Author Kimberly Pauley is here today at Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia with a guest post. Her new YA fantasy Ask Me stars Aria Morse, a girl who must answer every question truthfully. Ask Me was released by Soho Teen on April 8, 2014.
Kimberly Pauley wanted to grow up to be Douglas Adams, Robert Heinlein, or Edgar Allen Poe, but has since settled for being herself and writing her own brand of quirky. Born in California, she has lived everywhere from Florida to Chicago and has now gone international to live in London with her husband (a numbers man) and the cutest little boy in the world (The Max).
Her first book was Sucks to Be Me and it made her very happy that it made the YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers list as she firmly believes reluctant readers are just people who haven’t found the right book yet. Her second book, Still Sucks to Be Me, was a VOYA best sci-fi/fantasy pick. She wrote Cat Girl’s Day Off because she wanted to share what cats really think with the world and also because she likes to read about kick-butt half-Asian girls with funky hair. In Ask Me, she goes to the dark side and questions the nature of truth. You can learn more about Kimberly at her website, on Twitter, or at her Facebook page.
I have (of course) been reading the early reviews of ASK ME with interest (heh, show me an author who says they don’t read any reviews and I’ll show you someone in denial – though, that said, I do tend to stay away from Goodreads for mental health purposes). I’ve seen more than one person mention a love triangle in ASK ME. Some hate that. Some love that. Some demean it as a standard YA trope. Some are all, like, yay, hot guys!
And it’s okay that people are seeing a love triangle in the book.
But I didn’t actually write one.
Wait, you say, there’s these two guys in the book! And they both talk to Aria and stuff!
Yes, that’s totally true. And Aria is definitely interested in one of the boys in a romantic sort of way (I’m trying not to name names too much here or things like that because I’m trying very hard not to be spoil-ery). And one of the boys is definitely interested in her in a much more than friends type of way. But Aria never indicates any romantic interest in the one guy and he never indicates any romantic interest in her either.
I can see some of you who have read it going Waitasecondhere and reaching for the book to thumb through the pages. Go on, go ahead and take a look. I think you’ll see what I mean.
I can completely and totally see why some readers read it as a love triangle because it is a rather common thing in YA books (and yes, I’ve written one before…) and because, perhaps, it’s a human tendency to read between the lines and see things that may or may not be there. There’re these two hot dudes and a girl main character, yadda yadda, badda-boom, etc. but, when I wrote the book I wasn’t writing it as a love triangle. A triangle, sure (or a square, really), but definitely not a love triangle.
That said, once you’ve written something and released it into the world, people are going to read it through the filter of their own experiences and colored by all the other things they’ve read and watched. So it really is okay if you read the book and you see a love triangle. Even though I wrote it and know what I intended, that doesn’t make it necessarily the way the book has to be read.
And once you have read it, I’d love to hear what you think. Seriously.
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Thank you for sharing, Kimberly! I look forward to diving into Aria's world, and discovering this not-a-love-triangle business for myself. *grin*
Thank you for sharing, Kimberly! I look forward to diving into Aria's world, and discovering this not-a-love-triangle business for myself. *grin*
Ask Aria Morse anything, and she must answer with the truth. Yet she rarely understands the cryptic words she‘s compelled to utter. Blessed—or cursed—with the power of an Oracle who cannot decipher her own predictions, she does her best to avoid anyone and everyone.
But Aria can no longer hide when Jade, one of the few girls at school who ever showed her any kindness, disappears. Any time Aria overhears a question about Jade, she inadvertently reveals something new, a clue or hint as to why Jade vanished. But like stray pieces from different puzzles, her words never present a clear picture.
Then there’s Alex, damaged and dangerous, but the first person other than Jade to stand up for her. And Will, who offers a bond that seems impossible for a girl who’s always been alone. Both were involved with Jade. Aria may be the only one who can find out what happened, but the closer she gets to solving the crime, the more she becomes a target. Not everyone wants the truth to come out.
Fine print: I received no compensation for this post.
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