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Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: October 4, 2011
Their love was meant to be.
When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRÍs.
But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.
Describe your reaction when HarperTeen told you they wanted to publish your book.
There was much screaming! My husband was in the US and I was home alone with my 4 sleeping children, so I ran out into my back garden screaming and scared all the cows in the field behind us. Then my mom and sister arrived down with a bottle of champers. It was fab.
How has writing and publishing Carrier of the Mark changed your life?
Well, I'm a whole lot busier, that's for sure. I've also moved to the US which was a huge change for me and the family, but that wasn't because I got published. It was just a coincidence, but it helped greatly being near my editor and agent and being able to get to the US writing conferences.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
As long as you are enjoying yourself and you have great stories to tell, keep writing, getting published is a bonus. Find yourself some really good, trustworthy critique partners, and listen to there constructive criticism. Be persistent, if it's meant to be, you'll get there eventually.
Would you say you "planed" or "pantsed" the rough draft of Carrier of the Mark, or a mixture of both?
I totally panted Carrier of the Mark. It rolled out of my imagination, down my arm, into the ink of my pen, and spewed all over the pages in indecipherable handwriting. I didn't stop for a second to figure out where it was going, it just went where it wanted to.
What books would you recommend to those who love Carrier of the Mark?
Oh that's a tough one. People's thoughts and ideas on books vary so much. One persons love is another persons hate. But I've heard others say that if you loved Carrier you'd love Starcrossed, Die For Me, Half-Blood, and the House of Night Series, though I admit, I haven't read the House of Night Series, so that's other peoples opinions.
Was Carrier of the Mark the original title, or something entirely different?
Yes, it was always Carrier of the Mark, however, it used to be THE Carrier of the Mark, but we dropped the THE for aesthetics. LOL!
Out of all the characters in Carrier of the Mark, which one do you relate to the most?
I'd love to be like Aine, but I'm probably more of a cross between Megan and Caitlin. But if I had to pick one, I'd probably say Caitlin.
Describe what your writing process is like.
I wrote Carrier in long hand and with no outline or planning. It was the first book I'd ever written and wasn't really planning to get it published. Then I transferred the messy long hand first draft onto my computer and started editing it.
Since then, I've changed how I do it. I still write longhand, but just a ten page summary of the book. Then I figure out the events and try and break them into chapters to get a general story arc going. I then write the book from there, though if a character or plot take me in a different direction than originally planned, I just go with it. Sometimes the story knows better than I do.
How did you come up with the idea of Carrier of the Mark?
It was a mixture of living in Kinsale, the town where the book is set, and my experiences as a kid growing up in Ireland, learning all the amazing history, and hearing all the old folklore. Combine that with the ancient architecture and historical sites steeped in mystery and you've got Carrier.
Which scene from Carrier of the Mark did you enjoy writing the most? (Page numbers or a chapter will be fine; we don't want to giveaway spoilers.) Did it make it into the final copy?
One of my favorite scenes was definitely in Chapter 22, when it all comes together. That was one of the first scenes I wrote in Carrier of the Mark (I write out of sequence)So when I wrote all the other ones leading up to it, I knew what I was working towards.
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Thank you so much, Leigh, for taking some time to answer my interview questions! They were so fun to read! =)
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