Today I have the wonderful Megan Miranda, author of Fracture!
What made you want to become a writer?
I don’t think there was ever a moment when I thought “I want to become a writer.” I wanted to write, but being a writer seemed like such a dream. So I wrote, but mostly as a hobby. And then I had this “why not?” moment, and I think I became a writer right then. It’s when I started treating it like a job, writing every night, in the hopes it would eventually become my job. I wanted to write simply because I love to do it.
Where did you get the idea for Fracture?
It mostly stemmed from questions I had about the brain—especially from the stories I’d hear about people who had a tumor, or had a tumor removed, and their personalities would change. I wondered how much of us is the product of our DNA, and how much of us is something more. I wondered how others would treat a person who had changed. The plot, and Delaney’s “change,” all originated from these questions.
How long did it take you to write Fracture and did you do much editing with it?
It took me 3 months to write the first version, very little of which made it into the finished product. I had to rewrite it—twice—from scratch before it was “ready.” That took another 6 months. And then of course there were more edits after it was picked up by the publisher, trying to make it the best book it could be. I really enjoy the editing process… once I know what I’m doing. Now, I rarely show anyone my writing until I’ve done a fair amount of editing.
Tell us about your publishing journey with Fracture.
I ended up signing with my agent after that first version of Fracture – and then spent 6 months rewriting. After that, though, it sold pretty quickly to Walker/Bloomsbury in a 2-book deal. It’s been such a pleasure to work with them.
Did you have a favourite book or author when you were younger?My very first favorite book was Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Once I reached middle school, I started reading a lot of Michael Crichton and Dean Koontz. And I loved the darker classics that we read in high school (Heart of Darkness, The Stranger, etc).
What is your favourite book at the minute? Why?
It changes frequently, but at the moment it would have to be The Fault in our Stars by John Green. How could it not be? Gah. So good.
If you could change one thing about your book what would it be?
I changed the book a whole lot through revisions, and I’m really happy with how the story turned out in the finished product. There’s nothing I’d really choose to change at this point. There are some things I would’ve liked to explore more (certain characters’ back stories), but Fracture was Delaney's story.
Do you have any advice to aspiring writers?
Read a lot. Write a lot. Rewrite a lot :)
What are you currently working on now? Can you tell us anything about it?
I have a standalone YA psychological thriller set to come out in early 2013. It's about friendship, memories, and the fine line between the real and the imagined. I'm also working on 2 other projects that I'm pretty excited about.
Thanks for having me!
Pleasure was all mine Megan!
You can find out more about Megan and her books here.
My review of Fracture is here.
