A Few Questions about For Darkness…

Since posting the summary of my upcoming book, FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS, last week, my inbox has been filling with questions from readers. I really appreciate your enthusiasm, guys! I can’t wait for next summer. But for now, a little Q&A will have to do:

When can we see a cover?

I ask that same question all the time. I’ve seen a comp and it’s purty. When I have a final cover, believe me, I’ll be posting it all over (and talking about the crazy crazy story behind it.)

Is this a series?

No, it’s a standalone. I know, bucking the trend. But I’ve published two series so far (in fact, in my writing career, the ONLY original novels I’ve published have been series) so I needed a break.

Persuasion is one of Jane Austen’s most mature works. How did you write it as a YA?

There are a lot of questions that are variations on the theme of “how did you handle XYZ aspect of Persuasion“? The sort answer to all of them is: read the book to find out. To answer this one, specifically: the main character in For Darkness Shows the Stars is eighteen years old, which is on the “upper” end of the teenage years. As noted in the summary, she’s been separated from her sweetheart for four years. As to how everything else works out — sorry, you’ll have to read the book.

The summary says “inspired by Jane Austen” but you say it’s a retelling. Which is it?

Potato-potahto. I’m not exactly sure what the legal line is between “inspired by” and “retelling” when it comes to fiction. Maybe the nice people at Balzer & Bray, who wrote that part, do. “Inspired” has a nice ring to it. If I was going to compare it to something, I’d compare it to West Side Story or Clueless. These stories have the same basic plot and most of the characters map to characters in the original work, but there are a few adjustments (sexy Anita who is the girlfriend of Maria’s brother, instead of the old staid nurse from Romeo and Juliet; or the fact that Josh is Cher’s former stepbrother instead of her brother-in-law, as Knightley is in Emma). For instance, you can tell in the summary that the Captain is not a military man, but an explorer. There’s a change right there.

If that kind of thing annoys the purists, then they will, alas, be annoyed by my book. But honestly, if everything was exactly the same, just in post-apocalyptic costumes, then what’s the point? I can totally see doing that in a stage production, but not a novel.

Can you just tell me if you left my favorite part in?

No. Please believe that as in love with the source material as I am, I tried to remain as faithful to it as humanly possible. And in places that I did deviate, I hope I remained true to the spirit of Jane Austen.

I heard a rumor that this is an epistolary novel. Is that true?

Kind of. There are letters. But it’s not all in letters. Partially epistolary is fair.

Why doesn’t 2012 get here nownownow?

I feel your pain. Trust me, I do.

Any more? I’ll answer in comments.