Hi Becca!
It's no secret that many of your readers so far have LOVED this book (me included!) and it's not even officially released yet. I have heard so much and read so much from people who've either read it and loved it or are just salivating to get their hands on a copy. My question is: Are you prepared for how big Hush, Hush may become? Clearly this is the kind of theme that people are craving at the moment in YA fiction and, I hate to be another to mention Twilight, but seeing the success of that (and come on, there's going to be a lot of Patch fangirls!), there's a strong possiblity Hush, Hush will become just as huge. Are you excited/nervous with the possibility this is going to be THE next big thing?
Also, I'm not sure if you'd be able to answer or give the name - but do you know who the model is they used on the front cover?
Thanks! KEEP UP THE FANTASTIC WRITING! Hush, Hush is my new favourite book 
-Brodie
Hi Becca,
Really enjoyed the book. I was wondering what the title Hush, Hush means. And I know publishers often change titles from what the author picked. Did you pick this title? If not, what was the original title?
Also, how many novels did you write before getting this one published? I'm an aspiring writer, so I'm always curious about this. 
Thanks,
Roni
KateBrianIsAwesome wrote:
Hi Becca,
I just started reading your book and I love it. I liked your thought in a recent post about you writing the book for five years and the readers of the book will read it in a day or three. I've thought about that a few times while reading.
So my question for you is what every teen has to ask an author is what advice would you give someone who wants to be an author. I'm 18 and I dream of writing a novel I already have the plot and elements of it but I don't know where to start. My boyfriend suggested I start out by writing short stories before writing a novel. This school year I'll be in a creative writing class to start off but I hope poetry is not a big part of it because I cannot write poems to save my life.
Thanks for the Hush Hush I'm excited to keep reading it and I look forward to your future books. And Congratulations.
sincerely, Mallory
Hi, Mallory!
I'm assuming you're a Kate Brian fan - is that right? I love Kate Brian! My editor edits the Private series, so once in a while I get Private and Privilege books before they release - I love it!
I have to admit, I think it's wonderful you want to be an author - good choice! 
. As far as advice, I would recommend reading a lot - which it sounds like you already do, so way to go! You don't have to limit your reading selections to only the genre you want to write, but it is a good idea to stay current on what kinds of book are being published in that genre. I'd also recommend keeping a journal and writing in it daily - you never know when your own life experiences will inspire a story. Some writers like to write by the seat of their pants, while others prefer outlining. I prefer outlining, because that way I know, even before I sit down to start a story, what's going to happen and how the story will end. I didn't used to outline, which is probably part of the reason why it took me five years to write HUSH, HUSH. I'd always get about fifty pages into the story, and then I didn't know what would happen next. When you're writing your stories, I'd recommend trying both ways. If you get stuck 25 or 50 pages in, trying outlining the entire book from beginning to end, and see if that helps. As for your boyfriend's advice, you could also try that. I, for one, have never been able to write a short story, but you may be very different! 
Good luck in your creative writing class! You'll have to let me know what you think of it , but I have a feeling you're going to enjoy it and hopefully it will inspire you to keep writing!
Becca
P.S. I'm with you on poetry!!
Tasses wrote:
Ms. Fitzpatrick,
Thank you for allowing us a free peek at your wonderful novel. I write reading education reviews for Examiner.com and ReadingRumpus.com. As an educator, I read YA & children's literature with an eye on reading benefits and potential classroom use. I'm happy to recommend Hush, Hush to my readers and the review will be posting closer to the publication date (Oct 13).
That said, I noticed it mentioned that the final edition of Hush, Hush will have a new ending. I'm wondering if this is a result of reader/publisher input or if it is a necessary retcon for the sequel. I had no problem with the ending (other than it begged a sequel) and thought it might be a retconning.
Continued success,
Cheryl
Hi, Cheryl!
Wow - thank you for recommending HUSH, HUSH to your readers! And thank you for taking the time to write a revew - I know they can be time consuming, so I appreciate it!
Hopefully this isn't too confusing an answer, but the new ending that will be in the hardback is actually the original ending I sent to Simon & Schuster when they first bought the book. During the editing process, I decided to rewrite the ending, even though my editor hadn't requested it. For a while, the rewritten ending stuck, and then, when I went out to NYC to visit my editor in June, she suggested I change the ending back to the original version. It made me laugh - here I thought I'd improved the ending and she wanted me to switch it back! So while I haven't mentioned this to many people, the new ending is actually the very first one my editor saw.
My editor talks briefly about it in this video, if you're interested in watching: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ78Tv88Mxg
Thanks for the question!
Becca
emers0207 wrote:
I haven't had a chance to read all the other questions posted so if you've already gotten this question I apologize.
I'm sure you're aware that comparisons to your book and Twilight are inevitable. Your story bares striking similarity to it, in fact the basic plot is the exact same. I could look past this since genres often tend to have one basic plot line (e.g. after The Da Vinci Code came out how many books followed that were about two opposing sides both searching for an ancient artifcat that would shed new light on an established belief and threaten the existence of the Church). However, the thing that I'm having a hard time looking past is that you chose to follow Twilight in so many of the little details. Why did you decide to do this? For example, out of all the school subjects what made you choose to have Patch and Nora assigned to be Biology partners just as Bella and Edward were, especially since, just like in Twilight, you make this a crucial event which sets the whole story in motion?
Hi, emers0207!
It has been asked, but I'll copy my answer here, and then add a little more to it. Here's what I originally said:
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. Obviously I had to change that!
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 and never repeat a literary device, even unintentionally.
Okay, that was my answer before, but now I'll say a few more words. I recently read a review of a YA paranormal romance with a love triangle as part of the plot, and the reviewer attacked the book as being a "Twilight copycat" because the author had copied the idea of a love triangle. Obviously, most of us would find this amusing, since the love triangle plot device has been around forever and was clearly not invented in Twilight. What surprised me, however, were the comments following the review, agreeing with the reviewer. While I can appreciate how it might appear to some that every paranormal romance is trying to imitate Twilight, I don't agree with it. Many paranormal books fall into the genre of romantic suspense, which has a fairly standard plot. Most romantic suspense novels follow this basic plot, or one very similar to it:
1. Heroine and Hero meet (often they don't like each other at first)
2. Heroine (or hero) becomes tangled up in a world that is bigger and more dangerous than her own
3. Heroine and Hero go through a testing ground, trying to figure out if they can trust each other/love each other
4. Danger from outside forces reaches an all-time high, and heroine and hero must combine forces to defeat the enemy
5. Heroine, hero or both have a showdown with the enemy
6. Heroine and hero triumph, and as readers, we believe their love will last
Obviously, this plot has been around for a while. Authors from Sandra Brown to Nora Roberts to Mary Stewart to Charlotte Bronte have used it. Twilight brought romantic suspense to YA (and I'm so glad it did!) but it didn't invent the genre.
Becca
P.S. I just realized I didn't answer one of your questions, so I'll do so now (and I promise to make it short, now that I've written a whole novel above - yikes!)
The reason I decided to begin Hush, Hush in biology is because I was inspired to write the story by an event that happened in my own tenth-grade biology class. I believe we were studying human reproduction, and my teacher asked me, in front of the entire class, to name characteristics I'd be attracted to in a mate. It was such a horrific and embarassing situation, that it stuck with me for years, and when I sat down to write Hush, Hush, that memory kept coming back to me, and evolved into an early scene in the book.
sjs82489 wrote:
Hi Becca!!
I was wondering, are you going to have a sequel to Hush, hush? Are you planning on making it a series or it just going to be this one book?
Hi, sjs!
Yes, I'm working on the sequel, Crescendo, right now! I've been asked if I'll write a third book, but the short answer is, I don't know yet...but I'll let you know when I do
mckenziet wrote:
Hi Becca! Glad to see you here. It's McKenzie, the one who occasionally comments on your blog.
Anyways, I know that the ARC has a different ending then the real published book. Will the ending be changed dramatically or will minor lines be changed? Because I thought the ending was absolutely perfect, especially the last line.
Hi, McKenzie! Nice to see you here
The change is very, very small - only the last page. I loved the last line in the ARC, too, and will miss it. But hopefully you like the new ending just a much!
Becca
