Hello! Today we have an interview with author Alison Gervais and her newest novel The Silence Between Us! We are so excited about this book and to have Alison on the blog today! 🤩😍
About Alison Gervais!
Alison Gervais began writing at the age of five and gained recognition by posting her work on Wattpad in 2011. She graduated from Colorado State University – Pueblo with a degree in English and is still figuring out what else she’d like to do in life. As for now, she plans to keep writing, rereading Harry Potter, watching Supernatural and Law and Order: SVU, and enjoying life with her husband and their two cats, Jane and Smoke.
Interview!
The Book Bratz: First of all, congratulations on your book's release! What's your favorite thing about being a published author?
Alison: Thank you so much – that means a lot! I think my favorite part of being an author is seeing my book sitting on the shelf in a bookstore. I’ve wanted to be an author for almost as long as I can remember, and that feeling never gets old!
The Book Bratz: In your opinion, what is the best part of the writing process? What's the hardest?
Alison: The best part of the writing process – for me at least – is when you get this huge surge of inspiration and excitement for your project and you just have to sit down and write. I can get maybe 5,000 words down in one sitting if I’m really into it, so you have to strike while the iron is hot! The hardest part is probably writer’s block, or that inevitable feeling of defeat that hits sooner or later where you’re convinced you can’t possibly write another word of your project. That feeling goes away eventually, but it’s never fun.
The Book Bratz: Where did you get the idea for writing The Silence Between Us?
Alison: This is a question that has a few different answers, honestly! Growing up Hard of Hearing, of course I had my own experiences and feelings to draw on when I began creating a character in the Deaf community, but I also had a lot of background knowledge and guidance that came from being a Deaf Services Specialist at an Independent Living Center for two years. My job was to act as an advocate for those D/deaf/Hard of Hearing and provide support in different areas, such as arranging interpreters, procuring assistive technology, and educating the public about the Deaf community. I was also a part of a subset of the Colorado Coalition for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf Blind, called the Advocacy Coalition for Equality; I got to see firsthand just what type of obstacles people in this community face in all aspects of life, and particularly with young students.The Book Bratz: Who was your favorite character to write? Who was the most difficult?
Alison: Probably my favorite character to write would have to be Maya. She’s the total opposite of myself, so it was fun to write her story as her voice developed. She’s not afraid to speak her mind and she’s definitely a lot spunkier than I am, so writing from that different point of view was fun.
The Book Bratz: Were there any characters or scenes from your book that got changed/deleted in the revision process? What can you tell us about them? (It's always fascinating to see how much changes about a book through the publishing process!)
Alison: In one of my first drafts Maya actually had a step-dad named Roger. That particular character never really took off in a way that was necessary for the story to continue, so my editor and I agreed to re-write without him.
The Book Bratz: What do you hope that readers will take away from reading The Silence Between Us?
Alison: I hope readers enjoy experiencing the point of view of someone else who’s different than they are. Not everyone experiences the world the same way, and to be able to see that through different lenses can be a great way to learn. I also hope that readers come away with the knowledge that there is a beautiful and diverse culture behind the Deaf community, and it’s out there right now! Go explore!
The Book Bratz: Do you plan on revisiting the world of The Silence Between Us in the future, or do you have other ideas planned? Can you share any of that with us?
Alison: As much as it would be fun to revisit this world, I can’t say for certain that it’ll happen. And I’m always tossing around ideas for new projects or working on something new, but I don’t want to spoil anything, so stay tuned!
About The Silence Between Us!
Title: The Silence Between Us
Author: Alison Gervais
Publisher: Blink
Publication Date: August 13th 2019
Summary: Moving halfway across the country to Colorado right before senior year isn’t Maya’s idea of a good time. Leaving behind Pratt School for the Deaf where she’s been a student for years only to attend a hearing school is even worse. Maya has dreams of breaking into the medical field and is determined to get the grades and a college degree to match, and she’s never considered being Deaf a disability. But her teachers and classmates at Engelmann High don’t seem to share her optimism. And then there’s Beau Watson, Engelmann’s student body president and overachiever. Maya suspects Beau’s got a hidden agenda when he starts learning ASL to converse with her, but she also can’t deny it’s nice to sign with someone amongst all the lip reading she has to do with her hearing teachers and classmates. Maya has always been told that Deaf/hearing relationships never work, and yet she can’t help but be drawn to Beau as they spend more and more time together. But as much Maya and Beau genuinely start to feel for one another, there are unmistakable differences in their worlds. When Maya passes up a chance to receive a cochlear implant, Beau doesn’t understand why Maya wouldn’t want to hear again. Maya is hurt Beau would want her to be anything but who she is—she’s always been proud to be Deaf, something Beau won’t ever be able to understand. Maya has to figure out whether bridging that gap between the Deaf and hearing worlds will be worth it, or if staying true to herself matters more.
Buy The Silence Between Us!
Amazon / B&N / Book Depository / IndieBound
Thank you so much to Alison for stopping by and answering our questions! We are super excited about The Silence Between Us and can't wait for everyone to read it!
This is such an awesome interview and makes me excited for the book :)
ReplyDeleteMegan S.
I am LOVING your Debut Author interviews! It's so great getting to read about these authors processes and how excited they are to finally be debuts. You three do such amazing work for the bookish community and all writer's out there. Really loved this interview and can't wait for more.
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