David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite! discussion

From March 9-12th, bestselling author Demitria Lunetta (author of In the After) will be coming to our group to answer questions about her books, her life as an author, and about anything else you all can come up with!! So get ready for the fun and start thinking of some questions to ask her!

And if you haven't checked our her books yet, I encourage you to try them! Really awesome PA stuff!



Questions

1. Jenny--What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

2. Lauren--How do you put your knowledge about human ecology to use for a dystopian/ post-apocalyptic story?

3. Raquel--What made you decide you wanted to write a post-apocalyptic world?

4. Raquel--I loved the relationship between Amy and Baby. What inspired you to write it?

5. Raquel--I also loved all the side characters (a.k.a. the friends Amy makes along the way). Do you have a favorite?

6. Raquel--How is your writing routine? What is a regular day in your life like?

7. Raquel--I would love to read more things you write. What is next for you?

8. Raquel--Are any of the books being translated to other languages? Like, say, Portuguese? ;)

9. Karen--You had a pretty unique take on the "monsters". What was your inspiration?

10. David--Your name is very unique (at least to me!), what are its origins?

11. Jenny--What are some books that inspire you?

12. Karen--Do you have any favorite fan moments that really stand out?

13. David--Do you speak any other languages, like Greek or Italian? I'm awful at languages so I'm always in awe of anyone that is multi-lingual!

14. JP--Did you ever consider writing In the After from a different point of view?

15. JP--Also, In the After could very easily have taken place in the future. What made you decide to set it in the present?

16. Jenny--IF you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I'm looking forward to this one! These have been on my tbr list for awhile now!

I can tell you the first one is really good! Still need to read the sequel :)

I actually picked this book up late last night to see what the first chapter was like and at 1:00 am realized I was at 30%. Whoopsies! I'm really loving it! Can't wait to chat with Demitria! :)

Awesome! Can't wait :)

Thank you so much, Demitria for coming to our group! I LOVED In the After, can't wait to read the sequel!

I'll start things off :)

What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

Thanks for visiting our group, Demitria!
I haven't had the chance to read In The After yet, but I hope to soon.

Accordingly to your bio, you have a bachelor's degree in Human Ecology. That sounds like it could come in very handy when writing a dystopian or post-apocalyptic book. How do you put your knowledge about human ecology to use for a dystopian/ post-apocalyptic story?

Thanks again!

Yay \o/!!! I really enjoyed both In the After books, and I'm so excited for this Q&A! Thanks for being here Demitria! I have lots of questions:

What made you decide you wanted to write a post-apocalyptic world?
I loved the relationship between Amy and Baby. What inspired you to write it?
I also loved all the side characters (a.k.a. the friends Amy makes along the way). Do you have a favorite?
How is your writing routine? What is a regular day in your life like?
I would love to read more things you write. What is next for you?

Oh, one more I forgot:
Are any of the books being translated to other languages? Like, say, Portuguese? ;)

Hi Demitria! I'm so excited you're joining us!! :)

I read In The After a couple of weeks ago and couldn't put it down! I picked up In The End immediately after and devoured it!

You had a pretty unique take on the "monsters". What was your inspiration?

Jenny wrote: What is your favorite thing about being a writer?"

Oh, this is a hard one because I LOVE being a writer. Reading has always been my absolute favorite thing to do, so the fact that I now get to write the stories that others read is amazing to me. I think my favorite favorite thing is getting messages from teens (and adults)who also love to read. It just makes me happy.

Lauren wrote: "How do you put your knowledge about human ecology to use for a dystopian/ post-apocalyptic story?i>

Great question! When I was in college I thought that I wanted to become an environmental lawyer. I discovered that I liked (and was much better at) the writing classes I took than my law classes. Even though I haven't used the degree for environmental studies, it definitely helps when writing about the end of the world. There are so many ways in which people can, and do, mess up the world.

It has also offered a unique perspective on what the world would be like without people...one of my professors was actually on a TLC show that described in great detail what would happen if people disappeared off the face of the earth how long structures would last and what would happen to the animal population. All interesting things that I learned while studying Human Ecology.

Hi Demitria! *waves* Thanks so much to coming to our group and hanging out with us :)

Your name is very unique (at least to me!), what are its origins?

Demitria wrote: "Lauren wrote: "How do you put your knowledge about human ecology to use for a dystopian/ post-apocalyptic story?i>

Great question! When I was in college I thought that I wanted to become an enviro..."

WOW, all that is mind boggling!

What are some books that inspire you?

Raquel wrote: What made you decide you wanted to write a post-apocalyptic world?"

Thanks for all the great questions Raquel...I'm going to tackle them one at a time. :-) Why did I decide to write a post-apocalyptic novel?

I've always loved end of the word stories...especially the ones with creatures. I'm a huge fan of THE WALKING DEAD (um...of course!) and movies like I AM LEGEND and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. I love to read anything that has zombies/aliens/vampires. For that last one I mean the scary, eat your face vampires, not the eternal love, marry you vampires...although I like those ones as well. :-)

I think it was natural that I would write a post-apocalyptic novel eventually, and I really wanted something a bit unique...creatures that hunted during the day, to take away the comfort of light. I also made them hunt by sound, to take away Amy's voice. I think post-apocalyptic novels work so well for YA because teens are great at adapting.

So I guess lots of reasons! I hope I answered your question!

Raquel wrote: "I loved the relationship between Amy and Baby. What inspired you to write it?i>

Amy was stuck in a world where she couldn't leave her house without fear of being eaten alive, she couldn't speak or make a noise. She was alone. I wanted to show her humanity. Taking care of Baby also gave Amy a reason to go on and a grip on reality. I think otherwise Amy would have gone completely crazy-cakes...and really, who could blame her?

I also love when YA novels explore other relationships besides romantic ones. Amy and Baby share a sisterly bond that is very interesting to me. I'll give a shout out to my own sister...Hi Nyssa!!! :-)

Raquel wrote: "Oh, one more I forgot:
Are any of the books being translated to other languages? Like, say, Portuguese? ;)"

Ha! Right now IN THE AFTER is available in French with IN THE END coming out in April. It will also be translated into Turkish by the end of the year. No Portuguese yet though!

Do you have any favorite fan moments that really stand out?

Demitria wrote: "Raquel wrote: What made you decide you wanted to write a post-apocalyptic world?"

Thanks for all the great questions Raquel...I'm going to tackle them one at a time. :-) Why did I decide to write ..."

Thank you for your amazing answers! I did see some resemblance to I am Legend (the movie, I haven't read the novel), just in the sense that I was scared and on the edge of my seat the whole time! I'm rarely scared by books, and I love this feeling of genuinely not knowing what will happen.

Too bad about them not beeing translated to Potuguese yet! But I'm still recommending them to all my english reading YA lover friends!

Raquel wrote: "I also loved all the side characters (a.k.a. the friends Amy makes along the way). Do you have a favorite?"i>

I really enjoyed writing Amber. She's more like Amy's enemy than friend, but she's just trying to survive, just like Amy. I think a lot of people would end up like Amber, morally torn but ultimately choosing survival over their conscience. It was also fun to write the interactions between Amy and Amber, they're so different and Amy finds Amber incredibly irritating/frustrating/infuriating.

David wrote: "Hi Demitria! *waves* Thanks so much to coming to our group and hanging out with us :)

Your name is very unique (at least to me!), what are its origins?"

I get asked all the time if my name is a pen name, but no, it's my real name which was absolutely awful growing up. :-) Actually, Demitria is a very common greek name, and I even have a friend who is also named Demitria (Hi Demi!)My last name, Lunetta is Italian, and it means little moon. Together they make an awesome name for a writer, so all the resentment I had when I was younger about my funky name is long gone!

Karen wrote: "You had a pretty unique take on the "monsters". What was your inspiration?"

I think I mentioned in an earlier answer that I love love love (yes, three loves) THE WALKING DEAD. Pretty much anything related. But I also love aliens and vampires, so I wanted a creature that combined all the elements of the scary monsters that stalk the night. When I created the Floraes I kept in mind the ultimate monster...a zombie/alien/vampire hybrid.

I also wanted to duplicate the tension from all those scary movies I watch, most notably, the ALIEN movies. The part right before you see the alien. I wish I could bottle that feeling of anticipation!

Demitria wrote: "I think I mentioned in an earlier answer that I love love love (yes, three loves) THE WALKING DEAD. Pretty much anything related. But I also love aliens and vampires, so I wanted a creature that combined all the elements of the scary monsters that stalk the night. When I created the Floraes I kept in mind the ultimate monster...a zombie/alien/vampire hybrid.

I also wanted to duplicate the tension from all those scary movies I watch, most notably, the ALIEN movies. The part right before you see the alien. I wish I could bottle that feeling of anticipation!"

I've not read or, admittedly, heard much about your books, but good lord, this answer has me wanting to read them.

Jenny wrote: "What are some books that inspire you?"i>

Not surprisingly I read a lot. I love to read sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction, and anything YA. For IN THE AFTER in particular I was inspired by so many good book...including 1984, I AM LEGEND (Double inspiration from the book and the movie!), THE HANDMAID'S TALE, SHADE'S CHILDREN, and even ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST. Generally, I'm inspired by anything Margaret Atwood has ever written. She's absolutely amazing. (Yes, I am a total fan girl.)

Demitria wrote: "David wrote: "Hi Demitria! *waves* Thanks so much to coming to our group and hanging out with us :)

Your name is very unique (at least to me!), what are its origins?"

I get asked all the time if..."

That's awesome! I really love the way the things that are embarrassing in childhood tend to flip themselves upside down and become the things we're most proud of as adults. Thanks for sharing about your name :) My next question is related:

Do you speak any other languages, like Greek or Italian? I'm awful at languages so I'm always in awe of anyone that is multi-lingual!

Did you ever consider writing In the After from a different point of view?

Also, In the After could very easily have taken place in the future. What made you decide to set it in the present?

IF you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

Okay, everyone today is the LAST DAY to get your questions in!

Thank you so much Demitria for coming to our group and hanging out with us! Your answers have been AWESOME!

David wrote: "Do you speak any other languages, like Greek or Italian? I'm awful at languages so I'm always in awe of anyone that is multi-lingual! "

Um...me too, but unfortunately that isn't me! :-) I'm third generation...On the Italian side of my family, my great-grandparents came over through Ellis Island in 1906...so no one in my family speaks Italian... except for a few choice words. I think it's amazing in America how we're all American, but we also love to celebrate where our ancestors came from.

J_P wrote: "Did you ever consider writing In the After from a different point of view?

Also, In the After could very easily have taken place in the future. What made you decide to set it in the present?"

I always knew that I wanted Amy to be the narrator, I wanted the reader to see the world through her eyes. That's also why I chose to set in the present/near future. I didn't want a disconnect from what happened, instead I wanted the reader experience each gory detail along with Amy.

Jenny wrote: "IF you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?"

I spent a LOT of time traveling when I was in my twenties. I studied at the University of Glasgow in Scotland and on breaks would back-pack across Europe, so I've been to Holland, Denmark, Switzerland, France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, and of course, Italy. I visit friends in Scotland every few years, and it really is my favorite place to travel to.

I also always wanted to go to Australia, so I saved, took time off of work, and spend several months there. The one last place that I REALLY want to visit, but haven't been yet is Japan, so that's the next big trip!

Raquel wrote: "How is your writing routine? What is a regular day in your life like?
I would love to read more things you write. What is next for you?"

Okay, let me answer your last two questions Raquel. Hmmm routine? What's that? :-) I really don't write everyday, but sometimes I write for hours and hours. It really depends on the day. I do read every day so usually I start off reading and then deicide what I'm going to work on that day, whether a WIP, something new, or editing something old...or even just binge watching x-files on Netflix. :-)

As for what's next. I have a book on submission now, so fingers crossed it gets picked up! I'll definitely keep writing, and hopefully people will keep reading!

AWESOME Q&A!! A huge thanks to Demitria for spending her valuable time with us this week! Awesome questions, awesomer (it's a word, I swear!) answers by the author, great job everyone :)

Awesomer! David, that totally made me crack up!

But I agree, FANTABULOUS Q&A :)

David wrote: "AWESOME Q&A!! A huge thanks to Demitria for spending her valuable time with us this week! Awesome questions, awesomer (it's a word, I swear!) answers by the author, great job everyone :)"

Thank you for having me! And for all the great questions!!!

I agree with my fellow mods!! Awesomer Q&A, Demetria!! ;) And I for one LOVE your books so I'll be first in line for your next book!!

Thank you so very much!!

I really enjoyed this book. Had me on the edge of my seat all the time. My question is is there going to be a movie in the future based on this novel? because it would be phenomenal. plus i would like to play the role of Amy. Its just a powerful character!

I'm so glad you enjoyed the book, Samantha! Unfortunately the Q&A ended on March 12th, but I'm sure we'd all love a movie!