interview & giveaway: Claudia Mills, author of Zero Tolerance

As part of the blog tour for Claudia Mills and her latest contemporary MG Zero Tolerance (which I loved, as you can see from my review), I'm incredibly honoured to be able to interview Ms. Mills herself on Zero Tolerance. And once you've finished reading the interview, don't forget to enter the giveaway to win one copy of Zero Tolerance yourself!

Find Zero Tolerance on Goodreads or Amazon.

Welcome, Ms. Mills!

1. First, I have to ask: is any part of Zero Tolerance based on real life?

First, I have to say, thanks for hosting me on Pass the Chiclets today!
Sierra’s threatened expulsion from school for an innocent mistake was based on an actual incident that took place a few years ago in a middle school near my home in Boulder, Colorado, when an honor student faced serious sanctions for bringing a knife to school in the wrong lunch. I don’t even remember how that story played itself out; I just remember thinking how much the student in question would have to rethink so many of her fundamental assumptions about how her world worked.

It's so fascinating that you took a real-life situation and spun an entire story from it! I wonder if the student will ever read Zero Tolerance herself...

2. Sierra has a group of girlfriends who often share pagetime in their interactions with Sierra. How did you ensure each of her friends had a distinct personality?

Unlike some of my fellow authors, I don’t keep a notebook of personality traits and distinguishing features of each character. It seems a bit strange to say this, but I just somehow enter into the scene as I write. I hear the characters talking, see their gestures and glances, as I’m writing it all down. I feel as if I’ve eavesdropped on their conversation. Sometimes that makes revision difficult for me, as the original scene feels so real, the way “it really happened.”

Amazing! It's always interesting to learn about the writing process, and it's very intriguing that your scenes are almost cinematic for you.

3. I adored the budding romance between Sierra and Luke. What was your favourite scene of theirs to write?

“Good girls” are always attracted to “bad boys,” aren’t they?
I think my favorite scene was in Chapter 14, when Luke opens up to Sierra for the first time, as he tells her about “Backwards Day” in kindergarten and about his parents’ quarrels over how to respond to his alleged attention deficit disorder. I always love the moment when characters first make a genuine connection.

Haha, I suppose they are. And yes, I loved that moment too, so much that I actually quoted it in my review!

4. Sierra's mother and father have a very push-and-pull dynamic. Was this challenging to write from Sierra's perspective?

I grew up in a much happier family than Sierra’s in many ways, but I still remember vividly the few moments of conflict my parents had: those memories are seared into my heart. And I know my own two boys had to listen to occasional moments of parental argumentation that they would rather forget. So I tried to tap into the universal awfulness of being a child witnessing parental discord, while being so powerless to intervene in the situation.

5. Are there any outtakes which you really loved and were particularly sad to cut?

Yes! Initially I had Sierra write not one but two letters from the school secretary’s computer. The second letter was a love letter from Ms. Lin to the principal, Mr. Besser. I adored the scenes when Mr. Besser is now trying to avoid Ms. Lin and finally has a confrontation with her about it. Delicious! But both my writing group and my editor thought two letters was one letter too many, so that one had to go. Wah!!!

Oh my gosh, that sounds hilarious and so fun! I so wish we had been able to read that scandalous letter.

6. What's the one scene or aspect of Zero Tolerance you hope readers will remember?

It’s the scene in the hallway during the expulsion hearing, when Sierra has to decide how she wants to respond to her father’s carefully laid plans to destroy the principal. So much is at stake for her in that scene. What happens during those few minutes in the hall allows Sierra to define her own identity and decide what kind of person she wants to be.

Oh yes, that scene resonated with me, and I could understand how Sierra's journey was coming to a defining moment. It's great to hear how important to you it is.

Thank you for the wonderful questions, Eden, and for giving me this chance to share my book with your readers.

Thank you so much to Ms. Mills for this interview! And now... you want to win a copy of Zero Tolerance, right? You know you do. So go ahead and enter! This giveaway is open to Canadian/US residents and ends September 24, 2013.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

review: The Friday Society

by Adrienne Kress
Dial Books, December 6 2012
young adult steampunk
ARC received from publisher (thank you!)

Summary:

Cora knows how to smooth out her East London accent, handle explosions on a daily basis and build lethal weapons. Nellie can smile her way out of most situations, discombobulate anyone with ruthless cheer and look her best at the same time. Michiko can wield a katana, mock her boss without him even realizing it and follow the samurai way of life... mostly. When serendipity pushes them together onto the tail of a series of murders across the city, you can bet they'll be ready for it.

The cover:

That font and the radiating stripes in the background totally fit the time period. I adore covers with photographs obviously taken for that specific book, and here the three girls fit the story perfectly. Plus in person it's even better, guys. There's a very light film treatment over the colouring that makes it look old-timey but not in a hokey fashion, more like Instagram's Nashville filter.

The book:

The girls carry this story. There's a flair to the third-person, anachronistic narration style that identifies each protagonist; it's this style that somehow distinguishes Cora (sarcastic, pragmatic) from Nellie (frank, cheerful; she's how I imagine a typical American Southerner to be like) from Michiko (dry, focused), and it's all done well. A few quotes to illustrate what I mean:

Lord White had her [Cora] put on the goggles he'd had custom made to fit her tiny ten-year-old frame, handed her the strangest-looking gun she'd ever seen, pointed it in the right direction, and told her to pull the trigger.
Just like that.
So she had. And the dummy's head in front of her had exploded into a million pieces.
"Great aim!" Lord White had laughed enthusiastically for a good five minutes after the destruction.
She had been in love with things exploding ever since.
What she didn't love was green goo.
And failure.
(p. 6)

Cora turned and looked at Nellie, who seemed surprise that the progress of her tying [Cora's corset] had been interrupted.
"Jealous?"
"It's petty. And it's not your fault. I hate seeing other girls get on with Raheem [Nellie's boss]. Especially girls my age. Women are okay, and they make fools of themselves flirtin' with him. But you... he seems to like you. And I don't want him likin' you better than he likes me. He's like a father to me, see."
Cora just stared at Nellie, who seemed perfectly relaxed and amiable.
"That's... honest."
"That's how I am. But don't worry. I know it's not your fault. And I know it's just me being all insecure and everything. I'll get over it. And I like you too much to let it bug me. Now turn around so I can tie you off."
(p. 128)

One of Callum's footmen opened the door slowly and peered around it. Callum [Michiko's boss] only had two, an older man, over sixty, and this one, a boy younger than even she was. Michiko had taken to nicknaming them "Shuu" (dried meat) and "Koukou" (baby chicken). Of course, nobody knew the meanings of the words, they just put up with her calling them that.
(p. 62)

The issue of Michiko speaking little English and thinking in Japanese also is excellently executed (*cough* Jay Kristoff's Stormdancer *cough*):

"Someone is in the alley to see you."
She understood most of the sentence except for "alley".
...
They stepped outside into the alley behind the row of terraced houses. Ah. So "alley" meant alley. Good to know.
(p. 62)

It's heartwarming to see Cora bounce off Nellie's nearly irrepressible cheer, and to watch Michiko decide whether she can dedicate herself to the samurai lifestyle. And the variety of secondary characters is wonderful: Raheem shows that not all older men are insufferable or self-centred; Hayao's bubbly personality allows Michiko's softer side to peek out. Our antagonists aren't as well-developed, but we still get a thoroughly creepy vibe from Dr. Mantis and understand the true antagonist's motive for turning so evil.

As for the potential love interests: Andrew is... an interesting character, and definitely an unusual one, and Cora's reaction to him is authentic and helps to develop her own character at the same time. And the scene in which Nellie and her policeman go on a date is a refreshing departure from the now-common intense lurve-filled dates of YA.

The mystery is pieced together with cute-if-useless policemen, break-and-enters into mansions and investigations in Parliament. Throughout it all, bits of worldbuilding slide neatly into place like puzzle pieces -- Cora provides a commentary of Parliament, Nellie squees over a steam cab and Michiko rolls her eyes as her boss carries on an affair with a client. Action scenes occur in the London Tower (or "Bloody Tower") and in a tunnel used for London foot traffic.

The finish is wonderful, pulling together the best elements of the writing style, the action sequences and the ultimate feel-good interaction between our gals. This is a book I'd reread. I hope most desperately for a sequel.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

review: The Dead I Know

by Scot Gardner
Razorbill, August 1 2012
psychological young adult
received via publisher for blog tour (thank you!)

Summary:

Aaron Rowe's new job with a funeral director fits him like a glove. Dealing with death and the dead isn't nearly as difficult as dealing with his daily caravan-park life with Mam, who keeps drawing further into her own world, and the more-than-rowdy neighbours from van 57. But then, as if he hasn't enough on his plate, the sleepwalking starts, and it won't let up... not until Aaron finally confronts the past hidden in his nightmares and fragments of memories.

The cover:

At first glance, I wasn't a big fan of the overlapping, gradiented text, especially since it looks much darker with the background image in real life. But it's grown on me, what with the neat ninety degree-ness of the hole, placement of the author and the casket shape in geometric contrast. Subtle earthy colour scheme, as well.

The book:

I went into this one almost blind. Truly, the only image I had in my mind of The Dead I Know was that it would be dark and, according to the blurb by John Marsden (whose Tomorrow, When The War Began I couldn't get into but came highly commended anyway), would make me feel "triumphantly alive". Okay, enough with the me-talk and on with the review.

Aaron's character is ambiguous to begin with, which starts his character growth on exactly the right note. He's described as tall, dark and handsome, but clearly doesn't speak much. It's this mixture of shyness and taciturnity that works perfectly in endearing him to us as he's knocked for a loop by Skye, the inquisitive ten-year-old daughter of the funeral director, John Barton. Skye plays an instrumental role in opening Aaron up to the reader and making him likeable, and boy is he likeable by the end. One gets the sense that he's truly become tall, dark and handsome. At least, this reader does. (Tehe.)

Mr. Barton is another character who offers a little doubt at the beginning, another character who develops in a subtle, authentic way. Though the mention of his absent son at the end is brief and somewhat random, the exchange following it between him and his wife more than makes up for it, as he reveals a little more of his personality:

      John Barton was on his second beer -- his limit, he said, because he's always on call -- and made a confession.
      "Remember that song, by Queen? 'Another One Bites the Dust'?"
      "Of course," I said.
      "Sometimes, when the phone rings and they tell me the sad news, I hear that song in my head. Bamp bamp bamp bamp, another bites the dust."
      "John Kevin Barton!" his wife scolded. "You are a disgrace! Don't tell the boy that!"
      "Bamp bamp bamp bamp... ouch!"
      Mrs. Barton slapped him. It would've seemed violent if you couldn't see her smile.
      I guess we deal with it the best way we can. (p. 205)

The plot is a little more wobbly. The funeral director's job is well-detailed, as are Aaron's trials and tribulations with it. However, the nightmare and sleepwalking serve to amp up the tension, rather than really move forward the story from A to B, especially as we only realize the dreams are related to Aaron at about the book's halfway point. Thanks to the book's length, though, the swaying-steady pace isn't quite an issue. The final resolving of the conflict is abrupt, giving Aaron practically no page-time to show his recovery/acceptance/etc., but with such a well-written ending, it's difficult to complain.

Rating: 3.9 out of 5