Interview with Demetra Brodsky for Last Girls

Last Girls

by Demetra Brodsky

Publisher: Tor Teen

Release Date: May 5th 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Synopsis:

No one knows how the world will end.

On a secret compound in the Washington wilderness, Honey Juniper and her sisters are training to hunt, homestead, and protect their own.

Prepare for every situation.

But when danger strikes from within, putting her sisters at risk, training becomes real life, and only one thing is certain:

Nowhere is safe.

Can you briefly describe LAST GIRLS and its characters? 

Last Girls is a twisting, YA Thriller about sisterhood, survival, and family secrets. Three sisters being raised as doomsday preppers in the Pacific Northwest face a different kind of threat when one sister’s actions draw the unwanted attention to the secret compound where they live. As the group leader’s erratic behaviour and actions increase, they have to decide if it’s better to run or take their chances against the very people sworn to protect them. 

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?

That’s such a tough call. Honey is the oldest of the three Juniper sisters, and the POV character for all three sisters, but Birdie and Blue come with their own strengths and worthiness. If I have to pick just one, I’d say Birdie (the middle sister) is my favorite. I don’t think she’d be the choice of most readers. Maybe that’s why I love her. She is, in my own opinion, the most misunderstood. Headstrong, independent, and impulsive, Birdie rarely shows her more sensitive site. But when she does, it’s visceral. Throughout the story Birdie is the one that suffers the most, and I felt so her emotions viscerally while writing her into the scenes she shares with her sisters. 

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere? 

I’d love to say I had this unforgettable ah-ha moment. The truth is, I was curious about the lives of doomsday preppers. Not the variety that are sensationalized on television, but the ones who homestead and try to live mostly off the grid. It was a combination of that and an episode of Criminal Minds titled Amplification that dealt with a jilted scientist creating a pathogen to use as a biological weapon. My research spread into military history until I had the makings of my own thriller. Being the youngest of parents’ three daughters, I’ve always wanted to write a book about three sisters. I love a good power trio. 

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?

My favorite question. Mother, by Pink Floyd. The book opens with a quote from this song. You can find my public, author-curated LAST GIRLS playlist on Spotify.

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?

I love dreaming about who would play my characters. This is always so much fun. 

Honey: Diana Silvers

Birdie: Emily Rudd

Blue: India Eisley

Toby: Cole Sprouse

You can visit the Last Girls Pinterest board to see more.

What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?

Tazo makes a heavenly Juniper Mint Honey tea. Sipping that in front of campfire would be amazing while reading Last Girls. 

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish LAST GIRLS? 

There are some great books with similar themes that I love. 

Day Zero and Day One by Kelly deVos

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

H is Hawk by Helen Macdonald

Macbeth by Shakespeare

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?

The hardest part for me is creating a viable villain or villains. The main characters usually come to me easily and I just have to massage them into existence. Once I have an idea of who the story is about, I jump into creating the villain because their motivation is what will drive the character’s actions and reactions. I have to know why they feel compelled to do the things they’re going to do, what their lives were like, who or what happened that made them the way they are. That advice was given to by Lois Duncan (I Know What You Did Last Summer) when she read an early copy of Dive Smack, my debut. She told me she always starts with the villain and to have more information on them than I needed, stuff that will never even make it into the book as long I knew them as well as I knew my protagonist. She then proceeded to email me a bunch of questions to help me flesh out the villain (Dr. Maddox) in my debut. 

What’s next for you?

I’m currently outlining an adult Greek Mythology story, which is a revision and reimagining of the first YA book I ever wrote. It also contains a power trio, and you won’t be surprised to hear that I’ve spent a long time developing the villain. As a first-generation Greek-American, this story is very near and dear to my heart and I can’t wait until the day I can share it with readers.

The Juniper sisters in LAST GIRLS don't go anywhere without a backpack (what they call an EDC: Every Day Carry) and they take great pride in their artwork. Honey paints, Birdie draws comics, and Blue uses embroidery to fancy up her clothes (when she's not spending time with her beloved falcon, Achilles). To honor the sisters' talents, I'll be sending one lucky winner some artistic inspiration by offering up a fabulous pre-order Grand Prize. But don't worry, everyone who orders will receive a gift with purchase. And, as a bonus, I'm including a 2nd prize that holds a special place in my author heart.

ALL PREORDERS WILL RECEIVE: Last Girls 5x7 Glossy Art Print & Signed Bookplate (see above)

ALL PREORDERS WILL BE ENTERED FOR A CHANCE TO WIN THE GRAND AND FIRST PRIZE.

GRAND PRIZE WINNER: (chosen at random on or before 5/19) will receive a BUILT NY grey & blue camouflage backpack with thermal lunch compartment. Inside you'll find a mini acrylic painting kit (From Honey), a sketchbook & pen (From Birdie), an adorable 10" peregrine falcon plushie and mini sewing kit (from Blue), a flashlight (with batteries), a rosy tinted lip balm, camouflage band-aids, a 3-pack of portable tissues printed with positive messages, and a dehydrated camping meal like the one the sisters eat in the book.

FIRST PRIZE: (chosen at random on or before 5/19) A signed hardcover copy of my debut novel, DIVE SMACK, to round out your collection (Surprise! There's a big Dive Smack Easter Egg hidden in the pages of Last Girls).

TO ENTER: email proof of purchase to demetrabrodskybooks@gmail.com before May 5th. You'll get one entry for each copy of the book you purchase.

Available wherever books are sold.

Whenever possible, please support Indie Bookstores by buying through www.bookshop.org

Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego will have signed copies (not bookplates) and offers Free shipping for media mail rate within the U.S. on orders over $35. https://www.mystgalaxy.com/book/9781250256522

VISIT: https://www.demetrabrodsky.com/last-girls-preorder-campaign to learn more!

*Open to U.S.A. Residents Only

*Sweepstakes run and fulfilled by the author

*Share with your friends

DEMETRA BRODSKY writes twisty thrillers about dark family secrets. She is an award-winning graphic designer & art director turned full-time. A native of Massachusetts with a B.F.A from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Demetra now lives in Southern California where she's always exploring and researching, looking for clues to things that might feed into her next book. She is a first generation Greek-American and a member of International Thriller Writers. Dive Smack, her debut YA Thriller, is a 2018 Junior Library Guild Selection, an (ALAN) Pick (The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE), and a Publishers Marketplace Buzz Book for Young Adults for Spring/Summer 2018.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview with Brittany Cavallaro + Emily Henry for Hello Girls

Hello Girls

by Brittany Cavallaro & Emily Henry

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: August 6th 2019

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Best friends are forged by fire. For Winona Olsen and Lucille Pryce, that fire happened the night they met outside the police station—both deciding whether to turn their families in.

Winona has been starving for life in the seemingly perfect home that she shares with her seemingly perfect father, celebrity weatherman Stormy Olsen. No one knows that he locks the pantry door to control her eating and leaves bruises where no one can see them.

Lucille has been suffocating beneath the needs of her mother and her drug-dealing brother, wondering if there’s more out there for her than disappearing waitress tips and generations of barely getting by.

One harrowing night, Winona and Lucille realize they can’t wait until graduation to start their new lives. They need out. Now. All they need is three grand, fast. And really, a stolen convertible to take them from Michigan to Las Vegas can’t hurt.

Can you briefly describe HELLO GIRLS and their main characters? 

HELLO GIRLS is the story of Winona and Lucille, two girls who have been put in impossible situations by the men in their families. It’s about their unlikely best friendship and the lengths that the two of them will go to get free—some hilarious, some dark, and all, hopefully, thrilling. 

Winona is a rich girl who’s been kept in a glass case by her controlling father; Lucille’s grown up with an absent dad, a drug-dealing brother, and a mother who works long hours to put food on the table. At first glance, Winona is Tory Burch dresses and perfect manners to Lucille’s drugstore glitter lip gloss, but the two of them together find new depths when they hit the road. 

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why? 

Brittany: My favorite character has to be the Sicilian mechanic Armie Quinhole. I’m of Italian descent, and I’m from a big family—getting to write characters like Lucille (who is at pains to remind you she’s both a Folgarelli and a Pryce) and Armie lets me pay tribute to, and send up, my own upbringing. 

Emily: Armie is definitely pretty high on my list too, and I also have the softest of soft spots for Chaxton. I can’t even think his name without giggling. But honestly, I think it has to be Lucille. I love her so much. She has a backbone made of steel but her innards are just soft and gooey and good. She is the friend we all deserve. 

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere? 

We came up with the idea for HELLO GIRLS on our own road trip, driving through the Midwest in search of inspiration for a project for the two of us to write together. Over and over, as we stopped at gas stations and got food at restaurants, we were cheerily condescended to by men, who looked at two grown women and only saw ‘girls’ they could hit on or demean. We wanted to write a book that talked back to the kind of toxic masculinity. 

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be? 

Probably some kind of unholy mashup of songs by Mariah Carey and Bleachers, played on top volume through blown-out car speakers. 

What would you say it is the best thing about writing a book with someone else? 

Brittany: Every sentence I write needs to be as good as one of Emily’s, and that makes my own writing better. I love seeing her process. She’s so talented! 

Emily: I have to agree with this (only… you know, reversed). I think one reason this book poured out of us was that whenever one of us sent the other a chapter, it felt like this adrenaline-inducing challenge. I have never read a book by Brittany Cavallaro without learning something about writing in the process, and this was no different. It was just inspiring to watch her work, and in a way, writing this book together strangely paralleled the book itself: the way Lucille and Winona egg each other on, how they keep trying to top one another. 

Brittany, can you tell us something we don’t know about Emily? 

You might know this from Insta, but Emily dresses like an actual Farrah Fawcett angel from the 70s. She might have the coolest personal style of anyone I know. She’s also the queen of the quick comeback—hanging out with her is a master class in banter. 

Emily, can you tell us something we don’t know about Brittany? 

Brittany is freakishly good at video games and strategy games. Whenever we’re together, she tries to teach me something about one of these (and does so with the patience of a saint), and I nod and pledge to practice when I go home, and then the song on the radio changes, and we start singing, and I forget to ever think about strategy games again. Also she taught me everything I know about skincare (a lot). 

To which character do you identify the most in HELLO GIRLS and why? 

Brittany: Oh, I am thoroughly a Lucille, good qualities and bad—the loyalty, the impulsiveness. She’s much better at math than me, and has slightly worse taste in boys than I did at 16 (…slightly), but we’re cut from the same cloth. 

Emily: Hm, maybe a Winona dressed as a Lucille? Which I guess is just a Winona. I don’t know, I think one reason I loved writing Winona so much was that she’s so different from me. Writing her allowed me to tap into parts of myself that I rarely think about. In real life, I would be terrified of Winona and would follow Lucille around like an adoring puppy. So maybe that makes me… Chaxton! JK! 

Summer is here and we love to go out and enjoy the sun. What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date? 

A strawberry milkshake with extra whipped cream on it by a paddle pool in your backyard. 

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish HELLO GIRLS? 

For more girl friendship, Elizabeth Wein’s CODE NAME VERITY is a must. Katie Cotugno’s 99 DAYS is my favorite summer read—complex relationships, gorgeous writing. And speaking of summer books, anything by Sandhya Menon (like WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI) is perfect. For something with grit that engages with the darker themes, almost anything by Mindy McGinnis is a safe bet. 

Finally, not a book—but if you haven’t seen Thelma and Louise yet, you should! 

What’s next for you? 

Brittany: I have an 1893 World’s Fair historical fantasy coming out in early 2021 called MUSE. Stay tuned! 

Emily: My next book comes out next June, and is a rom-com (for adults!) called BEACH READ! I also wouldn’t sneeze at a chance to write another book with my bestie. (Is that even the saying? Sneeze at? You get the idea: I’d love to do it.)

Brittany Cavallaro

Brittany Cavallaro is a poet, fiction writer, and old school Sherlockian. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Charlotte Holmes novels from HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books, including A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE, THE LAST OF AUGUST, and THE CASE FOR JAMIE (forthcoming in March 2018). She's also the author of the poetry collection GIRL-KING (University of Akron) and is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She earned her BA in literature from Middlebury College and her MFA in poetry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Michigan with her husband, cat, dog, and collection of deerstalker caps.

Emily Henry

Emily Henry is the author of The Love That Split the World and A Million Junes. She is a full-time writer, proofreader, and donut connoisseur. She studied creative writing at Hope College and the New York Center for Art & Media Studies, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. She tweets @EmilyHenryWrite.

a Rafflecopter giveaway