In Which I Interview Janet Fox about her new YA, Forgiven. Plus a Contest!

Janet Fox is not only an amazing writer, she is also an amazing friend. We buddied up during our Class of 2k9 debut author days and have stayed that way ever since. At that time, she lived in College Station, Texas, which was only about an hour or so from me. It was Janet who introduced me to the Austin writing crew, including Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith and Varian Johnson, among many others. We’ve had many writer adventures together, Janet and I - appearing together at conferences, hiking the aisles at TLA, exploring the wilds of Oklahoma City and Disney World. (You have to love the NCTE folks for placing last year’s conference in Orlando!) So it’s my absolute pleasure to host her here with her newest book – Forgiven, which is a companion to Faithful and on shelves now!

AND PLEASE READ TO THE END. Janet is giving away a signed copy of Forgiven. The contest is explained below.

Here’s the Amazon product description of Forgiven:

Product Description
Kula Baker never expected to find herself on the streets of San Francisco, alone but for a letter of introduction. Though she has come to the city to save her father from a cruel fate, Kula soon finds herself swept up in a world of art and elegance - a world she hardly dared dream of back in Montana, where she was no more than the daughter of an outlaw. And then there is the handsome David Wong, whose smiling eyes and soft-spoken manner have an uncanny way of breaking through Kula's carefully crafted reserve. Yet when disaster strikes and the wreckage threatens all she holds dear, Kula realizes that only by unlocking her heart can she begin to carve a new future for herself.

And here’s what Janet had to say when we sat down at our laptops to chat:

Joy: So tell us a little bit about why you decided to mine the character of Kula for a companion novel to Faithful. What was it about Kula and her story that kept speaking to you? Did you always know that you might write Forgiven?

Janet: I didn’t know that I would write Forgiven until about six months before the novel was due. But Kula was a favorite character from the time she sprang out of my imagination. I loved her feisty spirit and her flaws – her bull-headed stubborn personality appealed to me. I could see through her superficial defensiveness to what I knew was an open heart. That’s why I had to tell her story: I wanted to know what she’d do when I put her in a difficult situation.

Joy: Forgiven is set with the backdrop of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco. Tell us what drew you to that setting and time period.

Janet: I have an MS in geology, and I’m fascinated by natural processes. When it came time to write Kula’s story I wanted her to be in a place that was challenging, and what better challenge than suffering through a major natural disaster? The world has seen its fair share of natural disasters lately (although I obviously had no idea how resonant an earthquake would be). But I also knew a bit about the San Francisco earthquake and I admired how the people of the city rose up afterward and rebuilt her. I love that perseverance. And I love the rapid change of society of the early 20th century.

Joy: You definitely have a thing for strong women characters who have to learn to use their inner strength and find their path. Is this something you consciously think about?

Janet: Not consciously, but I do admire strong women (and thanks for that lovely compliment!) My own mother was a strong woman with a very lady-like veneer, and my grandmother, my father’s mother, was a true pioneering spirit, so perhaps I inherited their willful natures. I do think it’s important for me to write about strong girls, because I firmly believe that tween and teen readers today need to see strong female role models taking on challenges and not just letting the guy be the hero who solves the girl’s problems for her.

Joy: As a writer, I'm always fascinated with the journey to publication. Has the second book journey been the same as the first? Any notable differences?

Janet: The biggest difference between Faithful and Forgiven was how quickly I had to write the second book (six months from start to finish.) I couldn’t have done that if I had to start from scratch; I already knew Kula and the time period so I was able to pull it off. Now I’m writing a novel that requires a new load of research and this journey is very different – I have more time, and it’s a very different story with a very different protagonist. But the primary difference for me is that these subsequent books were already bought by the publisher. I feel lucky because this gives me the courage to try new things, knowing that my editor will guide me, as long as I produce the best possible work.

Joy: I know the next novel you're working on is also historical fiction. What attracts you to this genre? What advice might you give prospective writers who are crafting a work of historical fiction?

Janet: First, I do love the research. It’s so much fun to find interesting tidbits of history – to feel like I can “live” in another time. And second, I love making history relevant: finding those places where historical and contemporary issues collide and overlap, and helping teens/tweens see that there is truly something to be gained by understanding the past. For prospective writers of historical fiction I suggest that they read widely in the genre of historical fiction, and also once they decide on a period they’d like to write about, to read novels or pieces actually published in that period, which gives a great sense of the “voice” of that period.

Joy: Stuff you need when you write? (tea? a special chair? chocolate? music?)

Janet: I need silence. I love the “idea” of working to music, but in fact it drives me nuts. I can write anywhere, any time, as long as I have silence. And coffee in the morning. And the ability to walk around once every hour or so and talk out loud to myself.

Joy: You've recently moved to Montana. Is your writing different now that you're looking out the window at the mountains rather than the concrete of College Station, Texas?

Janet: Actually, no. I feel like I plunge down a rabbit hole when I write and I only rarely look out of it. Even when I’m wandering around talking to myself, my inner eye is focused on the scene I’m writing. Having said that, once the end of the day rolls around and I finally gaze out the window, I am deeply inspired by – in love with – the mountains and the big skies of Montana.


WANT TO WIN A SIGNED COPY OF FORGIVEN? HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Comment on this post and answer the following question: Janet finds much inspiration in places in the West, especially Montana, where she now lives, not far from Yellowstone National Park. What place or places inspire you? How? Why?

We’ll place the best answers in the contest hat and pick a winner for the autographed copy. Contest is open through Friday, June 24th.

In Which I Review Faithful and Interview Janet Fox

“Sixteen-year old Maggie Bennet’s life is in tatters. Her mother has disappeared and is presumed dead. The next thing she knows, her father has dragged Maggie away from their elegant Newport home, off on some mad excursion to Yellowstone in Montana. Torn from the only life she’s ever known, Maggie is furious and devastated by her father’s betrayal. But when she arrives, she finds herself drawn to the frustratingly stubborn, handsome Tom Rowland, the son of a park geologist, and to the wild romantic beauty of Yellowstone itself. And as Tom and the promise of freedom capture her heart, Maggie is forced to choose between who she is and who she wants to be.”


Janet Fox’s debut historical fiction YA, Faithful (Penguin Speak), is a beautiful, beautiful novel. Fox has a lovely, gentle way of placing the reader into Maggie’s heart and head as she journeys from somewhat spoiled and shallow society girl to independent womanhood. Along the way, there’s mystery, romance, a band of robbers, an odious would be suitor named George Graybull, and a delightful homage to the doyenne of the Gilded Age, Edith Wharton. Fox’s eye for period details is sharp – from dress to mannerisms to the smallest of historical detail, she thrusts readers into that very specific period at the turn of the 20th century before the First World War. This period of great social and economic change serves as the perfect backdrop for Maggie’s story. I fell in love with this novel from chapter one and raced through it, drawn to Yellowstone’s wild and dangerous beauty along with Maggie, anxious to turn each page and find out what she would discover – not only about her mother’s disappearance (a truly surprising set of revelations there!) but about her own inner strength and fortitude and desire. Faithful is a wonderful read and would also be a fine novel to use in a classroom setting. Even its cover works well to evoke the novel’s central conceit – that starkly gorgeous image of a girl in a dress just slightly too bare, her back to us, her body drawn to the geyser in the distance. You will love this book.

And Janet herself was gracious enough to stop by and let me interview her about writing, Faithful, and some other cool stuff. Thanks, Janet!!

Joy: In Faithful, Maggie blossoms from a girl who basically does what is expected of her - even though it chafes - to one who follows her own heart. What drew you to giving her that particular journey? Is it something you see yourself exploring with other characters?

Janet: Maggie’s journey was my own. I was one of those “good girls.” I always did what was expected, even when it grated on my nerves. I wanted my mom and dad to be proud of their little girl. It took me a long time – all the way through my teens and well into my twenties – to learn how to listen to my heart, and still respect their views. I guess I was living again through Maggie, but she was able to find her own place in the world a lot sooner than I did!

I think all teens are looking for ways to follow their own path, to set out on their personal journey. We’re all on unique journeys, but fundamentally our stories intersect in the search. How do we find out what we really believe in? Will we like the person we are when we look in the mirror? All my stories, I hope, explore that same question, the question of identity.


Joy: I've mentioned to you that I see a definite homage to Gilded Age writers such as Edith Wharton, whose works are filled with characters trapped between the expectations of wealthy society and the longings of their own hearts. Any particular authors who had an influence on your writing of this novel?

You’ve already pegged me with the Wharton. J The Age of Innocence definitely influenced me with Maggie. Maggie’s last name is Bennet – an homage to Jane Austin’s Bennets, from Pride and Prejudice. And contemporary authors who influenced Faithful? Laurie Halse Anderson, Jennifer Donnelly, Kirby Larson. Even when their characters are not wealthy, they face society’s expectations, which are usually in conflict with their own dreams and desires.

Joy: It's evident both from the text and from your afterward material that you did a sizeable amount of research for Faithful. Do you enjoy researching? Which parts did you enjoy most?

I do love research! I love burrowing into material, whether it’s historical or contemporary. With Faithful, I spent tons of time in museums, reading literature of the period, reading about the era and setting. I read old newspapers; I looked through hundreds of photographs of the period. I found museums where I could handle and study the period costumes. (Alas – I have yet to actually don a corset. Not that I want to wear one.)

True confession: I have a museum fetish. It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about past or future – some of my favorite museums are science museums. I love going into those semi-dark places and letting my imagination wander. How did our ancestors live – for that matter, how do people in other parts of the world live today? What was it like to churn butter, to weave on a loom, to spin thread? What was it like when dinosaurs walked the earth? How would we live on Mars or explore the far reaches of space?

Research is all about expanding the imagination, stretching what is into what is possible.

Joy: Why Montana? Why Yellowstone? For that matter, why the Gilded Age setting? You go into the some in your afterward as well, but if you could elaborate a little for my readers?

Janet: Montana: our family has a cabin there, and we love it. We really love it, and I think that love shows up in Faithful. Yellowstone: The first time I went there, I felt like I’d entered some special, magical world – all those geysers and weird animals – like something right out of a fantasy. Like I’d stepped through the wardrobe into Narnia. What better place to set a novel? The Gilded Age: it was a turning point. Women were just becoming emancipated; people had just discovered flight, telephones, cinema; the world had not yet experienced the horrors of a world war. In some ways it was the Age of Innocence; in some ways it was the Age of Ignorance. It was the age of the balancing act, and the beginning of change.

Joy: Can you tell us a little bit about the journey that led to Faithful debuting onto bookshelves a few weeks ago?

Janet: Sure! I worked on Faithful for about 3 years before my agent – Alyssa Eisner Henkin – read it in a critique at an SCBWI conference. She signed me 2 months later, and then worked on the manuscript with me for six months before she sent it out. My editor, Jen Bonnell at Penguin, expressed an interest it a few months later, and bought it in the spring of 2008. As you can tell from the number of years here – 2004 until publication in 2010 – that first novel can take a while from vision through revision to publication.

Joy: Why YA?

Janet: I write for the reader I was, and the reader I am. I loved to read as a teen. I devoured books. But I look for character, and story. I like books that “go” somewhere – and YA today has grown into a genre that is rich in story, even more so than when I was a kid. When I have a choice of reads, I pick up YA.

Joy: Peanut butter or chocolate? (I've started asking everyone that and I'm really enjoying the answers)

Janet: Do Reeses count? Seriously – I lived on them in high school. But if it was the desert island/going to the moon choice…chocolate. Really, really dark chocolate.

Joy: Advice for aspiring writers out there?

Janet: Writing the first draft – just get it down. Let it be ugly and squash your inner critic. Let her out of the box when you start to revise, but don’t let her get you down. There will be times when you hate writing, when you hate your writing. You must love what you write and the process itself so much that you can overcome the self-doubt. Writing is all about revision. I need to do multiple revisions, with a different strategy for each (take it apart, put it back together, plot scene by scene, try a different voice…you get the idea.) Read until your eyeballs burn. Read a lot; read widely. Learn how to write by studying other great writers whose work you admire.

Joy: Do you actually ride horses? If not, how did you get those details to feel so authentic?

Janet: I do actually ride, though not so much at the moment. We had a horse for a few years, and I loved riding. But I also have friends in horsey places and I asked – “Did I say that right? Is that the right term?” I try to fact-check everything. That way I can sleep better at night.

Joy: What's coming next for you? What can readers look forward to?

Janet: I’m working on a companion novel to Faithful. It takes place in San Francisco in 1906 – the time of the great earthquake. I can’t say too much about it, or I’ll spoil some of the mysteries in Faithful. But the title of book 2 is Forgiven, and it’s about a girl (not Maggie) who needs to learn to accept herself as she is and to forgive herself and others. And of course she must survive the earthquake, and fall in love, and solve a few mysteries.

And after that, I’m working on a project about angels and demons and a boy who must save humankind…

Thank you so much, Joy!

THANK YOU, JANET!!

Saturday Seven

Yes I know, dreadfully uncreative blog title. You win some...

And before we get started, check out my swag from Jackson Pearce - a little mini version of Sisters Red! Cool. Plus there's tattoos! Book's now on my must read list!

• Excitedly awaiting my HAUNTED line edits. Sometime at the end of next week, I think. Then back into revision cave I go.


• Really excitedly awaiting the end of this 2 weeks of low iodine diet and thyroid med withdrawal. Cause that means two things: 1. I get to have my radioactive iodine and move another step closer to kicking thyroid cancer's ugly, ugly ass. 2. I can have a latte. (No iodine diet, for the uninitiated, includes removing many things, including: fish, dairy, egg yolks, soy, beans, rhubarb (okay, no great loss there), iodized flour and thus all processed or not made in my own kitchen baked goods, and of course, salt - at least in its iodized form. Oh and rice, too. And potato skins. Alcholol is just peachy keen fine. But w/no metabolism one dare not indulge beyond the 1/4 glass of chardonnay. Let us just say that I've become a fan of oatmeal and unsalted almond butter.)


• About 3/4 through Beautiful Creatures. I'm definitely enjoying the read. Quick, fun, engaging. Liking the whole Casters mythology that Kami Garci and Margaret Stohl have created. And fascinated by the fact that they co-authored a book of this size! But it's definitely a less edgy read than I thought it was going to be. Not sure why I thought that - the cover maybe? But I definitely had this pegged for sexy/edgy/dark. But it really isn't, yet - one character aside. Still, kudos, ladies! (I had to read - the Amazon people keep telling me that people buy DA & Shiver & Beautiful Creatures together. Now I know - who really understands what this means? Not I. But the power of Jeff Bezos compelled me!)
  
• Ordered cupcakes for the bridal shower I'm co-hosting today. Used a new place here in the 'burbs called Frost. Definitely set up with the whole Sprinkles vibe when you walk in. I'll let you know how it goes. I will have to judge by other standards than taste. Cupcakes are currently on my no no list. (okay, I tasted four flavors when I ordered them. They honestly weren't as good as Sprinkles or Magnolia Bakery but they were still sufficiently nummy.


• Getting together my interview with Janet Fox and my review of Faithful.


• Sick and sad over the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. But here's the deal: It's not going to stop spewing until the two relief wells are finished. So stop pretending it is. I just wish BP would say that.
  
• Til then - go get yourself a copy of JT Dutton's Stranded! It released this week.
  
  

Nesselrode Pudding: Or Why I'm loving Janet Fox's Faithful

Reading Janet Fox's debut Faithful. I'll write a review at some point in the future, and Janet has promised to let me interview her/guest post her/take candid photos of her and draw funny captions... something in a few weeks. (after the juggernaut that I keep thinking of as: endofschoolfinishhauntededitsstopmedicinefortwoweeksgoradioactivestartmedicinerecover phase of my life)

But the nesselrode pudding! Faithful's main character Maggie mentions that it's on the menu when they dine at the National hotel. I've never eaten any, but it's one of those food items that seemed to pop up in historical fiction when I was a kid and always fascinated me. Do you have things like that? (please, please comment and tell me!) Stuff where the name just drew you in and you had this mental image of what it looked like and tasted like and it was just so different from your normal life food that it fascinated you?

Well, nesselrode pudding (which is this ice type of pudding studded with fruits and chunks of other stuff including chestnuts) was one of those for me. So was Turkish taffy. (I bet that one's on a lot of lists - we all read Narnia. We all wanted Turkish Taffy. We all tapped the back of our closets looking for a secret door. Okay maybe that was only me) And the word cruller - a type of doughnut. I had a collection of original Nancy Drew and Bobbsey Twin books that an elderly neighbor gave me. And when Nan and Bert and Freddie and Flossie went ice skating, they often snacked on hot chocolate and crullers. Somehow it always sounded more romantically exotic than doughnut. Oh and the sandwiches that Meg and Charles Wallace made in the middle of the night in Wrinkle in Time. I loved the idea of that, too. I've never ever gotten up in the middle of the night and made a sandwich even though it's a classic movie convention. So I always love when characters do this.

So tell me, please. Was there something a character ate in a book you loved when you were younger that held this kind of fascination for you? Something you wanted to be eating, too?

And while you're thinking, go get a copy of Faithful. It's brilliant and romantic and I'm loving it.

Til next time...