April Lindner is a poet and English professor at St. Joe's, so we were really pleased that she could squeeze us into her busy end-of-the-semester schedule. April talked to us about how she started writing for young adults, read us sections from Jane and her January 2013 release Catherine, and answered a lot of questions!
We learned that since Jane was originally written with adults in mind, the character was 21. But, when it was published as a teen book, April decided to change Jane's age to 19. Also, April is working on another retelling (in addition to Catherine, which is a retelling of Wuthering Heights), this time of A Room with a View by E. M. Forester. At the end of the event, April signed copies of Jane. Some people already had books, others bought them from me, and I was also able to snag some copies for summer prizes. The whole event was a lot of fun, and we'd love to have April back again sometime!
If you liked Jane, go like it on Facebook! Also, visit April's website for information about her life, her books, and where to see her in person if you missed this event. These pictures are the best I got from my phone (I forgot my camera...again), but at least you can see April and the group in action!
