Young Adult Book Reading Challenges discussion

Sarah Ockler will be joining us through the whole month of February for a Q&A!! She is the author of our book club pick Bittersweet. Feel free to post your questions about any of her books or any questions about writing you may have.

Welcome Sarah!

I loved Bittersweet and the writing style so much that I've already purchased Twenty Boy Summer and Fixing Delilah (and plan on pre-ordering The Book of Broken Hearts) and I'm in the middle of devouring Fixing Delilah. My question is centered around Bittersweet. Hudson clearly has issues with her father (understandably so) and I was surprised that when she was going through her ah ha! moment she didn't take the opportunity to call him and give him a piece of her mind. My question is did you have a point where you were writing (or even during touch ups) where you debated having a scene where she confronted him (whether through his blog or over the phone) about abandoning her and Bug? If so, what happened to keep that out of the book? If not, have you ever looked back and second guessed that decision?

Thanks so much for writing such a fantastic book and I'm happy to say I am simply enchanted with your writing!

Hi Meaghan! I'm so glad you loved Bittersweet, and I hope you enjoy the others just as much!

To answer your question about Hudson's relationship with her father, no, I've never second-guessed my decision to leave that plotline intentionally unresolved.

When I write a novel, I'm showing only a small part of a character's life, though I imagine their arcs continuing on long after the final page (probably because I spend so much time with these characters -- it's like they're real in my head!).

For the story of Bittersweet, Hudson needed to come to terms with her own issues about her parents' divorce and her father's abandonment before she could ever confront him directly. She had to make mistakes and face her fear of failure, and to finally realize that she was blaming her father for her own decision to leave the ice -- a decision she had the power to reverse. I like to think that she'll eventually confront him, but that's not what this particular story was for. She needed to come to terms with her own inner challenges, including the way she treated (and was treated by) the people in her immediate life (her mother and best friend, primarily) and her growing feelings for Josh. That's why I decided not to address the issues with her father directly. I left it open-ended for the future. :-)

Thanks again for reading and for posting such a great question!

dear sarah
i absolutely love your writing and books, i fell in love with twenty boy summer and fixing delilah. then you top it off and write this amazing book bittersweet. i couldnt put it down. my question has ore to do with all of your books. i am really curious to know how you came up with the characters (main) and their journey? What character can you relate to more.?
waiting anxiously for your next book!

What inspired you to write bittersweet? Do you have playlists when you write? Any hints for your next book?

Hi Sarah! I'm so excited that you're joining us this month. Thank you for already posting responses. This is the first book of yours that I have read and I'm already a fan. I'll definitely read others.

I was wondering, what went into your decision to set Bittersweet in Buffalo, New York?

Also, I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciated that Hudson ate like a normal person (and I don't mean because she ate cupcakes). It's a small thing, but showing that an ice skater eats like a regular person was a big deal to me.

Okay, this question is for your opinion. If you could try any of Hudson's cupcakes, what flavor would it be??

Hi Devyn! I'm so glad you loved the books so much! Thank you for reading them!

The way I come up with the characters and their journey is kind of a process! Generally, characters come first for me, plot later. A new character will start popping up in my head at the most random times -- in the shower, on the way to falling asleep at night, out walking. I'll jot down a few notes about what I'm seeing and imagining, and then let it kind of simmer. After awhile, I'll start asking things like -- what does this character want? What are her psychological and moral flaws (basically, how is she hurting herself and others)? And the biggie: what kind of external plot situation could attack these flaws the most, and how could these flaws become an even bigger obstacle to the character achieving her goals? That question helps me keep the inner character journey on track with the external plot journey.

After I brainstorm and free write ideas, I'll get more structured. I'll work through different craft techniques/books (my faves are John Truby's ANATOMY OF STORY, Donald Maass' THE FIRE IN FICTION, and Blake Snyder's SAVE THE CAT, all of which have outlines and exercises). I've created several worksheets and writing prompts from these books, and I do a TON of pre-writing with them before I ever start writing actual scenes.

In terms of relating to characters, that's hard to answer! Each of my narrators has a little piece of myself in her. I relate to all of them in different ways. It's hard for me to write about someone if I don't feel like I can connect and understand where she's coming from.

Thanks for asking! :-)

Anthony wrote: "What inspired you to write bittersweet? Do you have playlists when you write? Any hints for your next book?"

Hi Anthony! I was inspired to write Bittersweet by a few different things that came together at the right time, in the right place! Kind of like a perfect storm. First, I was living back in Buffalo when I started writing it, and the winter there was just... ugh! I'd forgotten how isolating it can feel! That inspired Hudson's desire to find a way to escape her town! Second, I went to college in Buffalo and had waitressed much of that time, so while I lived there again, my old waitressing memories came back in full force and made their way into the story. Third, my first novel, Twenty Boy Summer, was released that summer just before I started working on Bittersweet. I'd baked about 200 cupcakes for my launch party, and we had tons of leftovers. I swear I lived on cupcakes for about three months after that, hence, cupcakes on the brain! They ended up in the story too. :-) It's funny the things from real life that find a way into books!

I do have book playlists! Here's the one I did for Bittersweet: http://dailyfig.figment.com/2012/02/2...

My next book is called THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS. It comes out this May. You can read more about it here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15...

And now I want a cupcake. :-)

Hi Kim - thanks for being a fan! I really appreciate it and I'm glad you liked Bittersweet! :-)

I was inspired to set the story in the Buffalo area after moving back there for a time in 2009. I'd just started working on Bittersweet after Twenty Boy Summer came out (that was in June, but winter hits fast in Buffalo, and by August it was already getting chilly!). Being snowed in reminded me of how isolating living there could be, and I started thinking about this girl who really wanted to find her golden ticket out of there. :-) Living in Buffalo again also brought back many of my college waitressing memories -- more inspiration for the story. I also wanted to write a winter book since my first two took place in the summer. I thought it would be fun to set it in a place where winter becomes almost like a character itself.

And yes, it was important to me that Hudson be a real girl -- one who was athletic and competitive, but also liked cupcakes and French fries and didn't obsess over calories. :-)

Stephanie wrote: "Okay, this question is for your opinion. If you could try any of Hudson's cupcakes, what flavor would it be??"

Hi Stephanie! I'd be all over the Lights, Camera, Cupcakes recipe! The perfect blend of sweet and salty. I keep meaning to make it one of these days. YUM!

Thanks for answering our questions so far, Sarah.

Sarah, I love this book! I am a fellow Colorado resident... and I was wondering if you have any Cupcake diners that you love here? This has inspired me to visit a local one and I hope it inspired other readers to do so as well!!

I read that you are interested in Tarot cards. (http://courtneykoschel.com/blog/inter...) My mom would do readings for my sister and I growing up and I even have my own decks of cards. Do you have a favorite set of cards?

Also.. how do you like the cover for Bittersweet? Did you help make it? I just love the sparkles! Is it a cookie on the cover though? I find that it's strange that a cupcake wasn't used.

Can you tell us the path you had to take to getting your first book published? Why did you chose to write Young Adult literature? Also... are you going on any book tours soon???

Hi, Sarah! Thanks so much for coming to do a Q&A with the group! I've demolisheed your books after reading TBS last year and can't wait for BoBH. Like Eddie, I hope you're going to do a tour! All three of your books are stand-alones (although I know you get asked about a TBS sequel all. The. Time! :D). Is it a conscious decision on your part to format your stories as one-and-dones? I've read all your posts on the possible sequel so I know that's a maybe-one-day kind of thing, but will you ever write an intentional series? Also, are you working on another story for after BoBH? I know authors are usually at least one story ahead in the publishing game because of time requirements with writing, edits, and actual printing.

One last thing: I love your blog post on ethnicity in ya. It was beautifully written and thought-provoking! I hope many writers and reader take your words into consideration.

Hi Sarah!! I'm a huge fan!! I really loved Twenty Boy Summer, and then I think I loved Bittersweet even more!! Mr. Napkins just got me!! Anyway I loved the cupcake idea for Bittersweet and I even showed your book to these ladies who opened a gourmet cupcake shop by my college... they probably thought I was crazy, but I thought they should read your book!!

My question: I've always loved to write so I decided to take this creative writing class at my college. Well all of a sudden I started getting nervous and embarrassed to let the professor or anyone in my class read my stuff. It's weird because I didn't think I would be like that or I wouldn't have taken this class. When you first started trying to become an author did you ever have fears like this?

Sarah, thank you so much for speaking with our group. This is way cool. Bittersweet isn't the usual type of book that I go for, I'm more of a Fantasy girl actually, but I am soooo glad I did read it despite my misgivings of non-genre teen fiction. In fact it jettisoned me into a few other non-genre teen books that I thoroughly enjoyed as well. My favorite thing was the way you started each chapter with a cupcake recipe idea, all of which I wanted to devour immediately.

I am also a writer, so my questions for you come from that direction. When you started writing were you able to devote all of your time to it, or did you have a day job as well? If you did have another job, how did you stay motivated to write and where did you find the time? What is your motivation now? How long did it take to write your first book?

Hi Angie (fist bump for Colorado)!

Funny enough, I don't love CO bakery cupcakes. I find them overly sweet in most cases. But have you tried mini bundt cakes? There's a place in Castle Rock called The Bundt Shop that's delicious!

How awesome that your mom used to do Tarot readings! I learned on the standard Rider-Waite deck, but my two favorites now are the Deviant Moon deck (I mostly use it when I need deep, introspective readings for myself) and my newest, the Joie de Vivre deck, which is light and fun. Do you have any favorites?

And I love the Bittersweet cover! Generally, the publisher handles all the cover design decisions, but I was lucky in that my publisher asked for my input. We went back and forth with different concepts -- cupcakes, hot chocolate (the original ARC features spilled hot chocolate, actually) -- but ultimately, we wanted the cover to evoke certain things about the story more than match actual elements. The cookie image fit because it's a broken heart pieced back together, and it had a very hopeful kind of look. When paired with the shimmery background, it also evoked winter. So, ultimately, the cookie won out! Although, I get asked this question all the time. Cupcakes are quite popular. :-)

Kim wrote: "Thanks for answering our questions so far, Sarah."

You're so welcome! Thanks for including me!

I would like to that Sarah for stopping by the group this February! She has just a few more questions to answer and then she's done. So nice to have her come by... I loved this book Sarah!

Sorry to Eddie, Mary, Michelle, and Ciaran for your questions not being answered. I have let Sarah know there are still a few more and hope they get answered soon!

Eddie wrote: "Can you tell us the path you had to take to getting your first book published? Why did you chose to write Young Adult literature? Also... are you going on any book tours soon???"

Hi Eddie!

I took a traditional path to publication. It took me 4 years to write my first novel, Twenty Boy Summer, with lots of fits and starts and days when I just wanted to give up. I took workshops, I got critique partners. When I finally finished, I started the agent search -- query letters, partials, all that fun stuff. But the thing is, once I got out of my own way and set aside the doubt, and I really committed myself to finishing the book and getting it published, things happened really quickly. My agent search lasted only 18 days. And once we went out on submission to publishers, we had multiple offers in the first few days. So, it really was a whirlwind, but only after I got over some of the doubt and excuses and everything that kept me from writing before!

In terms of why I chose YA, I like to say that YA chose me. That's just the voice I started hearing and connecting with as I wrote. The teen years are such a difficult time, but also an exciting time, filled with drama and die-for-you loyalty and love and craziness and a constant search for meaning. As I write, I hope that my stories resonate with readers and remind them that we’re not alone; we’re all struggling to figure it out and we all share some of the same pain, joy, fear, and love in this wonderful and messed up life.

Finally, yes, I'll be doing a group YA tour some time in May for my latest, The Book of Broken Hearts. We'll be in several cities in southern California, Phoenix, and I'll also be in Denver.

Thanks for stopping by!
-Sarah

Hi Mary!

For me, the story kind of dictates whether it will be a series or a standalone book. All four of my current books are standalones, representing the time and place in the characters' lives that I wanted to capture. I would love to write a series some day, but I don't know that it would be with any of my current books (again, never say never!). I would like to sit down and plan out the series from the outset rather than turn an existing standalone into a longer work.

And yes, I'm working on other stories after The Book of Broken Hearts. I just announced some new book news, actually! I just accepted a two book deal with Simon Pulse. The first book, Love & Other Internet Disasters, tells of a 17-year-old girl caught in a compromising situation with her best friend’s boyfriend on prom night, only to have the evidence go viral. The next one is still super secret. ;-)

And thanks so much for your thoughts on the ethnicity in ya blog post. It's such an important discussion to have, and to keep having, in the YA community.

-Sarah

Hi Michelle! Thanks for sharing the Bittersweet love at your local bakery. :-) Mr. Napkins was one of my favorites, too!

Good for you for signing up for a creative writing class -- that's the first step, and so many writers never get to that point because yes, it can be very intimidating to share your work for the first time. My first real writing workshop (as in, a creative class where we had to share our work for critique from the other students and the group facilitator) was after college, when I was just starting to get serious about my writing. I was the youngest person in the class, and I was soooooo nervous. I was sure everyone would mock me for lack of experience, that I didn't have anything interesting or creative to say, that I was a hack. I would get so sick leading up to the classes when it was my turn to submit something or be critiqued, I couldn't even eat on those days! But, I got over it, because I wanted to get better and study the writing craft. And much to my surprise, people were encouraging and supportive all the way. I know that's not always the case -- there's always a chance of getting a bad group -- but that's the risk you have to take. And look at it this way -- it's better to be nervous now in a class setting where everyone is there to learn than when you're putting a book out there to potential agents or the reading public! :-)

Rest assured that your fears are totally normal and to be expected, and really, the only way to overcome them is to just do it. Try to let go a bit and remember that other students, no matter how confident they may seem on the outside, are probably just as nervous (or even more nervous!) than you are, and the best thing you can do is support and encourage one another.

Best of luck with your writing!

-Sarah

Hey Ciaran! What an honor to hear that Bittersweet inspire you to check out some more contemporary realistic reads! Yay! Though, I also love a great fantasy too. :-) I just finished The Raven Boys and it instantly went to the top of my favorites list.

On to your questions! When I first started writing Twenty Boy Summer, I actually had very little time to work on it day to day. I was working a crazy corporate job with hours clocking in anywhere from 60-70 per week. At the same time, I decided to start my MBA in grad school, so that left me about... oh, fifteen minutes a day to eat, shower, and write. ;-)

TBS took me four years, on and off, to write. The thing is, I really wanted to make it happen, so I made time. I stayed up late to write. I wrote on my lunch hour in the office cafeteria. I skipped TV to write. I even cut down on social activities on weekends. I had to. And after that, when I still was having a hard time making it work and overcoming my insecurities, I decided (with lots of encouragement from my husband) to drop the MBA program. I didn't *love* business like I *loved* writing -- it was just about making more money at work. And *that* was just about having a "fall back" plan because that was the "smart advice" everyone had given me. But my husband helped me realize that if I really wanted to write, I had to make it my top priority, and give it my all, and take the risk. So, I dropped out of the MBA program, finally finished my book, and once I did that, things started happening really quickly!

At that time I sold my book, I'd still intended to keep working full time. However, 2 months later, my company was acquired, and I was laid off. I decided to take the opportunity to see if I could actually be a full time writer. And I surprised myself, because it turned out that I actually *could!*

Now, I have 4 books published, 2 more on the way, and no signs of stopping. :-) What motivates me now is basically the same thing that motivated me back then -- I want to tell stories, and I want people to read them. For that to happen, I have to write. I have to make it my priority. I have to juggle other things to make it happen. I have to recognize when I'm making excuses and procrastinating. Some days it's easy, some days it feels like the hardest thing in the world.

But... it's totally worth it. :-)

Best of luck with your writing too!

-Sarah

Thanks so much to everyone who read Bittersweet and who stopped by with such great questions! It was fun chatting with you! :-)

Happy reading!

Sincerely,
Sarah

Wow that was so nice for Sarah to answer my question!! I am beyond happy right now :) Thank you so much!