by Dave Amaditz & Marcy Collier
Marcy and I are excited and proud to unveil the premier post
for our new feature - First Friday -
Five Favorite Things - Debut Novel Day. In this monthly series, we ask five
simple questions about a debut novel that will hopefully entice anyone reading
this post to pick up the novel and read it themselves. We also want to give our
readers some insight into the author's writing style and voice as well as how
some of the characters might think or act. We do this by presenting, first,
answers to our Five Favorite Things,
followed by the author's answers in a follow-up post.
This month we're pleased to highlight debut author, Jill
Hathaway's, novel Slide.
1) What is your favorite line or paragraph from the novel as it relates to
the main character's development and/or growth?
Dave - This
passage comes from fairly early in the novel, but gives me so much insight into
what the main character is thinking and feeling.
"My
left hand hovers over my sister's shoulder. I feel like I should rub her back
the way Sophie's mother rubbed hers when she was upset, but I can't quite bring
myself to do it. Something in the gesture would be false. I can't offer her the
comfort she needs right now. In order to give something, you need to have it
inside of you to give. And right now there's nothing inside me at all."
Marcy - Vee treasures her mom’s CD
collection, but right now she knows that her sister needs the music more. Vee
understands that her sister doesn’t remember as much about their mom, and she
gives up this treasured keepsake to help her sister.
“When
I’ve loaded the CDs all back into the box, I push the flaps closed and carry it
to my sister’s room. She hasn’t returned from breakfast yet, so I place the box
on her unmade bed and leave the room. I’ve attached a pink Post-it note. It
says: This is who she was. Love, V.”
2)
What is your favorite chapter ending or cliffhanger?
Dave - There
were many great chapter endings, but I chose this one from early in the novel.
"I
hear the man set the phone down. A second passes, stretching out into forever.
Another second. Another.
And
then the screaming begins."
Marcy - This
ending kept me up at night. I had to see what happened next!
“But she won't wake up, no matter how hard I
shake her. I grab her arms and drag her off the couch. I can barely see my way
to the door. Gasping, I take in a mouthful of blackness. The smoke invades my
lungs, and I feel myself choking. Everything goes black.”
3) Who is your favorite secondary character and why?
Dave - Rollins
is my favorite secondary character because he is so strong and confident at
times, yet so vulnerable at others to being hurt by the ones he loves. He's
just like one of us.
Marcy - Rollins is
my favorite secondary character. He is this quirky, eclectic guy who has a
heart of gold and can be quite a rebel. He has a unique style and shows Vee how
much he cares about her through his thoughts, words and actions like finding
vintage t-shirts for her or making sure she's okay after she blacks out. We see
he has an even bigger heart when we learn about his home situation, but I won't
spoil it for those of you who haven't read the novel yet!
4)
What is your favorite line or paragraph of description?
Dave - There
were so many to choose from, but in the end, I picked this passage, as it gives
me a snapshot of the main character's life.
"I
scoop the pancakes onto a plate. I spend a long time standing in front of the
refrigerator, looking at a picture of my mom when she was in college, tan and
skinny and smiling, with blond hair and a white tank top. Below it, there's a
picture of my sister at her eighth-grade graduation. Dad and I stand on either
side of her, giving her double bunny ears. On any other fridge, this would look
like a happy collage of memories, but on our fridge it's a mockery of what once
was, what could have been. A happy family."
Marcy – I loved this line – it painted
such a clear picture for me of the two girls.
“The girl is Mattie. She is my sister and my exact opposite in
every way. If she’s the pink glitter on your valentine, I’m the black Sharpie
you use to draw mustaches on the teachers in your yearbook.”
5)
What is your favorite line of dialogue?
Dave - This is
spoken by the main character Vee.
"It's
just a really weird time for me," I say finally. "With this whole
Sophie thing and my sister freaking out. I feel like I'm stuck in this
nightmare and everyone's insane but me. Or maybe I'm the one who's insane. I
don't know."
Marcy - Need I say more? Who wouldn' t be intrigued by this line.
"Really? Conjoined twins?”
Look for Slide
author Jill Hathaway's responses for First
Friday - Five Favorite Things - Debut Novel Day on Monday, January 7, 2013!
You can find Jill at:
Twitter - @jillscribbles
