This week YA Author Deborah Crossland took over our Twitter as a part of our weekly Thursday Twitter Takeover. Deborah Crossland is the author of The Quiet Part Out Loud. (See YEM’s interview with Deborah Crossland here.) See highlights from the takeover below.
Hello, hello! I'm Deb (@yaddathree) and I'm super excited for tonight's #YAAuthorTakeover with Young Entertainment Magazine! I'm the author of THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD, which debuted in June. pic.twitter.com/MGKm4VFt6N
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
I'll be hanging out for the next couple of hours talking about my journey to publication from the book idea to how I got my agent and what the publishing process was like for me. #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/b32F0jrN8f
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
Also, I feel like I should mention that I have a PhD in mythological studies w/an emphasis in depth psychology, so if you have any questions about mythology or how psychology plays into Story (yes, with a capital S), I'm your girl! #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/oC69vbMgs7
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
Way back in 2019, the song "If The World Was Ending" by @jpsaxe played, like, all the time. It's about a couple who has broken up. They go through a small earthquake, and it gets them thinking about each other. @YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/lrXmjv4GHK
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
The couple in the song say they know they're not meant for each other, but if the world was ending, they'd spend it together. And the idea that two people who loved each other than much but couldn't get out of their own way wouldn't let me go. I was obsessed! #YAAuthorTakeover
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
I mentioned the song to my critique partner, and told her I could see the story in my head. I was in the middle of writing my dissertation at the time, and she insisted I SET IT ASIDE and write the new shiny. Reader, I mean…
of course I did. #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/jBI5y6NXKF— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
I'm a big plotter, from major plot points to scene breakdown, and this story seemed to write itself-until I got to the end. I knew how it was supposed to go, but I was in denial. I did something I'd never done before, I started the book without knowing the end. #YAAuthorTakeover
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
As I got closer to the end, I knew I had to suck it up and write it the way it was supposed to go. No spoilers, so here is a lovely artist's rendering of Mia and Alfie. #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/3ix4Agfssu
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
YA contemporary is one of the more difficult genres to get attention, so I knew I had to query far and wide. I was on #78 with as many rejections when I was about to throw in the towel. Then I queried Mollie Glick in a "she's never gonna see this" type of way… #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/HLEkbAOOWG
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
That same week, I received a lovely offer from a small press, so I let all the agents I'd queried know, as ya do. Mollie responded as said, "Don't do anything until I read this!" A week later, I had two agent offers and a spinning head. #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/MjxWzYZ6XF
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
Stories have always been a huge part of my life, even as a little kid. My mom encouraged big imaginations and lots of silliness. Needless to say, the Tiny Me (pictured below) was over the moon! #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/lxDOCldmq4
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD takes on a lot of firsts that most teens experience like falling in love, feeling out a place in the world, and breaking hearts. It takes on larger issues, too, like religious expression and anxiety disorders. #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/FiNcHEvQZq
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
This may or may not be based on a true story. #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/qNrAPrHdoW
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
I've always been partial to books that evoke strong emotions. You know, the kind that make you cry? I think my penchant for them started with Grover. And maybe Alexander of the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day fame. #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/6Z6f1h3vEq
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
Fun fact about THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD: it's a gender-swapped feminist retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. Eurydice has zero agency in her own story, and I wanted to change that! I may have also added a duck named Ruchard that isn't in the original. #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/hqYNX8GacO
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
I'm often asked why, with my background in mythology, I don't write fantasy. I love a good fantasy novel, but my true love is seeing the mundane in the stories we tell ourselves to explain the magic of the world. I mean, we tell them to feel connected. #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/LqfMLkF3ie
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
One of the more famous contemporary retellings of a mythical story is Ulysses. Leopold Bloom lives an ordinary day that mimics Odysseus' 10-year trip home to Ithaca. Mia's journey across San Francisco is based on Bloom's itinerary around Dublin! #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/9wV4T53drJ
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
I was so nervous to listen to the audiobook version of THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD! I listened to it while driving to the release party. @AliandreAli & @PiperGoodeve did such an amazing job, I was grateful for Siri's direction interruptions so I didn't cry! #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/gealbBsidn
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
Speaking of audiobooks, I love them! Listening to so many good novels while being able to be active is so great. Lately, I've been really into the Finlay Donovan series by @ElleCosimano! #YAAuthorTakeover
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
One of the coolest things about the release of THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD is that it was featured on @GMA as one of their Buzz Picks! I've never watched the morning news while drinking champagne before, but I did that day! #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/WjOZA4Smjr
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
My favorite relationship in TQPOL is the one Mia has with her bestie, Simi. Mia is a hot mess, and Simi doesn't let her get away with giving up. One of the most beautiful things about friendship is being able to show our ugly sides and knowing we're loved anyway #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/PcfTGkgYMb
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
Well, we're nearing the end of my @YAAuthorTakeover! Thank you so much for hanging out with me and talking all things myth and TQPOL! If you'd like to hear more, follow me here at @yaddathree or @deb.crossland on the other, more picturesque site. pic.twitter.com/A5LgjRDkEM
— Young Entertainment Mag (@YoungEntmag) August 25, 2023
