One lesson I learned from 'The Monstrumologist' was never to get too attached to your own characters. That's harder in practice than in theory. At the end of the third book - which coincided with the end of my contract - I was an emotional wreck. I mourned Will Henry and Warthrop. Rick Yancey attachbookcharacter share on social
Great sci-fi has never shied from tackling the Big Questions, though really great sci-fi never forgets to entertain us along the way. Shock and awe applies to art, as well. Rick Yancey applyartawe Change image and share on social
'The 5th Wave' is sci-fi, but I tried very hard to ground the story in very human terms and in those universal themes that transcend genre. How do we define ourselves? What, exactly, does it mean to be human? What remains after everything we trust, everything we believe in and rely upon, has been stripped away? Rick Yancey 5thdefinegenre share on social
I really kill myself on titles, although 'The 5th Wave' seems like an obvious title, doesn't it? You don't know how long that took me. Rick Yancey 5thkilllong Change image and share on social
My foray into young adult lit was by no means planned. I wrote the first 'Alfred Kropp' book as an adult novel, which everyone loved but no one would publish - until I changed my protagonist from a thirty-something P.I. into a 15-year-old kid. After that, it was off to the races, and I am so glad. Rick Yancey adultalfredbook share on social
One of the joys of a really good book is that you're so into the world of the book, you forget what you're looking at is words on a page. Rick Yancey bookforgetgood Change image and share on social
Being born at the tag-end of the baby boom, I was destined (or doomed, depending on how you look at it) to fall in love with sci-fi. It was one of my first literary loves, as a matter of fact. Rick Yancey babybearboom Change image and share on social
I've always wanted to write science fiction. It was one of my first loves, and I knew if I became a writer someday I'd probably write something in the science fiction vein, but I hesitated for a long while because it's such well-trod ground. Rick Yancey fictiongrindhave share on social
It's been a while since I've written a novel aimed at the adult market, but I never sit down and say to myself, 'Okay, now I'm going to write something for us old folks.' I get gripped by an idea, and I go where the idea takes me. Rick Yancey adultaimfolk share on social
When civilizations collide, it usually isn't the more primitive one that prevails. Rick Yancey civilizationcollideprevail Change image and share on social