I’m so grateful and overwhelmed by the amazing outpouring of love yesterday! I had no idea what it would be like to launch a novel into the world and I’m overjoyed by all of your support. Thank you! Seriously. It’s a day I will remember all of my life.

In the midst of yesterday’s media blitz, you may have seen one or two articles, interviews, and book lists featuring All We Left Behind. I’ve rounded them all up here. Each interview is different, and in these various articles I talk about the writing process, being a debut author, the characters and inspiration for All We Left Behind. I’ll also add to this list as new interviews and articles roll in.

Thank you all for your support of All We Left Behind!

On Remembering that Writing is Fun: Author Interview on Adventures in YA Publishing Blog

Excerpt: What advice would you most like to pass along to other writers?

Ingrid: “Remember that writing is fun. If you’re not having fun, then you’re doing something wrong. I’m always astounded by how many writers seem to hate writing. That doesn’t make any sense to me.”

10 Author Discuss Asexuality, Immigration and more on December’s YA Open Mic on The BNTeen Blog

Excerpt: “It was the summer of fire and I’d just turned 13. I was camping with my family and a man I barely knew asked me to walk down the river with him. We walked away from the voices of the campsite and sat on a log out of sight, with my bare feet in the water. “You’re beautiful,” the man said. “Can I kiss you?””

2015 Debut Authors Bash: Interview with Ingrid Sundberg on The Perks of Being a Book Girl Blog

Excerpt: When you have writer’s block how do you overcome it?

Ingrid: “For me, writing is all about inertia. If I’m stuck, I go back to the last place where the story was “cooking.” It’s the last place I was excited when writing and I could feel the energy on the page. I start there and go in a different direction than I did before.”

Fangirl Time! An interview with Ingrid on YA Author Heather Demetrios’ Blog

Excerpt: Your Pinterest boards are amazing. How do you use Pinterest to help you get into your story?

Ingrid: “I love the tactile and emotional quality that can come from a single image. At art school I learned how to communicate through imagery rather than words. Now that I’m a writer, I have to reverse the process and use my words to create the image in the reader’s mind. To do that, I find pictures that capture a feeling I want in a scene …”

Novel Secrets Tour: I Promised Myself I’d Never Do This! Secrets From Writing in the Trenches of the Male Mind on Emily Reads Everything Blog

Excerpt: “I promised myself I’d never write a novel from a teenage male point of view. Especially one in first person where I get a front row seat of every thought that races through my character’s hormone-drunk head!  But my new novel ALL WE LEFT BEHIND didn’t come to life until I started writing from Kurt’s POV, and boy did he have some secrets to tell!”

Author Interview on The Young Folks Blog

Excerpt: Did you know guys like Kurt when you were in high school? The ones who seem to be perfect and popular but really have their own set of insecurities and demons? Did that influence you when writing this character?

Ingrid: “I think the veneer of perfection and popularity is common in most high schools. The truth is we’re all vulnerable and scared and we create an armor to give the illusion that we have our shit together.”

A Conversation with Ingrid Sundberg on Author Kurt Dinan’s Blog

Excerpt: I’ve read a lot of contemporary YA lately, and yours is definitely the rawest, specifically in regard to it’s openness regarding sexuality.  How did you approach writing those scenes?  Was there any pushback from editors or early readers to reign those scenes in?

Ingrid: “I had absolutely no pushback from my editor, agent, or beta readers. I think the rawness is what makes the book stand out. To tamp it down would be like asking Marion to lie about what happened to her.”

The Debut Club: An Interview with Ingrid Sundberg on The Sweet Sixteens Blog

Excerpt: In so many ways, these two characters are haunted. Their pain as sharp today as it was yesterday or the years before. Yet you handled this range of confused emotion deftly and honestly, and in such an authentic teen voice. Can you talk a little bit about your process for creating these characters and achieving that emotional depth you put on the page? 

Ingrid: “Absolutely. I have three techniques I use to write complex characters. First, I stopped asking “what happens next” and started asking “how do you feel about what is happening?” This changes the focus from action and plot to character.  It asks my character to be honest in a situation and forces me to sit in his or her skin.”

Check This Out: Author Interview on the El Space Blog

Excerpt: You mentioned some characters from fairy tales in the story. How did these familiar stories influence your writing?

Ingrid: “I feel like fairy tales create a “dream” for young people, and girls in particular. We’re told that we will one day meet our charming prince and magically live happily ever after. That story is reinforced over and over again in media. In a way, we start to feel entitled to that dream. And then we feel betrayed or like there’s something wrong with us if we don’t find our prince.”

Three New Release Giveaways plus Author Inte Adventures in YA Publishing

Excerpt: What is your favorite thing about All We Left Behind?

Ingrid: “I love my characters: Marion and Kurt are very close to my heart. I really care about these two teenagers like they’re my friends. I’m moved by the honest, vulnerable, and brave secrets these two characters have to share with each other.”

All We Left Behind was also featured on some awesome book lists this week including:

YA Book Gift Guide: 12 Best Reads on the Desiree Hartsock Blog

16 Most Anticipated December YA’s on the Barnes & Noble Teen Blog

12 of the Best YA Books of December to Carry You Through the Holidays on Bustle

The Best New Books for Teens on New In Books

What’s New in YA this December on The Official YA Books Central Blog

Aaaaaand … if you like book reviews:

Kirkus Book Review: All We Left Behind

Excerpt: “The dreamy, dialogue-driven text flows easily, and … the pair’s sexual tension can’t be denied, and its eventual resolution is steamy and honest in its vulnerability.” – Kirkus

 

More articles and interviews will be added as they are published. This post is current as of 12/11/2015.