(Starglass, #1)
Release Date: July 23, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 448 pages
Terra has never known anything but life aboard the Asherah, a city-within-a-spaceship that left Earth five hundred years ago in search of refuge. At sixteen, working a job that doesn't interest her, and living with a grieving father who only notices her when he's yelling, Terra is sure that there has to be more to life than what she's got.
But when she inadvertently witnesses the captain's guard murdering an innocent man, Terra is suddenly thrust into the dark world beneath her ship's idyllic surface. As she's drawn into a secret rebellion determined to restore power to the people, Terra discovers that her choices may determine life or death for the people she cares most about. With mere months to go before landing on the long-promised planet, Terra has to make the decision of a lifetime--one that will determine the fate of her people.
Every author I’ve come across has that moment when the inspiration for their novel hit them; what were you doing when yours came to you & did that have anything to do with the idea or was it just some random thought that snuck in to your mind?
I was in the shower, of all places, when inspiration for Starglass struck. I was working on a book that wasn't going well, and I knew I needed to start something new. I was washing my hair when I remembered a short story I'd written for a graduate school assignment several years ago--a SF retelling of James Joyce's "Eveline" set on a generation ship. That's where the first seed of Starglass was sowed.
What makes you more nervous – having friends or random bloggers reading your novel?
Friends, definitely! My friends and family (and even my dentist!) have all been extremely supportive, but I know how awkward it can be when a book by someone you love isn't quite your cup of tea. That said, I'm grateful for anyone who chooses to spend time reading Starglass.
What was your path to being published with Simon & Schuster like? Was it bumpy, long and stressful or was the ride short, sweet and smooth?
Like many authors, I didn't have the smoothest ride to publication. It was the fifth manuscript I finished, and the third I queried. All told, I garnered nearly 90 rejections on those books! But in the end, it was all worth it. Starglass was, by far, the best of those books I wrote, and filled with the knowledge and skills I learned on all of those trunked books. I'm beyond pleased to have found wonderful supporters in both my agent, Michelle Andelman, and my editor, Navah Wolfe.
What do you think makes you or your book stand apart from other YA books in the same genre?
Starglass's worldbuilding draws from Judaism, rather than the casually Christian setting you find in many science fiction stories. And Terra's story is essentially a bildungsroman--a coming-of-age story. This is a character-driven novel, and I hope readers will enjoy watching Terra live, learn, and grow.
If you could ask every reader one question after finishing your book, what would it be & why?
I honestly believe that conversations about books belong to readers, not writers--and while I'm happy to hear reader reactions, I think they should exist without author intervention! Mostly, though, I'd like to say "thank you" for everyone who has taken the time to read Starglass!
Phoebe North spent the first twenty-two years of her life in New Jersey, where she lugged countless library books home to read in the bathtub, at the dinner table, in front of the television, and under the blankets with a flashlight when she should have been asleep.
After college, Phoebe went south, enrolling in the University of Florida’s MFA program to study poetry. But after studying children’s literature with kidlit scholars (and geniuses) Kenneth Kidd and John Cech, she started writing books about magic, robots and aliens for teenagers. And realized she loved it almost as much as she loved Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Now, Phoebe lives in New York State with her husband, and many licensed novels. She likes to cook, watch Degrassi, sew, take her cat for walks, and, of course, write. Despite many soaked pages, she still loves to read in the bath.
www.phoebenorth.com | twitter.com/phoebenorth
Starglass Book Trailer from Phoebe North on Vimeo.
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Wonderful interview. Thanks for participating :)
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