I'm so excited to have the Stung Blog Tour stopping by today with an interview with author Bethany Wiggins!
STUNG
by Bethany Wiggins
4/2/13
Walker Childrens
There is no cure for being stung.
Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered—her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand—a black oval with five marks on either side—that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. She’s right.
Those bearing the tattoo have turned into mindless, violent beasts that roam the streets and sewers, preying upon the unbranded while a select few live protected inside a fortress-like wall, their lives devoted to rebuilding society and killing all who bear the mark.
Now Fiona has awakened branded, alone—and on the wrong side of the wall.
Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered—her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand—a black oval with five marks on either side—that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. She’s right.
Those bearing the tattoo have turned into mindless, violent beasts that roam the streets and sewers, preying upon the unbranded while a select few live protected inside a fortress-like wall, their lives devoted to rebuilding society and killing all who bear the mark.
Now Fiona has awakened branded, alone—and on the wrong side of the wall.
What three words best describe STUNG?
Intense, feverish, surreal.
Where did the idea for STUNG come from? Did the idea of genetically modified bees come from your own fear of bees?
A few things inspired STUNG. The first was an early morning nightmare that woke me from a dead sleep. This nightmare was so vivid and riveting, I wrote it down and it became chapter one of STUNG.
Also, the swine flu scare. I watched these crazy people on the news who were swarming the health departments, frantic to the point of violent to get the swine flu vaccine for their kids, and it made me wonder, "What if the government told us there is this huge flu to scare us into taking a vaccine that is really going to harm us?"Lastly, I'm not scared of bees! I go out with my kids in the summer and catch them--we study them for a few minutes and then let them go. But I remember getting a Discovery Magazine that talked about the decline of bees, and all of sudden, it was like a puzzle clicking into place. I had everything I needed to write a book. And that is the recipe for STUNG!
Grab a copy of STUNG and answer the following:
Favorite chapter?
Chapter nineteen. I'm a sucker for romance.
Favorite page?
The last page, page 290. It's bright and full of hope.
Favorite character to write?
The cunning, deceptive Arrin, who is the least like me of any character in the book.
Flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentence teaser
p.g. 154 Bowen whips around and grips my shirt, yanking me down behind the nearest hiding place--a blue postbox cemented to the sidewalk in front of the apartment building. The two of us barely fit behind it, sandwiched shoulder to shoulder in a crouch, backpacks against cold metal, waiting, hiding. Icy sweat drips down my back.
Your character Fiona must survive in this scary, dystopian world on the wrong side of the wall...so, what three things/items are most essential for survival in this world?
Gun, food, and knowledge! She has to eat, she has to be able to protect herself, but without the knowledge of HOW to survive, she'd be dead even with the first two things.
If STUNG had a theme song, what would it be?
Several songs fit STUNG, but Secret Crowds by Angels and Airwaves is probably the best theme song.
Fill in the blanks:
I'm really awesome at
dancing while I wash the dishes.
I'm really embarrassed to admit that
I dance while I wash the dishes!
My first literary crush (author or character) was
Corlath, the Hillfolk king in Robyn McKinley's The Blue Sword.
The last great book I read was
Under the Never Sky.
If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by STUNG, what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?
STUNG's cupcake would be honey flavored, with an abundance of sticky-sweet white, buttery frosting, and honey-gold sprinkles on top.
Thank you so much for stopping by Bethany!
Bethany Wiggins
Bethany Wiggins has always been an avid reader, but not an avid writer. She failed ninth grade English because she read novels instead of doing her homework. In high school, she sat alone at lunch and read massive hardback fantasy novels (Tad Williams and Robert Jordan anyone?). It wasn't until the end of her senior year that the other students realized she was reading fiction--not the Bible. Once upon a time, Bethany's sister dared her to start writing an hour a day until she completed a novel. Bethany wrote a seven-hundred page fantasy novel that she wisely let no one read--but it taught her how to write. She is the author of SHIFTING, STUNG (April 2013), and CURED (2014).
1 comment:
Hi Aeicha! :) *waves*
Haven't been on here in a while ~ life is just so busy!!! I was dropping by to check out your March madness, but then I saw this interview and just HAD TO stop, read it, and comment on it! I've been seeing this book around everywhere recently and - being allergic to bees myself and absolutely terrified of them - couldn't help being intrigued (and maybe just a tiny bit frightened?). LOVED the interview, the author sounds like she really knows what she's writing about and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of STUNG, maybe after my MEN in YA is over (now it's my turn to enslave myself and post every day, haha!)
Thanks for sharing this post! MWAH!
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