Questions for Lauren Oliver?

[Lauren-Oliver]

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Vermontcozy wrote:

Thanks Lauren,"Delirium"  On TBR  2011..Sounds like we will be waiting for it to come out,from all the kudos we are giving you for "Before I Fall.'..we will never leave,you are stuck with us... ..In fact harperteen.com.,is a great way to get all your updates..I believe thats the site...I signed up but with my other email address...Have a Good Night..Vtc..Susan

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Awww you are so sweet. Yes HarperTeen is awesome. You can also check me out on my blog if you are into that kind of thing: www.laurenoliverbooks.blogspot.com (my website is www.laurenoliverbooks.com--there are some funny pics of me in high school posted there!). I'm going to post tour dates and stuff on my blog, and I usually write about new book info and host contests and stuff.

[Lauren-Oliver]

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CharlieG31 wrote:

Dear Lauren:

I am 17, and I can see a lot of characters related to my friends and not so friends in High School .

My question for you is , what was the process of defining the characters? I mean how did you define Sam's characteristis, the girls characters and then all the "extra teen characters" in the story , was it like what you remember of high schoo/college or what was  the process of defining the characters and giving them their traits, the way they talk etc.

I am currently in chapter 5 and I gotta say your book is awesome, congratulations , definitely a bestseller!

Charlie

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Thanks, Charlie! I really hope your predictions for the book's success come true--eek! 

In terms of the characters...hmmm. A lot of the characters possess attributes, or combinations of attributes, of the people I know in real life. For example, I really did have a friend in high school who was obsessed with the color green, and one who really loved cows. Some of the characters are, I think, reflections or distortions of me--their insecurities and fears are my insecurities and fears--and some of it is just a process of really spending time with each character, thinking about what their family must be like, how that would affect their preferences, etc. Developing characters is my all-time favorite part of writing, I think.

[Lauren-Oliver]

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GreenFairyLV wrote:

My question is about the book cover.  On page 17 Sam says one of her good traits are her big brown eyes.  The picture on the book cover the girl has blue eyes.  Is this a mistake?  Perhaps the person who designed it didn't read it?  I'm only on chapter 4 so I don't know if maybe this will make since later.  Anyway its been bothering me. 

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The girl on the cover isn't necessarily supposed to be Sam. I think it is just meant to evoke the feeling of the book, if that makes sense. Several people have suggested that the girl on the cover might be Juliet, which will make more sense to you as you keep reading. 

[Lauren-Oliver]

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SpunkiiReader wrote:

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GreenFairyLV wrote:

My question is about the book cover.  On page 17 Sam says one of her good traits are her big brown eyes.  The picture on the book cover the girl has blue eyes.  Is this a mistake?  Perhaps the person who designed it didn't read it?  I'm only on chapter 4 so I don't know if maybe this will make since later.  Anyway its been bothering me. 

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I was wondering the same thing. Is it maybe Juliet? cause she has blue eyes.

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Ha, yes, see my previous response to GreenFairyLV. But again, I think more than anything the cover is just meant to convey a certain feeling or sensibility.

[Lauren-Oliver]

Hmm. We were decently popular but we definitely weren't mean. There were some mean girls in my school, though; I remember being terrified of some of the seniors when we were freshmen and sophomores, although (thankfully) I was never a target. You can check out embarrassing high school pics of me and my friends on my website, here.

[pen21]

I am glad to hear you are working on another book.

Before I Fall has made me think a lot. Not just about myself or my daughter at that age. It has made me think about work and the relationships there also. Is it really that different? No, there are the popular ones, the cliques, the dress for success group, the dress for comfort group, the moms with little kids group, the mean people group, etc. Just a few weeks ago a co-worker said about the actions of someone, that we aren't in high school why are they acting that way. Maybe some people don't grow up, I think a lot of people do change especially during those high school years.

Anyway enough rambling. My question is after reading all the postings and the reviews you have received on Before I Fall, as you are working on the next book do these reviews/comments affect the way you look at a chapter or a character in that next book.

Thanks pen21

[kpatton]

Lauren,

First of all-thank you for writing Before I Fall, sharing it with FL readers and joining us in this discussion.  I have decided this week to read posts and respond versus posting and then reading.  So far any questions I had have been asked.  I love books and read books for the characters.  I have stuck with the schedule and am only through chapter 4, but your characters have me hooked.  At this point I'm not trying to figure out how this will end up, I'm only living each day with Sam.  Thank you for such a marvelous book.

Kathy

[Vermontcozy]

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Lauren-Oliver wrote:

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CharlieG31 wrote:

Dear Lauren:

I am 17, and I can see a lot of characters related to my friends and not so friends in High School .

My question for you is , what was the process of defining the characters? I mean how did you define Sam's characteristis, the girls characters and then all the "extra teen characters" in the story , was it like what you remember of high schoo/college or what was  the process of defining the characters and giving them their traits, the way they talk etc.

I am currently in chapter 5 and I gotta say your book is awesome, congratulations , definitely a bestseller!

Charlie

---

Thanks, Charlie! I really hope your predictions for the book's success come true--eek! 

In terms of the characters...hmmm. A lot of the characters possess attributes, or combinations of attributes, of the people I know in real life. For example, I really did have a friend in high school who was obsessed with the color green, and one who really loved cows. Some of the characters are, I think, reflections or distortions of me--their insecurities and fears are my insecurities and fears--and some of it is just a process of really spending time with each character, thinking about what their family must be like, how that would affect their preferences, etc. Developing characters is my all-time favorite part of writing, I think.

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Charlie,your posts are so on target,and i know you are 17,but definately an old soul..Thats a good thing,I hope you don't take offense.You have definately made me think of some situations in a different light..Thank  Vtc..

[ashley558]

How long did it take you to write this book? Which character is your favorite and why? What inspired you to write this book?

[2britt13]

What inspired you to write a book about a girl that lives the last day of her life over, and over again?  What made you write about high school girls that are only really worried about themselves and not hurting anyone elses feelings?

[HBT]

This might contain spoilers:

     Hello, I also enjoyed your book. I thought the way you captured high school was very realistic. It makes me wonder if high school has alway been that way. Not so much the grouping of classmates (I am sure that always happened) but the drinking, smoking, and parties. One difference I noticed with your book and my high school years is how Sam and Lindsay fought, they did not spill secrets of each other. That always happened when the people in the "in" group fought with each other in my school. Also when Lindsay and Juliet fought, and it was bad, Juliet never spilled any secrets until she confessed to Sam what really happened years ago. I think that made the characters good friends, even with all the bad choices made.

     Anyway, my question is: When you wrote the book, did you know how it was going to end or did it just fall into place? I ask because some writers say that their story's surprise them. 

[Lauren-Oliver]

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pen21 wrote:

I am glad to hear you are working on another book.

Before I Fall has made me think a lot. Not just about myself or my daughter at that age. It has made me think about work and the relationships there also. Is it really that different? No, there are the popular ones, the cliques, the dress for success group, the dress for comfort group, the moms with little kids group, the mean people group, etc. Just a few weeks ago a co-worker said about the actions of someone, that we aren't in high school why are they acting that way. Maybe some people don't grow up, I think a lot of people do change especially during those high school years.

Anyway enough rambling. My question is after reading all the postings and the reviews you have received on Before I Fall, as you are working on the next book do these reviews/comments affect the way you look at a chapter or a character in that next book.

Thanks pen21

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Hmmm. That's an excellent question. I try to keep my books pretty separate--so my experience of writing BEFORE I FALL, and having people respond to it, is very different/distinct from my experience of writing the book I am working on now. Otherwise people freak out and feel pressured or start endlessly revising and rewriting. However, it does make me think about certain content issues differently. For example, in my third book there are teens who drink and smoke, and knowing that some people had a problem with this in BIF makes me aware of how often I am including party scenes, certainly. 

[tweezle]

Hi Lauren!

Welcome to the boards. I must say I was very taken with "Before I Fall". At first, I was frustrated with the attitudes and actions of the teens, and decided that I wasn't going to give this book to my teenage daughter. As I continued to read and saw the changes, then the moral to the story, I had a total attitude change. By the end, I was telling my daughter she HAD to read your book!!!

I am very impressed with the way the story was told and that there were lessons to be learned - lessons that teens may really hear and listen to.

BTW-I can't wait to read your next book!

[Lauren-Oliver]

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kpatton wrote:

Lauren,

First of all-thank you for writing Before I Fall, sharing it with FL readers and joining us in this discussion.  I have decided this week to read posts and respond versus posting and then reading.  So far any questions I had have been asked.  I love books and read books for the characters.  I have stuck with the schedule and am only through chapter 4, but your characters have me hooked.  At this point I'm not trying to figure out how this will end up, I'm only living each day with Sam.  Thank you for such a marvelous book.

Kathy

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Thank you, Kathy! I write for the characters, so we are certainly similar in that regard. Thank you so much for reading, and for your very generous comments.

[Lauren-Oliver]

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ashley558 wrote:

How long did it take you to write this book? Which character is your favorite and why? What inspired you to write this book?

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The book did not actually take that long; I believe I completed the draft in about six months, working from a very detailed outline. I think Sam is my favorite character because she is so very, very flawed at the beginning of the story, and she grows up so significantly. I love characters who change, both in fiction and in real life! And I was inspired by lots of things: an interest in the "mean girl" phenomenon; a desire to write about the possibilities of change; an attempt to try and describe what makes a day--and thus, a life--worth living and reliving. The book came from a bunch of different places--I was inspired by a whole lot of thoughts and themes.

[Lauren-Oliver]

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2britt13 wrote:

What inspired you to write a book about a girl that lives the last day of her life over, and over again?  What made you write about high school girls that are only really worried about themselves and not hurting anyone elses feelings?

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Well, when I was younger and having trouble sleeping I would often try and imagine, in as much detail as possible, a "perfect" day: the kind of day I wouldn't mind reliving over and over, endlessly. (Nietzsche has a theory called eternal recurrence: he believed that all of the moments of your life would repeat infinitely, and so it was important to live in such a way that you wouldn't mind all the redundancy!) So I've always had the idea of the time-loop in my head. And I was interested in exploring the mean-girl phenomena, and explaining it in terms of latent anxieties and insecurities. I do truly believe that mean people are unhappy, and that unhappy people are mean.

[Lauren-Oliver]

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tweezle wrote:

Hi Lauren!

Welcome to the boards. I must say I was very taken with "Before I Fall". At first, I was frustrated with the attitudes and actions of the teens, and decided that I wasn't going to give this book to my teenage daughter. As I continued to read and saw the changes, then the moral to the story, I had a total attitude change. By the end, I was telling my daughter she HAD to read your book!!!

I am very impressed with the way the story was told and that there were lessons to be learned - lessons that teens may really hear and listen to.

BTW-I can't wait to read your next book!

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Thank you! I'm so glad your attitude towards the book and the characters evolved, as the characters were themselves evolving. And I am so, so glad you felt it was a book you wanted to pass on to your daughter.

That means a lot to me.

[Lauren-Oliver]

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HBT wrote:

This might contain spoilers:

     Hello, I also enjoyed your book. I thought the way you captured high school was very realistic. It makes me wonder if high school has alway been that way. Not so much the grouping of classmates (I am sure that always happened) but the drinking, smoking, and parties. One difference I noticed with your book and my high school years is how Sam and Lindsay fought, they did not spill secrets of each other. That always happened when the people in the "in" group fought with each other in my school. Also when Lindsay and Juliet fought, and it was bad, Juliet never spilled any secrets until she confessed to Sam what really happened years ago. I think that made the characters good friends, even with all the bad choices made.

     Anyway, my question is: When you wrote the book, did you know how it was going to end or did it just fall into place? I ask because some writers say that their story's surprise them. 

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I knew how the story would end; I was working off a pretty strict outline. If I try and let my stories surprise me the only "surprise" is that they turn out to have no plot!

[Vermontcozy]

As pen21 stated: I have been able through reading"Before I Fall,I have seen myself,my daughter,and just issues are that are as prevelent today.Adults of my age,as pen21 will I think attest to,some, not all are still in denial of what they were during their younger years,if that makes any sense.It is also interesting that your music choices are timeless..my 25 yr.old daughter likes U2,"The Doors",and Beyonce..It seems your generation has opened up to "My Generations"music as we embrace yours..I find that so comforting.After reading the posts Lauren,did you think before you were here.what an impact "Before I Fall" is having on so many different ages?Thanks,Susan

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Lauren-Oliver wrote:

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pen21 wrote:

I am glad to hear you are working on another book.

Before I Fall has made me think a lot. Not just about myself or my daughter at that age. It has made me think about work and the relationships there also. Is it really that different? No, there are the popular ones, the cliques, the dress for success group, the dress for comfort group, the moms with little kids group, the mean people group, etc. Just a few weeks ago a co-worker said about the actions of someone, that we aren't in high school why are they acting that way. Maybe some people don't grow up, I think a lot of people do change especially during those high school years.

Anyway enough rambling. My question is after reading all the postings and the reviews you have received on Before I Fall, as you are working on the next book do these reviews/comments affect the way you look at a chapter or a character in that next book.

Thanks pen21

---

Hmmm. That's an excellent question. I try to keep my books pretty separate--so my experience of writing BEFORE I FALL, and having people respond to it, is very different/distinct from my experience of writing the book I am working on now. Otherwise people freak out and feel pressured or start endlessly revising and rewriting. However, it does make me think about certain content issues differently. For example, in my third book there are teens who drink and smoke, and knowing that some people had a problem with this in BIF makes me aware of how often I am including party scenes, certainly. 

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[kimmyblair]

Hello Lauren! First off thank you so much for allowing us this opportunity to chat with you! My question is kinda spoilery for those who haven't finished the book, but, how important was the fact that Sam had to die at the end of the story. Was this something you decided right away, or something that you realized after starting the story? Also two questions not really relating to this story. As we are getting a first look at this book the people in this group will be among the first to review this book on sites such as Barnes and Noble. As an author what do you think should be included in any book review to help other evaluate if they should read the story or not? Also who are some of your favorite authors, YA or otherwise? Thanks again! - Kim