hey! don't forget to check out my review of The Darkest Minds that I posted a couple weeks ago.
I've done a fair number of author interviews in my time, and I really enjoy them. But, today is my first opportunity to interview an editor. And, Emily Meehan, editor at Disney Hyperion and more specifically the editor for The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken, is my debut! She's going to answer a few questions about the editing of The Darkest Minds.
What was your first impression of The Darkest Minds when it came across your desk? And what made you decide you HAD to have it?
The first sentence, which is still the first sentence in the book (though we reordered things quite a bit and had to make it a prologue): "When the White Noise went off, we were in the Garden, pulling weeds." That is such a good first sentence.
Lots and lots of input; I have a very loud mouth! This cover was very challenging, and it actually led to a title change. The original title was BLACK IS THE COLOR, but we found when we started pairing the title with images for the cover, people began to think of race no matter what image we used, and we thought it could be confusing. I think we ended up with the best possible cover and title, and the really great thing is it's easy to make it a series look.
Was there a scene or character that was particularly fun to edit and work with Alex on? Any that were especially difficult?
The scene that really killed me was the one where Ruby…ugh. I really was just typing something that I feel is a spoiler. Let me see if I can say this without ruining anything. Ruby's grappling with her powers and how she has used them in the past and how she uses them to navigate her life can be excruciatingly emotional. In a good way.
Anything you can share about the sequel?
Hmm. All three book titles will make a complete sentence. The second book is even better than the first, if that's possible. I owe Alex an editorial letter on it, though, so I better go!
About The Darkest Minds
When Ruby awakened on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp." Because Ruby might have survived the mysterious disease that's killed most of America's children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.
Now sixteen, Ruby knows that she is one of the dangerous ones and, when the truth comes out, she barely escapes Thurmond with her life. On the run and desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her, Ruby joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what she did to her parents.
When they arrive at the safe haven, East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work too, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. And soon Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.
The heart-pounding first book a near-future dystopian series, Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds will leave you begging for the next installment.
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