Class of 2K12 - Megan Bostic, NEVER EIGHTEEN

Today, I'm interviewing Megan Bostic, debut author of NEVER EIGHTEEN  (January 17, 2012, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for ages 12 and up)

Synopsis (from Indiebound): Austin Parker is on a journey to bring truth, beauty, and meaning to his life. Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. The doctors say his chances of surviving are slim to none even with treatment, so he’s decided it’s time to let go. 

But before he goes, Austin wants to mend the broken fences in his life.  So with the help of his best friend, Kaylee, Austin visits very person in his life who touched him in a special way.  He journeys to places he's loved and those he's never seen.  And what starts as a way to say goodbye turns into a personal journey that brings love, acceptance, and meaning to Austin's life.

 Watch this book trailer from the publisher:


 

About the author (from the Class of 2K12 website): Megan (that’s with a long “e”) Bostic is a mere human trying to find her place in the universe and an all-around great girl. Despite the rain and gray (she’s truly solar powered) making her extremely angsty, she’s lived in the Pacific Northwest her whole life, and still does, with her two crazy beautiful girls.

She thrives on the challenges faced in her journey to publication and has documented it vlog style. You can find her Chronicles of an Aspiring Writer on Youtube.

Megan Bostic

To learn more about Megan:

-- Her website
-- Class of 2K12 website
-- Her blog

Now to the interview!

Do you outline before you write? If so, does it end up changing before you finish the first draft? What change surprised you the most?

I am probably the most unorganized writer on the face of the planet.  I do not outline.  I rely on endless sticky notes and notepads, and my brain (which isn’t always reliable) to get me from point A to point B.

I'm so glad to hear that.  I don't outline either! Do you revise one novel while writing another? Or do you feel you need to write and revise one novel and get it as polished as possible before moving on to your shiny new idea?

This drives me crazy, but I can only work on one project at a time.  And while I’m working on that project I come up with five ideas which makes me want to hurry and get done so I can start them.  I try not to, though.  It’s important to come away with as polished a project as possible before moving onto the next one, for me at least. 

I understand that completely!  So... coffee, tea, or hot chocolate while writing? And where do you write? Briefly describe your writing space.

Definitely coffee.  Right now I’m writing at my kitchen table on my laptop, next to my sliding glass door.  I like to write in a place that has the most natural light humanly possible (without having to go outside).

Do you listen to music while writing or at least while thinking about and planning a book? What song or album had the most influence on this novel?

I can’t have any distractions while writing, so no music.  However, I do draw inspiration from music.  Indie always gets me going, especially with this particular novel.  A couple songs come to mind, I Will Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie, Weighty Ghost by Wintersleep, and New Slang by The Shins.

Tell us what darling you had to kill that you really really wish you could have kept.

There is a character in the book, Scott McPhee, who was a promising young athlete that became a wastoid.  In the original manuscript, I reveal the why’s behind his transformation, and it would be a bit of a surprise to the reader.  However, my agent wanted his secrets to remain just that, secret.

Ooo!  That really makes me want to read the book!  Thanks so much for joining us today, Megan!

I'll have more Class of 2K12 interviews and guest posts in February and March, so please remember to check back.  What young adult novel are you excited about this month?