YA Titles:
Darling Rebels Summary:
When Charlotte returns to her hometown of Asebrook from boarding school,
she knows what she can expect from her days--lessons from tutors,
criticism from her mother, and listening to the same gossip from the
same people. But there seems to be something different in store for
Charlotte when she meets Adam and Jack, the two boys who will change her
forever. However, when Jack and Charlotte fall in love, they realize
the fight that they are going to have to put up if they want to be
together. During a time when money, society, and how one is viewed as
everything, Charlotte stops at nothing to be with the boy that she knows
she loves. Even so, Jack seems unwilling to sacrifice her future and
happiness since he knows he has nothing to offer. The Darling Rebels
tells the story of bravery and resilience in the face of insurmountable
odds and how far one girl will go for love, even if it means leaving her
seemingly perfect life behind. --
Goodreads
Interview:
What's your writing process (do you generally go through a lot of
drafts and revisions, are you part of writing group)?
I start with little snippets of scenes, which usually come to me while
I'm lying in bed trying to go to sleep. So I'll jot down dialogue in my
Moleskine and then flush it out later in the actual document. I do do a
lot of revisions, but it's a sort of "clean as you go" thing. If I see
something that needs fixing or if I suddenly get inspired to add on to
it, I'll go and revise it. I read something by Zadie Smith, I believe,
that said you should leave a fair amount of time in between writing and
revising, and I really should start doing that because the perfectionism
messes with my head. I am not part of an official writing group, but I
have friends who read scenes or chapters and give me comments/critiques,
and I do the same for them.
What made you want to become a writer?
There's a stereotype that all writers always knew that they wanted to
write. I didn't. I always enjoyed writing, I was always good at English
when I was in grade and high school. I wrote because I had ideas, but I
never thought that they would amount to anything. When I started showing
scenes from
Darling Rebels to my friends and they kept asking
for more, that's when it dawned on me that something I had been doing
for myself could actually be shared with other people. Today, I want to
be a writer, because it's the only thing that could be classified as
work that I enjoy doing. Pursuing an artistic career and lifestyle is
the only thing that interests me, now that I'm about to graduate from
university.
Where did the idea for Darling Rebels
come from? How did
you start the novel?
I was on the bus home from school when I was a sophomore in high school,
I believe. I was daydreaming and it's the first time I actually
remember physically needing to write my idea down. I started the novel
with the scene that popped into my head, which is midway through the
story. I wrote a little more and it was like the characters were already
developed in my head. Then I went back and started from the beginning. I
write sporadically--beginnings and endings are very easy for me to
write. It's the middle stuff that always poses a challenge.
What drew you to write a historical fiction novel?
It was just always that way in my head. The clothes, the scenery, and
the mannerisms--it was just always not in modern day. I know that I
didn't write the most historically accurate novel, but if the story was
set in modern times, there would really be nothing rebellious about the
characters' actions. And the rebellion is obviously the whole point of
the story.
A lot of YA authors today are really involved in the marketing of
their books; they're on Facebook, Twitter, and have their own blogs.
What sort of marketing for Darling Rebels
have you been a part
of?
I used to have an official Twitter, but I didn't really find that it was
helping to market the book. I do have a website--
siobhannichols.com--as
well as an Amazon Author Central page. I'm planning on designing a
Facebook fan page for the book, so that people can 'like' it.
Any really particularly memorable or difficult moments in the
writing or publishing process you want to share?
Actually, once I figured out that I wanted it to be a book, it came very
easily to me. I was really lucky that I didn't struggle through writing
it. I still can't stop writing about those four teenagers; I have their
whole lives planned out for them. The difficulty for me has only come
recently, because as I've gone through university and grown as a writer,
there are many things that I would like to change or embellish about
the book. I want a bigger, more layered, and more historically accurate
story. Like George Lucas always wants to rewrite Star Wars, I always
want to rewrite
Rebels. So I'm going through the difficult
moments right now, where I have to learn to let go and write about
something else for a change.
What one piece of advice would you give aspiring writer?
Never give up, no matter who tells you that you can't do it. Prove them
wrong, because it feels fantastic. The best advice that
I ever
got was from Elizabeth Gilbert's website. She has a section called "On
Writing" and I highly recommend it, because it puts everything about
your dream into perspective for you.
Were you an avid reader as a teen, and what were your favorite
books?
Like I said before, English was my best subject in school (which is why I
majored in it in university), so I did read a lot. My two favorite
books ever are
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, and
The Outsiders by
S.E. Hinton.
Harry Potter also changed my life. I have a picture
of JK Rowling on my wall to inspire me to keep writing and to just
always do the best work that I can.
What are you reading now?
I just finished
The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, as
well as
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. I recently got
into John Green's work and I'm always on the lookout for good historical
fiction novels. I really wish Phillippa Gregory would write a book
about Queen Victoria, because that's my favorite time period and queen.
Oh, and I cannot wait for Sarah Dessen's new book,
Whatever Happened
to Goodbye? I'm really into memoirs and books that are about more
than just love. I need to find some books about people who have just
gotten out of university and how they manage it, because I graduate in
three weeks and I'll need loads of help adjusting to the real world.
Thank you Siobhan and best wishes!
