Q and A with Amanda Maciel

Today I have Amanda Maciel stopping by for a Q and A about her book Tease. Here is a little about her debut novel, Tease.

Emma Putnam is dead, and it's all Sara Wharton's fault.

At least, that's what everyone seems to think. Sara, along with her best friend and three other classmates, has been criminally charged for the bullying and harassment that led to Emma's shocking suicide. Now Sara is the one who's ostracized, already guilty according to her peers, the community, and the media.

During the summer before her senior year, in between meetings with lawyers and a court-recommended therapist, Sara is forced to reflect on the events that brought her to this moment—and ultimately consider her role in an undeniable tragedy. And she'll have to find a way to move forward, even when it feels like her own life is over.

In this powerful debut novel inspired by real-life events, Amanda Maciel weaves a narrative of high school life as complex and heartbreaking as it is familiar: a story of everyday jealousies and resentments, misunderstandings and desires. Tease is a thought-provoking must-read that will haunt readers long after the last page.

Amanda was kind to answer a few questions about her novel, it's subject matter, and why it's important. 

1. Describe Tease in three words.

Honest, heartbreaking, humbling

2. What type of research did you do while writing your novel?

Precisely because the story was somewhat based on true events, I wanted to fictionalize my version as much as possible—which meant a careful balance of knowing what happened in South Hadley in 2010, but not reading about it too much. I also used my husband’s legal advice with the details of Sara’s prosecution.

3. Tease is a novel with an important message that I think high school students should totally read. What book do you think should be in high school classrooms?

Thank you! And I actually think there could be more room in school curriculum for student-chosen reading. I know some schools do this, but it’s so important to connect with a book that you have picked yourself—even if it’s something that wouldn’t necessarily be considered a classic or academically sanctioned. Reading should help us learn, of course, about literature and the world around us, but in order to develop lifelong reading skills, you have to love it, too—it has to have some entertainment value. I totally sound like I work in publishing, don’t I? Clearly this idea led me to my current day job. But all that said, I remember The Bluest Eye having a huge impact on me in school. More books by women authors, about diverse experiences, would also be great.

4. What was the hardest part about writing Tease?

Finding the time to do it—I have my day job, and a family, and a life I generally try to keep well-balanced. And writing a story that potentially affects so many people on a really personal level—trying to balance the idea that friends might have a strong reaction to the subject matter. It never left my mind that people would read Tease and might not know I had the very best intentions writing it. But a writer’s intentions aren’t really the point, once a book is published, so I tried to not get bogged down by that.

5. If you could travel to anywhere, during any time period, when and where would you like to visit?

Can I be wealthy and privileged? If so, you could really go anywhere. But I think early 1900s New York City would be my choice. The Teddy Roosevelt era seemed particularly charmed, and seeing a world that was growing so fast but also so isolated would be fascinating!

A huge thank you to Amanda for taking the time to answer my questions. Do check out my review of Tease which also posted today.

If you're wanting to pre-order/purchase Tease, are are some links where it is currently available.

BARNES AND NOBLE / AMAZON / INDIEBOUND / GOODREADS / KOBO

Amanda Maciel has worked in book publishing since graduating from Mount Holyoke College and is currently a senior editor at Scholastic. She spends her free time writing, running, or riding the subway with her young son. She lives with him, her husband, and their cat, Ruby, in Brooklyn, New York. Tease is her first novel.

Tease by Amanda Maciel

Tease by Amanda Maciel

Release Date - April 29, 2014
Publisher Website - Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages - 336 pages
My Rating - 3.5/5
**received in exchange for an honest review from the publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Emma Putnam is dead, and it's all Sara Wharton's fault.

At least, that's what everyone seems to think. Sara, along with her best friend and three other classmates, has been criminally charged for the bullying and harassment that led to Emma's shocking suicide. Now Sara is the one who's ostracized, already guilty according to her peers, the community, and the media.

During the summer before her senior year, in between meetings with lawyers and a court-recommended therapist, Sara is forced to reflect on the events that brought her to this moment—and ultimately consider her role in an undeniable tragedy. And she'll have to find a way to move forward, even when it feels like her own life is over.

In this powerful debut novel inspired by real-life events, Amanda Maciel weaves a narrative of high school life as complex and heartbreaking as it is familiar: a story of everyday jealousies and resentments, misunderstandings and desires. Tease is a thought-provoking must-read that will haunt readers long after the last page.

Words are powerful. They can heal, and they can hurt. Sometimes we forgot how powerful our words actually are. Tease looks at the power words have, and the true nature of the harm they can inflict. It's a novel that might make you feel a little uncomfortable, but it will also make you sit up and listen to what it has to say.

Tease is told from the perspective of Sara, a bully. A unique perspective that immediately caught my interest. What must a person who knows their actions  (at least partially) caused someone to harm themselves feel after something like this happened? I was both hesitant and intrigued to pick this one up, mainly because it requires it be done well for the novel to have an impact. Luckily, Sara's story, and the way it's written, are both done with care.

Sara is exactly what you'd expect to find with a character like this. At times she grated on me, and I found myself wanting to shake her. More worried about her life, and how it was ruined, she seemed to give little thought to Emma and how her life wasn't just ruined - it was over. As frustrating as Sara's self absorption was, it felt authentic and natural. Much is made of characters and whether they have to be 'likable'. I personally think that I can hate a character, and still want to know their story. It's understanding the character, and what motivates them that is important to me, and I feel I got that from Sara.

The 'other side' of a story like this is one that most people don't want to consider. That's why I think this novel is important. Of course the bullied party should garner sympathy, and cases like this should be taken seriously. This novel, in conjunction with showing that, also flirts with the idea of what the punishment should look like. How do you atone? Can you? Is this something that should dictate the rest of your life, or is there moving forward? The novel doesn't present any clear answers, and instead leads the reader to think about these things themselves. The idea that this should curb any future these teenagers would have is tough to swallow, and yet what happened is truly awful. I think the novel does a great job of showing that there are no easy solutions.

As Sara grows, and begins to realize the true nature of what happened, there is some hope woven into the story. The hope that talking about these issues can help others, and that education may lead to understanding. It's this aspect that made me think this book would be a wonderful addition to schools everywhere. Teens will, sadly, see recognizable elements from their own school experience in this novel, and it would be a great discussion point for classrooms.

My only issue is that I wanted the novel to go a little deeper. Maybe show the changes within Sara happening much more gradually. It was logical, and fit within the story, but I wanted just a little bit more from this aspect. The writing itself flows, and the plot movement ensured that I read it quickly.

Emma's side of the story felt lacking to me too. It wasn't Emma's story, but I wanted to know more about what she was dealing with. You get the sense that the words Sara and her friends hurled like weapons were just another layer to the hurt Emma already was dealing with. That's the message the novel is trying to send. You don't know what someone else's life is like outside of school. You don't know what's happened to them, or what they deal with everyday. Your words might just have the power to push someone over the edge. That is, I feel, what the author is trying to show within these pages. I think, with minor issues, she succeeded.

This issue might stem from the feeling I had that the issues dealt within the novel felt too big for such a constrictive space. It's one that needs to be tackled, and the approach the author took is what really ended up standing out when I had turned the last page. It's such a huge discussion point in society and I felt the author tackled the subject with sensitivity, but also didn't hold back.

Tease left me conflicted, and that means it did what it set out to do. It also made me want to talk. If this book does nothing else but start conversations about bullying, than I think it's accomplished something the author can truly be proud of.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews).

I've had an awesome mailbox this week!

Conversion By Katherine Howe (goodreads)

Tease by Amanada Maciel (goodreads)

Veronica Mars : The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham (goodreads)

A huge thank you to Penguin Canada for Conversion. A modern twist on the Salem witch trials?! YES PLEASE! A huge thank you to Harper Collins Canada for Tease. I've heard it's a different take on the topic of bullying. Lastly, a huge thank you to Random House Canada for the Veronica Mars book. I've only recently been introduced to the awesomeness that is Veronica (I still want to punch Logan in the face, okay? That's how new I am) but I can't wait to read this.

I also have one e-galley for review

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa (goodreads)

I am so excited to see how this series ends! A big thank you to Harlequin Teen for the review copy.

Happy weekend, and happy reading!