To commemorate Suzanne Collins’ birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUZANNE!), YA authors share ways in which she inspired them.

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August 10th marks Hunger Games Trilogy author, Suzanne Collins’ birthday, and in honor of the event MTV asked fellow YA authors how she has inspired them.

 

Lauren Oliver, “Delirium” and “Panic”

“This may sound morbid, but Suzanne Collins really amazed me by her unsentimental commitment to killing off beloved characters with impunity. I’ve tried to do the same ever since!”

Rae Carson, “The Girl of Fire and Thorns” and “Walk on Earth a Stranger”

“Although it was written for teens, ’The Hunger Games’ is fearless in its portrayal of the consequences of war. It inspired me to honor the sacrifices of friends and family who are war veterans by unflinchingly exploring the effects of violence in my own writing.”

Kiersten White, “Illusions of Fate”

“I still remember scoffing at why anyone would write in first person present tense. Then I read ’The Hunger Games,’ and the immediacy of the action — as well as the all-important intimacy of being in a difficult narrator’s head — was a masterclass in using point of view to the most powerful effect!”

For all author’s comments, visit MTV.