Today, Olivia from YA-Mag has the latest direct from Alexandra Bracken, author of NEVER FADE, the second installment in THE DARKEST MINDS series!
Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster.
When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her.
As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?
Olivia with YA-Mag: Alexandra, welcome to the Young Adult Magazine! Tell us a little bit about how you met Ruby? When did you know she was going to be your protagonist?
Alexandra Bracken: The amazing thing about The Darkest Minds series is that I feel like I knew the characters from the moment I sat down to brainstorm. I knew what their voices sounded like, when they lost their first tooth, who broke a bone, who still didn’t know how to ride a bike—it was really unexpected and wonderful. Ruby emerged as the dominant voice of the four main characters; she had the most compelling (tragic?) backstory, and, to me, had the most potential for a big character arc. As I got to know her a little better, I was surprised at just how deeply hurt and traumatized she was by the experiences her life threw at her… which is probably why I feel so protective of her!
YA: What sets Ruby’s story apart from other American-set dystopians, like THE HUNGER GAMES or the BLOOD OF EDEN series by Julie Kagawa? What will readers find in you and your latest work that they can’t find anywhere else in YA books?
AB: The easiest answer to this is that while The Darkest Minds is set in the near-future, it’s a recognizable, not-too-distant-at-all future. Maybe five years ahead of us at the most. I wanted the tragedy of these kids losing their lives (figuratively for the ones who die from what they believe to be some kind of virus and metaphorically for the survivors who are kept in rehabilitation camps) to feel immediate and ongoing and easily recognizable to a reader. I did my best to research every aspect of it—for instance, the laws the police would cite while trying to break up the Boston protest in Never Fade, I used Google Maps and satellite imagery to accurately describe the roads and highways they were taking, and did quite a bit of research on brain chemistry. Each of these stories are unique for what they’re trying to say, and the characters that inhabit these worlds. What makes this story special, to me at least, are the characters, their relationships and bonds, as well as the struggles they’re constantly asked to overcome.
YA: What non-book influences (films, television shows, music, plays, etc) helped spark this story or your writing career in general?
AB: My dad was a huuuuge Star Wars collector, so I grew up watching and loving the movies and reading all of the books in the expanded universe. I studied English and History in college, and I’ve found the strangest (read: most amazing) personalities and events in the most random places, such as colonial Brazil. I will admit that I watch a lot of television, pretty much everything from Breaking Bad (RIP!) to Avatar to Doctor Who to Downton Abbey… I really don’t discriminate by genre, and never have. Generally speaking, though, I tend to watch for the characters, so as long as they’re engaging and well-rounded, I’m in it for the long haul.
Classic Rock plays a role in The Darkest Minds. There are a good number of references to bands and songs scattered throughout the story, most of them from the 60s and 70s. Liam, of course, is the one forcing the other characters to listen to it, but, from the author standpoint, I wanted to include songs like The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” to draw a light connection between two periods of civil unrest in America.
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?
AB: I really grew up with Harry Potter—like, literally! The first book came out when I was the same age as Harry, so it was a huge part of my life. YA as it is now didn’t really exist until I was in college, which I think might explain why so many of my favorite books growing up were the ones I read in middle school: Ella Enchanted, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, A Wrinkle in Time, and Catherine Called Birdy. Other, slightly more grown-up favorites I found in high school: The Things They Carried, Howard’s End, and Pride and Prejudice.
YA: Sometimes a title sticks from rough draft to published novel; sometime the author works with their agent or editor to find the perfect title. What is NEVER FADE’s story?
AB: So this is sort of an interesting story! The original title of The Darkest Minds was Black is the Color, which really only made sense if you read 80% of the book (never a good thing, though I still have a soft spot for this title). For such a simple title, it took us forever to think of a replacement. And, trust me, book two’s title search was no less painful. It took several months of back and forth with my editor for me to finally suggest the title Never Fade Again/Away to her. She turned it around and asked, what about just Never Fade? We liked the fact that the two titles formed part of a sentence, The darkest minds never fade…” so we decided to run with that idea! Book three’s title will complete the sentence.
YA: This is the second book in THE DARKEST MINDS series. In what ways have you upped the stakes for NEVER FADE? Why would this be a good book for new readers to jump in on Ruby’s action?
AB: I loved one reader’s description of Ruby in this book: ruthless. She’s been hardened by her time with the Children’s League and has been forced into a leadership position she doesn’t want. When she finds out that there’s information about what caused the supposed-virus—and that Liam unknowingly has it—she kicks into high gear. Between struggling to find old friends and keeping the new ones safe, and, you know, potentially changing the lives of thousands of kids, Ruby also gains better control of her abilities and that line she was so careful not to cross in The Darkest Minds seems to disappear and she goes a bit… dark side. Danger! Plot twists! Surprise appearances! This one’s got it all!
YA: If you could cast the Dream Film Adaptation of your work, who would you cast?
AB: Oh, gosh, I’m so terrible at this—honestly, every time I get asked this question I completely blank out. I don’t love putting an exact image into readers’ minds, either, but if we’re going to play this game…. Hmmm… Mana Ashida is very close to what I imagined for Zu. I’ve always thought of Chubs as a young Dule Hill. The fan favorite for Liam seems to be Lucas Till… and Ruby… so many different ways to go for Ruby! I’ve seen everyone from Kacey Rohl, Sarah Bolger, and Phoebe Tonkin suggested and none are exactly right. What matters most to me is that the core four have to have good chemistry!
YA: Do you have any secret pet projects you’d like to try out sometime soon?
AB: I’m very superstitious so I can’t give specifics, but there are so many different projects warring for my attention now that I’m wrapping up The Darkest Minds series! Everything from projects set in space, to romances set in the past—maybe a sci-fi thriller? We’ll see!
YA: All right, last one! With Halloween just gone by, if you and Ruby were to spend the night in our world, what would you both dress up as? What would you want to say to her about her past and her future?
AB: Well, knowing Ruby, she’d probably feel most comfortable hiding from everyone under a sheet, but I’d probably try to convince her to go as Luke Skywalker (obviously so she could Jedi Mind Trick people into giving us more candy) so I finally have an excuse to go as Han Solo! Honestly, I would probably just apologize profusely for all of the hell she’s been through and give her a huge hug!
YA: Thank you very much, Alexandra! And again, from YA Mag, congratulations on your latest work! We look forward to hearing a lot more from you in years to come!
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Readers, be sure to check out Alexandra Bracken at her website AlexandraBracken.com. Or follow her on Twitter @AlexBracken.
NEVER FADE, published by Disney-Hyperion, 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 or at her blog, Olivia’s Secret Reading Room.