How do you feel about love triangles? Well, I’m married, so I don’t think my husband would appreciate the competition. Wink wink. In reality, I think a love triangle works if it’s done properly. It’s almost a cliché in YA nowadays, so it has to be strong and ring true. I think the love interests have to represent something different for the character and reflect the choices of who that character wants to be. I’ve used suggestions of a love triangle, but I usually have a character who the reader probably knows is not the best choice. For example, if any readers have read, I’M NOT HER, Tess has a crush on Nick, but those two really aren’t meant to be. Clark clearly has a crush on Tess, and ultimately, that’s who I think she ended up. Maybe. What makes a good romance work? Anticipation. Chemistry. When as readers we really, really want the two characters to get together and stay together. I want to believe these two characters feel for each other and I want to see it in tangible and intangible ways.
What do you find romantic? I find small gestures the most romantic. When I’ve been running around all day for work and kids’ activities and walk into the house after 8pm, not having eaten since noon and tired and my husband pours me a glass of wine with dinner waiting. That’s romantic. Favorite romance novel or author? I’ve been reading a lot of Colleen Hoover’s books this past year. They aren’t romances, per se, but I love the connections she creates between her characters. As for asking me to pick a favorite novel, that’s like asking me to pick a favorite child.
What’s your favorite line from one of your books? This is a line that, for me, kind of encapsulates the sweet romance between Marcus and Loann in Never Enough: He looked at me with serious eyes, but not the kind that made me wonder what I’d done wrong. The kind that made me wonder what I’d done right. What do you think are the key elements to crafting a heartbreaking romance? I think one of the key elements to crafting a heartbreaking romance is creating characters that the reader will remember and really care about. For characters to be memorable and enticing, they need full lives, beyond what is written on the page, so I spend a lot of time figuring out years’ worth of background for many of my characters. Often it’s not the tragedy within the book that is heartbreaking on its own, but rather a buildup of everything that character has already gone through. The tragedy within the book only tips the scale.
Who is your favorite romance movie character? “R” from Warm Bodies, a 2013 Zombie apocalypse movie. (Remember, I am a YA author, I like YA movies too) Truthfully, my “favorite character” changes every few years, I am fickle and always on the lookout for something new. For now that is R. I loved the way the teen boy zombie embodied so many typical teen angsts, especially his inability to talk to girls (or anyone else). He may not be able to talk much, know his real name, or even understand the word love, but he comes to life for the girl. He gets that his number one priority is keeping her safe (and not eating her). A guy willing to give up everything to protect the girl he loves…how do you get more romantic than that? What inspired you to write multicultural literature? I am old enough to remember watching TV and seeing no one like myself except the occasional maid. Now we have Scandal. Yeah!! I see using different locations, ethnicities, races, religions, etc. as adding layers to my storytelling and a chance to give my readers something more and different. Just like clothing, one size does not fit all. Since I write for the Young Adult audience, I spend a lot of time with librarians and teachers. I have spoken at library and teacher’s conferences about books and especially diversity in books. The terminology I hear from teachers is Mirrors and Windows. Mirrors so a reader can see him/herself, and windows to see what else it out there. As one teacher told me, “I want my readers to find pleasure, as well as comfort, company, information, inspiration and empowerment.” I have been told by other authors to write “universal” and not mention race or cultural aspects. But every child of color knows (really everyone knows) that those universal characters are white. If they were Black or Hispanic, Muslim, gay, handicapped, etc, that would be mentioned. So I mention it. In Being God my main character was half-catholic, half-Jewish and all Black Malik Kaplan. With Minority of One I have black and white main characters, and various gay, lesbian and bi-sexual kids of color. This gives me a lot to research, and so much more to play with. I want every teen to see themselves somewhere in my stories, especially those who might never have seen someone like themselves before. I hear a lot of white writers say they are afraid they will end up creating stereotypes. That’s why I am doing a workshop for authors who want to create diverse characters without falling into that trap.
What’s the most romantic place you’ve ever visited or would like to visit? There was a beautiful spot on campus when I was in college, at William & Mary in Williamsburg, called Crim Dell. It’s a charming arched wooden bridge over a stream in some very picturesque woods. In spring, when the azaleas were in bloom, it was gorgeous. It was voted “most romantic spot on a college campus” for several years running and I know a lot of proposals and even weddings happened there! (Not mine, though.) Tell us your favorite love quote. “Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” –Aristotle. (This really fits the theme of STARSTRUCK, by the way!)
What appeals to you about writing about teen love? The drama! I remember the first boy I thought I loved. I was 14 and I was all in. He completely broke my heart and it was the absolute end of the world. My teen years were so intense. Everything mattered so much and felt it all so deeply. As an adult, I kind of miss that passion. Writing for teens lets me relive some of that, without losing the experiences and wisdom that have come with getting older. Describe the Art of Falling in three words. Identity, longing, kissing. For me, THE ART OF FALLING is about finding who you really are behind the image you project. My two main characters, Bria and Ben, both have these larger-than-life images at their high school and their journey is really about reconciling who they are with how people see them. They both long to be more than their personas, they long for each other, they long for more than high school. And then there’s lots of kissing. This whole story started with two kissing scenes I cut from another story. In my first serious manuscript, the first kiss didn’t happen until about 2/3 into the story. FALLING has a kiss within the first chapter. So yes. Kissing happens.
What do you enjoy writing more…break-ups or make-ups? Can I say both? I like the break-up followed, eventually, by a make-up. The tension is really fun to play with. Favorite song about love or heartbreak? I don’t know if it’s a favorite or not, but Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” makes me cry every time I hear it. It’s like I’m sixteen again, sobbing in the basement after another disappointment.
If you could be any character in your favorite book, who would it be and why? The problem with being a character in a book is that while they might get a happy ending, usually their lives are full of all sorts of trouble before they get there. So I’d love to have the love between the characters in The Fault in Our Stars, but I don’t want to have cancer. While I’d love to be brave like Katniss- no way I’d want to go into the arena and fight for my life. This makes picking a character difficult. Growing up I used to re-read the book From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler all the time. The main character runs away from home and goes to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I still think it would be nice to run away and live in a museum. Plus, there’s no fight to the death! What makes a believable romance? Romance starts with attraction, but lasting romance is about being with someone who believes in you, and in the person they know you can be. They push you to be better. We tend to think of romance as roses and poetry, but real romance is often the small things that show you that someone really knows you. There is nothing better than being in a crowded room, looking across making eye contact with someone and knowing they know exactly what you’re thinking without saying a word.
What do you think is the worst book break up you’ve ever read? Gale/Katniss from The Hunger Games How do you spend Valentine’s Day? Going out for a meal in our favorite restaurant, overlooking the ocean.
I noticed on your site that you wrote a beautiful letter to your daughter. If you had the opportunity to share one piece of advice about love to teens, what would it be? My little piece of advice would be to take it slow. And not to give away your heart before you're ready to. You've only got one heart and it's a treasure - so guard it well. Tell us about your character Ellie in As Waters Gone By? Ellie is a strong teenage girl who has lived with far too much heartbreak. She's singlehandedly kept her and her mom afloat for most of high school. She's responsible, mysterious, and smart. Her mom dies at the beginning of the book - and Ellie has to figure out how to go on, how to forgive, and how to be forgiven. She also has to decide that when happiness comes her way, she doesn't have to let guilt keep her from embracing it.
Do you prefer writing the good guy or bad guy? Latoya, thanks a TON for having me on your blog! I really appreciate you taking the time to come up with questions for all of us authors. To answer your question: I love writing good guys having moments of badness and bad guys having moments of goodness. I’m a huge fan of the anti-hero and anti-heroine, characters who are in bad-guy roles because they’ve made terrible choices in the past and are paying the consequences now. A great example is Tony Soprano. Anti-heroes might not be 100% bad (no one is, after all), but unless they completely overhaul their lives and make huge sacrifices, they’ll never get out of that role. Usually they’re not willing to pay that price. The most they can do is occasional good deeds, or love those who are very close to them. It’s deliciously tragic. I guess I wrote the ultimate anti-hero in my first novel, Requiem for the Devil, where Lucifer falls in love for the first time in his ten-billion-year existence. It doesn’t make him a good guy by a long shot, but he starts to question the value of evil for evil’s sake. He is willing to pay an enormous price to change himself, but he doesn’t realize it’s not all under his control. He doesn’t get to determine the price he must pay. Is there a scene in one your books that just makes your heart melt for the characters? What is it? There’s a simple, sweet scene on a swing set in This Side of Salvation between David and his girlfriend, Bailey. In the previous scene, she found out that his parents are part of this cult that believes the Rapture will happen on a certain date (which unfortunately coincides with prom night). But in the scene before that, she and David said “I love you” to each other for the first time. So despite all the craziness going on with his parents, David is really happy at this moment. He and Bailey eat Popsicles and make up this silly fantasy about taking a cross-country RV trip together to see the world’s second-biggest ball of twine (long story). For a few minutes, he lets himself believe that happiness is possible. I don’t know what it is--it’s not a hot kissing episode or a super dramatic breakup--but there’s something about the swing set scene that just makes me sigh and go, “Oh yeah. That is real.”
Introduce us to your character Grace and what drives her? She seems fierce. When the series begins, Grace is helping her father break horses on their ranch. She has to be strong and self-sufficient, but she has a gentle, caring heart. Then outlaws murder her family. As the only one who survives, Grace is determined to see justice done. It means turning into a teenage bounty hunter. She becomes fierce on the outside to hide the pain on the inside, but her softer side comes out when she sees others in need of protection or when she’s around the love of her life – Joe. What influenced you to set her story in the Wild West? I was asked to write this series, and they wanted it set in the Wild West, but I’ve always loved the West. Before he died, my father lived in Arizona, so I spent time out there in the desert. I was drawn to the area. The harsh, but beautiful, landscape is a perfect metaphor for Grace’s life.
Have you ever been heartbroken? How did you get over it? Many many times. I had lots of short, painful romances when I was younger and then long, painful ones as I got a little older. I’m actually in my 2nd marriage, and, thankfully, it is very happy at 6 years running. Every heartache is different, but for me I would dive into my work, whether it be writing or performing and keep my brain busy. I’d hang out with friends and meet new people to replace that one that was now missing. Some of my most productive times are when I’m sad. I’m happy now, and I feel like I’m “cheating” on my husband and kids when I disappear into my office to write. What’s your favorite part about crafting romantic scenes? Most of my writing in the past has been for middle grade or has been academic, so romantic scenes aren’t my usual thing. In 2012 I got a job ghostwriting a series of adult romantic novellas. They were jam-packed with romance scenes. I guess what I want to accomplish is to have them feel natural and not sound corny or fake. I like dialogue that is playful and teasing and descriptions that are tantalizing but not graphic. I feel like I’ve done a good job only if I have a huge need to eat some chocolate and give my hubby a squeeze when I’m finished.
About the Author Judith Tewes resides in small town northern Alberta, where she: writes, sings, plays bass guitar in an all-woman band, walks her three crazy labs, and suspects she's living the life of a superhero's alias*. Website
Favorite love song? Brace yourself, it’s an 80s tune, possibly because I fell in love with the music video. Nothing beats, Take Me On, by a-ha. Take a few to check it out. I dare you not to freaking love it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914 Why do you think people connect with star-crossed lovers? Because a love easily won may be just as easily lost. A love worth fighting for, one that puts the lovers at risk – now that might not be taken for granted and may withstand the tests of age and time. Wow – look at me getting all dramatic and lofty…lol… Thanks so much for hosting us!
My name is Latoya, I am a Librarian and photographer(though I haven't done much of this lately, I'm a litte rusty). So, feel free to chat with me, I don't bite..I promise!
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