About Erin Eastham
Erin recently made her YA debut with Among the Joyful, a novel that explores a near future society where negative emotion is considered a social contagion and failing to maintain your smile can result in internal exile or worse. She is currently hard at work on the sequel, Among the Exiled.
In addition, Erin has written The Waking World, an end-of-the-world novel about people with powers.
Among the Joyfulhttp://www.amazon.com/Among-Joyful-Erin-Eastham-ebook/dp/B00I9543KQ
http://www.amazon.com/Among-Joyful-Erin-Eastham/dp/1495447928
Q&A: Among the Joyful
Q: What was your inspiration for Among the Joyful?
A: I happened to see an article about smile surgery, which is a real thing. Some young women in South Korea have a procedure done so that their default facial expression is a smile, no matter what they’re feeling. It made me think about the pressure we all feel at times to act like things are fine when they’re not, to present a happy appearance to the world no matter what’s going on inside. That was what prompted the idea for the world of Among the Joyful, where negative emotion has to be hidden if you want to be a functioning member of society.
Q: What makes Among the Joyful different from all the other YA dystopias out there?
A: I wanted to create a dystopian society that could just as easily be described as utopian. The original founders weren’t setting out to oppress people—they wanted to make life better, and in many ways they succeeded. They created a culture where service to others is valued, where citizens contribute to the public good and take care not to have a negative impact on their community. Of course, there’s a price, and that’s where it gets interesting.
Q: Some readers have compared the beginning of Among the Joyful to The Giver by Lois Lowry. Was this intentional?
A: Strangely enough, although I mention The Giver in Among the Joyful, I have never actually read it. My son read it and described it to me in great detail. It struck me at the time how deeply affected he was by what he’d read. It had a real emotional impact on him, and I imagined how strongly someone would react who had never been exposed to anything sad or painful, how devastating that might be.
Q: The society in Among the Joyful has banned any art or literature that might evoke negative emotions. Is that realistic?
A: I had read that parents in one school district in the U.S. sought to ban The Diary of Anne Frankbecause it was too depressing. As a parent, I also find myself trying to shelter my kids from the harsher realities of life. At times I have to step back and remember that as a kid I read everything I could get my hands on. It didn’t depress me or warp my view of reality. Reading broadly expands your understanding of the world and enhances your ability to empathize; in my opinion, sanitizing literature for kids does them a disservice.
Q: Who are some of your favorite authors?
A: I love Neal Stephenson, China Miéville, Octavia Butler, Chris Beckett and Connie Willis. My favorite YA authors include Maggie Stiefvater, Margaret Stohl, Rick Yancey and Suzanne Collins. Paolo Bacigalupi has written amazing books for both science fiction fans (The Windup Girl) and YA readers (Ship Breaker, The Drowned Cities). Oh, and I adore Rainbow Rowell.
Q: Do you have a writing ritual?
A: I always make a playlist for the book I’m writing and play it on a loop. The songs become so associated with the story that they get me right back into it when I sit down at my desk. My playlist for Among the Joyful had a lot of songs by Dresses, Lucius, CHVRCHES, Lorde—songs that were fresh and didn’t have any existing associations for me, along with some old favorites like Smashing Pumpkins and the Shins.
Excerpt:
Among the Joyful
Prologue
A flash of crimson. An impulsive decision. A moment she could never take back.
Alaire lay on the unfamiliar bed, shifting restlessly. Would she do it all differently if she could? Unlearn the truth? Restore her innocence along with her ignorance? She closed her eyes and steeled her nerves for the ordeal she knew was coming. It was pointless to regret the past. Yet she couldn’t let it go.
She had been happy before. More than that.
She had been Joyful.
Chapter One
Happiness is a public good, shared by all. It is incumbent upon every citizen to demonstrate happiness in order to maximize benefit to society as a whole. To inflict sadness or anger on others is to infect them with these undesirable affects and thus to diminish the cumulative happiness of our great land. Spreading negative emotions is by definition antisocial behavior and should be treated as such.
Osgood’s Treatise on Happiness
Alaire woke up with a smile on her face. Even in her sleep, it seemed, she’d been thinking about the day ahead and all it promised. It was the last day of school before the spring holidays. No tests, no recitations, no simulations; instead, each class would spend the morning preparing decorations and treats for the afternoon festivities. Alaire hugged herself, thinking of the parade float gliding through the center of campus, imagining her classmates and teachers gazing up at her and the seven other Joyfuls chosen to lead the festival’s crowning dance.
She would wear her purple sheath and Sunny would wear her yellow halter dress. Complementary colors, carefully chosen to set off Alaire’s auburn waves and Sunny’s glossy black hair. They would be the prettiest girls on the float, and everyone watching would feel a surge of happiness at the sight of them. Alaire rose and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. It beamed back at her, conspiratorial.
Alaire’s mother had prepared a special celebratory breakfast with all her favorite fruits and the stuffed buns from Halcyon Fields she loved. Her little brother, Asher, took a seat at the table and offered her a crooked smile. “Those buns aren’t my favorite, but I’m very happy for you, Al. I’ll eat them with a smile!” he said.
“Good job, Asher!” their mother said. She ruffled his hair and smiled at Alaire. “What a good brother!” While her back was turned, Asher made a gagging motion with his finger and tossed the bun at her.
Alaire caught it and took a bite, grinning.
“Happy day, family!” Alaire’s father emerged from his home office and picked up a stuffed bun from the table.
“Happy day!” they replied.
Alaire laughed as her father took a comically large bite of the bun, sending flaky crumbs drifting on to his shirt and the dining room floor.
“Caius!” Alaire’s mother handed a napkin to her husband, who used it to dab ineffectually at his shirt front.
“How are the plans coming, Dad?” Alaire asked. Because it was her big day, it was even more important to show interest in others, even if her father’s work didn’t particularly interest her.
“Almost there!,” her father exclaimed through a mouthful of chewed bun. He swallowed and continued. “If things go well, we might even have a functioning prototype ready by the summer dries.”
“That’s great, Dad!” Asher said. Even a ten-year-old knew how important their father’s new desalination process would be in the constant effort to supply water to the citizens of the State.
“Your happiness is our happiness,” Alaire said. She sipped her juice, waiting for her parents to ask about the Court, her dress, the parade.
“And how are things at the horticultural center, Felicity?” Alaire’s father poured a steaming cup of coffee and regarded his wife.
“A new blight has struck the drought-resistant tomatoes we’ve been developing, but as everything happens for a reason, I’m sure we will find a way to overcome it,” their mother said. She looked meaningfully at the children, emphasizing the teachable moment: this is how we deal with adversity. We look on the bright side. We know that it is for the best. We smile and carry on.
Alaire nodded. Her parents worked hard for the benefit of everyone, contributing untold yootles to the general happiness. They didn’t make a big deal out of it, but it was understood that she was meant to follow in their footsteps, get top grades, attend the Academy, do something impressive with her life. She was all for hard work, but shouldn’t there also be a time to relax and enjoy your reward? Her parents would say contributing to the public good was its own reward. Alaire felt a little bit sorry for them. They were always smiling but they seemed to have forgotten how to have fun.
When it was time to leave, Alaire’s parents gave her a big hug. Her mother reached into the cabinet and removed a delicate crown of purple flowers, tiny irises and miniature lavender roses. She placed it carefully on Alaire’s head, stepping back to admire her handiwork.
“Have a happy day, kids!” Felicity called as Alaire and Asher left the house and walked down the street toward the shuttle platform. On impulse, Alaire turned and waved, as she’d done when she was a much smaller child. She was glad to see her parents standing in the doorway with their arms around each other’s waists, watching.
“Have a happy day!” she cried. She had no doubt that this would be a truly happy day; maybe even the happiest day of her life.
Giveaway Ends June 15th.
US Only Giveaway
Print copy of Terra + bookmarks
Print copies of Stitch & Shudder + bookmarks
Print copy of Among the Joyful
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Open Internationally Giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway
Amazon GC $15 (Megan) + $10 (Erin) + $10 (Samantha)
11 ecopies of What Tomorrow May Bring
Ebook of Terra
Ebooks of Stitch & Shudder
10 e-book copies of the complete Contributor trilogy, including book 3 (Kindle only)
Ebook of Among the Joyful
Ebooks of The Annihilation of Foreverland & Foreverland is Dead
Ebook of A Taste of Tomorrow Boxed Set
5 ebooks of The Breeders & The Believers
