Today, we have the award-winning filmaker, screenwriter and now, debut author of Liv, Forever. Her novel was described by Kendare Blake as, "...that special kind of story that manages to be both morbid and sweet." Let us all welcome, Amy Talkington.
About Writing:
While you were in the process of writing this book, did you ever doubt yourself or second guess the reason why you are writing this story? If yes, how did you overcome those obstacles?
Initially I imagined LIV, FOREVER as a screenplay/movie (that's my day job, screenwriting). I spent a long time working out the story outline and, as I did, I realized I wanted to write it as a book. Because I was working off a very detailed outline, I never questioned or second guessed the story but I DID question AND second guess my ability to write it in novel form. I've written short stories, numerous screenplays and articles for magazines but LIV, FOREVER was my first novel so there was a lot of doubt about my ability to pull that off.
How did I push through? I had to! I was lucky enough to sell the book off the outline so I had a deadline. Looming deadlines always help!
About Getting Published:
As an aspiring author, hearing about how authors got published is always fascinating and inspiring for me. So can you tell us your journey to publication? And what was the first thing you did or said after you got the news about the book deal?
I had an unconventional path. Once I realized that I thought LIV, FOREVER would make a great book, . I reached out to the one single editor I know in the business, Daniel Ehrenhaft at Soho Teen, and… he wanted to publish the book! So my experience was pretty unique (and lucky!) in that way.
What's the first thing I did? Panicked!
About Being an Author:
Tell us what it's like to be a published author? What was your most favorite moment in this whole experience, aside from seeing and holding a physical copy of your book?
I got to do a small book tour and that was incredible -- to get to meet young people (and older people) who'd read and loved the book. Answering their questions, discussing it. I'd have to say the school visits were probably my very favorite!
About the Book:
Just like superheroes, I think it's safe to say that a book also has an origin story before they became what they are right now. It might have started out as a thought, an experience, a dialogue you heard, a conversation with a friend, or an idea that has been plaguing your brain for quite sometime. So tell us, what's your book's origin story? And what made you decide to write it?
The idea came from a bunch of things piling up in my brain at once. First, I just had this character I wanted to write: Liv. Secondly, I’ve been interested in ghosts for a long time so... I started to think about what kind of a ghost story Liv might be a part of. I got really excited about the metaphors a ghost story affords—the idea that she had to die in order to fully learn to live (and love). And, finally, when I was thinking about all this, the Occupy movement was happening and I was really struck by the great divide in our country—between the 99% and the 1%. I wanted to tap into that. I don’t want to give it away but I can say that divide—and the feeling so many people have that the 1% would do almost anything to stay on top—comes to play in the school’s mythology and conspiracy.
About the Author:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Amy Talkington is an award-winning screenwriter and director living in Los Angeles. Before all that she wrote about music for magazines like Spin, Ray gun, Interview, and Seventeen (mostly just as a way to get to hang out with rock stars). As a teenager in Dallas, Texas, Amy painted lots of angsty self-portraits, listened to the Velvet Underground and was difficult enough that her parents finally let her go to boarding school on the East Coast. Liv, Forever is her first novel.
Title: Liv, Forever
Genre/s: YA, Paranormal Mystery
Publisher: Soho Teen
Publication Date: March 11, 2014
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound | Book Depository
Summary:When Liv Bloom lands an art scholarship at Wickham Hall, it’s her ticket out of the foster system. Liv isn’t sure what to make of the school’s weird traditions and rituals, but she couldn’t be happier. For the first time ever, she has her own studio, her own supply of paints. Everything she could want.Then she meets Malcolm Astor, a legacy student, a fellow artist, and the one person who’s ever been able to melt her defenses. Liv’s only friend at Wickham, fellow scholarship kid Gabe Nichols, warns her not to get involved, but life is finally going Liv’s way, and all she wants to do is enjoy the ride.But Liv’s bliss is doomed. Weeks after arriving, she is viciously murdered and, in death, she discovers that she’s the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that has claimed many lives. Cursed with the ability to see the many ghosts on Wickham’s campus, Gabe is now Liv’s only link to the world of the living. To Malcolm.Together, Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm fight to expose the terrible truth that haunts the halls of Wickham. But Liv must fight alone to come to grips with the ultimate star-crossed love.
Book Trailer
