Winner & Awards Updates

All good things must come to end, to allow for even better things. Alas, the contest for a copy of After by Amy Efaw is now over. The silver lining of that, though? It's time to announce the winner! So without further ado... *drum roll*

The winner, courtesy of the Random # generator, is...

I Heart Monster!

Congratulations!

I've already e-mailed you, so please try to respond in a timely fashion. Thanks to everyone to participated, and better luck next time! :)


The Lemonade Award: a feel good award that shows great attitude or gratitude.
Thanks so much, Books are my Best Friends!





Let's Be Friends Award

Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and befriends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.

Thanks a bunch A Flight of Minds and Books are my Best Friends!

Both of these blogs are super cool, so be sure to drop by :)

*Will be back to nominate at a time when I'm more lucid. ;) If I've missed one, really sorry about that! Feel free to gimme a prod.

AFTER by Amy Efaw GIVEAWAY

An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . . .

Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made—Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there’s only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.

Who would do something so terrible? Certainly not someone like Devon—straight-A student, soccer player with Olympic dreams, more mature than her own mother. But desperation and panic drove her to do what most people can’t even imagine. Now Devon ’s in a juvenile detention center charged with attempted murder. If she’s tried as an adult, she faces life in prison.

Does Devon deserve that punishment? Your answer depends on whether you believe her story.
*Viking, August 11th, 2009

Now you can have a chance to decide for yourself whether or not you believe Devon's story. Penguin has been kind enough to offer up a finished copy of After. Now, if you've seen my review and my interview with Amy, you'll know that this is definitely one to check out! (And if you haven't, pop on by :)

So now that your attention's hooked, you're probably wondering how to enter. It's simple. Just comment with an e-mail address. Contest is open to the US and Canada. Will end Saturday, August 15th.

Additional entries available (please leave a separate comment for each for simplicity's sake!)

+1 For each place you link the contest to (e.g. blog, twitter, sidebar, etc.)
+1 For reposting the trailer (& linking to contest)
+1 For followers
+1 Twitter followers
+1 [Meaningful] comments/feedback on the review
+1 [Relevant] comments on the interview
+1 For following Penguin on Twitter (@penguinusa or @penguincanada)

Interview: Amy Efaw

Awhile ago, I reviewed Amy Efaw's novel After (August 11th, 2009 - Viking) here, and for those of you who've seen the review, you may recall my marvelling over the tense/perspective choice. Being the awesome person that she is, Amy zapped over a message regarding that, and I was able to tack on a few more additional questions for an interview of sorts. She is also the author of the highly rated Battle Dress (Nov 4, 2003 - HarperTeen). So without further ado, Lucid Conspiracy presents Amy Efaw, ladies and gents!


To start off which, the query from my review: why third person, present tense?
You were pretty much on target in your review about why I chose the third person present perspective. I did feel that the reader definitely needed some distance (a “sense of removal”) from Devon. Being right inside her head would’ve been too intense, but also very unreliable and chaotic. At the beginning of the story especially, Devon was very unstable and basically “out of it.” Hearing every thought and seeing everything immediately through Devon’s confused perspective would’ve been too much, I think.

But I also chose the third person perspective for the character herself – it’s what made the most sense. Devon had been very dissociated from herself for so long – the whole issue of denying a pregnancy is about compartmentalizing things and disconnecting from reality. But – and you probably noticed this – as the story went on, I slowly zeroed in that third person, getting closer and closer to Devon, until it felt almost like it was written in a first person perspective. Actually, while I was writing the book, I kept thinking to myself that the narrator really was Devon, detached and disconnected from herself, telling her own story as it was happening, as if she were just sitting there watching it unfold before her and reporting about what she observed. I even toyed with the idea of switching the third person to first at some point in the story when Devon was finally starting to come out of her fog and seeing things more clearly. But in the end, I decided that approach would’ve been sort of device-y, and really hard to pull off. The timing would’ve had to been perfect, or it would’ve been too jarring.

And I chose present tense because I wanted the reader to learn the facts of Devon’s past right along with her (just as you said).

Wow, a lot of thought definitely went into deciding the tense/perspective! It's great that your intentions were conveyed so well. If you could meet any character from your book, who would you choose, and what would you guys do for a day?
That is a really tough question! I guess I’d like to meet Dom, who was Devon’s (the main character) attorney in the novel. I can imagine us going to lunch, in a professional sort of setting, and me picking her brain. One of the things I’d want to do is see if I could get Dom to tell me what she really thinks about Devon’s story (meaning, whether or not Dom buys the fact that Devon didn’t know she was pregnant).

I'd probably want to get to know more about Dom as well - she seems really intriguing! And brain-picking is always fun. Speaking of the realm of the fictional - If you could bring any fictional character (book, movie, TV, or any form of media really) to life, who would it be, and why?
Pretty much any book I’ve read or movie I’ve seen that I thought was exceptional, I always wish I could bring that main character to life. I especially like those characters who’ve done heroic things, but who are also complicated (meaning, flawed in some way). Examples that just popped into my head are Mr. Orange (of the movie, Reservoir Dogs) and Billy Costigan (of the movie, The Departed), but I have many others – I just can’t think of them right now. Both of the characters that I mentioned died in the end. I’d want them to continue living because they were so awesome!

Very worthy answers. What do you do when the muse has gone on vacation (i.e. the inspiration is lacking)?
I procrastinate, unfortunately. Actually, I think my procrastination tendencies encourage the muse to go on vacation (She probably thinks, “Why in the world am I hanging around for? I’m just sitting here doing nothing!”).

But, seriously, if I’m “stuck,” I sometimes go for a run or research some minute issue that may pop up in my book, just to be working on something semi-related. Mostly I find other ways to occupy my time so I don’t feel guilty that I’m not writing. Vacuuming or folding laundry or going on a long run often allows me the time and freedom to let my mind work through the problem that’s keeping me from moving forward. But when I have a deadline looming and the above hasn’t worked, I then am forced to push through and write anyway, inspired or not. And most of the time, that “forced” approach works out just fine. I definitely perform best with deadlines kicking me in the butt!

Deadlines, therefore pressure? Well, it's great that it all works out either way! Words of wisdom - share a quote of personal significance?
One afternoon many years ago while I was listening to public radio, Amy Goodman (a foreign news correspondent) said something random in an interview that has stuck with me since. She said, “Go to where the silence is and say something.” This may have been a random comment, but to me it was profound. I felt as if I had received a sort of mission statement. As a writer, “go[ing] to where the silence is” means to me that I should try to write about the things that haven’t yet been explored. I did this with my first book, BATTLE DRESS (which is about a girl going through basic training at West Point and surviving in a guy’s world), and I hope I did it again when I wrote AFTER!

Sometimes the littlest comments made in passing can have the biggest impacts. Now, about the unexpected. What are the best and worst unforeseen things that have come along with this whole process (e.g. the planning, outlining, writing, querying, submitting, publishing, etc.)?
The best unexpected thing that happened while writing AFTER was having the great luck of getting Viking as my publisher and especially Joy Peskin as an editor! She is so awesome! Such a lame adjective to use, I know. But she really “got” what I was trying to do with this book, and she knew just how to push me to make it better.

The worst unexpected thing that happened was that it took me over seven years to write the book! This definitely wasn’t my intention; I had a lot of good reasons, though (it wasn’t just due to procrastination!) First, my family moved from Tacoma to Denver – a major move to a new state really kills your writing time. Second, just when I was settled in Denver and had finally started to get into a writing routine, my husband Andy got deployed to Iraq for a year! Raising five kids all by myself wasn’t very conducive to writing a novel. Even after Andy came home, it took me a long time to get back to writing consistently again. And third, when I was only a chapter or two from completing the novel, my original publisher with whom I had already signed a contract (I won’t mention which it was; I don’t want to embarrass them!) decided to terminate my contract because it had taken me too long to write the book, and they didn’t feel that it fit into the types of books they were publishing anymore.

But, coming full circle, that’s when the “best unexpected thing” happened, and Joy Peskin accepted AFTER, instead. And I have to say, I’m so glad that it worked out the way it did. Unexpected things definitely happen for a reason.

So everything worked out for the best then! Thanks for the great interview, Amy.

And now we have below a brief Q&A with the awesome Amy Efaw, provided by her equally awesome publisher & publicist! A copy of this can also be found here.

1) What inspired you to write this book?
A: I first became interested in “dumpster babies” while living in Philadelphia. One winter day, the big news story was about an off-duty police officer and his pit bull who stumbled across a trash bag that was left with some garbage cans at the curb. The dog just wouldn’t stop barking, so the officer tore open the bag and found a newborn baby inside, still alive. Then a couple of years later, when I was living in Washington State and pregnant with my fifth child, my Army prosecutor husband got his own “dumpster baby” case to try. At that point, I knew that I had to write a novel involving the issue.

2) Is this story based on a real case? Is Devon a real person?
A: After is not based on any one particular person or case. But after spending many hours researching the issue and reading hundreds of newspaper accounts, I found that most “dumpster baby” stories shared some basic characteristics. Out of those characteristics, I was able to compile a profile of the type of teenage girl who might conceal her pregnancy and then throw her baby into the trash. That profiled character became the main character, Devon Sky Davenport.

3) How did your own experiences—personal, professional, or both—impact the writing of this book?
A: I’m very lucky to have worn many “hats” thus far in life—elite college athlete, West Point grad, Army officer, attorney’s wife, mother, freelance reporter, and novelist. While wearing those “hats,” I’ve picked up a lot of important tools that came together for After—soccer knowledge from hours spent on the sidelines as a soccer mom, details of pregnancy from my own five pregnancies, access to my own legal expert (my husband), the ability to track down details from my reporter days, a strong work ethic from my West Point and athletic training, and a pretty good imagination.

4) In After, Devon does a horrible thing—why did you want to tell her side of the story?
A: One afternoon many years ago while I was listening to public radio, Amy Goodman (a foreign news correspondent) said something that has stuck with me. She said, “Go to where the silence is and say something.” At that moment I felt as if I had received a sort of mission statement. As a writer, “going to where the silence is” means to me that I should try to write about the things that haven’t yet been explored. Telling the story of a young girl who had thrown her baby into a trash can definitely fit that category!

5) What would you like readers to take away from After?
A: I definitely would like to bring more awareness to the “dumpster baby” phenomenon. But even more than that, I would like readers to realize how important it is to get involved in other people’s lives. Take a risk and reach out to others even if a mere gut feeling tells you that something is wrong. And don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. More often than not—whether you offered help or asked for it—you will be happy that you did.

After Review

After - Amy Efaw
*August 11th, 2009 Viking Juvenile

An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . . .

Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made—Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there’s only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.

Who would do something so terrible? Certainly not someone like Devon—straight-A student, soccer player with Olympic dreams, more mature than her own mother. But desperation and panic drove her to do what most people can’t even imagine. Now Devon ’s in a juvenile detention center charged with attempted murder. If she’s tried as an adult, she faces life in prison.

Does Devon deserve that punishment? Your answer depends on whether you believe her story.

With After, Amy Efaw has created an insightful glimpse into a very real, very tragic event that's repeating itself among today's youth. The media reports incidents of babies abandoned (e.g. in dumpsters or otherwise), and the consequences for the perpetrators, but what about the inciting factors that led this event to take place? What about the motivations that drove these young people to such desperation? This is a difficult subject to deal with, but Efaw does it deftly and insightfully in After.

On the cover, the real Devon and the Devon in the reflection may seem identical; upon closer inspection, the one in the reflection is pregnant. Subtle. And that's what many aspects of After are - subtle. In order to provoke maximum independent, unbiased thought, the story, the characters - everything has to walk a fine line and strike just the right amount of neutrality. In this case, Efaw was successful in generating contemplation.

The tense of this book - present tense, third person - was another subtle touch that got me thinking. This is Devon's story; first person would have provided more intimacy, as there's always an element of removal with third. But then I realized - is this what Efaw wants? A sense of removal from Devon, so that readers can decide for themselves whether "Devon deserve[s] that punishment? Your answer depends on whether you believe her story" (Synopsis). Even so, little details and small quirks endear the audience to Devon regardless. If I had the chance though, I would definitely want to ask Efaw about her choice on tense/perspective.

Characterization of Devon - I would imagine - was a tricky thing to handle. Even intimacy had to be generated to allow the audience to relate to Devon, but enough removal was needed to neutrally judge the situation. For a fair bit of the story, Devon seems a little out of it. But again - is this part of what's needed to complete the story, to create pathos? If so, another brilliant but subtle touch. Characterization in general, especially of the supporting cast, was handled masterfully though. Carefully placed details and quirks added a further realm of depth to the characters. Sure, they weren't always likeable (didn't particularly care for her mother) but more importantly, they were real. And they were credible. It was nice to see Dom outside of the lawyer context. It was interesting to get a first impression of Karma, only to have that change once more was revealed about her past, about her motivations.

"A wise saying from my good friend Anonymous" (Efaw 172).

The various little sayings by "Anonymous" which Karma referred to throughout were an excellent touch. A very unique character quirk. In fact, all the girls at the retention centre, the legal proceedings... these offered a glimpse into a world that we don't typically experience. It offered a breath of fresh air from the shallow guilty pleasures of "literature" that are a common indulgence nowadays. Efaw offers something a little more gritty, a little more raw - but also a little more real - with After. It definitely lends itself to controversial contemplation.

Something about Efaw's writing and diction choices as well - it flows unobtrusively, so as to not get in the way of telling the story. This serves well to augment the severity of the situation, of letting the events here penetrate. The format works excellently in this context. It jumps right into the situation, of Devon being discovered as recently having given birth. And slowly, slowly, the story unravels, the past is revealed, and we find out what happened beforehand with Devon as she begins to remember it herself. Readers aren't some removed party in this sense, sitting back to watch the drama unfurl, knowing either more or less than the main character - nope, here the reader embarks on this journey with Devon together. The flashbacks and present events coincide beautifully.

The subject matter here is definitely hard to take in, hard to digest. But at the same time, this is based on events that are happening for real. Which is why it's important to realize that. In that sense, After is a trailblazer, leading the way in terms of literature regarding dumpster babies in North America. The plot here is something new, something different. It shows the motivations (or perhaps lack thereof) and events leading up to why someone would abandon their baby like that. Oftentimes, we get lost in the post-discovery horror of shocking events; here Efaw offers a glimpse into the psychological aspect of pre-committing the act. The ending - well, I wasn't particularly fond of the way it concluded, but in this case it didn't necessarily affect the overall impact of the story too severely.

Efaw's After is a striking, thought-provoking piece of literature that could well open the eyes of many. I won't subconciously influence you here as to whether or not I'm in agreement with Devon's story. But this is definitely one you should check out - after all, there's only one way to find out whether you think Devon deserved her punishment. Whether you believe Devon's story. Was it all justified?

(Let me know what you think.) More information about Amy Efaw's After can be found on the booksite at After-Book.com. After will be available on August 11th, 2009, from Viking.

In My Mailbox [7]

Inspired by Alea and hosted by Kristi, Lucid Conspiracy presents In My Mailbox #7...

After - Amy Efaw
Who would do something so terrible?

Certainly not someone like Devon—straight-A student, soccer player with Olympic dreams, more mature than her own mother. But desperation and panic drove her to do what most people can’t even imagine. Now Devon ’s in a juvenile detention center charged with attempted murder. If she’s tried as an adult, she faces life in prison. Does Devon deserve that punishment? Your answer depends on whether you believe her story.

*Viking Juvenile August 11th, 2009.


Shrinking Violet - Danielle Joseph
High school senior Teresa Adams is so painfully shy that she dreads speaking to anyone in the hallways or getting called on in class. But in the privacy of her bedroom with her iPod in hand, she rocks out -- doing mock broadcasts for Miami's hottest FM radio station, which happens to be owned by her stepfather. When a slot opens up at The SLAM, Tere surprises herself by blossoming behind the mike into confident, sexy Sweet T -- and to everyone's shock, she's a hit! Even Gavin, the only guy in school who she dares to talk to, raves about the mysterious DJ's awesome taste in music. But when The SLAM announces a songwriting contest -- and a prom date with Sweet T is the grand prize -- Sweet T's dream could turn into Tere's worst nightmare....

*MTV Paperbacks May 5th, 2009.

What did you receive this week?