We didn't ask for this by Adi Alsaid - BLOG Tour

Adi Alsaid’s new young adult book, We Didn’t Ask for This, is on sale next week of 7April. I think in this time of so many unknowns we are all looking for strong books and books to escape in. This book is a story about a young woman standing up for what she believes in.

Students at Central International School look forward to the annual school lock in. Every club has a booth setup with games, there are athletic competitions, and even a secret party planned by one chosen student. This year’s lock in will be different than anything before because Marisa Cuevas is going to make a statement to help the environment. She and her friends lock themselves to the doors, not allowing anyone in or out until her demands for the school to help clean up the environment are met.

As you all know, I love getting behind the scenes into the book writing process and what inspired the book. Let’s have a Q&A with Adi Alsaid to get more information.

Q: What inspired you to write this book?

A: I’ve been wanting to write a book that felt like my favorite book, Bel Canto, for a while now. So the very initial inspiration was a group of characters all stuck in the same place for an extended period of time. Then, to make it feel more YA, I thought of The Breakfast Club, but instead of cliques, just bring people with different passions together. Then, because of my increasing awareness over the last few years about environmental issues, combined with the fact that I was traveling and seeing those issues play out around the world, I brought in the fight for climate change.

Q: What do you most hope that readers take away from the story?

A: Getting others to care about what you care about is hard, but you’re allowed to try, and it’s possible to succeed.

Q: I love the juxtaposition of a lock-in against a political protest. What was the most challenging part of threading those two very different pieces together?

A: Honestly, it was the logistics of actually keeping the students locked in. The political protest wouldn’t work without it, nor would the plot. So I had to find a whole lot of justifications that felt reasonable within the story. Other than that, one of my goals was to show, embodied in different characters, all the ways people react to political protests, and to make them feel like actual people, not just symbols.

Q: How does a typical writing day look like for you?

A: Assuming this means not in the time of COVID-19. I wake up and go straight to a coffee shop, where I work/avoid looking at my phone for about 3 hours or so. Then I usually have lunch, take a break by watching a movie, running errands, or something in that vein. Then another work session in the afternoon or late evening at another coffee shop or perhaps a bar, followed by cooking dinner. During deadline times there’s also usually a late night session at home.

I think we can all recognize our daily normal is not the same in this environment. I wish you the best and stay safe! If you wish to connect with Adi, you can reach him on his website or via social media.

Author website:  https://www.adialsaid.com/

Facebook: @adialsaidauthor

Twitter: @adialsaid

Instagram: @uhhdee