Brenna Yovanoff Author Interview

One of my favorite books of the year was The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff. Months after reading it, I still found myself thinking about the story of the boy that badly wanted to be apart of the only world he had ever known. So yeah, I was more than thrilled when I contacted Ms. Yovanoff for an author interview and she agreed! Check out my fangirl dream come true.

1. It’s rare to see female authors writing a male’s POV in first person, let alone do it so intimately. Why did you decide to do that with Mackie in The Replacement?
I’ll be honest—at first there were times when I was pretty confused about why I’d chosen a male point of view, and sometimes it got pretty frustrating. All that changed though, once I realized that I had to stop thinking of him as a generic “boy” and start thinking of him as a individual, things were much easier.

2. What inspired you to write The Replacement? (I ask this questions because I remember the ARC of The Replacement had a note from you explaining where the idea came from but the final published version didn’t include the note so some readers may have missed that. FYI: I really loved that note.)
The letter at the beginning of the ARC was a note I wrote to booksellers and other early readers. It’s not something everyone will have seen, so here’s the rundown: basically, I was homeschooled until high school, and once I got there, I had no real idea how to act, so I started writing everything down as a kind of instruction manual.

My moment of revelation was realizing that everyone else was pretty much as confused as I was, and they’d been going to school since kindergarten. I don’t know that my high school experience influenced the idea for the actual story, but as far as themes go, I was definitely thinking back to those early days of public school.

3. The side characters in The Replacement, Mackie’s friends, are pretty freaking ninja! Are they based on people you know? Which was your favorite character to write? Which was your least favorite?
Growing up, I was lucky enough to have some really awesome friends, and I knew wanted to write a story about characters who also had really awesome friends. My favorite character to write was probably the Morrigan, because she’s so strange and creepy and contrary, but kind of cute, too. The most difficult was probably Mackie’s dad.

4. Why do you really (really) like parentheses?
I think I’m just a very parenthetical person—almost every thought leads to some other, smaller thought that doesn’t necessarily follow directly from the first one, but I don’t want to skip over it, so parentheses are the perfect invention!

5. What are you hoping Santa will bring you for Christmas?
Honestly, my Christmas list tends to be pretty much the same every year: shoes and candy. I am, in many ways, tragically predictable . . .

But wait! The awesomeness continues. I even got Mackie & Co. to answer a couple of character interview questions!

Mackie Doyle *swoon*

1. Mackie and Friends: Got any Christmas gift ideas for dead babies?
You mean, if we were going to get something for one of those creepy replacement kids? Sorry, Mackie—not you. I don’t know, what do you think? I guess we should probably get them something to chew on.

2. Mackie, who is on your naughty list?
Okay, so I don’t really have naughty list, but if I was going to pick someone, it would probably be the Lady. I mean, she’s really heartless and selfish. Oh, did I mention she’s completely terrifying?

3. Roswell, since you didn’t have a hard time believing in Mackie, do you still believe in Santa?
I’ll admit it, I’m a little too old to believe in Santa. Honestly though, who am I to say? I’ve seen some pretty weird things, growing up in Gentry. A lot of stuff is possible, so I’m not about to rule out Santa Claus.

4. Corbett Twins, I’m sure you guys are not responsible for the Dead Baby Jokes website, but if you could invent your own site, what would it be about?
How to rebuild all kinds of old sewing machines and telephones and radios. We could write a whole book—we could write an encyclopedia—on turning craptacular junk into awesomeness.

5. Tate, is all fair in love and war?
Look, love is completely intangible and if we’re talking about high school boys, possibly imaginary. War? This is Gentry—no one else is going to fight fair, so why should I?

6. Emma, what is the best way to drop subtle hints about what you want for Christmas to those who might want to get you a present but don’t know what to get you?
Well, I always think that a direct approach is best. If I really wanted something, I’d probably just come right out and say it. But if I couldn’t for some reason, I would just mention it a few times, or maybe point out situations where it would come in useful.

7. The Morrigan, how do you celebrate the during Christmas season?
In Mayhem, we love an excuse for a party! Christmas is a time for banquets and holly branches and festive music. Why celebrate for only one day when you can celebrate for twelve?

About the book:

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Mackie Doyle seems like everyone else in the perfect little town of Gentry, but he is living with a fatal secret – he is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now the creatures under the hill want him back, and Mackie must decide where he really belongs and what he really wants.

A month ago, Mackie might have told them to buzz off. But now, with a budding relationship with tough, wounded, beautiful Tate, Mackie has too much to lose. Will love finally make him worthy of the human world.

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Posted at 6:00 am  •  Labels: 2010, author interview, The Penguin Five