Earlier this year I got my hands on a YA novel that was recommended to me. I was told that it wasn’t typical young adult fare. Trusting their opinion with a shrug, I figured I would give it a go. ‘Harbinger’, the debut novel from Sara Wilson Etienne, shocked and rocked my socks off. A very well written psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages until the end. It took me to places I would have never imagined and provided a handful of ‘WHAT THE…’ moments through out.
Sara Wilson Etienne is a name that I’m sure you will be hearing a lot more about in the years to come. Check it…
What first got you interested in ‘writing’?
I always loved telling stories and, of course, loved to read…but for a long time it didn’t occur to me that I could be a writer. In college, I started out studying biology and quickly figured out that I loved fantasy more than fact.
What are some of your favorite Books/Novels? What type of books are you drawn to? Who is an author you admire or feel inspired by and why?
Even now I read mostly YA books. Growing up, these were the books that really helped me understand the world and decide who I wanted to be in it. Madeleine L’Engle mixed science and magic, Tamora Pierce created women warriors, and Roald Dahl gave power to the powerless. I’ve always loved books that showed me what the world can be, rather than what it is.
Were there any hidden gems in terms of stories or authors that you don’t think people remember much today but should?
I think Diana Wynne Jones’s stories don’t get the attention they deserve. She has a lot of fans, but because her books predate Harry Potter, I think there is a whole new generation of fantasy readers that would be thrilled to discover her. She’s prolific, brilliant, and her books are filled with a sardonic, sideways sort of humor. Not to mention that The Tough Guide to Fantasyland: The Essential Guide to Fantasy Travel is a work of comic, nerdy genius.
How would you describe your ‘writing’ education?
Well, it started with growing up in a family that treasured books. My parents always read to me and my sister at bedtime, and my first job in high school was in a bookstore.
In college, I took creative writing and literature classes whenever I could fit them in around my science classes and I took a few courses at UCLA Extension. But I’d have to say the bulk of my learning came from the writing itself. I wrote and rewrote Harbinger until I finally learned how to put a book together.
Do you have a certain ‘creative process’ or writing rituals?
I like to write from late morning to early afternoon. Recently, I’ve been walking to a nearby café and that has the wonderful side benefit of letting me “prewrite” my scenes…visualizing moments that I think will bring the scene to life. When I finally sit down with my coffee and scone, I can dive into my work.
I also like to write to the Battlestar Galatica soundtrack. It has great tension and build-up, but is background enough for me to work. But for the most part, I try to stay flexible with my habits, so I don’t get hung up if I have to write at home or at a different time of day.
What do you consider the elements of a good novel? A great one?
Well, I can tell you what I look for in a book: a distinct voice, an active plot, writing that engages my senses or describes things in a new way.
My favorite kind of books weave in details and clues so well, they blend into the background. You don’t notice you’ve been given important information until it becomes vital to the story. Then suddenly, the clues click into place and become obvious.
At what age or time in your life did writing cross from a hobby into something more serious?
My senior year in college, I needed to do a thesis project. Because I’d studied biology, I should’ve done some sort of field research. Instead I decided to write a book. What started out as a picture book about ecotourism quickly became a novel. (One that thankfully has never been published.)
Writing that changed everything. It was as if the world suddenly made sense to me. I loved writing and it felt right. From that point on, I looked on writing as a serious career.
How would you define the actual role that an Author is supposed to fill?
I believe writers should tell the stories that matter to them. If you write for children or young adults, then your stories will ideally bring at least a hint of hope or belonging with them. But telling a good story is the most important part of the equation.
When you started writing books/novels/short stories, Did you set out to do a specific thing?
I get my ideas from the world around me: overheard conversations, news stories, places I travel. Over the course of years I pair up certain ideas in my head, they grow into stories and worlds. When I sit down to finally begin working on a book, I start with writing a synopsis or a vague outline. And go from there. I’m a huge rewriter, so I usually stumble through the beginning of my stories over and over until I hit the right tone or feel or world.
What type of world did you set out to build in ‘Harbinger’?
I wanted to create a world in denial, on the brink of environmental disaster. Actually, I originally set Harbinger in present day, because this is kinda the way I see our world. But I wasn’t able to communicate what I wanted to readers, so I amped it up, setting Harbinger in the near future. That’s what a lot of sci-fi is…problems an author sees in the present day, taken to a logical extreme.
There is a bit of horror content in ‘Harbinger’, What part does fear play in the storytelling process?
The crazy thing is, I never set out for Harbinger to be horror at all. But I often see the world through a lens of fear and danger, I think a lot of storytellers do. With an overactive imagination, it’s easy to see how things can go terribly, horribly wrong. Lucky, we also tend to invent kick-ass super heroes to set things right again.
The hero of Harbinger is Faye. How did you go about creating her? Did you sit down and plan her out, or did she just evolve as you wrote the story?
She evolved over the long revision process. I wanted a character who wasn’t whole, who couldn’t communicate well with the rest of the world, whose pain kept her isolated.
In the early drafts, this came out as Faye being soulless (not a great characteristic for a relatable character!), as a stutterer (hard to communicate well in the written word), and debilitated with migraines (a little too literal). Over the course of revisions, I found subtler, more dynamic ways to portray these characteristics. As a result, Faye came to life as a character, not just in my own mind, but on the page.
Was ‘Meat Is Murder’ Maya based on someone you know?
I was a vegetarian for about ten years during and after high school. And I went to a college full of environmentalists, including myself. I definitely felt the lure (and sometimes necessity) of being militant and extreme about a belief in order to be heard. I wanted to create a character who spoke to that passionate need to change the broken world around us.
What do you think is the appeal of YA generally?
People often read YA during a time in their lives when they are looking for proof that they fit somewhere in the world. That there are other people like them. That there is more to life than high school. That, in effect, makes the YA genre full of powerful stories that have the ability to shape lives, show people choices they’ve never thought of, and perspectives they’ve never experienced.
At this moment in time, are we at the end of something? And what about the changing role of publishers in the book world?
More like at the beginning of something. In the way that the internet gave us new ways to communicate and share creative ventures, ebooks, apps, and self-publishing are changing the way we share stories. Of course, this will have growing pains and downsides but is already revitalizing the role of storytelling in our lives.
Do you feel it is a good time to be a young writer?
Definitely. There are so many new outlets to get your words out there and much fewer gatekeepers.
What is next for you?
I’m working on a new book currently titled Unworthy with the same editor at Penguin/Putnam. It’s a totally new world, with new characters, which is exciting after working on Harbinger for so long!
Where can our readers find out more about you?
You can find out more about me at www.sarawilsonetienne.com and more about the world of Harbinger, plus see artwork inspired by the book, at www.holbookacademy.com.
-Dagobot
Get at me on twitter:@markdago
like me on THE Facebook : facebook.com/markdagoraps
Download my latest EP for free : markdago.bandcamp.com