Please help me welcome author Julie Anne Lindsey to A Buckeye Girl Reads! She is here today talking about Dystopian and World Building! Her newest book Deceived, was released on Sept 18th!
I’m a huge fan of YA, especially where there is
romance, but dystopian has never been my favorite. That all changed last week
when I picked up Divergent by Veronica Roth.
I’ve read dystopian before. Reluctantly. For
example: I read the Hunger Games out of duty because the movie opened that
weekend and I could put it off no more. It interested me enough to buy the
trilogy. Book two captivated me and book three I literally threw at my wall.
More than once. It wasn’t the best overall experience. I’ve read some other
too, like Matched and Delirium, but they didn’t stick either. Not like
Divergent. Divergent stuck.
I’m still kicking myself for an enormous missed
opportunity. Last month, I visited Chicago for the ALA American Library
Association National Conference. If I’d read Divergent before I went, my trip
would’ve been much different. Thanks to Roth’s amazingly vivid depiction of a
dystopian Chicago, I would’ve skipped the shopping and dining and opted instead
for seeing Merciless Mart : ) or stared up at the Hancock Center imagining a
zip line on the 96th floor. Oh, so much wasted time. Who needs
Burberry when I could’ve walked the river and imagined it dried into mud and
puddles?
The whole thing reminds me how very important setting
is in a story. As an author, I wonder if I give setting enough attention. I’m
worried I lack proper imagination because all my stories are set in rural Ohio.
You’ll never guess where I live…. Right? *sigh* I write stories set in Ohio
because I love it here. I know it. I live it. It’s one place I can describe
endlessly from decades of experience. Does that make me a lazy scene setter? Probably.
*hangs head in setting shame*
I will never tackle the world-building required for stories
like Divergent. My imagination is stunted, I think. I’m setting impaired. What?
That’s a thing. Also, and please don’t tell anyone. I have a serious
inferiority complex now. After reading Divergent, I wouldn’t know where to
start. I’d just fall on my face and beg forgiveness if I dared attempt it.
So, I’ll stick with what I know and love. Ohio.
Honestly, Ohio really is a new world to many readers. Deciduous trees and
colored leaves. Hayrides and combines. How many people can’t tilt their chin
skyward at night and see stars? Lots. They see buildings. Everywhere. Did you
know the fireflies I adore aren’t a part of everyone’s life? Some places don’t
even have fireflies and in California…they DON’T LIGHT UP. What!
I know Ohio love is a small thing, but it’s my thing.
I drop characters into my world for lots of reasons, but one of the best
reasons is to invite readers over to my place. Life is beautiful here and I
want to share. In Ohio, the creepiest and most fascinating season to me is
fall. I chose fall to begin my newest release, DECEIVED. In this story, a teen
begins her senior year with that anything-can-happen feeling rolling inside
her. I miss that sometimes. Unfortunately, as the leaves start falling and
trees begin sleeping and night comes earlier and earlier….the monster who
haunts her dreams literally breaks loose into her reality. He’s there to kill
her. Too bad no one bothers to warn her.
If you’re in the mood for a YA suspense, or a
bookish trip to Ohio, I hope you’ll consider DECEIVED.
Thank you so much, Colette, for letting me be a part
of your blog!
DECEIVED by Julie Anne Lindsey
Ever since she could
remember, Elle has had to hop from town to town to keep up with her dad's
demanding career as a corporate insurance agent. Each time, a reoccurring nightmare
followed her wherever she went--until the day that the frightening figures
haunting her at night became all too real. When news of a serial killer spreads
throughout her new school, Elle worries that the Reaper has been leaving her
his calling card in the form of cigarette butts on her doormat and an unusual
ribbon in her locker. With the help of Brian, a boy she meets at a flea market,
she discovers that this isn't her first encounter with the murderer and that
her father has been concealing her true identity for the past twelve years. But
despite her father's desperate attempts to protect her, Elle still comes face
to face with the darkness she has been running from her whole life. Trapped in
the woods and with help hundreds of miles away, will Elle be able to confront
the Reaper and reclaim the life she lost?
About Julie:
Julie Anne Lindsey is a multi-genre author who
writes the stories that keep her up at night. In 2013, Julie welcomes five new
releases in three genres including her newest title, DECEIVED, a YA suspense
from Merit Press, and her first cozy mystery, MURDER BY THE SEASIDE, book one
in the Patience Price, Counselor at Large series from Carina Press (a digital
imprint of Harlequin).
Julie is a self-proclaimed word nerd who would
rather read than almost anything else. She started writing to make people
smile. Someday she plans to change the world. Most days you'll find her online,
amped up on caffeine and wielding a book.
Julie is a member of the International Thriller
Writers (ITW), Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI),
Sisters in Crime (SinC) and the Canton Writer’s Guild.
Find her online:
