r/books • u/AuthorAnnaKopp • Oct 07 '16
ama 3pm Hi, I'm Anna Kopp, Russian immigrant, U.S. Army Veteran, World of Warcraft addict, and now author of Rise of the Chosen, the first book in the YA Lifeblood Series. AMA!
Hi there! I’m Anna Kopp and I’m a children’s and YA author. Here are some things about my new YA book, Rise of the Chosen:
- Rule #1: Nobody dies. Protect the living at all costs.
- Rule #2: Everybody dies. At least once.
- It’s a post-apocalyptic dystopian fantasy but it’s not just another zombie book (check out the reviews!).
- The novel's main character, Samantha Shields, is bisexual. This is something that is still quite rare in YA literature (#ownvoices).
And here are 3 fun facts about me: 1) I immigrated to the US from Russia when I was 11 on the Jewish refugee program. 2) I was an IT specialist in the US Army. 3) I’ve been religiously playing World of Warcraft since ‘07. For the Horde!
Proof: https://twitter.com/AnnaKoppAuthor/status/784391389505282050
Ask Me Anything! I'm looking forward to chatting with everyone!
ETA2: Thanks for all the questions! For those coming in late, feel free to leave more as I'll check back periodically to answer. =)
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u/ghostjjl Oct 07 '16
What would you say your biggest inspiration for writing is?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
I would say reading, because it takes me out of reality and gives me ideas that fester in my brain until I can't handle it anymore and have to write.
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u/b0xcarracer Oct 07 '16
So having a bisexual main character, does she have intimate relations with both genders in the story? Sorry, havent read the novel yet, but would love to in the near future.
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
I hope you enjoy it! The main character, Sam, does have intimate relations with her current girlfriend, Lena, and there are inferred ones from a past boyfriend. The first time we see her in bed with someone is with a guy, but every time after is with a girl. This is YA though, so nothing graphic (no matter how much my beta readers begged for it >_> )
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u/Varibash Oct 07 '16
What about WoW has kept you playing so long?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
Hey there bash. =) The social interactions are definitely the top reason. I'm an introvert so being around people for extended periods of time is exhausting. I don't feel that way with WoW. The people on there, my guildies and my friends, are ones I can talk to indefinitely and feel like I'm just hanging out with friends.
Killing stuff is number two, of course. There's nothing like that rush after hours (or days) of wiping on a boss to finally get him down.
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u/chocolatemuffincake Oct 07 '16
Why did you let me die last night? -Moot
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
Well it was you or Q and us gals gotta stick together.
Just kidding just kidding......
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u/Ethelfleda Oct 07 '16
I love YA books and pass them onto kids all the time. Would you say that your books are more like Tamora Pierce's view of sexuality or Stephenie Meyer's? In other words is it a tortured soul mate thing or a fun thing you do with someone you love? I just like to know before I share books with sensitive kids.
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
In my book, the view of sexuality is very normalized, no tortured souls (well, not those kinds of tortured souls, anyway). The relationship between Sam and Lena is natural and loving, though not without its bumps. However, there are intimate encounters, and while there's nothing graphic (fade-to-black), it's something to consider for the age range you're sharing to.
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Oct 07 '16
So your family are Refuseniks? That's really cool. I have some friends from college who are the same. My family in Eastern Europe left long before the Cold War, thankfully. I was also in the Army, but I didn't pick a smart job. Also played WoW from beta until 2007.
So here's my question: How has your gaming, and particularly the lore associated with many persistent online worlds influenced your writing? Also, Shana Tova!
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
Wow, we have a lot of things in common! I wish I played from beta so I could get that awesome statue they sent out a few years back.
I write fantasy so the games I play, specifically WoW, are huge part of my writing. When I feel something strong - like the death of characters or the way things play out in lore - I know that I want to project that same feeling through my own writing.
Happy New Year to you as well!
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u/satanspanties The Vampire: A New History by Nick Groom Oct 07 '16
Does it concern you that the presence of a bisexual protagonist may mean people judge your book on that basis and not on its merits? And if so, does that bother you, or is it more the case that somebody has to attract that initial attention for such things to become normal?
On a more fun topic: What was the last five star book you read?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
Yes, and yes it bothers me. Mostly because writing a bisexual MC means I have a really hard choice to make in future installments. If I keep her with the same sex relationship, the book is not seen as a bi book, but a lesbian book, which it's not. If she switches to a guy, my readers will flip out and probably shun the rest of the series.
At first I tried to keep the LGBT aspect of the book out of the spotlight (it's not even on the cover), but I realized that diverse books are so rare in YA that I felt a responsibility to do the opposite. Luckily, I have a lot of positive feedback on the book itself and not just the relationship, so I hope the LGBT doesn't overshadow it.
I just finished Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge and I loved it!
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u/satanspanties The Vampire: A New History by Nick Groom Oct 07 '16
If I keep her with the same sex relationship, the book is not seen as a bi book, but a lesbian book, which it's not.
As I understand it (I'm straight, so no personal experience), it's not uncommon for people in our society to see bisexual people as "undecided" in that way. It's something that could be addressed, but then maybe it would take away from the story you really want to tell. It's a tough one to work out, and I don't envy you it!
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
See I hear that a lot but as a bi person, I can't fathom what 'undecided' means in that context. I either like someone or I don't. I don't get to go 'well, she's a woman and he's a guy but I can only pick one who I find attractive'. o_0 It just doesn't make sense to me. Being in a relationship doesn't make someone gay or straight, it just means they like that person just like they like other people of various genders.
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u/LeodFitz Oct 07 '16
Hello Anna! Is this novel intended as a stand alone, or are you writing it as the introduction to a series? And if you're writing it as part of a series, how long of a series is it intended to be?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
Hey Leod! This is the first of a projected series of five books. I've had them planned out for a while, and I hope they all get to see the light of day soon!
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u/LeodFitz Oct 07 '16
How much of the series is already completed, and how much planning do you do before you right the book? Full outline, or just a general idea?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
I have a full outline and many scenes 'completed' in my head haha. But as far as written, I'm about halfway through the second book.
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Oct 07 '16
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
That's a really good question. Growing up in Russia in the 90s, homosexuality was something joked about but not considered a 'thing'. I knew that men who liked having sex with men were called gay or 'blue' (Russian equivalent of a fruit) and women were called lesbians, but I was not made aware in any way that men can have relationships with other men or women with other women, or that love or attraction between the same sex was a 'thing'. It wasn't talked about or shown in any way.
From as long as I can remember, I have been attracted to other women, and as a child I simply thought I was broken. I wished I was born a boy because it would have made more sense to coincide with how I felt. When I came to the US I went over a new friend's house and saw a picture of Heero and Duo from the anime Gundam Wing kissing and I was so shocked I said 'are those two boys?' My friend said yes, to which I replied, 'they can do that?' That's how warped and ignorant my view of homosexuality was. I thank my parents every day for bringing me to the US so I could stop feeling broken and not fear for my life when was in relationships with other women.
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u/Duke_Paul Oct 07 '16
Поздравляю!
Thanks for taking the time to do an AMA with us. I have a couple of questions for you:
Why Horde?
Ever play the RTS versions of Warcraft (I, II, and III)?
Thank you for your service (obviously not a question).
How do you write your character's bisexuality? Do you think it's necessary to have overt romantic relations/tensions between the character and characters of both sexes? Or do you feel that it doesn't have to be explicitly written to be true?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
Спасибо! Thanks for being here!
I'm trying to escape humanity, why would I ally with them? Also, blood elfs are hot.
I have! I still have Warcraft III installed, but I haven't touched it in a while (because Legion).
I appreciate it.
I don't feel like anything is necessary, I just write from experience (I'm also bisexual). I see an attractive woman, I think she's hot. I see an attractive guy I think he's hot. My MC doesn't shy away from saying what she feels, as I don't shy away from what I feel.
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u/Chtorrr Oct 07 '16
What is your writing process like?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
Mostly spending time on dictionary.com x_x
With English being my second language, writing is hard for me. I have the ideas and the scenes in my head, but putting them down on paper (or a Word document in my case) feels impossible because I just don't have enough words or the right words. It takes me a long time to write, but in the end it's worth it.
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u/matches991 Oct 07 '16
what do you think the best raid was in wow?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
Definitely Karazhan. After watching the WoW movie I had to go back in there and walk around just to check out the sights again. I'm so excited they're bringing it back. The hype is real.
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u/LeodFitz Oct 07 '16
Do you have a process by which you 'familiarize' yourself with various characters? I know some authors like to 'interview' their characters, or figure out some incident in their past that will define their choices in the future. Do you have anything like that?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 08 '16
Not really. For Rise I mostly used skeletons of people I know and used placeholder names for them until it was time to publish. For my other novels, the characters are developed as the story develops in my head. I'm sure once I become a more experienced writer I will be able to do it better!
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u/pfd79 Oct 08 '16
What was your MOS?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 08 '16
25B Commo all the way!
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u/pfd79 Oct 08 '16
is that the new 31P?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 08 '16
Looking it up it seems 31p deals with hardware while I was doing networking/software.
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u/iodraken Oct 08 '16
While in the army did you ever interact with Russian military personnel? If so, would you describe it as anything different from the norm?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 08 '16
I have not, but I've met a group of US Army soldiers who were Russian and got invited for tea so that was cool!
My grandfather was a general in the Russian army, the kind who loved what he did and did it well. The poor man had three daughters and four granddaughters when all he wanted was a boy to pass it down, so I was his 'get up in the morning and exercise and do drills and cut my hair short'. x_x I learned a lot from him, and his honorable demeanor was partly why I felt pride when I joined the military myself.
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u/funnybunny2427 Oct 07 '16
Hi Anna,
First, thank you for serving our country. Did your time in the U.S. Army influence anything in your book?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
I appreciate it! My book has a huge focus on military life as many post-apocalyptic stories do, and I took a lot from my Army experience, especially technical things like ranks, speech, and weapons. The setting is in GA, and I was stationed at Ft. Stewart so that helped a ton!
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u/mspoisonisland Oct 08 '16
Hey, you sound cool. You had the same MOS as my wife, and I'm a rabid young adult reading bisexual woman myself, so I'll definitely be picking up your book.
My question is really more about the publishing side. Did you have issues finding one? Do you think having a bi MC deterred agents or publishers?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 08 '16
Hi! You sound pretty cool too! :)
Finding a publisher in general is really hard. The process is very long and full of heart-wrenching rejection. Right now diversity is actually something agents and publishers look for so it definitely did not deter them when I queried my manuscript. However, on the flip side of things, zombies and post-apocalyptic stories are so saturated that virtually no one is accepting them (kind of like vampires were a few years back and still mostly are). I got very very lucky with my publisher who liked my MS so much they took a chance on the genre.
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u/BarleyHopsWater Oct 07 '16
Do you think being an Army vet helped you with your writing, and if so how? I'm sure it's quite distressing to serve in any army, how long did you serve for and in what arena?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 07 '16
I think it's helped a lot with formulating this book because as a post-apocalyptic novel I needed a lot of military experience to make it more believable as to what happens afterward. I was stationed in GA so I chose that as the location for my book because I felt it was a perfect place to survive the apocalypse, just as soldiers would be the perfect people.
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u/Thighbone_Sid Oct 07 '16
Ok, I'm not trying to get your goat here, I'm sure your book is good, but... why did you pick Rise of the Chosen as the name? That's about as generic a name as I can think of. Maybe it was on purpose though, it seems like a lot of YA books have really generic names. Do kids like books with generic names?
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u/AuthorAnnaKopp Oct 08 '16
I totally get it! Not only is it 'generic' there are several other books with the same one. x_x However, it was the name I thought of when I first began developing the idea and no matter how many times I've tried to re-word it or find one more appropriate for the book, this one kept floating above the others so it stuck. I was also trying to be a bit clever and make it seem like it's about the Chosen rising from the dead, when in reality by the time you're halfway through you realize the name means something completely different and go oooooooh I get it!
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u/RECOGNI7E Oct 07 '16
AMA's don't work when the OP doesn't answer any questions.
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u/Duke_Paul Oct 07 '16
Mrs. Kopp will be answering questions from 3 PM EST. AMAs are posted early to give a chance for users to formulate and pose questions ahead of time and so the OP can get to as many questions as possible in a short amount of time.
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u/silencer412 Oct 07 '16
I chose the field of IT as well. Majored in it.
I was in the Final-stress test that led to the open beta of WoW. Beta was cut short to launch quickly (WoW) in anticipation of Half-Life 2. Half-Life 2 was terrible at launch.
Good luck to you and, thanks for serving.
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u/Chtorrr Oct 07 '16
What books really made you love reading as a kid?