I am thrilled to be a part of a Very Special blog tour celebrating the upcoming launch of Aimee Said's second Aussie YA novel LITTLE SISTER.
(the purple bits are me butting in on her answers :)
1. Can you share with us that first little nugget of inspiration that inspired LITTLE SISTER?
Let’s just say I still feel slightly bitter and twisted about the fact that I wasn’t allowed to make a sound in my bedroom during my sister’s final year of high school. And that she moved out of home before I had a chance to get my own back.
2. Can you list a few things readers can look forward to finding inside LITTLE SISTER?
As well as a story about sibling rivalry, cyberbullying and genetics, a few things you can look forward to are:
- hot guys playing soccer
- a battle of the bands competition
- an introduction to the fortune-telling game of Lucky Cats
- a sweet recipe for revenge.
(I loved the battle of the bands! And we can always do with more hot guys playing soccer ;)
3. LITTLE SISTER has so much energy in it ~ in parts it’s light-hearted and yet it also deals with some serious issues. Did you find it easy to juggle the fun with the serious?
When I was writing Al’s story, I didn’t think of it in terms of ‘fun bit’ or ‘serious bit’ it just came out that way, so there wasn’t any conscious juggling to do. I do try to keep my characters’ sense of humour though, even when things aren’t going the way they’d like them to, because I find reading (and writing) page after page of unmitigated seriousness exhausting.
4. You must be so thrilled about launching LITTLE SISTER this week. How does the launch of your sophomore novel feel compare to your debut launch? And, most importantly, how will you be celebrating?
Thrilled is an understatement! It’s almost a year since I sent the manuscript of Little Sister to my publisher, so it’s been a long time coming. When Finding Freia Lockhart came out I didn’t really know what to expect from the launch, or what it would be like to read people’s reviews. This time round I’m actually a lot more nervous because I know what I might be in for.
Of course, it’s a great excuse to celebrate - so great that I’m having two:
(good luck with your nerves! ~ you have nothing to worry about :D)
5. As an author what is your absolute most favourite part of the process?
Believe it or not, unlike a lot of writers I LOVE revising. I find writing the first draft a long, hard slog but once I have the whole story down going back and rethinking or rewriting is much easier. And the revised bits are always way better, which is really satisfying.
6. Are you currently working on anything? (have you any secrets to share with us regarding what is next in store?)
I’ve been meaning to start my third YA novel since about a week after I handed in the manuscript for Little Sister (about 48 weeks ago!), which is possibly some kind of record for procrastination. A lot of people have asked whether there’ll be a Freia sequel, so that’s something I’m thinking about, but there are a lot of stories vying for attention in my head. We’ll have to see which one wins out in the end.
(Haha ~ I had a good chuckle hearing about your procrastination. Classic! [you are in good company here ~ I have a few procrastination records of my own])
FINALLY: We love hearing brilliant recommendations on inkcrush. Can you share a few of your favourite Aussie YA titles (past or present)?
I’m trying to keep the list short, so here are just a few of my Absolute All-time Faves:
- ALL of Jaclyn Moriarty’s books - her writing is lovely, her characters are fabulous and I love her humour (!!! Jaclyn Moriarty is my number one author crush!)
- Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley (my #1 read of 2010) (I picked GRAFFITI MOON as my #1 read last year too! My end of year post...)
- 48 Shades of Brown by Nick Earls
- Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams
- Notes From the Teenage Underground by Simmone Howell
Thanks heaps Aimee :)
Let’s just say I still feel slightly bitter and twisted about the fact that I wasn’t allowed to make a sound in my bedroom during my sister’s final year of high school. And that she moved out of home before I had a chance to get my own back.
2. Can you list a few things readers can look forward to finding inside LITTLE SISTER?
As well as a story about sibling rivalry, cyberbullying and genetics, a few things you can look forward to are:
- hot guys playing soccer
- a battle of the bands competition
- an introduction to the fortune-telling game of Lucky Cats
- a sweet recipe for revenge.
(I loved the battle of the bands! And we can always do with more hot guys playing soccer ;)
3. LITTLE SISTER has so much energy in it ~ in parts it’s light-hearted and yet it also deals with some serious issues. Did you find it easy to juggle the fun with the serious?
When I was writing Al’s story, I didn’t think of it in terms of ‘fun bit’ or ‘serious bit’ it just came out that way, so there wasn’t any conscious juggling to do. I do try to keep my characters’ sense of humour though, even when things aren’t going the way they’d like them to, because I find reading (and writing) page after page of unmitigated seriousness exhausting.
4. You must be so thrilled about launching LITTLE SISTER this week. How does the launch of your sophomore novel feel compare to your debut launch? And, most importantly, how will you be celebrating?
Thrilled is an understatement! It’s almost a year since I sent the manuscript of Little Sister to my publisher, so it’s been a long time coming. When Finding Freia Lockhart came out I didn’t really know what to expect from the launch, or what it would be like to read people’s reviews. This time round I’m actually a lot more nervous because I know what I might be in for.
Of course, it’s a great excuse to celebrate - so great that I’m having two:
one in Sydney (where I grew up) next Friday, 6 May, and one in Melbourne (where I live now) the following Saturday, 14 May.Both events are open to anyone who’d like to come; check out my blog for details (or click above links).
(good luck with your nerves! ~ you have nothing to worry about :D)
5. As an author what is your absolute most favourite part of the process?
Believe it or not, unlike a lot of writers I LOVE revising. I find writing the first draft a long, hard slog but once I have the whole story down going back and rethinking or rewriting is much easier. And the revised bits are always way better, which is really satisfying.
6. Are you currently working on anything? (have you any secrets to share with us regarding what is next in store?)
I’ve been meaning to start my third YA novel since about a week after I handed in the manuscript for Little Sister (about 48 weeks ago!), which is possibly some kind of record for procrastination. A lot of people have asked whether there’ll be a Freia sequel, so that’s something I’m thinking about, but there are a lot of stories vying for attention in my head. We’ll have to see which one wins out in the end.
(Haha ~ I had a good chuckle hearing about your procrastination. Classic! [you are in good company here ~ I have a few procrastination records of my own])
FINALLY: We love hearing brilliant recommendations on inkcrush. Can you share a few of your favourite Aussie YA titles (past or present)?
I’m trying to keep the list short, so here are just a few of my Absolute All-time Faves:
- ALL of Jaclyn Moriarty’s books - her writing is lovely, her characters are fabulous and I love her humour (!!! Jaclyn Moriarty is my number one author crush!)
- Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley (my #1 read of 2010) (I picked GRAFFITI MOON as my #1 read last year too! My end of year post...)
- 48 Shades of Brown by Nick Earls
- Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams
- Notes From the Teenage Underground by Simmone Howell
Thanks heaps Aimee :)
the LITTLE SISTER blog tour is tarvelling around some of my very favourite blogs this week. Here's the other stops ahead:
- Tuesday: My Girl Friday
- Wednesday: Literary Life
- Thursday: In the Good Books
- Friday: The Younger Sun
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| the lovely Aimee Said |
Great interview Nomes. I had to laugh at her inspiration for Little Sister.
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me, Naomi :)
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! Little Sister sounds like a great books. I loved the author's picks for her favorite Aussie titles.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't aware of this one before but I really like the sound of it! Love that it makes sibling rivalry front and center. (And yay for Jaclyn Moriarty!! LOL) Thanks for putting this one on my radar!
ReplyDeleteI love your interviews, you ask fabulous questions.. and such awesome answers! I hope this will be released in Canada... sometime... soon... I am always dying to read these Aussie titles you recommend!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic interview. I love that Said likes the revising part of writing. I am always encouraging my student to revise and for me I think this is the truest aspect of the writing process. Little Sister sounds like a great book and being a little sister, I am sure I could more than relate to it.
ReplyDeleteMy train of thought wander for a bit at the mention of hot guys playing soccer! Why does that happen?
ReplyDeleteGreat interview. Glad to be introduced to a new to me author, and I will be checking out some of these book recs.
Great interview, this sounds such a fun read and I agree you can never have enough of hot boys playing football :) Hope I can find it in the UK.
ReplyDeleteI love Aussie authors, i'm looking forward to her new book, i read 'Finding Freia Lockhart' a few months ago.
ReplyDelete- Abbey
Awesome interview!! She sounds fab and the book sounds really fun. :) And, I love seeing more book recs - I'll have to see if any are available over here.
ReplyDeleteA-ha!! I just discovered that Notes from the Teenage underground is on sale at Amazon for 2$!!!!!!!!!! Hardcover!!!!! (I get free shipping so it's worth it). :)
ReplyDeleteThe reason behind her inspiration for the book was my favourite xD
ReplyDeleteNomes, you officially have the Nicest Commenters Ever!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recs! :) Fantastic interview!
ReplyDelete