MEN in YA: Interview + Giveaway with Jon Skovron, author of Misfit

I'm delighted to be joined today by the fabulous Jon Skovron, author of Misfit! If you missed my yesterday's review of Misfit be sure to check it out later - it's a fantastic, entertaining and wild ride you can't afford to miss! Enjoy the interview and be sure to tell me what you thought about Jon's MEN in YA exclusive picture! :) 

Guys, please give a warm welcome to our extraordinary YA Galaxy Defender, Jon Skovron!

E: Evie
JS: Jon Skovron

E: Welcome to Bookish Jon! I’m honored and excited to be able to talk to you today! Three words: I loved Misfit! Gripping, imaginative, elegant – it was a fast-paced and tantalizing read! Could you tell us where did the inspiration for this novel come from?

JS: I'm so glad you enjoyed it! The inspiration for Misfit was a slow and winding road, with many dead ends and wrong turns. I knew I want to tell a story about a half-demon in Catholic school. Initially it was a boy named Dean. When he got upset, smoke would leak out of his mouth. To cover that up, he would pretend to smoke cigarettes. He didn't like constantly getting in trouble for smoking on school grounds, but he knew it was preferable to the priests finding out his mother had been a demon.

But I got stuck with that idea. It just wasn't working, especially with the relationship with the father. Then one night while I was tucking my sons in to bed, I wondered to myself what it would be like to have a daughter and realized I might never know. And so I thought, "Well, I could write story about a father and daughter, and then I might know at least a little bit." The moment I began thinking of the half-demon as a girl, everything just fell into place.

E: How long did it take for you to write Misfit?

JS: From that original story idea with Dean to the final draft published, it took approximately five years. To compare, my first novel, Struts & Frets, was written in less than a year. Of course, that was a much simpler story and required almost no research.

E: Are any of your characters inspired by people in your own life?

JS: My favorite thing to do is to take two people I know in real life, people who have almost nothing in common, and mash them up into one person. Bam! Instant internal conflict! Now, this isn't something I do on purpose. It's just something I've noticed after the fact. And even then, that's just how the character starts, but as I continue writing and revising, the characters evolve in ways that sometimes surprises even me.

E: Which of your characters do you feel is the most like you?

JS: Hmm, that's a tough one. It would be like picking favorites, you know? There are somethings about each of them. My experience growing up in a conservative Catholic environment was much like Jael's experience. Rob and I share many philosophies. And while my parenting isn't anything like Paul's, the fears he has for his daughter and her well being is something I have for my sons. Then, of course, there's Dagon, who probably isn't anything like me at all, but I just love the guy.

E: What was the most difficult part of the novel for you to write?

JS: The plotting was the hardest part for me. There are a lot of characters, a bunch of settings, and a vast timeline to cover. Getting all of those pieces to fit together was a huge headache and not something I'm naturally inclined toward.

E: How do you approach writing a new novel? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

JS: Ha! I pretty much define the pantser ethos. Coming from a theatrical and musical background, I'm a huge fan of improvisation. I treat rough drafts like big messy improv jam sessions. A lot of it gets tossed when go back and revise, but that's fine with me. I'd rather make crazy writing choices and have to pull back then be overly cautious.

E: Do you ever experience writer’s block? If so, how do you deal with it?

JS: There is this myth that writer's block is some kind of terrible affliction, like an illness or something. But it's actually just a part of my process. It's a symptom, a signal that there's something I haven't figure out yet, or that I've taken a wrong plot turn somewhere. Sometimes I have to just batter my way through it, write some terrible pages until I stumble toward the solution. Other times, it's best to just step away, go exercise or play a video game or take a shower. Often while I'm doing those things, my subconscious is churning away and suddenly you figure it out.

But any way you look at it, writer's block is not something to be feared. It's just comes with the job.

E: What advice would you give to aspiring authors interested in writing YA novels?

JS:

Read. A lot. And not just YA books. Read classics, read weird stuff, read terrible stuff, read stuff that seems way over your head. Read it all.

Then write. A lot. And not just YA stories. Write classical stories, weird stories, terrible stories, and stories you don't even understand.

If you do all of that, eventually, in some strange mystical alchemy, you will arrive at your own voice, your own style. Something that could never be copied by another.

E: Who or what are your literary inspirations? Can you name 3 all-time favorite reads?

JS: This is a hard question for me because there are so many authors who inspire me. Current authors like Neil Gaiman, Michael Chabon, Anne Rice, Tom Robbins, John Irving, Kelly Link, and Holly Black. But I also draw a great deal of inspiration from classic authors like William Shakespeare, Anton Chekov, William Thackeray, and Samuel Beckett.

If I had to pick three works of fiction, only three, to have with me at all times, they would be The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon, Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray, Sandman by Neil Gaiman, and Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link (that's four, I know, sorry...)

E: What’s next in line for you? Are you working on a new book now? Can we expect a sequel to Misfit?

JS: I just turned in a new book last week. Probably a little too early to talk about it (though I REALLY want to!!!!). I would love to write more Misfit books if the circumstances are right. We'll just have to wait and see

E: What are your biggest bookish pet-peeves?

JS: I don't really have any peeves. Paper books, e-Books, hardback, paperback, bookmarks, folding corners, notes in margins, highlighting, whatever. I've been guilty of all of it at one time or another, so I don't get annoyed by it.

I tell you what I love, though. Old books. The feel of them, the smell of them, the weight of them. I have a couple of books, a copy of Thackeray's The Newcomes, two Edgar Rice Burroughs John Carter of Mars books, a collection of Lord Byron's poetry, and a translation of Homer's Odyssey that are about a hundred years old. They are my most prized possessions.

Jon, thank you so much for joining us today!  

I had a BLAST reading Misfit and can't wait for the next part to come out!!!

I hope you guys enjoyed the interview, for more information about Jon Skovron and his books, please visit his website: Jon Skovron or/and read my review of Misfit.

Huge thanks to Jon Skovron for the exclusive MEN in YA photo! <3

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Thanks to the fabulous:

ME ^___^

We have a copy of Misfit up for grabs today! 

To be eligible to win all you need to do is be a follower of my blog and enter through Rafflecopter below.

Ends: January 14th

INTERNATIONAL

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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This interview and giveaway are posted as a part of the MEN in YA event (Nov 20th - Dec 20th)

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About the Author

Evie is the Blogger behind Bookish. She enjoys reading many different genres, especially YA, Paranormal, Contemporary Fiction and Fantasy.

She loves talking to authors and is always happy to welcome them for interviews, and guest posts. She also likes spreading the love for awesome books and  chatting with fellow book-worms.

You can find Evie here: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Shelfari | The Library Thing