An Interview with Pam Bachorz, author of "Candor"

"Candor" was a fantastic book.  Hands down.  The review of Candor is right below this post, and thanks to Pam, the next post after our interview will be for our next contest, a signed ARC of "Candor" for you guys. I guess you can say today is "Candor" day at TLGBRS!  I hope you enjoy Candor as much as I did.  Pam has been very pleasant and has overextended herself to us.  Here is what she had to say...

TLG: Your debut hit, "Candor" has been off to a running start since being released. What did you do before you decided to write a smash hit and what led you to writing it?

PB: Well, thanks, I don't know about "smash" but I'll take it! Well, besides being a writer I'm a mom and I also work in photo buying at a textbook publisher. And publishing a book hasn't changed either one of those things! I decided to write CANDOR when I realized that my one regret in life was that I had given up the writing I love so much as a child and teen. I wanted to know that I'd given writing a novel my best shot. CANDOR was actually my third novel that I wrote, once I made that decision.

TLG: After reading Candor, I got an eerie feeling that "what if this really were to happen?"  For those of you who do not know (yet!), and without giving any spoilers out, Candor is a town where all of its residents are basically controlled or better yet, kept in line through subliminal messages that are fed to them through music. Once you completed the book, did you ever get that same feeling, like this could actually happen?

PB: You know what, I wouldn't be shocked. There are certain people who will always look for ways to control others, and if someday an effective brainwashing technology was invented, I have no doubt that there is someone on the planet who would be glad to use it. Probably a lot of someones. In the meantime, we are all subtly influenced by all kinds of messages, every day: advertising, television, movies, newspapers, magazines, books, our religious and political readers, and our own peers all change the way we see the world and the way we behave.

TLG: I always like to inquire a bit about the process of actually getting the book published.  Was Candor picked up right away, or did you have to play the "shopping around" game, getting an agent, etc.?  Tell us a bit of what you experienced.

PB: Well, I got an agent first and that took a few months. Then it took about another month or six weeks for my agent to sell the book. It went really fast... after 5 years of writing!

TLG: Was much of the book changed once it hit your editor's hands, or is what we are reading a good portion of the original?

PB: CANDOR didn't change all that much, though I am grateful to both my agent and editor for helping me to really hone it into the story you're reading today.

TLG: How long was the entire process from the time you started writing until you held a completed copy in your hands?

PB: It took me five years to write and sell CANDOR--of course during that time I also wrote two other books, had a child and moved from Florida to the DC area!

TLG: As far as your writing "style", are you more of a pen and paper author, or a pdf file author?

PB: I draft on my computer and then I print it out and do a deep revision with good old fashioned pen on paper. The worst part is entering all those changes back into the computer! But I find it makes for a far better revision and it also keeps me moving forward.

TLG: When you wrote Candor, did you do all of your writing during designated times, or were you ever in a situation where an idea popped into your head while you were for instance grocery shopping, and had to ask the cashier to borrow their pen and started scribbling notes on a paper bag?

PB: My life is so crammed full that I have to fight for writing time. I schedule it, and that really is when my writing happens. Even when I'm out shopping I am on my blackberry trying to fight back a thicket of e-mails, keep up on social networking, etc!

TLG: Can you tell us what your favorite types of books to read are?  Favorite Authors?  Favorite books?  

PB: I love to read anything and everything YA. Right now I'm reading LEVIATHAN by Scott Westerfeld. All-time faves include Lois Duncan, L.M. Montgomery and David Sedaris. 

TLG: Going forward, what can we expect from you? Are you planning on staying in the YA arena?

PB: I definitely see myself staying in YA for awhile, though I'm always intrigued by writing middle grade or maybe even an adult novel some day. But YA is my natural bent. I have another YA book coming out with Egmont, tentatively set for Fall 2010, and I'm working on another one right now!

TLG:  Last but not least, our signature question... What would you, Pam Bachorz, author of "Candor" do for a Klondike Bar??

PB: Are we talking full-fat or low-fat? Because the full-fat are so much better yet we never dare to buy them. Hmmmm how about I'll sing you a song from THE MUSIC MAN or PIPPIN? Still have them memorized from my high school shows! 

Pam, Thanks so much for giving me the pleasure of the interview.  Also, thanks so much for offering up a signed ARC of "Candor" for our fans!  That is super cool of you! You can learn more about Pam and "Candor" by going to her site.  Click HERE to be taken directly there.

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