101
by Margaret Chatwin
by Margaret Chatwin
Paperback, 205 pages
Published January 24th 2012 by Whisk Away Book
Published January 24th 2012 by Whisk Away Book
How do you get desperately needed answers when no one is talking? Who do you trust in a place full of criminals, a place where it’s easy to mistake friends for enemies and enemies for friends? And how is it possible for one girl to seemingly vanish into thin air, especially when the place is surrounded by sixteen foot high electric fences?
When Trigg and his sister Ren are sentenced to township 101 for the crime of defending themselves, and Ren suddenly comes up missing, Trigg must ask himself these same questions.
Something else he’d like to know is, how do you survive when the flaws of the NAO’s justice system has turned a simple punishment into a game of life or death?
small
child dreaming up characters and adventures for them to take. When I
reached the age of thirteen, (which was a million years ago) my
imagination could no loner be kept within the confines of my own head
and I began to write them down. Many a summer I laid out in the back
yard on the lawn chair with a pen and a note book. I’ve since graduated
to a couch and a laptop, but I’m still writing.
Q & A with Author Margaret Chatwin
Q: Tell us a little bit about your main characters.
A: My main character is Trigg. He has a very close relationship with his younger sister, Ren, due to all the hardships they’ve had to endure together. He’d do anything for her, and that dedication and determination leads him into some pretty sticky situations. Like Trigg, sometimes our strengths become our weaknesses. But if we are lucky, our weaknesses become the best part about us.
Q: What do you see as influences on your writing style?
A: My greatest influence actually comes from a lack of reading material. It’s so hard for me to find books that are written about things I want to read about. I’ve had to take to creating my own books for me to read. It kind of sucks though, cause I always know how the story is going to end. Haha.
Q: Who designs the covers for your books and what is that process like for you as an author?
A: I design my own covers with help from my sister. The cover for 101 was a bit of a challenge. I knew I wanted a fence on the front cover, so I grabbed my camera and headed out to find one. I found tons, but none of them had razor wire, and therefore just looked too wimpy to represent a prison fence. So I went to the county jail to see if they had a cool looking fence. They did, but as I’ve come to realize, they don’t really like weirdos standing outside their place taking pictures.
To make a long story short, I ended up making several covers before I finally got one that satisfied my critic. (AKA my boyfriend.)
Q: Describe your ideal writing spot.
A: A hammock on a white sand beach with a slight breeze blowing in off of the water, and some hot, shirtless guy, serving me drinks and fresh fruit. But since I can’t have that, I’ll settle for the little couch and foot stool I have in my bedroom.
Q: What is the best advice you have been given?
A: Ummmm, “Don’t spit in the wind” ?? Oh, wait, I got it – “If at first you don’t succeed, failure may be your thing.” Yeah, sometimes you just have to own it and roll with it.
Q: Which do you prefer: hard/paperbacks or ebooks?
A: I lean a little more toward hard/paperbacks, although I like ebooks for the fact that I can download it to my device and begin reading within minutes. No waiting around for Paul the postman to bring it to me. Not that I have anything about Paul the postman.
Q: What do you keep yourself busy with when you're not writing?
A: I like to take photographs. I’m kind of new to this sport, but I’m lucky enough to know a very beautiful girl who’s willing to spend hours being my model while I learn. Check some of my photos out on Flickr.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/104072897@N08/
I also like to build things. I’m currently working on framing and drywalling my basement.
Q: What book are you reading now?
A: Nothing currently. But Nik Iupp was kind enough to send me an autographed copy of his book Avenging Adelita, and so that is next on my list. I also got the hard copy of Some Boys by Patty Blount for Christmas. I’ve read the ebook version, but I really want to read it again. I love Patty’s work.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your main characters.
A: My main character is Trigg. He has a very close relationship with his younger sister, Ren, due to all the hardships they’ve had to endure together. He’d do anything for her, and that dedication and determination leads him into some pretty sticky situations. Like Trigg, sometimes our strengths become our weaknesses. But if we are lucky, our weaknesses become the best part about us.
Q: What do you see as influences on your writing style?
A: My greatest influence actually comes from a lack of reading material. It’s so hard for me to find books that are written about things I want to read about. I’ve had to take to creating my own books for me to read. It kind of sucks though, cause I always know how the story is going to end. Haha.
Q: Who designs the covers for your books and what is that process like for you as an author?
A: I design my own covers with help from my sister. The cover for 101 was a bit of a challenge. I knew I wanted a fence on the front cover, so I grabbed my camera and headed out to find one. I found tons, but none of them had razor wire, and therefore just looked too wimpy to represent a prison fence. So I went to the county jail to see if they had a cool looking fence. They did, but as I’ve come to realize, they don’t really like weirdos standing outside their place taking pictures.
To make a long story short, I ended up making several covers before I finally got one that satisfied my critic. (AKA my boyfriend.)
Q: Describe your ideal writing spot.
A: A hammock on a white sand beach with a slight breeze blowing in off of the water, and some hot, shirtless guy, serving me drinks and fresh fruit. But since I can’t have that, I’ll settle for the little couch and foot stool I have in my bedroom.
Q: What is the best advice you have been given?
A: Ummmm, “Don’t spit in the wind” ?? Oh, wait, I got it – “If at first you don’t succeed, failure may be your thing.” Yeah, sometimes you just have to own it and roll with it.
Q: Which do you prefer: hard/paperbacks or ebooks?
A: I lean a little more toward hard/paperbacks, although I like ebooks for the fact that I can download it to my device and begin reading within minutes. No waiting around for Paul the postman to bring it to me. Not that I have anything about Paul the postman.
Q: What do you keep yourself busy with when you're not writing?
A: I like to take photographs. I’m kind of new to this sport, but I’m lucky enough to know a very beautiful girl who’s willing to spend hours being my model while I learn. Check some of my photos out on Flickr.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/104072897@N08/
I also like to build things. I’m currently working on framing and drywalling my basement.
Q: What book are you reading now?
A: Nothing currently. But Nik Iupp was kind enough to send me an autographed copy of his book Avenging Adelita, and so that is next on my list. I also got the hard copy of Some Boys by Patty Blount for Christmas. I’ve read the ebook version, but I really want to read it again. I love Patty’s work.
I said congratulations Ms.Chatwin, you should be happy with yourself, you do a fine job with art/writing/pictures and possibly building things...LoL...you should be proud of what you have created in so many ways.. How about a trailer for Erased?...are you working on that?...I think we all would like to see something of that nature. Do you feel you have more writings for us all?...just wonderin?...hmmm?...I think you may, hope to see them some day.."failure" is the key to "owning/understanding/ and grasping happiness, which could equal success?"....Good luck Ms Chatwin,you have the ability to go further than you know...ok...thanks.....
ReplyDeleteYou stated that it is hard for you to find books with interests or reading material that interests you...can you expand on this...what material or books are you or do you find interesting to read?...what would float your boat?...as far as reading material?...History?, fact? fiction?...or just young adult?...can you tell us more of these things that you would find interesting or inspiring?..
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