Becky Allen, author of BOUND BY BLOOD AND SAND, on burning a book down and starting over

by Jocelyn Rish

We’re pleased to have Becky Allen swing by to give us more info about her debut BOUND BY BLOOD AND SAND.

Becky, what was your inspiration for writing BOUND BY BLOOD AND SAND?

BOUND BY BLOOD AND SAND actually has a very clear origin. My older sister (who also happens to be my roommate) teaches high school global history. It’s a set of classes that takes two years and culminates in a major, state-mandated exam. So she always spends the last few weeks of the year reviewing, going all the way back to the beginning, trying to help her students prepare for the test.

One of her strategies are flashcards to help with multiple choice. It’s a quick way to link concepts — to know that if a question asks about X, the answer is almost always going to be Y. When she told me about it, her X and Y examples were irrigation and civilization. In other words, if the test asks for a major factor leading to the birth of civilization, the right answer is probably irrigation.

So I began to wonder, if irrigation was a necessity for civilization to form, then in a world with magic, would they use that magic for irrigation? Would their society be centered around it? And I began to imagine a desert world that was barely surviving — and what little bit of civilization they could eke out was only possible because they had a magical source of water. And then I asked myself: what would happen if their magic, and thus their water, suddenly went dry?

How long did you work on BOUND BY BLOOD AND SAND?

Oh, man. BOUND BY BLOOD AND SAND took me a long, long time. It’s a bit lost to the mists of time, but from what I can find of my old drafts and notes, it looks like I started the very first version of the book, then tentatively titled “Oasis,” in January 2010. That makes it just shy of six years between the first word and publication.

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

Well, as I said above, the road took about six years. It involved burning the book down and starting again — twice. (That means it was written from the ground up three times!) I also did countless rounds of revision with the help of my critique partners, and then more once I’d signed with my agent, and yet more with my editor after it sold.

I don’t regret how long it took, though. Last year, I jumped in to drafting book two, the sequel that will finish the story that began in Bound by Blood and Sand. And as tricky as writing that has been, it’s also been much quicker — because at 33, I’m a much better writer than I was when I wrote that rough, terrible first draft at 27.

But even that first version was a step forward. Bound by Blood and Sand was the first book I queried — but not the first one I wrote. It was my fourth manuscript. The first three are resting comfortably in binders in the back of my closet. They were all too deeply flawed to fix — and I hadn’t yet learned how to rework a concept or the discipline to start again from scratch when something wasn’t working.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Bound by Blood and Sand
by Becky Allen
Hardcover
Delacorte Press
Released 10/11/2016

Jae is a slave in a dying desert world.

Once verdant with water from a magical Well, the land is drying up, and no one remembers the magic needed to keep the water flowing. If a new source isn’t found soon, the people will perish. Jae doesn’t mind, in a way. By law, she is bound by a curse to obey every order given her, no matter how vile. At least in death, she’ll be free.

Elan’s family rules the fading realm. He comes to the estate where Jae works, searching for the hidden magic needed to replenish the Well, but it’s Jae who finds it, and she who must wield it. Desperate to save his realm, Elan begs her to use it to locate the Well.

But why would a slave—abused, beaten, and treated as less than human—want to save the system that shackles her? Jae would rather see the world burn.

Though revenge clouds her vision, she agrees to help if the realm’s slaves are freed. Then Elan’s father arrives. The ruler’s cruelty knows no limits. He is determined that the class system will not change—and that Jae will remain a slave forever.

Purchase Bound by Blood and Sand at Amazon
Purchase Bound by Blood and Sand at IndieBound
View Bound by Blood and Sand on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Becky Allen grew up in a tiny town outside Ithaca, New York, and graduated from Brandeis University with a major in American studies and a minor in journalism. She is the website director of TheBody.com, an online HIV resource, and loves New York, brunch, and feminism. Becky lives in New York City.

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Have you had a chance to read BOUND BY BLOOD AND SAND yet? Have you ever been inspired by flashcards for a history class? Have you scrapped a book to start over multiple times? Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!

Happy reading,

Jocelyn, Shelly, Martina, Anisaa, Sam, Erin, Susan, Michelle, Laura, and Kristin

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: Oct 15, 2016

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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