Colleen Houck Book Club discussion
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The Body Electric
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Past Chats
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Live Chat with Beth Revis
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Scared? No. That's mostly because I don't read any reviews at all except the big guys like PW. It's counter productive most of the time and the only ones you remember are the bad ones. Depending on how you handle it, it can crush your spirit as an author. It comes with the territory that this will happen and at some point every author has to learn to let go and accept it for what it is.
Matthew wrote: "is there anything that you guys have to di to get your creative-author-magic going? i mean like any song you listen to while writing? snacks you have to eat?"Nope. I try not to ever get into that mode, because I need to be able to write at any time, under any circumstances. I can't let myself use music or food or traditions as a crutch. As long as I have something to write with (preferably my computer), I can write.
Matthew wrote: "do you plan to continue making books under the YA genre or do you plan to experiment with other genres?"Right now, it's all YA, but that could change at any time!
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Okay so now I need to know who is your favorite Doctor? *cough* better be David Tennant *cough*
Colleen wrote: "Beth wrote: "But also, bees become a symbol of Ella's mind issues."I really like the cover design with the bees. Who did your cover?"
Hafsah at Icey Designs!
Tara wrote: "Is there a particular dream of yours that started the process of this book, and do you have a dream you would like to revisit?"I have one book that I wrote based on a dream; its one of my favorites, but it's not published.
I do have some very vivid dreams that I wouldn't mind revisiting! I'm lucky in that most of my dreams are adventures and really fun...maybe that's why I love to sleep, lol!
Matthew wrote: "do you ever get writers block? if so, how do you get past it? any special tricks?"I don't get writer's block. I get lazy. So when I get stuck, I know that I'm not working hard enough. To get unstuck, I either kill a character, blow something up, or start deleting the story until I get to a point where I can write again.
As an author you must be perceptive when reading other people works, so are you good at guessing something? Like who is the murderer or who will get the girl in a love triangle? Or maybe who will die?
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Definitely proud if it comes from a friend, colleague, or reviewing body. Otherwise, I don't read them. Danger! Danger! Will Robinson.
Allana wrote: "When you're writing, do your characters always come out the way you imagined?"Yes and no! I mean, I make the characters, and I start to give them background. Sometimes, I have a plan for how they'll behave, but when the plot starts going, I realize it'll be more logical to have them act in a different way. (My best example of this is Harley from Across the Universe.)
Matthew wrote: "what inspires most of your books?"Life. That sounds like such a trite answer, but it's true! I get inspiration from all sorts of things, big and small, throughout my life. I never know what will set off the next story idea.
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I don't have any kids but my nieces and nephews all read my books or listen to the audiobooks at a very young age. Not sure I'd be interested in writing middle grade since I love the romance aspect so much.
Matthew wrote: "are you big fans of anything? and i mean like crazy-hardcore-fangirls haha"Joss Whedon's Firefly is a HUGE one for me. Also Doctor Who! And Harry Potter!
Allana wrote: "What feelings do you get when you finish a book, attend book signings, and talk to fans?"It's so amazing. I'm just so grateful--it's such a rush!
Tina wrote: "Do you remember the first thing you ever wrote? If so, do you ever look back at it and think back to how you felt in that moment?"Yes! My mom has a photograph of it--I was in second grade and had a story based on a coloring sheet with a princess and a dragon. I was so proud of that story!
If you went back in time, what advice would you give your teen self?
Allana wrote: "Why do you write?:)"I LOVE stories. They enable you to live a million different lives!
how about plot twists? do you guys have trouble making them? how do you guys come up with such good ones?
Dalma wrote: "I followed you on twitter after reading Across the Universe and I saw you tweet this link. I understand this is a chat about The Body Electric but I haven't gotten a chance to read it yet. I just wanna go ahead really quickly to thank you for writing such an amazing series!! I fell in love instantly. With only one week of my senior year of high school left, I felt the only regret I had was not reading any of the books in the library for leisure. I walked around our two story library for about an hour until I came across a purple starry cover. I read your book in a day and found it to be the most thrilling and exotic read I've ever had. I guess what I really wanna know is, what music did you listen to while writing the series? Personally, I listened to the M83 songs, "We Own The Sky" and "Holograms." Do you maybe think these songs vibe with what you listened to? Idk, I just loved the series so much. Thank you for creating a world of wonder and mystery with a hint of romance.
- Dalma Pena"
Hi Dalma,
Oh, I'm so glad you grabbed Across the Universe and liked it! What an honor <3
Whenever I write, I tend to listen to the same songs over and over again. For Across the Universe, it was the Beatles's song "Across the Universe," and also "I Dreamed a Dream" and "Fact/Fiction" by Mads Larson.
Tina wrote: "I'm not sure if this was asked or not, Beth, but what do you think about people writing fanfiction of your work? Are you for or against it?"Very, very, very for it! I think it's awesome that people are inspired to make art based on my art!
Colleen wrote: "Matthew wrote: "do you ever get writers block? if so, how do you get past it? any special tricks?"I don't get writer's block, I get writer's laziness. Not quite the same thing."
Jinx! Same answer! :)
Allana wrote: "How would your characters react if they were on a road trip together?"Jack and Ella would bicker constantly, and then make-out in the backseat while Julie and Xavier did the actual driving.
Do you ever find it hard, after writing and getting into your characters and story, to just go out into public and see normal people? Especially after something really bad happened:)?
Allana wrote: "What messages do you really want to get across to your readers?"Whatever message they want to take--I don't want to dictate the meaning, I just hope my readers found a meaning.
do you usually base your stories on one thing like for example: romance. or do you prefer to write with a little bit of everything in it? romance, action, drama, comedy etc.
Jennifer wrote: "Hello everyone,Are there acquaintances of yours that said they see something of a real common acquaintance in a character ?"
Nope! Although I did base a (not so good) character on a (not so good) person, who hasn't realized it was based on her...
Matthew wrote: "are there any of your characters that are inspired by real life people like friends, family members or even idols?"Yes--especially in my next book, coming this summer. A large part of it was based on my own life and experiences, or people that I knew personally.
In Across the Universe, I based Amy's character design on Molly Quinn, one of my favorite actresses.
Colleen wrote: "Is there any chance there might be a sequel to this book?"Nope! Not unless it is in VERY high demand :)
Autumn wrote: "I just zoomed through the Across the Universe trilogy, loved it!! I have your other stories coming in the mail from the library any day now, very excited! Thank you for writing!Do you ever plan t..."
Not a quadrilogy, but I do have some more novellas and short stories planned...if I can ever find the time!
Allana wrote: "If your characters had a Pinterest board, what would be on it?"Ella would have a lot of fashions and outfits--I consider her to be very stylish, but it's pretty effortless for her.
How do you feel when a fan says he/she really loves one of your baddies? Or what would you feel if you haven't met one so far?
Allana wrote: "When you finally get your book, published and bound in your hands, what is the first thought and feeling that comes to mind?"Intense relief, much like when a sore tooth is finally pulled!
Beth wrote: "Matthew wrote: "are there any of your characters that are inspired by real life people like friends, family members or even idols?"Yes--especially in my next book, coming this summer. A large par..."
OMG molly quinn<3
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Matthew wrote: "are you scared of what people, who did not enjoy your books as much as us, might say? are you scared of bad ratings and criticizm?"Nope. No one likes everything. There are people who HATE my favorite things--like chocolate, Harry Potter, Italian food, whatever--so how can I expect them to like what I do? Everyone has different tastes.
you guys are so close with eachother. what brought you two together as friends? was it your fans? your writing? or were you friends even before you got into writing?
Dalma wrote: "Not sure if this has been asked yet, but if Across the Universe was picked up to become a movie, who would you want to be casted for all the major roles? Like for Amy and Elder?Or would you rath..."
I'd be very in favor of a movie or TV--something like Game of Thrones would be amazing!
Authors have no say in casting, but I will say that I had Molly Quinn in mind when I described Amy, and as long as they cast someone of color to play Elder, I'm happy.
Matthew wrote: "how about the good ratings? do you guys feel proud after reading a good or high starred review? do you stalk the reviews of your books in goodreads?"I don't really look at ratings, to be honest. I'm really happy when people like my book, and I will sometimes scan ratings and reviews early on, to make sure that for the most part, people are getting what I was trying to say, but beyond that, I leave it alone. I feel like reviews are more for other readers than for the writer, and I don't want people to feel like I'm stalking them or to feel like they can't be honest because I'm watching them.
Autumn wrote: "Have you ever read The Belgariad by David and Leigh Eddings? Your books remind me of it because your characters are so intriguing.Also, I still find myself wondering what the scientists were doin..."
I haven't--but I'm adding it to my list of books to read now!
And if you're curious about what the scientists were doing, then I think you'll really like The Body Electric :)
Jennifer wrote: "Aren't you a little bit tempted to write stories to children so your child will read earlier your work ? Or are you kind of hoping to introduce to him some of your childhood book friends ?"I don't think I'd be a good children's book writer...I'm too tempted to kill off my characters! But I definitely want to introduce my son to some children's book writing friends :)
Is there any chance of you two working together in the future?
Allana wrote: "What are your favorite TV shows?"Right now, I'm watching Project Runway, The Brink, James Oliver, and some Law & Order SVU. My all-time faves are Firefly and Doctor Who.
Matthew wrote: "is there anything you wish you could have changed in/about your books? or are you happy with how they came out in the end?"I let them go after I'm done editing. Once they're done, I'm very zen about the whole thing.
Allana wrote: "How is writing dialogue? Is it hard?"No harder than any other part :)
Matthew wrote: "are there any plans for new books that you want to write? and if so... should we be excited? :D"Yes! You should always be excited! I'm currently working on something new that will come out next summer :)
I love that you geek out for Firefly and Doctor Who! I just want to say thank you for taking the time out to chat with us and to let you know that you are definitely a must read author in my book!
Colleen wrote: "Beth wrote: "When I was reading about all the inspiration you had for The Body Electric, especially with the characters of Jack and Rose (Doctor Who - woot!) "Okay so now I need to know who is yo..."
OBVIOUSLY David Tennant. ALWAYS David Tennant!
Jennifer wrote: "As an author you must be perceptive when reading other people works, so are you good at guessing something? Like who is the murderer or who will get the girl in a love triangle? Or maybe who will die?"Sadly, yes, I am. It's like the magician who can guess how the trick is done. Which is why when a book still surprises me (like Amanda Panitch's DAMAGE DONE), I take notice!
Allana wrote: "If you went back in time, what advice would you give your teen self?"None. Everything turned out okay, and I'd be afraid to mess it up.
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I think Ella would write tragic romances--maybe something historical like a story set on the Titanic :)