The suburbs will get a taste of postapocalyptic dystopia this weekend when “Divergent” series author Veronica Rothhits town.
The young-adult fiction scribe is heading to Tattered Cover Highlands Ranch on July 15 with YA compatriot Margaret Stohlfor a nontraditional book signing and staged tête-a-tête. Both authors will also promote their latest titles: Roth’s “Four: A Divergent Collection,” an offshoot of short stories told from the perspective of “Divergent’s” Tobias “Four” Eaton; and Stohl’s ” Icons” and “Idols,” a sci-fi series that tracks four teens searching for answers amid alien warfare and corruption.
Fans will be able to snag a pre-signed pair of the books (dependent on pre-purchased vouchers), listen in on the conversation and lob a handful of questions at the authors.
“We know each other and love each other,” Roth says of Stohl. “So we’re just going to have very honest, off-the-wall interaction in front of a lot of people.”
Stohl calls it a jam session, in which the duo will discuss craft, the beginnings of their careers, how they relate to each other as writers and how they create male points of view as women, among other things.
Luckily for customers, pre-signings mean no long waiting lines. “We can practically guarantee happiness,” Stohl quips.
Although their books have been marketed as YA, the authors said they are unsure what type of crowd to expect.
According to circulation data from the Denver Public Library, between January and May, 68 percent of YA check-outs came from readers above the age of 18. And a 2012 national market research study showed that 55 percent of YA book consumers were older than 18, with the biggest segment slotted in the 30-44 age range.
But they say they’re prepared for anything.
“For better or for worse, I don’t change what I say,” Roth says of talking with her fans, young and old.
Stohl agrees and says that for younger crowds “you end up talking about the characters everyone is in love with,” but older fans tend to gravitate more toward craft-based questions. It’s a subtle difference, she says, as interests often overlap.
“In reality, we take our worlds as seriously as they do,” Stohl says. “We’re our first fans, in a certain way. We believe in the story … we’re sort of right there with the 12-year-olds, and that kind of energy is great.”
The two authors met in 2011, around the time the movie rights for Roth’s first book, “Divergent,” had sold. Roth calls Stohl her therapist because the latter has already had experience dealing with a best-selling franchise (” Beautiful Creatures,” co-authored with Kami Garcia) and movie adaptation.
“The YA community is super tight,” Stohl says. “We all have our friends in the weird, weird corners of the world that get us through everything. Veronica does that for me.”
Roth has already visited Framingham, Mass., solo; and Decatur, Ga., with author Marie Lu. After Colorado, she heads to Lansing, Mich., on July 16 with writer Phoebe North. For every ticket sold at upcoming events, one book will be donated to a family in need via First Book, which supports children in low-income areas.
One of the big goals of the tour, aside from publicity, Roth says, is to encourage reading at the earliest possible age. Hoping to capitalize on the recent resurgence in YA’s popularity, the authors are also hoping to dash reader misconceptions and stereotypes of the category.
YA isn’t new, Stohl says. It’s been happening for as long as we’ve stuck our noses in Charles Dickens. But what is new is the way people are discussing and consuming the genre.
“It’s entering the public consciousness now in a really powerful way,” Roth says, of YA’s breadth. “There are so many things out there — read more than the most popular thing.”
Sean Fitz-Gerald: 303-954-1211, sfitz-gerald@ denverpost.com or twitter.com/srkfitzgerald
Veronica roth
The “Divergent” series author will join YA writer Margaret Stohl in a conversation and pre-book-signing. Vouchers can be purchased at any Tattered Cover for selected books, then the vouchers can be exchanged at the event for signed books. Open seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for ticket holders at 7 p.m. July 15, Tattered Cover Highlands Ranch, 9315 Dorchester St., Highlands Ranch.
