We are halfway through this Find Me readalong adventure, and I'm curious to hear your thoughts on how your reading is going! Also, if you missed last night's amazing twitter chat, I'm recapping some of the answers Romily provided to our most pressing question! It's quite long so that will be going under the cut after the giveaway.
My current progress: Chapter 22 (page 141).
Thoughts: I like that Wick is trying to do the right things. She's in a tough spot all the way around. Griff...I honestly haven't seen too much of him yet to have an idea what's going on with him, but I'm really excited about some things I've heard. I think now that they are working together, Wick and Tate's relationship will grow more quickly. I've got a definite idea who I think is involved in Tessa's death, but...knowing Romily, it could be a red herring. Love the pace! I'm trying to keep to the schedule I set at the beginning of the week, but the short chapters lull me into a false sense of time, and I don't realize how quickly I'm burning through them. I think I've just hit a point where the plot is also going to get faster and faster, and I'm so excited!
My current progress: Chapter 22 (page 141).
Thoughts: I like that Wick is trying to do the right things. She's in a tough spot all the way around. Griff...I honestly haven't seen too much of him yet to have an idea what's going on with him, but I'm really excited about some things I've heard. I think now that they are working together, Wick and Tate's relationship will grow more quickly. I've got a definite idea who I think is involved in Tessa's death, but...knowing Romily, it could be a red herring. Love the pace! I'm trying to keep to the schedule I set at the beginning of the week, but the short chapters lull me into a false sense of time, and I don't realize how quickly I'm burning through them. I think I've just hit a point where the plot is also going to get faster and faster, and I'm so excited!
Discussion questions:
1. Who are you liking so far in Find Me? Who do you not like?
2. Wick focuses a lot on touch. Why do you think this is?
3. How do you like the pacing and the short chapters? Does this keep you reading more? Do you think this helps the plot advance more quickly?
4. Griff: yay or nay? Good guy in bad circumstances (like Wick) or much shadier bad boy?
5. How do you feel the threat of Wick's dad's possible return affects how Wick handles the mystery around Tessa's death?
6. Who would you cast as Wick and Griff if you were making a Find Me movie?
7. Who do you think killed Tessa? Please no spoilers on this one; just speculation!
8. Again, speculation only: What do you think Detective Carson's deal is? Overeager cop wanting to bring in Wick's dad or creepy old guy with odd obsession with Wick and her sister?
Let me know in the comments!
Giveaway:
Harper Collins has been so supportive of this readalong! They donated ten copies for last night's #readFindMe Twitter party, and they've given ten more for here! This giveaway is open only to the US and will end at 12 am CST April 3rd. I will email the winners for their contact information, which I will then pass along to Harper, who will be doing the actual mailing.
Don't forget to check out the #readFindMe Twitter chat under the cut!
Twitter chat:
Note: I did take these right off Twitter, only added punctuation and capital letters for the most part. However, I'm not including names and handles (again, for the most part) so Q basically means whoever asked the question or made the comment and A is Romily.
Romily fun fact #1: She doesn't drink coffee! Tea is her drink of choice.
One tweet Find Me pitch: "Find Me's about a teenage hacker who's trying to get out of the game and gets blackmailed into finding a classmate's rapist"
Q. What's your favorite part of the writing process?
A. I enjoy first drafting if I have a good idea going.
Q. What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
A. Writer's block. I get it all the time!
Q. Are you able to overcome it quickly or does it just linger?
A. Some days are better than others. I need to learn not to freak out. There's a life lesson in there somewhere.
Q. Was it hard to find a title for your book?
A. Actually, it was originally titled Wired, and my agent renamed it. Much better, no?
Q. What inspired you to write a darker book like Find Me?
A. I had an idea for a cop circling this girl's house, trying to get in and ran with the idea.
A. (she answered it again later) Had idea about a cop trying to get into a girl's house while she was trying to hack someone else's computer.
Q. What is the weirdest/creepiest piece of research you had to do for Find Me?
A. Ugh, the webcam part. Should I disclose details? It's a bit spoiler-ish...
Q. Hmmm...disclose details please! "The webcam part" sounds super mysterious!
A. People can turn your webcam on and watch you and you don't even know it. Took that idea and ran with it! I put in all the stuff that scares me!
The ensuing discussion about that scene and its similarities to the Veronica Mars movie had everyone running to cover up their cams!
Q. Who influences you the most?
A. How long do we have? John Green, Jay Asher, Katie McGarry, Megan Shepherd, Natalie C. Parker, Natalie D. Richards.
Q. Was it hard to find an agent/publisher for your book?
A. Thankfully, no. It was a pretty fast sell, and I landed a fantastic agent! Very lucky to have her.
Q. Do you find your readers are more female/male or is it a pretty even mix?
A. Such a great question! I'm surprisingly mixed. It's really great to have feedback from both sides.
Q. I just had the thought that my hubby likes computer stuf and he might like it too.
A. I've had a few adult guys tell me they really enjoyed it. Hope he will too!
Q. How many months/years did it take to write Find Me?
A. About nine months to write and four more months of revisions with my editor.
Q. You have a pretty big plot twist in Find Me. What are your feelings on them?
A. I LOVE plot twists. I actually didn't know my last twist until I finished writing Find Me. It was a surprise to me too!
Q. Do you like to write with music or without?
A. I WISH I could write with music. It aggravates my ADD too much!
Q. Is Find Me a single book or part of a series?
A. A trilogy plust a novella from the hero's POV that's out this fall!
Q. YAAAAAAY! A NOVELLA.
A. I know, right? And you get to hear all about what Griff thinks about Wick AND there's kissing!
Q. YAY KISSING!!
Q. Not really a question, but why is the cover of Remember Me so gorgeous? *continues to stare at it*
A. That cover is AMAZING. I squealed like a total two year old when I saw it!
Q. How are you feeling right now?
A. LOL! Like I can't keep up with you guys! Sorry you're having to wait for my responses! I swear I'm typing fast!
Q. Wick is like a computer genius; how well do YOU know computers?
A. Not well at ALL. Thankfully Boy Genius and @NoseGraze consult for me. Otherwise it would be a disaster.
Q. Did you get any say in the covers for Find Me and Remember Me or was seeing the covers just a complete surprise?
A. Total surprise and it's probably just as well. I have ZERO artistic talent. Y'all would have stick figures if it were up to me!
Q. Where were you and what was your reaction when you found out you would be published?
A. I was at work. I came back to my desk grinning like an idiot. I'm surprised I wasn't drug tested on the spot!
Q. Who needs drugs when you're published? Pssh!
A. Tee hee! So true. Althought I kinda wanted a drink when they sent me off to Kirkus for review. :O
Q. As a child, had you thought of becoming an author?
A. Nah, I wouldn't let myself. It felt too much like an impossible dream.
Q. Any favorite recent reads?
A. BEWARE THE WILD by Natalie C. Parker! It's out this fall and it is AH-MAY-ZING!!!
Q. Any ideas for the title of Griff's novella? Will it be ___ Me or maybe ___ You?
A. I love the idea of ____ You!!
At this point, I asked all the participants to tweet title ideas for the novella. Romily said she likes LIE TO ME because Griff has some secrets. Other ideas included: Make Out With Me (my idea), Hack Me, Corrupt Me, Hate Me, Fix Me, Protect Me, Define Me, Invite Me, Touch Me, Rescue Me, Follow Me, and Seduce Me.
My friend Kayla of The Bibliophilic Nerds gave the only You answer: Discovering You. She and I agreed we like that option since it's a novella from Griff's pov, not full-length novel from Wick's.
Q. If you weren't an author, what job would you want?
A. Super spy. I would totally want to snoop and kick butt with impunity.
Q. I think you're a Gallagher Girl at heart, Romily!
A. That series is the BEST!
Q. What was your first thougth when you saw the first published copy?
A. I actually got a little teary. Ask @jessmacleish. Everyone was shocked because my heart is made of tar, and I don't cry.
Jessica: It's all true. I thought she was going to hyperventilate–in a good way, of course.
Q. How did you feel when your first book was published?
A. Terrified and ecstatic!
Q. If you could write in any different age group, what would it be?
A. I totally adore the Percy Jackson series. I would love to write for the cool kids who read it.
Q. What were your first impressions when you saw the cover for Find Me?
A. I was at work. I know, right? Recurring theme. Anyway, I gasped out loud and then showed all my coworkers.
Q. What's your favorite genre to read?
A. Ya. Almost anything ya.
Q. How long did it take to design Find Me's cover?
A. Oooh, another great question. I'm not actually sure. Joel just did his thing and showed me the end product.
Q. What was the funniest typo you have made while writing?
A. Kiss me turned into bite me. How did that even HAPPEN? Makes no sense!
[Naturally, that was the point someone came into the chat, and that was the first tweet they saw.]
Romily fun fact #2: She is not a fan of math! In fact, she used to read during math class.
Romily fun fact #2: She is not a fan of math! In fact, she used to read during math class.
Q. How long did you have the idea for Find Me?
A. Um, maybe four to five hours? I started it pretty quickly. I wanted to woo my agent.
Q. How is that book with Natalie D. Richards coming along?
A. I have to get in line. Everyone else wants her too!
Q. Have you ever been surprised by any of the reactions to Find Me?
A. Yeah, it's a tough business.
Q. Did you ever deal with writer's block?
A. Oh, yeah. Basically I wrote myself into a corner with every chapter to get the hooks. Then I had to get myself out.
Q. Are you working on Remember Me edits or the novella right now?
A. Remember Me should be out in ARCs any day now. Novella's with my long-suffering editors. I'm actually working on book three.
Q. Will we find out book three's title at the end of Remember Me like we did with it at the end of Find Me?
A.Yes!! Unless they surprise me. Haha Suprise Me.Q. Yay! And Surprise Me may just be an awesome title!
Q. Did you know from the beginning who the villain was going to be?
A.No. :( It was a surprise to me too.
Q. Do any of your characters resemble you or anyone around you?
A.I didn't think so, but Alex [Blogger Fangirl aka Romily's assistant] says she hears my voice sometimes when she's reading Wick so maybe?Alex: Oh, totally man. The sarcasm flows with Romily's words.
Q. Did/have any of your characters surprise you or change as you were/are writing?
A.Yeah, my villain. I really liked him/her. :D[I LOVE that Romily wouldn't even spoil the villain's gender. Good for me because I haven't finished it yet!]
Q. When does the next book come out?
A.This September! Griff's novella is September 2, and Remember Me is a couple weeks later.
Q. Who was your biggest support while writing Find Me?
A. My husband, Boy Genius. He's a very long-suffering man, I tell ya. ;)
Q. Are you doing any events this year?
A.I hope so. I am open to suggestions!
Q. Any more novellas planned in the future for the Find Me series?
A.I hope so!! I did some...stuff in Remember Me that Griff needs to talk about.Q. He better talk about it then! Boy has some explaining to do!
Q. Which is harder for you to write: novella or novel?
A.The novel was ahrder. Remember Me was especially difficult and really kicked my rear.
Q. Were you faced with rejection before getting Find Me published?
A.246 rejections from agents and publishers. Not that I'm counting. ;)Q. Wow.
Q2. And here you are answering tweets about Find Me!
Q. Any books on your MOST ANTICIPATING BOOKS OF 2014 list?
A.Yes yes!! Her Dark Curiosity [by Megan Shepherd], still haven't gotten to read it, and Beware the Wild by Natalie C. Parker.
Q. If you could hang out with any book character, who would it be?
A.Hermione Granger, hands down.
Romily fun fact #3: She still hasn't seen Frozen.
Q. Any bookish pet peeves?
A.When people fold up my books' covers and CREASE them!! *cries*
Q. What was your favorite thing about writing Find Me?
A.Probably the creepy parts. Never had opportunity to write that stuff before.
Q. Has Find Me been optioned for a television series or a movie?
A.Nah, but we can dream, right?
What do you think about our chat? Do you have any ideas for novella titles? How about bookish pet peeves? Leave your chat-related thoughts in the comments as well!
Wow that chat sounds like it was awesome! Creased books is totally my bookish pet peeve too!
ReplyDelete3. How do you like the pacing and the short chapters? Does this keep you reading more? Do you think this helps the plot advance more quickly?
ReplyDeleteI always love books with short chapters, and this one is no exception. There are a lot of spots to stop if you need to quickly, but at the same time, you don't want to put the book down.
4. I prefer a much shadier guy
ReplyDeleteOkay, first of all, I'm not on your Inlinkz list on the intro because I couldn't get a copy from my library in time for the actual readalong, so I hope it still qualifies since I am trying to catch up now :)
ReplyDeleteQuestion 3 - I absolutely prefer shorter chapters. It's easier for me to put down and pick back up too. Sometimes all I have is 2 or 3 minutes at a time to read, but I hate to stop in the middle of chapters, so I love the style of shorter chapters. I think it does help the plot advance more quickly. Far too often, I feel like books drag on for long stretches about unimportant issues and that is irritating to me. Like, I don't want to hear about what your mom made for dinner and why you didn't like it and how your little sister didn't finish her dinner and so on...do you know what I mean? I feel like authors do that to get us to know the character's personality better, which is fine if - A. The scene is significant to the plot or B. We are just getting to know a character or the people who are in their lives. But when it's smack in the middle of the book, I just don't care. Whew - I must have needed to get that out badly! Thanks! :)
Oh yes, I almost forgot - Romily, I will never EVER crease or bend your cover of your book, nor any of the pages within that book - you have my solemn vow :)
DeleteShorter pacing helps me finish a book faster because it allows me to read more often. If I have five minutes to read a book that I know has shorter chapters, I'll read it; if the book has longer chapters, I'll wait until I have more time.
ReplyDeleteI love reading about Wick! She was such and interesting character and her brain was just so neat. Haha. I love getting the inside scoop beind the hacking. :D
ReplyDeleteGriff, nay. He's not like Wick.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy shorter chapters. As a mom of 4 year old twins I often will pick up a book and be interrupted by disaster from a 4 year old. The shorter chapters are nice because I hate putting down a put in the middle of a chapter and I can often finish up the chapter I was reading before going to tend to the disaster that occured.
ReplyDeleteThe short chapters make it very hard to put down, you can't help but keep flipping to the next page to see what happens :)
ReplyDeleteI really love Wick, but not so much Griff.
ReplyDeleteI have a love and hate relationship with short chapters, they're great when there's a lot of suspense, but horrible when you're trying to go to sleep at night after you read "just one more chapter"
ReplyDelete