Tone Deaf (May 3,
2016) by Olivia Rivers
Hardcover:
288 pages
Publisher:
Sky Pony Press (May 3, 2016)
Language:
English
ISBN-10:
163450707X
ISBN-13:
978-1634507073
I first started learning about Olivia Rivers and hernovel Tone Deaf in 2013 when a former
student tipped me off about this text that was available to readers on Wattpad.com.
If you're interested in checking it out, you can find Tone
Deaf here.
Rivers' last book was published by Red Sparrow Press and available through Amazon as an eBook.
Rivers' last book was published by Red Sparrow Press and available through Amazon as an eBook.
Years ago, I noted that on Goodreads she explained,
I have to be honest: "Tone Deaf" was never intended to be read by others. I wrote the story out of frustration, when I was unable to find a book that featured a realistic main character with disabilities.
One day, on a whim, I posted the first chapter of “Tone Deaf” on Wattpad.com. The response I received was absolutely amazing and humbling. Apparently, I wasn’t the only reader frustrated by the lack of disabled main characters. “Tone Deaf” received over 1,000 hits within a week of being posted, and to this date, has over 750,000 hits.
Some readers have ventured to call “Tone Deaf” a “diverse” book, but I have another word for it: Realistic. In reality, not every person is perfectly healthy or functional. And not every person is white, straight, and good-looking. And, honestly, who would want that? The world would so boring without the diversity it presents us.
I truly hope "Tone Deaf" presents this diversity and reality in a way that readers can relate to. And, most importantly, I hope readers enjoy the characters and love-story within the book!" http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/637547093
Then in 2015, I offered to give feedback on the manuscript. From there, Olivia and I corresponded several times. I was even able to send pictures of a few items that would benefit Olivia’s Deaf character. I’m being purposely cryptic because I do not want to spoil a thing.
Olivia is certainly a writer who is open to feedback and
to the revision process so I’m looking forward to reading this book again. You’ll
have a chance to do so as well since Tone Deaf will be released on May 3rd
in both Kindle and hardcover format. In the meantime, here is my interview with
the author.
Pictured with Olivia is her dog Romeo, who was the inspiration for the giant pit-bull in the novel.
Pictured with Olivia is her dog Romeo, who was the inspiration for the giant pit-bull in the novel.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SP:
What inspired you to include a deaf character that uses sign language?
OR: I
have a neuromuscular disease, so I’ve always been interested in characters who
have atypical physical abilities. They’re often completely absent from Young
Adult books, or if they’re present, the entire plot revolves around them
struggling with their physical condition. Don’t get me wrong, some of these
books are gorgeous and much-needed. But I really wanted to tell a story where
the main character has accepted their physical differences and moved on to face
other issues.
At the time I started writing TONE DEAF, there was a
huge trend of books featuring bands. Reading a few of them sparked the basic set
up for TONE DEAF—one hearing main character who is a musician and convinced
that deafness would be the end of the world, and one deaf main character who shows
him that there's so much more to life than whether or not you can hear.
SP:
What research did you do to make your character believable?
OR: I
didn’t do enough research for the first draft of the book, which I definitely
regret. But I ended up doing a lot more research for future drafts. I found the
most helpful resource to be online forums for Deaf individuals, because I could
read about personal experiences with both the medical aspects of deafness and
also Deaf culture. I also watched a lot of YouTube videos of people using ASL
so I could get a feel for the language. This was some of the most fun research
I’ve ever done! One YouTube channel I found translates famous poems into ASL,
and it let me view poetry in a whole new, beautiful light.
Of course, Professor Sharon Pajka provided a huge
amount of help by beta-reading TONE DEAF and giving me lots of advice on how to
make Ali’s deafness more realistic. Her suggestions gave me quite a few
light-bulb moments, and I’m so grateful I had her feedback during the editing
process.
SP:
Ha ha, thanks. I’m glad to help. When did you write your first book and how old
were you?
OR: I
was twelve when I wrote my first novel, but that book is buried away deep on my
old hard-drive, and it will never see the light of day! But I’ve been happily
addicted to writing ever since. I began writing TONE DEAF at fifteen, and as I
wrote it, I started posting chapters on Wattpad.com. The story ended up getting
over a million hits, which eventually led to me signing with my agent at
seventeen and receiving my book deal a few months after.
SP:
Where do you get your ideas for your books?
OR: I
draw my ideas from a huge variety of sources, and it’s very rare that I can
pinpoint exactly where they come from. In the case of TONE DEAF, I’d been
listening to a lot of music, reading books about bands, and brainstorming new
ideas for characters. It all kind of mashed together in my mind to form the
plot that currently exists. At first, I actually didn't plan on sharing the
story with others. But then stories with bands started to get increasingly
popular, so I figured I'd try sharing mine on Wattpad. I'm so glad I did,
because posting the story has allowed me to connect with tons of fantastic
readers from all over!
SP:
What do you hope that readers will take away or learn from Tone Deaf?
OR: I
hope readers will walk away realizing how empowering it is to take charge of
your own future and defy expectations. And I also hope readers receive the
message that it’s perfectly okay to ask for help as you start to forge your own
future.
SP:
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing your books?
OR: Publishing
takes an extremely long time. Until I started working on TONE DEAF, I never
realized that the publication process can stretch on for multiple years, even
after the writing portion is complete. However, I also learned that this long
journey is well worth it in the end!
SP:
Do you have opportunities to meet your readers? When you do, what kinds of
things do they say?
OR: No,
I generally don’t meet readers in-person. However, I do have readers email me,
and it’s always so much fun to hear from them! I’ve gotten emails from all over
the world, and it’s really been an honor to connect with so many different
people who all share a love for stories. One thing that always surprises me is
how some people write to me very formally, as if they’re addressing an
important scholar. It always confuses me a bit, because even though I’m an
author, I’m definitely just a normal girl.
SP:
What advice do you have for young readers?
OR: Never
be ashamed to embrace your love for books, no matter what others might think. I
used to be really embarrassed that I read and wrote Young Adult books, because
many people in the book world turn their noses up at the genre. But ignore
those book snobs! Stories of all types have the potential to positively impact
people, and it doesn’t matter what genre or label they fall under.
SP: Anything you'd like to add...
OR: Thank
you so much for having me on your blog, Sharon! I’ve had such a fantastic time
these past few years working with a Deaf character and getting to know and
appreciate Deaf culture. While I’m a little sad that I won’t be working on
Ali’s story any longer, I'm so grateful for the chance to share TONE DEAF with
readers!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information about Olivia Rivers, visit http://www.oliviariversbooks.com/
For a copy of Tone Deaf, click below:
