Ask Sarah Dessen - Tuesday, June 25th! discussion
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Hayley
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Jun 17, 2013 09:52PM

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i particularly like the names of you characters - haven, halley, macy and auden just to name a few. are there any stories behind these names and how do you come up with them?
thank you (:


I am one of your many admirers here on Goodreads, which, I suppose, means the likelihood of you reading this is slim, but I'll try my luck anyways. My biggest question is; how much of your life is in your books? Do you channel your emotions and experiences into your writing? Your stories often deal with such heavy topics for teens and adults alike and I thank you for that, because this way we know we are not alone. The magic of your words has reached me many times over and I absorb every ounce of it.
Keep writing and take care
Gaby

To start out, I've been into your books for maybe two-three years now. After all the wonderful stories you've written, there's always been a question to interest me: Which book is your favorite?
Mine is probably "Just Listen"-It was the first book of yours that I ever read, and I'm so VERY glad I did.
Thank you so much for writing!


Would you ever write a book that isn't set in the summer time?
:)






Thank you for so many great novels. I have just read the Moon and More and loved it like so many of your other books.I really appreciate your ability to have such interesting characters in your books and that the peripheral characters and not just the main characters are so well developed. It is hard to not get attached to them all. My question is similar to Devon's. I would love to know what happens with Luke and Emaline in the future. Do you think that we might get a glimpse of them in another book to satisfy our curiosity? Would you consider writing a novella in the future to extend what is happening in the future of your characters?

How do u write a book? I've tried, I'm only 14. But I would love to be a best-selling author one day. There's just soo many concepts to grasp ahold of. Like the characters, back stories, the scenery, and details, how do u manage all of this?
Do u write ur stories using a laptop? Do u carry it around with u incase u get inspiration?
How do u publish a book? How do u get publishing companies to read and publish a book? Do u need an agent to do tht?

How do u write a book?There's just soo many concepts to grasp ahold of. Like the characters, back stories, the scenery, and details, how do u manage all of this?
Do u write ur stories using a laptop? Do u carry it around with u incase u get inspiration?
How do u publish a book? How do u get publishing companies to read and publish a book? Do u need an agent to do tht?
And also, books vs. ebooks? Which one?
-Clarissa :)


I find the stories you write can be misinterpreted as silly girl books when in a matter of fact they tackle quiet serious issues. The question I wanted to ask was how do you ensure you still fit in the teenage section of the library and bookstores whilst tackling these issues?


I am such a big fan of your work, you are absolutely one of my favourite writers. Okay so weird question as a teenager/kid what were your worst fears and your biggest dreams?
And secondly will you ever write a series?

My name is Mònica and I'm from Spain. I'm lucky that last year began to get your books in Spain, the title caught my attention "This Lullaby" and "just listen" and only read them I loved you. I've become a big fan yours. I wait patiently for the incremental all other books. I recently came "keeping the moon", it's great! Do you plan to someday come to a book signing? I would like you to come to Catalonia :)

Thank you for writing the books I will treasure forever.

Lots of love from Summer


So here are some of my questions:
1. When did you start writing, and why?
2. Did anyone or anything give you inspirations? If so, who were they?
3. Where do you get your fabulous ideas from?
4. What genre of books do you like to read the most?
5. Is anything from your books related to you in real life?
And last but definitely not least, do you know just how many people love you and your books?!
Leo, thank you for your time!!
Thanks!



So, here is my question: many of your books are set in Colby or Lakeview. If you could pick an existing country or place to set your books, what would it be?
My favorite book is Just Listen, I read it twice a year because I love it so much!
Thank you, and hopefully you will come to Belgium one day sp you can eat the best waffles and macaroons ;-)


So, on to my question: Thinking back to the first novel you wrote and published, did you know the entire journey your characters wer gong to take before you began writing or did you allow them to take their own journey with you following along? I am stuck at a crucial point in my first novel and don't know where to take/don't know how to let my character lead me next.
Thanks for any light you can shed on this.

2 Which of your books/characters can you most relate to?
hey sarah my name is erica i love your books im not going to say im ur biggest fans cuz thats what everyone says but i would like to say your my favorite author of all time u have really helped me thru tough times i was wondering how u got inspired to write JUST LISTEN and LOCK AND KEY? JUST LISTEN is my favorite book by you i loved the idea bhind it and the characters ive read it at least 10 times

I'm a big fan of your work and a YA writer myself. I'm interested in your beginning. How long did it take you to find an agent? Was it through query or other means? Looking forward to reading The Moon and More!

I have two questions for you
1. Have you ever thought of doing a signing in Europe?
2. I'm starting collage in a couple of months, so any advice?
Thank you! Xx

I read "This Lullaby" on a car trip with my parents when I was fifteen and I've been loyally following your work for the nine years since then. It affected me in a way that very few books ever have (and I am an AVID reader!), and remains very special to me to this day. I saw you tweet recently that you started drafting a sequel just for fun and I literally teared up because that would mean such huge things to me.
I'm a writer myself, recently graduated with a degree in Creative Writing and working on my first book. I'd love nothing more than to be able to meet you and talk for a while about writing and girls and life!
My question here is an easy one, only because I NEED TO KNOW. Is Luke's Melissa from Tallyho in "The Moon and More" meant to be Melissa West aka "total skank" from "Lock and Key"?! I NEED TO KNOW, I NEED TO KNOW.
Thank you so much for your time, and thank you so much for your work!!!!


My question(s):
-Will you please have Ruby and/or Nate make a cameo in your future books? (Selfish request; they're my favorite couple)
-Where do you find your names/come up with them? (Some of them are pretty unique, like McLean)
-Just how much are your characters based on people you know in real life and how much purely imaginative?

I look forward to your reply!
Lindsay


1. Have you ever thought about writing a sequel to one of your books?
2. Is there some truth in your books? Like you wrote about something that actually happened to you and put it in the book? I'm not sure if that made complete sense.....
3. Which book of yours is your favorite?
4. Who is your favorite author?
Thank you so much if you reply, I know there are many others. :)

You've been one of my favorite authors since I was in Junior High School (I'm 27 now!) and I've followed your blog (even before twitter was a "thing"!) and one of things I love about you is that you're not a "literary snob". You enjoy the consumption of media in all forms! Books, TV Shows, Music... so knowing you as a fan... my question is:
How do you feel about the VERONICA MARS MOVIE!? =)




I was just wondering about something that bothers me a lot when I'm writing. I'm not sure whether to start a story slowly and carefully with lots of planing (this tends to be boring and I lose interest) or launch myself right in (sometimes I get tangled up with this). What helps you?
Thank you!


Okay, well in honest truth, I have no idea how many books I've read that you've written, so to keep the story short... I LOVE YOUR BOOKS!!!! You're a brilliant author and your books really speak to me. Now, just so you know, my one and only dream is to become a successful and famous author someday and have a lot of fans who love the books. I've already finished the first novel of my series and am now editing it for the thousandth time, and I was wondering, what do I do next? I feel like I got off an hour long plane ride and I'm super lost. How do you find an editor? How do you find a publishing company to send the manuscript to? How did you start writing? Have you always wanted to be an author? When you do write, do you create a plot line and character outline? Or do you feel the outlines slows you down? Is your new book about someone searching for love or is it more a learn a lesson type of story? (either way, I love them both). Oh, and, when your books are out in a store, do you buy them and read them for your own enjoyment? Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions and give some advice.
Sincerely,
Precious Coardes

It's Asa. I hope you enjoyed your card and cupcake I gave you on your birthday and I would like to thank you on behalf of all of your Houston fans for coming down here!! You are a great inspiration and an absolutely wonderful woman :)
The first question I have, just as some others I'm sure have asked, is what happened to Theo? Did you purposefully leave out his whereabouts to give your readers a chance to decide on their own? Also, how is your new book coming along? I remember how you said that you saw how your maturity as a writer is shown in this book (The Moon and More) and I totally agree and this is why I am eager for your new book to come out!!
Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions!
With Love,
Asa B.
Books mentioned in this topic
Lock and Key (other topics)Just Listen (other topics)