David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite! discussion
Author Q&A
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Mindy McGinnis (Author of Not a Drop to Drink) Q&A Event Feb. 24th - 27th!
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Sherrie
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Feb 24, 2014 03:23AM
With all the technology available to kids today it seems like reading is a dying art form. As a librarian how do you get teens excited about reading? Also, what three books do you recommend to reluctant readers?
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Marianne (Boricuan Bookworms) wrote: "Thanks for answering my previous question! :) Do you listen to music to help you write?"
Hi Marianne!
No, I don't. I know a lot of authors do, and I think that's great. I do find quite a bit of inspiration in music, and do listen to certain things in the car while I'm working on a particular project, but I don't listen while I'm actively writing. I find the less excuses I make for myself to procrastinate, the better. If I had music going I'd constantly adjust playlists, volume... etc.
Dre wrote: "Hi Mindy! Super happy that you are here! I just finished your book, and something was bothering me...
- Lynn was brought up with a hard mother, [spoilers removed] Why was it easy for her to do s..."
I think the fact that she did "know" Stebbs a little from when she was a child and he was injured made a huge difference. He wasn't a complete stranger. She'd been watching him through a scope for most of her life, she knew he was a good person. Plus, Lynn has also been taught to be practical above all things, and to survive. With her own ankle injury, she knew very well she wouldn't be able to cure the deer meat, gather wood and enough water for the winter. In the end, survival trumps all, and she knew she wasn't capable of going it alone at that point. So she reached out to someone she knew she could trust.
Katherine wrote: "I love realistic dystopian novels. Is there going to be more from these characters to come or something entirely different to look forward to?"Hi Katherine,
The companion IN A HANDFUL OF DUST, does feature many of the same characters, although it takes place 10 years after the events in DRINK.
Jenny wrote: "Hi, Mindy, thanks so much for joining us this week! I loved your book!My question is actually about the sequel. I've heard its more a companion story than a sequel. Can you confirm? Will any ..."
Yes, DUST is a companion as opposed to a sequel. Many of the same characters are in the book. It takes place 10 years after the events in DRINK, and Lucy is the main character. I specifically wrote DUST so that it can be read independently of DRINK and vice versa. You can read them out of order or on their own, and still get a full and complete story out of either one of them.
Lauren wrote: "Hi Mindy! Thanks for dropping by our group to answer our questions. I haven't read Not a Drop to Drink yet, but it doesn't sound very interesting and I've added it to my to-read li..."My teens overall are much more excited to learn about what other authors I meet when I travel. To them I'm pretty old news :)
I haven't had any particular interesting individual encounters but I will say one thing that I find complimentary is that a lot of my fan base seems to be adult males. I love that adults males are reading YA with a female main character and connecting.
Meeks wrote: "I have to admit for a time I thought that Lynn's father was going to end up being Stebbs. Was this a conscious decision you made to up the tension and mystery or did I totally pull that out of nowh..."I wouldn't say it's a complete impossibility that Stebbs *could* have been Lynn's father because I think Stebbs and Mother may or may not have had a little something going on from time to time. However, no, it never occurred to me to actually make him the Father, but he does definitely fill that role in her life. I think if anything you may have been picking up on the possibilities of a past romance between Mother and Stebbs which is definitely planted on purpose, so good work!
Layla wrote: " What specifically inspired you to write this story, if anything? What are some of your favorite books/authors? "
I watched a documentary called Blue Gold, which is about a projected shortage of potable water on our planet due to overpopulation. It was a horrible thought - we all need water to survive, and it's something we can't make. I went to bed very grateful for the small pond in my backyard, and that night I dreamt I was teaching a young girl how to operate a rifle so that she could help me protect the pond. I woke up and thought, "Hey... I wrote a book in my head just now."
I don't really have favorite books but my favorite authors would be Stephen King, Diana Gabaldon and Rick Yancey.
Jen wrote: "Mindy wrote: "I often believe in true storytelling the decision isn't always the author's to make. We have to go with what the story wants. ."I knew it. I have long believed that sometimes the c..."
Good question. After the story decided what was going to happen I thought about the other possibility that you mention here, and perhaps going back to change it. And the honest answer is that I personally like the one who survived better than the one who didn't, as a writer. So, in some ways I'm just being selfish.
Ha - definitely not giving away whether there are or are not happy endings in the companion! And even once you read it, you'll have to decide for yourself whether it was a happy ending or not... it's certainly up to interpretation.
I did get to throw my hat into the ring as to who I felt should read DRINK. Basically the publisher gave me three options and told me to let them know my preference and then they'd see who was available. I was lucky in that Cassandra was available, and thank goodness! I hear a lot of compliments on how well done the audio is!
Cindy ♥ wrote: "How do you come up with story ideas?"Cindy - I honestly don't know, and I'm not trying to avoid the question. I've answered what the inspiration was for this particular story in the thread here already, but in general I don't have a very straightforward answer. My brain just spits out things and I pick them up and examine them :)
Sherrie wrote: "With all the technology available to kids today it seems like reading is a dying art form. As a librarian how do you get teens excited about reading? Also, what three books do you recommend to relu..."I hear a lot of people saying that they believe reading is dying, but ask any librarian and they'll tell you otherwise. In fact, I've been doing this for 12 years and have seen a massive resurgence in reading for pleasure among teens. A lot of this is due to Hunger Games, Twilight, Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars... yes, high visibility books with movies attached to them. But then - guess what - a kid who might not otherwise pick up a book is attracted to the story and they come asking me for something similar... and then something similar to that... and then... well you get the idea.
As far as good books for reluctant readers, I'm going to have to cop out and say it depends entirely on the kid. If I have a really reluctant reader I usually ask what kind of movies / video games they like to play , then I build off of that as far as a genre base. I work in a very small school so typically I can make a decent guess as to the kid's reading level and find them something that fits.
Hi Mindy, great answers to my questions. Thanks!
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Do you have any pets?
When is
going to be released?
What were some of your greatest challenges in writing and publishing this novel? What did you learn from overcoming them? Based off your experience, what advice about this would you give to aspiring authors?Thank you so much!! :D
Sherrie wrote: "Hi Mindy, great answers to my questions. Thanks!"No problem!
Karen wrote: "What surrounds you when you're writing (must have items!)Do you have any pets?
When is
going to be released?"Here's a link to a virtual tour of my writing space that will answer both those questions:
http://www.meaganspooner.com/in-searc...
Sɑnɗrɑ☼ wrote: "What were some of your greatest challenges in writing and publishing this novel? What did you learn from overcoming them? Based off your experience, what advice about this would you give to aspirin..."The greatest challenges in publishing this novel is the same challenge in publishing any novel. This is the fourth book I've written and queried. I queried for 10 years before landing my agent. My advice for aspiring writers is to do your homework, and grow thick skin.
Yes, we'd like to think that just being talented is what gets you noticed, but it's simply not the case. You have to have talent, perseverance, the ability to receive and process criticism, be market savvy and maintain a social media presence. And that's just off the top of my head :)
Mindy wrote: "Marianne (Boricuan Bookworms) wrote: "Thanks for answering my previous question! :) Do you listen to music to help you write?"
Hi Marianne!
No, I don't. I know a lot of authors do, and I think..."
I totally understand that! I'm a procrastinator at heart (in fact I'm procrastinating right now...)
What has been one of the best moments you've had in your writing career?
What are you currently writing now? Are they going to be anymore books that take place in the world of 
? Are you a full time author? or do you have another job or hobby you do?
I haven't read this book yet, but the synopsis really intrigues me! I hope to get to it soon!
If you were in Lynn's shoes would you have done anything different?
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Mindy wrote: "Karen wrote: "What surrounds you when you're writing (must have items!)Do you have any pets?
When is
going to be released?"Here's a link to a virtual ..."
OH - and DUST will be released 9/23/14!
Marianne (Boricuan Bookworms) wrote: "Mindy wrote: "Marianne (Boricuan Bookworms) wrote: "Thanks for answering my previous question! :) Do you listen to music to help you write?"
Hi Marianne!
No, I don't. I know a lot of authors d..."
I think one of the coolest things to happen to me so far was the first time I had my own work quoted to me, and it was an adult male, quoting male dialogue and asking how I wrote men so well. That felt pretty good :)
Mindy wrote: "Marianne (Boricuan Bookworms) wrote: "Mindy wrote: "Marianne (Boricuan Bookworms) wrote: "Thanks for answering my previous question! :) Do you listen to music to help you write?"
Hi Marianne!
..."
I wrote a blog post about adult males reading YA as well: http://writerwriterpantsonfire.blogsp...
Cindy ♥ wrote: "What are you currently writing now? Are they going to be anymore books that take place in the world of ? Are you a full time author? or do you have anothe..."
Hi Cindy -
I've got two projects in the mix right now, one a dark Gothic historical, one a contemporary, both YA.
Yes, IN A HANDFUL OF DUST will release 9/23/14 from Katherine Tegen Books. It is a companion novel to DRINK sharing the same setting and some characters, but can be read separately, as can DRINK.
I am not a full time author - I'm actually a full time librarian. Probably more of a part time or quarter time author :)
Justine wrote: " If you were in Lynn's shoes would you have done anything different?"Hi Justine -
I think it's impossible to say what any of us would do in a high stress survival situation. Maybe we'd like to think we'd be good people, but in the end we are all animals that want to survive. I don't think I'll know until I'm there!
Jenny wrote: "What are some of your favorite things about being an author?"My favorite thing is definitely the camaraderie between fellow authors. I have made true friends, and a great time, and finally found "my people."
Please someone let me know if I'm missing any questions!
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Any chance you'll be at the UtopYA convention in Nashville in June?
Do you know any of Lynn's skills, i.e., shooting, hunting, skinning, etc.?
Would you be a survivor in a true apocalyptic world, such as the one you've created?
What's your FAVORITE fan moment?
You've mentioned your favorite things about being an author. What are your least favorite things?
Karen wrote: "How do you make time to write, Mindy, with a full time job? Do you have a writing routine that you follow everyday? :)Any chance you'll be at the UtopYA convention in Nashville in June?
Do you ..."
How do you make time to write, Mindy, with a full time job? Do you have a writing routine that you follow everyday? :) I do not have a routine. I simply write in my bed after dark, and I do not write everyday. I cannot say that I only write when inspired (b/c it IS a job) but I can say that I can feel when it's going to be a good writing night, like how some people know they're going to get a migraine before it comes. Although it's a more pleasant experience than a migraine.
Any chance you'll be at the UtopYA convention in Nashville in June? No, I won't be at UTopYA but you can see my current appearance dates here: http://www.mindymcginnis.com/news.html
Do you know any of Lynn's skills, i.e., shooting, hunting, skinning, etc.? Yes to all :)
Would you be a survivor in a true apocalyptic world, such as the one you've created? In the sense that I have the skills, yes. Would I kill other humans to survive? Hard to say until you're in the situation.
What's your FAVORITE fan moment? Definitely anytime an adult male feels comfortable enough to tell me how much they loved the book. It appears that a fair amount of my audience is in that demographic, and I find that awesome.
You've mentioned your favorite things about being an author. What are your least favorite things? My least favorite thing would be reading negative reviews, so guess what- I just stopped doing it :)
Mindy wrote: I wrote a blog post about adult males reading YA as well: http://writerwriterpantsonfire.blogsp... "..."
There's no better fans than your own family! Haha thanks so much for answering all my questions :)
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My favorite thing is definitely the camaraderie between fellow authors. I have made true friends, and a great time, and ..."
One of my favorite things about being a blogger as well :) Great answer!
Mod
Do you listen to music to help you write?"
..."
LOVED this post! I am definitely in the minority of adult male readers giving YA a try, but our numbers are growing and we're not embarrassed anymore!
David wrote: "Mindy wrote: "Mindy wrote: "Marianne (Boricuan Bookworms) wrote: "Mindy wrote: "Marianne (Boricuan Bookworms) wrote: "Thanks for answering my previous question! :) Do you listen to music to hel..."
Awesome!!
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Did you have any input in the cover designs of your books! I think they're brilliant because they come across representing the feel of the book!
Karen wrote: "Sorry, but I have tons of questions that keep popping at me! I'm nosy like that! :)Did you have any input in the cover designs of your books! I think they're brilliant because they come across r..."
Totally fine, questions are good!
I did have input! There were two covers shown to me originally, and this one was the clear winner. I presented my thoughts on why it was superior to the other choice (which was also attractive, but not as representational of the book) and my voice was heard. Very cool.
On the cover of DUST they basically sent me the comp and I said, "Yeah that's pretty much perfect. Good job." :)
Which book was harder for you to write Not a Drop to Drink or A Handful of Dust? For most authors it seems that sequels are always more difficult was that the case for you?
What's something you MUST have while writing?
Bridget wrote: "Which book was harder for you to write Not a Drop to Drink or A Handful of Dust? For most authors it seems that sequels are always more difficult was that the case for you?"DUST was probably harder just because I was trying to make sure it had it's own voice, while being true to the nature of the world I built in DRINK. Also, it has a different main character, so the voice changes by necessity, but the tone has to remain the same. Kind of difficult to puzzle out.
Kelly wrote: "What's something you MUST have while writing?"An empty bladder.
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An empty bladder."
Seriously one of the best answers I've ever seen!! You rock, Mindy!!
Mindy wrote: "Kelly wrote: "What's something you MUST have while writing?"An empty bladder."
LOL! Love that answer!
How, and why, did you pick your character names?Do you ever take advantage of quiet periods at work to do some writing?
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Karen wrote: "Ooohhh, good questions, Victoria! I wondered about the names too!"Thanks! :)
Victoria wrote: "Mindy wrote: "Kelly wrote: "What's something you MUST have while writing?"An empty bladder."
LOL! Love that answer!"
It is, so so so true though. If I have the slightest indication that I might, just maybe, have to pee I will get up to go do that instead of writing. It's the best procrastination tool ever.
Victoria wrote: "How, and why, did you pick your character names?Do you ever take advantage of quiet periods at work to do some writing?"
Love the question on the names - I have a fairly long answer so bear with me.
I never name my characters ahead of time. Literally in my head they are "girl character" "neighbor" "child" "boy" "pregnant woman" etc. I wait until the moment in the ms where I literally *have* to name them, pull my hands off the keyboard and simply ask them what their name is. And they tell me.
Lynn's name obviously came very early, given the nature of the first line. I did give her some parameters. Mother would give her a practical name - one she could shout from the rooftop, one that would carry. She wouldn't be able to yell "Philomena!!!!" if she needed to get her attention very quickly. So I told her she was stuck with a short name and she was cool with that.
Mother too, had some barriers. I decided early on that she would simply be called Mother because the two of them have lived in isolation Lynn's entire life, and the POV is very tightly Lynn's. That Mother even *has* a first name is rather foreign to Lynn.
Some people have been frustrated with the similarities in the names - Lynn, Lucy, Neva, Vera - but those are the names they picked. I didn't really think it was my place give them the freedom to pick their names and then criticize their choices :)
I have a friend who chooses her character names based on meanings, and she encouraged me to look up the meaning of Lynn's name after the fact. Lynn means "she who lives by the water" So... I think she did a pretty good job picking her name.
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David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite!
Books mentioned in this topic
Not a Drop to Drink (other topics)Not a Drop to Drink (other topics)
In a Handful of Dust (other topics)
Not a Drop to Drink (other topics)
In a Handful of Dust (other topics)
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