Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Barry Lyga (EDITED and UNEDITED)!
Read on to learn more about him, his books, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Barry Lyga
Barry Lyga is the author of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, Boy Toy, Goth Girl Rising, and the I Hunt Killers series, among others. He lives in New York City. Or Baltimore. Or New Jersey. Or, possibly, Edinburgh. Or somewhere he hasn’t imagined yet. It all depends on when you’re reading this book. In fact, he might not live in any of those places, or he could even be dead by now.
About the Book: EDITED
In the spirit of The Princess Bride and Stranger Than Fiction, New York Times bestselling author Barry Lyga takes the reader on a wild and surreal ride through the heart of his own creation—perfect for fans of A. S. King, Andrew Smith, and Jeff Zentner.
What starts as a love story between two teens—whose crumbling relationship coincides with a crumbling reality—ends up as a journey toward their creator, Barry Lyga, in a love story about creation itself.
This is a love story.
Mike loves Philomel. Always.
Philomel loves Mike. Sometimes.
After doing something stupid that drives away the love of his life, Mike begins to notice that the world itself seems to be suffering the aftereffects of his bad decision. Reality as he knows it has … changed. And before he can fully understand the ramifications, he’s on an odyssey unlike any other, trying to figure out how to repair the universe and return his lost Philomel to his side. It’s not time travel. It’s not dimension-hopping. It’s something deeper and more fundamental, as simple and as complex as ink on paper. And much to Mike’s surprise, this isn’t even the whole story. It’s possible that the missing pieces of Mike’s life may end up being the most important part of his world—and beyond, the solution to fixing not only his love life, but the entire universe.
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About the Book: UNEDITED
This is a book. It is written by Barry Lyga.[i]
Yes, we know it’s a very long book. We tried to get him to cut it, but he wouldn’t. So there was nothing we could do about it. We understand if the length turns you off. A long book like this one represents a commitment, and if it isn’t good, you’ll feel like you’ve wasted your time and your money.
Still, we published it because we think it’s a good book.[ii] Could it be shorter? Maybe. That’s a very difficult call. Each person will have his or her own opinion. Some will read it and think, “It could have been shorter.” Others will think, “It was just right.” And maybe some people will wish it was longer. Isn’t that the highest compliment you can pay a book, to wish it would never end?
Usually, this text here is sexy marketing-talk, designed to get you to buy the book. Did you know that most people look at the cover, then the back cover, then the flap copy, and only then do they bother even to flip to a page in the book? So you probably haven’t even read any part of the book yet, but you might decide to buy or not buy it anyway. Without having read a word of it. So, we’ll just say this: This book is a love story. We hope you’ll give it a shot.
[i] The stuff you read on the back of a book is almost always written and edited by publishing professionals. In keeping with the spirit of this book, however, we allowed Barry Lyga to write the cover copy himself. Moreover, we didn’t edit what you’re reading. Trust us; the copy would be a lot shorter if we did.
[ii] It’s important to remember that Barry is conning you right now, referring to himself in the third person as if he is the publisher. We don’t begrudge him for it. Every talented author is also a brilliant con artist. We do, however, begrudge his laziness. Instead of putting his talent to use, he wastes space with “…we think it’s a good book.” Come on. What does that tell the reader? It’s a missed opportunity. We would have suggested something like: “…we think it is a book about books, an all-inclusive deep dive into the music and madness of their creation; by laying bare every wrong turn, awkward phrase, and discarded storyline, Barry Lyga has unwittingly written a love letter to writing itself.” But we would have asked him to make it shorter.
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~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
That question is actually answered within the book itself, weirdly enough! But I’ll say here that after writing so many books in so many different genres for so many different audiences that I felt compelled to write something that A) could only be written by me, and B) was capital-A Art. When I die, if this book is all that remains, I’ll be OK with that.
YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?
There’s a strange guy called the Electrostatic Man who plays a small but important role in Unedited. I invented him when I was eighteen or nineteen years old and it took this long to get him into a book, and I’m really glad he’s finally in print!
YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?
They sort of came at the same time. The overall premise and idea popped into my head, and in the same moment, I thought, “Oh, and of course it’ll be titled Unedited!”
When we decided to do the shorter variant, it just made sense to call it Edited!
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
Wow, that’s a tough one! I’m twenty-seven books into my career, but I still feel like the new guy, the rookie who has so much to learn. I think the most important thing I’ve learned is that in order to survive in this business, you have to be patient. Everything takes three times longer than you think it should take, so just settle back and enjoy the ride.
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
I think the covers do a great job of connecting to each other while remaining separate. Sarah Riedlinger did such a beautiful job distilling the books down to cover designs that are evocative and mysterious while also being distinctive and memorable.
YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?
I adored The Getaway by Lamar Giles. What a terrific premise, executed to perfection by an author at the peak of his powers.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
I…don’t know! I took some time off from writing recently for personal reasons, so I don’t have anything in the pipeline right now. There are a couple of projects I’m close to finishing, but I don’t know which will actually see print at this point. One of them is a big, sprawling fantasy epic, which is something I’ve always wanted to write, so I have high hopes for it!
YABC: Which was the most difficult or emotional scene to narrate?
Hmm… Without getting into spoiler territory… There’s a chapter describing the death of an important character late in the book that was difficult to write. It also upset some early readers.
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
Writing really long books!
YABC: Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?
I care deeply about the state of our democracy and I hope that by the time this book sees print, we’ll have better news on that front.
YABC: What advice do you have for new writers?
Try not to think too much about your audience. You have to please yourself before you can please anyone else.
Title: EDITED
Author: Barry Lyga
Release Date: 11/15/2022
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
ISBN-10: 820083240
ISBN-13: 9798200832408
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Age Range: 12-17
Title: UNEDITED
Author: Barry Lyga
Release Date: 11/15/2022
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
ISBN-10: 820083219
ISBN-13: 9798200832194
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Age Range: 12-17
~ Giveaway Details ~
Three (3) winners will receive a copy of EDITED/UNEDITED (Barry Lyga) ~ US Only
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*
NICE!
The cover definitely makes me wonder what’s going on
I’m intrigued and want to read more.
The cover makes me want to open this interesting book.