Out of Control by Sarah Alderson
Published by: Simon Pulse
Publication date: May 12th 2015
Genres: Thriller, Young Adult
When seventeen-year-old Liva came to New York City, all she wanted was to escape the painful memories of her past and finally find a fresh start. Her hopes for a new future were dashed the moment she became the sole witness to a brutal murder. When she’s taken into police custody—supposedly for her own protection—she realizes something isn’t right, but it’s too late. Soon, bullets start flying, and Liva realizes that she is not just a witness, but the target—and she needs to escape before it’s too late.
With the help of a sexy car thief that she met at the station, Liva manages to get away from the massacre unharmed, but now the two of them are alone in New York, trying to outrun and outwit the two killers who will stop at nothing to find them. Liva and Jay are living on the edge, but when you’re on the edge, there’s a long way to fall.
1. If you could collaborate with any famous author, who would it be and why?
I have collaborated with Becky Wicks before (author of the Before He Was… series). I love her writing and her humour. She is one of my good friends and we had so much fun writing together. I think when you collaborate it has to be with someone whose writing can meld flawlessly with your own or you write in a collaboration where you do alternate chapters. In which case I’d love to write a book with John Green (who wouldn’t!).
2. What was the first book you ever read?
I don’t remember but I do know that the first ‘grown up’ book I read was The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman.
3. Where do you get inspiration for your plot lines?
I gather inspiration from magazine articles, newspapers and stories. I also travel a lot as I think that travel is brilliant for opening your mind, introducing you to new landscapes and interesting people. I’m always grilling friends and asking questions of strangers. You just never know when inspiration will strike!
The inspiration for Out of Control came from a few things. An acquaintance asked me to write a story about human trafficking (she worked on the issue for the UN). I also had just watched the movie Drive and was really inspired by the idea of a lead character who was a car thief / racing driver. I am heavily influenced by the movies of the 80s – in particular Terminator – and the opening scene in Out of Control is a homage to that film. I also integrated a story a friend told me about something that happened to her on the NY subway when she was 18.
My latest book Conspiracy Girl was inspired by a story I read in Smithsonian magazine.
4. Do you have a special place where you prefer to do the majority of your writing?
I can write anywhere so long as I have music and coffee. I usually write on my bed though.
5. How old were you when you realized you wanted to be a professional writer?
It wasn’t until I was about 32 that I started writing. On a whim I started writing Hunting Lila (my first novel) and halfway through writing that I realised that I’d stumbled on my passion.
6. Who do you consider your biggest hero in life?
I have so many. Mainly anyone who dedicates their life to fighting for human rights. I’m a feminist and am very inspired by women, particularly mothers, who raise children on their own. I used to work for a charity and a lot of my friends still dedicate their lives to supporting refugees, asylum seekers and children who are victims of sex trafficking. I’m humbled by them and their dedication to making the other people’s lives better. I suppose Out of Control in a way was my effort to do something to raise awareness of an issue that’s very close to my heart but in a way that wasn’t too heavy or off-putting.
7. One fun question – If you could travel to any place in the world, where would it be and why?
I’d like to go to Bhutan as it’s supposed to be the happiest place in the world. The government there doesn’t measure GDP they measure the happiness of their citizens. That’s pretty cool.
She finished her first novel, Hunting Lila (winner of the Kingston Book Award), just before they left the UK, wrote the sequel on the beach in India and had signed a two book deal with Simon & Schuster by the time they had reached Bali.
A third book, Fated, about a teenage demon slayer, was published in January 2012.
The Sound, a thriller romance set in Nantucket, was published in August 2013 and this was followed by the critically acclaimed Out of Control in May 2014.
She also writes New Adult romance for Pan Macmillan (UK) / Simon & Schuster (US) under the pen name Mila Gray.
You can find Sarah on facebook and at www.sarahalderson.com or follow her blog at www.canwelivhere.com
2x signed copies of Out of Control
