THEY ARE SACRED. I liked 'Triss,' but it was never a favorite of mine. All my favorite characters in that one managed to die... :(
DeleteYeah, that was a depressing book, but it was well written and it did pique my interest. But it was definitely really sad.. I don't own all the Redwall books, but I might someday :p
DeleteAlso, here is my blog post using the questions: http://thetigerssterne.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/10-questions.html
:D
I eventually stopped picking up the newer or more recent ones, because I started reading different books. But I've always really loved them. Thanks for answering these questions! :)
DeleteAh, loved your answers. Thanks for doing this! I love how you name dropped a Canadian author, haha. And your questions are just as good as your answers! I might have to do this again. It will be a never ending cycle of blog tags.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with NaNo!
I liked this blog tag. Thanks for tagging me! :) I think I have read a few other authors who are Canadian, but their names aren't coming to me right now...
Delete