Take Tewes with Christine Duval

Every odd Tuesday (because Tuesdays aren't odd enough), I hope to feature a different young adult fiction author YOU should know - from best-sellers to debuts. And what better way to do this than asking them TWO fun questions. Short, sweet, and sassy - just the way I like interviews.

Without further ado, I welcome young adult fiction author, Christine Duval as the very first feature for Take Tewes.

Christine Duval

Christine is a fellow Bloomsbury Spark author and I'm thrilled to help spread the word about this new Bloomsbury YA imprint, as well as chat up its amazing author roster. Christine's debut novel has a working title of Freshman Forty and is set to launch early 2014.

About her novel (from her website):

My debut novel was inspired by two events that were happening at the same time a couple years ago: my best friend announced she was expecting her first child and one of my babysitters was going off to college. I got to thinking given the typical college calendar, a girl, newly pregnant and away at school, could feasibly conceal a pregnancy from everyone at home for the entire nine months if she wanted to. Then Laurel began talking to me and a story was born.

The questions:

1.You've studied in Florence and have traveled most of Europe. (Cool! I've had a few trips overseas and am keen to return any chance I get.) How is exploring an unfamiliar country similar to developing a new fictional character?

That's a fun question! I think it is all about being open and willing to immerse yourself in another world. When you travel to another country, you have the choice to either take in the culture, the people, the differences to what you are familiar with or to remain a closed off tourist. I can attest that it is a lot more fun to be open. The same thing goes when creating a fictional character. In my book, I don't always agree with the choices my MC makes but when I was creating her, I just let her talk and I listened. I guess to write someone believable, you have to be accepting of the whole person and unafraid to go to places that may at first feel uncomfortable or unfamiliar.

2. Can you share a favourite line from your upcoming Bloomsbury Spark title? Why is this one a stand out?

Well, it is a group of lines, if that is okay:

Everyone warned me about Colman College. The workload is heavy, the professors don't mess around. To say I am overwhelmed is an understatement. I have a math class, a writing seminar, a phys.ed. requirement that's being fulfilled by taking a class in Swedish massage of all things, a course in molecular biology that I like, plus a lab to go with it, and an Intro to Legal Ethics class that I can't stand. I also have a positive pregnancy test - two, actually. Way to get things started.

These are the first lines from my book. I like them because there is no beating around the bush, no build-up to the problem at hand. The reader is brought front and center into my MC's world from the very first line and from there we go.

Thanks so much, Judith!

Was a pleasure to have you, Christine and thanks for being a willing test subject for Take Tewes! Get ready for great things from this rising star, follow Christine on Facebook, Twitter, and check out her website.

Tuesday 3 September 2013