Interview: Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe

1. So what happens in Give Up the Ghost?

Well, to begin with, Cass learns a secret from her ghostly friends that she thinks will let her turn the tables on the girl who stabbed her in the back years ago. And then she gets a mysterious note in her locker from someone who wants her help. If you want to know the rest, you'll need to read the book! :)

2. What was the inspiration behind writing Give Up the Ghost?

I loved the idea of writing about a character who saw ghosts as something normal, just part of her life, instead of something scary. Figuring out why she felt that way, and how that might change, gave me the rest of the story.

3. How long did it take you to write it?

About two years, including one false start and several months where I wasn't sure what to do with the story, plus revisions after I finally figured it out.

4. Have any authors inspired you to write?

Pretty much every author I've enjoyed! When I was a kid, a couple of my favorites who helped inspire my love of stories were Roald Dahl and Zilpha Keatley Snyder.

5. What was the hardest part to write in Give Up the Ghost? The easiest?

The hardest part was finding the balance between Cass's prickly side and her vulnerabilities. She's out for revenge, sure, but she's also been deeply hurt, and hates seeing others suffer the same. It was a challenge making sure I showed enough of both sides.

The easiest were the scenes where Cass and Tim interacted. They just played off each other really naturally and their conversations were always a pleasure to write.

6. Did you have any say in the cover? What do you think of it?

I offered a few cover ideas to my publisher early on in the process, and they ended up using one of them! So I was very excited and pleased when I saw the final cover. I love the concept, and the color scheme, and the font--pretty much everything!

7. Have any favorite characters in Give up the Ghost?

Well, I love Cass, of course. I admire her sense of justice and fairness, and her courage in standing up for what she believes in, even if sometimes she goes a little overboard. I'm also very fond of Norris, one of the ghosts--you only see glimpses of who he was and what his life was like, but there's a lot to him.

8. What is your main character Cass like?

She hates the way people manipulate others to get what they want and make themselves look better, having been a victim of that herself. So she tries to expose other kids' lies and cheating and to get them to face up to the truth of their behavior. But she isn't entirely satisfied by that, and feels lonely even with her ghost friends. She's gone through a lot of hard stuff in the last few years and hasn't had anyone she can talk to about all of it.

9. Did you learn anything interesting while writing this novel?

I learned to listen to my gut. There was a subplot in the book through the first few drafts that I always suspected didn't quite fit, but I wasn't sure what to put in its place, so I convinced myself it was all right. Then my editor mentioned that she didn't think it fit, either, so I ended up taking it out anyway!

10. What's next for you?

More YA books, and probably more ghosts. I can't say any more at present!

11. Anything else you'd like to share?

If you want to get a sense of what the book's about, I recommend checking out the trailer I made for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rHOwNBQOGs

And I've often got giveaways happening over at my blog--watch it (http://www.megancrewe.com/blog ) or check out my giveaways page (http://www.megancrewe.com/contests.html ) for the latest!

Thanks Megan!

-YABQ