Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Interview: Ali Novak + My Life with the Walter Boys

http://www.amazon.com/Life-Walter-Boys-Ali-Novak-ebook/dp/B00HYGRVRI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394507926&sr=8-1&keywords=My+life+with+the+walter+boys

Today I'm thrilled to welcome author Ali Novak to the blog to talk a little bit about her new young adult novel, My Life with the Walter Boys. Ali was nice enough to answer a few questions about the titular Walter boys, her real life experiences living with a handful of male roommates, and learning from her writing, so I hope you all enjoy the interview!

First off, let’s get to know these Walter boys a little bit better. Now that Jackie’s lived with them for a short while, can she give us a favorite movie, song, color, etc. for each of the boys as a fun way to introduce them to those of us who have yet to meet them?

Can I start by saying that I absolutely adore this question? I’m a huge movie fanatic—thinking about each boy’s favorite film was really fun for me.

Cole - Fight Club
Danny - It’s a Wonderful Life
Isaac - Saving Private Ryan and the original Red Dawn
Alex - Star Wars, more specifically Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Nathan - Elf, Real Genius, Happy Gilmore. Nathan loves any lighthearted comedy.

If you had to suddenly move into a house as full of boys as the Walter household, what do you think would be the hardest adjustment for you?

Currently I have three guy roommates. You would not believe the amount of little black hairs that cover every imaginable surface in the bathroom. I don’t even want to consider how disgusting it would be if I were living with more than three boys.

What’s one thing that has surprised Jackie about living with her mother’s best friend and her boys? Something that before she spent time with all of them she never would have expected?

As soon as I read this question a specific passage from My Life with the Walter Boys came to mind:

During the twenty-minute drive to school, I received a crash course in Boys 101 and decided that maybe the male species wasn’t so different from females after all. To sum it up, the Walter’s gossiped worse than the girls at my old boarding school. At first the car was silent, which was probably due to my presence, but soon the boys relaxed and carried on as if I wasn’t there. They talked about who was going to make track team this spring and who wasn’t. They discussed what they should wear to a party on Friday night and who was going to be there. But most of all they talked about girls: who was cute, which girl wore the perfect perfume and who had the prettiest hair.
 

When they started talking about a girl named Kitty who, to use Isaac’s words, had “The perkiest pair of tits in the world”, I felt uncomfortable. Trying to tune the conversation out, I shrunk back into my seat and stared out the window. Please let us be there soon. Please be there soon!” (Jackie, pg. 50-51).

There’s undoubtedly quite a bit of sibling rivalry among the boys. What’s your favorite book, movie, or TV show that’s featured a large family with hugely entertaining sibling dynamics?

One major source of inspiration for My Life with the Walter Boys came from the movies Cheaper by the Dozen and Yours, Mine and Ours. These were two of my absolute favorites growing up, and I watched them so many times that the tape in the VCR cassettes wore out. And yes, I’m old enough to remember what a VCR is :)

If your roles were reversed and Jackie was writing a story about your life, how would the first line read?

Jackie isn’t the type of person who would write a story or novel about someone. Instead, she would write a very straightforward bibliography. She would try to be as factual and thorough as possible, so the opening line would probably have my full name and date of birth. Exciting, huh?

Which one of the boys’ names came to your mind first? Last?

Definitely Alex. It’s a shameless nod to myself. My full first name is Alexandra, but my family calls me Ali.

As for the rest of the names, I didn’t have any difficulty picking them out. I like to use websites like babynames.com as I create my characters. When my mom first saw my website history she freaked out!

What’s one thing writing Jackie’s story has taught you about yourself?

Writing Jackie’s story taught me one very important lesson: even though it seems impossible, when you experience the type of heartbreak that can only be described as tragic, you will be happy again. My Life with the Walter Boys is deeply connected to my own life experiences. My father lost a four-month battle to cancer when I was in high school, and his death was one of the main inspirations behind the book. It was a long process, but writing the story helped me deal with my grief.

The first draft of my manuscript lacked a great deal of emotional depth—Jackie came off as cold and unresponsive to her family’s death. At the time, it was too soon for me to write about loss, and my inability to deal with my own pain was reflected in Jackie’s character. However, as I rewrote the story, Jackie transformed into a real person. By my third draft, her emotional response was fully developed. But still, I wasn’t happy with Jackie’s story.

I strongly dislike reading contemporary novels where the main a character loses a loved one and is depressed for 99.9% of the story. It takes me back to a bad place, and also, I don’t think it’s very realistic. I decided that I didn’t want Jackie’s story to focus on her pain. Instead I wanted to highlight how the happy moments of living with the Walter family helped her heal.

Losing a parent is impossibly painful. The first few months after my father’s death were dark, and I’ve never cried so much in my life. At the same time, I never turned into an emotional zombie. The truth of the matter is life goes on. Eventually, you smile again. Then you laugh. Amazingly, you can even fall in love. And it’s those joyful moment during dark times that mend your heart.

• • • • • • • • • • • 

MY LIFE WITH THE WALTER BOYS
(available now from Sourcebooks)


Jackie Howard does not like surprises. Chaos is the enemy! The best way to get her successful, busy parents to notice her is to be perfect. The perfect look, the perfect grades—the perfect daughter. And then...

Surprise #1

Jackie's family dies in a freak car accident.

Surprise #2

Jackie has to move cross-country to live with the Walters—her new guardians.

Surprise #3

The Walters have twelve sons.

(Well, eleven, but Parker acts like a boy anyway)

Jackie is now surrounded by the enemy. Loud, dirty, annoying boys—who have no concept of personal space. Okay, several of the oldest guys are flat-out gorgeous. But still annoying. She's not stuck-up or boring—no matter what they say. But proving it is another matter. How can she fit in and move on when she needs to keep her parents' memory alive by living up to the promise of perfect?


• • • • • • • • • • •

ALI NOVAK


Ali Novak is twenty-two-year-old debut author and a recent graduate from University of Madison Wisconsin's creative writing program. She wrote her first full-length novel My Life with the Walter Boys at the age of fifteen. Since posting the story online, it has received more than 24 million reads and will be published by Sourcebooks Fire in March 2014.

When she isn't writing, Ali enjoys watching Food Network shows even though she can't cook, and reading any type of fantasy novel she can get her hands on. She is a Wisconsin native and hopes to make a career out of writing.

34 comments:

  1. I loved this, truly I did. Makes me want to read this one even more so now.

    The little hairs! Gah, isn't it the truth. They go everywhere! :P

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    1. Yes, yes they do. Somehow they magically travel across the counter as well and find themselves around my sink in addition to my husband's. Tricky little things.

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  2. So. Wow. I normally avoid stuff like this like the plague b/c I hate giving myself headaches from bawling my eyes out, but this sounds like it might have enough shenanigans to make it make it more than just pain and suffering. I'll keep an eye on it . . .

    Jessica @ Rabid Reads

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    1. Yes! I love that it's not all about the pain of her loss, but that we get to see her heal:)

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  3. I thought this book was entertaining and I liked learning more about why she wrote it. So sad to hear about her father's death, but I like that she turned to writing and came up with Jackie's story. Thanks for sharing this great interview!

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  4. I always wanted a big family but, you know, I don't think I would have liked it. I need my space and quiet time -- one brother was enough, thankyouverymuch. Can you imagine living with that many boys?

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    1. I cannot. I just have one brother and he was away from home a lot so I don't remember having to share a bathroom with him being all that stressful. And luckily my husband is pretty clean. Except for those little hairs she talked about. There's no escaping them:)

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  5. Ah Ali, Jenny is a queen of interview questions so I'm not surprised that you enjoyed them. I love stories about big families and their dynamic, mostly cause I never had one. Great interview and I'm really curious about the book now.

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    1. *blushes* Thanks Tanja! Hope you give this one a try:)

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  6. You do the BEST interviews! This book sounds like so much fun and now I need to read it ASAP. I can't imagine moving into a house with a bunch of guys. O.O

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    1. It's like Jenny ego-stroke day, I love it. Don't stop ;-) Looking forward to your thoughts on this one!

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  7. Oh, I just love her answer to the last question. It makes it sounds as though there is some real emotional depth to this one, which I might not have otherwise assumed. Fabulous interview (as always), Jenny! You have the world's best questions! Love it :)

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    1. I really want to meet Jackie and all these Walter boys now Melissa, I'm excited for this one:)

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  8. I have to say that sometimes having guys as roommates is a lot less drama filled than with girls. I love books featuring brothers so I'll definitely check this one out.

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    1. Very true! Though of course I've only ever roomed with my husband, but he's way more laid back than some of my college roommates!

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  9. I love that first question, Jenny. It provides so much insight into the unique characterization of each of these brothers and I'm excited to recognize those films. Lovely interview, dear, and thanks for sharing!

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  10. It is funny, in my teens and younger twenties I preferred male friends. They tell you straight up how it is, and there is very little drama. Fantastic interview Jenny!

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  11. I didn't enjoy this one as much as I wanted to, Jenny, but I really liked the passage Ali referenced. When you're a teenage girl, sometimes boys seem like a whole other species so sometimes you need to reminded that they're just like you.

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  12. Wow I can only imagine Jackie's shock, I am glad that this book doesn't focus on Jackie's grief, that is refreshing and the boys sound fun!

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  13. LOL! The little hairs everywhere. It must be like living with a malamute!

    This does sound like it starts off sad, but does pack a humor punch. I'm curious!

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  14. Um, haha. Is it weird that I have only seen two movies from this list? Elf and Happy Gilmore? lols. I ought to see Fight Club and soon. "You would not believe the amount of little black hairs that cover every imaginable surface in the bathroom." Bhahahaha that's like living with our cat. Though he has these fur balls that he leaves everywhere, not very many separate hair. Aw, it's cute that Alexandra's name inspired the name for Alex. You guys! This interview is all kinds of fab:) Thanks so much for bringing this to me:)

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  15. Lovely interview Jenny, I feel like I know these guys better already. I can't even imagine living with more than one guy, and I can't believe Ali lives with three. I guess she's more than qualified to write about Jackie's experiences. This sounds like it could be a really good story, thank you for putting it on my radar!

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  16. As soon as she matched Danny up with It's a Wonderful Life, I knew I'd like him. I bet this is a fun book and look forward to reading it! I love stories and movies like this.

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  17. Congratulations to Ali! I'm with Alex--Return of the Jedi is my favorite Star Wars movie too.

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  18. She did not do all 12 boys, or twelve, I can't tell if Parker is a girl or not! I just saw this one posted as a new book and I too loved Yours, Mine and Ours, the old and new versions and Cheaper by the Dozen. I can't wait to read it!!

    Heather

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  19. I've not heard of this one, but it sounds FUN! There's a family in my church that has 8 boys and one girl. (the girl is #7). I can't even IMAGINE it. I like that this is a grief book without a tremendous amount of depression. I tend to avoid those. I also can't wait for a peek inside the Walter's household. Thanks for sharing this one, and great questions as always!

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  20. I would love to get my hands on this one. Great post! :)

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  21. This sounds like my kind of read! Thanks for sharing and awesome interview!

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  22. Okay, I HAVE to read this! I love that her own grief was worked through while writing it but like that by the final draft it's more about the happy moments. It's got to be entertaining with that many boys around! Yes, a MUST read!

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  23. I bought this last week but haven't had any time to read it yet. I'm super excited though and this interview doesn't help! :)

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