Amy Engel, author of THE REVOLUTION OF IVY, on deciding to set aside a novel

by Jocelyn Rish

THE REVOLUTION OF IVY is the sequel to THE BOOK OF IVY, and we’re excited to have Amy Engel join us to chat about writing.

Amy, how long did you work on THE REVOLUTION OF IVY?

All told, it took me about three months (maybe a little less) to write REVOLUTION. And it was a pretty clean first draft so there wasn’t copious editing I had to do before I turned it in to my editor. I always knew the story would pick up immediately after the end of the first book and I knew how the series would end. But I figured out the rest as I went along, which is how I write all my books.

How long or hard was your road to publication? How many books did you write before this one, and how many never got published?

I wrote one YA novel before THE BOOK OF IVY. I sent query letters to about 25 agents and quite a few requested the full, but in the end I didn’t get any offers. I debated trying to rework that novel or just trunking it and eventually decided it was my “learning” book and set it aside. The next book I wrote was THE BOOK OF IVY and again I sent out queries to agents, about 15 this time. And again, I didn’t get any offers, although I did get a lot more positive feedback. The majority of agents who read the book said they loved it, but that dystopian books were falling out of favor with publishers so they weren’t sure they could sell it. But I still felt like IVY could be successful if someone would just give it a chance. So I began to research reputable mid-size publishers that took un-agented manuscripts and found Entangled Teen. I sent them a query, they asked for the book, and about two months later they made me a publication offer. Entangled Teen has been fabulous to work with and their support of IVY has been a dream come true.

What are you working on now?

This got a little long-winded, sorry! In between writing THE BOOK OF IVY and THE REVOLUTION OF IVY, I wrote a gothic suspense novel aimed at an adult audience (and by adult, I mean age-wise, not adult like 50 SHADES OF GREY) called THE ROANOKE GIRLS. I set it aside while I finished REVOLUTION and then started the agent hunt once again. I queried fifteen agents, ten asked to read the book and I ended up with five offers. I signed with Jodi Reamer (who is amazing, by the way) and she sold THE ROANOKE GIRLS to the Crown imprint of Random House a few months ago. So right now I’m working on edits of TRG with my editor. Once those are done, I’m going to dive into something new, although I’m not sure what exactly. I have several ideas floating around in my brain and haven’t settled on one quite yet.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Revolution of Ivy
by Amy Engel
Paperback
Entangled: Teen
Released 11/3/2015

Ivy Westfall is beyond the fence and she is alone. Abandoned by her family and separated from Bishop Lattimer, Ivy must find a way to survive on her own in a land filled with countless dangers, both human and natural. She has traded a more civilized type of cruelty–forced marriages and murder plots–for the bare-knuckled brutality required to survive outside Westfall’s borders.

But there is hope beyond the fence, as well. And when Bishop reappears in Ivy’s life, she must decide if returning to Westfall to take a final stand for what she believes is right is worth losing everything she’s fought for.

Purchase The Revolution of Ivy at Amazon
Purchase The Revolution of Ivy at IndieBound
View The Revolution of Ivy on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amy Engel is the author of THE BOOK OF IVY (out now) and its sequel, THE REVOLUTION OF IVY, which will be available on November 3, 2015. In addition, her debut adult novel (gothic suspense), THE ROANOKE GIRLS, is forthcoming from Crown in early 2017. Amy lives in Missouri with her husband and two children.

Have you had a chance to read THE REVOLUTION OF IVY yet? Do you figure out your plot as you go along? Have you set aside a novel as your “learning” book?

Happy reading,

Jocelyn, Shelly, Martina, Erin, Lisa, Susan, Sam, Lindsey, Sandra, Kristin, and Anisaa

Jocelyn Rish

Jocelyn Rish is a writer and filmmaker who loves researching weird and wonderful animals and sharing what she learns. Her debut was BATTLE OF THE BUTTS, about ten animals that do weird things with their butts. Her latest book is BATTLE OF THE BRAINS, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection about ten animals with mind-blowing brain abilities. When she’s not writing, she tutors kids to help them discover the magic of reading. Jocelyn has won numerous awards for her short stories, screenplays, films, and novels and lives in South Carolina with her adorable dog. Find out more at www.jocelynrish.com.

Post @ Jocelyn Rish and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Nov 7, 2015

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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