Interview With Author Carey Anne Farrell!

Today on the blog, we have YA author Carey Anne Farrell here for an interview, which we are so super excited about. Her novel Forward March has been on our TBR because we're so intrigued by the idea. We are so excited to have Carey on the blog today to answer some of our questions! 

About Carey! 

Carey Anne Farrell writes, teaches, makes music, and co-hosts the podcast Go Your Own YA. Originally from Maryland, she now lives outside Chicago with her husband, their dog, and her ever-expanding collections of books, records, musical instruments, and creepy dolls.

Keep up with Carey: Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook

Interview!

The Book Bratz: First of all, congratulations! How does it feel to be a debut author? [Note: Carey's first YA novel came out last year!]

Carey: Thank you! I've dreamed of being a published author for most of my life, so it's a wonderful and surreal feeling to have achieved that goal.

The Book Bratz:  In your opinion, what is the best part of the writing process? What's the hardest?

Carey: For me, the best part is revising and the hardest part is getting that first draft down. Making something out of nothing is scary. Improving something that already exists is less daunting.  

The Book Bratz: Where did you get the idea for FORWARD MARCH?

Carey: FM definitely came from my own experiences (see below!). I wanted to tell a story that reflected my own high school experience--a story in which band nerds got to be stars rather than punchlines.

The Book Bratz: Who was your favorite character to write? Who was the most difficult?

Carey: Meghan was the easiest to write, Jonah was the most fun to write, and Brian was the one who kept surprising me. The most difficult characters to write was Dani, who needed to be believable both as Meghan's BFF and as someone who could easily become more popular and ditch Meghan.

The Book Bratz: Did marching band have a strong impact on you when you were in high school, too?

Carey: Marching band had a strong impact on me in high school, and it continues to have a strong impact on me to this day! Like Meghan, I play trombone, and I marched all four years in high school, serving as section leader my junior and senior years. I put the trombone away for a while after college, but I've picked it up again, and for the last year, I've been playing in a brass band called Clamor & Lace Noise Brigade. When it came time to plan the FORWARD MARCH release party, I of course invited C&L along to perform, and it was a literal and figurative blast.

The Book Bratz: If Meghan could have a Twitter handle, what do you think it would be?

Carey:Oh, Meghan would run away screaming from Twitter! She might lurk on it to read Jonah's live tweets about bad movies, but she wouldn't tweet herself.

The Book Bratz: Do you plan on returning to the world of FORWARD MARCH in the future, or do you have any other stories in mind? Can you tell us anything about them?

Carey: I'm currently bouncing back and forth between two different book ideas--neither is FM-related, but both are YA, both feature girl main characters, and one has a musical focus of a different kind. I would love to return to Meghan's world, but first, I'll need to figure out what happens to her next!

About FORWARD MARCH!

Title: Forward March

Author: Carey Anne Farrell

Published October 2018

Summary: Love, loss, and the surprising aphrodisiacs of the band locker room. That's what the Dulaney High marching band has in store for Meghan Riggins. Like her Gram, who's been her biggest fan since that first trombone lesson, Meghan's always loved making music. So marching band should be easy, right? Wrong. It's hard enough staying upright during the halftime show, avoiding the worst of the upperclassmen, or remembering the difference between a cummerbund and a dickie. But then she falls for Jonah, an adorkable fellow trombone nerd who just happens to be her best friend's brother. Meghan may need to rethink everything she knows about herself, in and out of band, with and without her family and friends, and in and out of love. Both witty and poignant, Forward March will have you laughing, swooning, and cheering from the stands.

Thank you so much to Carey for stopping by and answering our questions! We hope you all read Forward March and love it!