Author Interview: The Tearings by V.C. Repetto

V. C. Repetto is the author of The Tearings.

 I was very excited when Ms. Repetto agreed to an author interview. Before I get to the interview here is an excerpt of the book.

From the moment the black vans appear to take the sick away, Maya knows there is something wrong. A high school sophomore, she seems to be the only one to question the sudden disappearances at school and the masks everyone is forced to wear to keep from catching the new disease spreading through the entire United States. Even when word of the new “healing centers” reaches the public, no one dares to ask what is happening.



But when Maya catches the disease, the one they call The Tearings, and is taken to one of these centers along with her mother, the truth becomes all too clear. She is separated from her family and forced to work, becoming one of the more fortunate ones who is not sent to the testing wings. Bullied by the guards to the point of death, she meets David Summers, the enigmatic young Captain who appears to loathe his position of power in the camp and who seems as drawn to Maya as she is to him.



When Maya suddenly becomes the disease’s only survivor, she must put her trust on David to find a way to escape the camp and get the truth, and the cure coursing through her veins, out to the world.

And here is the book trailer that was done by the talented artist Victoria Cano

 Now on to the Author Interview :)

1.)  Tell us about your book and how did you get the inspiration to write The Tearings? 

I’ve always loved books and movies about epidemics. As strange as it may sound, I’ve made a hobby of reading books about the bubonic plague and the flu epidemic of 1918. So, I figures, why not write about something I enjoy reading about? I sat down to think about it, trying to see the process step by step. What would happen if people started getting sick in this day and age? I think the quarantine would be quick and violent. Neighbors turning in neighbors, people giving up their rights to make sure they are safe. Not to get too political, but we do see it now, allowing the government to read our emails and listen to our phone calls. We are giving up rights every day to make sure we are safe, so it wasn’t such a big leap to think that we would easily give them up to make sure sick people are removed from our vicinity.

2.)  How long did it take you to write it?

The actual writing took me about three months, but the editing process took much longer. I wanted the pacing to be just right.

3.)  What was your favorite scene to write about?

That’s a tough one because I don’t want to give anything away. I’ll just say that it was a moment with Maya and Captain Summers, when they are both looking at something on a computer screen. That scene was one of the first ones I envisioned when I first started planning the book.

4.)  What is your most favorite and most difficult part to writing?

My favorite part is sitting down with a blank page on Word and searching for that all-important first phrase. The most difficult part of writing is editing, hands down. It such a stressful process. One that leaves me either screaming at my computer screen, or muttering to myself about plot points as I take my daily walk.

5.)  Do you use an outline when writing?

A very basic one. I’ve tried to stick to detailed outlines, where every scene is plotted out, but the characters tend to rally in mutiny.

6.)  What are the things you do to get in your “zone” when preparing to write?

I prepare a cup of coffee, and I make sure there are no annoying noises around me. I like to write in as absolute a silence as I can manage. Which is hard, considering I have four dogs and three birds roaming the house at any given time.

7.)  Do you have other works in the making that will be published in the future?

I am writing the second installment to The Tearings. I’ve just started so it will take me a while. I have other projects brewing, as well, most of them geared towards the YA market.

8.)  What advise do you have for aspiring writers?

Write every day. Every single day. You don’t have to write pages and pages, but a couple hundred words or so, just to get your head used to the habit of sitting down and stringing words together. Read everything and anything you can get your hands on, even if the writing is not that great. You learn a lot of what you should not do by reading less-than-stellar authors. And don’t pay attention to rejections. They mean less than nothing.

Again thanks to Ms. Repetto and her team for letting me be apart of the tour and doing the interview.