"To everyone who has read Slated... THANK YOU! It is a privilege to know you
have chosen my book out of everything out there to sit and spend time with.
And to those who haven’t, I hope you will. And please say hello: Facebook
TeriTerryAuthor, Twitter @TeriTerryWrites and website teriterry.com. I
also blog on group blogs Demention on all things dark and dystopian in YA
fiction, and Notes From the Slushpile on writing and getting published."
- TERI TERRY, debut author of 2012
How was the feeling of being a published author, at last?
It is hard to describe. I’ve been trying to get published for a long time, so holding Slated in my hands at long last was quite a feeling. Having said that...it was also really weird. It was like I couldn’t quite believe it? I kept expecting someone to tap me on the shoulder and arrest me for impersonating an author. I still have problems with that sometimes.
What is/are the best thing/s that happened after your book was published?
I think one of the very best things is getting messages from readers. But also pretty high on the list was being invited to appear at the Edinburgh Book Festival in August. I loved it there! I could live in the Author Yurt year round (I blogged about the festival here).
What do you think you're up to now if you're not writing?
If I wasn’t writing I honestly don’t know what I’d be doing instead. I’ve had a load of different jobs in different countries, from lawyer (Canada) to optician (Australia) to working in schools and libraries (England)!
Did you plan, all along, to write/publish a book with the genre of what you got right now?
I started out writing for adults, but then applied for a job with an audio book charity where I had to convince them I knew all about books for children and teens. I didn’t, but gave myself a crash course: it must have worked, because I got the job. And the more I delved into reading books for children, and especially for teens, the more I knew: this was what I was meant to write.
Are you interested in writing with different genre or audience?
I love writing all sorts of things, so while I’m consumed with YA at the moment I wouldn’t rule out anything else.
Do you read reviews about your book?
I tend to peek at them a bit between my fingers. The ones that are clearly written by teenage readers I’m more likely to read. It is a funny thing, but reading really good reviews is as hard as reading the occasional negative ones. It can make it difficult to write: when I was working on Fractured, I kept worrying they wouldn’t like it as well as Slated.
What is your (best/fun/unforgettable) moment with a fan?
When you meet someone who is really thrilled to meet an author and loved your book: wow. It is really a great – and very surreal! – feeling. There was a girl at a school event I did last week who was too excited to speak (her friend had to tell me Slated was her favourite book).
Who is the character on your book who has the most response from your readers?
Probably it would be the main character, Kyla, but I’ve had loads of comments on my minor characters also, like her mother, and another girl at school (Phoebe). And of course her gorgeous Ben.
Which stresses you more: writing/finishing your book, looking for a publisher/getting your book published, or seeing negative feedback from the readers?
There is more stress with writing and finishing books to deadlines I think than anything else! Finding a publisher to start with was a different sort of stress, because there was no timeline associated with it: it took as long as it took, and it was out of my control. Most of the time I’m okay with negative reviews because the good ones balance it out.
Was there any book/s from other debut author of 2012 that you loved?
Really loved Heart Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne. And At Yellow Lake by Jane McLoughlin.
Author you dream to work with?
To me, writing is a solitary occupation: I don’t think I’d ever want to write with anyone else.
Did you read your book (like, from first page to last)? If you did, what did you felt?
I’ve never sat and read it like a book from cover to cover. I think I’m a little afraid to, in case I find something I want to change or fix. But having said that, I have of course read it over and over (and over and over...) while doing copy edits and checking page proofs.
Tell us about your next project.
Kyla’s story continues in Fractured, the sequel to Slated: out in the UK 4th April 2013 (Slated is out in the US/Canada in Jan 2013 and Fractured in September 2013).
Share us one embarrassing moment you've had.
I embarrass myself so regularly it is hard to come up with specific examples! I can remember once walking home from school with a friend and telling her how rotten the kids next door were (they really were), and then realizing their mother was behind us the whole time.
Fave joke?
I can never remember jokes. And The Man usually has to explain them to me, anyhow: I can’t seem to quite get the hang of British humour.
What's the recent thing that made you cry?
Oh, now this is really embarrassing, maybe I should have put it in as answer to above? I was editing Fractured for about the millionth time a few days ago, and there is this one chapter in it that makes me cry every time I read it. Is that pathetic?
When's your birthday?
March: I’m a Pisces.
Do you read/believe in horoscopes?
They are fun to read but I don’t believe in them. Having said that...when I read descriptions of what a Pisces is supposed to be like, it sounds like me.
Fave movie?
Very hard to pick, but probably the Lord of the Rings movies.
Fave artist/song?
I love loads of music. But I write to Mark Knopfler most of the time. I don’t know why, but the way he plays guitar just puts me into that creative zone. It is like waterfalls, like flowing magic; it tells stories just the way it sounds.
How did you celebrate the publishing of your book? :)
I had a big launch party at a bookstore in London, Waterstones Islington, with loads of friends: it was such a fun night.
*****
Teri has lived in France, Canada, Australia and England at more addresses than she can count, acquiring three degrees, a selection of passports and a silly name along the way. Past careers have included scientist, lawyer, optometrist, and, in England, various jobs in schools, libraries and an audiobook charity. The footpaths and canal ways of the Buckinghamshire Chilterns where she now lives inspired much of the setting of Slated. She hates broccoli, likes cats, and has finally worked out what she wants to do when she grows up.
Demention! Group blog with Teri Terry, Julie Bertagna, and Julienne Durber on all things dark and dystopian in YA fiction http://demention.co.uk/
Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/TeriTerryAuthor
Notes from the Slushpile: group blog on writing for children http://notesfromtheslushpile.blogspot.co.uk
Twitter * Goodreads
The debut
by Teri Terry
(Slated #1)
Published: May 3rd 2012 by Orchard Books
US/Canada release: January 24, 2013
Summary (Goodreads):
Kyla’s memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.
She’s been Slated.
The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?
Buy Slated now!
The sequel
Fractured
by Teri Terry
(Slated #2)
Expected publication: May 2013 by Hachette
GIVEAWAY!
(Please READ these important details before jumping to the Rafflecopter! :)
- win a copy of Slated
- open to US/Canada only (US edition is the copy the winner will get--that means that the publisher won't be sending the book to the winner til it is released by January 24th)
- one winner will be picked via Rafflecopter entries.
- the winning entry will be CHECKED. So please be honest in entering each one of them--you never know, it might be the winning entry.
- if the winner has not responded within 48 hours, another winner will be picked.
- all personal details will be kept privately and deleted after.
- Jodi and I are not responsible for any lost or damaged packages.
- ends December 25th
* Thank you so much Teri Terry!!!
Slated will be on US and Canada bookstores by January 24th 2013!
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