Today, Olivia from YA-Mag is chatting with one of our favorite authors, Ellen Hopkins, to talk about her latest novel, RUMBLE! Check it out!
Eighteen-year-old Matthew Turner doesn’t believe in much. Not in family—his is a shambles, after his brother’s suicide. Not in so-called friends who turn their backs when the going gets rough. Certainly not in some omnipotent master of heaven and earth, no matter what his girlfriend, Hayden, thinks. In fact, he’s sick of arguing with her about faith. Matt is a devout atheist, unafraid of some Judgment Day designed by decidedly human power brokers to keep the masses in check. He works hard, plays hard, and plans on checking out the same way. But a horrific accident—one of his own making—plunges Matt into a dark, silent place where the only thing he can hear is a rumble, and eventually, a voice. And what it says will call everything Matt has ever disbelieved into question.
Olivia with YA-Mag: Ellen, welcome to the Young Adult Magazine! I’m ecstatic to have you with us today to chat about RUMBLE!
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| Photo by Sonya Sones |
YA: Let’s talk about Matthew Turner. How did you two first meet? What makes Matthew the perfect character to tell this story vs. any other character?
Ellen Hopkins: Matt was very much inspired by my teenage son, who fell in the love for the first time at fifteen. His girlfriend was simply everything to him. When her zealously religious stepfather forced them apart (my son, being Lutheran, wasn’t “Christian enough,” not to mention he plays rock guitar and favors metal-inspired black t-shirts), my kid was crushed, for a very long time. I loved the idea of a boy character, so in love that he was determined to ignore every clue that the relationship was doomed. His snarky voice (which I’m infatuated with) just popped up on the page.
YA: What sets Matthew’s story apart from other contemporary YA, like SMALL TOWN SINNERS by Melissa Walker or Sara Zarr’s ONCE WAS LOST? What will readers find that is unique to this tale?
EH: What sets any two books apart? The characters—not only their circumstances, but also their personal traits, which fuel their motivations. There are also some unusual plot threads that support the main storyline.
YA: What non-book influences (films, television shows, music, plays, etc) helped spark this story?
EH: Um . . . Frozen? JK, although having small children in the house again, most of the movies we watch are Disney. As I mentioned, heavy metal (not my thing, but it’s quite obvious in my home) and its influence played a role. Matt, like my son, is a devotee. As for visual media, I think news stories inspired several threads, including veterans/PTSD, gun violence, and book challenges, not that I’m a stranger to those.
YA: When you were a teen, what was your favorite book (YA or otherwise)? Now that you’re an author for teens, what is your favorite contemporary YA?
EH: There wasn’t a lot of YA when I was a teen, and I was an early, avid reader, so by the time I hit middle school I was reading very adult fare. My favorite book in high school was Sometimes a Great Notion, by Ken Kesey. Difficult read, but the characterization was amazing! Now I can’t pick one contemporary YA, but I’m fond of quirky work by A.S. King, Andrew Smith, David Levithan, etc.
YA: What is the story behind the title RUMBLE?
EH: Titles used to be hard for me, but now they usually roll out of my head right along with theme. Once I had the bones of a plot (which is all I ever have before I sit down to write, and usually not even a complete skeleton), this word surfaced and I knew it was right. The only thing I do after a title comes to me is research to make sure there aren’t a lot of other books, especially not more recent books, with the same title.
YA: This year also marks the tenth anniversary of your first novel, CRANK. What has been the biggest change to your novels in these ten years? What’s stayed the same? And what, in your opinion, still has CRANK drawing in new fans all these years later?
EH: The earlier novels relied more on unusual formatting—concrete poetry, etc. They’ve become denser over the years. More words, but also more story, at least I think so. What’s stayed the same is the honesty you’ll find between the covers. I write the truth as I see it. Crank will continue to speak to new generations of readers because addiction, of one kind or another, touches every life, and insight into the “why” of addiction is important to all of us.
YA: If you could cast the Dream Film of RUMBLE, who would be in the lead roles?
EH: Josh Hutcherson has the “Matt” look. And (because I love them, and both can play “younger”) Emma Watson and Jennifer Lawrence.
YA: What’s up next for you in YA land? Any pet projects you can tease us about?
EH: My next novel, Tangled (Summer 2015), is adult, and my first in prose. It’s a psychological thriller. My Fall 2015 YA is Traffick, the sequel to Tricks, and explores the underworld of youth sex exploitation and trafficking.
YA: All right, last one! If you could spend one day with Matthew and Hayden, what would you do together? What would advice would you give to Matthew about his past or future?
EH: We’d ride bikes to the covered bridge, hang out in the shade and discuss the secrets of the universe, at least as we assume to know them. I’d tell Matt to work through the grief, let go of the guilt, and dedicate himself to helping others, which is the best way to work through grief and cut loose with guilt.
YA: Thank you very much, Ellen! And again, from YA Mag, congratulations on RUMBLE and ten years of publishing amazing, riveting young adult novels
Readers, be sure to check out Ellen Hopkins at her website www.EllenHopkins.com. Or follow her on Twitter @EllenHopkinsYA.
RUMBLE, published by Margaret K. McElderry Books, is now available at your favorite retailers and local independent bookstores!
Olivia Hennis is a transplanted New England girl dropped by a tornado into the magical Land of Jersey. For more info, follow her on Twitter.