Excerpt: Letters to Davey - Davey

Davey,

Twelve months. Today. Exactly. Half an hour to go.

You know everything I have to say. Everything I could possibly want to say. You know me better than I know myself.

I don't want another life. All I want is you, and you're not coming back. Not even if I beg and plead like some girls do when boyfriends dump them. But you didn't dump me. You loved me to the end.

You're dead.

You're not coming back. Ever.

So I won't either.

I'm going to Orchard Street again. I haven't walked down it since you died. But I'm going there now. And I'm not coming back.

I love you, Davey. I love you so, so much. It hurts, Davey. It hurts really bad. And I'm frightened. Can you take it away? Can you help me?

Please?

I love you, Davey.

Excerpt: Letters to Davey - Apologise

Davey,

Why do people drink and drive? When they know it's so dangerous. I don't get it.

And you didn't look like you got it when you smiled up at me from the road, your beautiful blood mingling with your scruffy hair I always pretended to hate. And I thought my heart would burst. I wanted you to get up and laugh. I wanted to be able to tell you I loved you again.

Why us? We were so happy. And I love you so much. Why is it always the happy ones?

It's the happy ones who have their lives fucked up.

The man apologised, you know. Not that it made any difference. It's funny how our parents make such a fuss of us saying that stupid, weak word when we're kids. They tell us that everything will be ok if we say it. But after that bastard mowed you down, after he said 'sorry', did you get up?
no

I just keep thinking that if you hadn't turned to tell me you loved me...

You died because you loved me.

Fuck, Davey.

Author Interview: Josephine Angelini, author of Starcrossed

Josephine Angelini is the author of the hottest new YA romance, Starcrossed, which was released today, May 31 2011. 


Lauren Kate, author of the bestselling paranormal romance Fallen, said that Starcrossed is 'a gorgeous, haunting saga'. So what does the author herself think about all this? Well, now she's come to Ramblings of a Teenage Novelist to give us an exclusive interview!


Ramblings: Starcrossed is a mixture of paranormal romance and Greek mythology. Where did you get the inspiration to use the Greek gods and the Trojan war as a springboard?

Josie: I saw a copy of The Iliad sitting right next to a copy of Romeo and Juliet on my bookshelf and asked my husband if he’d ever heard of anyone trying to mash up those two stories and tell it from a teen point of view. When his eyes lit up and he got all quiet, I knew I’d hit


Ramblings: Helen is a down-to-earth, shy and fun character - one that lots of teenage girls can relate to. Did any of your own personality leak into hers?

Josie: There is a little bit of me in all of my characters. But no, I’m not really a shy person! I am tall, though, and I did leak that into Helen.


Ramblings: Lots of writers talk about their 'inner editor'. Do you have one? How vocal is it? And how do you balance the editor and author in you?

Josie: Wow, an inner editor? One that can spell and everything? That would be awesome! See, I’m rotten at grammar and I tend to use run-on sentences and I never know what the heck to do with my commas. I think I need an inner editor, but I don’t think I have one. Unfortunately.


Ramblings: Do you have any quirky writing habits? Do you always write in the same room, or on the same type of paper, or while eating? Do you have a ritual to get you in the writing mood?

Josie: I have a system, for sure.  Writers are creatures of habit and I think that’s because writing is this really weird semi-trance state that needs a ritual to attain.  Now, before you think I’m getting all New Age on you, let me explain.

Creativity of any kind requires a certain level of concentration that is beyond the concentration it takes to, say, wash dishes or do laundry.  I know this because I do laundry and wash dishes every day.  I also write every day, and I’m pretty sure that if you hooked up one of those brain scan thing-ies to my head while I wrote you would see a totally unique pattern.

That kind of concentration takes preparation, and even some kind of ritual. Cats work for me. Cats and coffee. One to pep me up, and the other to calm me down. Plus, there’s something about a cat’s eyes, slitted in laziness, that makes me chill out and concentrate.


Ramblings: There's talk of a film of Starcrossed being made. Who would be your ideal cast? What scene would you be most excited about seeing on the big screen?

Josie: What the…? Okay, I’m not thinking about a movie at all. In fact, I’ve made up my mind to hold on to the film rights for the time being. I’m thinking about the books. I love books and I think they get better when you focus on them and not the movie that someone else wants to make out of them. No movie for me. Not until I’m done writing and I have exactly the story that I want to tell on paper.


Ramblings: So far, there are four different covers to Starcrossed. See them here. Do you have a favourite and why?

Josie: Picking favorites is so dangerous! Trust me, I know this because I’m the youngest of eight kids, and I know for a fact that any time you praise one of your children, you’re pretty much telling all the others that they suck.

So I love all my “children” book covers.


Ramblings: Are any of your characters based on real people?

Josie: Yes, and in some cases I didn’t even bother to change the name. Mr. Hergesheimer was my AP English teacher in high school. He and I fought constantly, usually over the merits of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway. I was so upset when I heard he had died. “Hergie” was a huge inspiration for me, and that’s why I had to put him in my book.


Ramblings: Some people are inspired by music, personal experience, or stories in the news. What grabs you and makes you want to write?

Josie: Hot boys. They inspire me like crazy.



Ramblings: How much have books like Twilight influenced your writing, do you think? Do you feel that Starcrossed takes the paranormal romance genre in a new direction?

Josie: I think Twilight defined Paranormal Romance, and every book in this genre from now on will be compared to it—until someone comes along and breaks all those rules.

It’s like Die Hard.  In the early 90’s, every action movie was compared to Die Hard, borrowed from Die Hard, tried to break the Die Hard weekend sales record. Heck, most action movies couldn’t even get made unless they had Bruce Willis attached to begin with. Then The Matrix came out and redefined action movies as a genre.

I don’t think I wrote the YA equivalent of The Matrix yet, but I’ll keep trying.


Ramblings: You've described yourself as 'Cinderella' in a 'rags to riches' fairytale. Any advice for we authors still at the 'rags' stage?

Josie: Yes, I do.

My dear friend Matt Mitchell left one bit of wisdom in my yearbook when we graduated. It was a quote from The Doors. Here it is… “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep. And I have miles to go before I sleep. Miles to go before I sleep.” Then he wrote “Never sleep, Josie.”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve repeated those lines in my head. When you’re in rags, living hand to mouth and just struggling to pay rent, the whole world is a deep dark forest. But you won’t get out of it if you lay down and fall asleep.

Keep going.  You’ll find the path out of the woods—but only if you keep your eyes open and keep your feet moving.



Ramblings: Thank you so much, Josie!

You can reach Josephine Angelini's personal site and related sites here:

Josie's website

Josie's blog

Josie's publisher

What do you think of Starcrossed? Tell us in a comment below!

Next up...

Excerpt: Letters to Davey - I Wanted

Davey,

We've got so many shared memories, you and I. Do you ever think of me, wherever you are? Do you remember?

I won't ever forget. I'm going to think and remember every day, even if it hurts. Even if it hurts to bad I want to turn away and forget, because there'll be less pain that way. I won't let myself.

I wanted to have kids as beautiful and clumsy and funny and sincere and downright sunny as you. I wanted to hold you when you were sad. I wanted to watch you telling bedtime stories to our children, putting on funny voices and tickling them when they got too noisy. I wanted to make you toast in the morning and complain about the mess of your hair. I wanted to watch you grow old, and tell you that you hadn't aged a bit. I wanted to be there for you.

I wanted to love you for ever.

And now I never will.

Excerpt: Letters to Davey - If You Hadn't...

Davey,

They tell me it wasn't my fault. But I know what they don't. I was there. And I can't stop thinking about how it could have been. How it should have been.

If you hadn't waved goodbye. If you hadn't told me you loved me. How different might it be now?

You turn, wave.

'Did I ever tell you I love you?'

I'm laughing. You're grinning. It's perfect. All we care about is each other. We've got forever, you and I. I open my mouth to tell you that you're an idiot, but I love you anyway, and I always will.

Neither of us sees the car.

Excerpt: Letters to Davey - Life

Davey,

Mum wants me to move on. She says it's not natural, the way I'm behaving.

I think she wants me to forget. She says she 'understands' that I must be 'feeling rough', but thinks that 'the best thing' for me would be to 'try and move on'.

Get a life, in other words.

But what if I don't want to get a life? Not a new one. I want my old one back. With you.

Mum says I should stop living in my memories. But why should I, when they're much better than what's really happening?

I just wish they weren't memories. I wish they were real again.

Excerpt: Letters to Davey - Fate

Davey,

Do you believe in fate? That on the day you're born, it's decided when you'll die?

23 May 2010. 10:15 pm. Orchard Street. You. Me.

You reach towards me, and I see the moonlight reflected in your eyes. It's romantic right up until you grin at me and laugh. I tell you you're an idiot.

And then I kiss you.

'I've got to go,' you say, pulling away from me.

'Do you have to?' I don't want to be alone. I want to take you home and eat pizzas in front of rubbish television, and chat all night. And maybe do something else again, as well.

'Yes,' you say. 'I'm sorry. But I'll be round tomorrow. Kay?'

I nod. Reach up - you're taller than me, always have been. I kiss your cheek. I can feel your bristly beginnings of a beard beneath my lips.

Then you go. Leave me standing on the pavement, watching you.

You turn. Grin. Wave.


'Did I ever tell you how much I love you?'

Excerpt: Letters to Davey - I'm Fine

Davey,

Did I ever tell you that I love you?

About twice every day, I know. You used to call me 'hopeless romantic'. And then I'd call you 'idiot'. And then we'd laugh.

People ask me all the time how I'm doing. I tell them I'm fine.

The truth is, I don't know how I'm doing. Most of the time I just feel nothing. I'm so empty and hollow, like I'm missing something vital. My body can't function without you. Other times, though, I'm physically in pain, like you've just been ripped from me. I'm tearing at my face and hair. I'm sobbing and screaming.

I feel like such a kid when people ask me how I'm doing. I want to yell at them 'What do you think?! I feel shit awful!'

But then they'd just make excuses for me. And right now, the last thing I need is pity.


I just really need a hug.

Excerpt: Letters to Davey - Missing You

Davey,

I'm starting to realise that memories aren't enough. I've got all these memories of you, but I don't want them. I want you.

I miss you. I miss your laugh. I miss the random conversations we had about literature and art and sex and kids and rain. I miss waking up every day and knowing I'll be able to tell you how much I love you, whenever I want. I miss the way your hair stuck up no matter how much you tried to keep it down, and how I pretended to hate it so much. I miss the face you pulled when you were trying to be romantic.

I miss you.

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (AC)

His eyes were like a lit fuse, scorching the air between them. He was the most beautiful thing Karou had ever seen.

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Star Rating: **
Word Rating: a bad-good book
Keywords: supernatural, magic, love, angel
Adult Content: brief but explicit mention of sex

Karou is an art student, known for her mysterious drawings telling of monsters and demons. Little do those around her know that these stories are real. For she is not only an art student but a messenger - a messenger for the chimera Brimstone who collects teeth in exchange for wishes. Karou has never had to choose a life, living with one foot in each world, but as the doors to the world of the chimera close, she must make a dangerous decision. And so it is that she sets out on a desperate quest to rescue those she loves... and discover the truth about who she is.

I really enjoyed this book. It rips along at a great pace, and the world it portrays of angels and demons and chimera and artists, all in the setting of Prague, is wonderful and unique. And I completely didn't see the twist at the end! In this respect, it is very different to the paranormal romances that are going around at the moment. However, I feel it is also very similar to them in many ways, which irritated me. I've had enough of girls finding perfect (supernatural) boyfriends who are both incredibly handsome and incredibly virtuous. So, for me, although this book has the potential to be a breath of fresh air, a full five-star read, it is brought down by the fashion of the moment. Which is a real shame, because it started off being so unique and interesting.

Nevertheless, I know that a lot of girls my age can't get enough of paranormal romances, and I would therefore recommend it to girls between 14 and 16.

Excerpt: Letters to Davey - Replay

Davey

You know how, on a DVD, you can fastforward, rewind and replay? I've found a way of doing that with my memories of us.

Only, each time I watch them, I become more unsure if what I'm watching really happened.

You know how myths got passed down over the ages? Each storyteller changed or added something. Well, I feel like that's happening to my memories. They feel fake, like the memories you think are real until you realise you weren't born then, or whatever.

I wonder if I'm going mad. But I don't think I can be, because I figure that mad people never wonder if they're mad. And I just did. So maybe I'm ok.

I don't really feel very ok.

Excerpt: Letters to Davey - Falling Leaves

Davey,

It was sunny today. I went down to the park and sat on the bench where you kissed me that first time - do you remember? I just sat there today, and watched the autumn leaves falling off the old oak tree that was hit by the lightening two years back - that night when you and I had our first date. Have you ever noticed how beautiful all the colours of the leaves are? People say they're orange and brown and red, but there's every colour in between, and more besides. You were the one who taught me to notice things like that.

I pulled out that old portrait you painted of me last summer. I look happy. I'm sure you made me look prettier than I really am - I told you so at the time - but you wouldn't listen. You always did flatter me.

And sometimes I believed you.

Excerpt: Letters to Davey

Davey,

I don't know why I'm writing to you. You're never going to read this. I just suppose that maybe this might help me to sort myself out. So could you please just listen to me, like you always used to? You're very good at listening. So could you put up with me for just a little bit more? Just while I work everything out. This might help. It might not. But I've got nothing to lose.

Thank you, Davey Boy.

Top Five Romances

On today of all days, the wedding of Prince William (British royal family) and Kate Middleton, I'm thinking about looove. So what're the top five romances in novels?

Here's what I think:

1) Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It just has to be, really - they're one of the most famous couples ever. But it's not Colin Firth striding out of ponds that's made this story so hot, it's the masterful writer behind it. This is a classic example of 'the course of true love never did run smooth', and Pride and Prejudice set a whole new precedent and sparked numerous romantic novels, plays and films where the protagonists begin by disliking each other.

2) Dona and Jean-Benoit Aubéry in Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier. Although Rebecca is du Maurier's most famous novel, Frenchman's Creek will always be my favourite. The snatched romance between a Lady and a French pirate is one that is often overlooked in lists such as this one. It's a really beautiful novel, and I owe it thanks on a personal level for inspiring my latest story The House of Make Believe.


3) John Ridd and Lorna Doone in Lorna Doone by R.D. Blackmore. If this isn't a classic love story, I don't know what is. John and Lorna, first separated by their warring families, then by the rigid class system, get caught up in the wars, feuds and battles that give this book such a kick. I love it especially for its host of baddies, the violent outlaws the Doones, contrasted with the simple goodness of the Ridds, farming folk. The characters are vibrant, the action is quick. I love it to pieces.

4) Jane and Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. This is one of the first novels of its kind because it covers so many genres: romance, moral, mystery, gothic, supernatural... Jane Eyre also boasts a strong heroine and a less-than-perfect hero. In times when everyone's drooling over impeccably behaved vampires, it's more than a little refreshing.

5) Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and Cathy Linton and Hareton Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I love this novel for many reasons - the gothic feel, the tragic story of Heathcliff and Catherine's love - but what I like best about it is the way it stretches over the generations. Brontë could easily have ended it with Catherine's death, or even before that, but she chose instead to show us all how consequences pile up and effect the next generation. Apart from all this, it's a lovely romance and gets extra points because it's not only one love story but two!

Don't agree with me? Think I missed something important? Give me a yell, or even better, have a go at this on your own blog to remember the day of the royal wedding!

Good luck William and Kate!
~West x