Amy Engel, author of THE BOOK OF IVY, on writing despite the chaos

by Adventures in YA Publishing

What is your favorite thing about THE BOOK OF IVY?

Oh, that’s a difficult question! Can I cheat and give you my two favorite things? One of the things I love most about the book is the relationship between Ivy and Bishop. It was such a pleasure to write and I love how their romance takes its time developing. It wouldn’t be realistic in this story for them to fall instantly in love. A friendship, and trust, have to be established first, before their relationship can evolve into something more. My other favorite thing about THE BOOK OF IVY is the difficulty of discerning who is “good” and who is “bad.” Don’t get me wrong, I love a book with an easily defined “big bad,” but I wanted to do something different with IVY. Just as Ivy struggles with who to believe, who to trust, and balancing individual desire versus the greater good, I wanted the reader to question those things as well and I hope I was able to accomplish that.

How long did you work on THE BOOK OF IVY?

It took me about eight weeks to write the first draft of IVY. When I’m writing, I’m all in: I don’t sleep much, can’t concentrate on anything else, and tune out the world. Generally, I write a pretty clean first draft, so it was another two weeks of self-editing and then I was able to begin sending out queries.

What’s your writing ritual like?

I always write at home, never in public. I get too distracted if I have strangers to stare at! I don’t write at a desk. I have a comfy chair and ottoman in the corner of the living room and I write there, even when the kids are playing the Xbox or my husband is watching sports. I just pop in my ear buds, click on my writing playlist (songs that I’ve listened to so often I don’t even really hear them anymore, but they block sound and somehow tell my brain it’s time to start writing), and start typing on my laptop. I’ve learned that if I wait for the perfect time to write, I’ll never write, so I just dive in no matter how chaotic it may be in the house. I can get a lot done in fifteen minute spurts, if push comes to shove.

What are you working on now?

I am doing clean up on the sequel, THE REVOLUTION OF IVY, right now in preparation for turning it in to my editors. I’ve had the best time getting back into Ivy’s world and writing about her again. I have a couple of ideas for other YA novels, and I’m batting those around right now. I’m sure it won’t be too long before I start something new; I’m always happier when I’m writing.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Book of Ivy
by Amy Engel
Paperback
Entangled: Teen
Released 11/11/2014

What would you kill for?

After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual.

This year, it is my turn.

My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my soon-to-be husband—and return the Westfall family to power.

But Bishop Lattimer is either a very skilled actor or he’s not the cruel, heartless boy my family warned me to expect. He might even be the one person in this world who truly understands me. But there is no escape from my fate. I am the only one who can restore the Westfall legacy.

Because Bishop must die. And I must be the one to kill him…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amy Engel was born in Kansas and after a childhood spent bouncing between countries (Iran, Taiwan) and states (Kansas, California, Missouri, Washington, D.C.), she settled in Kansas City, Missouri where she lives with her husband and two kids. Before devoting herself full time to motherhood and writing, Amy was a criminal defense attorney, which is not quite as exciting as it looks on television. When Amy has a free moment, she can usually be found reading, running, or shoe shopping.

Adventures in YA Publishing

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Posted: Nov 8, 2014

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Author Interviews

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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