Crazy Book Tours: Triangles by Ellen Hopkins
Blurb: THREE FEMALE FRIENDS FACE MIDLIFE CRISES IN A NO-HOLDS-BARRED EXPLORATION OF SEX, MARRIAGE, AND THE FRAGILITY OF LIFE.
Holly: Filled with regret for being a stay-at-home mom, she sheds sixty pounds and loses herself in the world of extramarital sex. Will it bring the fulfillment she is searching for?
Andrea: A single mom and avowed celibate, she watches her friend Holly’s meltdown with a mixture of concern and contempt. Holly is throwing away what Andrea has spent her whole life searching for—a committed relationship with a decent guy. So what if Andrea picks up Holly’s castaway husband?
Marissa: She has more than her fair share of challenges—a gay, rebellious teenage son, a terminally ill daughter, and a husband who buries himself in his work rather than face the facts.
As one woman’s marriage unravels, another’s rekindles. As one woman’s family comes apart at the seams, another’s reconfigures into something bigger and better. In this story of connections and disconnections, one woman’s up is another one’s down, and all of them will learn the meaning of friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness.
Unflinchingly honest, emotionally powerful, surprisingly erotic, Triangles is the ultimate page-turner. Hopkins’s gorgeous, expertly honed poetic verse perfectly captures the inner lives of her characters. Sometimes it happens like that. Sometimes you just get lost.
Get lost in the world of Triangles, where the lives of three unforgettable women intersect, and where there are no easy answers.
Here is our interview with Ellen Hopkins:
Eight YA novels. Why an adult book now and can you briefly tell us about your writing day?
Well, why not? Readers who started as teens early in my career are adults now, and while they still read my YA, are looking for more mature themes, too. Plus, they've brought their parents, teachers, counselors, etc. to novels in verse. And, finally, some of the stories calling to me have adult protagonists. Teen characters will always talk to me, so I'll write both for as long as people want to read them.
Was your writing process different for your adult novel?
Not so much the process as the ability to use elevated language and more mature phrasing, both in dialogue and also as far as the verse. TRIANGLES is three voices, and when I change, I break them up with a narrator's poem which is a reflection on the preceding section. That was a lot of fun.
Did any characters prove problematic? Were any easier to create?
Two of the protagonists were inspired by friends of mine. (Yes, they know!!) So I wanted them to be enough different that other people who know them don't necessarily see them there. That was problematic in a way, because the very idea for the book came, watching these friends go through their own personal midlife questioning. But character building is my strength so I didn't really have a problem there.
Can you give us an idea of your “typical writing” day?
A typical writing day at home starts around 6 a.m., when my brain kicks into gear. I get up, let the dogs out and get their food ready. Then go to my computer to answer email and do a little social networking. Because of the volume, that often takes an hour. Let the dogs in, feed them, unload the dishwasher, make coffee. By then, my husband is up. Our new tradition is coffee alfresco, with the dogs, who wait patiently for the coffee to brew and love this interaction. And then, I write. Six to eight hours, with short breaks to eat or exercise or answer more email/social network. Errands only if I must. Evenings, I spend with my family.
Since Triangles is for an adult crowd, there shouldn't be anything deemed 'controversial'. Has any event bothered you more than the others?
The two that really stick out were the one in Humble, Texas last year and the one in Norman OK the previous year. Both were about banning "me," rather than my books. The idea that my speaking to teens could somehow damage them is not only ridiculous, but hurtful. My career is about encouraging young people to examine their choices and make better ones. About urging them forward into a more positive place. About giving kids in pain a voice. Both of those events blew up, and no one wanted that, I'm sure. All it would have taken was a phone call, asking what I would speak about. Both those superintendents chose the coward's way out, rather than simple communication. And look what happened. Sad.
About the author: Ellen Hopkins is the New York Times bestselling author of Crank, Burned, Impulse, Glass, and Identical. She lives in Carson City, Nevada, with her husband and son. Hopkin's MySpace and Facebook pages get thousands of hits from teens who claim Hopkins is the "only one who understands me", and she can be visited at ellenhopkins.com/Facebook/ Twitter
Tomorrow's stop on the Triangles tour: Colloquium
Click here for the rest of the tour
Holly: Filled with regret for being a stay-at-home mom, she sheds sixty pounds and loses herself in the world of extramarital sex. Will it bring the fulfillment she is searching for?
Andrea: A single mom and avowed celibate, she watches her friend Holly’s meltdown with a mixture of concern and contempt. Holly is throwing away what Andrea has spent her whole life searching for—a committed relationship with a decent guy. So what if Andrea picks up Holly’s castaway husband?
Marissa: She has more than her fair share of challenges—a gay, rebellious teenage son, a terminally ill daughter, and a husband who buries himself in his work rather than face the facts.
As one woman’s marriage unravels, another’s rekindles. As one woman’s family comes apart at the seams, another’s reconfigures into something bigger and better. In this story of connections and disconnections, one woman’s up is another one’s down, and all of them will learn the meaning of friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness.
Unflinchingly honest, emotionally powerful, surprisingly erotic, Triangles is the ultimate page-turner. Hopkins’s gorgeous, expertly honed poetic verse perfectly captures the inner lives of her characters. Sometimes it happens like that. Sometimes you just get lost.
Get lost in the world of Triangles, where the lives of three unforgettable women intersect, and where there are no easy answers.
Here is our interview with Ellen Hopkins:
Eight YA novels. Why an adult book now and can you briefly tell us about your writing day?
Well, why not? Readers who started as teens early in my career are adults now, and while they still read my YA, are looking for more mature themes, too. Plus, they've brought their parents, teachers, counselors, etc. to novels in verse. And, finally, some of the stories calling to me have adult protagonists. Teen characters will always talk to me, so I'll write both for as long as people want to read them.
Was your writing process different for your adult novel?
Not so much the process as the ability to use elevated language and more mature phrasing, both in dialogue and also as far as the verse. TRIANGLES is three voices, and when I change, I break them up with a narrator's poem which is a reflection on the preceding section. That was a lot of fun.
Did any characters prove problematic? Were any easier to create?
Two of the protagonists were inspired by friends of mine. (Yes, they know!!) So I wanted them to be enough different that other people who know them don't necessarily see them there. That was problematic in a way, because the very idea for the book came, watching these friends go through their own personal midlife questioning. But character building is my strength so I didn't really have a problem there.
Can you give us an idea of your “typical writing” day?
A typical writing day at home starts around 6 a.m., when my brain kicks into gear. I get up, let the dogs out and get their food ready. Then go to my computer to answer email and do a little social networking. Because of the volume, that often takes an hour. Let the dogs in, feed them, unload the dishwasher, make coffee. By then, my husband is up. Our new tradition is coffee alfresco, with the dogs, who wait patiently for the coffee to brew and love this interaction. And then, I write. Six to eight hours, with short breaks to eat or exercise or answer more email/social network. Errands only if I must. Evenings, I spend with my family.
Since Triangles is for an adult crowd, there shouldn't be anything deemed 'controversial'. Has any event bothered you more than the others?
The two that really stick out were the one in Humble, Texas last year and the one in Norman OK the previous year. Both were about banning "me," rather than my books. The idea that my speaking to teens could somehow damage them is not only ridiculous, but hurtful. My career is about encouraging young people to examine their choices and make better ones. About urging them forward into a more positive place. About giving kids in pain a voice. Both of those events blew up, and no one wanted that, I'm sure. All it would have taken was a phone call, asking what I would speak about. Both those superintendents chose the coward's way out, rather than simple communication. And look what happened. Sad.
Tomorrow's stop on the Triangles tour: Colloquium
Click here for the rest of the tour
My review will be posted later. We thank Ellen Hopkins, Simon & Schuster and Crazy Book Tours.
Hmm, Ellen's story of the three women sounds good and very empathetic.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing about your day and your work. I give you all the credit in the world for wanting to help hurting teens.
Triangles deals with many heavy issues such as commitment, betrayal, adultery, and alcoholism. These three women learn that every choice they make will bring consequences that connect to these issues in some way. With alternating narrators, readers will be sucked into this powerful read, and will experience the many issues present in today's society through the eyes of these women.
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