This past Friday, February 1, 2013, Marcy and I
posted our answers to Lana's debut novel, Freakling.
Today, you get to read Lana's favorite's. First though, I wanted to mention
that the idea for doing this series came to me while I was reading Lana's book.
She had such great insight into her characters, and there were so many moments
throughout when I found myself really intrigued by lines of dialogue or
paragraphs of description as it related to her main character’s growth. After
running the idea by Marcy, she and I came up with the questions for the series.
Marcy and I both hoped that by doing this, both we and our readers would gain a
little insight into the thought process of the authors we were highlighting, as
well as a sneak peek at their debut novels.
What I didn't realize is the effect that this would
have on the authors. Here's what Lana had to say about the exercise.
"This is actually very thought-provoking. I
started wondering if I should start thinking about things like this in the
early or middle stages of the writing process. I think a really interesting
pre-writing exercise would be to journal about what is my favorite thing about
this character’s personality. Or, what is her character growth going to be all
about and how can it be shown to maximum effect? I do think about things like
that, but I don't often write it down or perhaps explore it fully."
"Of course, sometimes the writing takes on an
energy of its own, and an author can't afford to ignore that. Even so, I find
that if I can plant some solid ideas in my subconscious beforehand, then more
or less forget about that as I write and let my subconscious work things out on
its own, things come together nicely as I write. Not sure this is making any
sense... the point is that I think these questions are really thoughtful and
not the run-of-the-mill author questions, so good job!"
Thank you, Lana, for the compliment! Marcy and I
really enjoyed reading the book and picking out our five favorites.
Now, let's hear Lana's five favorites.
1) What is your
favorite line or paragraph from the novel as it relates to the main character's
development and/or growth?
Taemon is a bit tricky to write as a main
character, because his personality is reserved. He doesn’t like the limelight,
and he would rather someone else take the lead. But he does have a strong sense
of integrity, and when it was clear that people were relying on him to lead, he
steps up to take that role. In my mind, this happens for the first time when
Taemon and Amma get captured, and Taemon has to come up with a plan to escape.
At that point, everyone looks to him for direction, and he doesn’t shy away
from it. That’s my boy!
Here’s a quote from Taemon in which we finally see him taking a stand:
“It’s not right for
people with psi to use it for violence. Isn’t that why the powerless colony was
established in the first place? Because being powerless makes you vulnerable?”
2) What is your
favorite chapter ending or cliffhanger?
All the chapter endings in Freakling have a
bit of the cliffhanger, though some are stronger than others. I think one of my
favorites is the end of chapter eleven. The scene where Taemon and Amma ride in
the back of Jad’s hauler is light and fun, then things get tense quickly when
Taemon realizes where Jad is headed. Oh, and my other favorite is in chapter
thirteen when he discovers the mysterious psi door at the colony.
Taemon faked outrage. “All right,
that’s it.” He picked up another piece of hay. “All or nothing. If I win this
one, you have to tell me. And if you win . . .”
“What?” Amma asked with a smile.
“What do I win?”
Taemon looked at the scenery. He
wasn’t thinking about the hay-spitting game anymore. A deep anxiety worked its
way from his stomach to his scalp.
Earth and Sky! Was that the city
wall he saw in the distance? They must be way past the drop-off station. He
should have been paying attention. He never should have trusted Jad.
Taemon turned and banged on the roof
of the driving compartment. “Stop!”
3) Who is your
favorite secondary character and why?
Challis! She was really fun to write because
she seems clueless, but she knows more than anyone can guess.
Here’s a fun line or two from Challis:
“Ah, you’ve come to see your Auntie
Challis. It was always good to see you, Thayer.”
“Um, you too,” Taemon said.
Hannova looked confused. “What did
she call you?”
Taemon whispered to Hannova, “I
think she’s got me mixed up with her nephew.”
“Thayer’s my father, not my nephew.
And another thing, the pickles next year were excellent. Sour, just the way I
like them.”
“Next year?” Taemon asked.
“It’s all in the eyebrows, Thayer.”
4) What is your
favorite line or paragraph of description?
This is tough because description is my least
favorite thing to write; I have to make myself do it. I’m the same way as a
reader—I tend to skim over description. I think the hardest thing was trying to
describe psi as I introduced it in the first chapter. I rewrote that opening
chapter countless times, trying to get the right tone and to inform the reader
enough without getting off to a slow start. That feeling when the scene finally
feels right is so satisfying.
Here’s an excerpt from the first chapter:
One day when he was about three
years old, Taemon realized dishes didn’t wash themselves. Someone nearby was
using psi to tell the dishes and the doors and the quadriders what to do. You
couldn’t see it, you couldn’t hear it, but when an object moved, someone nearby
was doing it with psi. Da said even the Earth had her psi. She used it to fetch
rain from the clouds and rouse the seeds in spring.
5) What is your
favorite line of dialogue?
I think my favorite dialogue in Freakling is
the kind where Taemon gets confused about how powerless things work. For
example, when Amma wants him to paddle the boat around the lake and she has to
explain to him how to use an oar. That “fish-out-of-water” stuff is really fun
to write because it adds humor, of course, but also because it shows how
strange the powerless lifestyle is to a city dweller. The psi wielders have
become so dependent on their power that they no longer have the basic notions
of how to do things by hand.
“Me? Captain?” Taemon asked. “How
can I move a boat without psi?”
Amma rolled her eyes. “Ever heard of
an oar?”
“Or? Or what?”
Vangie and Amma laughed, but Taemon
shrugged. How under Blue Skies was he supposed to know these things?
Congratulations Lana on
your debut novel Freakling! Be sure
to check out the sequel to Freakling. Archon
comes out in October, 2013.
Thank you again, Lana!
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