Today is my book birthday for SILENCE--and in honor of the book release, I have a newly designed website, thanks to my webmaster, Jimmy Powell. So my blog is now connected to my website. www.deborahlytton.com.
If you want to read my latest blogs, visit me there! Don't forget to leave a comment!
D.L.
Adventures in Writing
Take a Journey into your Imagination with Middle Grade and Young Adult Author Deborah Lytton
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Saturday, January 31, 2015
SILENCE at Midwinter
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Book Talk with Ilima Todd
Today, my friend and fellow Shadow Mountain author Ilima Todd is here to talk about her debut YA release, REMAKE. Ilima and I met at ALA in June and bonded over books and kids, so I am really excited to share our book talk with you.
DL: Ilima, where did you first get the idea for REMAKE?
Ilima: I
wanted to write a story about families, so the first thing I did was imagine
what the world would be like without them. I wondered who would raise children,
teach them, or love them. I thought about who children would turn to with
questions, or whether they’d be accountable to parental figures at all. I also
wondered if people would view gender differently without mothers, fathers, or
knowledge of reproduction. Nine’s world grew from there, and I knew it would
make an ideal dystopian society.
DL: Which character in the book most resembles you?
Ilima: Probably
Nine. She’s very insecure and worries about what her choices will mean for her
and the rest of her life. I often wonder if I’m doing the right thing or
following the path that’s best for me. Nine is also a lot stronger than she
gives herself credit for, and as I look back at the hard things I’ve lived through,
I recognize strengths I didn’t realize I had at the time.
DL: If
you had to choose a favorite sentence in the book, what would it be?
Ilima: Oh,
this is a hard one. My favorites are a little too spoilery, but one moment that
I think is safe to share is during one scene were Nine does something
courageous. A character tells her she was brave to do it. Then Nine asks,
“Brave like a boy?” He responds, “No, brave like a girl.” It’s a subtle yet
significant moment for Nine.
DL: That's my favorite line in the book. It just says so much about the characters. I
know you grew up in Hawaii, and in the Mahawai section of the book, I could
almost smell the plumeria flowers in the air. How much did your upbringing
impact that part of your writing?
Ilima: It was
a heavy influence. From describing the scenery to simple activities like diving
for octopus or hiking to waterfalls, many of the island scenes were pulled straight
out of my life experience. I didn’t realize how unique my upbringing was until
I left home for college, and it was a lot of fun to explore and share some of
that within the pages of REMAKE.
DL: Nine's struggle with choosing her gender centers on her finding out who she
truly is and where she belongs. Did you always know how she would decide
or did she tell you as you were writing the character?
Ilima: I
always knew what she would decide, but her path to getting there has been
molded and adjusted along the way. She’s raised in a society without any real
boundaries as far as morality or choices go, so while it was fun to write from
her blunt and often humorous point of view, it also posed a challenge having to
constantly think about what she would say or think about new situations that we
as readers would consider common or ordinary. As I pondered those things from
her fresh—and often naïve—perspective, I realized they aren’t common or
ordinary at all but something quite beautiful. I hope readers will recognize
that too.
DL: What
is your writing process? I am not big on outlining, but I know other writers
who outline everything and make up index cards for each scene in the book
before they even begin page one. How do you approach a new manuscript?
Ilima: I am
definitely an outliner, though I’m very flexible and almost always change
things as I draft. I can’t start a book without knowing how it ends, however.
Though I may change how I get there, I need to know where I’m heading. The one
book I tried to write without an outline stalled at about ten thousand words
and may stay there forever.
DL: I have the exact opposite problem. Isn't it amazing how we all work in different ways. There are so many successful YA authors in Utah, can you tell us what kind of
writer's support you have with other authors and writer's conferences?
Ilima: When I
took my first manuscript to my first writer’s conference here in Utah, I
learned so much…including the fact that I had no idea how to write. J I formed a critique group with
several other writers at that conference and to this day they are my best
friends. Not only do we email each other almost every day and critique each
other’s books, we cheer each other on through the ups and downs of this crazy
writer journey and the ups and downs of life outside of writing. I’ve since
attended several more conferences and learn so much each time. I highly
recommend writing conferences to aspiring writers and am excited for the
opportunity to teach at a few of them this year.
DL: I hope I can attend one of those conferences. Alright, here's my most important question for readers of REMAKE. I
know you have just finished the manuscript for REMAKE 2. Any teasers for
those of us who can't wait to read it?
Ilima: Book Two will start about three months after the end of REMAKE and will be told from
a different character’s point of view. We’ll get to revisit favorite characters
from book one and meet a few new ones. We’ll also get a deeper look into
Freedom One and a certain rising rebellion.
DL: I can't wait to read it. What
are you working on now that you have finished REMAKE 2?
Ilima: More
science fiction for teens. I’m hoping to publish a story I wrote about a girl
who has to marry a stranger to survive the apocalypse. I’ve also been working
on a book set in a future where everything is bartered or traded…including my
main character. I’m super excited about the rich culture and themes of
self-worth and virtue in that one.
DL: What is your favorite thing about being a writer?
Ilima: As much
as I love the creative process of writing, publishing my first book and sharing
it with readers has been such a fulfilling experience. Hearing from readers who
love my book and who tell me how it resonates with them in some way has been
really neat. I love having discussions about the themes and characters in
REMAKE and appreciate the positive support I’ve received for writing what many
consider a controversial book.
DL: Thank you, Ilima, for being here today to talk books with me. You can stay in touch with Ilima by visiting her at http://ilimawrites.blogspot.com/
D.L.
D.L.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Book News
Friday, September 26, 2014
Last Steps Before Press
SILENCE is about ready to go to press for its March 2015 release. On the one hand, I am so excited to share this story with readers. I can't wait to see if people love Hayden and Stella's story as much as I do. But on the other hand, I am sad to say goodbye. These are my last days sifting through the manuscript, working hand in hand with the characters to tell their stories. And that means these are my last days with Stella and Hayden. My journey with this story has been a long one as I imagined it for years before writing it--and even then, it went through so many drafts I have lost count.
Last week, my brilliant and insightful editor, Lisa Mangum, and I wrote discussion questions for teachers, librarians and book clubs. I think it was in writing the questions that I finally realized how close I am to publication. I am so grateful I will have the chance to talk about the book in promotion and read some of it at book signings and school visits. But these are my last moments creating SILENCE. This book is about hope, and writing it gave me hope. So my greatest wish is that it brings hope to all the people who read it--and that they love Stella and Hayden as much as I do.
D.L.
Last week, my brilliant and insightful editor, Lisa Mangum, and I wrote discussion questions for teachers, librarians and book clubs. I think it was in writing the questions that I finally realized how close I am to publication. I am so grateful I will have the chance to talk about the book in promotion and read some of it at book signings and school visits. But these are my last moments creating SILENCE. This book is about hope, and writing it gave me hope. So my greatest wish is that it brings hope to all the people who read it--and that they love Stella and Hayden as much as I do.
D.L.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Escaping into Books
It is back to school time, which is always a sad day in my house. I love the summer days with my daughters, and the time to have adventures. We spend a lot of time at the beach during the summer, which is the best place for me to set my imagination free. But I also love that my girls have time to read books for pleasure without deadlines. We spent a great deal of time with books these past couple of months, looking through some of my old favorites (which my girls are now old enough to read) and searching for new ones. Most often, we read together, escaping into the story side by side. Sometimes we read out loud and sometimes to ourselves. I find that it allows us to talk about the book as we go and really analyze what is happening in the story. It's also a way for our family to share something really special together.
Escaping into a book is the best way to give my brain a moment of freedom from news reports that break my heart and pressures of being a single mom. Books are my secret weapon. For after reading a few good pages, I am recharged and ready to face whatever is ahead of me. Now that my girls are back to school, they have activities and homework and school events to attend. My goal is to make sure we still have those moments together as a family to escape into a story--and turn reading a book into a memory that will last a lifetime.
D.L.
Escaping into a book is the best way to give my brain a moment of freedom from news reports that break my heart and pressures of being a single mom. Books are my secret weapon. For after reading a few good pages, I am recharged and ready to face whatever is ahead of me. Now that my girls are back to school, they have activities and homework and school events to attend. My goal is to make sure we still have those moments together as a family to escape into a story--and turn reading a book into a memory that will last a lifetime.
D.L.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
SILENCE Has Arrived
Advance copies of my new YA novel, SILENCE arrived on my doorstep this morning. I am so excited to share the cover. See what you think...
Here is a little bit about SILENCE, coming in March 2015 from Shadow Mountain.
What happens when everything you've dreamed of is shattered in a single moment?
Stella was born to sing but when a tragic accident renders her deaf she faces a world of silence. Hayden is a boy with blond curls who stutters. As an outcast, he reaches out to help Stella discover the world without sound. But, can a boy who stutters and the girl who is deaf find happily-ever-after?
xoxo
D.L.
Here is a little bit about SILENCE, coming in March 2015 from Shadow Mountain.
What happens when everything you've dreamed of is shattered in a single moment?
Stella was born to sing but when a tragic accident renders her deaf she faces a world of silence. Hayden is a boy with blond curls who stutters. As an outcast, he reaches out to help Stella discover the world without sound. But, can a boy who stutters and the girl who is deaf find happily-ever-after?
xoxo
D.L.
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