The time it was about The Detour

Posted October 1, 2015 by Stacee in Blog Tours, Giveaways, Interviews | 3 Comments

I really liked the premise of The Detour and when I got the invite to be part of it, I quickly accepted.

Before we get to Stephanie’s interview, let’s check out the book!

On her way to a writer’s conference, a bestselling teenage author takes a detour that has been deliberately set up by her biggest fans—a mother and daughter who kidnap her.

Livvy Flynn is a big deal—she’s a New York Times-bestselling author whose YA fiction has sold all over the world. She’s rich, she’s famous, she’s gorgeous, and she’s full of herself.

When she’s invited to an A-list writer’s conference, she decides to accept so she can have some time to herself. She’s on a tight deadline for her next book, and she has no intention of socializing with the other industry people at the conference.

And then she hits the detour. Before she knows it, her brand new car is wrecked, she’s hurt, and she’s tied to a bed in a nondescript shack in the middle of nowhere. A woman and her apparently manic daughter have kidnapped her. And they have no intention of letting her go.

Sounds good, right?

1. Where did the idea for The Detour come from?

I kept reading about young people getting some pretty major publishing deals. I wondered what it would be like to find such success at a young age. My what ifs turned into The Detour.

2. Why do you love Olivia and why should we root for her?

I don’t actually love Olivia, but I do come to respect her. Readers should root for her because she finds herself in a sucky situation and could let herself be crippled by the past, but she doesn’t.

3. Without spoilers, were there any scenes that had to be cut that you wish could have stayed?

Yes. There was one part that I wrote in a long, metaphorical way and my editor was like “Nah…” So it got rewritten.

4. What makes a good villain and how did you incorporate that into the story?

A good villain has intent, as well as passion for their cause, no matter how misguided that cause may be. This story has two villains. One has both passion and intent, while the other is simply unhinged.

5. Describe The Detour in 5 words

Teenage author hits proverbial roadblock.

Speed {ish} Round:

1. You get the call/email/letter that says you’re being published for the first time. Describe the next 5 minutes.

Disbelief and tears, pretty much. For the next hour…

2. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

3. What is one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?

That it is a strange strange business that I will never figure out.

4. You wake up and discover that you are Bella in Twilight. You know how it plays out. What do you do differently? {Huge thanks to Bookish Broads for letting me use this question!}

Go to the prom with somebody else.

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S.A. Bodeen grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. She graduated from UW-River Falls with a degree in Secondary Ed., then joined the Peace Corps with her husband and went to Tanzania, East Africa. Her first picture book, Elizabeti’s Doll (written as Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen) was published in 1998, followed by six other picture books.Her first YA novel written as S.A. Bodeen, the award-winning The Compound, came out from Feiwel and Friends in 2008.

The novel count is up to five, with two more releasing in 2015. She has lived in eight states, two African countries, and an insular possession. Currently, she lives in the Midwest with her husband and two daughters.

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Huge thanks to Macmillan for the invite and to Stephanie for taking the time. Make sure you’re checking out her website, following her on Twitter, liking her Facebook page, and adding all of her books to your Goodreads TBR shelf.

And definitely check out the rest of the tour stops for extra goodies:

9/21: The Hiding Spot
9/22: Curling Up with a Good Book
9/23: Paper Cuts
9/24:The Reading Nook Reviews
9/25: yAdult Review
9/28: That Artsy Reader Girl
9/29: Book Addict’s Guide
9/30: Pandora’s Books
10/1: Adventures of a Book Junkie
10/2: Reading Teen
10/5:Ex Libris
10/6: Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf
10/6: Teen Librarian Toolbox