I always read the back cover flap to *meet* the author whose book I’m about to read. Kiera Cass both looked fun and engaged me with her bio…until she declared her love of cake. Uh-oh. Everyone who knows me also knows how unkindly I feel toward cake (sorry, cake; it’s not you, it’s me). Suddenly the gorgeous cover gown looked too much like an elaborate pastry and it occurred to me that every meal beneath it could revolve around petit fours and other cloying confections. In other words, I began to worry it would all be just too sweet.
I shouldn’t have.
This actually turned out to be the 3rd book of the past year that I read in one sitting. It’d even be fair (and bad punning) to say I devoured it.
Not unlike America Singer, the story’s 16-year-old heroine who finds the food at the grand palace of Illea to be the best part of the Selection experience. Of course, that might have something to do with her tier-5 upbringing where food was almost a luxury for the family and they’d at times had to choose between electricity and groceries. Or perhaps it’s that America has no interest in the contest which she’s been brought to the palace to participate in – the one boasting a grand prize of marriage to Prince Maxon – because she’s still in love with a boy back home. Or maybe, just maybe, the palace steak is just that good – in America’s words, “so juicy, so tender, so flavorable. I wanted to ask someone if this wasn’t the best steak they’d ever had.”
What’s not to love about a dish (and book) like that? ;)
Yesterday we brought you a few words from the editor on the dystopian YA debut, THE SELECTION, and today we ask the author herself, Kiera Cass, the really tough questions…
Which was your favorite book from childhood, and what are you reading right now?
My favorite book from childhood is probably The Giving Tree. I was BFFs with a tree for a week in the first grade because of that book. And I’m currently making my way through Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson.
What is your secret talent?
My secret talent? I can touch my tongue to my nose. It’s pretty magical.
Fill in the blank: _______ always makes me laugh.
This picture ALWAYS makes me laugh. I have a pinterest board of ridiculous things to look at when I get stressed, and it helps me every time!
My current obsessions are…
…cranberry apple juice, Rob Pattinson, cupcakes, and Dance Moms.
Any gem of advice for aspiring writers?
I always tell aspiring writers to learn everything they can now. There’s so much happening behind the scenes of making a book that it’s a bit dizzying sometimes. There are lots of great blogs out there, helpful authors on twitter, and informative books. I also make a series of Behind the Book videos on my YouTube channel to show others what it’s like to get your first editorial letter or deal with doubt or any of the other things that pop up along the journey.
Finish this sentence: I hope a person who reads my book…
… just has fun reading it. I write stories to entertain myself, and I hope that other people can just enjoy the ride with me.
Tell us more about how INSIGNIA was born.
The idea for The Selection came from thinking about Esther and Cinderella. I always wondered it Esther maybe liked the boy next door before she was shipped off to compete to be queen. Even if she lost, she was never coming home. What was going on in her heart? And Cinderella never asked for a prince. She asked for a night off and a dress. Did getting a prince make her happy? Or was being a princess too much for her? Those two thoughts meshed in my head, and I knew I wanted to write a story about a girl from a humble background who would get the attention of a prince, but she would already be in love and not want him. And I knew she would go through something (which ended up being the Selection) that would show her more of the world than she was ever prepared to see.
I fell in love. Every time I get to sit down and work on The Selection, I get excited. I really hope that people stick with America, Aspen, and Maxon through all three books, because I think their journey is fantastic!
Thanks Kiera! You’ll be happy to hear that THE SELECTION is available for purchase now. And once you’ve read it, you’ll be equally happy to know that the next in the trilogy, THE ELITE, is due out in Summer 2013.
The idea behind our next Summer New Voices pick is almost too good to be true– Cinderella meets The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor? But that’s what THE SELECTION by debut novelist Kiera Cass is, no exaggerations, we swear. We fell for the main character, America Singer, as she’s torn not just between two boys, but between two possibilities for her future. After all, who among us wouldn’t feel at least a little bit tempted by a chance to be royalty?
Kiera’s editor, Erica Sussman, tells us why she fell for THE SELECTION:
“Move aside William and Kate! There’s a new royal romance to fawn over.
I am a total sucker for a happy ending, a sweet romance, and healthy helping of drama. So when The Selection was pitched to me as a lightly dystopian Cinderella meets The Bachelor, I knew it was right up my alley. What I didn’t realize was how head over heels in love I would fall for it. Even now, I can remember finishing the book and desperately wishing I had the next one right then and there; I needed to find out what was going to happen. Right from the start, I was swept up in America Singer’s world. The poverty she leaves behind for the glittering gowns of palace life. The competition with other girls for a prize she doesn’t even care about. Her all-encompassing love for Aspen. And her steadfast friendship with Prince Maxon, which blossoms into an unbelievably sweet courtship.
One of my most favorite things about The Selection is its author, Kiera Cass. From the moment I first corresponded with Kiera I couldn’t stop gushing about her enthusiasm, her kindness, her humor, and her intelligence, all of which bubble over in everything she says. And her videos? Well, her videos are a masterpiece in and of themselves. From the first one I ever watched – in which she celebrates her book deal with epic dancing, I was hooked. If you haven’t checked out her YouTube channel, please do. I promise, it’s impossible not to watch her videos without smiling: http://www.youtube.com/user/KieraCass.”
Thanks, Erica! And check out an excerpt of THE SELECTION here. And stay tuned tomorrow for a few words from Kiera herself.
The CW will shoot a pilot episode for a TV adaptation of Kiera Cass‘ not-yet-published novel, The Selection. This young-adult dystopian title has been compared to The Hunger Games and will be released on April 24th.
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