Alan holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas and a Master of Arts degree from the Washington Theological Union in Washington, D.C.
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR
What is it about the Young Adult genre that
attracted your attention as an author?
Working nine years with at risk high school students
does that to ya! There is something so
in flux with young minds – everything is vivid and in3-D! It all may be going terrifically right one
minute and then come crashing tragically down the next. A genre of literature focusing on young
people can’t help but be interesting.
Does your book have a message for the reader?
Yes! So much
lousy stuff happens to young people that they have absolutely no control
over. We live in such a brutal world and
it is easy to get swept away and be a victim.
But somehow we all have to find the inner strength to dig deep and claim
our lives as our own. And that’s not
easy!
Is Ashleigh's character based on anyone you've
actually known?
There is no one person out in the world whose life
is the template for Ashleigh. Certainly,
young people I have the pleasure to work with have inspired me. I wanted Ashleigh to embody some common
plights I see a lot of young people coping with today. I suppose I could say there is no one
Ashleigh -- there are many!
How is violence handled in a young adult novel
versus a novel for an older audience?
I really struggled with this in this book. I did a first draft that had more of an edge,
including more vivid scenes of violence.
We all know that some of the most violent films and books are favorites
for young adult audiences. So it wasn’t
like they would even have a problem necessarily with it at all. But because I work in a school and I have
parents and community members who might have other ideas about what is
appropriate for young people to experience, felt I had to find a balance. But I do find some of it kind of ironic –
Julius Caesar is ripped to shreds by his assassins – that’s required reading –
and nobody bats an eye!
Are you originally from Texas? Were the towns of
Micah and Amos based on any towns
you've known personally?
I’m from Chicago originally. Just a Yankee as my native Texan neighbors
say. In Texas if you go to the outer
fringes of the suburbs of any of the major cities, you start running into towns
like Amos and Micah – two towns next to each other – one seems to have all the
money and the other, looks sorry and sad.
You know, I specifically checked maps to be sure there were no real
towns of Micah and Amos in Texas – just so no one would slash my tires!
What are you working on next?
I just submitted Crossfire
to Whiskey Creek Press. It is a novella
that features Ashleigh’s boyfriend Billy and what happens to him about four
months after the ending of Between Micah
and Amos. I want to follow the characters
around more and make it a series.
Thanks
for the great questions!!
Alan
ABOUT THE BOOK
Like a flash, the
discharge from the gun lit up the inside of the dimly lit, filthy trailer
Ashleigh called home. Ashleigh sat curled up on the stained pink carpet next to
the pull-out bed in the living area where she slept. The victim lay dead,
slumped against the wall of the trailer. Ashleigh looked at the
motionless body. She was petrified.
Meet Ashleigh Mae, a seventeen year old high school senior living in the small town of Micah, Texas. Her boyfriend Billy calls her a wild child. Her momma is always telling her she makes bad choices. No matter what, no one really understands her.
Ashleigh dreams of a life with Billy. Their love is true, she thinks. When her mother forces them to leave Micah in the middle of the night and move in with her momma’s old boyfriend Casey, on the outskirts of a town called Amos, Ashleigh’s life is torn apart.
This is her fight to get it back….
Meet Ashleigh Mae, a seventeen year old high school senior living in the small town of Micah, Texas. Her boyfriend Billy calls her a wild child. Her momma is always telling her she makes bad choices. No matter what, no one really understands her.
Ashleigh dreams of a life with Billy. Their love is true, she thinks. When her mother forces them to leave Micah in the middle of the night and move in with her momma’s old boyfriend Casey, on the outskirts of a town called Amos, Ashleigh’s life is torn apart.
This is her fight to get it back….
AN EXCERPT
Ashleigh
loved Billy. The faster she raced down the deserted country road to his
singlewide mobile home, the more excited she grew at the prospects of their
life together. She just wanted to see him, to hold him, to breathe in his manly
aroma. Many times in school, Ashleigh daydreamed of settling down with Billy.
They met only a year ago, but it seemed as if they had known each other a
lifetime. They would have cute kids. Ashleigh would become a mother and care
for her beautiful children. Her children would adore her and need her. She and
Billy would buy a house in the new development on the outskirts of Micah—a real
house with a real back yard.
It seemed like no time when Ashleigh
arrived at the trailer park where Billy rented his singlewide. The place looked
so huge compared to Casey’s trailer, she thought, as she pulled up next to the
mobile home. Ashleigh could see there were lights on in the living room and she
could hear death metal rock music blaring. I’m gonna surprise his ass, Ashleigh
thought. She opened the door to the single-wide. The place wasn’t as dirty as
Casey’s but Billy still lived like a boy—dirty clothes strewn about, trash
needing to be taken out and everything needed a good scrubbing, but not as bad
as Casey’s.
Ashleigh gleefully snuck up to the
door to the bedroom. She couldn’t wait to surprise her handsome man. She would
hold him and tell him what hell she’d been through and they would get it on as
they never did before.
She swung open the bedroom door,
calling out, “Look honey, I’m home!”
Before her was Billy on top of some
fat chic. Billy stopped and looked her way. He was indeed surprised!
“Are you serious?!” Ashleigh called
out. Impulsively, Ashleigh dove into the bed, fists flying at the other girl.
“You ugly slut!” Ashleigh hollered, throwing punches at the girl’s face.
CONTACT THE AUTHOR - AND WIN A PRIZE!
Alan
will be awarding gift cards to three randomly drawn commenters during the tour.
The characters are always going to Sonic – so he is giving away gift cards in
the names of the main characters: Grand Prize: Billy-sized $25.00 2nd Prize:
Manuel-sized: $15.00 3rd Prize: Ashleigh-sized: $10.00 If the winner prefers,
they can get either an Amazon or BN.com gift card instead of the Sonic
card.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of
winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/01/virtual-book-tour-between-micah-and.html
To
learn more about the author, feel free to go to his website: http://www.alanoakes.net/
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