by Julie Murphy
This past Friday, June
6, 2014, Marcy and I posted our answers to Julie’s debut novel, Side Effects May Vary. We would like to
congratulate Julie on her debut novel and for providing us with her answers which
will give you even more insight into the heads of her well-developed
characters.
Thank you so much for having me! This was such a
fun feature to do. Below are my answers!
1) What is your favorite line or paragraph from the novel as
it relates to the main character's development and/or growth?
Ya know, I'm going to be really obvious here and
say the first line of the book. I'm really into first and last lines and how
they relate to one another. Here's Alice's first line:
"If ever my parents gave me a religion, it
was the gospel of honesty."
Alice really prides herself on her ability to be
brutally truthful, but she spends so much of the novel lying to herself. That
being said, I really love the juxtaposition of this first line. Hopefully if
you read to the end, you'll see whether or not Alice is finally able to be
honest with herself.
2) What is your favorite chapter ending or
cliffhanger?
A lot of the chapters end on sort of a grim
note, so I chose a lighter one that's always been one of my favorites. Come to
think of it, it's actually stayed intact since the very first draft.
"I laid my head against him and he wound
his arm around my shoulder. 'What's going to happen to us, Harvey?'
He pressed his lips to my head and said, 'It's a
surprise, I think.'"
3) Who is your favorite secondary character and
why?
Natalie, Harvey's mom, is without a doubt my
favorite. She's this total constant and has such a clear understanding of
Alice. And Harvey, too. She sees both of them for the people who they might
some day become. She's also very calculated with her words, which is something
I always gravitate to.
4) What is your favorite line or paragraph of
description?
I would have to say this one Alice line from
when Alice and Harvey go watch the prom from the golf course outside of the
country club where it's being held. I really love this particular section
because Alice is seeing her peers say goodbye to the lives they know in a
completely different way from the way she currently is, but there's still
something there that she can relate to. (Even if graduating and dying
are totally not the same thing!)
"We sat there and watched the juniors and
seniors of Hughley High fall in and out of love, say no and say yes, let go and
hang on. A few couples tripped off into the darkness together while others
stood on the terrace, yelling back and forth as the tension brought on by prom
and graduation slipped between the crevices of their cracking
relationships."
5) What is your favorite line of dialogue?
Well, I can't say my absolute favorite because I
fear it might give too much away, but this one from Harvey when he's especially
frustrated with her.
"You never surprise me, Alice, which is
such a disappointment."
Website: http://juliemurphywrites.com/books/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andimJULIE
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