Book info:
Title: SwitchbackAuthor: Danika Stone
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: May 28th, 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Synopsis:
An epic YA adventure story about two friends lost in the Canadian wilderness from Danika Stone, the author of All the Feels.
Vale loves to hike, but kind of hates her classmates. Ash is okay with his classmates, but kind of hates the outdoors. So, needless to say they are both fairly certain that the overnight nature hike with their PE class is going to be a hellish experience. But when they get separated from the group during a storm, they have worse things to worry about than bullies and blisters.
Lost in the Canadian wilderness with limited supplies, caught in dangerous weather conditions, and surrounded by deadly wildlife, it’s going to take every bit of strength, skill, and luck they can muster to survive.
Praise for Danika Stone:
“An enjoyable, fast-paced read.” — School Library Journal on Internet Famous
“The book is a dream. I loved absolutely everything about it. … From the chapter headers to every mention of nerd culture, All the Feels is a blast!” —Seeking Book Boyfriends on All the Feels
Author Interview:
1. What
does your writing process look like? Do you know the whole story when you
start? Or do you just start writing and go with it (seat of the pants
writing)? If you plan it out, how do you do that? Outline, notecards,
post-it-notes, etc.?
I used to be a complete pantser, but the more I wrote, the
more frustrated I got by moments where I’d painted myself into a corner and had
no idea how to get out. Nowadays, I start with characters and develop them long
before I start to write. Then I hash out a rough plot that’s a page or two
long. It’s my ‘road map’ so to speak. Then I jump in and start writing, knowing
that the entire story can shift directions at any time.
All my planning is done on Word and Scrivener, though I do
occasionally wake up in the middle of the night with a great idea. Those
details get jotted onto whatever is close at hand!
2. Do you
edit as you go, or wait till you're finished before you edit? How
many times would you say you go over it yourself before having another set
of eyes look it over?
When I start writing, I cannot stop until I reach the end.
If something occurs to me, I leave a note (usually right on the first page of
the document) that tells me what to do differently. It might be something like
“go back to chapter five and untangle the mess of the argument” or “something
needs to happen in chapter seven to get Person A to Point B.” Either way, I
don’t revise, I just plow on. There’s something about that forward momentum
that keeps me writing. I never have trouble getting to the final chapter.
Once it’s done, I go over the manuscript two or three times,
then hand it off to a beta reader. A book isn’t finished until that point.
3. Are you
part of a writers group that gets together and helps each other with their
writing?
Long ago, I used to write fanfic, and those writers became
my first writing group. Even today, many of those same people are my beta
readers. I trust their insights implicitly. As I began to publish, this
writers’ group grew larger, including many of my fellow published authors. It’s
an amazing team!
4. What
tips do you have for aspiring writers?
Write. Keep writing. Accept that the first few attempts will
suck, but write anyhow. It’s amazing
how much you can learn by failure so embrace that—learn from it—and keep moving
forward. As difficult as it is, you need to complete what you’ve started. I
often tell aspiring writers: “Finished is better than perfect.” That’s 100%
true.
5.
What are your favorite:
Books/authors/genres
Choosing a favorite book / author / genre would be like
choosing a favorite child. I just can’t.
Sorry! There are too many and I read EVERYTHING.
Movies/TV Shows
I love Game of
Thrones, The 100, the entire MCU, and
a million other things! Seriously, I could list fifty movies and TV shows here.
I’m a fangirl at heart.
Music
Currently obsessed with Lovelytheband, but I listen to a
broad range of music. (This seems to be a theme for me!)
Food/Writing
snack
Tim Hortons coffee and a butter croissant. Perfection!
Author Bio:
Danika Stone is an author, artist, and educator who discovered a passion for writing fiction while in the throes of her Masters thesis. A self-declared bibliophile, Danika now writes novels for both teens: INTERNET FAMOUS (Macmillan, 2017) and ALL THE FEELS (Macmillan, 2016); and adults THE DARK DIVIDE (Stonehouse, 2018) and EDGE OF WILD (Stonehouse, 2016).
Ms. Stone’s work has received both recognition and literary praise. In 2017, Chapters included EDGE OF WILD in “Our Favourite Canadian Fiction”, and INTERNET FAMOUS was nominated for the R. Ross Annett Award for Children’s Literature (2018) as well as selected as one of Fierce Reads’ “9 Perfect Summertime Reads” (2017). EDGE OF WILD (previously entitled TATHAGATA) was a quarter-finalist in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel of the Year Award (2013), a finalist in the Horatio Nelson Fiction Prize (2015), and took second place in the Publish or Perish contest (2015). ALL THE FEELS was selected for Swoon Reads’ fourth list (2015) and was nominated for YALSA’s Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (2016), and for CYBILS’ Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards (2016).
Ms. Stone’s books have been reviewed by VOYA, Teen Reads, and School Library Journal. Danika has also featured in the BN Teen Blog, Clash, Quillable, Fierce Reads, Lethbridge Living Magazine, CJSR’s Word, and on CBC’s Daybreak.
When not writing, Danika can be found hiking in the Rockies, planning grand adventures, and spending far too much time online. She lives with her husband, three sons, and a houseful of imaginary characters in a windy corner of Alberta, Canada.
Ms. Stone is represented by Morty Mint of Mint Literary Agency.
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