Interview with Anna Carey

What has been the best part of the publishing process for you? the worst?
My favorite moment is always when I see my book for the first time. It's the moment when everything becomes real. These people I've been talking to for months, stories I've been thinking about and places I've been visiting--they all are right there. Sometimes I have to stop myself from bringing it everywhere and shouting "See?!?! I really have been writing a book!"

Patience is not one of my strong suits, and there's so much waiting involved in the publishing process. The book was sold almost a year and a half before it came out, so I've been counting down the days to the release.

How has your experience of working in children’s publishing affected how you write?
When I began writing full-time I still had my "editor's cap" on. As an editor, your job is to look at manuscripts with a critical eye, to see their strengths and weaknesses, to rework sentences and dialogue that's problematic. While writing my first book it was difficult to just let go and enjoy the process. Revision is everything, but when you're writing a first draft, being overly critical can really drain the life out of a manuscript. Now I save most of the editing and revising for second (and third...and fourth...and fifth) drafts, and try to just enjoy the initial process of getting a story down on paper.

What is the most interesting thing you learned while writing Eve? (This can be about yourself, about writing, or anything at all).
Eve's adventure spans three states and over hundreds of miles, and has her facing starvation, the elements, and wild animals, all while being chased by the King's troops. At one point she's goes over the Sierra Nevada mountains. I was researching snowfall in the mountain range and found the story of the Donner Party—a wagon party that was trapped there during the winter of 1846, and eventually died. I must've read about it at some point during high school, but it didn't have the same impact then. It's the stuff horror stories are made out of, but it also shows how much pioneers were willing to risk for the chance of a better life.

If there was one thing you could change about Eve, what would it be?
That's an impossible question—it’s like asking me what I would change about a close friend. Jennie Mc'Bestie might be into guys that are egomaniacs, maybe she always interrupts me while I'm talking and insists pointy toe shoes are still IN, but she's my friend. And those foibles are what make her who she is. I couldn't imagine changing anything about Eve, not because she's perfect, but because she exists as a separate entity to me. She's less of a project that can be improved upon and more of a real person—a friend. She's always had her own voice, and she's growing and changing like many of us are. I appreciate her for that.

What are you working on next?
Eve is the first book in a trilogy (Once, the sequel, comes out July 2012). I've just started the final book. I'll be sad to say goodbye to these characters.

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Find out more about Eve and Anna Carey:
Official Eve website: www.theevetrilogy.com
Like Eve on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheEveTrilogy
Follow @AnnaCareyBooks on Twitter: http://twitter.com/annacareybooks
Visit Anna Carey's blog: www.annacareybooks.com