Angela Morrison
Books:
- Taken By Storm
- Sing Me to Sleep
Sing Me to Sleep
THE TRANSFORMATION
Beth has always been “The Beast”—that’s what everyone at school calls her because of her awkward height, facial scars, and thick glasses. Beth’s only friend is geeky, golden-haired Scott. That is, until she’s selected to be her choir’s soprano soloist, and receives the makeover that will change her life forever.
THE LOVE AFFAIR
When Beth’s choir travels to Switzerland, she meets Derek: pale, brooding, totally dreamy. Derek’s untethered passion—for music, and for Beth—leaves her breathless. Because in Derek’s eyes? She’s not The Beast, she’s The Beauty.
THE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE
When Beth comes home, Scott, her best friend in the world, makes a confession that leaves her completely torn. Should she stand by sweet, steady Scott or follow the dangerous, intense new feelings she has for Derek?
THE HEARTBREAK
The closer Beth gets to Derek, the further away he seems. Then Beth discovers that Derek’s been hiding a dark secret from her …one that could shatter everything.
Did you notice a change in your writing going from Taken by Storm to Sing Me to Sleep? Was it easier/harder? Did you notice your writing style changing?
I wrote SING ME TO SLEEP under contract, so my Razorbill editor, Lexa Hillyer, and I batted a proposal back and forth until we had a rough summary worked out. Then she had to get the novel approved--before I wrote one word. TAKEN BY STORM was a long process of discovery. It took me YEARS to revise and sell it. I didn't have that kind of time with SING ME TO SLEEP. You can imagine the panic I was in. Beth's voice came to me right off--that was an amazing gift. I let her tell the story in her own words. Writing the lyrics for the choral numbers and Beth's compositions was tricky. Way different from Leesie's free verse poems. But Beth's first-person flowed a lot like Michael's first person did in TAKEN BY STORM.
SING ME TO SLEEP is told from single first-person viewpoint--so I didn't have to try to balance the story between narrators and formats. I scribbled scene after scene as fast as I could. I wrote all day and into the night. I ended up writing the first VERY rough draft in a single month. I researched, revised, sent it to my critique friends for feedback, and revised some more, and it was done. Lexa cried when she read it. Yep. I made my editor cry. Unheard of. But Lexa is a special editor. The whole writing and editing process took less than six months. That NEVER happens. I know I had a lot of help from unseen hands.
Describe your writing in three words.
emotion, truth, and love
Is there a different genre that you'd like to write? Maybe one you'd like to stay away from?
I DO write other genres. I am revising two very different romantic novels. The first is a historical YA called MY ONLY LOVE inspired by my Scottish coal mining ancestors' emigration story. It is to die for heartbreaking. And the second is a time-slip novel, MY TIME ASSASSIN, that I'm turning upside down. I'm adding a Bronte-esque heroine to the mix. Think, Jane Eyre meets the Terminator--but my assassin ain't no robot.
If you could travel back in time for a year, where would you go? And what three things would you take with you?
Oh, I would go to 1827 and travel with the Glovers from Scotland to Nova Scotia. I researched it all so much. I would love to go back and try to capture the real thing. I'd need to take a video camera, a solar-recharable battery pack for it, and a state of the art water filter. Ship's water was disgusting.
What is something about yourself that most people would be surprised to know?
I'm a proud, proud GRANDMOTHER!!
What are you working on now, can you tell us anything about it?
Funny you should ask. I've mentioned the sequel to TAKEN BY STORM, UNBROKEN CONNECTION, that I wrote to fill my option clause with Penguin on a lot of other tour stops. You can read the first chapter if you click on the link. While I was picking out outfits for my SING ME TO SLEEP launch trip up to London, Ontario, I got a phone call from my lovely editor. Lexa broke the news that she was leaving Razorbill. Yikes. She is starting her own literary development company, called Paper Lanterns, Inc. I'm excited for her. And SING ME TO SLEEP was launching in just a few days. No worries for me, right?
WRONG! Poor UNBROKEN CONNECTION had lost it's best advocate. Monday evening when I got to my hotel room after a long, long day, there was a short and not particularly sweet rejection email from Razorbill's publisher waiting in my inbox. Nice. Three days before SING's launch. That's kind of the way things go in this business. My agent and I are discussing where to go next with it. I've got a lot of fans asking for it and support from you and a host of wonderful bloggers. That helps so much--believe me! I appreciate it all tons.
Thanks so much Angela for stopping by!
Angela also mentioned she would be stopping by to answer any questions readers have, so if there is something you'd like to ask Angela please feel free to leave it in the comments section!