04/23/10
Author Interview: Caragh M. O’Brien
Posted In: Author Interview
Caragh M. O’Brien
Books:
After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents are arrested.
Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned.
Fraught with difficult moral choices and rich with intricate layers of codes, BIRTHMARKED explores a colorful, cruel, eerily familiar world where one girl can make all the difference, and a real hero makes her own moral code.
Dystopian novels really seem to be taking off in Young Adult literature at the moment. What do you think the appeal of these novels is?
First, let me say how happy I am, Kristi, that you invited me by. I love what you do on your site and it’s an honor to be here.
Dystopian novels like BIRTHMARKED could be appealing especially now because they reflect some of our underlying fears about the economy, politics, and the environment, but I don’t think most people consciously think about that when they’re picking out a book to read for fun. It’s more likely that people are drawn to the survival. We like to see how characters and relationships respond to pressure, and young adult lit tends to be more hopeful than adult lit. That’s certainly why I’m drawn to young adult dystopias these days.
When you were writing Birthmarked did you write for an intended audience?
I knew from the get-go that Gaia was a teen midwife, which would put my novel squarely in young adult lit, and since I teach high school English, I see first-hand daily how smart and demanding teen readers are. In practical terms, I wrote this to entertain myself first—I’m an impatient reader and I like puzzles—and for my own teenage children next.
What is the most interesting comment you’ve received about your novel?
A friend told me she likes that babies in BIRTHMARKED are alive, as far as she’s read. She’s been reading a lot of books with dead babies in them, and it made me think about why I like to keep my fictional babies alive, as much as possible. Live babies are good.
Describe Birthmarked in three words.
Intense. Intricate. Colorful.
Would you like to try writing any other genres?
I’ve written romance novels and they were really fun. I’m pretty happy in young adult lit now, though. There’s a lot I want to experiment with here.
If you could travel back in time for a year, where would you go and what three things would you take with you?
I would have to be able to take my family, too, and I would pick 1849 in California. I would take antibiotics, a solar-powered copy machine, and an English-Spanish-Chinese-American Indian Languages dictionary.
Are you working on anything now? Can you tell us anything about it?
I’m working on the sequel to BIRTHMARKED, and it presents very different challenges from the first book, which was really a pleasure to write. I’m doing a bit more research on infertility, biology, and midwifery. Some of my favorite characters reappear, and they’re not in good shape. I’m basically obsessed with it.
Thanks again, Kristi, for having me by. This was fun!
Thanks so much Caragh for that fantastic interview! I am really looking forward to reading Birthmarked! And for those of you participating in the 2010 Debut Author Challenge, be sure to add Birthmarked to your list!
Related posts:
- Author Interview & Contest: Chloe Neill
- Author Interview: Carolyn MacCullough
- Author Interview: Shannon Hale
- Author Interview: S.A. Bodeen
- Author Interview: E. Lockhart & CONTEST!
20 Comments
-
This one's on my to-read list, gotta love a live baby.
-
This one's on my to-read list, gotta love a live baby.
-
I can't wait to read this one! And it's good to hear she is staying in YA! It's where all the best writers are (in my opinion)!
-
I can't wait to get this book. Loved the Interview.
-
I can't wait to read this one! And it's good to hear she is staying in YA! It's where all the best writers are (in my opinion)!
-
I can't wait to get this book. Loved the Interview.
-
On board her with live babies, and I really want to read this book! LOVE dystopia reads.
Another great YA midwife-y type book is The Midwife's Apprentice by Karne Cushman. Though, is it not dystopia.
-
On board her with live babies, and I really want to read this book! LOVE dystopia reads.
Another great YA midwife-y type book is The Midwife's Apprentice by Karne Cushman. Though, is it not dystopia.
-
This is being added to my tbr stack.
The live babies thing made me laugh.
-
This is being added to my tbr stack.
The live babies thing made me laugh.
-
I'm excited for this one to release so I can read it. I keep hearing really great things about it.
-
I'm excited for this one to release so I can read it. I keep hearing really great things about it.
-
Oh, wow, this sounds awesome!
Love, Hannah -
Oh, wow, this sounds awesome!
Love, Hannah -
I loved Birthmarked! I am really excited that there is going to be a sequel! Great interview.
-
I loved Birthmarked! I am really excited that there is going to be a sequel! Great interview.
-
Yay. This book sounds so interesting.
-
Yay. This book sounds so interesting.
-
Great interview, and I'm so glad to hear there will be a sequel coming out.
-
Great interview, and I'm so glad to hear there will be a sequel coming out.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Currently Reading
Surrenderby Elana Johnson
The companion novel to the dystopian novel Possession. Get ready to meet Raine and Gunner!
Contests
comments