Author Interview: Maria V. Snyder

Maria V. Snyder, lovely author of one of the most intriguing dystopian books I have ever read - Inside Out (soon to be followed by Outside In) is gracing us with an author interview today! After indulging in Inside Out, I of course bombarded her with several questions and here's what she has to say!

Welcome Maria!

1. Inside Out has a very claustrophobic feel - Inside, the pipes, the air shafts. Was there any particular reason why you chose such a setting?

The story idea came to me in a dream, but I think the idea took root when I was little and used to help my father. He was an air conditioning and heating repair man, and I used to tag along when he had a call on the weekend. I'd help him, and, at some of the industrial sites, I have memories of climbing though tight spaces for him.

2. Our heroine, Trella, is cynical and a bit of a recluse, but also independent, reliable and brave. In what ways are you similar and different to her?

We're similar in a couple ways. I've always been independent and quite capable of doing things on my own. I frequently travel all over for book events and have no problem finding my way on my own. It is nicer when my husband is with me, two sets of eyes and all that, but I'm not going to stay at home because he can't come along. I believe I'm reliable as well – at least I try to follow up on things I've promised and readers will always get an email reply from me...eventually :)

As far as differences, I'm not as brave as her. I don't like heights and I'm not comfortable breaking rules. But I do enjoy being around other people and I think I'm more of a glass half full type of person.

3. Who is your favourite literary heroine?

I have to admit, I'm a big Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan (the TV show – not the movie). She could hold her own against the big bad, while making some snarky comment at the same time. Gotto love Buffy!

4. Which of the characters are you most similar to?

I wish I was more like Yelena and Trella, but I'm more like Opal. Especially when I was in middle and high school – I had no self-confidence, and I worried too much about what other's thought.

5. In retrospect, is there part of the book, plot or characters you wish you wrote differently?

No. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. I'm not one to lament over what's in the past – no point in wasting the energy or time because you can't go back and fix things :)

6. Was there any research you had to do before you wrote Inside Out?

Yes. Research for Inside Out wasn't as exciting as for my other books – I read about waste-water treatment plants, recycling, hydroponics – all of it found either in a book or online. I did climb a rock wall to get an idea for how my leg and arms muscles would feel to climb up an air shaft – like jelly!

7. Did you in any way aim for the structure of Inside to reflect our society's?

No. As I said before, the idea came to me in a dream—the plot, the characters, the world, and the twists so it was all my unconsciousness' doing :) In general, I never aim for any theme or moral or comment on society when I write. I focus on the characters and what they want or need and everything else just falls into place.

8. What was the most difficult part of writing this novel?

Keeping track of time! I had so much going on and Trella still needed to sleep and work her shifts, that I had a big time line hanging over my computer so I could keep track. Also the base 10 numbering system with 100 hours per week and 100 weeks per year was another aspect I had to stay on top of.

9. Outside In, the sequel is out April 2011. Was Inside Out initially written as a stand-alone or was it designed to be a part of a series?

I only dreamt about Inside Out, so I had been thinking stand alone. However, like my other books, it expanded into another.

10. What can we expect from Outside In? Any extracts you can perhaps share with us?

Another wonderful book ;) Outside In begins about twelve weeks after the events in Inside Out. The world is trying to recover from all the changes that has happened and not everyone is happy about the new state of affairs. Trouble starts soon after and Trella has to deal with a whole laundry list of problems: sabotage, the new Committee, and her mother. If that wasn't bad enough, there is something from Outside and it wants in! I do have the first chapter of the book up on my website, but I would strongly suggest you DO NOT read it unless you finished Inside Out. Here's the link: http://www.mariavsnyder.com/books/OutsideIn.php

Thank you Maria! I can hardly wait for Outside In, truly! :)

Thanks so much for inviting me onto your blog! If your readers would like more info about me and my books, I have the first chapter of all my books on my website as well as a number of free short stories they can read. I also have a page full of writing advice for any aspiring writers out there :) Here’s the link: http://www.mariavsnyder.com And my blog is: http://officialmariavsnyder.blogspot.com

Book Review: Inside Out (Maria V Snyder)

Keep Your Head Down. Don't Get Noticed. Or Else.

I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. One of thousands who work in the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. The Trava family who rules our world from their spacious Upper levels wants us to be docile and obedient, like sheep. To insure we behave, they send the Pop Cops to police us.

So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? Not like it's all that dangerous--the only neck at risk is my own.

Until a lower level prophet claims a Gateway to Outside exists. And guess who he wants to steal into the Upper levels to get the proof? You’re right. Me. I alone know every single duct, pipe, corridor, shortcut, hole and ladder of Inside. It’s suicide plain and simple. But guess who can’t let a challenge like that go unanswered? Right again. Me.

I should have just said no...

I'm a new lover of everything dystopian, so when I was offered the chance to read Inside Out in advance, I jumped at the chance. Apart from Spy Glass, I was not at all familiar with Maria Snyder's work, so this was technically a new venture for me.

I loved it.

At first, it took me quite a while to get into the book. The first few pages establishes the setting and introduces our heroine, Trella. The book does this very efficiently, so despite the fact that I had to draw the basic cubic structure of the levels of Inside to aid me as I follow Trella along, soon you actually get used to the idea. I never since had any difficulties in following our heroine as she takes us readers on a very thrilling adventure.

The setting plays a huge role in how the plot progresses - and it is very claustrophobic. Pipes, air shafts, hidden rooms, cubes - you name it. The whole plot is executed in a very enclosed environment, but interestingly, as one finishes reading, it becomes clear that it is one of those book that comes from 'out of the box'. It is very, very cleverly imagined - it surprised me in exactly the way how I'd want a dystopian novel to.

I also feel like mentioning that I adored the way the social structure of Inside appears to be a reflection of the totalitarianism that modern governments seem to trudge towards. It establishes a sense of possibility in the plot.

I loved Trella as a heroine. She's fiercely independent, head-strong and daring, all of which makes her the perfect revolutionary icon. But she has many flaws, and all throughout the plot we see her being hindered by these flaws. She is cynical and distrusting and can be terribly stubborn. While secondary characters were not quite given enough focus and development, their backgrounds and back stories are not only criss-crossing, but also packed with jaw-dropping surprises and twists. I found it very clever how the author manages to surprise me again and again and again with her characters.

There is also a sprinkle of romance in this book, which was another surprise. At first I wasn't sure if there will a romance angle at all, and then I wasn't sure who Trella's mate will be (because there were quite a few to choose from) and when it all became clear...well, it was fun guessing! There was just enough romance to spice it all up and not change the flavour of the book, which I found very well done indeed!

If there were to be nit-picking the only thing I'd say would be that the high-tension scenes could have been built up better. Although there were several heart-pounding moments, I often found myself surprised that the climatic part is suddenly over. At points it felt like it was missing altogether, however that did not seem to bother me that much. Apart from that, nothing can be said about the action and sense of dread that Trella's adventures incites in the reader.

Inside Out will be appreciated by readers from across the board as there is a lot in this book to delight in -

A definite page-turner, complete with heart-pounding action and a cleverly thought-out plot. A near perfect dystopian novel!

Five Stars.


* Thank you to the lovely people at MIRA Ink for my lovely review copy.

Hot off the Press: Outside In UK cover!

Mira Ink has unveiled the UK cover for Maria Snyder's Outside In, to be published 18th March 2011. This is the sequel to dystopian fiction Inside Out, which is a fabulous book by the way. I love the way the pipes are exactly like how I imagined it - although I thought the space in between would be a little smaller. I cannot wait to get my hands on it - what do you guys think?

Book Review: Spy Glass (Maria V. Snyder)

An undercover mission leads to danger, adventure and an impossible choice...

After siphoning her own blood magic in the showdown at Hubal, Opal Cowan has lost her powers. She can no longer create glass magic. More, she's immune to the effects of magic. Opal is an outsider looking in, spying through the glass on those with the powers she once had, powers that make a difference in the world.

Suddenly, the beautiful pieces she makes flash in the presence of magic. And then she discovers that someone has stolen some of her blood - and that finding it might let her regain her powers. Or know it could be they are lost forever...

Firstly please note that I am reviewing Spy Glass as a stand alone novel and not as part of a series. Spy Glass is the third and final book of Maria V. Snyder's Glass Trilogy.

Having said that, I thought Spy Glass is more about adventure than suspense. Granted, it's one very dangerous adventure, but there was not as much suspense as I would have expected. Again, my lack of knowledge about previous books played a big role in what I think is my failure to grasp the importance of the turn of events. The plot was easy enough to follow - really, the plot is solid for a stand alone novel, but there is a lot of references that felt like they have implied meaning and relevance, as well as actions, words and phrases that appears to mean more that what I understood. Most of the characters were very easy to read about - however, there are a few characters who I felt weighed more than two sentences' worth of introduction. There was not much depth in as these characters have been written about in the previous books. For those reasons, I felt that my reading experience was not complete.

Opal is a spirited character - she's independent, smart, sometimes rash, but brave. I'm not very fond of her, and she's not very likeable. I disliked many of her decisions, especially those that pertain to her safety and those which has to do with love. With a mind of her own, she often has the tendency to overestimate or underestimate, but never right. She's fiery to a fault, and I dislike the way she seems selfish in that she forgets the people around her, but I grant that she's her own character.

I am big on commitment and loyalty, and as much as I love romance, I was heavily disappointed in Opal's actions in Spy Glass. I might be getting her wrong, but there commitment is commitment and in a relationship, it is very fundamental. I'm in no position to comment as to who she ends up with, as I don't feel like I know their characters in depth, but I do know that whether the man in question is right for you or not, I think it is basic courtesy to end the relationship before diving into another one. She got that one incredibly wrong, and I did not feel like she had the chance to feel remorseful. Of course, she's entitled to make mistakes, but it rattled me, I suppose.

Spy Glass has a strong mythology, only one I cannot relate to. I personally think the book works as a stand alone novel. However, even I can appreciate the beauty of its fantasy world and the strength of its plot. I'm not certain if those who have been following this series will find it an excellent novel as I have no frame of reference of the previous books, but I'm sure more than a few will. So while I don't recommend reading this as a standalone, I would encourage readers to have a go at the series, in order of course.

Three Stars.

* Book received for review from MIRA. Thank you!