Author Interview: Becca Fitzpatrick

With only 12 days to the release of Hush, Hush, the awesome Becca Fitzpatrick has answered some questions I dared to ask her a while ago. I was scared that she'd say she couldn't, because she was to busy, but I was really surprised when she said she'd do it. This put a huge smile on my face, and this is how I learned Authors and Bloggers have a special connection, and that we as Book Bloggers mustn't be afraid to reach out to them, the worst that could happen is an Author apologizing for having to much work to answer your Interview. And who are we to stop them from Writing?

So if you've seen Interviews at different Blogs, but are to scared to contact an Author for fear of being turned down, remember this: Authors are very cool people, who love those of us who read their work, and they love reading that people are interested in them. Stuff like Interviews and Guest Blogs are really helpful to them, because is a different way of promoting their work.

Becca was the first Author I had the nerve to ask for an Interview, and she taught me that we're all equals, there's no need to be afraid of them.
Thanks Becca!

So, without further ado: Becca Fitzpatrick!

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Hi Becca! Thanks for being here today! I'm very happy to have you here.
Hey, Ella! Thanks so much for inviting me!

We’re very close to the release date of Hush, Hush. Are you excited?
I'm nervous! I think there's quite a bit of excitement beneath all
the layers of nervous anticipation, but the questions foremost on my mind are: Will people like the book? Will they want to read more?
Will I be able to make a career out of writing, or will this book kill
the idea on the spot? There are so many unknowns! But after all
that, yes, I'm incredibly excited!

I read on a blog that you worked on this book for five years and that you have over two thousand pages of deleted scenes to show for it. That’s a lot of dedication. I’m sure you must be happy you kept writing it.
I can laugh about those five years now, but it was
definitely one of the most frustrating periods of my life. It was
such a roller coaster. When an agent would ask to see pages, or even offer to read a rewrite, I would be way up on cloud nine. When the rejections rolled in, I'd feel a mix of despair and renewed conviction
to keep writing until I got the story right. I still have most of
those many, many pages, but I haven't looked at them in over a year.
I'm afraid the sight of them might make me throw up! But the one
thing I can say for sure is it's the things we work hardest for in
life that bring the most satisfaction and joy. To writers out there
who're feeling discouraged: keep at it. Persistence is key.

They’re calling your book dark, sexy and mysterious. Did any of this words come to mind when writing it?
That's a great question. I don't really remember any of those particular adjectives coming to mind, but I do remember trying to maintain a sinister and suspenseful tone.

Also, people who’ve read it and reviewed it claim that there are several scenes in the book that reminded them of Twilight. What do you think of this?
I can see where people would get that. After all, in
both stories the biology classroom is an important part of the
setting, and both have otherworldly heroes. I remember at one point
while I was submitting to agents, one of them asked if I'd be willing
to rewrite the opening scene to take place in a health class, because
biology was just too similar to Twilight. I had to laugh, because
this comment didn't come until 2007, when Twilight was big. Nobody
seemed to have a problem with setting the story in biology before
that! On an interesting side note, when I submitted Hush, Hush to
agents starting in 2003, the book's title was Eclipsed. I think
sometimes similarities are nothing more than unexpected coincidences.
That said, I enjoyed Twilight very much and I'm looking forward to
reading the rest of the series.

Team Bunny or Team Unicorn?
Team Unicorn!

Favourites of this year?
Ice by Sarah Beth Durst, The Monstrumologist
by Rick Yancey, The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan and The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.

I saw the playlist for Hush, Hush over at your site, and noticed that you’d put The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven”. That is one of my favourite songs. My question is: did you listen to this song while writing, or selected it for the playlist after the book was finished?
I plot my books while exercising, so I actually listened to that song while
running and hashing out Hush, Hush's plot. I love music in the
planning/plotting stage, but when I sit down to do the actual writing,
I need quiet. When I write to music, I find that I think my writing
is better than it actually is. That's the power of good music!

Thank you for stopping by The Clock Monkey! I’m glad you took the time to answer my questions.

Any time! It was a lot of fun! Now I'm super curious how you came up
with the name The Clock Monkey. Tell!

Becca Fitzpatrick.
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Someday I'll tell, Becca. Someday...

This was really fun, and I'll always remember you as the First Author I ever Interviewed!

Thanks for being such a sweetheart!

Becca's Upcoming Events:

October 13, 6:30PM
Book launch party!
Readers Cove in Ft. Collins, CO

October 15, 5PM
Educator Reception Night
Loveland, CO B&N

October 16, 7PM
Reading & signing
Fort Collins, CO B&N

Read the first two chapters online at Simon&Schuster.com

Countdown to Hush, Hush's Release!

Find out more about Hush, Hush!

Want this widget? Visit Becca's site and grab it!

Pre-Order Hush, Hush from Amazon/B&N/Indiebound