Prized Blog Tour: Interview with Caragh M O'Brien

I am so excited to be a part of the Prized blog tour.Birthmarked, book 1, was my first dystopian I ever read and remains one of my favorite today!

Caragh M. O'Brien is the author of  Birthmarked and Prized. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ms. O'Brien was educated at Williams College and earned her MA from Johns Hopkins University. She has recently resigned from teaching high school English in order to write full-time. You can find her on the web at http://www.caraghobrien.com 

Who was your favorite character to write in Prized?

First, Erica, let me say thanks for inviting me by. I’m so happy to be stopping for a visit with you at the Book Cellar on my blog tour for Prized!

You probably won’t be surprised that Gaia is my favorite character to write. She has become very complex for me, and normally I like her intensely. She’s smart and full of integrity, but fallible, too. When she started making mistakes and taking risks in this novel, it was awful for me, and for certain scenes, it actually hurt to write what she was feeling. She has forced me to change as a person myself, if that makes sense. Injustice comes in many sizes, and she’s helped me see that I have a responsibility to be a braver person and better friend, even when that’s uncomfortable. At least, I have to try.

If you could be any mythology creature, what would you be?

Unfortunately, most mythological creatures creep me out a little because they’re part animal and part human. Have you noticed they’re usually angry, too? If I had to choose, I’d go for the Sphinx, because at least she was smart and liked riddles. She probably had a nice view from her high rock, too.

Would you say Prized had a theme song at all? If so, what is it?

Prized doesn’t have a theme song in the normal way, but there is a song I associate with writing this novel. I listened it to it frequently when I was walking to think through snags, and it reinforced the feelings I had for the characters. It’s hard to say why, exactly. Music is like that. I can say for certain that this singer’s voice is true and raw, the melody achingly full of longing. The music swells in a way that works me up and leaves me both lonely and stronger than I was before. Perhaps you know “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles (link: http://grooveshark.com/#/s/Gravity+album+Version+/W7STF?src=5).

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

I would like to go to the Yukon and travel the Dawson Trail to see where Buck goes in Jack London’s The Call of the Wild.

Could you tell us 5 random facts about you?

Sure!
I attended a convent school until seventh grade.
Recently, I acquired glasses so now my world is sharp, which is a big thrill.
I love my country but I fear national pride.
When I sing in a local chorus where I’m a second soprano, I get goose bumps.
My nonna’s homemade fudge recipe is one I know by heart and I made it today.

Prized Code #5: I

These were fun questions, Erica. Thank you so much for having me here! For my blog tour tomorrow, I’m heading over to the Manga Maniac Café to talk about seminal books with Julie.

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There will be a chat on Goodreads when the blog tour wraps up November 8th. Everyone is welcome :) The link is here. MacTeenBooks will be the central hub for all information, so make sure to visit there!

Be sure to check out my review of Prized, which will be up tomorrow :)