Author Chat with The Secret Year's Jennifer R. Hubbard
I'm thrilled to have fellow 10_ers Jennifer R. Hubbard of Author Chat this morning. I devoured her dark and lovely debut The Secret Year last month and needed to find out more.
So here goes!
What is the basic premise of THE SECRET YEAR?
After his secret girlfriend's death, seventeen-year-old Colt finds the notebook she left behind, but he is unprepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship.
I've had the good fortune of reading this book and was amazed how well you (a woman) wrote your MC's voice (a teenaged boy.) It was totally believable and consistent. Did you grow up with brothers? Otherwise, how...?
I grew up reading the work of male as well as female writers, having male friends and teachers and co-workers and boyfriends. I have a father, a husband, and a stepson. So a male narrator’s voice doesn’t seem that foreign to me. Also, I don’t think of “male” and “female” as rigid roles with mutually exclusive experiences and characteristics. There is a whole spectrum of male experience and a whole spectrum of female experience, and the spectra overlap.
I love the whole "wrong side of the tracks" concept--I'd always been drawn to stories like that (The Outsiders/West Side Story etc.) I assume you have too?
The characters in The Secret Year are certainly familiar with that storyline and those roles, and they play up their differences to enhance the excitement of their relationship. They deliberately exaggerate the divide, making a sort of game out of it-but at the same time, they deceive themselves about what effect it really has on them. And that comes back to bite them, I think.
Did you grow up in a small town where there was such a rich/poor divide? How did that help you write this book?
All my life, I’ve observed the transition of farmlands to suburbs. I’ve seen small towns that were traditionally centered around industries such as mines or quarries or mills, but where the industries have faded and wealthier people are now building homes or second homes. Seeing these transitions, and seeing such vast differences between the older and newer homes in such places, gave me the idea for the setting of The Secret Year.
Did you journal as a teen?
Sporadically. I could never keep it up regularly-I was more interested in fiction.
If you could cast this movie with current actors, who would you choose?
I’m not up on current actors at all. I see very few movies, and I don’t watch much TV, because I’d rather spend the time reading or writing.
(Author note: Because I like Jenn so much I'm going to forgive her this flaw ;) )
If you could live on a desert island with ANY character from YA, who would you pick and why?
Hmm ... I’m torn between looking to the dystopian/survival novels for characters who would know how to fish and crack open coconuts, and humorous novels for someone who could keep me entertained. I might go with Connor from Neal Shusterman’s Unwind, because he learned how to live in many different environments, and he grew up a lot over the course of the book.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
In YA right now, I like Sara Zarr, Brent Hartinger, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Neal Shusterman, among many many others.
What is up next for you?
I plan to stay with realistic, contemporary YA novels for the foreseeable future. I can’t name specific projects yet.
Where can my readers find out more about you and most importantly buy this awesome book?
My website is http://www.jenniferhubbard.com/ and my blog is at http://writerjenn.livejournal.com/; I have a blog post that gives all the ordering information for The Secret Year at http://writerjenn.livejournal.com/112201.html.
Thanks!
Thank you, Jenn! Best of luck with your novel!
Check out the FIVE star review here too: http://www.thestorysiren.com/2010/01/secret-year-by-jennifer-hubbard.html
Folks: She's running a contest with a giveaway on her blog now, so run!
Also, forgive me for referring to you as "folks." Haven't head my coffee yet.
:)
So here goes!
What is the basic premise of THE SECRET YEAR?
After his secret girlfriend's death, seventeen-year-old Colt finds the notebook she left behind, but he is unprepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship.
I've had the good fortune of reading this book and was amazed how well you (a woman) wrote your MC's voice (a teenaged boy.) It was totally believable and consistent. Did you grow up with brothers? Otherwise, how...?
I grew up reading the work of male as well as female writers, having male friends and teachers and co-workers and boyfriends. I have a father, a husband, and a stepson. So a male narrator’s voice doesn’t seem that foreign to me. Also, I don’t think of “male” and “female” as rigid roles with mutually exclusive experiences and characteristics. There is a whole spectrum of male experience and a whole spectrum of female experience, and the spectra overlap.
I love the whole "wrong side of the tracks" concept--I'd always been drawn to stories like that (The Outsiders/West Side Story etc.) I assume you have too?
The characters in The Secret Year are certainly familiar with that storyline and those roles, and they play up their differences to enhance the excitement of their relationship. They deliberately exaggerate the divide, making a sort of game out of it-but at the same time, they deceive themselves about what effect it really has on them. And that comes back to bite them, I think.
Did you grow up in a small town where there was such a rich/poor divide? How did that help you write this book?
All my life, I’ve observed the transition of farmlands to suburbs. I’ve seen small towns that were traditionally centered around industries such as mines or quarries or mills, but where the industries have faded and wealthier people are now building homes or second homes. Seeing these transitions, and seeing such vast differences between the older and newer homes in such places, gave me the idea for the setting of The Secret Year.
Did you journal as a teen?
Sporadically. I could never keep it up regularly-I was more interested in fiction.
If you could cast this movie with current actors, who would you choose?
I’m not up on current actors at all. I see very few movies, and I don’t watch much TV, because I’d rather spend the time reading or writing.
(Author note: Because I like Jenn so much I'm going to forgive her this flaw ;) )
If you could live on a desert island with ANY character from YA, who would you pick and why?
Hmm ... I’m torn between looking to the dystopian/survival novels for characters who would know how to fish and crack open coconuts, and humorous novels for someone who could keep me entertained. I might go with Connor from Neal Shusterman’s Unwind, because he learned how to live in many different environments, and he grew up a lot over the course of the book.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
In YA right now, I like Sara Zarr, Brent Hartinger, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Neal Shusterman, among many many others.
What is up next for you?
I plan to stay with realistic, contemporary YA novels for the foreseeable future. I can’t name specific projects yet.
Where can my readers find out more about you and most importantly buy this awesome book?
My website is http://www.jenniferhubbard.com/ and my blog is at http://writerjenn.livejournal.com/; I have a blog post that gives all the ordering information for The Secret Year at http://writerjenn.livejournal.com/112201.html.
Thanks!
Thank you, Jenn! Best of luck with your novel!
Check out the FIVE star review here too: http://www.thestorysiren.com/2010/01/secret-year-by-jennifer-hubbard.html
Folks: She's running a contest with a giveaway on her blog now, so run!
Also, forgive me for referring to you as "folks." Haven't head my coffee yet.
:)