Interview with Award-Winning Author Debbie Schrack

 

1.What inspired you to write this book? 

On May 3, 2010, Yeardley Love, a beautiful, vibrant senior and lacrosse player at the University of Virginia, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, George Huguely. Everyone at the university, including my daughter Elizabeth, who was also a senior at the time, was devastated. As a former UVA alumnus and a mother, I was heartbroken over Yeardley’s death and never forgot her. The character of Noelle in my novel is loosely based on Yeardley’s story. 

The character of Eve is a fictional composite of two girls, Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard, who were abducted from their homes by psychopaths and held captive; Elizabeth for nine months, and Jaycee for over eighteen years. Fortunately, they both eventually escaped from their captors and returned to their families. 

2. What exactly is it about and who is it written for?  

OVER THE FENCE is the story of two seventeen-year-old girls who bond through their backyard fence. Eve Anderson was kidnapped from her front yard in Oklahoma when she was six years old. She now lives a wretched existence in Bell Meade, Minnesota with her abductor, “Papa”, his common-law wife, “Mama”, and Honey, Eve’s four-year-old daughter with Papa. Papa keeps the family hidden behind locked doors, boarded-up windows, and an eight-foot-tall fence that surrounds their backyard.  

Emma Love recently moved to Bell Meade with her Aunt Vi to take care of her big sister Noelle, who’s in a vegetative state after being savagely beaten by her boyfriend, Jack Armstrong. He is charged with grievous bodily harm, but Emma worries that the popularity and influence of the Armstrong family will keep Noelle from getting the justice she deserves.  

When Eve and Emma start talking through the fence, they soon form a connection. Emma finds it comforting to talk to Eve about Noelle, and Eve sees parallels between Noelle’s situation and her own. She acts as Emma’s confidant, but does not reveal her own secrets, for fear of Papa’s wrath if he finds out. But when Papa decides to marry Eve and move the family to an isolated farmhouse, she must risk everything to save herself and Honey, while Emma must find the strength to help her new friend while she struggles to save her sister.  

Because of the subject matter, this book is written for older teens (age 16+) and adults.  

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? 

I would hope that, first of all, my readers would get enjoyment out of reading a riveting story that is full of suspense and twists at every turn. I also hope that the bond that develops between the two girls that gives them the courage to conquer unfathomable demons will resonate with my readers.  

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?  

The book’s title is a symbol of Eve’s longing to escape her captor as well as Emma’s desire to reach out to her friend. The book’s cover was a team effort between myself and my publisher, Fire and Ice. We decided on an image of a seemingly insurmountable fence with a dead rose bush in front of it to add a feeling of foreboding.  

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?  

No, don’t run! Stay hopeful! You never know what will happen. It took me ten years to get my first novel, SAVING SOPHIE, published—five to find an agent, and then five to find a publisher. It was disheartening to get rejection after rejection, but ultimately it made me a better writer. It is a tough business, but if you have grit and believe in yourself, it will happen.  

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?   

From my perspective, the book industry appears to be booming due to the large number of people who are self-publishing. I think it’s great that authors are now able to reach their dream of becoming a published author. However, the competition is steep. It’s harder to get your book noticed now than ever. It seems that most authors, even those that are traditionally published, are expected to do most, if not all, of their own marketing. This can be tough for introverted writers who just want to write. Social media also has its pros and cons. It can be very helpful for getting the word out about one’s book, but authors have to deal with a certain amount of negativity that can erode confidence in their work. Another trend I see happening in the publishing industry is publishers making more of an effort to go “green” so there will be more e-books and hybrids than print books in the future.  

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?   

Before I started writing full-time, I was a teacher. For many years I worked with learning disabled adolescents. At the same time, I obtained a Master’s degree in counseling. I feel that these gave me a unique perspective into the minds of struggling young adults. Also, who can forget the angst of their teenage years? That’s the emotion I try to add to my writing for this age group. 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? 

I have always been an avid reader, and besides YA books, I tend to gravitate toward mysteries. My favorite authors in the genre are Agatha Christie and Dick Francis. I find that I emulate their careful plotting and economy of language in my own novels.  

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?  

I wrote OVER THE FENCE during the pandemic so it is darker in tone than my previous novel. My agent decided she did not want to represent this book due to the subject matter. That presented me with the quandary of either finding another agent or self-publishing. Fortunately, my publisher took a look and thought it was worth publishing. Another challenge I had was writing the book from the viewpoint of two different characters in a back and forth style. I wanted to ensure that their voices were unique and different from each other. I think in the end I achieved that.  

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?  

OVER THE FENCE explores the devastating impact of men’s violence against women told from the perspective of two courageous seventeen-year-old girls. It is a page turner full of suspense that simultaneously entertains and enlightens the reader. It is not a book that can be put down or easily forgotten. The characters of Eve and Emma will resonate with anyone looking for the courage to remove themselves from an abusive relationship. On my website I have a link to the One Love Foundation, which was co-founded by Sharon and Lexie Love, Yeardley’s mother and sister, to honor her and help empower young people to have healthy relationships. They are doing important work in this field.  

About The Author Debbie Schrack is the author of SAVING SOPHIE, a young adult contemporary romance, which won the 2022 Paris Book Award for young adult fiction. She is also the winner of the SCBWI Haunted States of America contest for the state of Virginia. A former teacher, she lives in Fairfax, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. When she’s not conjuring dark and twisty plots or hanging out with her family, you can find her riding her horse or poring over travel brochures, ready to check off another box on her bucket list of travel adventures. You can follow Debbie on Facebook or Twitter @debbie_schrack or contact her through her website:  www.debbieschrackbooks.com.

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on LinkedIn. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.4 million pageviews. With 4,600+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.