Interview: Julia Karr

Today I'm thrilled to welcome Julia Karr to the blog as part of the Cornucopia of Dystopia Blog Tour. She was nice enough to answer a few questions for me about her young adult debut novel XVI (you can read my review HERE) which is now available. A sequel, Truth, is in the works as is a spin-off story called Cinderella Girl. Hope you all enjoy the interview!

Do you remember the exact moment you first got the idea for XVI, or the one aspect of the story that came to your mind first?

I do. The first aspect was Nina. She popped into my head one day - bopping down the street, earbuds in, trying to ignore the sounds of the city and a homeless guy in the street. Thus XVI was born.

If your daughters were young in Nina’s world and they asked you why the XVI tattoo was necessary for them, how would you explain it?

That would be hard. I think I'd be inclined to immediately join the Resistance and get them out of there. I would never stay in a place that marked girls that way - ever.

Can you explain the significance of using the roman numeral for the title and the tattoo as opposed to just the number 16?

I think the number 16 is not nearly as sterile and unfeeling as XVI.

XVI has a beautiful cover design–simple and clean but still eye-catching–is there another young adult book you would say inspires a little cover envy in you?

Oh my - lots! Vesper by Jeff Sampson is awesome! As is Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris! If you go to The Elevesies on livejournal & look at all their covers… OMG! I'm totally in love with all of them! Luminous by Dawn Metcalf is another fav!

Is there one step in the writing process that is the most fun for you (i.e. creating the outline, the actual writing, or the editing)? Most difficult?

The first draft is amazingly fun! Editing is freakin' HARD! But, I am actually learning to love editing, too! :)

Is there a character trait of Nina’s you would say you possess as well?

Hmmm… I share her love for her sister - and - I am pretty cautious about jumping into relationships!

Do you have any superstitions when it comes to your writing? Either you have to write while sitting in the same chair, you have to start writing the story with either the first or last chapter, or there’s a certain object you can’t sit down and write without?

I am not superstitious by nature, so not really. I do prefer to write in the morning right after I get up - but that's not always possible. Also - I do need it quiet to write. No playlists during writing - afterwards, yes - during, no.

I’m the type of person who can only read one book at a time, unable to split my focus between several. Is it easy for you to juggle writing multiple projects at once, or do you prefer to focus on one book until you have a first draft before you start something else?

I prefer to focus on one book at a time. I get so involved with my characters' lives that I can't just pull myself from their world into another made-up one. Heck, sometimes it's hard to get back to the real world from an intense writing session!

Sometimes (okay, often) I cheat and read the last page of a book first because the curiosity is too much for me to resist, do you ever flip straight to the back of the book before starting?

Not before starting - but, Boy, Howdy! Do I get flack from people because I will read the last few pages before finishing a book. I do that for 1 of 2 reasons - 1) either I'm bugged by the writing style, but have to know how the book ends and whether or not it's worth my while to keep reading, 2) it's so suspenseful that I'm tearing through it - not enjoying the ride, because I can't wait to get to the end. Then, I find out what happens and go back to leisurely enjoy the book.

If you had to put together a quick teaser tagline for The Sisterhood, the sequel to XVI, what would it say?

First off - the sequel has a new title - TRUTH. I think a quick tagline would be… "Sometimes even the truth can't set you free."

Thanks so much for the interview!



Thanks so much for stopping by Julia! If you want to know more about Julia and her books, you can find her here:

Website

Twitter

Review: XVI

XVI (XVI #1)
Julia Karr
Speculative Young Adult
325 pages
Speak/Penguin
Available January 6th
Received from publisher for review

This review contains NO spoilers.

THE STORY
There's not much time left before Nina's sixteenth birthday. The day she'll get her tattoo on her wrist. The day her innocence is up for grabs and any man who wants to sleep with her has every right to do so under the rules and regulations of the Governing Council.

Most girls look forward to their birthdays, primping and preening in anticipation of attracting the attention of men, but Nina is terrified. Quicker than she can blink though, her life is filled with much more to worry about than turning sex-teen as her family is torn apart and secrets that change everything are revealed.

Nina's always been told the same story about her father's death years before, but in the wake of this new tragedy and a chance meeting with Sal, a young boy her age, she is forced her to question everything she's been told. With the help of her friends, Nina searches for answers and struggles with feelings for Sal that petrify her. She doesn't want to be a sex-teen, but her birthday is inching ever closer, as are all the ramifications it brings.

MY THOUGHTS
XVI allows us a fleeting glimpse of an extremely bleak and utterly disturbing future where the innocence of young women is a commodity, and the age at which they are deemed fair sexual game is regulated by the government itself. This world is one that has experienced extraordinary achievements in science and technology, but for every step forward and every advancement their humanity seems to have retreated, leaving behind a moral and ethical degradation so appalling there don't seem to be enough words to adequately describe it. In this world, rape isn't a crime as long as the XVI brand exists on young girls' wrists, a glaring symbol that advertises them as objects, bypasses the word "no" as a valid objection, and strips them of any rights over the use of their bodies. This world is intense, unfathomable, and repulsive, eliciting an acute reaction from us as we read on in horror and have to periodically retreat to the comfort of a reality where such depravity, though it surely exists, is at least punishable by law.

Nina is not your typical sex-teen, and unlike her best friend Sandy who blithely courts disaster with every bat of her eyelashes and flick of her hair, she is understandably fearful of her sixteenth birthday and the loss of sexual safety it represents. Like her mother and grandparents, she refuses to blindly capitulate to the media frenzy professing the merits of the XVI requirement, and instead thinks, questions, and effectively mutes the sensory barrage telling her to relinquish control over the most personal of acts with little more than a blush in her cheeks and a smile on her face. She is a character who has our full support – her loyalty to friends and family is admirable, her desire for change is infectious, and her strength of will is exceptional.

Though the world is gripping in it's darkness and Nina has the makings of a strong protagonist, the romantic aspect between her and Sal is not quite as compelling as the elements surrounding it. For all the intensity of her reality and the monstrous implications of her birthday, their interactions are rather bland and simple, seeming to pale in comparison against such a powerfully atrocious backdrop. Despite her overwhelming fear of being a sex-teen, Nina is hardly reticent when confronted with brief kisses and caresses from Sal, a surprising reaction considering the context of her world. There is nothing overly distinctive about Sal aside from his knowledge of her father, and their connection is one that could exist in any young adult novel, their sweetness and innocence, while enjoyable, not quite matching the complexity and seriousness of being sixteen in this reality. Though it's a secondary element to the mystery of the main storyline and therefore perhaps not meant to be as profound, their relationship just doesn't pulse with life and exhilaration, and where it could have been a guiding beacon to help Nina navigate the claustrophobic darkness of her fear, it remains simply average – a cute teenage love scenario instead of a memorably epic romance.

Overall, this is a disturbingly fascinating first installment with a well-developed world and intriguing characters, the most noteworthy of all being our villain. He is one so vile and disgusting we find our lips curling involuntarily at the mere visual of two little letters that comprise his name: Ed. The embodiment and physical manifestation of all the cruelties and injustices of this world, he inspires a hatred to burn in us that simmers long after we've finished this story, just as our recollection of this future reality is branded in our minds as real and lasting as Nina's own XVI marker.

Rating: 3.5/5

In My Mailbox #6

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi over at The Story Siren and is a great way to see what other bloggers are reading and reviewing. I always love seeing what everyone else got for their week!




For Review:
XVI by Julia Karr
Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
Double Cross by Carolyn Crane

Bought:
Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!



XVI by Julia Karr (Releases January 6th, 2011)
From Goodreads:
In the year 2150, being a girl isn’t necessarily a good thing, especially when your sixteenth (read sex-teenth) birthday is fast approaching. That in itself would be enough to make anyone more than a little nuts, what with the tattoo and all – but Nina Oberon’s life has taken a definite turn for the worse. Her mother is brutally stabbed and left for dead. Before dying, she entrusts a secret book to Nina, telling her to deliver it to Nina's father. But, first Nina has to find him; since for fifteen years he's been officially dead. Complications arise when she rescues Sal, a mysterious, and ultra hot guy. He seems to like Nina, but also seems to know more about her father than he’s letting on. Then there’s that murderous ex-government agent who’s stalking her, and just happens to be her little sister’s dad.

I love the cover on this one. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else is eagerly anticipating!