"New Adult" Niche: Interview with Lauren Hammond (Insanity Blog Tour)

I'm pleased to welcome Lauren Hammond, author of Insanity, to the blog today for an interview about "New Adult" books!

First, a bit about the book:

Released: May 8th

Series: Asylum, book #1

"Sometimes love...can drive you crazy.

Adelaide Carmichael and Damien Allen couldn't be more opposite.

Adelaide's mother abandoned her when she was ten years old, leaving her to be raised by her abusive and alcoholic father.

Damien on the other hand came from a wealthy family, was a local celebrity, and seemed to have a bright future ahead of him.

Despite their differences, Adelaide and Damien were young, wild, and fiercely in love.

And they had a plan.

They were going to run away.

Be together forever.

And their plan was set in motion, until tragedy struck and for some reason, Adelaide wound up in The Oakhill Institution for the insane.

Adelaide has no idea what she did to wind up at Oakhill, but she knows one thing for sure...

She wants out.

And after Damien follows her there to aid her in escaping, Adelaide slowly begins putting together the pieces of her memory that are missing.

And it doesn't take Adelaide long to figure out that sometimes...

That one true love never dies."

And the author:

"It all began with a dinosaur, a T-Rex to be exact. He was the main character in my very first short story. Me and T, well, we went places. He is the reason I won my first essay contest at age ten. And he is probably one of the number one reasons, I pursued a career in writing.

Throughout highschool, I was what you would call a rebel. Someone who had convinced herself that she had life figured out at age sixteen. Still, writing was my only safe-haven during that time. I wrote notebooks full of poetry, even writing fellow classmates papers for them.

Unbeknowest to me, creative writing, seemed to be my one, true calling, my passion in life.

At age twenty, I began writing my first novel. After that, everything seemed to fall into place.

I won Best Poets and Poems of 2007, and The Editor's Choice award for my poem, Summer Days.

Also, during that time I wrote or co-wrote fifteen different screenplays, some which earned me finalist spot in various screenplay competitions.

In 2010, I've come full force, with my novel Love Sucks, that was released by Punkin House Press, in August of 2010. On top of Love Sucks, I have six novels that are slated to be released through the next five years. Also, doing some various marketing work for authors and publishers.

I pride myself in telling fellow writers to always follow their dreams. Who knows where I would be if I would have given up."

And now for the interview questions...

1.)    I understand Insanity fits into the “New Adult” category. Was it always your intention to make your protagonists, Adelaide and Damien, at this stage in their lives? Or did it just naturally end up New Adult as you wrote it?

Actually, it was always my intention to make this a New Adult novel. Mainly because it switches back and forth from the past and present and also because I felt it was going to be to risque, brash, and boundary pushing for the YA market.

2.)    How do you think the story would be different if it was firmly “YA”  or “adult”? Are there some events or experiences in Insanity that are intrinsically New Adult?

Honestly, I’d feel like I’d have to remove some of the profanity and intimate scenes. It goes a little too far in some areas.

3.)    A lot of traditional publishers are skeptical about New Adult books. What would you say to convince them to give the category a chance?

Honestly, this is something I’m not too sure of. New Adult is genre that’s like a middleman. It’s not  YA and it’s not fully adult. So where would it sell? What would publishers be able to classify it as? That’s what I think the major issue would be. Do I think the older teens and adults would read New Adult? Yes. But there is so much more that comes into to play when it comes to publishers giving the category a chance.

       4.)   Some people argue that New Adult books don’t have a “universal experience” the way YA books do. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

        I do disagree here. I think  the universal feel of a book depends on the writer, their writing style, and the story.

 5.)   Are there a few New Adult books you could recommend to my blog readers?

Absolutely! Easy by Tammara Webber & Because of Low by Abbi Glines

Both are great reads!

Thanks so much for having me! If you get a chance check out my New Adult novel, Insanity and the sequel White Walls on June 19^th!

Lauren’s Links:

Website    -    http://laurenhammondnovelist.blogspot.com/

Goodreads    -   http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4115682.Lauren_Hammond

Twitter    -    https://twitter.com/#!/NovelistLauren

Facebook   -   http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lauren-Hammond/100755776636370

Purchase links for Insanity:

Amazon ebook    -    http://www.amazon.com/Insanity-The-Asylum-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B008173I62/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337796479&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble ebook  -   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/insanity-lauren-hammond/1110620686?ean=2940014360340

Thanks very much for stopping by the blog and answering my questions, Lauren!