Fresh New Voice of YA- Jennifer Hubbard interview

1) How did you get the idea for The Secret Year?

I had a situation in mind: a secret relationship where one of the people dies suddenly; a notebook left behind. That’s all I knew at first, so I wrote the book to find out more.


2) What was The Call like? Tell us all about it!

It took a while for it to sink in. My agent called and told me about the offer, but it took hours after that for my mind to adjust. So I didn’t jump up and down screaming right away, but I’m sure I smiled a lot the rest of the week!


3) What book(s) are you working on now? Can you tell us anything about them?

I can’t talk much about works in progress, because too much discussion saps the momentum of a project. But I see myself staying with contemporary YA for quite a while.


4) Have you always been a fan of YA, or are you still new to it all?

I’ve always loved it. I kept reading it even when I was past the target age. What drew me was the clarity, the emotional depth, and the very close narrative distance that I found in so many YA novels. Now the adult/YA cross-over audience is much larger, and I’m glad so many more people have discovered how good these books are.


5) What is your favorite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor? Also, since I know you're a chocolate lover, what's your favorite kind of chocolate to eat?

I haven’t had jelly beans in a long time. But I like dark chocolate plain, or with mint, or with coconut, or with nuts, or with raspberry—in fact, there are very few ways I don’t like it!


6) What book(s) are you reading now, or are about to start?

I’m rereading Jane Austen’s Persuasion at the moment. My TBR pile is large, but Struts and Frets by Jon Skovron may be the next one I start.


7) In your bio, you said you love to hike. Where do you usually hike? What is it about hiking that you love?

I walk every day in my neighborhood. On weekends, I might hike in Pennsylvania state parks, arboretums, or the local wildlife refuge. Once a year, my husband and I take a big vacation where we hike every day. We like the national parks; we’ve been to Mount Rainier, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, and others. We honeymooned in Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks.


8) You're a part of the Class of 2k10. How did you get involved with that, and how is it helped you in preparing for your book to be released?

I was actually a member of the Class of 2k9 first, because my book was originally scheduled for 2009. When the Class of 2k10 was getting off the ground, I decided to stay with them because of the energy and enthusiasm that the new authors were bringing. Debut author groups are great for sharing information and support, since we're all going through a similar process at the same time.