Robin Wasserman: Happily ever after

Robin Wasserman, Author of the Skinned Trilogy and Seven Deadly Sins series

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

So I’m told I’m supposed to offer advice about life after high school. Just one thing: I don’t have any. Except possibly: ENJOY.

You’re talking to someone who spent her teens psychotically desperate to get into college and her early twenties psychotically desperate to get back there. So I’ve got plenty of advice about what to do in those situations (although I guess most of the advice boils down to: This too shall pass). But as far as I’m concerned, college – despite all the melodramatic lows that go along with the many (let’s just say metaphorical) highs – is, after the tyranny and monotony of high school, pretty much a ridiculous paradise of free choice.

The whole point of life after high school is that, unlike in high school, no one can tell you what to do.

Your life is suddenly your own. Everything terrifying, exhilarating minute of it.

That said, I have to admit that as an embarrassingly huge pop culture addict, my life post-graduation wasn’t entirely my own. I’m not saying I modeled my college life after Saved By the Bell: The College Years . . . but I’ll admit there are a select number of pop cultural entities that pretty much shaped my entire understanding of life after high school. So in that spirit (with the full knowledge that I’m dating myself), a list:

1. How I Got Into College

2. The Freshmen

3. Can’t Hardly Wait

4. Dead Man on Campus

5. Wear Sunscreen

6. Conan O’Brien’s Harvard Commencement Speech

7. Back to School (Because the only thing that could improve college would be the presence of Robert Downey, Jr.)

8. PCU; (starring a manic, pre-Entourage Jeremy Piven)

9. The Secret History

10. And, of course one of the all time greatest college movies . . . Real Genius (You thought I was going to say Animal House, didn’t you? Apparently, you didn’t know me in high school. The linked-to clip, one of the greatest scenes of the movie, should fill you in.)

~~~

You can read my review of Skinned here and Crashed here. I can not wait for Wired!

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Author Interview: Robin Wasserman

I have received the opportunity to interview one of my favourite authors, Robin Wasserman! You may know her popular dystopian series, The Skinned Trilogy, which I highly recommend! (Click tags below to check out my reviews for the first two novels).

You get to read some cool insider information regarding one of her books becoming a movie and her new upcoming series! Hope you enjoy the interview!

If you would like to learn more about Robin and her books, please visit her at www.robinwasserman.com.

Firstly, what inspired you to write the Skinned Trilogy?

When I was in grad school, I spent a lot of time studying the history of automata (ie the history of mechanical replicas of human life). I got totally fascinated by the idea of humans that acted like machines and machines that acted like humans, especially when it came to the subject of emotion. If it were possible for a machine to feel, I wondered, what would it feel *like*? That's how I stumbled onto the character of Lia, a girl who thinks like a human and feels like a machine. Who is neither one nor the other, and has to figure out what that means for herself and who--and what--she really is.

If Skinned became a movie, which actors/actresses would you like to see playing your characters?

I always love answering this kind of question about my books, difficult as it is! (And actually, one of my other projects -- the Seven Deadly Sins series -- is going to be a Lifetime movie next month, and it's been ridiculously cool to see who they actually cast in the parts. Especially since some of them are exactly as I'd always envisioned the characters and some could not be more opposite than the image I had in my head. But back to your actual question...) My dream pick for Lia used to be Kristen Bell, but now that she's a little old for the part, I've settled on Leighton Meester, of Gossip Girl fame, who I actually think would be even more perfect than Bell. She's got this delicate, brittle, perfect beauty and can somehow pull off being hard and fragile, all at the same time, which is exactly what this character would need. I haven't thought much about who should play the other characters, but if anyone's got any suggestions, please let me know, because I LOVE THIS GAME.

Out of all of your published books, which one (or series) do you say you favour most? And why?

Ouch--that's a tough one. You want me to play favorites? Well, if I absolutely HAVE to, I guess I'd say that I'm proudest of the Skinned trilogy, because I think it's probably the best thing I've written so far. (That's the plan, at least -- you always want your next book to be better than the previous one.) But Hacking Harvard remains a sentimental favorite, because it's so autobiographical. Going back to it is like flipping through an old high school/college photo album.

What do you find is the easiest part in writing? And the hardest?

If there's an easy part of writing, no one's told me!

But if I had to pick one, I guess I would say that it's writing the last page or so of a book. Usually by the time I'm midway through the book, I know exactly how it's going to end -- not always the last sentence, but at least the last image, the last visceral emotion, and writing last few chapters of the book is like rolling down a hill toward that final point. The closer I get, the faster I go and the more wild a trip it is. So that when I'm finally there, I just blow right through the finish line. And then I do a little dance of joy.

The hardest part, on the other hand, is *getting* to the last page of a book. At some point about 100 pages into any novel, I become convinced that I'm never going to be able to finish it. That it's going to be the worst book ever written, and I was crazy to even start it. Forcing myself past that point and moving forward, page by painful page, is torture. But it's the only way through to the good stuff.

What kind of stories or genres do you still have yet to try out?

My next book is a murder mystery thriller with some historical components, all of which is new for me, so I'm pretty excited about that. I'd love to write a horror novel someday, as that was one of my favorite genres when I was a teenager. And I'll admit I'd like to write something with aliens in it. Someday!

Do you have any novels you are working on at the moment or will be releasing soon? If so, can you please give us a brief summary about them?

I just sold my new book! It'll be out in late 2011 or early 2012, and it's called The Book of Blood and Shadow. Here's the official description:

THE BOOK OF BLOOD AND SHADOW, about a girl who, upon discovering her best friend murdered and her boyfriend the apparent killer, is caught up in a dangerous world of competing secret societies, all searching for the Luminus Dei, an ancient device that will supposedly allow direct communication with God,

And in fact, as soon as I finish this interview, I have to start writing it -- so wish me luck!

Lastly, give us an interesting fact about yourself that not many know of!

I was once, sort of, on the Jerry Springer show. (One of the trashiest of trashy 90s talk shows.) I went to visit a friend of mine in college and she dragged me to go watch this show. At some point, someone in the audience near us stood up to ask a question, and the cameras swiveled around to point in our direction. I did my best to get out of their way. But when I watched the episode, there I was in the audience, wiggling around in my seat looking like I was doing my best to get *on* camera. Thus far, those have been my only 15 seconds of fame.

Crashed by Robin Wasserman

Title: Crashed
Author: Robin Wasserman
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 440
My Rating: 4.5/5

Lia Kahn has finally accepted her identity as a mech. She now lives with others who are just like her, trying to forget about her human past. Her time with Auden is now a fleeting memory and what had happen between them is something she does not want to remember.

Trouble starts to arise when a group of humans want to get rid of mechs' rights, thinking that mechs should not even exist. Jude, who acts like the leader (although Lia does not regard him so), wants to rebel against the orgs. Lia does not want to be a part of any retaliation nor cause trouble. However, the turn out of events does not allow her to have her peace. Lia is caught in a fight between machines and humans with an ending unknown. Which path will she take?

Instead of focusing on just the protagonist, Crashed expands out to the environment Lia is in. From the way humans deal with the existence of mechs to the mechs' reactions, a lot of political, ethical, and moral issues are brought up. The author has thought out the basis of the human mind quite well throughout the novel, making the reader curious on which side s/he would be on if the situation is real.

In Crashed, you get to learn more about the other characters Lia is with. [SPOILERS] When her relationship with Riley, another mech, developed, I was not all too surprise because the plot was leading to it. I felt sympathy towards the two because love between mechs can be a confusing concept. However, I strongly support it if she ends up with Jude later on. I would really like to see what would happen between the two if they have feelings for each other. [END SPOILERS]

I definitely think Lia grew since Skinned and I look forward to what will happen to her and everyone else later on. Especially since Auden returns, things get more difficult for her. The concept of this series is so interesting because what if the world will become this far in the future when technology advances?

For fans of Skinned, you will not be disappointed with its sequel. I recommend this series 100% for anyone who is looking for a dystopian read. I am totally looking forward to the last novel of the Skinned Trilogy!

Review copy provided by Simon & Schuster.

Skinned by Robin Wasserman

Title: Skinned
Author: Robin Wasserman
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 361
My Rating: 5/5

Advance to the future from now. How far ahead are you looking at? What do you think the world is like then?

The setting of the future for this story is when the world is polluted, nature ceases to exist, and you would always be hooked up to the network. Cities like Chicago does not exist and digital cameras are ancient history. Now you can genetically engineer what your future babies would look like and if you got enough credit, you can buy yourself anything in the world.

Life is completely fabulous for Lia Kahn. She is rich, beautiful, and popular. How typical huh? Another Gossip Girl story with a future twist? Oh no, definitely not.

Lia have agreed to her younger sister, Zoie, that she would take her place at the daycare she works at. Cars of the future drives on its own as long as you give them the right coordinates. With the fancy technology, they can avoid all other vehicles as long as they are programmed correctly. It usually isn't faulty... until now.

Lia's car read that the street was clear when a truck came the other way. She died in a fatal accident. Or so she thought. The next thing she knew she was in a mechanical body that is supposed to look human but is not. Every concept of her brain is mapped out into a virtual one that belongs to what people called the robotic body a "Skinner." Now she is trying to fit back into society. But how can you do so when everyone consider you only a fake human replica, not deserving to be treated as a real human?

In the beginning, it was a bit slow with Lia trying to adjust to her new life but after a few more chapters, it totally gripped me. There were many different topics that came to my mind when I was reading it. One that really bothered me the most: Designing your child. In the story, you can map out their entire appearance, all the way to certain abilities. You can make the children perfect or really intelligent, or even both if you have enough credit. In the story, everyone is very conceited and appearances is everything. Why would you do that? I would never want to have a child that I made up like a doll. I rather let natural causes come to play and I get what I get. Of course I would get rid of all possible diseases within their genes but other than that, I prefer things to flow naturally.

What else I took into mind: Unfair judgment. It is like racism all over again. People treated those who became skinners as objects. Of course this is a very controversial topic. Since the bodies are man-made, they are not considered people. Then again, the minds have been scanned into these bodies know that they were once human. Skinners does not have a "free will", so says the Faithers (religious people). They can't say that because what if the god they believe all so much in is pulling their strings?

This is an amazing book. Not only do you pity, hate, and love the characters but also it gives you some things to think about. Books that actually makes you question things are great ones. I think this is the first book I actually took some of the topics out of and thought a bit about it. It deals with trying to understand who you are and fighting between the reality and your own beliefs. Go read it. Which side would you be on?

Review copy provided by Simon & Schuster, Inc.