Six Degrees of Lost Review and Interview

I am pleased to welcome author Linda Benson! 

She is here to talk about her YA novel,

Six Degrees of Lost.

"Sometimes you have to take a journey to find out where you really belong."

Olive’s mother is headed to jail and her brother to join the Army, so thirteen-year-old Olive is uprooted from sunny California and dumped in Washington State like a stray. That's exactly what she feels like surrounded by her aunt’s collection of homeless dogs, cats, and horses.

 

Fourteen-year-old David’s future is already carved in stone. From a military family with two brothers serving overseas, he’s been pointed towards the Air Force Academy his entire life - but a rafting trip gone awry might ruin his chances.

When a runaway dog is almost hit by a car, the search for its owner leads Olive and David, two teens from entirely different backgrounds, to an unlikely bond. 

Will their growing attraction to each other be enough to keep Olive from a foolhardy journey to find her mother? 

Will David risk his family’s plans to save her?

Linda Benson is the author of SIX DEGREES OF LOST and THE GIRL WHO REMEMBERED HORSES, both from Musa Publishing. 

She has two middle grade novels, FINDING CHANCE and THE HORSE JAR, published by Mondo, an educational publisher. In addition, THE HORSE JAR has been translated into Spanish - LA ALCANCIO DE LOS SUENOS 

(The Piggybank of Dreams.)

Watch for a new novel called WALKING THE DOG from Musa Publishing in September 2012.

Q: Tell us something unusual about you.

A: I’ve ridden my horse in the Tevis Cup, a one hundred mile/one day endurance ride, over California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. I’ve also swam across the Columbia River, from Washington to Oregon. That sounds a little bit like extreme sports, when you write it down like that, but it was just something that I wanted to do.

Unusual in the literary sense? I’ve never read any of the Harry Potter books, or any of the Twilight series. Seriously.

Q: What gave you your start as a writer?

A: I started reading at about age four, and I wanted to be a writer ever since the second grade. (I guess I’ve always loved books.) But I didn’t get around to it until later in life. I was busy raising a daughter, starting several small businesses, and making a living. Going back to college (and finishing a Bachelor’s degree) as an adult gave me the confidence to realize I could actually write, and that I was a good writer. Concurrently, I was working as a librarian in an elementary school, which rekindled my love for kids and books.

   

Q: Why have you chosen to write YA and midgrade novels?

A: I think I’m drawn to characters who somehow feel trapped by either age, or circumstance or their surroundings. They have big ideas, they know their own minds, but no one will listen to them. People sometimes say that we write from a certain age that we got stuck at, growing up. I wonder if this is true - LOL. Maybe I’m still trying to give voice to the trapped young person inside of me.

Q: What has been your biggest inspiration behind the story of Six Degrees of Lost?

A: Olive and David, the two main characters in Six Degrees of Lost, were both floating around in my head, wanting their stories told. In fact, they were both so insistent that I gave them equal billing, and they narrate alternating chapters of the novel. This was a challenge for me (writing in alternating points-of-view) and figuring out who would tell which parts of the story was often like putting together a jig-saw puzzle. It was difficult, but fun. Besides that, the setting of the story was inspired by the Pacific Northwest, and it takes place in a rural area much like where I live.

Q: Are your main characters based off of anyone one in particular?

A: While both Olive and David are totally fictitious characters, I did know a young man, years ago, who was being pointed toward the Air Force Academy and who got cold feet part way through the process. Some of the secondary characters in the story are loosely based on a group of friends I have, who try to help lost animals find their way home. And Swede (isn’t he a great character?) is a fictional combination of many of the hard-working farm men that I’ve known.

Q: What has been your most memorable moment in your writing career?

A: Oh gosh. Signing my first contract for publication? Seeing the cover art for each of my books? Having the publisher ask you for a second book? Getting fan mail from a reader saying how much they love your work? While all of these are high up there on the memorable scale, I’d say having the UPS truck drop off the very first box of your own books, finding a knife with shaking hands, opening the box, then pulling the book out and seeing your name on the cover and your words on the page, is the biggest thrill of all. This has happened four times for me, and each time it’s been one of the most exciting days of my life.

Q: What has been your greatest challenge while writing?

A: Besides those pesky revisions?? Staying off the Internet, keeping my butt in the chair, and actually WRITING. *grin*

Q: Where is your favorite place to write; what do you snack on?

A: I used to write at a desktop computer. But now I write on a lap top, in a comfy chair with a foot rest. Snacks? After years (and too many pounds) of snacking on cookies, brownies, or anything with chocolate, I’ve had to go cold turkey. Yup – no chocolate. But luckily I love fruit – so now I try to snack on grapes, apples, apricots, and sometimes nuts. And coffee. Lots of coffee.

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring YA authors?

A: If you want to write, just do it. Don’t be afraid of a horrible first draft. You can always go back and fix it, if you can just get the bones of story down. And join a critique group. Writing is inherently a lonely occupation, and the fellowship, support and feedback from other writers is invaluable. Besides that, have confidence in yourself. Remember that you are unique, and only you can tell that story that comes out through your fingertips.

Q: If you had to pick one author or book that has been the most influential to you who/what would it be?

A: Only one book? Impossible. Just like how all of life and anyone we’ve ever met in life becomes part of us, so does every single book we’ve read. But I’ll give it a stab. I grew up reading John Steinbeck, and love not only his ability to construct fabulous characters, but also his use of setting. When you read his work, you are taken right there, to that place. That’s one of the things I aspire to in my novels, also. And I loved Lois Lowry’s The Giver. I think many writers of dystopian fiction today were probably inspired by that novel. Although my novel The Girl Who Remembered Horses is not true dystopian, but post-apocalyptic horse fiction, I think Lowry’s novel got many of thinking about how the future might unfold. And as far as using animals in books (which I almost always do) I remember reading The Incredible Journey, by Sheila Burnford, years ago, and sobbing. And I always wondered if I could write that well, to make someone cry. Yeah.

Q: What can you tell us about your works in progress?

A: Right now I’m working on a sequel to The Girl Who Remembered Horses. I never planned to write a sequel, but many readers have asked for it. It’s a bit slow going for me, at the moment, because I feel pressure to make it as good as the first book, and not just rush something out. I’m also working on a YA novel in verse. It takes place in the 1970’s and early 1980’s and it’s a bit of a dark love story, possibly involving teenage pregnancy. I am excited about this one, because I love to challenge myself as a writer.

~ MY REVIEW ~

First I would like to say a big thanks to Linda Benson for sending me a copy of this book for review. I really enjoyed every page. The story behind Six Degrees of Lost is simple and sweet. I was taken in by this story and it's main character Olive. Olive is barely fourteen and struggling with the events in her life. With her mother in jail and her dad off traveling--god knows where--she is forced to make a new life with her aunt in rainy Washington. Olive denies the reality of her situation, and who could blame her. In her mind she has created the perfect version of her mother to mask her less than perfect childhood. It takes running away and a new found appreciation for the relationships she has built for her to realize that, perhaps she has been home all along. Linda has created a wonderful and well developed character in Olive. You can tell that the author has a passion for what she writes and I loved the message behind this story. Her use of 'strays' as a comparison for Olive was well worked. The yellow dog introduced in the beginning of this book makes for a great side story. I got teary eyed at the end when everyone who was in need of a home found one. I could relate with the author's love of animals and was glad they played a prominent role in this book. 

I also enjoyed the setting as well. You really get the 'homey' feel when you are reading and a great picture of the town. 

Six Degrees of Lost is told from two perspectives--Olive's and David's--eventually becoming more like one towards the end. I think this was very fitting for this story and it kept the plot moving and intertwining at a great pace. 

I really enjoyed experiencing both David and Olive's lives and am so glad they found each other. Both are able to stand up for themselves at the end and it is great to see them grow as characters.

This is such a wonderful story and I am gladly recommending it to any YA lovers. All though, I could see adults enjoying this story just as much. I look forward to reading Linda's upcoming novel, Walking the Dog. 

To learn more about Linda Benson and her work

Please visit her @:
Goodreads / Website / Blog / Twitter 

Six Degrees of Lost is available for purchase from:

Amazon / Musa Publishing / Smashwords