BoBally wrote:
Hi Becca!
My name is Alysse and I love your book, Hush, Hush. I've reasd it twice
What gave you the idea to write Hush, Hush?
My favorite book/book series before Hush, Hush was the Twilight Series. But Hush, Hush was amazing. Everything fit together perfectly. The Twilight series is nothing compared to Hush, Hush .(no offence Stephanie).
Well, I enjoyed Hush, Hush a lot
and I hope others will enjoy it as much as I did!
One of your biggest fans,
Alysse
Hi, Alysse!
Thanks for the kind words - I'm glad you enjoyed Hush, Hush enough to read it twice! The very first inspiration for the story came from an experience in my own tenth-grade biology class. We must have been studying human reproduction, because my teacher asked me, in front of the whole class, to name characteristics I would be attracted to in a mate (uncomfortable, yes!) I sat next to a really cute boy, and the thought of naming characteristics I might look for in a mate was a humiliation I was not about to subject myself to. But the experience always stuck with me, and when I sat down to write Hush, Hush, that little piece of my history evolved into an early scene in the book.
Becca
pinkychick25 wrote:
my name is LaKitta from Conway, SC. I really love the book HUSH HUSH. I wish it did not end I also wish I did not read it so fast. When I read HUSH HUSH I could see everything like it was a movie playing like I was really there with Patch and Nora. I was wondering how different is the ending from the ARC? ALSO THANKS FOR WRITING SUCH A GREAT BOOK!
Hi, LaKitta!
You know, that's how I felt when I was writing the book - that I was seeing it play before me like a movie. I loved it! It made the story feel that much more real to me.
As far as the ending, it won't be very different from the ARC version. Just a few lines have been changed. You'll have to let me know which ending you prefer 
Becca
P.S. Thanks for the kind words!!
MsReaderCP wrote:
Hi Becca! I loved the book! I Will be recommending it to everyone. You mentioned it took you 5 years to write; however, Crescendo is coming out next year, so did you find the second book much easier to write? Did you learn a lot by writing book one or was it just having the characters completely fleshed out that made it move along more quickly?
Hello, MsReaderCP!
So glad to hear you loved it! And, yes, it did take five years to write, which made me very nervous to even think of having to write Crescendo in less than one! No pressure or anything
Some things in Crescendo were easier, such as not having to worry about getting comfortable around the main characters, since I already know them - which you mentioned. Other things were harder. I wrote Hush, Hush as a stand-alone novel, so when my editor wanted two books, I had to go back through Hush, Hush and edit things to leave room for a sequel. I spent a lot of time thinking about and planning the plot for Crescendo, but with each rewrite, I feel like I'm getting closer and closer to writing a worthy successor!
Becca
Lina16 wrote:
Hi Becca,
I just LOVE your book, I was reading last night to get to chapter nine and I didn't want to put it down. Patch so far is probably my favorite character because he is so mysterious. I really enjoy reading about mysterious characters!
My question is how did you come up with the ideas for your book? Did all of your inspiration somehow relate to something that happened to you? I was just wondering, because I have tried a few free writing pieces and I can never come up with anything over a page, and I also have troubles writing for class unless the topic is assigned.
Hi, Lina!
I did find a lot of inspiration for Hush, Hush from my own life...then twisted it enough times to make it fiction. And I think that was for the best, because I don't think anyone would want to read a memoir of my life
The very first inspiration for the story came from an experience in my own tenth-grade biology class. We must have been studying human reproduction, because my teacher asked me, in front of the whole class, to name characteristics I'd be attracted to in a mate (I know!) I sat next to a really cute boy, and the thought of naming characteristics I might look for in a mate was a humiliation I was not about to subject myself to. But the experience always stuck with me, and when I sat down to write Hush, Hush, that little piece of my history evolved into an early scene in the book.
I think that's great that you're taking writing classes! Have you ever taken an event from your life, and then tried asking questions like, "What if?" I find a lot of interesting things can come from asking yourself that simple question. Good luck with the writing!
Becca
Becca
Hey Becca!
I just wanted to let you know that I loved Hush, Hush! I also let my friends borrow my ARC and some of them have read this book three times already, and they all have said they are definatley buying a copy when it comes out! 
My friends have a question for you too, are you writing a sequel?!
But I also wanted to ask why you chose to write about "forrbiden love," when there are many, many books out right now dealing with that same subject? Was there ever a point when writing Hush, Hush when you were uncertain if the novel would sell because of the popular demand for other books with similar ideas?
I also just wanted to point out that normally when I see a book- similar to Hush, Hush- on sotre shelves, I roll my eyes and think; "Oh just another chick lit..."
Well I think your book was MUCH more than just another chick lit.. ! I loved every moment of it! (And was in love with Patch by page 100... )
Your book was excellent!
Please, please, please, please write more!
~~djaq~~
Becca-Fitzpatrick wrote:
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Hi, Connie!
Great question! The biggest similarity people have asked me about is the biology classroom setting. I actually wrote the first two chapters of Hush, Hush in 2003, before Twilight was published, and while I've edited them some, they're basically the same today as they were six years ago. On an interesting side note, when I started submitting Hush, Hush to agents six years ago, the title I was using was Eclipse. I think in a tight market like YA, it opens up a lot of possibility for overlap.
During the years between 2003 and 2006 when I was submitting Hush, Hush, I didn't have a single agent point out any similarities between our two books, however I vividly remember the day in 2007 when an agent rejected Hush, Hush, saying the opening scene was too similar to Twilight. She offered to see a rewrite, but said I'd need to have the book take place in Health or Chemistry before the book would sell. Right then and there my stubborn side came out and I decided there was no way I was going to change Hush, Hush to avoid comparisons with another book – any book – so I guess the point of all this is I've probably asked for what I'm getting!
The more I read paranormal romance, the more I notice similarities between most books in the genre. In fact, there was one point during the editing of Hush, Hush when I emailed my editor in a panic, because there's a scene in Hush, Hush involving Nora and a homeless woman that was strikingly similar to a scene I'd just read in an adult paranormal romance. My editor calmly informed me that there are only so many narrative devices authors can use, and there's always going to be overlap. And you know what? The more I read, the more I see how right she is. As authors, we try to do our best to bring new and refreshing stories to readers, but it's impossible to please everyone.
As far as naming the author who's influenced Hush, Hush the most, I would have to say Sandra Brown. In fact, if you enjoyed Hush, Hush, I would highly recommend Chill Factor and Hello, Darkness, both by Ms. Brown.
Becca
Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply, Becca! I really appreciate it!
Hi Becca,
I loved Hush, Hush. It's one of the best (if not the best) YA novel I've read all year. The whole fallen-angel/bad boy thing is definitely unique and I can't wait to see where you take things.
Considering the fact that you use quite a bit of 'historical' information regarding angels, is there a chance that you will use biblical angels or angels mentioned in the Book of Enoch like Michael, Gabriel, Azazel, etc.?
Also, will you delve a bit more into the mortal girl that Patch fell from Heaven for?
Thanks for taking the time out to do this. Good luck with your re-writes/editing.
P.S. There's a movie coming out in January called Legion that involves angels and seems to focus on a fallen angel. The trailer looks awesome. You should definitely check it out
-Nikki
Marsh_Kitty wrote:
Hi Becca,
I'm Yojana from California. First off, I had to admire the great story that you set in Hush, Hush. Its so real and it easily captured me to the point I could not stop reading until I finished the book. It was great!
My question to you is, how come you didn't let Patch become human, but decided instead to let him become Nora's personal guardian angel? And how does that work? Is he no longer a fallen angel? Oh, and one last question, please tell me this was not the only book you are going to write about Patch and Nora, will there be more?
Hi, Yojana!
Great question. The short answer is, I think I like to torture my characters . The longer answer is that I don't think I could write a story where every character got what they wanted. Yes, I write fantastical stories, but I want the heart of the story to reflect real life, and real life is that we don't always get everything we want. Maybe Patch will eventually get a human body, but for right now, he's going to have to accept being Nora's guardian angel. And, yes, you're right - he's no longer a fallen angel. The series has four different kinds of angels (so far) and they are: archangels, fallen angels, angels of death and guardian angels. Hopefully that makes the mythology a little easier to understand.
I'm glad to hear you want more to the story - there will be a sequel, coming out in October 2010, called Crescendo. I've been asked a few times if there will be a third book, and the answer is, I don't know yet
Becca
MomforrestMO wrote:
Hi
I do find the book very interesting. I can see the science class ( I taught 7 and 8 grade math and science). Curious about why fallen angels. I like that it's a different spin than vampires. I also like the intro for giving background info for those who might not know about fallen angels.
Thank for a good read
Karen
Oh, Karen, you are a brave woman! I remember my 7th and 8th grade math classes . Hats off to you!
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Truth be told, I didn't set out to write a story about fallen angels. I knew I wanted Patch to be the ultimate bad boy...but with a twist. He hadn't always been bad. In fact, at one point, he'd been really good, and something had caused this big change. While pondering what had caused Patch's fall from grace, the metaphor of “falling” that I was carrying around in my head became something quite literal – a fallen angel. Since I already knew Patch was going to be the ultimate bad boy, this revelation seemed perfect – after all, fallen angels are the original bad boys.
Becca
P.S. Glad you enjoyed the book!
random97 wrote:
Hi Becca!
This is seriously one of my favorites books, I absolutly loved it!
and i am looking forward to discussing it!
Congrats! youre book is amazing, and its going to be published!
I found it VERY hard to put it down. Just recently i started actually writing own storries, poetry, etc. I hope one day to be published too. and youre brilliant at twists, which is one of my pluses, and you kept me wanting more.
Hi, Random!
Thanks for the compliments on the book! And that's fantastic that you're writing as well! What kind of books do you hope to publish? Please say YA fiction!
Becca
djsfoxylady wrote:
Hi Becca!
I just got my copy today and I plan on staying up all night to read this since I have heard nothing but FAB reviews! My question is this:
Have you thought about submitting your book for a movie? Are there going to be more in the series? What other books have you wrote?
okay thats three questions but I am curious!!LOL
Amy J
Hi, Amy J!
My film agent is responsible for sending the book out to movie studios, and there have been nibbles, but nothing definite. If they did make a movie from the book, who would you cast for the characters? I think Leighton Meester would do a great portrayal of Nora, but I haven't found anyone I like for Patch.
Yes, there is going to be another book in the series. It's called Crescendo, and comes out in October 2010. There may or may not be a third book. I haven't decided yet, haha!
Hush, Hush is the first novel I finished, but while I was trying to sell it, I wrote another book called The Tornado Interviews. It, thankfully, will never be published
Becca
Hi Becca! Thanks for being here with us and answering all our questions! I really enjoyed Hush Hush and have passed it on to some of my teens at work, who became addicted. We've had some great discussions about it. I loved Patch and I think he'll come up a lot when I do my book boy crush program at the library! Also, I really liked Vee-she reminded me a lot of my high school self, which I thought was fun.
So for my question-I was wondering if you write with music and had made a playlist for Hush Hush?
