Caragh M. O'Brien (author of the Birthmarked Trilogy) Q&A Event--Jan 26-29th

[Melissa]

Phaedra wrote: "
Do you prefer cats or dogs or do you think the whole cat/dog-thing is rubbish and everybody should take a goldfish or something l..."

LOL! Goldfish are so under-rated.....everyone needs one haha

[Kelly (Diva Booknerd)]

I really enjoyed the Birthmarked Trilogy, but see you've also brought out a couple of Loveswept romances back in the day. Just curious to which you've found more rewarding, romance or young adult and why.

[Peri]

Hi! My questions are

What made you decide to set The Vault of Dreamers (and I guess Birthmarked too) in the future? I just read Vault of Dreamers, and it surprised me when I found out it didn't take place in modern day. Why did you do that?

What was your favorite book as a kid or teenager?

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

Okay everyone, today is the last day to get your questions in and be entered in the giveaway!

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

Thank you so so much, Caragh, for just rocking these answers and chatting with us all week! I've really enjoyed this Q&A!

And thanks, amazing members, for asking such great questions, you all ROCK!

[Caragh]

27. Yamile--do you find easier to tell stories from the point of view of a female narrator? If so, what aspects of writing from the point of view of a boy/man make it harder to find the voice you are looking for?

Hi, Yamile! I was happy to make the giveaway international. It’s cool the way our reading community transcends borders. As for points of view, it takes me a while to settle into a character and gender is one of many qualities I explore. Like race, religion, age, nationality, or social class, femaleness presents certain traditions that I think readers will expect, and a character can fit in those expectations or not. Being human is obviously where we start in common. I wrote the Birthmarked tie-in stories Tortured and Ruled from Leon’s perspective, and in the second case he was attending a birth, so the stakes were high and he felt uncomfortable in unfamiliar territory. It was eye opening for him, and doubly eye opening for me to imagine the scene from his perspective. The biggest challenge was that he is not the most communicative person, so I had to find ways to convey what he was truly thinking and feeling, even when he chose to conceal that from Gaia.

28. Michelle--Do you have ideas for an adult series in the future?

Hi, Michelle! Thanks for the kind words. I enjoy reading in many genres, too. At the moment, I don’t have any ideas for an adult series. I’m working on the sequel to The Vault of Dreamers (The Rule of Mirrors), and next I’ll be writing the third book. After that, the playground is fenceless.

29. Michelle--Do you use character arcs provided by your publisher, or do you keep track of traits yourself (or both)?

Sometimes I wish I would have character arcs miraculously handed to me by my publisher, but no, I do all that invention myself. Certain work-for-hire and collaboration projects have been offered to me where plot elements and characters would be agreed upon in advance, but so far, they haven’t been a good fit for me. My work is entirely original.

30. Cindy--When you write, how do you know what you'll write next? How do you keep the plot in your novels moving without getting stuck?

Hi, Cindy! When I’m writing a first draft, I don’t know what I’ll write next. That keeps the story surprising for me, but also terrifying. I get stuck often, but in later drafts, I’m able to see better what needs to be cut and where the holes are. I regularly cut chunks of 30 or 100 pages. If I had a better way to do it, I would.

31. Jenny-- What are your thoughts on the current trend of YA books-to-movies adaptations?
Hi, again, Jenny! By the way, thanks for doing a stellar job moderating! I think the movie adaptations are nifty. I’m all for them. What’s more, the movies indicate that Hollywood has recognized the lucrative potential of the YA lit audience. We have power. I expect more adaptations in the future.

32. Anne Marie--I was wondering if your books are separate stories or are they connected by the same characters?
Hello, Anne Marie! My first three YA novels, Birthmarked, Prized, and Promised, are a chronological series about the same character, teen midwife Gaia Stone and her friends and enemies. The Vault of Dreamers begins a new series about a new character, Rosie Sinclair, a film maker who attends an arts school that doubles as a reality TV show.

33. Melissa--I wondered, do you write chronologically or as ideas come to you and then figure out how they fit together later?

Hi, again! I write chronologically. I also figure out how the ideas fit together later. By the end of a draft, I have a better idea of what needs to happen at the beginning.

34. Phaedra--Will your books be released in Belgium and if they do, when?

Hi, Phaedra! So far, we don’t have plans for my books to be released in Belgium. I’m very sorry.

35. Phaedra--Do you prefer cats or dogs or do you think the whole cat/dog-thing is rubbish and everybody should take a goldfish or something like that?
Ha! Clearly, there is deep, abiding truth in the cat/dog thing because the question is pervasive, but since I don’t have a pet, I’m not sure what that says about me. I have a piano. That’s something, right?

36. Kelly--I really enjoyed the Birthmarked Trilogy, but see you've also brought out a couple of Loveswept romances back in the day. Just curious to which you've found more rewarding, romance or young adult and why.
Hi, Kelly! Thanks for your kind words about Birthmarked! Oh, my gosh. I adored writing romances. It was so fun and engrossing. Without those successes, it would have been really hard to keep writing. I read romances, too, and the genre has evolved much in the last decade. Which is more rewarding for me to write? My YA novels, for now.

37. JP--What made you decide to set The Vault of Dreamers (and I guess Birthmarked too) in the future? I just read Vault of Dreamers, and it surprised me when I found out it didn't take place in modern day. Why did you do that?

Hi, JP! I set Vault of Dreamers a few decades from now so I could do wild stuff with dreams and medicine, and readers wouldn’t be distracted by the problem that my techniques can’t happen now. They could, soon, right? For Birthmarked, I needed the world to be 400 years further along because it takes place after climate change has dried up Lake Superior and entire regions of the U.S. There is freedom in writing about the future. No one can tell you you’re wrong.

38. JP--What was your favorite book as a kid or teenager?

My favorite books as a teenager were Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini, A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and Early Candlelight by Maud Hart Lovelace. Thanks for asking!

Thanks, everybody, for the great questions! They're making me think, and I get the sense I'm among fellow writers. Onward!

[Karen’s Library]

Amazing Q&A, Caragh! Loved getting a peek inside your head these past few days! Thanks again for joining us!! :)

[Caragh]

Karen wrote: "Amazing Q&A, Caragh! Loved getting a peek inside your head these past few days! Thanks again for joining us!! :)"

My pleasure! I was delighted to be invited. See you around Goodreads! :)

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

Congratulations, Harlee, you are our giveaway winner! Look for a message from me in your inbox!

And thanks, again, Caragh!

[Harlee]

Oh my gosh, yay!! This definitely makes my day :) Thank you Caragh and thank you for doing this q&a for the group! :)

[Lauren]

Congrats, Harlee!

[Harlee]

Thanks Lauren! :)

[Karen’s Library]

Woot woot, Harlee!! Congrats!! :)

[Melissa]

Thanks for being here Caragh!

[Melissa]

Congratulations Harlee!!!

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

Congrats Harlee!! Well deserved :)

And thank you SO MUCH to Caragh O'Brien for spending her valuable time with us so we could get to know her!! Such an amazing Q&A :)

[Harlee]

Thanks guys! :)

[Anne Marie]

Congrats Harlee!!!

[Harlee]

Thank you! :)