Friday, March 2

The 21 Minus Blog Tour

Hey guys! I know I have never mentioned this before, but weeks ago, I was nominated by someone to participate in the 21 Minus Blog Tour, hosted by Anna Waggener (author of Grim). The blog tour itself is pretty self-explanatory: writers under the age of twenty one were gathered together and interviewed. Also, along with the blog tour is a pretty amazing giveaway. The giveaway list is here (and there are some really great books on the list ^-^).

Although we were all interviewed, however, the process itself was slightly different. We were each assigned one person to interview, but the interviewee was not allowed to know the interviewer. In other words, at this very moment, I still have no idea who interviewed me. But if that person is reading this blog post right now, then thank you for your lovely questions. I really enjoyed answering them! And if whoever nominated me is also reading this post (I believe I know who it is, but I'm not entirely sure) thank you so much as well.

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And I interviewed Taryn! Not only is she a writer, but she is also a literary agent intern and she already has an agent for her novel. Which, to be put simply, is just amazing.

Q: Why, exactly, do you write? What made you decide to write or aim to be a lit agent? 


A: I love stories, and I’d rather have a job I enjoy than something that makes me miserable or is just done to make money.

Q: Is there one thing that always ends up feeding your muse whenever you write?

A: Nope.
Q: What is your current take on the Harry Potter vs. Twilight debate? And which one do you prefer?

A: The HP-vs-Twilight debate has been dead for years. The nice thing about reading is that it’s subjective so there’s no point in saying which is better, blah blah blah. I have never been a fan of love triangles, vampires, or characters who must be saved, so I prefer Harry Potter. But it’s not a debate in my mind—not since my junior year of high school (2008-2009).

Q: If there was one person you could be from your WIPs, who would that person be and why?
A: I write a lot of strong female characters. Since I’m toward the end of swim season right now, and I have a few swimmer protagonists, I’d have to choose between them. Lottie’s Olympic level, but she hates her sport. And Tessa’s not quite as fast but she lives on swimming . . . and she’s very independent. So I’d go with Tessa right now. Tessa at the end of the MS, after her journey.
Q: If you had to describe your latest WIP in one word, what would it be?
A: Motivated
Q: What is your take on love triangles and the current Young Adult books out there? Have you noticed any recent YA cliches?
A: As I said earlier, I’m not a fan of love triangles, simply because of their pervasiveness. Sometimes they work, but when it’s just the typical bad guy-good guy choice, I’m not a fan because that doesn’t happen. The way your question is phrased, it sounds like love triangles and YA are hand-in-hand (it sounds condescending, actually), and they’re not. Be careful to read everything. Publishers hype what sells—it’s always ridiculous to me when Hunger Games uses the love triangle as a selling point. That’s not even close to what it’s about. There are amazing YA books out there.
Q: Quick! If a meteor were to come hurtling out of the sky right this moment heading towards you, your family, and your friends, what would you do?
A: Depends how much time there would be. For instance, if you actually mean “sky,” there would be no time to react. But if scientists realize we’ll be hit in like 24 hours, I would spend my last day with friends.
So, thank you Taryn for your answers, and Anna for this amazing tour! And once again, the link to her blog is here, where you should be able to read her very own blog post and interview questions for the 21 Minus Blog Tour. And don't forget about the giveaway on Anna's blog!

- E

14 comments:

  1. That's an interesting point on how publishers hype up what sells. It makes sense, really, but I still wish there was less romance in the Hunger Games - because it's not really what it's about, as Taryn said. I don't like the idea of it being "The New Twilight". And I hope the love triangle isn't played up in the movie!

    Nice interview :)

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    1. Sadly, Nick, you know it will be. Though I don't care. I'm gonna watch it anyway. :D

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    2. The love triangle is a nice subplot and adds an extra layer to the story. It's not the center of the story (like it is in, say, Twilight), and I think it would be impossible for even the movies to make it out to be all about the romance.

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  2. Yeesh. I hope I never hear The Hunger Games called The New Twilight again. Heck, they were calling Twilight The New Harry Potter. NOPE. I think this is a failure of people to recognize that everything in YA isn't the same genre. Harry Potter is a school story/fantasy-adventure. Twilight is a romance. The Hunger Games is a dystopian/adventure/commentary on society. The only thing they have in common is that they're bestsellers. We can't just keep calling new bestsellers after the bestseller before them; that sells each series short.

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    1. I agree completely. The Harry Potter-Twilight-Hunger Games debate/connection should be long gone by now. The books are their own, and no way should they be connected with each other like that :]

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  3. I'm aiming to be a children's book editor for the same reason that you're aiming to be a literary agent. One of my best friends is a swimmer. She seems to really enjoy it and was rather upset she didn't make state this year.

    Ella, I haven't found your interview yet, but I'm making the rounds still.

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  4. It would've been too hard for me to decide which character of mine I'd want to be! I mean, there are some things I have in common with certain characters, but I really like being myself!

    Also, great questions/answers!

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  5. I agree with your answer about love triangles. Circumstances like that aren't common, if they happen at all--and some (not all, of course) YA emphasizes it.

    Found your blog through the Under 21 tour. New follower! :)

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    1. Thank you so much for following ^-^

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  6. I agree with Taryn when it comes to love triangles....I'm not a huge fan. They can make the protagonist seem very whiny.

    Great blog! New follower from the tour.

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    1. Thank you! And I agree--sometimes whiny protagonists really can stem from love triangles.

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  7. Ella, I love the banner of your blog, btw!

    I love the "which character would you be?" question. Not one you often see, and I think Taryn handled the answer beautifully :)

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    1. Thanks Anna ^-^
      I'm impressed Taryn was actually able to choose a character; I agree with Mariah. I know I definitely wouldn't be able to.

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  8. Tag, you're it!
    Check it out if you get the chance, if you decide to answer let me know :)

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