As promised, I'm posting my interview with the lovely and talented Yvonne Ventresca, author of the debut YA novel PANDEMIC, which was released in May (SkyPony Press 2014):
As the title suggests, Yvonne envisions what would happen if a deadly strain of bird flu were to strike a single town in New Jersey, and rapidly spread throughout the world. As soon as the novel launched, both it and Yvonne hit the ground running. PANDEMIC has earned a 4.5 (out of 5)-star rating from Amazon, and School Library Journal has called the book an "engrossing apocalyptic story." I've reviewed it here, and here is what Goodreads has to say.
As for Yvonne herself, she's been a human whirlwind over the pas three months, what with book- signing events -
- panel discussions, readings, school and library visits.... I get tired just thinking about everything she's been doing. It's really a bonus for authors to have the kind of organizational skills Yvonne has, honed by her previous career in the business world. And it typically generous YV style (yes, I feel fortunate to be able to say that Yvonne is my friend), she's somehow found the time to answer my interview questions. So here goes:
1. In
the beginning stages of writing PANDEMIC, which came to life first for you: the
character and backstory of Lilianna, or the public health crisis? Whichever the answer is, what difficultiesdid you have in integrating that second aspect of the story with the first?
The idea of the deadly outbreak
came first, but I quickly realized that Lilianna would have an emotional trauma
in her past. This became a key part of her character and her ability to cope as
the story progressed. It didn’t present any difficulties to integrate, but I did
interview both a public health officer (about contagious diseases) and a social
worker (about how a teen like Lil might react and recover), to make both
aspects of the story as real as possible.
2. PANDEMIC
is a work of speculative fiction, but it’s obviously based on an impressive
amount of research, and you stick very closely to realistic projections of how
such a catastrophe would actually play out.
Were you ever tempted as you were writing the book to stray further into
the realm of science fiction or fantasy?
Why or why not?
I will admit to not reading much
science fiction or fantasy, so writing the story that way wasn’t something I
ever considered. My goal was to portray a situation that could actually happen,
because in some respects, the reality is frightening enough.
3. Whom
(age, gender, interests) did you envision as your ideal reader before the book
was published? Do you have a sense of
how much (or how little) that vision now corresponds to reality? Have you gotten fan mail from readers, for
example?
I envisioned this as a book that
would be interesting to teens girls, but the cover design and the supporting male
characters have allowed it to appeal to a wider market. I’ve been pleasantly
surprised by the feedback from a range of readers, both in gender and age--lots
of adults have been enjoying the story as well.
4. In
what ways have you been surprised and delighted by the realities of having
PANDEMIC out in bookstores and libraries, and on the home shelves of young
readers? Are there ways in which you now
feel that you were overly optimistic or naïve?
In some ways publication is everything
a writer dreams about. I do have published friends who showed me the realities (beyond
the dream) ahead of time, so I think my expectations were realistic. When I
read reviews from strangers who loved the story, I feel slightly amazed at the
people it’s reached.
In terms of being naïve, I knew
that promoting the book would be a lot of work, but I didn’t fully appreciate
how much preparation and effort various events (book signings, live interviews,
etc.) require. It’s been a process of trial and error to work on publicity but
not become overwhelmed by it.
5. Has
anyone (teachers, librarians, etc.) suggested to you that PANDEMIC might be a
little TOO realistic for young readers?
Too frightening for them to handle?
How do you feel about that?
This hasn’t happened yet. If
anything, I’ve been surprised by the maturity of young readers and the feedback
I’ve gotten from some of the parents. If kids are reading THE HUNGER GAMES
(which is listed as ages twelve and up), then there seems to be a different
level of readership today compared to when I was that age.
6. Now
that the book launch is a few months behind you and you’ve been able (I hope!)
to get some perspective on the whole process, what would you say has been the
best thing that has come about for you personally as a result of PANDEMIC’s
publication? When you look at yourself
in a mirror now, do you see the same person you did before, or someone a little
bit different?
To quote one of your June blog
posts, Susan, “Becoming a published author does not change one's
character. Sure, it changes one's writing goals, and it adds a book
launch party and an editor and a contract and a schedule of deadlines to one's
life. But an anxious prepublished author who gets a book published will
become an anxious published author; only the focus of his or her anxiety will
change.”
7. Last
question: Hooray! PANDEMIC’s out in the world! What’s next?
I’m working on a YA psychological thriller about a teen who fears she
either is being haunted or suffering from mental illness. I love the dark
stuff! I’ve been enjoying the process of trying to create a mystery without
giving away the end, so it’s a new challenge.
* * * *
Need I even add that Yvonne is also a whiz at social media? Here's where she can be found online:
And just one more thing: you might be interested to know that Yvonne's fascination with birds is nothing new for her:
Thank you, Yvonne! Can't wait to read your next one!
