Yesterday at 1:15 the sun shone, the birds sang and all was right with the world. Because finally, after three months of spending every weekend at my laptop, every night typing away, I turned in my manuscript for LOCAL GIRLS. Let me tell you, it was painful. I'm taking a few days off (if you call working on the next book, RICH BOYS, taking time off) before revisiting Kendra and Mona and Henry and the world of Martha's Vineyard in the summer. Because I know the book still needs work.My next two books are part of a series that takes place on Martha's Vineyard during the summer. See that picture up there, that's me (on the right) and friend/author Megan McCafferty being interviewed for a TV show on Martha's Vineyard last summer. I looked at this picture a few times while slugging through LOCAL GIRLS so I could actually remember that it's sunny and warm and peaceful and perfect on the island. It's kind of hard to remember what it's like on the Vineyard in the summer when you've got left over Thanksgiving turkey in the refrigerator and your Christmas tree is blinking at you from the corner of the room. I'll post a description of both LOCAL GIRLS and RICH BOYS next time, when the sight of the main characters' names don't make me so dizzy.
In other news, am heading to NYC tomorrow to be interviewed for the Today Show in Australia. The interview is taking place live via satellite, and I'm having serious wardrobe issues. What to wear?
One more thing. Received an email from a girl who wrote to tell me she loved THE BOOK OF LUKE, but she had a question. Do Emily and Luke end up together always? And you know what, I didn't know the answer.
So I'd like to ask all the authors here a question: do you know how your characters' stories continue long after the last page is finished?
Must go look through closet for appropriate Aussie outfit. That's all for now!
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5 comments:
Jenny, congrats on finishing the ms! What a great feeling!
I would not advise you on the Aussie-wear because I would steer you wrong. Just remember it's summer down there.
On the author question...even for my teen characters, I know the important stuff about their futures: their college majors, their jobs, where they live, and whether they stay together (yes).
Jenny, I can't wait to hear more about the Vineyard escapades, when they don't make you so dizzy.
No prints-- for TV-- maybe a nice jewel tone.
As far as my characters, I know for both of mine what happened. With Accent, I even toyed with an epilogue that would've echoed the prologue that showed Caro and Peter with their own family but figure to leave well enough alone.
Adiós is a bit more complicated. I know exactly what happens but I didn't always. Initially, I had no clue what would happen, then one night, I woke up in the middle of the night (we all know how that happens) and I knew exactly how the story continued and what happened with Ali and Jaime and Guille and Fabiana and it came to me in the form of writing an adult companion novel. So I have a synopsis written for a sequel/companion novel, but I don't know if it's something I'll ever get the opportunity to write. But it's a long-held pipe dream of mine-- to write an adult sequel to a YA-- there have always been YA stories that I wanted to know what happened ten or more years later. (Judy Blume's FOREVER, is at the top of that list!)
Great question! And good luck!
Barbara, that epilogue would have been great! But I also see why you didn't do it. It makes sense for a book for a general audience, but it might seem out of place in a teen novel.
I hope you get to write that sequel! Lots of adults love that book and it won an adult category of the RITAs, so it makes sense an adult publisher would want it.
I can't wait to hear the birds sing when I turn in my next MTV title in January. :) :)
I have to say, no. I don't know what happens to my characters after the book ends. Their lives stop for me because too soon I have to jump into the next project. The next character's life and drama, and so on!
Jenny- I think I have some idea about what happens to my characters, short term at least after the ending. For my first novel, I have a ten years later chap that I wrote as an exercise once. I never wanted to write an epilogue for that book, but if readers are interested in knowing after the book comes out, I could see myself posting a bit of it on my website. Or maybe asking them, what they imagine the characters being like ten years later. That's way more interesting to me!
Barb- You could totally write an adult sequel to Adios. Francesca Lia Block wrote about her best known character Weetzie Bat having a mid-life crisis in the book Necklace of Kisses, though that may have still be published as a YA, I'm not sure. Anyway, I loved seeing it and would love to read it with Adios, too.
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