Good morning lovelies!
Who doesn’t love a new twist on an old fairy tale?
I know I sure do! Retellings are my jam!
Today, I’m part of the blog tour for Brie Spangler’s Beast, and have a great interview to share with you guys!
But first let me share a little about the book with you…
Beast by Brie Spangler
Published by Random House Children's Books on October 11th 2016
Genres: Dating & Sex, General, Humorous, LGBT, Social Themes, Young Adult Fiction
Goodreads
Tall, meaty, muscle-bound, and hairier than most throw rugs, Dylan doesnât look like your average fifteen-year-old, so, naturally, high school has not been kind to him. To make matters worse, on the day his school bans hats (his preferred camouflage), Dylan goes up on his roof only to fall and wake up in the hospital with a broken legâand a mandate to attend group therapy for self-harmers.
Dylan vows to say nothing and zones out at therapyâuntil he meets Jamie. Sheâs funny, smart, and so stunning, even his womanizing best friend, JP, would be jealous. Sheâs also the first person to ever call Dylan out on his self-pitying and superficiality. As Jamieâs humanity and wisdom begin to rub off on Dylan, they become more than just friends. But there is something Dylan doesnât know about Jamie, something she shared with the group the day he wasnât listening. Something that shouldnât change a thing. She is who sheâs always beenâan amazing photographer and devoted friend, who also happens to be transgender. But will Dylan see it that way?
What inspired Beast?
I grew up next to Gillette Stadium where the New England Patriots play, so it was no strange thing to see these giant huge men lumbering along in the supermarket or at the post office. As a small person growing up, seeing these big-big-big men, it definitely made an impression on me. Dylan is very much in that genetic family, heâs just a big huge guy and thereâs nothing he can do about it.
I also have a massive fondness for the fairytale Beauty and the Beast. I absolutely loved the Disney movie when it came out, totally blew my mind! These two things were the little blorps floating around in my brain and when they collided, I wrote a book.
Which of your characters can you most relate to? Why?
Iâm afraid itâs his mom! Sheâs blunders around, trying to do the right thing and make it through the day, but struggles and screws up even when she has the best of intentions.
Where is your favorite place to write?
Love writing at home where I can be silly and make stupid faces as I write. Sometimes Iâll get up and walk around and curse my way through a scene. Although if I want to be super, super effective and get some real work done, Iâll go to a coffee shop where thereâs no internet. If I have my headphones and my music, I get get a decent clip of 1500/2000 words down in an hour. Not that theyâre all usable, good words! But getting something out of your head and onto the page is half the battle.
If you had to re-read one book the rest of your life, what book would you choose?
omigoodness⦠This is a really hard question! I think Iâd have to go with James Joyceâs ULYSSES because itâs a book you can go back to at various ages in your life and get something different each time. Full disclosure: I havenât been able to get through it all yet, but I think a lifetime would give me a chance to finally finish and then reread it to see what I missed the first time.
If you could co-write a book with any author, who would you choose?
Whitney Gardner! You donât know her work yet, her first book YOUâRE WELCOME UNIVERSE comes out Spring 2017 and itâs so damn good. Plus sheâs an amazing person and I think weâd have a lot of fun hammering out a story and torturing some characters but good.
About Brie Spangler
Author/illustrator of children's picture books and YA novels, Brie Spangler loves to draw and write stories and drink massive amounts of caffeine, but not quite Dave Grohl "Fresh Pot!"/require hospitalization levels. Writing down the ideas in her head was scary as a kid, so she turned to making pictures instead. Brie worked as an illustrator for several years before she began to write and immediately became a frothing addict. BEAST is her debut novel.
A definite yes–I love retellings and this is one on my list.
Awesome tour post Crystal ð Thank you for sharing about this book. <3 It do look pretty interesting ð Not sure if I wish to read it, but preeetty.