The Hallowed Ones (The Hallowed Ones #1) by Laura Bickle
Release Date: September 25, 2012
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
320 Pages
Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers can get a taste of the real world. But the real world comes to her in this dystopian tale with a philosophical bent. Rumors of massive unrest on the “Outside” abound. Something murderous is out there. Amish elders make a rule: No one goes outside, and no outsiders come in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man, she can’t leave him to die. She smuggles him into her family’s barn—at what cost to her community? The suspense of this vividly told, truly horrific thriller will keep the pages turning.
VISIT THE AUTHOR:
FIND THE BOOK:
INTERVIEW:
1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi, and thanks so much for interviewing me!
I live in the Midwest with my husband, where we’re owned by six semi-reformed feral cats. My professional background is in criminal justice and library science. My husband and I are amateur astronomers, and I have a collection of vintage She-Ra action figures that is quickly growing out of control.
2. Describe The Hallowed Ones in ten words or less.
Hmmmm….WITNESS meets 28 DAYS LATER.
3. How did you come up with the idea for The Hallowed Ones? Did you already know a lot about the Amish community or did you have to do extensive research?
I live not too far from a large Amish settlement. When I was a child, my parents would take me to visit, and I was fascinated by a world very different than the one I lived in. I’d see Amish girls my age over the fence and wonder what their lives were like. It was interesting to go back after all this time and see that I had changed, but that world had not.
I also did a good deal of reading…there are a lot of great books out there that look at the Plain way of life from a sociological perspective. National Geographic has also done a number of very good documentaries about the Amish.
I’m acutely conscious that I can’t know or understand everything about the Amish, never having lived in an Amish community. But I learned enough to develop an immense respect for the Amish way of life.
4. There are tales of mythology in this novel. Do you know many mythological tales?
My mom was a school librarian, so I spent my summers sitting in a sunny nook, reading every book in the mythology section. They did percolate there, and it’s fun when they boil up in stories.
5. What made you include these stories within the book?
Katie, the protagonist, is a young Amish woman. Her community is essentially in lockdown after widespread violence in the outside world. She defies those rules and rescues an injured man, Alex, who turns out to be an anthropologist. Alex is full of myths and stories, and he serves to challenge Katie’s perspective at various points in the book.
6. How long did it take you to write The Hallowed Ones? How do you write a story, ie. scene by scene, beginning to end? Is there any part(s) that really gave you trouble?
It took me several months. I always start from the beginning and work to the end, like the reader does. I think that helps with continuity.
The hardest part for me in starting a story is the beginning. The blank page intimidates me like nothing else!
7. I know that there is a sequel in the works. Do you plan on elongating the series further? When will book two come out?
The second book is called THE OUTSIDE, and it will be coming out in fall 2013.
I think the second book pretty much finishes everything I need to say about Katie’s story.
8. Can you give us some details on book two? (I'M SO CURIOUS AFTER THE WAY THE BOOK ENDED! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!)
LOLOL. The first book left us with something of a cliffhanger, yes….but the second book will deal with how Katie survives in the world outside her community.
9. What is the most memorable line that you've ever written? What is the most memorable line (or quote) that you've ever read?
Hmm. I think I like the first line of THE HALLOWED ONES: “After the end of the Outside world, the Plain folk survived.”
The most memorable line I think I’ve ever heard is from an old movie, THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI: “No matter where you go, there you are.”
10. What inspires you to write? Certain music, certain people, certain situations?
I always have a lot of fun writing fantasy. I love asking those ‘what if’ questions and building worlds around the answers.
For THE HALLOWED ONES, I was wondering who would be best-equipped to survive a large-scale disaster. It occurred to me that the Amish would be uniquely equipped to survive.
11. What would you like your readers to take from The Hallowed Ones? Is there something you hope everything feels after finishing the novel?
Just the “what if” question… What if the world came to an end? Where would you go, and what would you do?
12. Do you have a favorite genre of literature? What are some of your favorite books?
Fantasy is the genre that I love the most. My all-time favorite is Robin McKinley’s HERO AND THE CROWN. I read it when I was a pre-teen, and fell in love with fantasy ever after. It was the first book I’d read that had a female protagonist who slew her own dragons. I was hooked.
13. What made you want to be an author? When did you know that writing novels was what you wanted to do with your life?
I’ve always been scribbling, since I was old enough to hold a crayon. I didn’t believe, until recently, that other people would want to read what I wrote. It’s incredibly exciting to hear from folks who’ve enjoyed the stories I tell.
I work at a library now. I have, at various times, worked in criminal justice, in information technology, and in government. Dreams change, but writing has always been with me.
14. What does your writing space look like? Is there a certain environment you need to be in while writing?
My favorite place to write is out on the patio, where I can hear the frogs and the crickets. I can’t write very fast or well in front of the television or in coffee shops…I have to really shut the door on distractions to get focus. When the weather’s cold, I have an office set up in the back of the house. It gets eastern and southern sun, and is thoroughly coated in cat hair.
15. What is some advice you have for aspiring authors?
I really suggest that writers try National Novel Writing Month at least once. It got my excuses and blocks out of the way, and helped me learn that what I thought were my limits were not really limits. They were just walls I’d set up in my head.
QUICKIES:
Celebrity who has your undying affection?
The cats want me to say “Maru.”
A place you've never been, but are desperate to go to?
I’d love to visit Japan someday.
Something you could spend all day doing?
Reading.
Favorite book of 2012?
FEVER by Lauren DeStefano.
Favorite book of all time?
Robin McKinley’s THE HERO AND THE CROWN.
Biggest pet peeve?
The fact that I can never find jeans that fit. Grrr!
Favorite food?
Spaghetti.
Something you could never live without?
Hot baths. My favorite simple-but-luxurious thing.
Favorite movie?
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON.
An author you wish you could have lunch with? (Dead or Alive)
Bram Stoker.
Thanks so much to Laura for joining us today and to my friend, Veronica, without whom, this interview probably wouldn't have happened! And find my review of The Hallowed Ones HERE.
What did you think of the interview?
Thank you so much for the interview! I had a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteWitness meets 28 Days Later? I'm sold. Everything I read about this book intrigues me more and more. I will definitely be picking up a copy. Great interview!
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