Tuesday, November 2, 2010

GCC Presents: Daisy Whitney!

I'm proud to present Daisy Whitney as part of the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit tour! Her debut novel, MOCKINGBIRDS, is out today and it sounds absolutely amazing, a truly empowering read for teens and the kind of book I was searching for at sixteen. I can't wait to get my own copy this weekend and I think this interview will convince you that you must buy it as well. But first the details on the book.


Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl's struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone--especially yourself--you fight for it.

"Bold, intense and timely." - Publishers Weekly, starred review



Q: Please tell us what your new book is about and what inspired you to write it.

Daisy: I’ve always been intrigued by boarding school and also by the potential teens have to take a stand for what’s important. THE MOCKINGBIRDS - an underground student-run justice system - was born from those twin thoughts as a way to look at what it takes to stand up for yourself and for others.

Q: If there was a soundtrack for your book what are five songs that would be on it and how do they relate the story?

Daisy:

Ode to Joy - Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

Wake Up - Arcade Fire

Stop, Hey, What’s That Sound - Buffalo Springfield

Black - Pearl Jam

Being Alive - Raul Esparza

Ode to Joy is a character in the novel, Wake Up and Stop, Hey are great songs about justice and taking a stand, Being Alive is a celebration of love, happiness and hope, and Black is just a great song!

Q: Who were some of your inspirations to become a writer or the inspirations that keep you writing? Feel free to include other authors, teachers, parents, or people in other creative fields, whoever is an inspiration to you!

Daisy: I am inspired every day by the amazing things teens do - helping in their community, speaking up for their friends, taking a stand for what’s right. They inspire me as so great writers like Emily Giffin, Courtney Summers, Gayle Forman, JK Rowling and Andre Aciman.

Q: Even though music plays in so heavily into my storytelling, I rarely can actually listen to it while I'm writing. Can you? How does music fit into your writing process?

Daisy: I MUST listen to music when I write on planes or coffee shops to drown out the sounds of conversation. Otherwise, I like the sound of silence.

Q: What is next for you? What are you working on now?

Daisy: I just turned in a sequel to THE MOCKINGBIRDS, and I am now revising an edgy, sexy, mystery-caper story and just started a new novel about a boy that I’m really digging too!

1 comment:

Bidisha said...

Daisy is so rad.
I'm looking forward to The Mockingbirds.