So, just this past week I had a chance to read through a copy of FALLING FOR ALICE, a very cool collection of short stories that each use the ethos of ALICE IN WONDERLAND as a jumping off place.
Where the stories LAND, however, are in places unique and divergent and really so appealing for young adult audiences of today. I really enjoyed the different voices and personas of Alice throughout this charming collection. At the end of this post, there’ll be a chance to win a copy of FALLING FOR ALICE!
And now, you get a chance to meet the creators behind this collection — and a wonderland of writers they are! Their full headshots and bios are at the bottom of the post, but let’s welcome them first, shall we, and then we’ll get into the down and dirty of just what it takes to pull this particular white rabbit out of a hat!
Thanks for joining me today, Shari Green, Cady Vance, Dawn Dalton, Kitty Keswick and Denise Jaden!
Okay — diving in…
kc: Let’s start with Alice. She’s an amazing jumping off point for these short stories. How much fun was it to put your own twist on this literary icon?
DD: When I was a child, Alice in Wonderland was my favourite book—so much so, my mom nicknamed me Alice, her little dreamer. Long before I knew what a “re-telling” was, I’d been re-telling Alice’s story in my head for most of my life. And over the last few years, I’ve read some truly wonderful re-tellings of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale. While I’m not really partial to any one genre, I do appreciate “dark” fiction, and given the many themes in Alice in Wonderland, I saw DRUNK as an opportunity to put a darker twist on Alice’s adventures. It was fun to explore a “different” writing style, but also challenge myself—and readers—to see Alice as less innocent, less wholesome, than in the original story.
KK: Alice has always been one of my favorite characters. I loved her curious and adventurous spirit. I really played with that inquisitiveness in my story. Alice is the keeper of literature in my futuristic space age romp down the wormhole. I liked exploring the newness of the world around Alice and really had fun having the world unfold through the eyes of someone who had never left the spaceship’s cold, sterile world, but knew of all these fantastical things through literature.
DJ: To be honest, I didn’t know much about Alice in Wonderland when I started my story, White Rabbit Rx. I had read the book and watched several versions of the movie, of course, but it wasn’t until I focused on reimagining this classic that I noticed the richness of characters and themes. Probably my favorite part of the process was listing many of the themes and brainstorming initial story ideas involving each. There is just so much you could do with this particular story!
kc: Where did the idea for this collection come from?
DD: As you know, this year marks the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland and there are many, many re-tellings in the works, including BEWARE THE WHITE RABBIT, an anthology of short young adult Alice-inspired stories published by LEAP BOOKS. (April 2015) When Kitty Keswick approached me with the idea for this Alice-inspired anthology, I couldn’t say no. I’m really proud of this collection of stories.
kc: How has the process of writing a story as a part of a collection been for you? Is this a one-off, or do you have plans to delve further into Alice’s world?
CV: Writing in a collection has been so much fun. The group of writers I’ve collaborated with are so hard-working and talented, and it’s been an incredible pleasure to be a part of this. One day, I would love to expand on Alice’s story. Space is one of my great loves, so I could definitely explore more of her adventure on the space station.
DJ: I’ve really enjoyed collaborating on a group of stories. Writing (and publishing) can often feel like a very lonely endeavor, and it has been super-nice to feel instead like we are a team of people, all with the same goals, and often with the same struggles. I don’t have immediate plans to delve deeper into Alice’s world, but I may one day expand White Rabbit Rx into a full novel. The idea of reimagining classic stories has become somewhat addictive for me, though. I’ve already worked on a reimagining of a Christmas classic, and I have a few other stories in mind I’d like to retell in a young adult contemporary setting.
kc: Who was your favourite supporting character in your own story? How did the Carroll original influence the development of your character?
SG: I think my favourite supporting character is Charlie, who is an obvious literary nod to the Cheshire cat—that big toothy grin, and his random appearing and disappearing. I also love Max, Alice’s friend and the “boy next door”, but Max is more Woodstock than Carroll—I wonder if any readers will recognize the significance of Max’s name and his passion for studying Agriculture. Hee hee! I loved slipping in all the allusions/references.
KK: Hacker. He formed very earlier on in my mind and spoke to me. I wish I had a larger word count to explore him. He was my modern twist on my own personal question. What if the “mad” Hatter was a hot teenage boy with computer hacking skills?
kc: What are YOU reading right now? Do you have a favourite genre to read — or write — in?
CV: I’m reading the wonderful The Witching Elm by C.N. Crawford which is a YA urban fantasy. Urban fantasy, both YA and adult, is probably my favourite to both read and write, though I’m a massive fan of anything with a speculative element. Epic fantasy, space opera, time travel, paranormal. I love all of it.
SG: I just read (and loved) Sarah Dessen’s latest contemp YA, SAINT ANYTHING. Currently reading CHILDREN OF THE JACARANDA TREE, by Sahar Delijani. I read mostly fiction, and my fave genre is contemporary-with-a-twist YA (realistic stories with a side of weird—à la A.S. King—or magical realism).
KK: I’m reading GREEN HEART by Alice Hoffman. It’s my first Hoffman novel, I’ve loved the movies inspired by her books and had them for a while. I finally decided to read some of her work.
kc: How has the process of writing a story as a part of a collection been for you? Is this a one-off, or do you have plans to delve further into Alice’s world?
KK: This wasn’t my first anthology. But this has been my favorite, I feel a kinship to the four other authors involved in this adventure, I’m really blessed to have worked with such talent.
CV: Writing in a collection has been so much fun. The group of writers I’ve collaborated with are so hard-working and talented, and it’s been an incredible pleasure to be a part of this. One day, I would love to expand on Alice’s story. Space is one of my great loves, so I could definitely explore more of her adventure on the space station.
DD: I have such tremendous respect for my co-authors, and am honored to share pages with them in FALLING FOR ALICE. This isn’t my first foray into collaborative works—I co-wrote KILLER’S INSTINCT with Judith Graves, and my short story, Thread of the Past, was included in the SPIRITED anthology. The process may be somewhat different, but the end product is always the same—a body of work I can be proud of. I am especially proud of FALLING FOR ALICE because Lewis Carroll’s original story holds such a special place in my heart. I don’t think I’ll delve into Alice’s world again (except to read all of the great re-tellings that will come out this year) but I have considered expanding DRUNK. It was born from the idea I had for a full-length novel, and the story still plays in my head. I suspect I’ll revisit it in the future.
kc: Do you have a preferred format for your books? E-book vs paperback?
KK: I love the smell of books. My go to is still paper. I have an ebook reader I’ll read books on them if that’s the only option but I just like the feel of paper in my hands and the scent of ink as I turn the page.
DJ: I prefer the paperback version. I just like to hold something in my hands. I usually have at least one book in my gym bag and/or purse when I head out of the house. But I’m also a huge fan of audiobooks. I keep some of those on my phone at all times, and since I do a lot of driving, it really helps to pass the time.
CV: I have a Kindle, which I love, but nothing will ever replace paperbacks for me. I love holding a physical copy in my hands and flipping pages.
kc: What’s your favourite review one of your stories has received? [Share it, if you like!]
CV: I love this review of my story because it gets to the heart of what I was trying to do with this version of Alice: “This was a self discovery story set in space. Alice is part of the first teen space mission. On the way she discovers, heartbreak, loneliness, courage, and what it is to live your dreams…”
DD: I love this snippet from a recent review of DRUNK, because it truly captures what I was aiming to do with this story: “Ms. Dalton sketched out a main character who both intrigued and frightened me. It wasn’t apparent what was happening to her at first, but once I figured it out I couldn’t stop reading until I’d reached the end.”.)
kc: Can you recommend other reading for lovers of contemporary short stories?
DJ: I just finished up a collection I absolutely LOVED: My True Love Gave To Me, edited by Stephanie Perkins and written by various authors, several who are among my favorites. I highly recommend this collection to any short story fans, especially young adult fans.
DD: To be honest, I’m not well-versed in short story compilations or even individual pieces. I do know that several Alice in Wonderland-themed anthologies will come out this year for both adults and teens, including the aforementioned BEWARE THE WHITE RABBIT. From that same publisher (LEAP BOOKS), the SPIRITED anthology contains many great stories (including a fantastic one from Kitty Keswick.)
SG: I haven’t read very many short story collections, but I enjoyed Z.Z. Packer’s DRINKING COFFEE ELSEWHERE, A.S. King’s MONICA NEVER SHUTS UP, and Alice Munro’s RUNAWAY, and would definitely recommend them!
Wow! Thanks, everyone, for hanging out this afternoon. Best of luck with your new short story collection — I think you’ve rocked it!
Let’s finish with a closer look at this ‘Alicious’ group of writers, shall we?
Dawn Dalton is a short-story author, novelist, screenwriter, professional editor and communications specialist. Her short story, THREAD OF THE PAST was included in the SPIRITED anthology (Leap Books, 2012) and her novel, KILLER INSTINCT, (Leap Books, 2013), co-written with Judith Graves, was nominated for the Silver Falchion award. Dawn lives in Alberta, Canada, with her husband, Jeff and their giant English Mastiff, Roarke. Connect with Dawn on Twitter @dawn_dalton.
Denise Jaden’s novels have been shortlisted or received awards through the Romance Writers of America, Inspy, and SCBWI. The first draft of her debut novel, LOSING FAITH (Simon & Schuster), was written in 21 days during NaNoWriMo, and she loves talking with writers and students about her fast drafting process. Jaden’s other young adult novels include NEVER ENOUGH (Simon & Schuster) and FOREIGN EXCHANGE (an Editor’s Pick from Evernight Teen). Her non-fiction books for writers include, WRITING WITH A HEAVY HEART and FAST FICTION. Find out more at http://www.denisejaden.com
Kitty Keswick adores writing YA short stories almost as much as novels. Kirkus named her short story DEATH BECOMES HER, “Among the Standouts”, (SPIRITED, Leap Books, 2012). She also has two Young Adult novels; FREAKSVILLE and FURRY & FREAKED (Leap Books) is due out in late 2015. Kitty now resides fifteen miles inland from the sea with her hubby, stepson and a very lucky black cat. Visit her blog at kittykeswick.blogspot.com
Shari Green writes Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction and occasionally masquerades as a poet. Her first novel for teens, FOLLOWING CHELSEA, was released by Evernight Teen in Fall 2014. When she’s not glued to her laptop, Shari can often be found wandering in a blissful daze on the beach near her home on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. Visit her online at http://www.sharigreen.com
Cady Vance is the author of YA and NA speculative fiction, including BONE DRY, NEVER SLEEP and CLASH. Now, she studies for her PhD in the UK and dreams of seeing the universe. Visit her website at http://www.cadyvance.com or follow her on twitter @cadyvance.
Here we are at the end of today’s post — and your chance to win a copy of FALLING FOR ALICE! It’s easy — just tweet about this post, or share it on Facebook, and your name will go in the draw, to be announced next week. So share this post for your chance to win! And as, always…
More soon…!
~kc
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