Interview with Lauren Oliver, Author of Before I Fall

Before I Fall has been gotten rave reviews from so many bloggers (including me!), so today I'm pleased to interview the mastermind behind Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver!

Where did the idea of Before I Fall come from?

The idea for Before I Fall came from a lot of different places. I was thinking a lot both about the mean-girl phenomena and ideas of change and redemption; plus, I wanted to explore the idea of a single day repeating through time. So those elements eventually kind of merged in my brain and gave me the basis for the plot.

Are you anything like you main character, Sam?

Yes, I am (but don’t hate me). I think you have to relate to your characters on some fundamental in order to make them believable and sympathetic. Sam is someone who is kind of lost and confused without really knowing it; she doesn’t really understand herself, or understand the things that will make her happy. I was very much like that at her age.

What are a few of your favorite books and authors?

So many! I’m a huge fan of classic children’s books, like Matilda and The Witches, by Roald Dahl, and the Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis; recently, I’ve loved the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman, and like everybody else I was a huge Harry Potter fan. In terms of YA, I love Carrie Ryan and Neil Gaiman, among many, many others. And for adult stuff…I love Henry James, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Marilynne Robinson.

Before I Fall is your debut novel, congratulations! Was Before I Fall your first finished novel?

No, definitely not! I finished my first “novel” when I was nine…although granted, it was only 30 handwritten pages. But I’d actually completed two full adult novels—neither of which was ever, or will ever be, published—before selling Before I Fall.

What are you working on now?

I’m just finishing up my second book, DELIRIUM. It’s a Romeo-and-Juliet story set in a kind of alternate vision of the United States, in which love has been diagnosed as a contagious and very virulent disease. I’m excited about it! It’s very different from Before I Fall, but that was intentional. And it still definitely bears my voice and sensibility, so hopefully people will like it!

Thanks again for the interview Lauren! I know that I, for one, cannot wait for your next book, it sounds fantastic!!

Before I Fall Review

Author: Lauren Oliver

Release Date: March 2, 2010

Pages: 380 (ARC)

Publisher: HarperTeen

Most Appropriate For Ages: 14+
Where I Got It: For review from Around The World Tours

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.
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This was a great debut from author Lauren Oliver.

Even though Sam lived through the one day of her life seven times, it never seemed to get repetitive. And there didn't seem to be a dull moment in the book. It really got me thinking about how everything we do also affects someone else, how everything's connected in one way or another.

The characterization in Before I Fall was beautiful. I hated Sam and her friends, I pitied Sam and her friends, and than I hated and pitied them at the same time. I don't think I've ever read a book where the main characters are "popular", so this was a new type of reading experience for me. The main character, Sam/Samantha, grows a lot throughout the book, which was amazing to watch. And Kent, a guy who "stalks" her, had me when the narration state that he wore a bowler hat. He was incredibly sweet, and he made my "Top Book Guys" list.

The writing flowed so nicely, and included every detail of the setting, the character, so vividly you feel like you are there standing next to the characters. Lauren Oliver is a beautiful writer.

The ending was so sad, in a way. Happy, kind of, in another way. This was a really good book that I flew through, and I'd definitely recommend everyone reading it. I cannot wait for Lauren Oliver's next book.

Teaser Tuesday (March 2, 2010)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should

Be Reading.

Anyone can play along, do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's mine:
"They say that before you die your whole life flashes before your eyes, but that's not how it happened for me."- Page 1 of Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

I haven't started this yet, but will tomorrow!