Today I'm super excited to be interviewing author Megan Crewe about her upcoming novel, Give Up The Ghost. Which is Now Available!
So you've been to China, Britain and Italy. Wow..I always wanted to travel. Of those 3 places you've been to, which was your favorite?Are you planning anymore fun adventures?
Picking favorites is difficult! There were things I loved about all three. China has gorgeous parks and amazing food and fun shopping (I only saw a couple cities--we're hoping to go back and see more of the country at some point); Britain has so much history and lovely landscapes and my favorite city in the world so far (
London); Italy has spectacular architecture and equally amazing food and intriguing history (I took Latin classes and Roman history in school and it was fascinating to see many of the famous sites in person). I want to return to all of them and see more!
However, the next adventure I'm planning is a trip to
Japan. Partly because I've been interested in visiting there for a while, and partly because I've been working on a story that's set there and I don't feel I can write it properly unless I've experienced the country myself. Books and videos only take you so far!
I read on your website at a young age you were collecting rejections letters, what kept you going?
Mostly the fact that I expected to get
rejection letters. I realized that I was young, and relatively unpracticed--I was competing with writers who'd been perfecting their craft and gaining life experience for decades. Every short story I sold I felt lucky to sell; I still feel lucky to have sold a novel so young (I had just turned 27 when GHOST sold). So while I didn't enjoy rejections, I took them to mean I still had more work to do, not that there was anything wrong with me or my ability (other than it being not quite matured enough yet).
What inspired you the write about Ghosts?
The short answer is, that's the idea that came to me wanting to be written. :) But honestly, a lot of my books have ended up having ghosts of one sort or another in them. It's not something I specifically set out to do; it just sort of happened. I think I find ghosts interesting because they're almost a literal symbol of the past, and of death. It's always interesting seeing how people react faced with something like that. And it's also interesting figuring out how the ghosts themselves might appear and respond to the living.
Do you see yourself in any of the characters?
Cass's voice draws on mine a lot--she talks like the teenaged me with the sarcasm and defensiveness turned up to maximum volume. Her
sense of humor and her way of looking at the world reminds me a lot of myself. Only she's a lot more cynical and guarded than I am. I'm actually an optimist!
Do you think Cass has more to learn when it comes to communicating with ghosts?
Definitely! I think Cass has more to learn about how to communicate with people in general, living and dead. Her social skills are pretty rusty. :) But particularly with the dead, so far she's only really talked with ghosts who came to her wanting living companionship. As she discovers with Tim's mom, not all ghosts are that easy to get to know.
If you were a ghost where or who would you haunt?
I'd probably haunt my family and friends--I'd want to know how their lives were going and what they were up to. I'm very curious by nature so I imagine I'd be peeking in on all sorts of people! Possibly I'd end up being one of those rare wandering ghosts who doesn't have one set location they're drawn back to.
(( This last question/answer may contain some
spoilers, if you haven't read
Give Up the Ghost where have you been? and cover your eyes! lol cant say i didn't
warn you :P))
What made you decide to end the book the way you did?
I usually know at least the essence of the ending early on in the writing process. In many ways the ending is the most important part of the book! Some of what I'll say now is a little
spoilery, so those who haven't read the book, read on with fair
warning:
I knew I needed to have a resolution of some sort between Cass and Tim, and I knew what the conflict between them would be about. The place I chose seemed ideal because it was an outward symbol of the effort Cass was making to return to the world of the living and to try to engage with her peers again. It required a lot of courage just for her to go, and I think it shows how much she's grown since the beginning of the book.
A few readers have commented on the lack of a clear romantic gesture at the end of the book, but I did that on purpose, for a couple reasons. For one, I don't think Cass and Tim are ready for a romantic relationship yet. They've both still got a ways to go. And for another, that wasn't my story. So many paranormal books focus on the importance of love and how it affects the main character. But people can care about and support each other without being in love, and I wanted to show that. It's not about love--it's about basic human connection.
Thanks Megan for the awesome interview! the last answer really helped!!
Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken
Author: Annette Curtis Klause
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 9780440213468
Publication Date:
Ages: Young Adult
Pages: 216