Today we have Sean Cummings, Canadian author of urban fantasy and now...young adult! I had the privilege of snagging an early review copy and I think Sean has something special here. We have interviewed Sean before here and my review of Poltergeeks is here. I wanted to ask a few things about the writing of Poltergeeks.
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| isn't this a gorgeous cover?! |
Sharon: Why did you decide to write a YA?
Sean: To see if Icould do it, mostly. I had a cool ideafor a book and there was just no way on earth that it could ever be an adultstory so I decided to write something for young adults. I’m pretty luckybecause POLTERGEEKS is my first young adult novel and it’s the book that foundme an agent and got a great publishing deal as well. I think most authors arewanting to grow as a writer and to explore the boundaries of their writing –that’s another reason why I wanted to take a stab at writing YA. I found thatthe first draft, however, sounded too middle grade so I rewrote it. Even thefinal product needed a lot of tweaking – my editor Amanda Rutter urged me toinclude swearing, for example. I’m forty five – I’d forgetting that I used tocurse up a storm when I was in my teens. Things like that helped Julie’s voicebecome more believable – more authentic.
Sharon: Why did you choose a female POV?
Sean: A couple of reasons – first, it wouldn’t have workedwithout a female protagonist. I really wanted to write a teen witch story and Ijust couldn’t see a boy in Julie’s place. The second reason is because I wantedJulie to have an uncomplicated romantic life with a dorky boy who adores her.That was in there from the very first draft – a wickedly smart nerd who lovesher with all his heart,
Sharon: Did you have to change your writing style to move toYA?
Sean: Yes and no. Iknow, that’s not really an answer, but yes because I had to write for what Ibelieved a young adult audience would want to read. That meant I had to make mycharacters sound younger. At the same time, there are a huge amount of adultfans of YA out there, so I had to strike a balance between writing for them becauseI didn’t want to disappoint. It’s acurious balance, that.
Sharon: There have been lots of great reviews forPoltergeeks from bloggers, have you gotten any feedback from actual YA readersyet?
Sean: Not yet. Idon’t know if that’s because there are fewer YA bloggers out there or not.
Sharon: Are you working on any other YA projects?
Sean: I’ve completedthe second in the series, STUDENT BODIES. Amanda Rutter, my editor at StrangeChemistry has it and I expect to begin revisions some time this fall. I’mplotting a third book right now – no title yet. I’ve also got a YA novel calledTHE NORTH which I have to start revisions on for my agent. That would be thefirst book in a trilogy – a post-apocalyptic series in the aftermath of azombie apocalypse. The book features a teen army reserve unit that goes hatchesdown and bust out of their zombie infested city only to find the zombies aren’tthe only enemy they have to deal with if they intend to survive.
Sharon: Anything else you would like to add?
Sean: I hope everyonefalls in love with POLTERGEEKS. It’s a wild ride of a book! Thanks for theinterview!!
Releases October 2, 2012
15-year-old Julie Richardson is about to learn that being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be. When she and her best friend, Marcus, witness an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection.
In fact, there's a whisper of menace behind increasing levels of poltergeist activity all over town. After a large-scale paranormal assault on Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to the spell Endless Night. Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible or Julie won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life.
about the author:
Sean Cummings is a comic book geek, superhero junkie, zombie fan and a total nerd. (He’s also a gold mine of completely useless information about films made prior to 1960. Don’t get him started on “Arsenic and Old Lace” because he won’t shut up about it. ) He’s been writing since 1978 (as a means of liberating his “inner nerd”).
His interests include science fiction, the borg, cats with extra toes, east Indian cuisine and quality sci-fi movies/television. He’s a Barclay’s Premier League fan with a soft spot for Blackburn, Norwich City FC and Tottenham Hotspur. (Though the latter consistently break his heart more often than not.) When he’s not collecting comic books or attending the latest science fiction convention, he can be found in his home office, writing away like a man possessed.
Strange Chemistry is a global imprint dedicated to the best in modern young adult science fiction, fantasy and everything in between.
We launch in September 2012, with physical books across a wide variety of formats, e-books as standard, and with selected titles made available as audiobooks.
The Strange Chemistry editor is Amanda Rutter (interview with Amanda about SC) and agents with appropriate YA titles to propose can offer them through amanda.rutter@angryrobotbooks.com
Please note: We are not currently accepting proposals except through an agent.
Contest
Go to Sean's website here
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Sean's adult urban fantasy novels
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