Mundie Moms

Monday, January 7, 2013

The Darkest Minds Blog Tour: Interview with Author Alexandra Bracken


I am excited about today's The Darkest Minds blog tour, hosted by Disney Hyperion! We have Alexandra Bracken on the blog today talking about her newest YA release. You'll be able to read my review for it later today here on the blog.


1) Hi Alexandra! Welcome to Mundie Moms. We're so excited to have you stop by today. Sophie and I are huge fans of your debut, Brightly Woven. As a writer, did you feel it was easier writing your second book, Darkest Minds or your debut?

Hi guys, thanks for having me!

This is an interesting question to me, because I think each book I write poses some new, unexpected challenge. On one hand, Brightly Woven was harder because I was more inexperienced as a writer and felt like I couldn’t push back on certain revisions that I ultimately ended up making. I think The Darkest Minds took a lot more out of me on an emotional level, if that makes sense. It’s hard to be in Ruby’s head while so much terrible stuff is happening to her and the people she cares about. This one also involved a lot more research about government policy, the history of rebel groups, terrorism, and science. On the flip side, developing The Darkest Minds felt a lot more organic to me—I knew the characters better from the very beginning, and the last third of the book barely changed from the first draft on.

2) I'm excited to talk with you about your most recent release, The Darkest Minds. How would you describe your book in ten words or less?

Telekinetic teenagers on the run from a dictatorial government.
Or: Telekinetic teenagers, minivans, classic rock, rebellion, love, and betrayal. J

3) Your main character Ruby has a lot going against her. Instead of just giving up, I love that she has this fierce determination to survive, and I'm trying to be vague so I don't give anything away. What's something that you came to admire the most about Ruby? 

Thank you! I really love Ruby and feel very protective of her because of everything she’s been through. I actually think the key to really “getting” the book is to understand Ruby and emphasize with her. I’ve noticed that a few readers don’t have any patience for her when she cycles back on her “I’m a monster,” mentality. I think—maybe because they’re all functioning and can bring themselves to occasionally smile—it’s easy to forget that all of the kids in the book are really traumatized by what they’ve been through, and they don’t really start to heal until they find one another. Ruby, especially. The temptation is always to write a character who’s kick-ass from the beginning, or who accepts and is empowered by her abilities quickly—but I really felt like it would be disingenuous to portray her that way, and in no way realistic. She’s lived in a harsh environment that’s done nothing but reinforce the hatred she has for herself and what she can do, and she has no real control over her abilities. I’m in the middle of editing book 2 right now, and it’s been amazing to see how far she’s come and how hard she still has to fight to overcome these doubts.

There’s a line from the movie The Seven Samurai that really resonated with me when I was first discovering who Ruby was: “By protecting others, you save yourself.” I think that’s definitely the case with her—once she meets Liam and the others, it suddenly becomes that much more imperative to survive so she can ensure they do, too. They give her hope and a purpose.

Ultimately, what I really admire about Ruby is her ability to sacrifice the things she wants despite how little life has given her. She is capable of making truly devastating decisions.

4) Do you see yourself in any of your characters? 

Liam definitely inherited my strange sense of humor and love of classic rock, but I actually relate a lot of Chubs. He and I are both a little high-strung and tend to take a pessimistic (“realistic” as we would say!) approach to making decisions. He’s also a voracious reader.

5) I'm thrilled this is the first book in a trilogy. Did you originally write Ruby's to span three books?

I didn’t even think about it until I reached the end of the first draft!  When I first start writing any story, it helps me to initially think of it as a standalone. I think it’s probably just to ensure that I’m writing a fully fleshed-out book rather than one long first chapter masquerading as a first book, which sometimes happens with series.  I knew from the beginning how this book was going to end, but I found myself dreading it the closer I got to it. When I finally finished, I was so anxious about the way things ended that I immediately started thinking about what was going to happen to the characters going forward.  (The ending of this book is probably my favorite thing I’ve ever written—and if it hadn’t been a series, I would have been content to leave it on that note.)

6) What's been one of your most memorable moments as an author?

This answer is hard, because there have been so many of them! How about I tell you a funny one instead?

Right after Brightly Woven came out, I went to visit my book babies at the Union Square B&N here in New York City. You should know, first, that I’ve always had a hard time dealing with attention; even as a kid, I hated having birthday parties because I’d get so flustered with all of the focus on me. Super, super shy. I get the same sort of feeling when I see my book in a store—which is why I rarely ever ask to sign stock and why I sneak around like a freaking criminal and stare at my books from a distance. (I realize this is weird.)  Anyway, I really wanted to experience buying my book from a store (I realize this is also weird), so I plucked one off the shelf and brought it down to the register. I was three dollars short to pay in cash, so I ended up having to give the cashier my debit card. The following conversation occurred:

B&N Girl: Oh! That’s so funny.
Me: …?
B&N Girl: You have the same name as the author!
Me: Oh-HAHAHA-yeah-I-Um-That’s-I-Mean-That’swhyI’mbuyingitBYE! *snatches the bag, flees the store*

That basically sums up my super glam author life right there.

Okay, that is funny. I'm sure the girl was mortified after she learned that you were the author.  I'm pretty sure if we were in your shoes, we'd also be sneaking around the book store to look at our book from a distance too. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and chat with us today Alexandra! 

About The Darkest Minds


When Ruby awakened on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp." Because Ruby might have survived the mysterious disease that's killed most of America's children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby knows that she is one of the dangerous ones and, when the truth comes out, she barely escapes Thurmond with her life. On the run and desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her, Ruby joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what she did to her parents.

When they arrive at the safe haven, East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work too, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. And soon Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

The heart-pounding first book a near-future dystopian series, Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds will leave you begging for the next installment.


Alexandra Bracken was born and raised in Arizona, but moved east to study at the College of William & Mary in Virginia.  She recently relocated to New York City, where she works in publishing and lives in a charming apartment overflowing with books.  You can visit her online at www.alexandrabracken.com or on Twitter (@alexbracken). 


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