Thrilled to welcome Sarah Lariviere to the Spotlight this week to chat about her YA dystopian novel, Riot Act
Author Name: Sarah Lariviere
Book Title: Riot Act
Book Genre: YA Dystopian Fiction
Release Date: July 16
Publisher: Knopf
Welcome, Sarah! How would you describe Riot Act?
Punk rock meets Orwell’s 1984 in this story of a group of theater kids who risk their lives for freedom of expression in an alternate 1991 under an authoritarian American regime.
What sparked the idea for this book?
Like the main character, Gigi, I was a passionate, artistic teenager growing up in the cornfields of Illinois, and I despised authority. I lived in Budapest, Hungary in the mid-1990s, and was fascinated by the artists who had made amazing work under heavy censorship. I wanted to write a series (Riot Act is book 1 of a duology), so I needed to give my characters astronomical stakes that would span multiple books—but I also wanted to ground the story in reality. Kids all over the world die fighting for their rights. I wanted to explore that situation, throwing in teenage characters who acted a lot like me and my friends did, back in the day.
How long did it take for you to write the book? Did you do any research?
It took several years. But I tend to write much more than is needed for a single novel—I’m a ruthless editor of my own work, sometimes throwing out entire drafts (painful, but can be good for the story! What grows back tends to be what really matters.) I researched before, during, and after the writing. There’s a list of resources at the end of the book that gives you a glimpse of the areas I dove into—the birth of the internet, life under autocracy, history of theater, history of punk rock, approaches to anarchy. Research is absolutely a delight. I love going back and forth between my fictional universe and nonfiction, hunting for gold, ways to infuse my story with more dimension, more life.
What drew you to writing young adult lit?
My first career was as a social worker with kids and teens. It seemed natural to write for that audience. I’m writing an adult novel now, though. It feels like something I need to do.
What’s your favorite part about writing/being an author? What do you find challenging?
I love crafting fictional worlds, sinking into my unconscious and seeing what is happening in that cosmos. What I find challenging is balancing writing with life, and, you know, just making sure stories work for readers. It’s a love affair, writing, for me, but not a simple one—it’s a lifelong ballet, and I annoy myself sometimes, with my level of skill, my poor memory, all the anxiety I bring to it sometimes, you know, unhelpful stress, worrying about what readers will think. And sales. God, I have no idea how to promote my books. Sometimes I like to just sit in the garden and do nothing.
If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read Riot Act?
First of all, it’s a thriller with some sick comedy. Second, it shows brave and wild and stupid and wonderful kids fighting for their rights. There’s a hot will-they-won’t-they love story and a frank discussion of death. Plus, it’s narrated by one very raunchy ghost.
What do you hope readers will take away from this story?
I hope readers reflect on what they’d do if someone threatened to kill them for speaking their truth. And for those for whom this is already the case, I hope they find comfort, validation, and some very cool companions to cheer for in this tale.
Any words of wisdom you give your pre-published writer self (or to a new writer)?
To a new writer I’d say, don’t stop. That’s the best way to become a published writer. Write clearly. Say things the way YOU say them. Listen to feedback and take what hits you. Set aside what doesn’t. Unless you keep hearing the same thing over and over—then, you could try taking the note. If you don’t, maybe identify exactly what you are trying to do, and do it better? Nobody can give anybody words of wisdom really. That’s all just stuff I have, at various times, taught myself. Also, if you’re weird, please just be weird. Don’t clean it up or hide. More fun to read the mess. I always need to hear that, actually.
What are your interests outside of writing and reading?
Dude my interests are endless. I am currently obsessed with figuring out how to build tall sculptures for my garden. So, concrete is an interest. Swanky dinners. Cracking jokes with my son. Landscapes: interior and exterior, always wild.
Are you working on a new project? Please tell us about it.
I’m writing the sequel to Riot Act, now! The story is sooooo dark and enthralling and scary to me, I’m balancing the work by limewashing my concrete outdoor area a vibrant shade of honey, listening to my son play electric guitar, and challenging myself with power yoga and strength training. Today I did a balance I could not do six months ago. Ebullient.
What was the last book you read? What did you think of it?
Currently reading Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor, a gift from a friend, in part because it’s set in 1993 with a fluidly sexual narrator who shapeshifts “from riot grrrl to leather cub” (words lifted from the cover). The narrator of Riot Act is a bisexual dude in the 90s, so it’s a fun companion read. Lawlor’s book is for adults, though, so way more explicit, exuberantly!
Where can readers find you?
I am most active on Instagram @sarah.lariviere, and I keep my website updated https://sarahlariviere.com/ . I’ll be at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena to discuss Riot Act the night of the book launch, July 16, 2024 at 7pm, and would love to see people there!
Thank you, Sarah! Riot Act is OUT NOW.
Riot Act
Punk rock meets 1984 in this story of a group of theater kids who take on a political regime, perfect for readers who love books by A.S. King and Marie Lu.
In an alternate 1991, the authoritarian US government keeps tabs on everybody and everything. It censors which books can be read, what music can be listened to, and which plays can be performed.
When her best friend is killed by the authorities and her theater teacher disappears, Gigi decides to organize her fellow Champaign High School thespians to put on a production of Henry VI. But at what cost?