New Adult Book Club discussion

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Sophie Weeks received a Masters degree in English Literature from Mills College in 2006 and completed her PhD in Victorian Literature at Rice University in 2013. Sophie resides in Payson, Arizona with three furry miscreants, who are wanted in multiple states for criminal adorableness. She is the author of Outside the Spotlight and Unsettled Spirits as well as The Soured Earth.

What book are you reading now?
What book should be adapted to make a movie next & why?

Christina wrote: "What book are you reading now?
What book should be adapted to make a movie next & why?"

Right now I'm reading Charles Williams's War in Heaven. I can't say I exactly recommend it. I love Williams in general--he's a lesser-known Inkling with an astonishing imagination--but this book is less engaging than The Greater Trumps or All Hallows' Eve. It doesn't have the virtuoso passages that carry you along almost physically.

As far as adaptations go, since Alan Bradley's Flavia De Luce series is already heading that way, I'd suggest Sophie Dahl's Playing with the Grownups. It's an amazing, dark, nuanced portrayal of a young girl's life coming unmoored through her mother's irresponsible choices. I feel like Sofia Coppola could do something remarkable with it in film. Sophies unite?

A friend of mine, fellow author Cullyn Royson has written an interesting article on the specific opportunities the New Adult genre provides for writers: http://www.wattpad.com/25536169-about...

Hey Sophie,

What do you think is the definition of the New Adult genre? Do you have an opinion on the two different branches of NA Fiction that have sprung up over the past few years (career and family issues of 20-somethings vs. romances featuring 20-somethings)?

Oh, and if you were a nightshade vegetable, which would you be? ;)

Hey Sophie! Your latest, THE SOURED EARTH, has such a realistic feel and interesting premise--what prompted/inspired you to write a book with that theme? And do you identify at all with Margaret?

Hi, Kate, thanks for the question! I think New Adult is a great genre that has potential to be more than it is at present. The way I would define New Adult is literature dealing with the unique challenges that mark coming to adulthood. You're right that there are two kinds of New Adult--my personal focus in writing is usually on the family/ambitions/faith side of the market rather than the particularly racy stuff. I like romance, but I like it as one part of a larger story.

Your last question required some serious contemplation: eggplant. A good eggplant, correctly prepared, is one of the great pleasures of the vegetable world. I guess I'd like to think I have some of eggplant's versatility and purply charm.

Anne wrote: "Hey Sophie! Your latest, THE SOURED EARTH, has such a realistic feel and interesting premise--what prompted/inspired you to write a book with that theme? And do you identify at all with Margaret?"

Thanks, Anne! I've always liked books that have both a knowing hand with reality and the ability to look beyond it and ask, "What if?" Stephen King is one of the great masters of this (though I can't read many of his books because I am chickenshit). His works wouldn't be half as frightening and engaging as they are if they didn't convince you that he's talking about the world you know.

I identify with my heroine, Margaret, to some extent. Like her, I'm a big dreamer, ready to leave everything behind and go be a part of life.