Q&A With Megan McCafferty discussion

If you've already read BUMPED and you want to ask specific questions about it, this is the place. If you haven't read it yet and don't want to know what happens, STOP READING NOW. Okay. You're still reading. So ASK ME ANYTHING. If you didn't like some of my choices, ask me about them. If you're confused, ask me. This book is provoking very different reactions and I love discussion and debate. Just remember to be respectful.

Vickie wrote: "Harmony is a strict Christian and found that strange to read about because I usually avoid novels with Christianity in them. Did you have to do any research for her character or did you know what t..."

First, thank you for giving BUMPED a chance! Everything Harmony says and does in BUMPED was informed by research and observation. The Church is a fictional combination of several faiths, most notably FDLS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) and the Amish, so I read a lot about both. "Forbidden Fruit: Sex & Religion in the Lives of Teenagers" by Mark Regenerus was also extremely insightful for the way it outlined the contradictions between what is preached (abstinence until marriage) and what is actually done (sex before marriage). I lurked on Christian blogs and watched many teens' testimonials on YouTube to borrow the language they use to talk about sin and salvation. Most significant, I thought of one of my best friends growing up, a minister's daughter who chafed against her superstrict religious upbringing. She reminded me how hard it is to break free from everything you've been brought up to be and believe and helped me bring out the strength and courage in Harmony's character.

Vickie wrote: "Megan wrote: "Vickie wrote: "Harmony is a strict Christian and found that strange to read about because I usually avoid novels with Christianity in them. Did you have to do any research for her ch..."

Thank you, Vickie! Since you mentioned it, I'm giving away autographed bookmarks to thank readers for buying BUMPED. Here are the details:

http://www.meganmccafferty.com/2011/0...

Hi Megan!

I loved Bumped! When I closed the galley I was so sad because I didn't want it to end. Are you finished with book two? And when do the publishers expect to release it? :D

Annie wrote: "Hi Megan!

I loved Bumped! When I closed the galley I was so sad because I didn't want it to end. Are you finished with book two? And when do the publishers expect to release it? :D"

I'm so happy to hear that BUMPED left you wanting more! I'm revising the sequel RIGHT NOW. (Well, not right at this moment...you get the idea.) I hope you won't have to wait any longer than a year to read it. I'll definitely keep you and other interested readers posted.

Does Bumped #2 have a title yet? Did you use any specific person to help create Zen? If so, can I marry him? Ha. Did you read Uglies (series) before writing this? I noticed some similar future speak in Bumped. I also wanted to say how much I loved the Britney Spears references. I can't wait to find out if Jondoe is for real about Harmony and if my theory of Ram being gay is true!

Miss McCafferty,

I received my copy of Bumped yesterday and was just able to finish it. Amazing! I loved the slang terms. I loved the characters. The voice you have as an author is unreal. Very original, extremely authentic, and awesomely consistent. Looking forward to Bumped: The Sequel. May I ask how you first came up with the concept of this book? What inspired you?

Faith

Amberjade wrote: "Does Bumped #2 have a title yet? Did you use any specific person to help create Zen? If so, can I marry him? Ha. Did you read Uglies (series) before writing this? I noticed some similar future spe..."

Ha! I was wondering if anyone would catch the sly Britney Spears reference! And I love Zen too! When writing his character, I thought conversations I've had with my husband and younger brother about how much life sucks for freshman boys who haven't hit puberty yet. Girls want NOTHING to do with them, even if they're sweet and funny and smart. My husband and brother both grew up and into total catches...but they suffered for a few years first.

I have read UGLIES, though I didn't refer to it in any specific way, it did give me courage to have fun making up the slang and technological advances.

As for what happens next...I'm revising the sequel right now. So hopefully you won't have to wait too long to find out what happens next!

Amberjade wrote: "Does Bumped #2 have a title yet? Did you use any specific person to help create Zen? If so, can I marry him? Ha. Did you read Uglies (series) before writing this? I noticed some similar future spe..."

Oh...And there is a working title for the sequel...but we're keeping that to ourselves until a little bit further along in the process. Don't worry, I'll be sure to spread the word when the time is right!

Faith wrote: "Miss McCafferty,

I received my copy of Bumped yesterday and was just able to finish it. Amazing! I loved the slang terms. I loved the characters. The voice you have as an author is unreal. Ve..."

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed reading the slang as much as I enjoyed making it up.

As for the inspiration, everything in BUMPED is rooted in real life. The idea was sparked by the infamous Gloucester High School pregnancy pact, when the world was appalled and fascinated by the idea that a group of girls would try to synchronize their pregnancies. Then Jamie Lyn Spears and Bristol Palin battled it out for the dubious distinction of America's Most Famous Teen Mom, and JUNO was released to widespread critical and commercial acclaim. Suddenly the media couldn't stop having these very polarized debates about teen pregnancy. I noticed that extreme thinking on both sides crowded out more moderate approaches to the problem. I knew then that I wanted to satirize those extremes, which inspired the questions at the heart of the novel: What if teenagers were encouraged to have sex and get pregnant? Under what conditions would that be universally acceptable? I knew it would have to be something apocalyptic, so I invented the Human Progressive Sterility Virus. The irony is, teen pregnancy was the NORM throughout human history. Teens were expected to have babies. Which brings up another theme of the novel, the idea that cultural norms are fluid, not fixed.

WHEW. I've GOT to come up with a more succinct answer to that question.

When will the next book in the series come out? I am dying to read it :) I really want to know what happens with Jondoe and Harmony and Melody and Zen!

I think Megan is done with this Q&A but she is revising Bumped #2 right now, I'm pretty sure there isn't an official release date yet and they aren't releasing the sequels title yet either.

Darn!