Ultimate YA

That’s it for November, bookworms! But don’t fret—Shel Delisle is more than happy for fans to contact her or ask her questions!

Blog: http://sheldelisle.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/ShelDelisle

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/sheldelisle

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5253229.Shel_Delisle

7. The first few chapters start with a fact about dolphins from The Magic and Mystery of Dolphins. What fact interested you the most? 

How about if I give you a fact that was cut during revision.  When you get into the water with a dolphin, they use their echolocation to give you a quick MRI.  Dolphins often discover illnesses or tumors or even pregnancies when the people are unaware of the condition.  That fact was originally included to tie into something different that happened with Desiree.  But when those scenes ended up on the cutting room floor, so did that very cool fact.  By the way, The Magic and Mystery of Dolphins does not exist.  It’s as fictional as the rest of the story even if the facts about dolphins are real.

8. All types of cliques can be found in high school. What is your opinion about how young adults should associate themselves during their transition to adulthood? 

I’ve never, ever been a fan of cliques even though they’ve probably existed since the beginning of time. Here’s what I believe:  It’s always more comfortable to associate with people who are like you, but it’s always more interesting to associate with those who aren’t.  Hey!  That’s pretty good!  I might have to use that in a book someday.

9. Do students still pass notes in class? I always thought they just texted.

Hard for me to say cause it’s been a while since I’ve been in high school. =P But, I gotta say phones are not allowed in my son’s during class time.  They aren’t even allowed to get into their backpacks and look for pencils ‘cause the teachers are pretty wise to the texting thing.

10. List the top 5 songs you can think of that can go on Jane’s character playlist.  Her playlist is a really eclectic with a mix of rock songs that span from the early 70s to today.  Here goes: “Numb” by Linkin’ Park, “You Belong with Me” by Taylor Swift, “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf, “Raise your Glass” by P!NK, “Drive” by Incubus

11. For our aspiring writers, what is the easiest and hardest part of writing a book?
Oh my!  For aspiring writers huh?  I think the mileage on this varies quite a bit, but I can tell you what was easy and hard for me. 
Easy:  Doing the work.  I really enjoy every part of the process first drafts, revision, editing.  Um, okay on second thought, maybe not proofreading for the twenty-fifth time, but almost every part of the process.
Hard:  Knowing when it’s done. I’ve already admitted to being a perfectionist, so I have a bad habit of tweaking, tweaking, tweaking, tweaking.  See the proofreading note above? I’m supposed to be fixing a misspelling and I make a small change and of course that can lead to a small mistake.  Argh!  I really need Jane’s mom to take over at this point and to stay entirely focused. 
For me, this is actually the scariest part of self-pubbing. The fear that I might be putting out a work that is half-baked. For authors using legacy publishing, that is one of the nice things, someone tells you it’s done.  Anyone who has been around this industry for a while knows that there are plenty of books that are done, that do not get acquired for one reason or another.  But, and this is huge, it is capital H Hard to make that call about your own work.

12. What are you working on next? Any new releases coming up in the future?
Yes, I’m planning on having at least one new book—and hopefully two or three—released in 2012. But I’d like to keep the details under wraps.  They’re all quite a bit different from Dolphin Girl, but I can tell you this much—all my books have independent, flawed girls as the main character and a little bit of fantasy/magical realism woven into the story. =D

1. How/where did you concoct the idea for Dolphin Girl?
The where question is much easier to answer than the how one. 
Okay, where. I was in the car six years ago driving my middle boy to hockey practice when Jane showed up in my head and started telling me what she did and didn’t like.  This is probably gonna sound certifiable, but she told me she liked Sam’s chipped tooth and that she was really picky about how teeth looked.  I know, that’s a little…unusual, right? At first, I thought maybe I was going crazy, but then I met other writers and, well, we all are. Ha!
As for how, I definitely attribute most of my ideas and writing to a muse whispering in my ear or landing in the zone or digging into my very, very deep sub-conscious. While there are times I create a frame for the plot, or consciously add small character details later, most of it develops on its own.  Sorry. I know that’s kinda lame and I wish I had a better answer for you! 

2. What is the main message or theme that you want your readers to take from the book?
Don’t let external forces or fear hold you back from what you want.  Use both your heart and head when making a decision, then take action. Because doing something is better than doing nothing!  
In Dolphin Girl, Jane lets so many outside things, like the cliques in high school, determine how she acts or who she hangs with. She wants freedom but what she thinks of as “free” is again based on something external.  It’s not until she changes on the inside—using her heart and head—that she can feel free. And that’s when mistakes, both hers and everybody else’s don’t matter so much. 

3. Give us a brief explanation of what it is like to be published for the first time.
It’s very rollercoaster-y. Is that a word?  I don’t think so, but it should be. 
What I mean about the ups and downs and all arounds is that it was exciting to see it for sale on Amazon (it’s for sale in other places, but that’s where it showed up first) and thrilling to hold the paperback for the first time.  But then, five minutes later, I still have to do a load of laundry or need to play chauffeur for a soccer practice.  Those types of important responsibilities are a humbling reminder that being published is not life changing.  It’s just being published. 
The privilege, I mean the real honor of being published, comes from the people who read my work, not only spending their money but also spending their precious time to read Dolphin Girl.  That is absolutely incredible!! And, I am so grateful for every single reader!

4. You and two other wonderful ladies manage Whatcha’ Reading Now?. How did that begin?
For years, and I do mean years, Kerry Cerra and I talked about doing something like WRN? but we always felt like, “Who are we to review or recommend books?” Finally, we decided that we didn’t need some special degree or accreditation to say what books we liked.  At that point, Jill MacKenzie was part of our critique group and she was interested in being involved, too. While the three of us do a lot of work on the site/community, we could never do it without all the other people who contribute articles and interviews and the like. The one and only Ultimate YA’er ChinLin has been one of our teen contributors since the very, very beginning!  So her opinions, along with other contributors have helped to give WRN? its flavor and ultimately they make it so much more interesting than if it was just the three of us spouting off. =D

5. I loved how you began the book with Jane getting a dolphin tattoo. It provided your readers Jane’s background story in a narrative form. If you don’t mind me asking, did you ever get a tattoo? Or did you know someone who got one? 
No, no no! I don’t have a tattoo and will never have one.  On this, I’m definitely more like Jane’s mom—worried about how they might turn colors or morph into a weird design as they stretch with age.  Plus, um, needle phobia. *Shudders* But, of course, many people have them these days, so it’s really not a huge deal.  The last word (or rather my last word) is that while I wouldn’t want my kids to ever get one – are you listening, boys? – it’s not the most important thing about any character or person.  And even Jane’s mom knows that!  

6. Would you consider yourself more like Jane or her mom (personality-wise)?
I know I have a little bit of both, but hmmm…who am I more like?  When I’m writing, I’m more like Jane.  That must be why I love it!  And, I have to say, after writing this book, I try to keep my perfectionist tendencies in check.  While order is better than chaos, Jane’s mom is so annoying!

1. I know how to inflate a pair of pants and make it into a life preserver, which could come in handy if I ever ended up in a capsized boat situation.
2. I’m a Libra and have always been obsessed with fairness.
3. In high school, I worked at Dairy Queen.  To this day, I can make a perfect DQ curl, which never ceases to amaze my friends and family.
4. During family vacations and other travel, my family is on a quest for the best burger (and burger place).  This means we end up eating at all kinds of crazy places.  While we all have our favorites, mine is the Burger Joint at Le Meridian in NYC.  The whole step behind the curtain into another dimension is THE BEST and makes me feel like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.
5. I’ve lived in a few places — Ithaca, NY; Racine (actually Sturtevant), WI; Broken Arrow, OK; Columbia, MO; Peoria, IL with South Florida as home. From all the travel and places I’ve lived, I’ve learned that good and fascinating people can be found everywhere.
6. My first car, a pea-green Renault, had a push-button transmission.
7. My favorite things in order are:  family, writing, reading, travel, baking Christmas cookies.