RiYA: Last Interview: Actual YA Relationships

Okay. This is the last of the collective interviews for RiYA. It’s almost over!

Remember that you guys still have until February 28, 2011 to enter the contests!

What kind of relationship do your characters have?

To those of you who want to read Rival, a contemporary debut novel, here's a little something...

Sara Bennett Wealer said: One of my characters, Kathryn, has a best friend, Matt, who's probably in love with her, but they've been friends for so long that it's not clear whether they could be more. Kathryn's more intrigued by John, who's just as much of a stand-up guy as Matt is, but not as familiar. I know who I put Kathryn with at the end of the book, but I'm not sure who she'd end up with in a couple of years!

Cheryl Herbsman said: In Breathing, Savannah and Jackson are initially attracted to each other without really knowing one another yet. But as their friendship deepens and they fall in love, they come to care deeply about each other’s lives and hopes and dreams. They are the kind of teen romance that just might last.

Jennifer Hubbard said: I should say up front that it isn't ideal! The Secret Year revolves around a secret relationship that ends in sudden tragedy, and it explores the effect that relationship had on the people involved. Why was secrecy so appealing? What did they get from this relationship, and what did it cost them? They had a very strong attraction that, in many ways, led to their making less than ideal choices.

Shelena Shorts said: The characters in The Pace have a balancing relationship. They complement each other's weaknesses to point where they need each other, but in a healthy way. 

Angela Morrison said: I try to give them the ideal I described above. It's up to my readers to say if I've succeeded. With Michael and Leesie, from TAKEN BY STORM, it's taken three books to get them there! My publisher didn't want to stick it out through all three books, but my readers did. So you can now read Book 2, UNBROKEN CONNECTION, that I released as an ebook for the Kindle and a paperback via Amazon. Book 3, CAYMAN SUMMER is on it's way, but you don't have to wait. As soon as you finish UNBROKEN CONNECTION, surf over to http://caymansummer.blogspot.com and follow Michael and Leesie's final journey from first rough draft poem to final polished dive log. I'm blogging it as I write it, and it's been the most intense creative experience I've ever had. 

Cat Clarke said: I think my characters have a fairly normal relationship, all things considered. It's pretty passionate in the early stages, sometimes sweet and romantic... until things get a little bumpy, of course.

Kim Culbertson said: As I mentioned above, I think it really depends on the two characters.  In Instructions for a Broken Heart, my new novel out in May, the main character is trying to survive a difficult break up.  On a class trip to Italy.  With her ex and his new girlfriend there.  Yikes.  It’s a challenge for her emotionally and her pride has been wounded.  Most importantly, though, she’s realizing that she will never have another relationship like the one she had with him because she’s not with him anymore.  No relationship can ever be repeated.  Relationships are like snowflakes.  No two alike.

This is the last of them! I hope you all learned a little something from all the author interviews - collective and individual.

Tomorrow is Friday! Hopefully, I can post more. It's a good thing that I always have a long weekend. I need to finish Darkness Becomes Her! 

So that's it for now. Have a nice day!

RiYA: Interview with Tara Hudson + Giveaway of Hereafter!

Hi everyone! Today I’ll be interviewing a member of the Elevensies, Tara Hudson, who is also the author of the upcoming paranormal romance novel from Harper Teen, Hereafter!

What are the things you can do in a paranormal romance that you can’t do in a romance?

I've always found that, in paranormal romance, you can always make the romantic stakes higher.  Not only does your fictional couple face challenges to their relationship, but their challenges can often be physically insurmountable - magic barriers, curses, even being from different species!

Does the supernatural element enhance the romance? How? Why?

Absolutely, it does!  Mystery always makes romance sexier, and what could be more mysterious than the unknown, the supernatural?

What are the things you need to do maintain to keep the connection of the characters – a ghost and a human – strong?

Well, they better be able to see each other, first!

What does your novel has that other paranormal romance novels, particularly ghost novels doesn’t have?

My main characters - Amelia and Joshua - have a physical connection that even they can't explain, especially since Amelia shouldn't technically be able to connect to anything. 

Death takes away so many things. But what can death give that can help a person love better?

In Hereafter, Amelia has a more acute sense of loss than most living people.  So for her, love - and the potential to lose it - has a deeper meaning.

What kind of relationship do your characters have?

A pretty unique one...guess you'll have to read it to find out!

In writing Hereafter, did you use any of your personal experiences?

I drew on a lot of my personal resources, mostly for the various settings in Hereafter.  Robber's Cave, the graveyard, even High Bridge - all of these are real places.

If you needed to write a kissing scene for your characters (which is physically impossible) how would you do it?

Oh, I already have.  But like I said...you'll have to read Hereafter to find out!

_____________________________________________________

Thank you Tara for dropping by!

Giveaway: ARC of Hereafter by Tara Hudson

*Giveaway Closed*

Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss.

Thanks to Harper Teen, one lucky reader will enjoy reading an ARC of Hereafter!

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RiYA: Elements of YA Love Triangles + Giveaway of After the Kiss by Terra Elan Mcvoy

I’m sorry I wasn’t able to post yesterday! I’ve been busy and I was really supposed to post but I fell asleep! I was just supposed to close my eyes for a few seconds.

Today’s topic is: Elements of YA Love Triangles

I think lots of people will be able to relate with Cheryl’s answer…

Cheryl Herbsman said: It seems like the most common love triangle in YA is girl likes hot guy, girl’s male best friend likes her, the hot guy treats her badly, she ends up with the best friend. But I think the best YA love triangles are when the girl (or guy) in the middle genuinely cares about both of the others in the triangle, and they care about her too. I think this is one of the reasons people get so excited about the triangle in Twilight. If one of the guys didn’t truly care for Bella, or if she didn’t actually love both of them, it would be less intriguing.

Sara Bennett Wealer said: I like it when both options are equally compelling. To me, it has to be more than just Good Guy vs. Dangerous Guy. I want to wonder who the heroine (or hero) should end up with--I like being able to see pros and cons for each!

Kim Culbertson said: It’s so funny you brought up love triangles because we were just talking about them in the high school English class I teach.  The love triangle has been working itself out across literary history – from Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot to Shakespeare to more modern love triangles found in places like Harry Potter and Twilight.  Love triangles are interesting because someone almost always has to lose or die or have his or her heart broken and that kind of instability lends itself to powerful fiction.  The key, I think, to a great love triangle is that you’re rooting for all parties involved, you like or feel for all three corners of that triangle, even while knowing that someone’s going to get hurt.

Shelena Shorts said: I'm not the biggest fan of love triangles, so I'm not an expert. But, I'd say it would have two people and one other person who is torturously torn between them...so frustrating!

Angela Morrison said: The classic love triangle is the guy she likes and shouldn't versus the guy she should like and doesn't, but I prefer the TWILIGHT model. Both guys are fantastic. And it almost destroys the heroine to choose. I think it's every girl's ultimate fantasy to have two amazing guys vying for her. We quickly get fully invested in that scenario. But, remember, in a novel you've got to have drama and life and death stakes. So choosing must be the hardest thing the heroine has ever done. SING ME TO SLEEP is the only love triangle I've written. It begins with the classic triangle, morphs into something closer to the TWILIGHT model, but then life and death stakes take over and Beth makes the only choices she can.  

Jennifer Hubbard said: From a writer's perspective, a triangle sets up whole extra layers of complexity, and the possibility for conflict. As a reader, I find that I'm usually able to predict the outcome of triangles, so I think it's very difficult to build a triangle where the two choices seem equally plausible. There was a great triangle in the Anne of Green Gables series: the character Philippa found herself unable to decide between two men who wanted to marry her. In the end, she met and married someone else altogether, someone who was perfect for her. It turned out that she couldn't commit to either of the first two because each of those relationships had something missing. That was a storyline whose outcome I never predicted!

Giveaway: After the Kiss by Terra Elan Mcvoy

*Giveaway Closed*

This moment changes everything.

Becca has been head-over-heels for Alec from the instant they met. He's a brainy jock with a poet's heart—in other words, perfect for her.

Camille is careful with her words and protective of her heart, especially since Chicago. Then a new boy in her new town catches her off guard with a surprise kiss.

Too bad that new boy is Becca's boyfriend, Alec.

Camille and Becca have never met, but their lives will unravel and intertwine in surprising ways as they deal with what happens after the kiss.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing a copy of After the Kiss for giveaway!

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RiYA: Sweet and Clean or Sexy and Passionate? Giveaway of a Signed Paperback of The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard

Hi guys! It’s time for another collective interview as authors voice out their thoughts about the type of romance that they want to see in YA. Stick around for a giveaway!

What kind of romance do you like to see in YA? Clean and Sweet or Sexy and Passionate? Why?

Jennifer Hubbard said: I like all kinds in books, because that's they way life is. I prefer books that address the complexity and the not-always-perfect side of romance, although once in a while I like a fun, lighthearted romance.

Cheryl Herbsman said: Honestly, I like to see every kind of romance in YA. I think there’s room for them all. And since all of them exist in the real world, I love that YA can mirror all those different kinds of relationships that actual teens are experiencing.

Kim Culbertson said: Oh, I want to see all of it.  Because relationships have all of it.  Clean and sweet – absolutely.  Sexy.  Absolutely – though I think sexy is in the eye of the beholder.  I think it’s sexy when my husband does the laundry.  Passionate – I think most YA novels are just full of passion, of life and emotion.  That’s why I love reading and writing YA.  It’s a time of life when the feelings are so large and things matter so much.

Cat Clarke said: It depends on the book. Sometimes clean and sweet is exactly right for the characters and the story, and sometimes you NEED it to be sexy and passionate. I think there's plenty of room in the market for both kinds of romance... but I must admit, I have a penchant for sexy and passionate. As long as it's not too icky.

Shelena Shorts said: Clean and Sweet because it usually lasts longer that way!

Angela Morrison said: I admire writers who can write clean, sweet romance that doesn't make readers gag. I love to read those books. I wish I was better at writing them, but I have a weakness for writing steamy kissing scenes. I write about older teens, so sex becomes an issue. I think I fall in the middle of the continuum. My novels are all first person and intimate, so the passionate feelings, whether they are acted on or not, need to be there. I try to portray those passions honestly and realistically, without crossing the line into what I consider is explicit. My characters are only naked in the shower. I don't describe private body parts. And if they do have sex, it's not on screen. The curtain falls. It's not easy to do, but for me it's a moral issue. Plus, I want my readers to know that when they pick up a book with my name on the cover, they are safe. It'll be realistic, the kissing scenes will be fantastic, and the story won't talk down to them, but they won't turn the page and find they are reading soft porn. Porn is addictive, dangerous, and destroys healthy sexuality. Readers are bombarded with porn, or something very close to it, on TV, in music, in advertising, at the movies, and in a lot of YA. They don't need it in my books. What they will find is an honest discussion and characters with differing view points, beliefs, and motivations. And all those creative kissing scenes.

Sara Bennett Wealer said: I think you can have both! To me, sweetness is sexy. When someone knows you well and treats you well and makes you feel loved and valued, it's easy to be passionate about them!

Conclusion: Both sweet and clean and sexy and passionate but it depends on the story and the characters. It’s also good to use the type of romance that can really show the complex side of the relationship.

Giveaway: Signed Paperback Copy of The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard

*Giveaway Closed*

Take Romeo and Juliet. Add The Outsiders. Mix thoroughly.

Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no one—not even Julia's boyfriend— knew. They had nothing in common, with Julia in her country club world on Black Mountain and Colt from down on the flats, but it never mattered. Until Julia dies in a car accident, and Colt learns the price of secrecy. He can't mourn Julia openly, and he's tormented that he might have played a part in her death. When Julia's journal ends up in his hands, Colt relives their year together at the same time that he's desperately trying to forget her. But how do you get over someone who was never yours in the first place?

Jennifer Hubbard was generous enough to offer one lucky reader a signed paperback copy of The Secret Year!

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RiYA: Interview with Kim Culbertson + ARC Giveaway of Instructions for a Broken Heart

Today, I will interview one of my favorite authors who also happened to be one of the sweetest and nicest authors around! She’s the author of Songs for a Teenage Nomad and Instructions for a Broken Heart, her upcoming novel.

 

How did you originally conceive this novel? Did anything change?

I took 16 students to Italy when I was a second year high school teacher.  Another teacher was leading the trip and she asked me to come along.  That was over ten years ago but in the back of mind, I always thought a school trip would make a fun book idea.  The trip we had was so enlightening.  Travel is an incredible time to take stock of your life and really look at the world in a new way.  Then, several years ago, I was taking a writing workshop from the fabulous Sands Hall and she had us do a writing exercise and out of that exercise came this novel.  I loved the idea of a girl heading out on this life-changing trip with a broken heart and a care package from her best friend to help her along the way.

What are the effects of betrayal on your character's life?

Obviously, the character goes through a lot of growth in this novel around the betrayal in her life.  She’s hurting; she’s angry – but most importantly, for me, I wanted the novel to investigate both the betrayal but also the reasons behind it.  Every break up has two sides – or rather three (the truth often being neither of the “sides”).  Most importantly, I wanted to write a novel without villains.  With just people who all have their own “reasons” for things.

How did she cope? Did she have any strategy?

She copes; she has good moments and not so good moments.  The “instructions” from her best friend obviously provide some sort of framework, but also Italy comes to her aid.  It’s amazing was travel can do for the heart.

What instruction would you give to a person with a broken heart?

Go to Italy!  Ha, seriously, though, I’ve always felt like it’s good to get out of the norm, out of the comfort zone when your heart is hurting.  Even if it’s just going to a new restaurant or seeing a movie you haven’t seen (preferably not one about breaking up).  I am a hopelessly optimistic person, but I’ve had some horrible break ups in my life and as hard as it is, time does help but you can’t rush that.  It takes – time!  But I also think it’s important to hurt for awhile.  I also think each person heals in his or her own way so it’s key to find your own outlet and not necessarily always do what your friends think is the right way.  What might be right for them (a pint of Ben and Jerry’s) might not be right for you.

Heartache is commonly encountered by teens. How did you write about this? Did your age/maturity affect the way you perceive a teen's heartache?

I had my heart broken terribly as a teen.  Major, major heartbreak.  And I think I wanted to write this novel to give some credibility to teen heartbreak.  So many people say things like “Well, she and her boyfriend broke up but, hey, it’s high school.”  That makes me so mad.  Like, what, we don’t feel things in high school, don’t feel betrayed or rejected?  Hello!  We feel those things SO much more as teenagers.  There’s a scene in the novel where’s she talking to her teacher and they talk about how the first heartbreak in some ways is the hardest it will ever be because you don’t have any real body memory for it.

In writing this book, did you draw inspiration from personal experiences?

In so many ways.  But we’ll leave it at that. It is fiction, after all. :)

Who would you recommend Instructions for a Broken heart to?

I think this book will appeal to not only people who’ve had their heart broken but also people who just like to see how people weather an upset like this one.  And it’s also a great tribute to travel – Italy in particular, obviously – but that wonderful world of travel out there that holds so many possibilities for all of us.

Giveaway: ARC of Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson

*Giveaway Closed*

Three days before her drama club's trip to Italy, Jessa Gardner discovers her boyfriend in the costume barn with another girl. Jessa is left with a care package from her best friend titled "Top Twenty Reasons He's a Slimy Jerk Bastard," instructing her to do one un-Jessa-like thing each day of the trip. At turns hilarious and heartwrenching, Instructions for a Broken Heart paints a magical Italy in which Jessa learns she must figure out life-and romance-for herself.

You guys are lucky today! Because Kim offered an ARC copy of her upcoming novel from Sourcebooks Fire, Instructions for a Broken Heart!

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RiYA: Opposites Attract or Similars Mesh? (Extra Entry)

 

Hi everyone! RiYA is not only about author features and giveaways. It’s also about answering questions about YA romance. It is super fun to read about opposites falling in love but it’s also surprising and thrilling to encountering very similar characters fall for one another. Today the authors of RiYA will answer this question…

Opposites Attract or Similars Mesh?

Shelena Shorts said: Opposites attract...definitely!:D

Cheryl Herbsman said: I’m a hopeless romantic, or as my character Savannah likes to call it – a hopeful romantic. I definitely think it can be true that opposites attract and that similars mesh. I think it can be more challenging for an opposites-attract relationship to go the distance. But love is powerful and can overcome just about anything!  

 

Kim Culbertson said: I think everyone’s an opposite because we’re all such individual creatures.  The longer I teach high school, the more I realize there isn’t a hard and fast rule about what people want from each other.  I’ve seen students who look like they should just get married and settle down right now they are so dang perfect for each other not make it past a first date and I’ve seen students who I thought “no way is that going to work” and now they’re married and sending me pictures of their kids.  Ultimately, I think it has to come down to crafting interesting.

Angela Morrison said: Both. Seriously. I want my characters to be complex enough that they have things in common and things that clash. Learning to love, appreciate and even take good advantage of the things that clash are part what falling in love is about. And it makes for dramatic fight scenes, break-ups, and make-ups. All good fodder for a YA romance. I include an element of coming of age, a journey of change and growth, in my love stories. Changing to make a relationship work is a big part of that. When I write a novel, it engulfs everything in its path. I don't think one or the other is enough. 

Cat Clarke said: I think in YA it's always fun to read about opposites attracting -the good girl and the bad boy (hello, Simone Elkeles!). Although I do like it when the girl ends up falling for her sweet, reliable male best friend (especially after dabbling with a highly unsuitable, leather-jacketed bad boy).

Jennifer Hubbard said: I think people need common ground on which to build a relationship, but then it helps if some of their strengths and weaknesses are complementary, i.e., one is weak where the other is strong, so that they can help each other and learn from each other.

In The Secret Year, the characters seemed opposite on the surface, because they had very different backgrounds. But they had certain key similarities that drew them together: a similar sense of humor, a fondness for certain kinds of risk-taking. The areas in which they were practical, and the areas in which they were impulsive, were the same.

Sara Bennett Wealer said: Opposites may attract in the short term, but it's hard to have a lasting relationship with someone who's your polar opposite. If you need a peaceful early bedtime, for example, and your lover's up all night raising the roof, you're going to be too exhausted to feel all lovey dovey.

Conclusion: Opposites attract and similar mesh but it depends on the two persons and the situation they are currently in. 

 

What is your answer? Opposites Attract or Similars Mesh? Comment with your answer for an extra entry to the Giveaway of a Signed Copy of The Pace by Shelena Shorts! (Open Internationally.)