Friday, September 23, 2011

Christa Talks To The Teen--The September Edition


Okay, lovelies, it is time once again for me to ask questions of my teen beta Aliya so that old(er) people can gain insight into the inner workings of a reading YA's mind. 



1. Jeggings, bootleg, skinny jeans, or those flowy numbers I've seen people wearing? What kind of pants are the teens wearing?
 
I wear bootleg, but there are only a few of us left.  EVERYONE is wearing skinny jeans. 
 

2. Have you ever read a YA book that you thought a character might be better if s/he were gay in? (#yesgayYA)
 
I have never thought about changing a character before.  A character is just like a person in the sense that I have no say in whether or not they're gay, so I never thought about their potentials to be.  Unless, of course, the author purposefully has you wondering whether they're gay or not.
 

3. How old do you think my daughter needs to be to read Twilight? To Kill A Mocking Bird? Hex Hall? 
 
11 or 12.  That's when I started reading them.

 
4. Would you ever pick up a YA book with characters who were all a different race or ethnicity than you?
 
Definitely!  When I was younger I probably just wouldn't have picked them out from other books, but recently I've been reading a lot more about people who are different from me. 
 

5. Do fictional vampires need to worry about STDs?
 
Psh, no!  They are otherwordly and don't have to deal with the complications of STDs.  Unless we're talking about Peeps, in which case vampirism IS an STD.  Although, that would make an interesting twist... But no one would want a vampire with STDs.
 

6. How do you like your iPad? Are you reading exclusively on it yet? Pros/cons vs. regular books?
 
I LOVE it!  I use it for them than just reading (iPad games are the best!).  I still read physical books most of the time, but I'm slowly reading more and more on the iPad.  I'm afraid of neglecting physical books.  I will not give up my goal of owning 800 books!  I'm so glad I have it, when I get ebooks I'm not killing my eyes by reading on my computer or tiny iPhones screen anymore.

7. What do you think about the lack of parental involvement in YA books? Unrealistic? And if parents are more involved, does it taint a book for you?

I think it's a good character conflict and that's why it's in so many books.  Kids, teenagers, we need our parents, and it's a big deal when a person doesn't really have them there.  I don't mind parents being there in the books, but it does give teenagers a feeling of maturity to read about an independant teenage character.

Thanks Aliya. As usual, you are made of AWESOME. 

14 comments:

mooderino said...

Very informative and enlightening (and i don't even write YA).

cheers,
mood
Moody Writing
@mooderino

Stina said...

Great interview. Love the part about parents. Of course you don't have to kill them off (as so many writers seem to do) to keep them from being involved. My parents weren't dead, but they were't involved much with my life either. They were just there to pay the mortgage and feed me. ;)

Deana said...

Thanks for cluing us in Alyia:) I personally am right there with you on the bootlegs. I mean come on. It is so unrealistic for me being a hippy woman to pull those off! I guess it doesn't matter though, cause I'm old:)

Very cool idea Christa, you should do more of these interviews!

Thanks both of you:)

Jennie Bennett said...

That last question is especially helpful. Awesome interview once again :)

Brinda said...

This was a great interview. Skinny jeans? I don't think my body will ever agree to those. As for the #6, I'm so glad to be able to read on my iPad. I have no more room in my house for physical books. My shelves are filled. #7- My YA novel has a single parent home with a lack of supervision. I think it's realistic for a lot of kids. There are some extremes in YA. I'm reading Shiver right now and this boy has slept in the main character's room for WEEKS without her parent's noticing. I'm thinking...HUH?

Anonymous said...

Ha - agree with Deana. Can't pull off the skinnies.

Great insights. Totally set me straight in believing that ipads were too expensive for teens to own.

Look forward to more!

Heather Howland said...

I love #7. LOVE. I think a lot of the naysayers re: missing parents in YA books are adults, so it's refreshing to hear what a teen gets out of a book in which the character largely has to fend for his or herself. Reading is an escape, mostly. Teens (and even a lot of us adults) have a lot of parental interaction, so I don't have as much of a problem with parents being missing as many adults I've chatted with.

Emily R. King said...

I wear bootleg jeans too, and the questions about STD's had me busting a gut. SO funny. Thanks for the laugh!

Alison Miller said...

Awesome interview! I love these questions! And the answers were most enlightening. Thanks!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

She's one cool teen - she has an iPad!

Carrie said...

What are those flowy numbers? I don't think they've made it to NZ yet but I am VERY interested :)

Great interview. I totally agree that vampires with STDs are a turn off. Imagine if Edward had had chlamydia...the angst! The whining! The lyric descriptions of sparkly pus!

Aubrie said...

Great answers and insight! Skinny jeans, yikes! I look awful in those.

Mandie Baxter said...

Great interview! I hope boot cut never dies!

AliyaPM said...

I can't believe it took me this long to come see our feature! It came out great, Christa! All these awesome comments made me happy. :)