H2O: Guest Post

Today, I'd like to welcome over Virginia Bergin, author of H2O, over for a guest post! 

Have you ever had one of those awkward moments when you go all shy and tongue-tied and you just don’t know what to say?

I think I'm having one right now.

OK . . .

Hi! My name is Virginia Bergin and I wrote H2O and . . . this is my very first post for the Sourcebooks Fire Blog Tour.  I suppose I could tell you all about me, or I could tell you all about H2O (I have got a lot to say about it!), but what I’d really like to talk about is YOU.

You see, I've been doing all sorts of different kinds of writing for years, but H2O is my first published novel. It is very, very exciting to see this book in print. It has taken an incredible amount of teamwork: the editors, the designers, the printers, the publicists, the marketers. Then, of course, there are the distributors, the booksellers, the librarians and the educators . . .

. . . and you.

For me, the most amazing thing about this process is you, the reader.  Without you, this book does not really exist. Stories are not about paper or pixels, but about what happens in the reader's mind - and I do mean "the reader" and not "the readers", because every reader is unique. No one else will experience this story in quite the same way as you will experience this story.

That thought sends shivers down my spine. Good ones! It is at the heart of the very spooky relationship between writing and reading. Between the writer and the reader. I try very hard to create powerful stories.  I want to provoke thoughts and ideas – and FEELINGS. The characters are alive! (This is especially true of H2O because Ruby, my main character, is actually telling the story to us directly.) What fascinates me is that the second you start to read, I lose all control. The story is no longer mine, it belongs to you.

(Although Ruby would say it was never 'mine' in the first place; she was such a strong character she took over the whole of the writing process!)

On this blog tour I'm going to be talking about all kinds of things: my reasons for writing this story, the themes in the book, the characters (particularly Ruby!), the mind-melting research, what I like to read, how I write. There’s even going to be some advice for anyone out there who has just started out writing – or wants to. Oh, and a response to a question about cupcakes.

But the thing I'm looking forward to most is not talking. It’s listening. Yes, I will be very interested to hear what you - the reader - think about this story . . . because from October 7^th 2014, the day H2O is published, there won’t be a thing I can do about it. It will all be up to you.

With huge thanks to Louisa (a brilliant reader!) for kindly hosting this first blog post - and to Sourcebooks Fire for introducing us!

Virginia Bergin is the author of the young adult novel, H2O, a story about what happens when a totally ordinary (and utterly unique, because everyone is) teenager finds herself in a global apocalypse. Virginia works as a writer for TV, eLearning and corporate projects. Most recently, she has been working in online education, creating interactive courses for The Open University.  She lives in Bristol, England.

In H2O, Virginia crafts a tale of desperation and survival about a world in chaos. Anyone who’s been touched by rain or tap water is dead. With a fascinatingly unique premise, a heroine that takes daunting risks and slim chances of survival, H2O's fast-paced, unputdownable mystery and emotional survivor’s story will appeal to readers who enjoyed The Fifth Wave and The Hunger Games.  

Come back tomorrow for my review of H2O!

From Goodreads:
It's in the rain...and just one drop will kill you.

They don't believe it at first. Crowded in Zach's kitchen, Ruby and the rest of the party goers laugh at Zach's parents' frenzied push to get them all inside as it starts to drizzle. But then the radio comes on with the warning, "It's in the rain! It's fatal, it's contagious, and there's no cure."

Two weeks later, Ruby is alone. Anyone who's been touched by rain or washed their hands with tap water is dead. The only drinkable water is quickly running out. Ruby's only chance for survival is a treacherous hike across the country to find her father-if he's even still alive.

Bio:
Virginia Bergin works as a writer for TV, eLearning, and corporate projects. Most recently, she has been working in online education, creating interactive courses for The Open University. She lives in Bristol, England.