Reverse the Polarity

I am beginning to think of myself as less of a science-fiction writer and more of a sciencey-fiction writer.  I realized this a while ago as I was talking to a friend who was agonizing over the mechanics of dimensionality in her current book (she was flipping frantically through Stephan Hawking's A Brief History of Time and watching Michio Kaku videos about string theory.)

My advice to her?  Read and watch all the stuff, make your book sound science-y with the things you learn, but don't shred your brain trying to solve a problem that even Michio Kaku hasn't solved.

My thought is that readers and viewers know the reality of things right now; they know that extra-dimensional travel is not (currently) possible or that Mars's lack of a magnetosphere makes terraforming the planet a non-viable prospect, but that's not why they bought the ticket.  They bought the ticket because they wanted to imagine for a while that it is possible.

I think science-fiction needs to look forward, to be creative and spark imagination--and that's not always possible to do while incorporating every known obstacle. Space operas have to project to a future time when deep space travel has become feasible, books about robots have to imagine that the thousand million problems hindering actual AI have been dealt with.  (Doctor Who, of course, is the best example of being science-y--and nobody cares because it is so delightful.)

So there it is.  Be creative, be inspired, look forward.  Use what is known now, but don't be afraid to envisage a world where some of the peskier problems have been already solved.  You'll need your energy for the writing all the love scenes in your robot, terraforming space opera.

From the Page to the Silver Screen

Okay, there seems to be a number of movies being made from YA books this year, a fact I am pretty excited about. I've seen some posts on Facebook and twitter, where people are wondering if they can actually go see the movie of a book they really liked, because, and I quote, "It doesn't follow the story that well."

I won't lie, I too have fallen trap to this way of thinking. This idea that a movie absolutely must follow the book exactly. I've actually come out of movies-made-from-books disappointed. The prime example -- and when I learned that my way of thinking about movies-made-from-books was flawed -- was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

I was so excited to go. I loved all the Harry Potter books. I was pretty mad after that movie, and it wasn't for the reason you might think. See, they got the snake all wrong. ALL WRONG. That was not how I envisioned the snake!

And I was mad, and I let that ruin the movie for me. It was then that I realized that books are not movies, and movies are not books, and each has it's own separate entertainment value. Since then, I have enjoyed every movie-made-from-a-book I've seen.

What? How? Why?

I just don't care if they match. They don't have to line up! That's the beauty of creating the same idea in two different mediums.

Here is a short list of films coming out this year that I just can't wait to see. The real reason? I loved the books for their entertainment value, and I want to experience them again in a different format. That's the real joy of movies-made-from-books. We get to experience our favorite characters, settings, and stories in an entirely new light.

• Vampire Academy -- February 7
• Divergent -- March 21
• The Fault in our Stars -- June 6
• The Giver -- August 15 (oh my heck, I LOVED this book! I can't wait to see this movie!)
• The Maze Runner -- September 19
• Gone Girl -- October 3
• The Hunger Games, Mockingjay, part 1 -- November 21 (I did not realize they were doing this third book in two parts. I guess we'll see how it goes!)

So don't wonder if you should go to a particular movie because you think it won't align with the book. Accept that it won't, and go experience the story again through a new lens.

What do you think? Do you enjoy movies-made-from-books even if they're a bit "off" from the written story? Why or why not?

Writing the Sequel

Is it only me, or does the word "sequel" conjure up cheesy movie posters and George Lucas interviews for anybody else?  Something about the word itself gives me a feeling of low-grade anxiety, like by writing a sequel to Landry Park, I'm inviting Jar Jar Binks in for tea, and possibly some apes from Battle for the Planet of the Apes, and that we're all going to watch the third Matrix movie while we nibble on our petit fours.

So I'm trying to keep some things in mind as I write.

1) The sequel must be its own story.  Our own Leaguer Beth Revis did this beautifully with A Million Suns, the sequel to Across the Universe.  The book isn't just Elder and Amy sighing at rivets and checking their watches--there is a mystery to be solved and the clock is ticking.  A sequel needs to have its own separate arc within the larger arc of the world.

2) BUT the sequel must also continue the first story: In The Wise Man's Fear, Kvothe encounters new places, people and challenges, but his ultimate goal is the same as it was in The Name of the Wind--he has to learn about the Chandrian and find them, all to avenge his family.  The larger themes and problems introduced in the first book need to be addressed and either resolved or have had progress made on them.

3) Deal with the major problems.  The big questions introduced in the first book need to be resolved or--if it's not the final book in the series--at least make some significant progress on answering the major questions.  Harry Potter is wonderful at this.  Each book--each year--brings us closer to the inevitable confrontation between Harry and Voldemort.  The characters gather weapons, learn new information and edge closer to the final battle.

4) Don't forget what made the first thing fun.  I'm going to break one of my own rules here and speak about the fourth Indiana Jones movie, which I went to the theater and saw and wanted to love.  Oh, I wanted to love it so badly.  And to be honest, it's not the worst film ever made.  It has some good quips (got to have quipping), and Karen Allen, and some guys getting eaten by ants.  But it was missing something present in the first three films--a sense of adventure, an earnestness even.  Instead, we got overwhelming amounts of CGI and aliens.

What is the world that the first thing promised?  What is the feeling?  The atmosphere?  The sequel needs to contain the things that compelled you to write the first book and readers to read the first book.

And now with my daily procrastination finished, I'm going to tattoo these rules on my hand and get to work.

Interview with LANDRY PARK author, Bethany Hagen

Okay, so I'm here today with Bethany Hagen, fellow League member and the author of LANDRY PARK! Her debut just came out on Tuesday, and you really need to read it! I devoured it in one day, anxiously turning the pages (or, uh, swiping the screen) to find out what would happen next!

About LANDRY PARK: Sixteen-year-old Madeline Landry is practically Gentry royalty. Her ancestor developed the nuclear energy that has replaced electricity, and her parents exemplify the glamour of the upper class. As for Madeline, she would much rather read a book than attend yet another debutante ball. But when she learns about the devastating impact the Gentry lifestyle—her lifestyle—is having on those less fortunate, her whole world is turned upside down. As Madeline begins to question everything she has been told, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana, who seems to be hiding secrets of his own. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty—her family and the estate she loves dearly—and desire.

Fans of Ally Condie, Kiera Cass, Veronica Roth, and even Jane Austen will be enthralled by this breathtaking read.

Add to your Goodreads shelf!

Buy the book!

I asked Bethany a few questions about the book, so let's start there.

1. So LANDRY PARK is set in the future, but it has a very old-fashioned feel. How did you come up with that concept?
The concept came from lots of bored hours working in a museum. Museums are great incubators--they're quiet and they're full of dusty forgotten things that have all these great stories. (I need to get to more museums, stat!) I loved giving tours of the futuristic 1950's All-Electric House and reading articles about bomb shelters and quirky radioactive gadgets, and I also loved sifting through pictures of Edwardian debutantes and people attending opera houses during the Gilded Age. Those ideas started to gel together--what if our future did embrace all these facets of the past? What if we took luxury and leisure back to the precedents set in earlier times? (I love the "what-if" game.)

2. The nuclear energy in LANDRY PARK is well-developed and such a fresh take in science fiction. Did you have to do a lot of research on nuclear energy and radiation poisoning?
When I first started writing the book, I had a very limited idea about how nuclear power worked--most of what I had learned about the energy came from watching the Fukushima news coverage and most of what I knew about radiation came from reading John Hersey's Hiroshima. So I quickly learned that I needed to beef up my knowledge; I read books and journal articles and watched DVDs rented from the library. (And actually, it was when I researched the topic more intensely that I discovered the Cherenkov radiation effect, which then went on to play a bigger part in the book.)

3. When did you write LANDRY PARK? What's one scene that you can still remember drafting for the first time?
I started Landry Park in 2011, using seeds from a different novel I was working on in 2010. I still remember this one scene, where the city's playboy--David Dana--helps a girl up after she falls. She's a member of the Rootless (the caste of people forced to handle the city's nuclear waste) and there's a huge stigma about having any sort of physical contact with them. And here's this guy, selfish and wealthy, helping her and touching her and being kind to her. (I LOVE that scene!) I was writing it next to my daughter's crib while she was jabbering to herself instead of going to sleep, and I had to stop halfway through to nurse her...*heavy sigh* and now she's gigantic and in preschool. (Wait until she's taller than you...)

4. Is LANDRY PARK your first novel?
Landry Park is the third novel I've written, but my first published one. I think the first two are destined to stay buried forever. We'll call them "practice novels."

5. Is LANDRY PARK the beginning of a series? Tell us all about everything!
Landry Park will have a sequel! I'm tentatively calling it Landry Park II: The Tulle Returns. I won't say much, since it's still being written, but there's lots of dresses and food and stoic soldier boys, for people who like that sort of thing. (And who doesn't like that sort of thing??! I mean, come on.)

6. Give us a glimpse of your writing and publishing journey that lead to LANDRY PARK being published.
After I finished Landry Park, I made a short list of my favorite agents. I sent it to the very very favorite one who read it and liked it, but saw room for the book to grow. She offered me a chance to revise it and then send it back to her. I did, and she loved it enough to represent me! I dropped my contract for her in the mail on Thursday, she submitted to editors on Friday and then we had an offer on Monday morning from my dream house. It was surreal.

About Bethany: Bethany Hagen was born and raised in Kansas City. She grew up reading Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, and all things King Arthur, and went on to become a librarian. Landry Park is her debut novel.

7. When you're looking to decompress by reading, what book do you reach for?
Jane Eyre or Lord of the Rings. And of course, my bible--Entertainment Weekly. (Nice! I really need to pay closer attention to pop culture.)

8. If you could be a contestant on Survivor, what's the one item you'd take with you?
Oh, this is hard, because the reasonable part of me says "toothbrush" but my heart says "a bottle of Macallan 12."

9. A guilty pleasure?
Sweatpants. Although my amount of guilt about wearing them drops every day I'm on a deadline. (Hey, at least you put on pants... just sayin'.)

10. Bacon or chocolate?
BACON. (Yes! *fistpump* A girl after my own heart.)

So there's the scoop. You really, really need to get a copy of LANDRY PARK. You will not be disappointed. Fans of romance, dystopian novels, intrigue, danger, and gorgeous writing will love it.

Landry Park: In Geek-Gown Heaven

I am so excited about the release of Landry Park this week! For two reasons.

1. I love, love, love 19th century English literature, as in all things Austen and Brontë.
2. Radiation.

That's right.

Bethany Hagen wove two things together — the formal, unforgiving structure of the society from years gone past, along with the glowing blue light of radiation that marked the transformation of a chaotic country into one filled with order and an unbreachable class system.

I've been fascinated and entranced by life in the 1900s. How making a match in upper class families was a careful dance of rank and money. How they dressed! And how women would find their strength within a society that kept them confined and often powerless.

Mixing that with a futuristic sci-fi thriller is a corseted dream come true. Now...onto the radiation!

The Cherenkov Lantern is mentioned throughout Hagen's book, and I won't spoil much except to say that Cherenkov radiation is a real thing. See the pretty blue on Landry Park's cover? It's the same blue that glows from real Cherenkov radiation:

Blue light from the radioactive core of a nuclear reactor.
Source: Wikipedia

So pretty! And so...radioactive. It's a very key piece to the evolution of this story and Madeline's struggle within it.

If you'd like to read a book that ties together the fascinating bindings of a class society, along with intrigue, a solid dystopian world, romance, and a smart heroine struggling with her own duties to her family, you are going to adore this book. I did!

About LANDRY PARK:

Sixteen-year-old Madeline Landry is practically Gentry royalty. Her ancestor developed the nuclear energy that has replaced electricity, and her parents exemplify the glamour of the upper class. As for Madeline, she would much rather read a book than attend yet another debutante ball. But when she learns about the devastating impact the Gentry lifestyle—her lifestyle—is having on those less fortunate, her whole world is turned upside down.  As Madeline begins to question everything she has been told, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana, who seems to be hiding secrets of his own. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty—her family and the estate she loves dearly—and desire.

Fans of Ally Condie, Kiera Cass, Veronica Roth, and even Jane Austen will be enthralled by this breathtaking read.

Buy now at:

Amazon - IndieBound - Barnes & Noble - Books-A-Million - Book Depository

The Characters of Landry Park by Bethany Hagen

LANDRY PARK was fascinating to me because it's a dystopian told from the rare point of view of one of the haves rather than the have-nots. In the future, the gentry control society and the less wealthy work as merchants or governesses. Then there's the untouchable caste, The Rootless, condemned to their fate of working with nuclear radiation by the sins of their ancestors.

Apart from the inventive world-building and twisty plot, what really made this novel work for me were the complex characters:

Madeline

As the Landry heiress, Madeline must marry by 21 and is forbidden to attend university. She doesn't enjoy the pomp of the gentry, but she loves her estate and is protective of her family. She's conflicted by the poor treatment of the Rootless. On the one hand she feels for them (and donates blood), but on the other she's rightfully afraid of them.

David

David is the new boy in town, and thanks to his family's money, every gentry parent would love their daughters to get their hooks in him. At first, Madeline dismisses him as just as vapid as every other boy in her circle, but she soon learns differently - and finds herself falling for him.

He didn’t fit into our world as he should. Underneath the good looks and the glamour, there was a changeling; a boy by turns serious and bitter and playful. (p 68)

Cara

Cara is haughty and beautiful and seems to be Madeline's main rival for David's affections. She's also harboring a secret. She's a classic mean girl with a twist. 

Jaime

Jaime is Madeline's best friend and distant cousin who works as a doctor taking care of the rootless. He has a secret relationship with another man.

ETA: How could I forget the cat? Morgana! (and *spoiler* she doesn't die!)

Hope you enjoy meeting everyone as much as I did!

Three ways in which LANDRY PARK is both brilliant and unique

So guess what? This beauty hits shelves TODAY!

Can we just take a moment and stare at the pretty?

I jumped at the chance to read an advance copy of fellow league member Bethany Hagen's Landry Park, and let's just say that I was not only hooked from the very beginning, but BLOWN AWAY. Bethany created a world and characters that are so real, with descriptions that make you feel like she must've been there while she was writing. It's a rare thing to read a world that is so complete that it transports you there so fully. But that's just the tip of the brilliance iceberg. Here are three reasons why Landry Park is both brilliant and unique:

1. It's a FUTURISTIC REGENCY. Yep-- you read that right. Downright fascinating, no? Landry Park takes place a little over 200 years in the future, but with a caste system with strong roots in the early 1900s. It was so fascinating to read so many regency elements mixed with both technology we know now and futuristic technology. It was a delightful mix, and I would've loved it just for those elements alone.
2. You know how it is-- one man's utopia is another man's dystopia. We've all read plenty of dystopias where the main character is oppressed by the government, and they fight against it. One of the unique things about Landry Park is that the main character, Madeline, is on the utopian side of the fence. She lives at Landry Park-- the most elegant estate in the nation. And she is the daughter of the most powerful man in the country, and the sole heir to Landry Park and all the power that comes with it. And no, it doesn't make Madeline's character any less likeable at all. In fact, her character arc is incredible.
3. Nuclear power, along with radiation and its effects are a big factor in this world. This is a smart book with lots of science that is explained exactly enough to let you truly enjoy the story. The intricacies of this power source introduces some great conflict in the story, and does it in a way that feels like it could actually happen.

If you're looking for a well plotted, well executed book that grabs you from the start and pulls you along every step of the way, then you're in luck, because this baby is out today! You can find it at any of these places, or at your local indie:

Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Book Depository

And you can find out more about Bethany Hagen and Landry Park here:

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