Lisa: We’re so pleased to welcome author Julia Lynn Rubin to The Novel Approach today to chat with us about her new novel, Burro Hills.
It’s great to have you here with us, Julia! Let’s kick this off by having you tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
Julia: Most people probably don’t know that I’m a dual citizen of the U.S. and Switzerland. My grandfather was a Swiss citizen, and he passed it onto my mother, who then passed it on to my sister and me. I’ve been twice and have a lot of family there.
Lisa: What’s your favorite scene in Burro Hills and what makes it a fave?
Julia: It’s so hard to choose just one, but right now, I’d say my favorite scene is the one I’ve been reading out loud from a lot, where Jack and his best friend Jess go meet at their favorite spook overlooking the freeway. So far, it’s always gotten a good audience reaction.
Lisa: Would you care to share an excerpt from the scene with us?
Julia: Absolutely!
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What should we do now? The question fell from her mouth and rolled out across the land below us, into the sounds of honking horns and revving engines, and the air that was always thick with exhaust fumes. “Let’s just get a car and get out of here,” she said. “We’ll drive down the Pacific Highway and never look back. What do you think?”
“That sounds sick,” I said. “But I don’t know. Are you paying for gas? I’m dead broke.”
She laughed. “Don’t think about the money. The money doesn’t exist in the fantasy. We can go anywhere we want. We could run from here, just run away and do whatever we liked. We could see the country, maybe see the world. There’s so much more outside this town. So much more besides high school and college and some boring 9-5 job we’ll get someday and totally hate.”
We. She’d go to college. She’d get the 9-5. I wouldn’t go anywhere.
But I closed my eyes and imagined it anyway, just for a moment. The fantasy of us she’d created. Us away from everywhere. All of this. Together.
“But you’ll leave anyway,” I said. Behind my eyelids, the vision popped and deflated like a sad balloon. “You’re going to college for sure. And you’re probably going out-of-state.”
“That’s not necessarily true,” she said, but she said it quietly, and we both knew that it was. Jess had always dreamed of attending an Ivy – or even a Little Ivy, if they’d have her. She had the grades, the family connections, the money. She could do it. She could make it.
What the hell did I have?
I would stay here, and I would probably die here. But at least for another year, we’d be together in this broken, crumbling town, rotting and burning to death in the baking sun.
Or, we could just say “fuck it” and make that fantasy real. We could go out there now, drive a thousand miles before crashing into the stars…like we were alive, like we were invincible, laughing until we wanted to cry.
We would open our eyes and it would be beautiful, all of it, and the world would crack open and arms would reach out for us and we’d finally be home. We’d strip our skins and run right into the light, into a future of possibility and fresh air and freedom, real freedom, the freeway flayed by our tires as we drove over this place and never looked back. All of it would be gone, Toby, his cousins, Mom, Dad, the boys, the girls, Burro Hills…all those watchful mountains looming in our rearview mirrors.
I clung to this vision as we watched the sunlight catch on the tires of the hundreds of cars on the freeway, going somewhere, anywhere, someplace better than this.
And I thought, if only for a moment: She’s getting out. I’m not. Maybe there’s nothing left for me to do but run.”
§§§
Lisa: If you could spend some real-life time with one of the characters in the book, who would you choose and why?
Julia: I would definitely choose my main character Jack, because I just want to pick his brain and commiserate with him about all of his worldly observations. And also, because I feel so protective of him, and I really just want to take him out shopping and be his life coach.
Lisa: On the flipside, which character would you probably least get along with? Why?
Julia: Definitely Toby. Under different circumstances, he probably wouldn’t be a bad kid. But as it stands, he’s pretty insufferable to be around.
Lisa: Have you ever created a character so despicable that even you hated them and can’t believe you made them up? If so, who was it and what made them so awful?
Julia: Yes! There’s a character in the second book I wrote who is a full-fledged psychopath who gets a lot of enjoyment out of toying with people, and I had the best time writing her and making her as deliciously manipulative and void of empathy as I possibly could. I did a lot of research on how psychopaths use mind games to throw off their victims.
Lisa: Let’s take off your author cap and put on your reader cap for a moment: what do you look for in a book, what sort of protagonists do you love, and do you have a favorite genre/sub-genre?
Julia: I love strong voices, lyrical, literary writing, and an evocative setting and sense of place. I’m really into observant protagonists who have strong opinions and quirks and flaws that we readers can see clearly, but they might be oblivious to. I’m also really into unreliable narrators, surrealism, and magical realism woven into contemporary stories. Hybrid genres are also fun, and books that sort of defy genre.
Lisa: What are your least and most favorite things about being an author?
Julia: My favorite thing is getting to create and share books with readers! I also absolutely love the YA community, both on-and-offline. As for least favorite, I’d say the pressures of the publishing industry. I’m often second-guessing myself and struggling with some form of imposter syndrome or anxieties over industry-related dilemmas. But that’s just part of the business.
Lisa: Have you ever written a line, paragraph, or passage, and thought, “Darn, that’s pretty amazing, even if I do say so myself”? What was it?
Julia: I actually wrote a short story years ago called “Pink Liquor Dreams” in one sitting, and it ended up getting published in a small literary magazine. I think I did a very quick edit or two at most, and it was one of those magical moments where it all pretty much came to me at once and fell together perfectly on the page. That rarely happens, but when it does, it’s the best!
Lisa: What’s the one genre/sub-genre you haven’t written yet, but would love to? What’s kept you from it so far?
Julia: I would really love to try writing a true crime thriller! I think I’m a bit overwhelmed by the prospect of getting all of the legal and forensic details right, and plotting isn’t always my strong suit, but it seems like so much fun. YA Fantasy is also something I’d like to try one day, even though it absolutely intimidates me. But I do have a handful of ideas that I’m excited about!
Lisa: If you could choose one of your books to be adapted for the silver screen, which would you choose? Why do you think it would translate well to film?
Julia: I actually think Burro Hills would translate really well into film, especially if it was shot in a low-budget, indie style with up-and-coming actors who are actually teenagers. There are a lot of emotional stakes and it’s very visual, which lends itself well to film. My dream director is Sean Baker (The Florida Project).
Lisa: What books and authors would you say influenced you to become a writer yourself?
Julia: Janet Fitch (White Oleander), Scott Heim (Mysterious Skin), Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak, Wintergirls, Catalyst), Jeffrey Eugenides (The Virgin Suicides), Rebecca Wells (Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood), Louis Sachar (Holes) and George Orwell (1984) have all been very influential favorites of mine for many years.
Lisa: How long did it take to write Burro Hills, and what was the most difficult part of the writing process (i.e., dialogue, plot or character development, pacing, etc.)?
Julia: In total, it took me about five years from writing the first few scenes to final revisions with my editor. I started the book around the time I was a senior in college, but didn’t end up sitting down with the intention of finishing it for another several years. The most difficult part was definitely stringing together all of my loosely-connected vignettes and passages into a substantial story with a solid plot.
Lisa: What would you say was the most intimidating thing about publishing your first novel?
Julia: The pressure to sell well and succeed. As an author, you don’t have a ton of control over what happens to your books after publication. I’d say we all do our best to self-promote and get involved in the community through events and networking, but a lot of what happens next is up to chance and luck of the draw.
When you’re on the outside looking in, you think, damn, if I could just get an agent and then get a book deal, I’d be the happiest person alive! But when you get there, there’s always another rung on the ladder to climb, another level to get to. It never stops being difficult and scary. And I’m a very driven person with a lot of ambition, so I put a ton of pressure on myself.
Lisa: What’s the best piece of writing/author advice you’ve received that you’d pass on to someone else just getting started in the business?
Julia: Commit to the craft. Find your community. I think these go together, honestly. Read as much as possible, in and out of your chosen genre. And remember to breathe. It’s not a race. Everyone has their own journey, corny as that may sound.
Lisa: Was there a particular part of the process—from writing to editing to cover design to publishing—that was easier or harder than you thought it would be? What was it?
Julia: Finishing a book is always the most difficult part for me. I get really excited about starting an idea, but seeing it through to completion is always a marathon. And then there’s the massive, extensive revision process! Though, once you’ve done a ton of revising, each draft of the book gets a little easier because you know your world and your characters that much better. It all feels like a lot, but it leads up to that final perfectly imperfect book.
Lisa: If you won the lottery, what’s the first completely self-indulgent thing you’d do?
Julia: Spend at least a solid four months traveling to any and every country I wanted to, not worrying about airplane fees or any other expenses, and flying first class every time!
Lisa: If you were stranded on a desert island, what are three things you’d absolutely have to have? Julia: Water, food, and sunscreen. I feel like those are the absolute essentials.
Lisa: If you could be any animal in the world, what would you choose? Why?
Julia: I would love to be able to fly, but I think more realistically I’d probably be a water animal like an orca (not a captured orca) that can swim a hundred miles a day. I love the ocean so, so much and always feel like I’m home in the water. Plus, orcas live really long lives in the wild, and have tight family units.
Lisa: If you could travel back in time, with all your years of experience and wisdom intact, what advice would you give to your teenage self?
Julia: I would probably just give myself the biggest hug and be like, you need to take a deep breath, center yourself, and give yourself a break. You’re not as bad as you think you are, and you’re more powerful than you know. Things are going to be awesome.
Lisa: If you were to sit down and write your autobiography today, what would the title be?
Julia: I Have No Idea What I’m Doing, But Alas, Here I Am.
Lisa: Oh, that’s fabulous. I think a lot of us would read and empathize with that one! Thanks again for being with us today, Julia, it’s been a pleasure.
About Burro Hills
Publisher: Diversion Books
Genre: YA/Teen Fiction, Coming of Age
Length: 240 Pages
Buy the Book: Amazon || Barnes & Noble || iBooks || Kobo
Blurb: Jack Burns is a resident—though oftentimes he feels like an inmate—of the tiny, California desert town of Burro Hills. Growing up surrounded by the broken dreams of his parents, Jack wonders if he will ever just get out. Get out of dealing drugs. Get out of poverty. Get away from the suffocating masculinity in high school boys. And get out of his own head. When he’s not running with his crew and trying to stay under the radar, he is in his favorite spot with his best friend, Jess, fantasizing about escape.
Until Connor Orellana shows up. The new boy captivates everyone in school, including Jack, who is magnetized by Connor’s lack of self-consciousness and inhibition. As their connection deepens, Connor challenges him to see that liberation comes from accepting and trusting his nature, while Jack helps ground Connor and the dark energy that drives his free spirit. But their relationship will set into motion a series of events that have lasting consequences, jeopardizing Jack’s budding romance with Connor and the life he’s tried so hard to salvage in Burro Hills.
About the Author
Julia Lynn Rubin lives the writer’s life in Brooklyn, where she has recently finished an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults at The New School. She received her BA in Anthropology & Film Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.
She currently serves as a writing mentor for Girls Write Now, New York City’s premiere writing program for high school girls.
She has been writing books, poems, and stories since first grade, and loves reading about everything from film analysis to psychology. Her short stories have appeared in publications such as the North American Review, Sierra Nevada Review, and The Lascaux Review, and she has written for a variety of online publications, including The Content Strategist, Wetpaint Entertainment and AllDay.com.
Julia is passionate about realism and diversity in teen literature. She hopes to one day own a French bulldog, pug, Boston terrier, or perhaps a mix of all three.
She is represented by Saritza Hernandez at Corvisiero Literary Agency.
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