THE SECRET YEAR
by Jennifer R. Hubbard
Young Adult
www.JenniferHubbard.com
4 Signed Copies will be given away on Friday, September 23, 2011!
About the Book:
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.1) THE SECRET YEAR is a great title! Who came up with it? Was it the original title or did it change along the way?
The title changed many times. I pitched it to my agent as a book called AFTER JULIA, referring to the death of the main character's secret girlfriend. (That's not a spoiler; she dies on page one.) We then sold it to Viking under the title BLACK MOUNTAIN ROAD, because that is where several critical scenes happen. THE SECRET YEAR came from a brainstorming session my editor and I had, with input from others at the publisher. I don't remember who came up with that exact phrase, but I think it suits the book perfectly, since secrecy is a major theme.
2) When you set out to write a book, are you usually sparked by a story idea or a character?
I need both: an idea for a plot or a situation, and an interesting voice to tell that story. Usually I have one element first, and it waits in my brain for the other element to show up so that I can start writing. I like it when a character whispers in my ear, but I like it even more when he has something important to say!
With THE SECRET YEAR, I had the idea of the situation first: a secret relationship, a death, a notebook left behind. But I didn't start writing until I found the voice of the narrator, Colt.
3) How do you come up with your characters' personalities?
I like to include some moments of unexpected honesty: times they tell a vulnerable or an ugly truth when most people would expect a self-protective lie. I also like to use some moments of humor sometimes when the story is getting very dark. Beyond that, I ask myself what each character wants and fears, and that determines how they behave.
4) Considering a book from the first word you write to the moment you see it on a bookstore shelf, what’s your favorite part of the process? What’s your least favorite?
My favorite moments include writing scenes when I feel that I've gotten them right; figuring out plot twists; and finding the perfect word for a particular spot. On the publishing end, I love seeing the cover, and holding the finished book.
My least favorite is the waiting. In between every step of the process, there is a lot of waiting and a lot of uncertainty.
5) What's up next for you?
My next book, TRY NOT TO BREATHE, is scheduled for 2012. That is another contemporary YA novel, described this way: In the summer after his suicide attempt, sixteen-year-old Ryan struggles with guilty secrets and befriends a girl who’s visiting psychics to try to reach her dead father.
Jennifer R. Hubbard lives and writes near Philadelphia. She is a night person who believes that mornings were meant to be slept through, a chocolate lover, and a hiker. She is the author of The Secret Year (2010) and Try Not to Breathe (2012). Visit the author online at: www.JenniferHubbard.com.
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2 comments:
Thanks for the interesting interview! I always love reading about the author's ideas and process.
The book sounds great. It's definitely going on my TBR pile.
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