Marie Landry is here for day 19 of F/February to talk about her book, Take Them By Storm!
Sadie Fitzgerald has always been different, and not just because she makes her own clothes and would rather stay home watching Doctor Who than party with kids her age. When it’s time to leave Angel Island for college, Sadie is eager to put her old life behind her. Small-minded people and rumors have plagued her for years, but with the love of her adoptive family, the O’Dells, Sadie has learned to embrace who she is. Now she’s not afraid to admit the rumors about her are true: she’s gay.
For the first time in her life, Sadie feels free to be herself. She dives into college life and begins volunteering at the local LGBT center, where she discovers her small-town upbringing left holes in her education about life outside Angel Island.
The world is a bigger and more accepting place than Sadie ever imagined. She’s finally found where she belongs, but with the reappearance of someone from her past, an unexpected new friendship, and a chance at love, Sadie soon realizes she still has a lot to learn about life, friendship, and love.
And now for a mini-interview with the author!
1. Why do you write F/F?
I honestly didn’t set out to. When Sadie popped into my head as Ella’s best friend in After the Storm, I didn’t know she was gay at first. When I figured it out, I had no idea she’d get her own book. Part of me was scared to write her story, but I knew I had to fight past that fear, partly because everyone deserves to see themselves reflected on the page. In my teens and early twenties, I would have loved to read f/f stories about girls coming out, falling in love, living normal lives, having adventures, struggling with real-life issues. I would have loved to pick up a book like Take Them by Storm and think ‘hey, I’m a lot like Sadie’. It would have helped me so much. Those thoughts helped me get past the fear and write a story I hope many people will be able to relate to or see themselves or their best friend or their sister in.
2. What’s your favorite scene from Take Them By Storm?
It’s actually a spoilery scene, so it’s hard to talk about, but I’ll say it’s toward the end when Sadie realizes she’s in love. It kind of hits her out of nowhere, and it’s a scene that makes me grin and give a contented little sigh every time I read it or think about it. So many f/f books have sad, bittersweet, or even tragic endings, but I knew Sadie deserved happiness and love, and felt the readers deserved that, too.
3. What is a F/F book besides your own that you would recommend to other people?
There are quite a few I regularly recommend, but two of the most underrated ones, in my opinion, are Kiss the Morning Star by Elissa Janine Hoole and The Summer I Wasn’t Me by Jessica Verdi. —
Marie has the best job in the world—one where she gets to make stuff up for a living and shamelessly eavesdrop on everyone around her. She writes happily ever afters while dreaming about the day she’ll have her own epic love story to tell. Most days you can find her writing, reading, fantasizing about traveling the world, listening to U2, or watching copious amounts of TV on DVD.
For more on Marie and her books please visit http://sweetmarie-83.blogspot.ca. She also loves to chat with fellow book lovers, so feel free to tweet her @SweetMarie83 any time!
