Alaska

Author's Note: Q & A's

Wow.  Alaska is done.  I can't believe this...

I began writing Alaska during the end of March, I believe.  It started off with a completely different concept to what it is now and even had a different name which was; That One Time.

I've always had the inspiration to write about a teenage pregnancy for some reason and I have actually written a story in the past that was somewhat similar to this, though I decided to start fresh and add a few more elements to the novel.

Here are a few questions I got asked throughout my journey of writing Alaska. 

Q:  Where do you live?

A: I live in Malta in Europe.

Q: How do you know so much about USA?

A:  America is possibly one of my favorite places in the world.  I believe everything happens there and it is definitely my dream home.  Of course, I've had to do a lot of research for my book including:  Education system (here in Malta we don't have sophomores, juniors, freshmen etc) so I had to do a lot of research about the grading and syllabus, states (learning which states are near each other like Ohio & Pennsylvania), checking temperatures for each state, learning about American culture and grammar.

Q: Who is your favorite and least favorite character?

A:  My favorite character would probably be Angel because she's the ultimate motherly figure despite being Lexi's sister.  She's just always there and she has the right ego and aura.My least favorite would probably be Bianca because she's just a massive B-I-T-C-H.  Despite this, I still love her.

Q: Who do you connect to most, character-wise?

A:  I think in some aspects I connect to Violet a lot, mostly because I have had trouble with self-harm and I'm an outcast like her.  I'm still searching for a place to fit in, yet I definitely have a mature side which parallels to Violet being a mother and a great one at that.

Q: Why did you change the titles?

A:  Because when it was called 'That One Time' it had a totally different concept.  I hadn't planned to go as deep as I did, and I was planning on keeping the story revolved around Riverblossom and Lexi having trouble coming to terms with Ryan and his ways, yet it changed when I decided to ship her off to Ohio and since Alaska has such a great impact on the story, I decided to name it that... As well as Lexi's baby.

Q:  Are you considering writing a sequel?

A:  This has actually crossed my mind.  I think writing about Lexi and her dealing with being a student at college and having a baby is an ideal setting to write about and I've definitely got a lot of ideas, yet for now I'm focused on school.  Maybe in the coming months I'll get started on a sequel.

Q: Does the story reflect on you in any way?

A:  In some ways, it does.  Thankfully I've never gone through a teenage pregnancy and I'm pretty sure I never will, but I know that a lot of girls struggle with being a mother at such a young age and I thought it was a delicate subject to write about.  Cancer does reflect on me a little.  Although no one very close to me has died of the horrible disease, my aunt did suffer from it for about a year and it is a strong point that has full effect in one's life.  Self-harm and suicide is probably the one that reflects on me the most.  I've had trouble with family, self-esteem issues and other sorts of problems that has led to cutting and suicidal thoughts and I suffer from depression and bipolar disorder, just like many teenagers do so I believe it helps in some way, writing about it...

Q: Were there times you thought about killing off a main character?

A:  Yes.  For some reason, horrible pessimist that I am, I was thinking of giving Angel cancer so that Lexi would have to kind of deal with what Ashton went through with Alaska.  But I didn't want the story to take such a depressing turn, so Angel lives on strongly.  I've also had some thoughts about killing Ashton or Violet though they never developed into anything major.

Q:  How do you know so much about cancer and pregnancy?

A:  Research, research, research....

I've had so much fun writing Alaska and I'm so glad that it's finally finished.  I have thoughts of giving it to a publisher here in Malta, but for some reason I've always been skeptical about passing my personal work on to a professional.  I do always print my novels, cover and all into book-form every time they're finished, though.

I want to thank you all for your support and continous encouragement in continuing Alaska.  I have so much fun expressing my emotions and ideas into literature and I'm excited to begin a whole new novel at some point, once I become inspired again...

-Maxine