“Saturday’s Sit Down with…” is my new feature containing author interviews.
Scott Silver is the author of The End of Violet and Abby. He studied creative writing at the Fine Arts Center in Greenville, South Carolina and the University of Georgia. In addition to loving comics and reading YA books, he enjoys listening to cheesy synthpop, hosting trivia nights, and catching up on all the TV shows.
You open The End of Violet and Abby with a Jesus and Mary Chain quote. Could you tell me why, and also how the band and/or music in general has influenced your writing?
Great question! I’m a big music nerd and wanted a quote that summed up something essential about the story, something that reflected Abby growing up and discovering her inner strength. Jesus and Mary Chain have always been one of my favorites and “Listen to the girl as she takes on half the world…” seemed to fit the bill perfectly.
As I wrote in my review, it’s very clear that “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is one of your influences. Who, besides Buffy, is your favorite character from the show, and why?
In a lot of ways ‘Violet and Abby’ is my big love letter to Buffy and Joss Whedon in general, which had a huge influence on my writing style. Choosing a favorite character is like choosing between your best friends, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Faith. Amazing character, the cool ‘dark’ slayer but with a lot of complexity right under the surface. One of my favorite episodes is when she and Buffy swap lives and you see how, under different circumstances, she could have become a hero like Buffy. So yeah, 5X5.
Do you have plans to write more stories like The End of Violet and Abby or something different? Why or why not? Are you currently working on anything new?
I intended ‘Violet and Abby’ to be a stand alone, but if readers like it and request more, who knows? Right now I just started working on a new paranormal story that I’d describe as Ghostbusters meets Hellboy with a little Archer thrown in for laughs. Anyone interested in learning more can join my email list, or hit me up on twitter.
Do you have a specific writing process or any writing rituals? A favorite place? Music or silence?
Like I mentioned, I’m a big music nerd, so when I write I need quiet otherwise I get distracted. Libraries are popular spots and I have my little writing table set up at home.
I love that you’ve written cast interviews for the characters in your book on violetandabby.com. If their story were to be adapted to the big screen, who would you want to play Abby? Violet? Kurt? Any of the other characters?
Hmm….let’s see:
You’ve also made a page of quotes from the book. Do you have an absolute favorite?
The line I’ve probably gotten the most feedback on from readers involves an observation on Girl World about the higher a girl’s voice the more she hates you. I made a conscious effort to incorporate as much real-life high school stuff into the book as possible so I’m glad readers appreciate it.
Your bio on Goodreads mentions that you enjoy comics. What are some of your favorites?
Oh wow, so many! I grew up a big X-Men fan as well as classic Vertigo titles like Preacher and Tranmetropolitan. Nowadays I love books like Lazarus, Saga, and Ed Brubaker’s Criminal.
Also mentioned in your bio is that you’ve lived in quite a few places across the U.S. What is one of your favorite places, and why?
Seattle is a really great town, weather notwithstanding. It’s a very nerdy city filled with lots of book fiends and cinephiles and there’s always a board game night happening somewhere.
Besides Jesus and Mary Chain, can you recommend any other great music?
Here’s a few tracks to get you in the proper Violet and Abby mood:
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