Christy Hale tagged me to be the next stop on The Next Big Thing Blog Tour, a sort of chain letter for authors. Would be fun to see where this started and how many authors have participated, as well as how many more authors we will meet along the way.

What is the working title of your next book?

Lara’s Gift (Knopf, 2013)

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The idea behind Lara’s Gift didn’t come from one idea, but from a combination of three events that led to a lot of questions, some answers, and many what ifs. The first event was when I lived in Moscow, Russia and was gifted a borzoi puppy. The second was when Bonnie Dalzell gave me a book called Observation on Borzoi about the travels of a wealthy American in search for the perfect borzoi and found some from the Woronzova and Perchino kennels in Russia and brought some back for his breeding program. The final event was when I made the connection between the Woronzova kennel established by Count Vorontsov and his great, great, great nephew, Alexander Woronzoff-Dashkoff, professor of Russian at Smith College where I learned Russian. The questions Professor Woronzoff couldn’t answer stirred the what ifs that planted the seed for the story idea behind Lara’s Gift.

What genre does Lara’s Gift fall under?

Middle grade historical fiction

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Lara:                Sophia Ann Robb

Lara’s papa:    George Clooney

Lara’s mom:    Meryl Streep

Alexander:       Logan Lerman

Zar:                 Zar

The author with her borzoi, Zar and Zola, by Turner Photography

One sentence synopsis of Lara’s Gift:

Set in Imperial Russia, Lara’s Gift is a Lassie-meets-Dr.Zhivago story about the friendship between a girl and her dog and how they each save each other and by doing so reach their prophetic destinies.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of Lara’s Gift?

The first draft took two years.

What other books would you compare Lara’s Gift to within your genre?

None to my knowledge.

Dasha, Moscow, Russia

Who or what inspired you to write Lara’s Gift?

Dasha, my first borzoi puppy and all borzoi past and present.

What else about the book might pique reader interest?

Lara’s Gift is set in a world that no longer exists today. It will make you cry and laugh and it is my hope that it will leave readers with a sense of hope to trust in themselves and good things will follow.

I am tagging Sue LaNeve, my very good friend and fellow S3Q2 from Vermont College of Fine Arts and the author of Spanky.

I’d like to welcome Laura Resau to World Reads today to share a bit about her book Red Glass. I wish there had been more writers like Laura around when I was a kid. Her stories are exactly what I still enjoy reading because they transport me to places I may know little about and open up the world for me. The more we understand other people, the more tolerant and accepting we can become of the differences. Kudos to Laura for taking her experiences within a culture and respectfully letting us into it!

Annemarie : What is the title of your book?

Laura: Red Glass

Annemarie: Where is it set?

Laura: Oaxaca, Mexico and Guatemala

Annemarie: In 70 words or less, provide a succinct plot description of your story.

Laura: 16-year-old Sophie takes a road trip from Tucson to southern Mexico and Guatemala with four unlikely companions, and finds herself opening up to love and adventure along the way. (Ages 11 & up)

Annemarie: How are you connected to the setting of your story?

Laura: I lived in Oaxaca for two years, and have traveled extensively around central America.

Annemarie: What inspired you to write this story?

Laura: My experiences traveling and living abroad, and my relationships with my ESL (English as a Second Language) students and immigrants I’ve worked with and befriended.

Annemarie: What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it?

Laura: It’s a fairly complex story with a number of unusual characters.  It was unlike any book I’d read before, so at first I lacked confidence that I could pull it off. My writing group helped cheer me on during the rough times!

Annemarie: What other YA/MG books have you written? Are any of them set outside of the United States? If so, which ones and where? What are these stories about?

Laura: All of my YA books are set mostly outside of the US. THE QUEEN OF WATER – a true story about child slavery— is set in the Ecuadorean Andes. WHAT THE MOON SAW—a story of a girl finding her true self– is set in a rural, indigenous village in Oaxaca, Mexico.  THE INDIGO NOTEBOOK—first in a travel-mystery-romance trilogy– is set in Ecuador; THE RUBY NOTEBOOK, the second in the series, is set in southern France; THE JADE NOTEBOOK, the conclusion, is set in coastal Oaxaca, Mexico.

Annemarie: What kind of story can we expect next from you? Is it set outside of the United States? If so, where? And what is it about?

Laura: I’m now writing a YA novel that is partly set in the Lacandon Mayan jungle in southern Mexico.  It’s a fantastical adventure involving chocolate!

Annemarie: What else would you like us to know about you or your story?

Laura: If you do read any of my books, you should check out my website and blog to read about the inspiration behind the books and see pics of places in the books.

Annemarie: Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? And why?

Laura: I loved A WRINKLE IN TIME.  It made me think about the possibilities of the universe and existence and space and time in a whole new way.

Thank you for sharing with Read the World: World Reads, Laura and for writing your story!

If you want to learn more about Laura Resau and her books please click here.

I’d like to welcome Dori Jones Yang to World Reads today. I first learned of her book, Daughter of Xanadu in an interview with her editor, Michelle Poploff of Delacorte. I was so intrigued with the story premise, I couldn’t wait for the book to come out and pre-ordered it. Read on to learn how the story came about.

Annemarie O’Brien: What is the title of your book?

Dori Jones Yang: Daughter of Xanadu

Annemarie O’Brien: Where is it set?

Dori Jones Yang: China, Mongol Empire, 1275-6

Annemarie O’Brien: In 70 words or less, provide a succinct plot description of your story.

Dori Jones Yang: Emmajin, fictional granddaughter of Khubilai Khan, longs to join the Mongol Army and become a legendary warrior. When she gets to know Marco Polo, a merchant from a little-known, distant land, she begins to question the core values of her people. A lively story of adventure and romance.

Annemarie O’Brien: How are you connected to the setting of your story?

Dori Jones Yang: I lived in Hong Kong and covered China as a journalist for eight years; my husband is Chinese, I speak Mandarin, and I have been fascinated with China for years. As research for this book, I traveled to Mongolia, Xanadu, and the Silk Road.

Annemarie O’Brien: What inspired you to write this story?

Dori Jones Yang: Marco Polo is the first Westerner to visit China and write about it for audiences back home; he attracted me because he is “the godfather of China writers.” He lived in China from the age of 21 to 38, yet in his book, he never mentions a love affair. I decided to imagine one for him. I chose to write the story from her perspective – that of an Asian woman, since we in the West are already familiar with Marco Polo’s European perspective.

Annemarie O’Brien: What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it?

Dori Jones Yang: My biggest challenge was getting it published! Most American readers seem to prefer historical fiction set in England, France or America. As for writing, the hardest part was learning how to dig deep into my character’s emotions so that readers could truly relate to her.

Annemarie O’Brien: What other YA/MG books have you written? Are any of them set outside of the United States? If so, which ones and where? What are these stories about?

Dori Jones Yang: The Secret Voice of Gina Zhang was published in 2000 by American Girls. It is set in Seattle, about an immigrant girl from China who arrives at an American school and finds she cannot speak at all. Originally I wanted to write about a girl in China, but I wrote this for a contest that specifically requested stories about contemporary American girls.

Annemarie O’Brien: What kind of story can we expect next from you? Is it set outside of the United States? If so, where? And what is it about?

Dori Jones Yang: My next story, a middle-grade novel, is set in New England in the 1870s, about a boy who was one of the 120 boys sent by the Imperial Government of China to study in the U.S.

Annemarie O’Brien: Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? And why?

Dori Jones Yang: As a child, I loved magic stories, such as Bed-Knob and Broomstick and The Borrowers. But I really fell in love with Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings; they developed in me a fascination with the “long ago and far away,” and with people who looked different and spoke other languages.

Please find out more about Dori Jones Yang and her books at www.dorijonesyang.com

Thank you, Dori for sharing with Read the World: World Reads and for writing your story!