The Sky Is On Fire! Interview with Emmy Laybourne + Giveaway

I'm absolutely stoked to be on the rockin' tour for Monument 14: Sky on Fire. I've got some pretty awesome stuffs for ya, so don't go now! The party is just getting started!


Sky on Fire
by Emmy Laybourne
Publishing: 5.28.13
Pages: 212

The world hasn't ended...yet.

In this sequel to MONUMENT 14, the group of survivors, originally trapped together in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, has split in two. Most of the kids are making a desperate run on their recently repaired school bus for the Denver airport where they hope to reunite with their parents, be evacuated to safety, and save their dying friend. 

But the world outside is dark and filled with dangerous chemicals that turn people into bloodthirsty monsters, and not all the kids were willing to get on the bus. Left behind in a sanctuary that has already been disturbed once, the remaining kids try to rebuild the community they lost. But when the issues are life and death, love and hate, who can you really trust?

And now that you know a little bit about Emmy's book, here is an interview with her awesomeness!

Emmy: It’s so great to be here with Hannah on Book Haven Extraordinaire!

Inky: Welcome to the blog Emmy!! To kick it off, is there something in particular that drew you to the Apocalyptic genre?

Emmy: Apocalypse-type books is becoming a lot more common, what do you think appeals to people? Oooh, first off, I love it that you’re calling it Apocalyptic, as opposed to Post-Apocalyptic. Many books are set after the fall of civilization - those are Post, right? But MONUMENT 14 is a true Apocalyptic tale, as it is set during the collapse of our country.

I think that the rise in popularity of Apocalyptic, Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian stories is due to a cultural anxiety we are feeling. Due to the great social action networks we have in place, people are more aware than ever of the many, many ways in which human beings are messing up the earth. We’re also aware of the chemicals and genetic modifications in our own food chain.

And then add a profound distrust of the stability of our financial system. America came very close to crashing a few years ago. America! Crashing! Like, the whole, um, country! And last but not least, we have anxiety about our National Security. This is a lot to worry about. there's a read uneasiness in our collective psyche-fear and anxiety about the future. Art and fiction are the very best ways for us to work our this fear. The trend in dark fiction makes me think of a hundred thousand authors, all running a hundres thousand different "Worst Case Scenarios" in prose.

Inky: That was like a mini-guest post! Awesomeness right there! Favorite Writing Gadget?

Emmy: A wireless ergonomic keyboard! For the last 4 years, I’ve been working on a giant, honking ergonmic split keyboard (which means your hands are seperated from each other. Here’s a picture:

I can write really quickly and I type so hard I’ve worn the letters off in some places. Thank goodness I know them by heart!

Inky: Most heinous crime as a child?

Emmy: I STOLE a Bit-O-Honey from my very best friend in the whole world, Kerry Tatlock. I put it under my sweatshirt then feighed a stomachache and ran home. Actually, we lived in an apartment building. Kerry was in 5F, I was in 9F - so I didn’t run home. I ran out to the elevator and pressed the button while clutching my belly. It took forever and Kerry’s whole family came out to ask me if I was all right, etc. Oh, the shame!

The candy, of course, tasted like dirt when I ate it, crouched at the bottom of my closet. But the silver lining is that Kerry forgave me. I confessed to her long ago. She's still my best friend to this day. She has even gone on record as saying she didn't actually even like Bit'O'Honey's anyway. (But that was obviously a lie to make me feel better as Bit'O'Honey is basically manna from heaven, which only makes her a better best friend!)

Inky: You're in the Hunger Games, what would your strategy be?

Emmy: Somehow, somehow get Katniss Everdeen to fall in love with me.

Inky: LOL, That is my favorite answer. Right there. If you could pick one song to describe the feel of your book what would it be?

Emmy: Oh man, Miss Her When She’s Gone by Sean Hayes. Just thinking about it made me have to put it on. I’m listening to it now. It’s so dastardly good.

Inky: You're eloping with an Avenger. Which one?

Emmy: WOLVERINE. Hunky, hairy, slightly scary! Delicious.

I know, you’re saying, “Wolverine isn’t an Avenger! He’s X-Men.” Oh, but you’re wrong. In fact, he and Thor are basically drinking buddies. Here’s Some Experts Debating It.

Inky: What's your favorite kind of scene to write? 

Emmy: Ach, you’re gonna think I’m a little twisted, but I like writing the scenes in the MONUMENT 14 series where the narrating character is exposed to the warfare compounds in the air and “goes O.” During these dark, brutal scenes, my characters become monsters - and writing their stream of consciousness is liberating. And scary, even for me, at times.

Inky: If you could jump into any fictional world where would you go?

Emmy: The Dells, Monsea, Pikka - please place me anywhere inside the Graceling series with a cup of mulled wine and maybe a monster kitten to keep me company and I’d be happy beyond all reckoning!

Inky: First reaction when you found out you had a contract?

Emmy: My agent gave me the news on my cell phone. I started jumping up and down on the sidewalk right outside of my favorite place to eat in the whole world, The Threefold Cafe in Chestnut Ridge, NY. It’s run by my dear friends Jeanette and Anthony LoPinto. I ran in and told them and we all danced around like a bunch of jackalopes.

Inky: When you finish the MONUMENT 14 series, is there some other genre you would like to persue?

Emmy: Yes! My next book will be a stand-alone book called, SWEET, about a cruise ride that goes terribly wrong. I’d put it in the good old YA Horror-Comedy genre... (Wait, does that sub-genre exist?!) After that, I’d like to try my hand at a fantasy series. I promise not to rip off The Graceling at all. Except that the characters will probably drink mulled wine. Come on, everyone in fantasy drinks mulled wine!

Inky: That sounds awesome! Thank you so much Emmy for dropping by! It was totally awesome!

Emmy: It’s been such fun to visit with you Hannah! You ask such great questions. Thanks for hosting me here. But the fun doesn't stop here, come follow the rest of my tour! Tomorrow I’m over at Chick Loves Lit.

Find Emmy on her Website -- Facebook -- Twitter 

Emmy Laybourne is a writer, actress and teacher who lives in upstate New York. In June of 2012, Emmy’s debut novel, MONUMENT 14, was released by Feiwel & Friends, a division of Macmillan. MONUMENT 14 is a post-apocalyptic Young Adult thriller that follows the story of fourteen kids who get trapped in a superstore while civilization collapses outside the gates. The novel received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and was called “Frighteningly real… riveting,” by the New York Times Book Review and was an Editor’s Choice. The sequel, Sky On Fire, will be released in June of 2013. The final installment of the trilogy, SAVAGE DRIFT, is expected in 2014.

And now, thanks to very awesome people at Macmillan, I've got a special treat for you! All my US/CA friends [sorry Int! <33] can enter to win a Paperback of Monument 14 + a Hardback of Sky on Fire! Serious awesome there folks! So...enter away!
a Rafflecopter giveaway And with that, I am out. Thanks for dropping by! Have a loverly day!!