Michelle Levy, author of NOT AFTER EVERYTHING, on a writing style similar to method acting

by Jocelyn Rish

We’re delighted to have Michelle Levy stop by to tell us more about her debut novel NOT AFTER EVERYTHING.

Michelle, what is your favorite thing about NOT AFTER EVERYTHING?

My favorite thing would have to be the characters. I loved discovering all the new things about each and every one of them as I wrote (even the not-so-nice ones). Basically I wish Henry and Dr. Dave were real people.

What scene was really hard for you to write and why, and is that the one of which you are most proud? Or is there another scene you particularly love?

The hardest scenes for me to write were the ones with the abusive father. My writing style is sort of like method acting, I try to become the character in order to truly get their motivation and dialogue. He was one of the last characters I fleshed out in revisions because I just wasn’t ready to go there. I’m proud of those scenes now and I really hope people will see all the layers of that character. The scenes I love the most are probably the post holiday dinner scenes where Jordyn (the love interest)’s family is sitting by the fire while her stepdad is playing the guitar and singing; where Tyler truly gets a taste of the family he’s always wished he had.

What book or books would most resonate with readers who love your book–or visa versa?

Well, the comp titles my publisher used were Eleanor & Park, Willow, and The Spectacular Now. And I had a reviewer compare it to Robyn Schneider’s The Beginning of Everything. Not bad company to be in, right? I love all of those books!

How long did you work on NOT AFTER EVERYTHING? 

I’m a fast drafter. I drafted Not After Everything in a little under five weeks. But then I revised it for about four months before I queried it. And then I did a revision with my agent before we sent it out on submission. And then after it sold I did another three revisions with my editors before copyedits et al.

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

NAE was my fifth book. I queried two others, one of which I shouldn’t have because it wasn’t very good, and the other, though I did get a good amount of requests and some great feedback, was paranormal at a time when nobody wanted to touch paranormal. One of the agents who gave me really great feedback—probably the nicest rejection letter known to man—told me that I should write contemporary. She ultimately didn’t become my agent but she started me on the right path. And then when I started querying Not After Everything, I finally got a lot of requests—and a lot of rejections, too. All in all, I’d say that over the course of three years and three books I probably got around 150 agent rejections. I had an amazing submission process though. Basically my agent pitched my book on Wednesday and then on Friday she got the news that Dial was going to make us an offer on Monday, and they did! So I guess that makes up for all the years of rejection.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on something dealing with bullying and psychological issues. You know, something really light. 😉 What can I say? I love digging deep into the human psyche.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Not After Everything
by Michelle Levy
Hardcover
Dial Books
Released 8/4/2015

Fans of Eleanor and Park, The Spectacular Now, and Julia Hoban’s Willow won’t be able to put down this gritty but hopeful love story about two struggling teens.

Tyler has a football scholarship to Stanford, a hot girlfriend, and a reliable army of friends to party with. Then his mom kills herself. And Tyler lets it all go. Now he needs to dodge what his dad is offering (verbal tirades and abuse) and earn what his dad isn’t (money): He needs a job. It’s there that he reunites with Jordyn, his childhood best friend, and now the token goth girl at school. Jordyn brings Tyler an unexpected peace and, finally, love. But with his family in shambles, he can’t risk bringing Jordyn too deeply into his life. So when violence rocks Tyler’s world again, will it be Jordyn who shows him the way to a hopeful future? Or after everything, will Tyler have to find it in himself?

This tough, realistic page-turner reveals a boy’s point of view on loss and love.

Purchase Not After Everything at Amazon
Purchase Not After Everything at IndieBound
View Not After Everything on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michelle Levy was born and raised in Littleton, Colorado, where she memorized books before she was able to read, tricking her parents into thinking she was a genius. At eighteen she moved to Los Angeles, to pursue a career in casting for film and television. In her many years of casting she has been privileged to work on projects such as Six Feet Under, Deadwood, Bruce Almighty, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Vampire Academy, and many more. Michelle always secretly harbored a desire to write. She spent many insomnia-filled nights dreaming up stories that she never thought to write down. When she finally set out to get something on the page, the words flew out of her until she had her first completed manuscript and she never looked back. She still lives in Los Angeles, but desperately misses thunderstorms, and even the occasional snowstorm, so she visits Colorado quite often.

Visit Michelle online at michellelevybooks.com, on Twitter @m_levy, on Facebook at MichelleLevyBooks, and on Pinterest at MichelleLevy13.

Have you had a chance to read NOT AFTER EVERYTHING yet? Do you become your characters in order to truly get their motivation and dialogue? Are you a fast drafter like Michelle?

Happy reading,

Jocelyn, Shelly, Martina, Erin, Lisa, Susan, Jen, 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: Aug 9, 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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