“A highly original and thought-provoking dystopian novel.
I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like it!”
Luisa Plaja, Chicklish, the UK’s Teen Fiction Site

Do you have any strange or habitual writing habits, such as listening to a certain type of music?

I prefer to write in a quiet environment actually, without music playing. I write straight to my laptop on the dining room table, surrounded by my kids’ clutter.

What were you like as a child? Did you have a favorite toy or game, and was it gender specific? Did you have childhood experiences that you could draw from while writing XY?

Good question! I played with lots of different toys. I had Sindy dolls but I also had Action Men. Clothes-wise, I was quite a tomboy. I had very long hair but I refused to wear dresses; it was jeans all the way. When I was a child, toys weren’t marketed in such gender specific ways as they are today. Now, when I walk into a toy shop with my children, I am horrified at the gender stereotyping, particularly all the pink princess things aimed at girls. I have two sons but I think I would find it quite a challenge to raise a girl in today’s society.

What were the psychological and social challenges you faced as a writer in dealing with the controversy surrounding gender reassignment surgery?

I didn’t really think about it in that way – I just wrote Jesse’s story. Writing XY was no different to writing my other novels – I always start with a character in crisis and follow the journey until the story is told. I carried out a fair bit of research into intersex conditions and sex assignment/gender assignment for XY to help me understand some of the sensitivities involved. But ultimately the story is fiction and set in an alternative reality, where 91% of humans are born with indeterminate biological sex. It’s a very different situation to real life, so I felt there was a certain amount of freedom.

I noticed from your bio that you once worked at a teen sexual health hotline. Did any real life experiences, work related or otherwise, influence the theme of gender identity in your book?

The intersex aspect didn’t come from my experience on the teen sexual health helpline. But talking to teenagers every day for three years probably influenced my writing in terms of creating an authentic teen voice and understanding the issues that teens face. Jesse is like any other teenager, grappling with identity and self-esteem, trying to find herself.

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it?

I don’t think any subject is off limits if it is handled in the right way. I don’t shy away from controversial subject matter but I do try to handle it in a complex and sensitive way.

Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

I have been influenced by a great many authors and books. In fact, I have probably been influenced in some way by just about every book that I read. As a teenager at school, there was a huge distinction between the books you had to read and the books you wanted to read. The first time the two coincided for me was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which we studied for our GCSE English Literature exam. I was right there with Scout and the whole character cast. It is such a thought provoking, engaging book – a real ‘must read.’ That was the first time a book I read at school touched me. Other than that, it was the Judy Blume books that were doing the rounds at our school. We thought Forever was so illicit!

If you could cast your characters in the Hollywood adaptation of your book, who would play your characters?

Ooh, it would have to be Cara Delevingne as Jesse. I know she’s not a teenager but it wouldn’t be like casting Sissy Spacek in Carrie, is it? Who would play Ork? Hmm, it’s a tricky one. Maybe Jake T. Austin because he’s very pretty. Then I would have some unknown actors, new faces breaking onto the Hollywood scene… If only, eh?

What are you working on now? What is your next project?

I am currently completing the sequel to XY.

Shanta Everington is the author of seven books, including three young adult novels – Give Me a Sign, Boy Red and latest release XY (joint winner of the Red Telephone Books YA Novel Competition). She has had all sorts of jobs in the past, from baking vegan muffins and working as a private tutor to appearing as a guest agony aunt and running a teen sexual health helpline. With an MA in Creative Writing with distinction, Shanta currently teaches Creative Writing with The Open University. She lives in London, UK, with her husband and two children.

Shanta’s Links: Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads

XY on Amazon.com

XY on Amazon.co.uk

Images included at the author’s request. Image credits are as follows.
Boy in skirt  – photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography https://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/
Girl in suit – photo credit https://www.flickr.com/photos/bigmikeyeah/

Post by Cheer Papworth

I was excited and honored to meet and interview Shelbi Wescott, author of the YA apocalyptic trilogy Virulent. She was gracious enough to take time out of her family vacation to discuss her books.

Upon meeting, I was instantly struck by her intelligence, warmth, and approachable personality. In addition to being an author, Shelbi is a high school creative writing teacher, wife, mother, and business owner. Despite her busy life, Shelbi is dedicated to her writing and finds time to write at least a thousand words every day. Without further ado, here is my interview with this awesome author.

What five words describe you as an author?

I would have to say insecure, extremely motivated, personable, driven, and self-effacing.

What is the scariest thing you’ve ever done?

The scariest thing I’ve ever done would probably have to be cliff jumping in Thailand into the River Kwai, but I was young, in my early twenties then. Now I’m older and the mother of two boys. I’d have to say parenthood is the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but also the most rewarding by far.

What is something about publishing you wish you would have known before starting out?

I wish I would have known that traditional publishing has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of an author’s work. I started off trying to write the next great novel thinking it was a sure thing. I shopped my novel only to receive probably a hundred and fifty rejection letters in response. My novel is really good, I still believe that today.  It’s quality work, but I realized that I needed to write about things I love to read about. That’s when I decided to write an apocalyptic book and the idea for Virulent came about. Instead of going the traditional route, I decided to self-publish. I had to get over this idea that traditional publishing somehow validates an author’s writing, but it doesn’t necessarily.  Some of the best books I’ve read are written by indie writers.

The Virulent Series is an apocalyptic tale. Why do you think the idea of human extinction appeals to readers?

It’s really quite simple – it’s inevitable. History has shown us this time and time again and all we have to do is look around us, watch the news.  It’s happening.

Lucy King is the teen protagonist in Virulent. Give me five words that describe Lucy.

Lucy is a different girl in book one than she is in book three.  Obviously, she has been shaped by how she reacts to the circumstances she finds herself in and she experiences growth throughout her journey as she faces challenges. If we are talking about Lucy in book one, I would say she is loyal, naive, stubborn, genuinely kind, and emotionally strong, but I don’t want to give anything away by describing her at the end of the series.

Virulent is about a killer virus manufactured to annihilate humanity.  Are you a germaphobe?

When it comes to myself, I’m not a germaphobe, but when it comes to my children, yes!

What would you pack in your backpack if you only had five minutes to escape an impending apocalypse?

Oh, wow!  Okay, I’d need a knife, some Advil, bottled water, a fire starter of some kind, and pictures of my family.

Are you currently working on any other projects and if so, what genre is it in?

I’m currently editing my new paranormal book After Life.  It is scheduled to be released this month.

I cannot thank you enough Shelbi for taking the time to meet with me and graciously answer the hundreds of questions I bombarded you with.  I greatly appreciate your cheerful, fun personality and admire your dedication and commitment to writing. I’ve been devouring the Virulent Trilogy and I cannot wait to read After Life when it is released later this month.  I wish you continued success in all you do. — Cheer

VIRULENT

Lucy King is only an hour away from embarking on the most incredible vacation of her life: White sandy beaches in a tropical paradise, snorkeling and sunbathing in peaceful tranquility. But as Lucy looks forward to her trip, a sinister plot is unfolding that will demolish the world as she knows it. An unknown bioterrorist group unleashes a virus that virtually wipes out the earth’s population—leaving Lucy, and a small faction of survivors, trapped inside her high school to wait out the apocalypse.

As war, looting, and death wreak havoc outside, inside, the students must contend with a tyrannical and paranoid principal and their own struggles of being orphaned, frightened, and unsure of what the future will bring.

What begins as a basic fight for survival turns into a search for answers that will challenge everything Lucy has ever known about her life and her family.

Kindle  |  Goodreads