I'm thrilled to be part of the blog tour for Heidi Ayarbe's latest novel WANTED. Her super awesome agent, Stephen Barbara, is here with us today for a special agent interview. Hope you enjoy it!
CT: Heidi's books
are hard hitting and honest, always pulling me, as a reader, into the world
she's created instantly. I'd love to know at what point she had you hooked. Was
it in her query or in the early pages of a submission? Can you remember exactly
when the moment was that you knew you wanted to represent her?
SB: Heidi sent me a query letter, I think back in 2006, for a novel
about a teenage boy who accidentally kills his best friend with a handgun he
finds in his father’s tool shed. That novel became FREEZE FRAME, her debut, published
in 2008 by HarperCollins. I don’t remember the query letter but the first
chapter was unforgettable. It’s a very poignant example of dramatic irony, this
teenage kid acting like a jerk to his sister and his friend while they’re having
breakfast on an ordinary autumn morning. But you, the reader, know what he
doesn’t know, that he’s only minutes away from killing his best friend. It’s a
devastating piece of writing.
So I signed Heidi after I
finished reading that manuscript. I was surprised by how nice she was over the
phone. I guess I expected something different—her writing was so dark and
unflinching!
CT: Do you have a
favorite line or moment from WANTED? If so, please share it with us.
SB: The six-word memoir which ends the novel. But you’ll have to read
the book to get to that line.
CT: What are some of
your favorite YA reads that are not books written by your clients? What types of books would
you like to see more of in the YA market?
SB: I like everything M.T. Anderson has done in the YA space. FEED and
the OCTAVIAN NOTHING books, especially. From last year, I liked Laini Taylor’s
novel a lot. E. Lockhart comes to mind for her distinctive voice and style. And
Rebecca Stead’s WHEN YOU REACH ME was a favorite—we all read it around the
office. It’s depressing to think of all these great books and writers I don’t
represent, though. (laughs)
I don’t have any big headline on
where the YA market should go. I’d just like to keep seeing authors and
publishers trying new things, being creative, putting their faith in good
writers, and good story-telling. There’s maybe a little too much copy-catting
in the market right now, a little too much desperation to replicate someone
else’s success. It’s good to see publishers taking chances, despite how tough
the market is. I liked CHOPSTICKS, for instance, the Jessica Anthony and
Rodrigo Corral book which Razorbill published last year. I think people in the
industry are always finding themselves surprised by what the market will bear.
We just don’t know what the next hit will be. It often comes from completely
out of left field.
CT: Have you ever
disagreed with a client on what their next project should be? In your
experience, what has been
the best way to handle this?
SB: Yes, of course. There’s no good way to handle that, Just straight
on, I think: “Look, this isn’t working, it needs revisions, etc.” If your
client trusts you, and you have a good working relationship, you figure out the
best strategy, whether to revise the work, stuff it in a drawer, or revisit it at
a later time. As an agent, you’re always thinking of presenting your client at
their best, maximizing their value, giving them the best shot to succeed in the
market. And sometimes you don’t 100% agree with your client on whether to move
ahead with a project, but it’s better if you’ve been clear on your point of
view, I think.
CT: What's the most
exciting part of being an agent? The signing of a new client? Getting a new
book deal for a
client? Meeting your clients for the first time?
SB: Closing a deal, without question! I’ve heard salespeople say,
“Every time I get a no, I’m one step closer to a yes,” and while I’m sure
that’s a very nice and well-meaning sentiment, I never really understood this
business of liking rejection. Personally, I hate it. Writing a novel is a long,
grueling slog for a writer, and the business of agent-ing can be slow, hard,
confounding work in its own right. So I think the truly satisfying, essential,
rewarding moment as an agent, is closing the deal. I like calling a client and
telling them we have a great offer, helping them realize what may be a lifelong
dream. And while I also love getting into the minutiae later on and guiding a
book to the moment it sees the light of day, none of that is possible if you
don’t close the deal first. That’s the most exciting part for me.
Huge thanks to Heidi and Stephen for today's tour stop!
You can find Heidi and her books online:
Find Stephen Barbara @ Foundry Literary + Media
WANTED by Heidi Ayarbe
Release Date: May 1, 2012 (Out now!!)
Publisher: Balzar + Bray
About (from Goodreads): A one-word text
message: That's all Michal "Mike" Garcia needs to gather a crowd. Mike
is a seventeen-year-old bookie, and Sanctuary is where she takes bets
for anyone at Carson High with enough cash. Her only rule: Never
participate, never place a bet for herself.
Then Josh Ellison moves to town. He pushes Mike to live her life, to feel a rush of something -- play the game, he urgest, stop being a spectator.
So Mike breaks her one rule. She places a bet, feels the rush.
And loses.
In an act of desperation, she and Josh -- who has a sordid past of his own -- concoct a plan: The pair will steal from Carson City's elite to pay back Mike's debt. Then they'll give the rest of their haul to those who need it most. How can burglary be wrong if they are making things right?
WANTED will thrust readers into the gritty underbelly of Carson City, where worth is determined by a score, power is derived from threat, and the greatest feat is surviving it all.
Then Josh Ellison moves to town. He pushes Mike to live her life, to feel a rush of something -- play the game, he urgest, stop being a spectator.
So Mike breaks her one rule. She places a bet, feels the rush.
And loses.
In an act of desperation, she and Josh -- who has a sordid past of his own -- concoct a plan: The pair will steal from Carson City's elite to pay back Mike's debt. Then they'll give the rest of their haul to those who need it most. How can burglary be wrong if they are making things right?
WANTED will thrust readers into the gritty underbelly of Carson City, where worth is determined by a score, power is derived from threat, and the greatest feat is surviving it all.
