The reason today's guest blog post is unique concerns how I read Hunting Lila. Just for fun, I decided to send a few tweets as I read Lila. Sarah saw my tweets, and replied. We then chatted back and forth as I made comments about the book, avoiding spoilers as much as possible. This was an awesome read for me. It was as though I was reading with Sarah next to me (probably a good thing she wasn't or I would have tickled her into submission to tell me what happened at the end!)
The Tweets between Sarah and I while I read Hunting Lila
Starting HUNTING LILA by Sarah Alderson. Sounds really good from press sheet.
@Nayuleska hope you like Hunting Lila. :)
@sarahalderson Oh I am thank you! Only read 3 chapters, but adore it already. Loving the mystery around the Unit *happy sigh*
@Nayuleska happy reading...happy hours of Alex ahead...I'm just trying to find an excerpt for a reading. eeeek
@sarahalderson ...page 48 is quite fun though :)
@Nayuleska are you reading from the ARC or the actual copy? I only have an ARC! living in Bali has its downsides...
@sarahalderson ....and living in Bali also must have many upsides! I read you write by the pool - nice!!!
@Nayuleska I do all my plotting in the pool. And yes, major upsides! sun all the time. Major change in the bound. Kuni becomes Suki.
@sarahalderson Oooooooo! Exciting things are happening (p91). This is fast becoming one of my favourite books (I'm not just saying that)
@Nayuleska ooooh how fantastic! Big grin. Fun to be seeing where you are - feel like I'm reading it along with you and know what's coming!
@sarahalderson *Squee!!!!* Starting chapter 17. I love what you're doing with this! When is the sequel due out? will there be any more?
@Nayuleska I think the sequel is due out in summer 2012. I've written it already. No contract for more, though I've a good idea for the 3rd
@sarahalderson Ha! Lilah's a lost cause with Alex at top pg 165
@Nayuleska you can see why though, non? I'm pretty much a lost cause and he's only in my head. :)
@sarahalderson I think so - I feel such hero-worship is a little nuts & stupid (I don't read books for romance -I love the action & weapons)
@Nayuleska yeah but at least she recognises how pathetic it is
@sarahalderson Conspiracy theory pg 183
@Nayuleska I need you as an editor... (Nayuleska adds while writing post - thank you for the compliment, but no. Prefer reading & writing books to editing them!)
@sarahalderson Yes. Thankfully! Is there a reason why Kuni's named got change? Entering chapter 20...
@Nayuleska yes, it's hilarious. ed. thought Kuni sounded too like the Chaucerian Cunny....and I have a friend called Suki...
@sarahalderson *rolls eyes* at pg 200. I'm laughing a lot here.
@Nayuleska ahhh you unromantic!
@sarahalderson 218 is really funny with the table comment
@Nayuleska think I'm going to read that section - with the table comment. Glad you like ch23. my favourite too.
@sarahalderson I've finished! Truly awesome ending. Really looking forward to what twists will be in the sequel. Keep writing!
@Nayuleska so fun going on the adventure with you and seeing it through your eyes! Great to know what bits rocked and made you laugh.
Q & A with Sarah post tweet chat
Sarah, when I first started tweeting about the book, what were you thinking?
I always get really excited when I see that someone is reading Hunting Lila or has tweeted about it. It's a bit like waiting for the teacher to grade your paper though. Exciting but terrifying. I really want to get a good grade - to have people love the book and enjoy it as much as I do so it was sort of torture waiting for you to get to the end.
Have you ever read a book like this (with the author) - or had it happen to you before?
I've never read a book in this way - but I wish that I had. It was a really cool experience knowing what page you were on and smiling to myself thinking 'aha she's got no idea what's about to happen on the next page'. It was interesting to see where you felt on the edge of your seat and where you laughed, where you were caught by surprise and what you thought might happen next. It all helps with future plotting because, when you write sometimes you think 'god is that really obvious?' and you just have to hope your reader doesn't think so. Luckily I think I've managed to keep the surprise element with most of my twists, probably because most of them weren't exactly planned.
Were you surprised by anything I said about the book?
No, I wasn't surprised. I was pleased - pleased that it made you laugh in the right places and got you excited in the right places. I thought it was funny that you don't like the romance factor in YA books, but glad Hunting Lila made the grade anyway! A lot of people have commented that the romance is really powerful but that the saving grace of the book, which stops you from wanting to hurl, is that Lila knows how pathetic she is to obsess over Alex. She's not a pathetic character at all - that's what I love about her. She's vulnerable and brave at the same time but mainly she makes me laugh.
Post tweet chat, Sarah and I exchanged a few emails about Hunting Lila, and writing in general. Are you enjoying learning what your readers think about Hunting Lila, and forging connections with them as part of the publication process?
I was talking about this to someone the other day, about how the experience of reading has changed so much since the advent of the internet and social media. When I was a teenager there was no chance to talk to authors. It just didn't happen unless you went to a signing but now writers are (if they choose to be) completely accessible. I'm addicted to Twitter and Facebook, as well as Goodreads, so I pick up every mention of Hunting Lila across the twitterverse and web, and for me that makes my job that much more exciting. I love the fact I can interact with fans so directly. If people are investing the time in buying and reading my book and then blogging or tweeting about it I want to thank them and respond in some way. I think it adds to the thrill of reading but it also adds to the thrill of writing. I think it's the future - authors are going to have to do this, it'll become expected. I'm just lucky that I love the interaction - though it is hugely distracting from the actual business of writing books...I must stop surfing the net and actually get down to writing! (But don't panic the sequel to Lila is already written as are three other books...)
I'd like to thank Sarah for being so friendly during the twitter chat and during the interview. Make sure you check out her page on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001801889118 so that people can be friends with her as it's more personal, and info about giveaways and signings will be put up there too. Sarah likes interacting directly with people. You can also friend her on Goodreads too. There's an extract for her next book Fated posted there too. There's lots of info on her website.
I highly recommend reading Hunting Lila, it is very wow! I hope you've enjoyed this special blog post, it's been fun making it.
It's competition time!
Event now closed
The prize: The lovely publicity team at Simon and Schuster are providing 5 people the opportunity to read Hunting Lila!The rules: You don't have to be a follower to enter, although that would be nice. Please make sure you are familiar with my protection policy regarding age of entrants.
The deadline: 12pm GMT Tuesday 23rd August
1 comment:
I honestly thought I had entered this give-away *doh*
I would love to read this everyone has been raving about it :D
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