Bec Stafford will be interviewing our favourite young adult authors and asking them four BIG questions about their writing.

The first interview will be the talented Richard Harland – author of Worldshaker and the Ferren series.

Contains Adult Themes

I’ve been talking to people about the role of parents in some YA books. In John Marsden’s popular Tomorrow series, adults are kept in the background, while the teens face all the challenges and conflicts themselves. This creates an independent world for them to inhabit, where they think for themselves and are masters of their own destinies. Fantasy writers are able to achieve this absence by allowing their young characters to disappear into other realms or to go on adventures without their parents’ knowledge (CS Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia and Patricia Wrede’s The Enchanted Forest Chronicles are two examples). Sometimes, they’re there but have little or no input (Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games), while, in other cases (such as Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book), the parents are missing altogether. The missing or diminished parent creates a separation/opposition between the adult/teen worlds.

I can remember, as a child, being thrilled that the parents in Peanuts were distant, pretty much irrelevant beings (reduced to that hilarious ‘mwah mwah mwah’ speech), and that Charlie & Co inhabited their own, far more important universe. How crucial is it to maintain this distance from the adult world?

Today I read Julie Just’s thought-provoking article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/books/review/Just-t.html She talks about the rise of the ‘bad parent’ in popular culture and the ‘distracted, failing parent’ in YA novels. Bella’s (‘erratic, hare-brained’) Mum in Twilight is one example she uses.  This bad, or distant, parent still creates a barrier between the adult/teen worlds; it’s just being constructed a different way. Who are the worst parents you’ve encountered in YA literature so far? Do you prefer stories that include or exclude parent characters?

I’m delighted to introduce you all to Bec Stafford. She’s going to be contributing and managing this site for me. She’s a great gal who you’re gonna love. Here’s a bit about her:

Bec Stafford grew up in Brisbane. She has a B.Ed, an M.Litt (Visual Arts), an MA (Writing, Editing, and Publishing), and is currently completing her M.Phil at the University of Queensland. Currently working as a freelance editor and research assistant, she likes to read, write, draw, visit art galleries, and see live music and theatre. Her favourite authors include Marianne De Pierres, Kim Wilkins, Dorothy Parker, Jack Kerouac, David Sedaris, Lynda Barry, Roy Porter, PG Wodehouse, Robert Hughes, Stephen King, Chuck Palahniuk, Alice Munro, and David Lodge. Her favourite YA authors are Isobelle Carmody, Kate Forsyth, Melina Marchetta, Richard Harland, Sonya Hartnett, Garth Nix, John Marsden, and Gretel Killeen. She’s also a  fan of comics and graphic novels, including Maus, Y: The Last Man, Fun Home, Watchmen, Jack of Fables, Tank Girl, Sin City, Bone, and anything by Neil Gaiman.

Say hi everyone!

There is now a banner link to Isobelle Carmody’s fansite, Obernewtyn.net, in the sidebar. Go and check it out!

MDP Says

I fell in love with Isobelle Carmody’s writing ten years ago. Though Obernewtyn is her most well known series, I was actually a introduced to her writing through The Gathering, which still remains for me, one the most atmospheric novels I’ve ever read. I moved onto Scatterlings at a later date, attracted by the SF content.

Years after reading them, I got to meet Isobelle and loved her as much as her books. If you’re looking to be captured by a novel, then look to her work.