Friday, December 9, 2011

MEN in YA: Interview + Giveaway with Jack Blaine, author of Helper12


Today is a fantastic day and I'm extremely happy! Why? Because the fabulous Jack Blaine stops by for an interview and a book giveaway! And yes, you should be really excited,  too, because Helper12 rocks! It's a really thrilling, thought-provoking, profoundly disturbing read that you will LOVE! So enjoy the interview, check out Jack's Men in YA picture (so cool!) and don't forget to enter the giveaway! Trust me, YOU WANT THIS BOOK!

Guys, please give a warm welcome to our extraordinary YA Galaxy Defender, Jack Blaine!



E: Evie
JB: Jack Black
E: Welcome to Bookish Jack! I’m very excited to be able to talk to you today! Your YA novel, Helper12, is a gripping and fascinating dystopian story. Could you tell us who or what inspired you to write it?
JB: I love dystopian stories because they ask big questions. Helper12 let me think about what freedom means (and what it should means and what rights should be inalienable, and for whom. In our world, where rights are constantly being taken away, bestowed, and negotiated, that is an important question.
E: How long did it take for you to write it?
JB: It took me three weeks to get the first draft finished. It was a sort of experiment, to see if I could get the story down and done as it came, and it came fast. Usually, writing takes much longer for me but this tale was right there, all laid out in my mind.
E: Are any of your characters based on people in your own life? Which of your characters do you feel is the most like you?
JB: Nope—all of the characters in Helper12 rose straight up off the page. I guess I would say I am most like Thomas, in that he questions what’s going on around him, even though that doesn’t make his family very happy. I can relate to knowing that something isn’t right and refusing to go along with it even though that’s what I’m being strongly encouraged to do.
E: What part of the book would say was the hardest for you to write?
JB: Honestly, for this book, none of it was hard. It was the first time I have ever experienced a book just coming out whole, and it was really fun.
E: In Helper12 we got to know you vision of Dystopia. How would you describe your perfect Utopia?
JB: My perfect Utopia would be a world where everyone was careful to do no lasting harm to others, including animals and the earth.
E: How do you approach writing a new novel? Are you a plotter or a pantser?
JB: I tend to be an outlining-pantser, if that’s possible. I start with an idea, which I expand into a bare-bones outline. Then, I pants like crazy.
E: Do you ever experience writer’s block? If so, how do you deal with it?
JB: I don’t really believe in writer’s block. I do believe in dreading approaching the computer, and in finding many, many ways to procrastinate when I need to write. I think butt-in-chair and just plow through (or maybe plot a little) is the best way to get past those tough times when the words are not coming easily. Writing is hard work, and I have never understood those people you hear saying they love every minute of it. I do love writing, but mostly I love being done writing. There’s nothing better than sitting back and realizing you wrote a whole world, and that people (at least some people) are going to love reading your book. It takes so much work to write a novel that to me, sharing it with readers who enjoy it is very special.
E: Who or what are your literary inspirations? Can you name 3 all-time favorite reads?
JB: I have too many favorite reads to list. As far as literary inspirations, I truly admire the talents of many writers, but they don’t tend to inspire me in my writing, because I really feel like we can each only write the way we write. I guess you could say the writers I admire inspire me to read, which I think is a great thing.
E: What’s next in line for you? Are you working on a new book now?
JB: Well, a novel called The Nightworld just came out November 22nd. It’s in e-book format now and will be released as a paperback in early 2012. It’s about a boy named Nick, who has to figure out how to survive when the world suddenly goes dark. Temperatures drop, plants and animals die, and people start to turn a little ugly while they’re trying to survive. It’s a great adventure, with lots of mystery and danger. I’m also working on a companion novel for Helper12.
E: What advice would you give to aspiring authors interested in writing YA novels?
JB: I would say that writing for YA isn’t that different from writing for anyone else. If you can tell a story that engages readers’ minds and hearts, you’re on your way. I do think that YA gets read a lot by adults, partially because much of it is fast moving and also because it deals with those big moments and questions that young adults are experiencing, and that we all continue to experience in our lives, at least if we’re not dead inside :)
JB: Thanks so much for asking intriguing questions, and for taking the time to help writers get the word out about their work!

Jack, thank you so much for joining us today!  
I had a BLAST reading and reviewing Helper12 and am so excited to hear about the companion novel coming up soon! :) Can't wait to read your next book!

I hope you guys enjoyed the interview, for more information about Jack Blaine and his books, please visit his website: Jack Blaine or/and read my review of Helper12.

Huge thanks to Jack Blaine for the exclusive MEN in YA photo! <3

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Thanks to the fabulous:
Jack Blaine
I have one paperback copy for one lucky US/Canada winner and one eCopy for one of my lovely Internationals!
To be eligible to win all you need to do is be a follower of my blog and enter through Rafflecopter below.

Ends: December 26th






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This interview and giveaway are posted as a part of the MEN in YA event (Nov 20th - Dec 20th)
For more awesomeness (reviews, interviews, giveaways, guest posts) please click the banner below!


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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

20 comments:

Sherre said...

Such a wonderful Giveaway. Thanks so much!

Sherre said...

Forgot to say, I'm in America

Anonymous said...

I think it's interesting that he said he doesn't have any authors who inspire him to write but instead inspire him to read. I feel like that's the opposite with most people. I read something awesome and in turn want to write something awesome.

Anonymous said...

And I'm from the US...Sorry!

Jenny said...

Wow, 3 weeks is crazy fast! That's nice that everything just made it's way to the page that quickly:) I love a good dystopian story, so I'm excited to check this book out now. Thanks for the interview Evie and Jack!

Asheley T. said...

Wow, Evie, these were some really great questions. Some of your interviewing best...

Three weeks is an amazing time for this story to come to life.

I'm really intrigued by The Nightworld...I'd LOVE to get my hands on that one!

Great interview guys! I really want to read this book - so, so much. It sounds exactly like something I'd like. In fact, Jack as a writer sounds like someone I'd enjoy following. Thanks Evie!

Evie said...

Ladies! I love ya all! :D You're so fabulous and awesome, thanks for commenting :)

Megan said...

This novel sounds great!I can't believe he wrote it so fast!!

I'm in Canada!

FireStarBooks said...

Wow awesome! I love how he just created the characters from nothing, no real life connections, :)

And 3 weeks! Wow I wish I was that talented :)

Thank you.

I live in Canada <3

Yto said...

i love all those pictures throughout this event - they are really funny ^^
i enjoyed the interview and can relate to it. i find it difficult to start to write too. i always leave it to the last minute XD

roro said...

good luck all

druidgirl said...

I enjoyed the interview very much. It amazes me how some authors can think up such characters without any connection to real people..

Kathy said...

Great, thoughtful questions Evie. I love author interviews because it gives you a chance to see what makes some of our favourite authors tick.

This event is amazing. Really, really proud of it and you, Evie!

Kristin Aragon said...

Great interview. I think he is correct about why adults read YA. They do move quicker and pull at the heart a little harder.

~Kristin

Bhand35 said...

That is exactly why i read YA, thanks for the interview.

Nedraw said...

Great interview...I am amazed that this was written in three weeks. The book sounds awesome and I will definitely be picking up a copy for myself. Nightworld is also going on the list as well... can't wait to read both of these.

Amanda Nicole said...

I'm so intrigued by this book, your review of it was spectacular and I loved the interview. Three weeks?? It's amazing that he wrote it in that short a time, good for him!

I'm in the US! :)

Sana said...

Thank you for including the ebook for International followers! Appreciated.

International

Krysykat said...

I like your version of the perfect Utopia :)

Vicky said...

Great questions! It's always interesting to me how an author approaches his work and if it's different for each novel. I particularly was surprised to read that there were no hard parts to write for this book. Thanks for the awesome interview!

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