Interview+Giveaway: Angie Smibert and Memento Nora

I'd like to extend a huge Supernatural Snark welcome to Angie Smibert today, I'm excited to have her on the blog answering a few questions about her young adult dystopian novel Memento Nora. I was able to get a sneak peek at this one (you can read my review HERE), releasing April 1st from Marshall Cavendish, thanks to the Cornucopia of Dystopia Blog Tour and I'm just lucky enough to have a copy to giveaway to one lucky commenter. Please see the bottom of the post for details and I hope you guys enjoy the interview!

Memento Nora deals with memories, the ones we want to keep and the ones we often wish we could forget, what is your favorite memory so far of the Memento Nora writing experience?

So far, nothing has beaten getting that first letter (or email) from the publisher saying they wanted to publish Memento Nora. I was so excited I couldn’t remember phone numbers (or that I had a cell phone with all the numbers programmed in). Thank goodness for old fashioned speed dial.

The world of Memento Nora is rather bleak, is there one aspect in particular you found most unnerving while writing, or one you think readers might find most thought-provoking?

Yes, the world is a bit bleak under a façade of glossiness. The unnerving part was realizing how close that world is to ours. I’m not predicting that’s what’s going to happen, but it’s not outside the realm of possibilities.

If you knew you were going to be forced to take the pill to forget something important, where might you write the information and leave it so your post-pill self would find it again?

Good question. I’d probably never find it unless I posted it on the whiteboard above my desk.

Both Micah and Winter are gifted artists, do you have any artistic ability in terms of illustration, sculpture, or design?

Not really. I dabbled with drawing when I was younger. I can fake my way through a half-way decent website design if I don’t need to do any actual drawing or heavy-duty photoshopping.

What’s one trait each of the three main protagonists possesses that you admire most in them?

Possibly because I have none (see above), I do admire Micah’s and Winter’s artistic ability. I also admire Nora’s ability to step outside her comfort zone and take a risk.

If it were possible to romantically match Nora, Micah or Winter with a character from another YA novel, who would it be and why do you think they might work as a couple?

If Winter were dropped into Scott Westerfeld’s Levianthan / Behemoth world, she might develop a crush on Dylan / Deryn Sharp. Winter would recognize “Mr.” Sharp’s secret, and she might be doing the same thing on the Clanker side.

If Memento Nora didn’t have a description on the back cover and could only be marketed to readers using a single quote or line from the book, which one do you think would most pique their interest?

On my bookmarks, I used “In the future, it doesn’t pay to remember.” It’s not exactly a quote, but one of the minor characters does say something very similar.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions Angie! If you are interested in learning more about Angie and her books, you can find more information here:

Website
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GIVEAWAY

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on the interview as well as a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. This giveaway will run through midnight on April 8th after which time a winner will be chosen by Random.org and announced on the blog. This giveaway is open to US and Canada only as I already have the book in hand, sorry! Good luck everyone!