Monday, September 17, 2012

The Hallowed Ones Tour Stop

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The Hallowed Ones
Laura Bickle
Publication date: September 25th 2012
 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

 

If your home was the last safe place on earth, would you let a stranger in?

In this captivating thriller, an Amish settlement is the last safe haven in a world plagued by an unspeakable horror…

Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers are free to experience non-Amish culture before officially joining the church. But before Rumspringa arrives, Katie’s safe world starts to crumble. It begins with a fiery helicopter crash in the cornfields, followed by rumors of massive unrest and the disappearance of huge numbers of people all over the world. Something is out there…and it is making a killing.

Unsure why they haven’t yet been attacked, the Amish Elders make a decree: No one goes outside their community, and no one is allowed in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man lying just outside the boundary of their land, she can’t leave him to die. She refuses to submit to the Elder’s rule and secretly brings the stranger into her community—but what else is she bringing in with him?

Today I have the lovely Laura Bickle on the blog for an interview to talk about her book The Hallowed Ones, which is a vampire/post apocalyptic novel based in an Amish setting. So far it has gotten very positive reviews for my fellow Goodreaders and I’m planning on reading it soon to give you my thoughts on it as well, but in the meantime, let’s see what Laura has to say!

Interview with Laura Bickle

Q. Can you tell us a bit about how The Hallowed Ones came about?
     I was thinking about what would happen if the end of the world came…I know this is a common thing to think about on an everyday basis! But that’s part of the fun in being a writer. I get to think about odd things.

I was wondering who would be best-equipped to survive a large-scale disaster. It occurred to me that the Amish would be uniquely equipped to survive. They are incredibly self-sufficient and are not dependent upon things we take for granted in our world, things like electricity and cars.

I live not too far from a large Amish settlement. When I was a child, my parents would take me to visit, and I was fascinated by a world very different than the one I lived in. I’d see Amish girls my age over the fence and wonder what their lives were like.

Q. How much research did you have to do on the Amish?
     I spent some time visiting the Amish settlement near where I live. I also did a good deal of reading…there are a lot of great books out there that look at the Plain way of life from a sociological perspective. National Geographic has also done a number of very good documentaries about the Amish. Many of the ideas were very foreign to me. For example, the Amish do not wish to be connected to the outside world, so power lines, phone lines, and electricity are not used. That kind of voluntary isolation is fascinating to me. The only parallel I can draw in my own life is when storms came through our area and we were without phone, cable, electricity, and internet for a week. It was very still and very peaceful.

I’m acutely conscious that I can’t know or understand everything about the Amish, never having lived in an Amish community. But I learned enough to develop an immense respect for the Amish way of life. 


Q. Why did you decide to write a book with an Amish setting? It’s very unique in the vampire/apocalypse genre.
     Thank you! I mostly wanted to give it a try because I hadn’t seen it before. In its way, the idea made sense to me, and I wanted to experiment with it. If it failed, I could just bury the manuscript in a shoebox under my bed. But it was too tempting not to try.

Q. What was your favorite part to write in this novel?
     The first line: “After the end of the Outside world, the Plain folk survived.”

Q. Would you survive if you were a character in your story?
     I think that would depend on the setting in which I found myself when the end of the world came. If I was trapped in a city, probably not. The competition to survive and fight over resources would probably be too fierce.

But if I was in a rural area, as the Amish are…I think I might have a shot. There would be more stuff to forage and fewer threats.

Q. What book would you recommend to all your readers?
     I love FEVER by Lauren DeStefano.  Her voice is so incredibly powerful – I can’t wait for the third book in the Chemical Garden trilogy. Both WITHER and FEVER were books that lingered with me for a long time after I finished – I love it when a story takes up real estate in my head and haunts me like that.

Thanks so much for dropping by the blog, Laura. I agree, the Amish would have a really good chance of surviving in such a world since they’re not so dependent on technology. I, on the other hand, would perish O_O I also enjoyed Fever, too!

Laura Bickle’s professional background is in criminal justice and library science, and when she’s not patrolling the stacks at the public library she’s dreaming up stories about the monsters under the stairs (she also writes contemporary fantasy novels under the name Alayna Williams). Laura lives in Ohio with her husband and five mostly-reformed feral cats. THE HALLOWED ONES is her first young adult novel. 

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Giselle

Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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33 Responses to “The Hallowed Ones Tour Stop”

  1. Christina

    Haha, good point. The Amish aren’t reliant on technology and they know how to make food. They’re probably also pretty strong from all of the doing things by hand!

  2. Amy

    Fantastic interview. I definitely agree that the Amish would be way more likely to survive since they are so reliant on all the modern day conveniences that most people are. This book sounds really awesome!!

  3. Michelle

    Ok I’ve got to read this. I’ve been watching Breaking Amish and this whole Amish thing intrigues me! Thanks for the post.., 😀
    Michelle @ Mom with a Kindle

  4. Cassy Wrage

    This sounds really good! I love how she takes something I love (post-apocalyptic stories), and adds an amish setting as a unique twist. Definately going on my TBR.

  5. Book Sp(l)ot

    Great interview. And great things Laura Bickle seems to have thought of both in writing The Hallowed Ones and in preparation for writing it. I’ll have to look out for this one 🙂

  7. Eileen

    Omg I still have to read Fever! But it looks so great 🙂 Also, I went to an Amish settlement once and it was awesome! 🙂 They’re so simple and peaceful at the same time so amazing because they voluntarily give up technology…mind blowing O_O And they make amazing lemonade 😉 Awesome interview!

  8. Laura Bickle

    Thanks so much for hosting me today, Giselle!

    Christina – exactly! I think the Amish would be in an excellent position to survive the apocalypse. Much more so than I would be!

    Thanks, Amy! It was a lot of fun to write, and I learned so much about Amish culture that I didn’t know before!

    Michelle, I caught the first episode of Breaking Amish last week and recorded last night’s episode. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

    Thanks for adding me to your TBR list, Cassy! I hope you enjoy!

    Thanks, BookSp(l)ot! There was a lot of research involved, but it was really enjoyable. I think that research is my favorite part of writing…

    Hope you enjoy, Ashley! The book definitely has some horror components, but is very much a thriller.

    Hee, Eileen! Yes, the lemonade! Also, the cheese, the butter, the pie…

  9. Kristilyn (Reading In Winter)

    Great interview! I’m so interested in this book after I saw Jenni was reading it … it looks great! I was thinking about the Amish while watching Revolution, actually — how much in need they would be at the end of the world!

    Thanks for sharing, Giselle!

  12. Mel - Thedailyprophecy.

    The Amish and zombies actually made more sense after reading this interview. I was really fascinated by the idea, but thinking about it and realizing that they hardly depend on anything.. It makes sense that they could survive longer than us. I can’t wait to read this unique book, thanks for sharing this interview 😀

  15. Nick

    I’m also fascinated by the Amish. Their culture is so different from others that I can’t help but be intrigued by it. I wonder if I would survive within the Amish community after living in the “outside” world for such a long time!
    Great review, Giselle! 🙂

  18. Laura Bickle

    Kristilyn, there are some amazing arts the Amish know that we’ve entirely forgotten. Like making soap. I wouldn’t have a clue how to begin!

    Thanks, TheReadingPenguin! It was a very strange world to imagine, but the Amish do manage to get along much better than the rest of us English folks do!

    Thanks so much for stopping by, Sam!

    Hi, Mel! It’s so difficult for me to imagine being as self-sufficient as the Amish are…but they would have very powerful tools at their disposal in a post-apocalyptic world.

    Thanks, IYamVixen2!

  20. Jennifer Messerschmidt

    The Amish is such a unique and fascinating plot for an apocalypse story! True that they are probably well equipped since they don’t use electricity and other things. I would never think of that! I am curious as to what will happen when Katie sneaks the boy into her community. Wither and Fever were great books. Very haunting.

  21. Leonor (Ner)

    I had the opportunity to read this book thanks to NetGalley and it was freaking awesome… I’ve never read anything like it before. I already have the review but I’ll post it on my blog around the publication date – perhaps 23rd September…

    The interview was really good. It really helped me get a bit more of insight to the story. Laura Bickle sounds as an amazing person.

  23. Laura Bickle

    Thanks, Camille! The book was a lot of fun to write. 🙂

    I wonder the same thing, Nick. I don’t know that I’d adapt too well, though there are many aspects of their culture that I’m envious of.

    Thanks, Savannah! I hope you enjoy!

    Alisa, it was a super-fun interview to do! I’ve been wanting to do an interview with Xpresso Reads for a long time, and I’m super thrilled to have the opportunity.

    Thanks for giving it another look, Hannah! 🙂

    Ah, Jennifer, much chaos is unleashed when Katie defies the Elders and brings an outsider in. 😉

    Thanks so much for the shout-out, Leonor! I’m thrilled that you took the time to read THE HALLOWED ONES and enjoyed it! 😀

    Hi, Mary! I think about cats and chocolate more, the end of the world makes better story fodder. 😉

  28. Giselle

    Thanks so much for dropping by, everyone! I’m glad you all find this sounds pretty awesome! I’m excited to read it!

    @Laura: Thanks so much for having me on your blog tour and for coming to answer all these comments! I have heard great things about he Hallowed Ones from my friends who’ve read it and I really look forward to reading it (hopefully very soon!)

  29. Jenni @ Alluring Reads

    Very good point! The Amish would most likely have the best chance at survival. Never thought about that before. Giselle… you’re dreams of one day joining the Amish can come true AND you will most likely survive the apocalypse!!!!

  31. Jenn@OwlReadIt

    This one sounds so good! I can’t wait to read it. Hopefully I’ll get a copy for review soon (I requested one, so we’ll see!) Amish and vampires and the end of the world? What’s not to like?

    I agree that they would have a very good chance of survival with their way of life!

  32. Laura Bickle

    Thanks, Alexa! It was a lot of fun to cook up, and I hope that readers enjoy it.

    Sarah, I’m glad you liked it! 🙂

    Thanks so much for hosting me today, Giselle! I had a blast meeting you and your readers. Thank you! 😀

    Jenni, I suspect that a lot of people would become Amish in the apocalypse. 😉

    Jenea, I hope that you enjoy it! Thanks for taking the time to read.

    Jenn, Amish and vampires and the end of the world were a tough sell to my husband. I told him that I wanted to write a dystopian Amish book with vampires, and I still don’t think he believes it. 😉

  33. Leonor (Ner)

    Oh my… You’re welcome Laura ^_^

    I’ve decided to share my review of The Hallowed Ones on my blog two days earlier than I’ve planned (you can read it here.)

    I hope people will like it as much as I did and I wish you all the luck.

    Giselle, thanks for this tour stop 😛