one of my most favorite writers, Megan McCafferty has a new book coming out next year. Here is a lovely Q&A with her about it!
Megan McCafferty talks about BUMPED!
I am thrilled to present to you, my DARLING blog readers, an interview with Megan McCafferty, the author of the New York Times bestselling Jessica Darling series and BUMPED (which I just finished and LOVED LOVED LOVED!!!).
But FIRST, here is a little about BUMPED:
When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents must pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.
But FIRST, here is a little about BUMPED:
When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents must pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.
Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they search for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend, Zen, who is way too short for the job.
Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to convince Melody that pregging for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.
When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.
Doesn't that sound AMAZING?
Aaaaaaaaaaaaand now that you're salivating over the book, here's the interview with Megan! I warned her that we are mostly writerly people who are interested in craft, so that's what I focused on.
To start, could you tell us a little about yourself and your writing journey? I know you've written previous books (such as the Jessica Darling series), but you call this your first "real" YA novel. How is this novel different from your others?
I can’t imagine not being a writer. I’m not qualified to do anything else. Seriously. My last non-writing related job was working as a token exchange girl at Lucky Leo’s Arcade on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. (Yes, the same Seaside made infamous by Jersey Shore.)
My parents say I started making up stories as soon as I could speak in full sentences, and began writing them down after I mastered my ABCs. I kept a journal from the ages of 10 to 26, wrote for school publications, took every type of creative writing class I could sign up for in high school, college, and beyond. I thought my dream job was to be a writer for teen magazines until I actually got that job and realized I didn’t like being told what to write and how. So I quit that job to write what eventually became SLOPPY FIRSTS, which spawned four Jessica Darling sequels that kept me very happily occupied through the 00s.
The Jessica Darling series was published by Crown, which isn’t a young adult publisher but was willing to take a chance on a book they believed had young adult/adult crossover appeal. I hope BUMPED will also appeal to readers who are still in high school as well as those who graduated long ago. I do think fans will be surprised that I’m venturing in futuristic territory. But unlike most dystopian novels, BUMPED will make you laugh because that’s the kind of writer I am. I don’t do grim. There’s nothing in this book that isn’t rooted in reality, so despite the setting and circumstances, you’ll relate to these characters and see yourself or others in them. Oh, and there’s a really juicy love parallelogram. (It’s way more complicated than a simple triangle.)
Could you describe your typical writing day? What is your perfect writing environment? What inspires you?
I come home at 8:30am from dropping off my son at school and head straight for my office. That’s where I do all my writing because I can’t concentrate anywhere else. I allow myself a half-hour for emailing and timesucking on Facebook and Twitter, then select the ideal iTunes playlist for the day before finally opening up my document and getting to work.
I try to write straight through until lunch, but I always end up taking many breaks for green tea and gossip on Gawker and Jezebel. If I’ve made my minimum word count for the day (600) by noon, I hit the gym for an hour of cardio, or I do yoga if my back, neck and shoulders are achy from so much sitting. If I haven’t hit my word count, I put myself back in the chair until I do. Either way, my work is done at 2:55pm when I hop on my bike to pick up my son. From that point on, I’m in mom/wife/friend/daughter/sister mode.
In your letter to readers, you mention the TV shows Sixteen and Pregnant and Teen Mom. Did these, in addition to movies like Juno, contribute to your decision to write this novel? Can you explain how you came up with the concept for Bumped and how it evolved?
My original inspiration goes back even earlier, to the infamous Gloucester High School “pregnancy pact.” Like many others, I was fascinated by the whole sordid story. What would inspire girls to become teen mothers by choice? Because I was still writing the final book in the Jessica Darling series, I didn’t pursue the idea then.
About a year later, the media was in a frenzy over Juno, and reeling from announcements by Jamie Lyn Spears and Bristol Palin. There were numerous articles arguing for and against abstinence only programming. One letter in the New York Times made a pro-sex education argument with the caveat, “while we would never encourage teens to have sex…” Something about that sentence made me stop and ask myself, “What if we did encourage teens to have sex? Under what circumstances would that be socially and morally acceptable?” I knew it would have to be something pretty apocalyptic, which lead to my invention of the Human Progressive Sterility Virus that causes infertility for everyone over the age of eighteen in BUMPED.
The rest of the story just kind of took off from there, but not after more research than I’ve ever done in my entire life! For months before I even started writing, I read books about the history of teen pregnancy, surrogate motherhood, sexual activity and religious orientation, the Amish, adoption, twins separated at birth and reunited as adults…so much more. I even audited a seminar at Princeton University about the politics of sex and gender roles. Hopefully, if I did my job right, none of that research will show. Because of the provocative subject matter, it was crucial that everything—especially the most shocking aspects of the novel—be based on reality.
You've done a phenomenal job of creating a believable picture of the United States in the not-too-distant future. I think world-building is so important to dystopian novels. What advice would you give to writers of dystopian novels in terms of world creation?
I didn’t focus on what in the world would change. I thought about what would remain the same.
In Bumped, twins Melody and Harmony take turns telling the story. Their voices are so distinct and strong. How did you accomplish this? Was it hard to switch back and forth? Did you have to write the chapters out of order so you could stay in one character's head and be consistent?
Getting the voices right was probably the hardest part of the writing process. After channeling Jessica Darling’s voice for nearly a decade, I was determined to make Melody and Harmony their own people, separate from each other, but also unlike any characters I’d created before. It took me a while to get to know them, not until many months into writing the first draft, to tell you the truth. But once I finally understood who they were, where they came from, and what motivated them to make the decisions they did, their voices flowed naturally. I could hear them in my head, which is probably why I found it easier to write in one twin’s voice for several days or weeks in a row before changing back into the other. Now that I know them so well, however, I’m finding it much easier to switch back and forth as I write the sequel.
Bumped is the first in a series, right? Can you tell us anything about your vision for the rest of the novels (without giving spoilers, of course)? Are you working on them already? Do you know where you'll leave our beloved Harmony and Melody?
I know trilogies are so hot right now, but BUMPED will have one sequel and that’s it. Two narrators, two books. It feels right. I’m already more than 1/3 of my way through the follow-up, and yes, I already know what will happen to the twins at the end. I don’t know exactly how they’ll get to the final page, but this combination of planning and spontaneity seems to work well for me creatively.
What kind of discussions would you like your teen readers to have after reading Bumped?
BUMPED isn’t an “issue” book about teen pregnancy. It’s a book about making choices to live your own life, and the struggle to break away from what others expect of you. Both Melody and Harmony begin to question everything they’ve been brought up to believe, and find the courage to act in ways that are true to who they are, not who everyone else wants them to be.
So I hope this book inspires teens and not-so-young adults to speak candidly about subjects that aren’t so easy to talk about. Not only the sex and pregnancy stuff, but other complex issues the characters face, such as the pressure to live up to parental and peer expectations, or how class and gender warfare is waged in high school hallways on a daily basis. Let’s get these conversations out in the open. It’s not like NOT talking about these problems will make them go away on your own.
So I hope this book inspires teens and not-so-young adults to speak candidly about subjects that aren’t so easy to talk about. Not only the sex and pregnancy stuff, but other complex issues the characters face, such as the pressure to live up to parental and peer expectations, or how class and gender warfare is waged in high school hallways on a daily basis. Let’s get these conversations out in the open. It’s not like NOT talking about these problems will make them go away on your own.
So, so true, Megan! Well, thanks so much for the interview and I wish you loads of success with this awesome book!
And now, my loverly blog readers, what you've all been waiting for! I have one copy of BUMPED to give away. The contest will end Monday, November 22nd at midnight EST. This contest is open to blog readers outside the U.S.
Please leave your number of entries in the comments. Here's how to tally them up:
Please leave your number of entries in the comments. Here's how to tally them up:
+1 entry for commenting on Megan's interview
+2 for following blog
+3 for tweeting contest
+4 for blogging about contest
