Caragh M. O'Brien Author Interview

Photo Credit: Tomy O’Brien 

Caragh M. O’Brien is the author of the BIRTHMARKED trilogy and THE VAULT OF DREAMERS series, both from Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ms. O’Brien was educated at Williams College and earned her MA in the Writing Seminars from Johns Hopkins University. Her young adult science fiction has been honored by the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, the Amelia Bloomer Award, the Junior Library Guild, and numerous state reading lists. A former high school English teacher, she now writes young adult novels full time from her home in rural Connecticut.

        

What was your first introduction to YA literature, the one that made you choose that genre to write?
First, Jean, let me say thanks for having me back to Jean Book Nerd! I’m so happy to be here again!

My first introduction to YA happened before I knew what YA literature was. I was a teen reading Anne of Green Gables, A Girl of the Limberlost, Captain Blood, Early Candlelight, Jane Eyre, The Call of the Wild, Pride and Prejudice, A Wrinkle in Time, The Once and Future King, Crime and Punishment, and everything else I could get my hands on, so my understanding of what young adults read was very fluid and broad. I ended up writing YA because I wrote the best book I possibly could, a futuristic story about a teenage midwife in a dystopian town. That novel, Birthmarked, launched my YA writing career, and I’ve been happily writing novels with teens in them ever since.

What’s one thing that readers would be surprised to find out about you?
Readers might be surprised to learn that I’m okay with dogs now. I used to be afraid of them, but since my daughter adopted a rescue dog who is very gentle (and not too smelly), I’ve internalized that I do not need to go on high danger alert for all dogs. I named a dog in the Vault of Dreamers series Waffles in honor of my daughter’s dog.

Did you learn anything from writing THE KEEP OF AGES and what was it?
Writing The Keep of Ages taught me a bit more about how weird my mind can be. I often think of myself as this calm, sunny person who loves her family and works pretty hard. Yet this book imagines a very dark place and explores some cut-throat ideas about stealing the essence of people. It compelled me to face some of my murky uncertainties.

What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating Berg?
There is a small moment in The Rule of Mirrors (The Vault of Dreamers 2) when Berg is overheard having a conversation with his daughter, and for some reason, it really resonates with me. He’s a great bad guy--truly evil--and it turns out he’s a disappointing father, as well. It might have been wise to balance out his character by showing he’s a good dad, but I went the other way with Berg, and not even his daughter likes him. I get a big kick out of that. To my surprise, I actually ended up with some sympathy for him. He feels real to me.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your readers. What would it be?
Now more than ever, stay strong and keep dreaming.

When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
I wrote a letter to my Aunt Nancy a few weeks ago. She and I correspond by regular mail and occasionally telephone each other because she doesn’t have a computer. She’s my bookish aunt and very special to me. In fact, I dedicated The Keep of Ages to her.

What book would you recommend for others to read?
This depends on the reader, but I’ll suppose you’re someone like me. A book that totally blew me away and still lingers with me ages later is Ayn Rand’s Anthem. Trying to make sense out of how she uses “we” is dazzling at first, and then it changes how you see yourself in the world.

Where can readers find you?
I have a regular blog on my website, and I usually pop by Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads when I’m taking a break from writing. If readers write to me via email or regular mail, I always reply as soon as I can.

Links:
Website: www.caraghobrien.com
Twitter: @CaraghMOBrien
Facebook: Caragh M. O’Brien, Writer
Instagram: caraghmobrien
Goodreads: Caragh M O’Brien
Email: cob@caraghobrien.com

TEN QUOTES FROM THE KEEP OF AGES
Inky blackness presses against the windshield. It spreads, clinging, an ultra-blackness that blots out the stars, the road, and the headlights.

I realize exactly what’s at stake, but I’m not going to sacrifice myself for any cure.

I haven’t thought about my grandma in a long time. She let me sit on her lap and showed me the funnies. She would reach each bubble of words aloud as I pointed to it. Sometimes I would go backward, and she’d read the words in backward order. I loved that. It was like my finger magically controlled her voice.

“I do believe that is a blush I see at last,” Peggy says, her voice amused. “What did I tell you before? Smart boys like smart girls. It was only a matter of time.”

Apart from a lone cicada’s keening, the desert evening is quiet. I lean my shoulder against a boulder and aim my binoculars toward the boxcars, where the empty laundry line cuts through the heat of our backyard like a white slash.

“Why’d you really get hit in the eye that time?” she asks. “Just before you met Rosie.”
“That isn’t really when I met her,” he says.
“It was,” Dubbs says. “It was the day of the fifty cuts.”
“No, I met her before that, when she was moving in,” he says. “She just didn’t notice me.”

Without warning, all the sands of the beach down below appear to lift into the air. The grains line up in rows, sort themselves into a pattern of sizes, and then drop back exactly as they were. It’s a visual feat that defies all logic, and I’m no closer to understanding than I was before.

“She’s right, you know. What she said. It was the dragon that brought her,” Kiri says in her quiet voice. Sitting in a tall swivel chair by the operating table, she alone seems unruffled. “The dragon in the machine.”

Without turning on the light, I find my blankets and my pillow near the couch where Dubbs is still sleeping, and I settle in for the rest of the restless night.

The dreamers may be dead individually, but together, they’re something alive.

In the fast-paced, high-stakes conclusion to Caragh M. O'Brien's Vault of Dreamers trilogy, Rosie travels to a derelict theme park to shut down dream mining once and for all.

Driven by fear when Dean Berg kidnaps her family, Rosie Sinclair strikes out across the country to rescue them. When an elusive trail leads her to Grisly Valley, the contaminated ruin of a horror theme park, Rosie has to consider that Berg may once again be manipulating her every move to make her fearful, priming her for a final, lethal dream mining procedure. As Rosie struggles to outmaneuver Berg, she unearths the ultimate vault of dreamers and the hint of a consciousness more powerful and dangerous than any she's imagined before. Faced with unspeakable suffering and otherworldly beauty, Rosie must discover how to trust her mind, her friends, and reality itself.

Propulsive and deeply speculative, The Keep of Ages concludes the Vault of Dreamers trilogy with stirring possibilities for what it means to be alive.

Praise for THE VAULT OF DREAMERS Series

“A sharp novel about the ways in which everyone can be manipulated, either through editing or one's own desire to go the easiest path.” ―BCCB

“Like O'Briens Birthmarked trilogy, this dystopian, sci-fi, psychological-thriller hybrid raises ethical and moral questions about science. This might have been a difficult story to pull off, given the environment, but with a likable narrator who is thoroughly unimpressed with herself, it works . . . this should have wide appeal.” ―Booklist

“Fans looking for a science fiction novel that is not heavy on the science fiction or who want something vaguely dystopian will enjoy this title.” ―VOYA

“A mixture of science fiction and contemporary fiction, this novel is an interesting addition to both genres.” ―School Library Journal

“A fast, satisfying psychological thriller . . . The sudden cliffhanger will polarize readers.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Like viewers of The Forge Show, readers will want to keep watching Rosie.” ―Publishers Weekly

You can purchase The Keep of Ages at the following Retailers:

  

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Caragh M. O'Brien Author Interview

Photo Content from Caragh O'Brien

Caragh M. O'Brien is the author of the BIRTHMARKED trilogy and THE VAULT OF DREAMERS, both from Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ms. O'Brien was educated at Williams College and earned her MA from Johns Hopkins University. She recently resigned from teaching high school English in order to write young adult novels. For more information, visit http://www.caraghobrien.com.

        

What was the greatest thing you learned at school?

First, Jean, let me say how delighted I am that you invited me by Book Nerd to answer a few questions. It’s great talking with you.

I learned my most eye-opening, limit-breaking lesson after I failed my first physics exam in college. I had studied hard, and I couldn’t understand how I could have done so poorly, so I went to my professor to ask what I could do to study differently for the next test. He told me, “Know the material so well you could write the test.” At first, that simply seemed impossible, and then I glimpsed that an entirely different depth of comprehension existed. I think it helped that my professor looked a little like Yoda.

Is there such a thing as a formula for storytelling?
I’m intrigued by this idea. Don’t we wish, for ease of writing, that we could follow a recipe to produce a brilliant novel? As readers, however, we crave surprises and originality. The formula, if it exists, must be unique to each story. For my own books, I know that I go through a different discovery process with each one, and I’m guided loosely only by basic guidelines of fiction: make things worse, give characters terrible choices. I believe the most important thing is to amuse and fascinate ourselves while we’re writing.

What are some of the common challenges that new and experienced authors face and what advice do you have for over-coming them?

The worst common challenge is probably discouragement. Writers hope to see their work published, and it can be devastating to meet only rejection. Experienced authors face this, too, when later projects are turned down, and the stakes can feel even higher then. I’ve certainly been there. What worked for me is going to sound very pragmatic, and my advice wouldn’t work for everyone. I separated my writing from my finances and sense of self-worth by becoming a teacher, so I had a rewarding job. Then I could write on the side, during breaks, and with no ambition for publication anymore, I was able to be happy with my writing in a pure way. I write for my work now, but if I ever needed to, I’d go back to teaching in a heartbeat. I loved that life, too.

In your newest book, Promised (Birthmarked #3); can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about the novel?

Sure. In Promised, teen midwife Gaia Stone returns to her homeland and faces the problems she left behind at the end of Birthmarked, only now she’s a leader of two thousand refugees and the problems are worse. Besides the cruelty of leaders in the Enclave, the dearth of water in the wasteland, and new experiments on vulnerable mothers from outside the wall, Gaia has to deal with personal strife when her boyfriend's rebel tactics backfire. I was interested in the different costs of rebellion and siege, and the book felt like a disaster to me. I had a great, gnarly time writing it.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating Gaia?

I like this girl. Gaia is very strong and she tries to do what’s right. She’s also flawed and makes mistakes that have consequences. What surprised me was how she has inspired me to be more courageous in my own life. I admire the way she takes risks and the way she’s honest with people even when she doesn’t agree with them, and writing about her has led me into many thoughtful conversations that I would have avoided otherwise. When you write about a girl who overcomes horrible situations to become a leader, you can’t help wondering how you can be more like her.

Where can readers find you?

I post weekly on my website’s blog, and I’m on Facebook and Twitter. I love being part of the online community of readers and writers. Books are the best. Thanks again, Jean for having me by!

After defying the ruthless Enclave, surviving the wasteland, and upending the rigid matriarchy of Sylum, Gaia Stone now faces her biggest challenge ever. She must lead the people of Sylum back to the Enclave and persuade the Protectorat to grant them refuge from the wasteland. In Gaia's absence, the Enclave has grown more cruel, more desperate to experiment on mothers from outside the wall, and now the stakes of cooperating or rebelling have never been higher. Is Gaia ready, as a leader, to sacrifice what--or whom--she loves most?

Praise for PROMISED 

“An interesting mixture of fantasy and science fiction.” ―VOYA

“…a satisfying finish to a strong series that deftly mixed romance and, of all things, genetics.” ―Booklist

“Readers […] will want to see Gaia succeed against the odds once again.” ―Kirkus

“Readers who relish romance, lots of action and drama that includes overthrowing an evil regime, and strong female characters will love this book.” ―School Library Journal

Caragh M. O’Brien’s closes out her epic story with Promised, the third book in the Birthmarked trilogy. Gaia Stone has gone through a heap of troubles to where she is now. Being able to endure the wasteland, confronting the callous Enclave, and toppling the unbending matriarchy of Sylum, she must now lead the people of Sylum back to a harsher Enclave and convince the Protectorat for sanctuary from the wasteland.

I have to admit that this book is best of the three. Gaia leading the people back to the Enclave puts the story in full circle. There are more issues being dealt here than the first. Gaia’s return to the Enclave is heavily focused as she faces all of her fragmentary business that have been dormant since the closing of book one. The writing style is simply amazing. The dystopian world that author Caragh has created is believable. With the third book giving a date, readers have a clear comprehension of why there are so many calamitous things and that the world of the Enclave is a scary probability. Leon, Peter, and Will are very well still a part of the story. All three had prominent roles in the finale book and readers will understand and appreciate each of them. Promised is the perfect ending to an incredible story. Although it was shocking and heartbreaking, it was all bittersweet at the end.

You can purchase Promised at the following Retailers:
          

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you CARAGH M. O'BRIEN for making this giveaway possible.

1 Winner will receive a Copy of Promised by Caragh M. O'Brien.

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