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Chat with Amy Garvey

Posted by HarperTeen 
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EpicGirl
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 01, 2012 01:27PM
Hey Amy!

What are your top 10 recommended reads for people who are just getting into young adult books?
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Kayla
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 01, 2012 01:38PM
Hi Amy!
I am from Germany and just read Cold Kiss in half a night and half a day! I love it!! Awesome story!
But now I am selfish too: Is Danny really gone for good now? I would so love to read more about him. I especially enjoyed the extra fighting scene in the end.
Can't wait for Cold Heart anyway!
Greetings from Germany!
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MirandaDoores
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 01, 2012 04:35PM
My name is Miranda. I've wanted to be a writer for a while now, and it's pretty hard. Did you struggle also in the beginning? What inspired you to write these books?
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Emily @ Falling for YA
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 01, 2012 05:17PM
i love the relationship between Wren and her mother it is so realistic, did you/do you have a similar relationship with your mother?
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jillfoltz
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 01, 2012 08:01PM
I'm a middle school English teacher, and I'm always curious about how much you wrote at that age. Can you share a little? smiling smiley Thanks!!!
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NerdyGirl88
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 02, 2012 08:05AM
How long did it take for your first book to get published?
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elizabethhurlburt
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 02, 2012 08:02PM
Did you get the final say in the cover art or did the publisher?
Did you have any alternate titles for the books or did you always know these were the perfect titles?
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stegosaurusrawr
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 04, 2012 01:07AM
My question would have to be, what was your favorite part in writing Cold Kiss? And have the characters changed your life in anyway? Do you see a part of who you are in any of the characters?
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Amy Garvey
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 06, 2012 12:29PM
gaby891 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have a hard time explaining what I want to say,
> how do you explain things when writing?

It depends on what you're writing! Sometimes you want to paint a really specific picture of a setting, for instance, and sometimes you just want to give a hint of the general atmosphere. The only advice is to keep reading, keep writing, and keep revising. Good luck!
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Amy Garvey
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 06, 2012 12:33PM
deadtossedwaves Wrote:
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> Have you ever had to cut a character in the middle
> of your work in progress?
>
> Which character is the most frustrating to write?
>
> Would you write from a male POV?


Great questions!

In terms of character ... yes, I think so? It's hard to remember, especially when you work so long on the finished book that the drafts tend to fade into the background. But sometimes you realize that three secondary characters could be rolled into one, or that a character isn't really serving a concrete purpose, sure.

Which character in Cold Kiss? Probably Wren! I was closest to her, and I wanted to make sure that her voice was clear and that I was really portraying her the way I saw her in my head. Danny was easy to write, and a lot of fun, and I was crushing on Gabriel a little bit, so he was pretty easy, too.

I have written from a male point view before, when I was writing romance. Many romances are written in third person, so you can get the male and female points of view, and I always liked writing men. They're people, too!
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Amy Garvey
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 06, 2012 12:35PM
megrue Wrote:
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> Hi, Amy! Did you cry at all while you wrote this
> book? I can't imagine not crying--it's such a
> heartfelt and heartbreaking story!


I did, a little bit! I definitely got choked up writing the ending scene -- it was so hard for Wren to say to goodbye! I also gave myself goosebumps in the scene at the park, when Danny starts to remember. The whole process was pretty emotional, actually. I think I need to write a funnier book next time. ;-)
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Amy Garvey
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 06, 2012 12:37PM
juneluu Wrote:
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> How did you become an author?


Same way everyone does! I wrote and wrote, and read everything I could get my hands on, and found out what I could about the publishing industry (which was a lot harder pre-Internet), and was lucky enough to get a job in publishing. Now, not everyone does that, or needs to, but it certainly helped demystify the process for me.

For anyone who wants to be a writer, the most important thing to remember is simply to write as well as you can, and to keep learning your craft. Focusing on the writing is much more valuable, in the long run, than focusing on the tangential things.
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Amy Garvey
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 06, 2012 12:42PM
EpicGirl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey Amy!
>
> What are your top 10 recommended reads for people
> who are just getting into young adult books?

Wow, excellent question. It's so hard to choose -- there are so many good books out there for all different interests. But good writing and a story that really hits home emotionally is always the most important for me, so I'm going to say ... the books I voted on in the NPR survey, which are:

13 Reasons Why, Jay Asher
Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson
The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton
A Northern Light, Jennifer Donnelly
I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins
How I Live Now, Meg Rosoff
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green (or any John Green)
the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Libba Bray
Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein
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Amy Garvey
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 06, 2012 12:44PM
Kayla Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi Amy!
> I am from Germany and just read Cold Kiss in half
> a night and half a day! I love it!! Awesome
> story!
> But now I am selfish too: Is Danny really gone for
> good now? I would so love to read more about him.
> I especially enjoyed the extra fighting scene in
> the end.
> Can't wait for Cold Heart anyway!
> Greetings from Germany!


Hi from the U.S.! I'm so glad you liked Cold Kiss -- it's a book that means a lot to me. You'll have to read Glass Heart to find out about Danny, but remember, what Wren was learning was how to let go, and that just because love might not last doesn't make it less meaningful.
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Amy Garvey
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 06, 2012 12:55PM
MirandaDoores Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My name is Miranda. I've wanted to be a writer for
> a while now, and it's pretty hard. Did you
> struggle also in the beginning? What inspired you
> to write these books?


It is hard, but so is everything when you start! I think the key to writing, like anything, is the passion to do it, and to keep writing, which is essentially what practicing is to a musician. You just need to keep learning how to use language and refine your thoughts, and it can take a while. But keep at it!
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Amy Garvey
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 06, 2012 12:57PM
Emily @ Falling for YA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> i love the relationship between Wren and her
> mother it is so realistic, did you/do you have a
> similar relationship with your mother?

Not really! My mom is fantastic, but she's nothing like Rose. We have a great relationship now, but we certainly had our battles when I was a teenager. I have a daughter of my own now, and I'm just hoping we get through her teen years with everyone intact. ;-)
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Amy Garvey
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 06, 2012 12:58PM
jillfoltz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm a middle school English teacher, and I'm
> always curious about how much you wrote at that
> age. Can you share a little? smiling smiley Thanks!!!

What I loved about writing then was that it was completely pure. No thought to marketability or plot structure or the right point of view, just whatever putting whatever I needed to on the page. That's a gift that doesn't really last, or at least it didn't for me, but I've always felt some of the best ideas come out of that absolutely free writing.
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Amy Garvey
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 06, 2012 01:01PM
NerdyGirl88 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How long did it take for your first book to get
> published?

That's a complicated question! I was ghostwriting before I ever published a book of my own, and the first book I did write and publish happened fairly quickly. But I also had a partial novel tucked away that I loved and had never been able to figure out what to do with, and that took almost twenty years to find a publisher.
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Amy Garvey
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 06, 2012 01:02PM
elizabethhurlburt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Did you get the final say in the cover art or did
> the publisher?
> Did you have any alternate titles for the books or
> did you always know these were the perfect titles?

The publisher has the final say on cover art, and that's a good thing! I'm a writer, not an artist, or a marketer, and all of those aspects go into the cover.

Cold Kiss was my original title, and it surprised me that I got to keep it! That doesn't always happen. I had a few other vague ideas for Glass Heart, but now I think Glass Heart is perfect for the book.
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Amy Garvey
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 06, 2012 01:07PM
stegosaurusrawr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My question would have to be, what was your
> favorite part in writing Cold Kiss? And have the
> characters changed your life in anyway? Do you see
> a part of who you are in any of the characters?

More great questions!

Some of my favorite parts to write in Cold Kiss were Wren's memories of Danny. He was already dead (well, undead), so it seemed okay if her memories were slightly rose-colored. That meant I could really play up the magic of being in love for the first time, and discovering another person in such a new and intimate way. I really love Danny, in case it's not clear. ;-)

Have the characters changed my life? Well, in the sense that the wonderful people at HarperTeen responded so well to them, and gave me the chance to share the book with people like you! That's huge. And I definitely see bits of myself in Wren, although I have to say it's ... mostly the cranky parts. ;-)
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stegosaurusrawr
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 07, 2012 08:10PM
I just went through and read everyone's Q&A, some of them made me laugh =]

I dont know if its to late to get a questioned answered but I'll try anyway, by changing your life, I meant did you learn anything new about yourself that showed up in your characters? Sorry, I have a terrible habit of thinking people can read my mind =]

Also, I can NOT wait for Glass Heart, I'm super excited! Thanks again for answering my question, you're awesome!
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MirandaDoores
Re: Chat with Amy Garvey
August 08, 2012 01:02PM
I won!!!! Yea!!
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