Book Trailer Premiere: Best. Night. Ever. A Story Told From Seven Points of View
* Book trailer by David Etkin *
Where
did the idea of writing a book from seven different points of view come from?
How did you feel when you were approached about being part of it?
Dee Romito: We all have books with
Aladdin/S&S and our editors have always been amazed by the fact that a lot
of us are friends. They expressed that they’d love to do something to celebrate
that, which was perfect because we wanted to work together. But the simple
answer is Jen. She’s the mastermind behind it all!
Rachele Alpine: Seven authors writing one book
together sounded crazy to me, but I love a good challenge, so I was definitely
thinking, "Bring it! Let's do this!"
How
did everyone pick which characters they'd write?
Gail Nall: It started with one big video call
to bounce around plot ideas. We all threw out character suggestions. One of
mine was a girl who shows up to the dance only to find out that another girl
thinks she has the same date. As we worked together to find ways to tie the
main characters to each other, Tess became a member of Heart Grenade (and I
honestly can't remember if that was my idea or someone else's!).
How
did the plot come together?
Jen Malone: Once we had our characters picked,
we each figured out the beginning, middle, and end for our character’s dance
experience. It just so happened Alison and I were on another writing retreat
and I remember a chilly afternoon on the back porch—
Alison Cherry: With an entire bag of M&Ms—
Jen Malone: Essential plotting food! We had
everyone’s beginnings, middles, and ends on separate notecards and we spent
hours rearranging them and coming up with a timeline that would work so that
each character was in the story somewhat equally and no one disappeared for too
long. It was like a giant puzzle.
Once
there was an outline and a timeline for the events, how did you write the
story?
Ronni Arno: We collaborated using Google
Docs. We had a rotating schedule where we were either writing our own chapter
or critiquing someone else's. I loved that we not only worked on our own
character's story arc, but also on each other’s, because many of them
intersected. That process forced me to look at the bigger picture, rather than
focus on one chapter at a time (which is what I usually do when writing alone).
How
did having seven authors impact you when you were working on your own parts of
the story?
Dee Romito: Whatever we changed in our own
chapters could potentially affect others, so we had to be careful. One of my
favorite things was hopping on the phone or having a big email conversation to
chat with Ronni, Jen, and Gail so we could figure out how certain plot points
with our four connected characters would play out. Our characters were in other
chapters besides our own, so communication among the authors was definitely
important to keep the character traits and voice consistent.
What
were the challenges and benefits of a collaborative project like this?
Alison Cherry: I've always been really
uncomfortable showing unpolished work to other people, and this process forced
me to be less precious and perfectionistic about my own words. There just
wasn't time to revise a chapter five times before posting it! After a while, it
started to feel normal to let people see my work in really early stages, which
I think will serve me well in the future!
Stephanie Faris: I've never been a planner, so
working in a highly structured situation was very eye-opening to me. It showed
me how much better a book flows when the writer has a chapter-by-chapter
outline in hand from the start. I may try that with one of my books to see if I
can force myself into "planner" mode!
Last
question. Did it bring up memories of your own middle school dances?
Rachele Alpine: Yes! The outfit I wore to my
first middle school dance! I really don't know what I was thinking! I had on
black combat boots, black tights, jean shorts, a flannel shirt that I tucked in
and a hat! I really hope no one has pictures from that dance! I think the
fashion police would have arrested me on the spot!
About the book . . .
Lynnfield Middle School is prepped and ready for a dance to remember, including an awesome performance from Heart Grenade, the all-girl band who recently won a Battle of the Bands contest. Seven classmates—Carmen, Genevieve, Tess, Ryan, Ellie, Ashlyn, and Jade—intend to make the most of the night…or at least the five of them who are able to attend do. The other two would sacrifice almost anything to be there.
One thing’s for sure—this entire crew is in for one epic night! Rachele Alpine, Ronni Arno, Alison Cherry, Stephanie Faris, Jen Malone, Gail Nall, and Dee Romito have created a charming, hilarious, and relatable novel that’s perfect for anyone who can’t wait to dance the night away.
Author
Websites:
Jen Malone http://www.jenmalonewrites.com/
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