Joshua David Bellin, author of FREEFALL, on satirical elements, over-the-top wordplay, and some serious stuff, too

by Jocelyn Rish

We’re delighted to have Joshua David Bellin stop by to share more about his latest novel, FREEFALL.

Joshua, what was your inspiration for writing FREEFALL?

I read a lot of space operas when I was a kid—as well as totally geeking out over movies like STAR WARS—and the idea of writing a YA novel that was part outer space adventure and part romance really appealed to me. Since finishing FREEFALL, I’ve read many great YA books in that vein—including Philip Reeve’s RAILHEAD, Fonda Lee’s ZEROBOXER, AdriAnne Strickland and Michael Miller’s SHADOW RUN, and Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff’s ILLUMINAE—and I hope readers who love books like these will love FREEFALL as well!

How long did you work on FREEFALL?

I started FREEFALL in November 2013, the first time I participated in NaNoWriMo. I got my 50,000 words (largely by ignoring everything else in my life), but the book was a mess. So I set it aside to pursue other projects and to figure out what on Earth (or in space) to do with it. In 2015, I picked it back up, read it over, and decided it was a good story, just sloppily told given the breakneck pace of drafting. So I took another six months or so to revise and expand it. Then, of course, my agent wanted some changes, as did my editor, so it wasn’t in publishable form until late 2016. Three years overall, but not in one continuous stretch, thank goodness!

What do you hope readers will take away from FREEFALL?

With all of my novels, I hope readers will be swept up by the story and care about the characters. But with FREEFALL, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hope that readers respond to the satirical elements. The twenty-second century Earth of FREEFALL is a world where governments have been abolished, corporations rule, and the wealthiest one percent of the population is preparing to abandon the planet for another habitable world. There’s some twisted humor to that scenario, some over-the-top wordplay, and some serious stuff too. Making those aspects harmonize with a character-driven story wasn’t easy, but I hope I’ve struck a balance that readers can enjoy.

What are you working on now?

Many things! I’m putting the finishing touches on another science fiction novel called DEEP-SIX, and I’m writing a prequel to my first two novels, SURVIVAL COLONY 9 and SCAVENGER OF SOULS. Those books take place fifty years after Earth has been devastated by war and environmental catastrophe, and I’ve always wanted to go back and tell the story of those cataclysmic events. I’m also at various stages of two or three other books, and after I’m done with my prequel, I’ll sit down with them and see which one makes the best case for being the one I finish!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Freefall
by Joshua David Bellin
Hardcover
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Released 9/26/2017

The fate of the human race hangs on the actions of two teens from very different backgrounds in this thrilling sci-fi adventure.

In the Upperworld, the privileged 1% are getting ready to abandon a devastated planet Earth. And Cam can’t wait to leave. After sleeping through a 1,000-year journey, he and his friends will have a pristine new planet to colonize. And no more worries about the Lowerworld and its 99% of rejects.

Then Cam sees a banned video feed of protesters in the Lowerworld who also want a chance at a new life. And he sees a girl with golden eyes who seems to be gazing straight through the feed directly at him. A girl he has to find. Sofie.

When Cam finds Sofie, she opens his eyes to the unfairness of what’s happening in their world, and Cam joins her cause for Lowerworld rights. He also falls hard for Sofie. But Sofie has her own battles to fight, and when it’s time to board the spaceships, Cam is alone.

Waking up 1,000 years in the future, Cam discovers that he and his shipmates are far off-course, trapped on an unknown and hostile planet. Who has sabotaged their ship? And does it have anything to do with Sofie, and the choices—and the enemies—he made in the past?

Purchase Freefall at Amazon
Purchase Freefall at IndieBound
View Freefall on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I’ve been writing novels since I was eight years old (though the first few were admittedly very short). I taught college for twenty years, wrote a bunch of books for college students, then decided to return to fiction. My two-part YA science fiction series is now available: SURVIVAL COLONY 9 (2014) and SCAVENGER OF SOULS (2016). A third YA science fiction novel, the deep-space adventure/romance FREEFALL, will be published in 2017. I love to read, watch movies, and spend time in Nature with my kids. I’m the world’s worst singer, but I play a pretty mean air guitar.

Oh, yeah, and I like monsters. Really scary monsters.

—

Have you had a chance to read FREEFALL yet? Joshua largely wrote FREEFALL during NaNoWriMo, which is just around the corner – who’s participating this year? Do you have an outline for your project? Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!

Happy reading,

Charlotte, Jocelyn, Anisaa, Erin, Martina, Erin, Susan, Shelly, Kelly, Laura, Emily, and Lori Ann

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: Sep 30, 2017

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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