Interview and contest: Sophie Littlefield's new young adult thriller, BANISHED

I'm thrilled to bits to be introducing today's featured author, Sophie Littlefield. Not only has Sophie won the RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Award and received nominations for awards as prestigious as the Edgar and the Anthony, but she and I share the same literary agent, the fabulous Barbara Poelle. October 12 will mark Sophie's debut in both young adult literature and undead fiction when Delacorte Press releases Banished.

Sixteen-year-old Hailey Tarbell can't wait for the day she'll leave Gypsum, Missouri, far behind, taking only four-year-old Chub, the developmentally delayed little boy her cruel drug-dealing grandmother fosters for the state money. But when a freak accident in gym class leaves a girl in critical condition, Hailey feels drawn to lay her hands on the injured girl and an astonishing healing takes place...

Sophie chatted with me about Banished, her writing experiences, and good, old-fashioned zombie entertainment.  She's offering a FREE SIGNED COPY of Banished, so be sure to check out the contest rules at the end of the interview.

SUBURBAN VAMPIRE: Just from reading the synopsis for Banished, it's clear you have a diverse cast of characters in this novel. Did your earliest ideas for the book start with the characters, or did the story come first?

SOPHIE LITTLEFIELD: This book has been through many changes since the first version. The basics have remained the same – it’s set in rural Missouri, where a clan of people descended from Ireland have powers that they’ve long forgotten how to use – but many of the specifics have changed during the rewriting.

For one thing, the Ireland backstory is no longer explored on the page. I have pages and pages of notes about it, as well as prologs and chapter fragments, which was helpful because I know exactly how and why the people of Gypsum, Missouri, are in the straits they are in. I’d love to return to that story in a future book, or perhaps share it on my web site.

SV: Tell us a little about your protagonist, Hailey Tarbell.

SOPHIE: Hailey is a sixteen-year-old orphan being raised by her grandmother, who is sickly and mean and deals drugs out of the basement. Hailey has no friends, no money for clothes or entertainment, and Gram won’t let her leave the house except for school and errands. To make matters worse, kids from the bad part of town act like they know a terrible secret about Hailey and won’t talk to her. The only good thing in Hailey’s life is her foster “brother” Chub, who Gram took in so she could receive money from the state for his care. Chub is four years old but developmentally delayed, so when the book opens, Hailey is splitting her time between her studies, taking care of Chub, and taking care of the house.

SV: Hailey discovers a talent for bringing the dead back to life. Can you give us any hints about Banished's version of the undead?

SOPHIE: The undead were a lot of fun to write, although they are not the central focus of the story. . . they are fairly classic zombies in some ways. They are people who are healed after the moment of death, and while their bodies do eventually decompose, they do so at a far slower rate than ordinary dead. During that time, they exist in a soulless state, able to respond to commands but incapable of emotion or original thoughts.

SV: Were you a fan of zombies before diving into Banished?

SOPHIE: Oh, yes! I’m old enough to have been around for the original George Romero movies, but it was comic books that really whetted my appetite for modern zombies. A few years ago I was browsing with my kids in a comic shop in Santa Cruz, California, and the clerk introduced me to several comics that featured zombies. I loved them all – the different interpretations, the artwork, the story lines. By the time we left the shop, I knew I had to write my own story.

(The truth is that I had so much fun thinking about zombie stories that I have an adult series coming out next year that features post-apocalyptic zombie-like people…it’s called Aftertime and it will be out in March from Harlequin Luna.)

SV: Banished takes place in the small town of Gypsum, Missouri--otherwise known as "Trashtown." How did you decide upon that particular setting?

SOPHIE: I grew up in rural Missouri, in the town of Columbia, where Missouri University is located. Columbia is a wonderful town, and my siblings and I feel lucky to have spent our early years there. We traveled all over Missouri, mostly on camping trips with our Dad, and I have lovely memories of exploring rivers and parks and graveyards and historic sites.

When I was fourteen, I got the first of several jobs where I worked with people who lived outside the city limits, often just scraping by. Those people and those experiences were very influential; I’ve never forgotten the women I met who were trying to raise families on waitressing tips, or the kids who knew how to skin a deer by the time they were eight years old. I was fascinated to think about a life so different from my own, and that has been a lifelong preoccupation, especially since I and my brother and sister all left Missouri to live in much larger cities.There are many aspects of rural life that I loved, and I hope those come through in my writing.

For this book, I wanted to write about a very small town, a place where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Gypsum is completely made-up, though it shares bits and pieces with places from my memory.

SV: Unforsaken will follow Banished. Was the plan all along to have Hailey's story extend into two novels?

SOPHIE: Originally we had conceived of a three-book series, but when my agent talked through the idea with my publisher, they felt it would be stronger as a two-book series. The people at Delacorte are fantastic, and they have a lot of experience with series (they publish the Eragon and City of Ember series, Lauren Kate’s Fallen, and many more) – so I was quite happy to take their guidance. I just turned in the final edits on Unforsaken, and I think it was the right choice to have it complete Hailey’s journey.

SV: Your debut novel, the adult thriller A Bad Day for Sorry, went on to receive nominations for numerous awards, including the Edgar Award, the Anthony Award, and RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Award. The novel's sequel, A Bad Day for Pretty, followed. Did writing for a teen audience feel much different than penning these adult tales?

SOPHIE: In some ways writing the Bad Day series is a much different experience from writing for young people, and in some ways the process is exactly the same.

When I sit down to write, I get as far as I can “into the head of” my character, whether it’s a menopausal widow or a struggling teenager. I think that both of these protagonists share elements of my own personality.

I remember very acutely what it felt like to struggle to fit in, to feel like I lacked something almost magic that everyone else had, the secret to growing up. When I’m working on Hailey’s story, I try to be open to the memories and experiences that shaped my life as a younger woman. I try to remember the emotions and priorities I had then and reproduce them as faithfully as I can in my work. I talk to my kids about whether scenes or character choices ring true for them, and I always ask them about the language I use and the style choices my characters make.

Writing the fifty-year-old Stella Hardesty character for my mysteries is easier in some ways, because I know exactly how she feels much of the time, and I don’t have to dig very deep to tap into middle-age sensibilities. But that can be a trap. When character work is too comfortable, the author can forget to push herself, to match motivations to action. So I try to always take a step back and review my work as an observer, looking for any false notes I might have inadvertently struck.

SV: What was the most surprising aspect you learned about writing young adult fiction?

SOPHIE: I knew already from attending signings for young adult authors that teen readers are smart, unapologetic, and keen to find authentic voices and stories. So I was definitely aware from the start that writing for a younger audience has nothing to do with dumbing down or sanding the edges off a controversial idea.

What did surprise me was how moving the experience of writing the stories that spring from my long-ago self would be for me. I was amazed that the emotions of that time still have the immediacy and the ability to touch me now, so many decades later.

It has made me re-think a few things…I believe the reason adults are reading young adult fiction is that we never “outgrow” the themes of that time. They are not immature versions of adulthood. They are legitimate and real and steadfast, and I am much more aware of the many versions of self, and I cherish the newness, the sensitivity, the depth of those I experienced earlier in life and which, I hope, color Banished and Unforsaken.

SV: Where can readers learn more about you and your novels?

SOPHIE: Please visit my web site: www.sophielittlefield.com. There are links to my facebook, twitter, and blogs, as well as excerpts.

SV: Thank you so much for joining me at Suburban Vampire, Sophie. Best wishes for you and Banished.

SOPHIE: Thank you so much!

CONTEST RULES:
To enter Sophie's contest for a signed copy of Banished, head to the comments section and tell us your favorite zombie movie.  If you're not a fan of zombie movies, or if you're new to the zombie genre, feel free to leave a comment for Sophie instead.  U.S. and Canadian entries only please.
DEADLINE: Thursday, October, 14, 2010