Today, Olivia from YA Mag sat down with Steven Arntson, author of THE WRAP-UP LIST. Check it out!

Olivia with YA Mag:   I’m super excited to talk about THE WRAP-UP LIST with you: Giant Deaths, first-and-last crushes, and a main character who’s thinking about others even as she faces her own end! I absolutely cannot recommend this book enough!  It’s so much more than just a story about a girl looking for her first kiss.
YA: So let’s jump into things.  Tell us about Gabriela.  How did you two first meet and how did she stand out as the right type of character to tell this story?

Steven Arntson: I first wrote about Gabriela in a chapter that didn’t end up in the final version of the book. That’s often how things go for me—I write a lot more than will fit. But I liked her immediately as a character, and didn’t have any doubt that I should keep working on the story.

YA: What sets Gabriela’s story apart from other YA books about death and dying, like THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold or BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver?

SA: I have to admit to not having read either of those books! I’m trying not to feel embarrassed when I haven’t heard of something, though, and take it as a good reading suggestion. I’ll add those two to my “to read” list. As to how The Wrap-Up List differs from other books on death, I think my particular take on the character of Death (or Deaths, as it is in Gabriela’s world, for there are many of them) hasn’t been tried before. I’ve also attempted to weave real-world concerns into the fantasy elements in a convincing way. I hope that doesn’t sound boring. If it does, maybe I should also mention that there is a car chase?

YA:  Every author has influences beyond the obvious!  What non-book influences (films, television shows, music, plays, etc) helped spark this story?

SA: I began work on The Wrap-Up List in springtime. In my neighborhood, there are a lot of hyacinths, and I was smelling them through the window while I wrote. That smell did a lot to determine the feel (and even the plot) of the book. I wanted to create a sense of huge potential for the characters, something important beginning, even though the book is about death.

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?

SA: I was a voracious reader as a teen, especially interested in science fiction and fantasy. I loved A Wrinkle In Time; The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe; The White Mountains; and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, among countless others. These days I still read some fantasy and sci-fi YA, but I’m drawn mostly to stories that take a nuanced look at the complexities of the world. Some of my favorite contemporary writers in the genre are Ursula K. Le Guin, Rebecca Stead, Grace Lin, and Philip Pullman. I also appreciate a good sense of humor. M.T. Anderson and Jonathan Stroud are both very funny, thoughtful writers.

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? SA: I don’t generally believe in Allen Ginsberg’s “First thought, best thought” philosophy of aesthetics, but in this case it did work out that way. The Wrap-Up List was my first idea, and my best. YA: If you could cast the Dream Film Adaptation of THE WRAP-UP LIST, who would you cast in the main roles? SA: I honestly haven’t thought much about it, partly because I’m not very familiar with many young actors. Wow, I feel like I am coming off as totally unhip right now. Wait … do people still say “hip”? YA: I think people will say “hip” for a long time yet, ironically and unironically.  You should be fine!  So, do you have any secret pet book projects you’d like to try out sometime soon? SA: I’m always working on several things at once. I usually have a book that I’m finishing, a book that I’m partway through, and a book I’m just starting. But I try not to talk too much about what I’m working on. I had a writing instructor in college who said, “Don’t talk about what you’re writing. Just write it.” I’ve found that if I talk over my ideas too much, I lose momentum with them. Or maybe this is just a smokescreen to disguise the fact that I have no ideas! Wow, I hope not.

YA: Steven, it has been a pleasure getting to know more about you and THE WRAP-UP LIST.  It is really a great story that I’d recommend to all YA readers!  All right, last one!  If you and Gabriela could spend one beautiful spring day together–free from all those pesky things like “plot”—what would you do together, where would you go, what would you want to tell her?

SA: We’d cook dinner together in a well-stocked kitchen, and while the asparagus roasted I’d ask Gabriela for some advice. She’s such a resilient character and, despite her difficult situation, finds time to have fun and feel hopeful. I’d ask her, “Gabriela, how do you deal with the anxiety? How do you make time for fun, and hopefulness?” Because I’m kind of an anxious person, a worrier, and I want to worry less. It’s not helpful to worry too much. In this sense, I invented Gabriela as a person I’d like to emulate. If she and I ever do have that conversation, I’ll let you know what she says. 

YA: Thank you very much, Steven!  And again, from YA Mag, congratulations on your latest work!  We look forward to hearing a lot more from you in years to come!

SA: Thank you!

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