Mundie Moms

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Interview with Rise Author Anna Carey


I'm thrilled to have RISE author, Anna Carey on Mundie Moms today! Anna's latest book RISE was released last week. If you haven't yet picked up this series, I highly recommend it. You can read my review RISE here. 


How far will you go when you have nothing left to lose?

When she lost her soul mate, Caleb, Eve felt like her world had ended. Trapped in the palace, forced to play the part of the happy, patriotic princess of The New America—and the blushing bride of her father's top adviser—Eve's whole life is a lie. The only thing that keeps her going is Caleb's memory, and the revolution he started.

Now, Eve is taking over where Caleb left off. With the help of Moss, an undercover subversive in the King's court, she plots to take down The New America, beginning with the capital, the City of Sand. Will Eve be able to bring about a new, free world when she's called upon to perform the ultimate act of rebellion—killing her father?

In Rise, Eve must choose who to leave behind, who to save, and who to fight as Anna Carey's epic tale of romance and sacrifice in the chilling dystopia of The New America comes to a stunning conclusion

Purchase RISE from  Amazon | Barnes & Noble and add it to Goodreads


Hi Anna! Welcome back to Mundie Moms. I'm so thrilled to have you on the blog today. Congrats to Rise's release. How would you sum up the ending of your series in 5 words or less?

More graduation than funeral.


I'm always surprised with characters in a series, because there are ones who I normally wouldn't except to change, often change the most by the time the series wraps up, or they take on bigger roles in the storyline than I first thought they would. Which of your characters surprised you in terms of how they changed or do you have a character that took on a bigger role than you first thought they would?

I was determined to dislike Clara and Charles when they first appeared in Once. Here were these two characters who’ve had it easier in most ways than Arden, Eve, or Caleb. How could they possibly understand the evils of The New America? But writing a character is similar to becoming friends with someone. Once you know why they are the way they are, forgiveness is easier.

Which character did you enjoy getting to know? Why?

Writing the King was it’s own history lesson. To make him believable I had to understand why dictators think and act the way they do, and how governments and countries devolve under their rule. I love when I learn something from the characters and worlds that I write.

Do you have a favorite book in your series? If so, which one?

Once seems to be a favorite among readers, which I was intially surprised by. Not because I don’t love that book, but because it was such a challenge to write. Up to a few weeks before the release I was concerned about it being published. So much changed in the last drafts—big chunks were deleted and rewritten—and I was worried about lines here or there and paragraph transitions. That book reminds me how lost you can get in the writing, and how difficult it is to predict how s story will be received.  

What is one thing that has surprised you about Eve's character from her growth in Eve to the end of Rise?

There’s a pretty big twist in Rise that I didn’t originally see coming. When I realized that’s where the book needed to go, it felt so organic to the overarching plot. Now I look back on the first chapter of Eve and think: of course. Part of me always knew this is where the story was headed.

Could you please share with us one of our favorite lines?

There’s a line in the first book that goes: “Did he know he worked his way into my dreams, where I missed him, even in sleep?”

When you’re falling in love it feels like you’re carrying a secret, this delicate thing that could so easily mess things up (the egg on the spoon metaphor always comes to mind here). I think there’s real magic in this, the moment before things are spoken and revealed. Eve feels that here and is swept away by it.

Could you tell us a little bit about what you're working on now?

I’m currently writing the first book of Blackbird, a two-part series coming in Fall 2014. A girl wakes up on the subway tracks in modern day Los Angeles and can’t remember her life before. It’s hard to say anything else without revealing something, but the story is fast-paced, scary, and intense.


Thank you Anna for stopping by Mundie Moms today!


About the author:
Anna Carey is the author of EVE, which is now available wherever books are sold. The sequel, ONCE, hits shelves July 3rd, 2012. She grew up on Long Island, the daughter of a special education teacher and an astronomer.  Early on she talked of being a painter, district attorney, flutist, physical therapist, or graphic designer, but eventually pursued writing—the one thing that allowed her to be all of the above. She studied Literature and Creative Writing at NYU, and took part in her fair share of snowball fights in Washington Square Park. After college, she worked as an editor in children’s publishing before getting a Masters in Fiction from Brooklyn College. She now lives in Los Angeles, where the apartments are bigger and the weather is sunnier, but she still misses New York.

Visit Anna via her: Blog | Website | Twitter | Facebook


TEXAS fans, if you're going to be at TLA in a couple weekends, be sure to join myself, Anna Carey, Veronica Rossi, Tahereh Mafi and Cynthia Hand on SATURDAY April 27th at 3 pm for an exciting signing! I'm thrilled to be the live blogger at this event. I'll be bringing you author interviews, live tweets during the signing and more. See you there!

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