Fabulous author Suzanne Young is here today to talk about her new book A Need So Beautiful.
I have read this book and if you don't have it on your to-read list… what the heck are you waiting for?!? It is unbelievably good!
1. A Need So Beautiful is a shift from your previous titles; what made you want to write this story and was it more difficult to write than The Naughty List series?
It was definitely more difficult to write because it was something I really needed to invest in and concentrate on. It wasn’t something I could talk through. I had to dig deep emotionally to capture the fear, the sadness, the love. It was a great journey to write this book and the scope was much larger than The Naughty List, which was a fun project, but less heartbreaking.
2. Charlotte has a very unique ability. Where did this idea originate what were your goals in creating the main character of this story?
The gold on her skin was one of the first elements of the story. I write in layers, and with each pass through, I added more. The Forgottens were the last piece of the puzzle. In the beginning, I thought of this girl who doesn’t know what is happening to her, and she may think it’s awful and try to keep it secret, but to everyone else… it’s beautiful.
3. Charlotte's boyfriend Harlin is very swoon-worthy. Very! Can you tell everyone how you would personally describe him?
I love the idea of my characters being in a relationship at the start of a book. I think the way the couple interacts is a great way to show the characters personalities. And what I loved most about Harlin was how he treated Charlotte. He wasn’t perfect, but I felt that he was real. In my head I pictured him as a younger version of the lead singer of Kings of Leon, but now I’m not sure who I’d compare him to. He’s just Harlin in my head. Riding a motorcycle and wearing a leather jacket.
4. This book is very emotional and brought me to tears a few times. Are you surprised by the emotional impact of this story or was it something you hoped to create. C'mon, be honest, you wanted to make us cry, right?
I cried so much writing it, I’m glad it’s being felt by others. I didn’t really think about the readers as I was drafting the story, it just seemed so personal and private. But I’m very happy, yes happy! to make people cry! Haha. It means readers are investing in the characters, and as an author that’s very important to me. 5. A Need So Beautiful deals with some very intense issues that Charlotte has to face. Do you plan to write more stories with similar elements, or do you enjoy mixing it up and trying out different things with your books (ex: comedy, paranormal, contemporary).
I definitely like to mix it up. There is a sequel to A Need so Beautiful, called A Want so Wicked. But after that I’m switching it up to a contemporary, The Program, which will be out in Spring of 2013. It deals with suicide, so it’s an emotional rollercoaster. But I like to shift genres to help keep my writing fresh. Otherwise I might get bored and fall into similar writing patterns.
A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young Publisher: Balzer & Bray (June 21st, 2011) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardcover: 252 pages Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.
There have been others before who’ve felt the Need, but they’re gone—erased from the memories of everyone whose lives they had touched. It's as though they never existed. This is the fate that awaits Charlotte. But the last thing Charlotte wants to do is disappear, to be Forgotten. She wants to stay with her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend’s arms forever. She wishes she could just ignore the Need, but she can’t. And as everyone important in her life begins to slowly forget her, she has to decide if she’ll fight the Need in order to remain herself—no matter how dark the consequences.
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