For my first Book Report as an official FYA Gal, I reviewed Emma Trevayne’s Coda. I really enjoyed the world and characters Emma created, so when I got the note that she wanted to meet up at the FYA lockers, I jumped at the chance (and totally skipped study hall). And it turns out that Emma is as cool as (if not cooler than!) her rockstar, revolutionary characters.
(We’re also giving away an ARC version of Coda; be sure to check out the end of the post for the giveaway deets!)
THE ACTUAL BOOK RELATED QUESTIONS
Coda is your first major published work. What inspired you to write this book? What inspires you to write in general?
The song “Voodoo People” at the beginning of Hackers inspired the book. I was really sick with the flu and just sitting on the couch watching movies. The use of that song there is perfect for setting the tone, and it got me thinking a lot about music and mood. Anthem, the main character in Coda, made himself known to me before the credits rolled.
As far as writing generally, a lot of things inspire me and that’s kind of two different questions. Wanting to tell stories, to bring the fantastic to life, inspires me to write. The stories themselves draw inspiration from everyday things, like music and movies and people and whatever randomness the world throws at me.
The saying, “music is my drug,” is often used in a more figurative sense to express a love of the way music can affect mood. In Coda, however music is a literal drug. What led you to make music the addiction of the future?
For one thing, I like music. And the idea of music being used as medical therapy isn’t new or wildly unusual, so that wasn’t much of a stretch. The experience of getting lost in music—as a person might get lost in a drug—is something I can relate to very strongly. In a broader sense, I think a lot of what fiction writing is is taking something figurative and making it literal, or taking something literal and making it figurative. Books transform the world we know while at the same time remaining relatable, and that kind of switch is one of the common ways of achieving that.
Anthem, Haven and the other characters in the book have all chosen the names they go by, rather than using the Corp-assigned numerical identities. The names also have connections to the roles each character plays in the story. What led you to choose the names you did?
Anthem named himself, when he popped into my head, after a song. Haven, Alpha, and Omega are also named after songs, though in all of those cases, the songs are appropriate to who they are. With the others, I mostly just picked words I liked that I felt happened to fit them—names I thought each character would choose, knowing what I knew about them. Originally, in very, very early drafts, one of the characters had a different name, and I ditched it because on the page I introduced him, I needed to use the word for its actual meaning, which I felt was a little confusing and repetitive. It crops up as the name of a character in the sequel.
Anthem makes an excellent YA boyfriend. He’s caring, selfless, dedicated, educated … and a rockstar who can pull off the dyed hair/leather clothes/guyliner combination. Is he a combination of people you’ve known in real life? Or a characterization of someone you’ve never met, but would like to?
I joked to someone once that Anthem is the guy I would have liked to meet when I was seventeen, and to an extent, that’s true. In reality, he’s probably a combination of a lot of people I know or have known. Musicians, nice guys, smart guys, or combinations of all three. That said, if someone wants to offer me an Anthem, I won’t say no.
I feel you on this. Seventeen-year-old Mandy would have totally swooned for Anthem. (29-year-old Mandy didn’t have it much easier!)
Coda is the first of two books about Anthem and his friends, yes? Can you give us any hints on what might happen in the second book? might happen in the second book? (Feel free to plead the fifth on this one, if you’d rather not/can’t spill.)
Ha! I’ll do my best. I’ll say that the second book is not a direct sequel. It picks up eight years later and has a different narrator—Anthem’s younger sister, Alpha. She has a happy life, surrounded by people she loves, and has followed in Anthem’s musical footsteps. But, as with most books and in life, things can’t always stay perfect, and the Corp might not be quite as gone as everybody thought.
(Emma earlier today revealed the cover for Coda's sequel Chorus—you can check it out here!)
THE YA QUESTIONS
If your real life adolescence was a YA book …
What would you, the main character, be like?
Artsy, bookish, shy around most people though she hides it well and is very close to a select few. She’s always looking for the next concert she wants to go to, is possibly over-enthusiastic about shoes, loves chocolate, gets annoyed when people misuse apostrophes. Could probably kick some serious ass if necessary, but would prefer to sleep.
OMG. Misuse of apostrophes is one of my biggest pet peeves. And it’s utterly rampant, which is such a shame.
Who is your secret crush?
That tall guy in drama class who never says much.
What is your number #1 source of angst?
Physics.
Were we the same person in high school? Because I’m getting a whole lot of déjà vu reading your answers.
At what point would the reader pump his/her fist in victory?
When she finally realizes it’s okay to be one of the freaks.
And who would play you in the film adaptation?
Jennifer Lawrence, because she doesn’t seem to censor herself either. (Though it’s probably more charming coming from her.)
THE SLUMBER PARTY QUESTIONS
What is your secret power?
Remembering song lyrics.
What is your #1 favorite food?
Tacos.
Tell me about your area of expertise.
I’m really, really good at Scrabble.
If you could assemble your own Ocean's 11 of fictional characters, who would you pick and why?
1. Hermione Granger (from Harry Potter), because Harry would’ve died a thousand times without her.
2. The Darkling (from Shadow and Bone), because every group has a mysterious and curiously gifted bad boy.
3. Jonah Griggs (from Jellicoe Road), because he’s strong and smart and really perfect.
4. Tiffany Aching (from the Discworld series), because she’s badass and hilarious and basically MacGyver on a farm.
5. Crowley (from Good Omens), because it takes special talent to be funny and ruthless at the same time.
6. Eleanor (from Eleanor & Park) for sheer, quiet determination.
7. Jasper (from Twilight (yes, seriously)), because I always thought his talent was the coolest.
8. Hagrid (from Harry Potter), for the muscle.
9. Bartimaeus (from the Bartimaeus Trilogy), because every good group needs a djinn.
10. Katniss (from The Hunger Games), obviously.
11. And for the last one I’ll cheat and put my own Haven (from Coda), because she’s crazy smart and fierce. (I hope.)
I am in love with this list. Jasper was always my favorite, too.
What is your best karaoke song?
Absolute silence. 
(No one wants to hear me sing.)
Tell us something scandalous!
I rip the tags off my pillows! Um, I can’t think of anything. Maybe that to celebrate my first book deal I bought a pair of $400 headphones. That’s pretty crazy.
What is your favorite adult beverage?
Single malt scotch.
What book have you read the most number of times?
Harry Potter. All of them.
Who is your “freebie”?
Matthew Gray Gubler.
Dr. Spencer Reid FTW!
YA authors are so cool. Who would you give a BFF charm to?
I have to choose? I’m not sure I can, but Rainbow Rowell knows my secrets so giving her presents is probably not a bad idea.
Would it be creepy of me to want to give YOU a BFF charm? Because after reading these answers, I totally do.
Out of all of the characters you’ve written, which one do you most wish you could be?
Phoenix. She’s incredibly tough.
If you were invited to the FYA slumber party (and obvs, you ARE), what is the most crucial snack food and/or movie/or anything you'd bring?
I absolutely insist there be guacamole and a viewing of Ten Things I Hate About You.
And now: MASH! In which Emma’s future shall be predicted with absolute accuracy. Emma made three picks for each category, and we added the fourth. The magic number (chosen by a random number generator) was 7:
M A S H
Spouse
Emma’s pick: The Darkling
Emma’s pick: Draco Malfoy (Order of the Phoenix or later, please.)
Emma’s pick: Dr. Spencer Reid (of Criminal Minds fame and the reason for my “gimme” up there.)
FYA pick: Dom Toretto (from the Fast & Furious series)
Honeymoon
Emma’s pick: Hogwarts
Emma’s pick: The Sprawl (of William Gibson’s trilogy)
Emma’s pick: Renaissance Italy
FYA pick: The year 2023
# of Kids
Emma’s pick: 0
Emma’s pick: 1
Emma’s pick: 2
FYA pick: 3
Job
Emma’s pick: One of the people who goes into the weird machines in Avatar
Emma’s pick: Cheese taster
Emma’s pick: Pirate
FYA pick: Auror (Harry Potter-style)
Income
Paid in: Anything that sparkles
Paid in: Record store gift certificates
Paid in: Chocolate covered coffee beans
FYA pick: Paid in Jelly Bellies
Hometown
Emma’s pick: A deserted island
Emma’s pick: Tokyo
Emma’s pick: Hogsmeade
FYA pick: A tiny, one stoplight town
Pet
Emma’s pick: That lizard from Tangled
Emma’s pick: A luckdragon
Emma’s pick: A cat that hisses whenever anyone is nice to it
FYA pick: A unicorn
Car
Emma’s pick: A Delorean
Emma’s pick: A Mini Cooper
Emma’s pick: A Harley (does this count?)
FYA pick: The Impala from Supernatural
Thanks for stopping by, Emma! Coda is available now. You can get to know Emma even better via her Twitter @EMentior.
Want to win an ARC copy of Coda? Leave a comment below letting us know what your "anthem" (i.e., theme song) is! One lucky winner will be randomly chosen July 31. Make sure to check the comments next Wednesday to claim your prize!