Please welcome Allen Zadoff to Books for Company.
Allen is the author Boy Nobody, a YA thriller.
Thank you Allen for taking the time to answer the questions =)
AZ: The character of Boy Nobody arose seemingly out of nowhere while I was working on a different book (a comedy of all things!). I knew he was a dark figure, a teen assassin who worked for an organization that might or might not be part of the U.S. government. I knew that he was alone almost all the time, moving from place to place, never connecting with anyone but seamlessly fitting in wherever he went. And lastly, I knew that he did not have or could not remember his name. These were the basic elements that have grown into an entire series in my head. I’m amazed by it even now.
Do you have a favourite character?
AZ: Aside from Boy Nobody, I’m partial to Howard, the geeky teen hacker who befriends Boy Nobody and may or may not help in future missions. Howard is an exile at his own school, a kid who had a tough experience his freshman year that has given him a bad reputation that he can’t shake. Both Howard and Boy Nobody are doing the best they can with the hand fate has dealt them. They are completely opposite in many ways, but in that particular way, they are the same. I’d tell you more, but I don’t want to give away future books!
When you write, do you prefer to have a plan or just see where the pen takes you?
AZ: It’s a combination of both. I always have a plan, but I’m open to where the pen takes me. You could compare it to a driving vacation. I know which city I’m headed to next and roughly how to get there, but I’m more than happy to stop on the side of the road if I see something that catches my interest. And I may even change the plan if there’s a good reason to do so. As a writer, there’s nothing more exciting than when inspiration takes over and you suddenly find yourself someplace you never expected. But I never wait for inspiration. The artist Chuck Close said, “Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just get to work.” So I get to work and amazing things start to happen.
Was there any part of the book you found particularly challenging to write?
AZ: The love story. Boy Nobody is a character who has been trained not to feel, so the idea that he begins to have romantic feelings for a girl was very challenging. How does a tough, angry, highly disciplined soldier open himself up to love? This was a big challenge, but it’s also what makes the book so exciting for me. Because as Boy Nobody starts to feel, his world starts to crack open.
What did you enjoy the most when writing Boy Nobody?
AZ: I really enjoyed the action sequences. My previous novels were of the funny, heart-breaking variety (some have called them “Lad Lit”), but Boy Nobody is a straight out thriller. There are fights, chases, and all kinds of suspense. Boy Nobody’s voice (and the entire narration of the book) is very stark, so describing those fights with very few words was a wonderful challenge.
What are the main three descriptive words you would want to hear others use to describe Boy Nobody?
AZ: Thrilling, heart-stopping, unforgettable. But I’d settle for any one of those three!
Thanks again to Allen Zadoff and Victoria from Hachette
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Great Interview. I'm really looking forward to reading this one. Love to hear it is action packed!
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