Sprawning stories of Veronica Rossi

It’s my first time here but I already wanna come back. I’m loving it,” declares New York Times best-selling writer Veronica Rossi, just a few hours after landing in Cebu last month.

The beloved author gave fans of her highly successful young adult series, “Under the Never Sky”, “Through the Ever Night” and “Into the Still Blue” a rare treat when she visited Cebu last month along with fellow YA writers Ransom Riggs and Tahereh Mafi for a book-signing event organized by National Book Store.

After a blockbuster signing event at Glorietta the day before, Rossi met with close to 1,000 adoring book lovers at Ayala Center Cebu’s The Gallery where she gave them tips about writing, talked about her novels, and expressed her appreciation for their love and support.

Warmly received by critics and fans alike when it was released in January 2012, the first book in the series, “Under the Never Sky,” follows the story of 17-year-old Aria who’s been living a sheltered life along with other Dwellers in a Pod. In this apocalyptic world, technology regulates the lives of the Dwellers, protecting them from Aether forces. Aria’s life takes an unexpected turn when she encounters Peregrine, an Outsider, who has preternatural gifts and whose home the Dwellers consider a wasteland. Aria and Perry help each other in separate quests and in the process, fall in love.

The first novel’s success was replicated by the second book which became both a USA Today and New York Times Best Seller in January 2013.

So, it was with much anticipation that fans of the series eagerly waited for the final book, “Into the Still Blue” released in January this year.

In a sit-down chitchat (and later in an e-mail interview), Rossi—an oil painter and avid music lover—revealed how she got into the writing novels for young adults, her world outside of Aria and Perry, and her exciting new book.

How did your writing life start?
Writing was something I’d always loved dabbling in, but I didn’t start writing seriously until about 10 years ago when my first son was born. I needed a creative outlet that wasn’t oil painting—which I’d done until then and which was too hard to do with a newborn.

What was your first-ever published work and what was it about?
“Under the Never Sky” is my first ever published work. It is a post-apocalyptic romance about two teenagers who come from totally different societies who must overcome their differences in order to survive in a world ravaged by devastating storms. It’s a love story and a coming of age story—and a survival story, all rolled into one!

How similar are you from the trilogy’s main character, Aria? And how different?
She’s a lot tougher than I am. And she can sing, and I couldn’t carry a tune if my life depended on it!

Which book in the trilogy do you consider the most difficult to write?
If I can speak for the writing community at large, most people will say that the second book is the hardest, especially in trilogies because it’s the middle of the story, you’re right smack in no man’s land almost, as a storyteller. For me, the second was definitely the hardest.

Who are your greatest literary influences?
Everything I read influences me. I do mean that seriously! But thinking in broader terms, I particularly love Jane Austen, Tolkien, and CS Lewis.

Did you ever imagine yourself writing for the young adult audience? Or was it something that happened naturally?
I knew I was writing a YA, and I love the genre. But my goal when I write is always just to write a story I want to read. That’s pretty much my only requirement! And I also knew I wanted to create a world that had this epic environmental thing going on and I knew I wanted characters who will be very different, be total opposites of each other. I had a gut feeling of what I wanted and then I just lay the story piece by piece and make decisions that way. It was a matter of having an instinct, thinking about it, staring at the wall, and reading, and walking and just letting everything come into focus over time.

What are the joys about writing young adult fiction? And the challenges?
The readers are a huge part of the reward of writing the genre. As for the challenges, I don’t think they have to do with the genre as much as with being a writer in general. We writers all deal with bouts of self-doubt. We all have to face writer’s block. It’s part of the job. You just have to find a way to get past those obstacles that works for you.

Would you consider writing a different genre in the future?
I am writing in a different genre! I have a New Adult romantic comedy called “Boomerang” coming out under a pen name, Noelle August, in July. I co-authored it with a dear friend, and the content skews older, so it felt right to not put it under my name. I love my readers. Out of respect, I wanted to be sure they knew it would be a different reading experience than my YA books. That said, I love this book!

Can you take us back to that day when you first held a copy of “Under the Never Sky” in your hands? Please describe to us the experience.
It was incredible! It was the culmination of so much work and so much dreaming. Just incredible. And it never gets old. Each new book feels like magic. Like, “Wow… I made this!”

Will your book/s be made into a movie?
It’s actually optioned, which means it might possibly be made into a movie but it’s not in production yet.

How do you set the mood for writing? Do you have any rituals?
I usually just listen to music. And it kinda varies. It depends on what’s really working that time. And I’m really fluid about changing it. Like lately, I’ve been writing in coffee shops which I haven’t done in years and years and years. But it feels good right now. And inspiring to leave the house and go somewhere else to write. But music is always a pretty big part in my writing process.

What type of music?
All kinds. I listen to everything, from musical scores to popular music, to whatever gets me in the mood. And some scenes will have a song that I attribute to a scene that I feel will actually translate to what a scene is about.

What’s on your playlist right now?
Bastille. Everything Bastille. I can’t get enough.

We’ve read that you name your laptops. Which one are you using now?
Right now, I have Leo. I also have Romeo. They all end in “eo”, I don’t know why.

Aside from being a writer, you are also a busy mom of two. How do you handle stress?
It’s like any working parent, and particularly any working mother. You just have to find a way to be as much as possible be everything to everyone and still not lose yourself in the equation. It’s tricky. Sometimes it’s easier than other times but you know, my kids are obviously the most important thing in my life. But I am also a person who is extremely passionate about writing and about having a vehicle to be artistic, and creative and expressive. So, it’s kind of a blessing to have two things I feel so incredibly strongly about in my life. I try as much as possible to look at it that way. Instead of “Oh, my gosh! I got lots of stuff to do.” I got a great family and I got a great career. And, how lucky is that? It can be frustrating, it can be difficult but I’m lucky to have those problems.

Do your kids, much like your fans, also keep on asking you about the books, like what’s going to happen to the characters?
Yeah, they do. Especially with the next book I am working on. They really ask a lot of questions. They’re really interested. And I actually let them into the writing process in this next one. It’s exactly what I wanted. They’re a lot older now than when I wrote the last trilogy. And so, I wanted to bring them into something creative, looking at ideas of how you can create characters, think about larger ideas through a character. It’s been a lot of fun! Mostly, being boys they’d ask me to make more action in the books. That’s good advice, too!

What are your other interests aside from music and writing books?
I’m a painter and a runner. I also love movies. And reading, which is no surprise, right?

Did you expect to be this big in the Philippines?
No! But I LOVED it! I miss it!

What are your first impressions of our country and the people?

Nicest people on the planet. Truly. And the country, what I saw, seemed so culturally rich. I need to come back and see some beaches, though!

Which experience during your visit struck you the most?
The people, honestly. I made some great friends and my fans are the warmest. They are so wonderful.

Any places in the Philippines you wish to visit the next time you’re here?
Cebu! When I was there, I didn’t get to see much, and I want to check out some beaches!

What can your fans expect from you in the coming months?
Well, I mentioned the New Adult above. It’s a very different book than the “Under the Never Sky” books. It’s funny, a little sexier. Well, actually, a lot! And it’s contemporary. So if my fans are interested in that, it’ll be released July 8th. I’m also drafting something in the YA fantasy genre that I absolutely love, but I’m not at liberty to discuss yet, sadly. But it’s my most meaningful work thus far.

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