AUTHOR INTERVIEW! Laurie Faria Stolarz: Sequels.

Sequels are all over the YA book circuit, and the numbers are still growing.  It's difficult to find new, stand-alone novels. From Paranormal Romance to Contemporary fiction to Fantasy, sequels keep popping up.

Why?

I know the release dates definitely keep readers hanging on to specific series.  There's excitement in knowing you'll get to read what's going to happen next, even if the last installment left you hanging and frustrated.

But are they always necessary? Do authors plan them in advance, or do they just develop in time?


One sequel that's being released December 28th that I know I can't wait for is Deadly Little Games, by Laurie Faria Stolarz. I know others can't wait, either. It's been featured all over blogs in Waiting on Wednesday posts.

But, here's a little something to ease the wait: a brief interview featuring Laurie Stolarz!

In your experience, is writing the sequel more challenging than writing the first of a series?

Each book presents its own challenges. I feel like in a sequel a writer knows his or her characters more which makes them easier to write. But, you also need to catch new readers up to the present action by summarizing what happened in the first book. And you never want that summary to feel repetitious or dull in any way. And, often when you’re three or four books into a series, you find yourself summarizing all that past action. Doing so in an interesting way can be quite a challenge.

Do you begin writing knowing that your idea is going to have sequels, or do the sequels develop later?

Yes, each book I write has the potential for a sequel. I know that from the start.

In Deadly Little Lies, you further explore Ben’s gift of psychometry. Is it difficult to explain the condition? Is there still more for readers to learn about Ben’s ability? It seems as though Ben still has more to learn about it.

Yes, there’s definitely still more to learn about Ben’s ability. Ben has more to learn about it, and Camelia is just beginning to understand her power as well.

What about Camelia’s aunt, Alexia?  Why include her voice in the sequel, but not the first?  How did you make that decision?

When I first started the series I wasn’t sure how much of a role Alexia would play, but as I got more into her story, I thought it was well worth exploring, especially because it’s part of Camelia’s growth.  Alexia’s story grows bigger in Deadly Little Games and Deadly Little Voices (the scariest book in the series so far – due out next fall).

Many thanks to Ms. Stolarz for answering my questions!

Check out her website!

So what do you think - especially those that have read Deadly Little Secret and/or Deadly Little Lies? Any thoughts on Ben and Alexia? Personally, I love both characters. Ben is wonderfully mysterious and his psychometry condition is so fascinating that I did a little of my own research on it! And I like that Alexia is playing a bigger role. I can tell that she's going to play a big part in Camelia's life, and possibly influence or help her.

If you haven't checked out Deadly Little Secret or Deadly Little Lies, what are you waiting for? You can check out my review of Deadly Little Secret here.

REVIEW! Deadly Little Secret.

Deadly Little Secret
Laurie Stolarz




FROM THE COVER:

Some secrets shouldn’t be kept….

Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelia’s life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia’s life becomes far from ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend’s accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She’s reluctant to believe the rumors, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead, she’s inexplicably drawn to Ben…and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he wants to help – but can he be trusted? She knows he’s hiding something…but he’s not the only one with a secret.


My rating: 4 stars.

MY THOUGHTS:

Although leery upon reading the somewhat cheesy and predictable cover-flap, I started reading Deadly Little Secret with an open mind; it’s one thing to be cheesy about romance and school and everyday life, but for me, it’s another to be cheesy about mysteries. A cheesy mystery is a lifeless mystery. It dilutes the suspense. Thankfully, Deadly Little Secret is not a cheesy mystery.

There are two narrative voices: Camelia, and someone unknown. The “Unknown” is told through the use of scratchy, handwritten-like diary entries. Camelia’s voice is nothing special – she’s your typical teenage girl. The “Unknown” is simply strange, in an off-putting way. Mixed interchangeably, the two voices do not read cohesively; sometimes it feels as though they’re coming from two different stories. Yet, that is what keeps the suspense constantly lurking around the corner, so to speak.

The good in all of this is Ben. He’s impossible to read, judge, pinpoint. And yet he still remains an attractive character. You don’t love him, but you don’t hate him. It’s more that you just want him to be around.

The inevitable romance that stems in the novel is unlike most. It’s simpler, truer – in that it doesn’t rely on sexual relations. Just touch. I find this innovative and emotional – that one sense conveys so much.

Deadly Little Secret makes for a nice read, as does its sequel, Deadly Little Lies.


EXTRA: The third in the series, Deadly Little Games, will be released on December 28, 2010.