Welcome to the blog tour for Because You Love to Hate Me, an amazing anthology edited by the one and only Ameriie. I've read this anthology and I absolutely loved it. I'm so excited to interview the author one of my favorite stories of the anthology (and one of my favorite authors in general) - Renée Ahdieh! Alongside Renée is her paired booktuber, Christine Riccio, who is so talented and enthusiastic. Check it out!
The Interview:
Alyssa: Hi ladies! Thank you so much for joining me today! I am a huge fan of both of you and your work, and I’m honored to have this opportunity. =) My first question – what made you decide to take part in this anthology?
Renée: Thank you so much for hosting this! It’s an honor for us, too. I knew I wanted to be part of this anthology the second Ameriie mentioned villains. I’m a huge fan of compelling villains, and I loved the idea of them taking on the central role in these short stories.
Christine: It just sounded like a really cool project that hadn’t been done before! I’ve never been asked to collaborate on a published work and a lot of great people were going to be involved! It was super exciting.
Alyssa: What inspired your specific prompt/story?
Renée: Christine sent me all these amazing prompts for the story. It was incredibly difficult trying to select just one, but I was definitely on a Star Wars kick when I made the decision. Actually, who am I kidding? I’m always on a Star Wars kick.
Christine: I mean I only wrote the prompt for the actual story. I was inspired there by Mr Kylo Ren from the new Star Wars film. My “essay,” per se, was inspired by those pieces you see in magazines like: 10 Signs Your Boyfriend is Cheating!!
Alyssa: Pitch the story to readers! For fans of ____, if you liked____ try [your story], ____ meets ____, etc.
Renée: For fans of Star Wars, if you hate to love Kylo Ren, definitely try this dark anti-hero story.
Christine: For fans of ANYTHING EVER, if you liked THAT ONE STORY YOU LOVE try [your story], RENEE’S BRAIN meets CHRISTINE’S PROMPT AND SHORT ESSAY.
Alyssa: HA! Love it. :D If you could co-write a story (whether short story, novella, or full-length novel) with one of the other contributing writers of Because You Love to Hate Me, who would you choose?
Renée: I’m a huge fan of Cindy Pon and Nicola Yoon. I’d love to write anything with either of them.
Christine: Oh my gosh that’s so hard! I admire so many of these authors, but I feel like you have to really know the person you’re co-writing with and so I’d probably join forces with my pal Jesse George.
Alyssa: Thank you, ladies! Congratulations on the publication!
Follow Renée Ahdieh:
Follow Christina Riccio:
About the Book:
Because You Love to Hate Me, edited by Ameriie
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: July 11, 2017
Summary (from Goodreads):
In this unique YA anthology, thirteen acclaimed, bestselling authors team up with thirteen influential BookTubers to reimagine fairy tales from the oft-misunderstood villains' points of view.
These fractured, unconventional spins on classics like "Medusa," Sherlock Holmes, and "Jack and the Beanstalk" provide a behind-the-curtain look at villains' acts of vengeance, defiance, and rage--and the pain, heartbreak, and sorrow that spurned them on. No fairy tale will ever seem quite the same again!
Featuring writing from . . .
Authors: Renée Ahdieh, Ameriie, Soman Chainani, Susan Dennard, Sarah Enni, Marissa Meyer, Cindy Pon, Victoria Schwab, Samantha Shannon, Adam Silvera, Andrew Smith, April Genevieve Tucholke, and Nicola Yoon
BookTubers: Benjamin Alderson (Benjaminoftomes), Sasha Alsberg (abookutopia), Whitney Atkinson (WhittyNovels), Tina Burke (ChristinaReadsYA blog and TheLushables), Catriona Feeney (LittleBookOwl), Jesse George (JessetheReader), Zoë Herdt (readbyzoe), Samantha Lane (Thoughts on Tomes), Sophia Lee (thebookbasement), Raeleen Lemay (padfootandprongs07), Regan Perusse (PeruseProject), Christine Riccio (polandbananasBOOKS), and Steph Sinclair & Kat Kennedy (Cuddlebuggery blog and channel).
Sounds like a fun group of stories, and an original idea! Wonderful interview/post ladies! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not usually into anthologies but this one just sounds too good to resist!
ReplyDeleteDid someone say villains? I love 'em. lol
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
I really want to read this!
ReplyDeleteThis is one that I definitely need to read! I love reading about the villains
ReplyDeleteThis is such a creative idea for an anthology - I'm not normally an anthology reader but this one makes me so curious!
ReplyDelete@TeacherofYA
I'm also a huge fan of Nicola Yoon. I'm so excited to read this anthology. The talent inside and twists on tales I've read are going to be fun to read.
ReplyDeleteThis part pretty much had me grinning like an idiot:
ReplyDelete"Renée: For fans of Star Wars, if you hate to love Kylo Ren, definitely try this dark anti-hero story."
EXCITED TO READ THIS.
I'm not a big anthology reader but I do want to give this one a try :D
ReplyDeleteAw, this is such a great interview! I love watching Christine's videos and Renée Ahdieh is such an amazing writer! Can't wait to read this one!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, Alyssa!
Ashtyn @ Wonderland’s Reader!
I can't wait to read this one! Great pick!
ReplyDeleteI villainous antholgy, love the sound of this. Nice interview too!
ReplyDeleteI need this book in my life so badly!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun interview! I am so happy you had the chance to interview both of them. This sounds like such a fun book.
ReplyDeleteI mean, a story inspired by Kylo Ren? Give it to me! I don't read a lot of anthologies but I'm very interested in this one!
ReplyDeleteThis whole anthology sounds great, and I know I’ll love Renee’s story! Thanks for hosting. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat interview, Alyssa! I'm really excited for this anthology because I do love a good villain!
ReplyDeleteYay :D Love this interview post. <3 Thank you so much for sharing Alyssa :D I'm so excited about this book. Just need to make myself read it, haha :)
ReplyDeleteSounds really interesting! Love to read it!
ReplyDelete