Archive for the 'Interviews' Category

October 4, 2010 • Comments

I’m thrilled to be touring Lauren Strasnick and her book Her and Me and You. which is published by Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster. I’m hanging out to read it.

Here’s what it’s about:

First love, broken friendships, and heartache all play a part in this evocative, voice-driven novel about Alex, a girl whose world is ripped apart when her father’s affair splits her family in two.
Alex moves with her mess of a mother to a new town, where she is befriended by hot, enigmatic Fred–and alternately flirted with and cold-shouldered by Fred’s twin sister, Adina. Others warn Alex to steer clear of the twins, whose sibling relationship is considered abnormal at best, but there’s just something about Fred–and something about Adina–that draws Alex to them and makes her want to be part of their crazy world, no matter the consequences.

Now for the usual questions:

What inspired the plot for your book?
Twins, Connecticut winters, indoor pools, obsessive relationships, friend breakups, & kittens.

Why did you decide to write in this genre?
YA? I’m not sure it was much of a choice. I’ve always read and written teen.

What is your writing process like?
Before I start a project I sort of obsess about it for weeks or sometimes months – I’ll read and watch movies and listen to a particular type of music, all in an effort to brainwash myself into believing in the book. Then I outline, I write, I rewrite.

What are you working on now?
Another book for Simon Pulse, DAKOTA WEBB IS MISSING, slated for spring 2012. Mystery! Rock bands! Messy relationships!

What do you do when you’re not writing?
I cook things, eat things, watch sick amounts of television, read, dance around the apartment, play with the kitty, dress up, grocery shop, thrift shop, see my friends.

What do you like to read?
All sorts of stuff. Well, all sorts of stuff about teens and young adults. Well, all sorts of realistic fiction about teens and young adults. I have very varied tastes, clearly.

Check out Lauren on her website & blog: www.laurenstrasnick.com

“Strasnick’s slim second offering packs a lot into its short chapters: divorce, broken friendships, crushes, the lines between love and sex and more. Characterization, scenes, dialogue and setting are seamlessly distilled into so few sharp, image-rich phrases that the novel reads almost as if it were written in verse. Less is definitely more here, and readers are plunged into Alex’s physical and emotional world within three to four words. Although the plot moves swiftly, the author’s ability to capture Alex’s inner world in so few words give the novel depth and balance. Complex and thought-provoking.” –Kirkus

September 8, 2010 • Comments

I’m thrilled to be touring Lucienne Diver and her latest book Revamped a sequel to her book Vamped.

About the book:
In Vamped, Gina and her minions defeated a vampire vixen, a psycho-psychic and the vampire council of Mozulla, Ohio. Gina was all ready to expose vampires to the world in all their fanged fabulosity…until the Feds arrived to sweep everything under the rug and make them an offer they couldn’t refuse.

In ReVamped, Gina and her boyfriend Bobby are sent undercover to infiltrate a New York high school where some seriously weird stuff is going down. Worse than that, Gina’s new super-secret identity is as goth-girl Geneva Belfry. No color palette to speak of. More chains than a bike rack. And don’t even get her started on the shoes. At least she won’t be too worried about blood spatter when kicking the butt of her newest nemesis, who’s decided that the high school makes a perfect playground.

And now for the usual questions:

What inspired the plot for your book?
The need to horrify my heroine. Seriously! There’s just something irresistible about messing with the mind of a fanged fashionista by taking away her freedom of couture…er, choice. In the first book in the series, Gina wakes up dead (undead anyway) and has to cope with an eternity without tanning options. In ReVamped, I upped the stakes. She’s still fanged, but this time not so fabulous. Her first mission working for the Feds, who came in at the end of Vamped to sweep everything under the rug, is as emancipated minor and goth girl Geneva Belfry. A closet full of blah-black and an apartment that smells of feet. As if that’s not bad enough, just as she starts coming to the realization that goths are people too, she’s got to face the possibility that one of her new BFFs is behind the weirdness she’s sent to explore.

In her own words: “Responsibility sucked rocks. Until a few months ago, I hadn’t been responsible for anything more than color-coordinating my wardrobe. But foil one vampire vixen bent on world domination and suddenly people expect all kinds of things. Some days it just didn’t pay to wake up dead.”

Why did you decide to write in this genre?
I didn’t pick it so much as Gina picked me…. The character just started talking in my head, demanding to be heard. Ignoring her just wasn’t an option. (She’s kind of a diva, but don’t say I said so.)

What is your writing process like?
I’m a definite pantser. A character will start talking in my head or the kernel of an idea will come to me, and I’ll let them steep for a little bit until they’re ready to burst out onto the page. By then, I’ve figured a few things out and have a general sense of where I want to go, but at first I just sort of let things flow. Then I’ll plot a few chapters ahead, write, plot a few chapters ahead, etc. If I try to plot whole novels from beginning to end from the get-go, I find that within just a few dozen pages, it’s gone off track because something didn’t feel right for the characters (or because they insisted…cough, diva…on a new direction). I guess I’m a gut writer. Also, I freehand everything out first and type it into the computer as I go. I find I can write articles on the computer, but I need a pen and paper for creative writing.

What are you working on now?
A kidney stone… Oh, you mean writing-wise. I’m playing around with a few shiny new ideas before I settle down to write the fourth contracted Vamped book, Fangtabulous. I’m looking forward to it! Gina and her gang are just so much fun.

What do you do when you’re not writing?
Working, reading, mommying, um, is wifing a word? Seriously, outside of writing, work and family I have no life anymore. Not that I’m complaining! It’s what I signed on for, but as soon as Vamped came out and contracts started coming my way, my other hobbies fell by the wayside. I used to make jewelry, scrapbook, work puzzles, sleep….

Who do you like to read?
I adore all of my authors, so we can start there! (For those who don’t know, I’m a literary agent by day, a writer by night and comatose between times.) I don’t have as much time to read outside of work as I’d like, but some favorites are Joshilyn Jackson, Janet Evanovich and Sharyn McCrumb. Also, I’ve just discovered Suzanne Collins’ HUNGER GAMES (I know, after half the known world) and am completely hooked.

Bio:
Lucienne Diver is a writer by night and a literary agent by day.

Websites:
Publisher: www.fluxnow.com
Author: www.luciennediver.com
Author blog: http://varkat.livejournal.com
Gina’s blog: http://ginasgems.livejournal.com

August 30, 2010 • 2 Comments

I’m excited to be touring Kristina Springer and her book My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours

Seventh grade was supposed to be fun, but Tori is having major drama with her BFF, Sienna. Sienna changed a lot over the summer—on the first day of school she’s tan, confident, and full of stories about her new dreamy boyfriend. Tori knows that she’s totally making this guy up. So Tori invents her own fake boyfriend, who is better than Sienna’s in every way. Things are going great—unless you count the whole lying-to-your-best-friend thing—until everyone insists Tori and Sienna bring their boyfriends to the back-to-school dance.

And now for the usual questions:

What inspired the plot for your book?
I had my own fake boyfriend in 7th grade.

Why did you decide to write in this genre?
I’ve always liked to read young adult books and my writing voice tends to be middle grade and young adult.

What is your writing process like?
I write whenever I can squeeze in time—usually a couple of hours a night a couple of times a week.

What are you working on now?
Edits on my Fall 2011 book tentatively titled Pumpkin Princess.

What do you do when you’re not writing?
Take care of my four little ones, hang out with friends, read, exercise.

Who do you like to read?
Chick lit– books like Sophie Kinsella’s and Meg Cabot.

Author Bio

Kristina Springer is the author of THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS and the forthcoming PUMPKIN PRINCESS (fall 2011). She has a Masters in Writing from DePaul University and she resides outside of Chicago with her husband and children. Visit her at www.KristinaSpringer.com.

Online
Web-site: www.KristinaSpringer.com
Blogs: KristinaSpringer.blogspot.com, author2author.blogspot.com
Other: @TinaSpringer on twitter, facebook.com/KristinaSpringer

July 1, 2010 • Comments

I’m excited to be touring Jenny O’Connell and her two books Local Girls and Rich Boys

There are two kinds of people on the island— those who leave at summer’s end… and those who are left behind.

Bestselling author Jenny O’Connell presents a sizzling series for summer. Her first two Island Summer novels, LOCAL GIRLS and RICH BOYS highlight the lives of the summering visitors, the year-round locals living in the beach towns of Martha’s Vineyard, and the fireworks that explode when they combine for three steamy months.
In LOCAL GIRLS, friendships are in danger of ending with the summer. Kendra and Mona are best friends, local girls who spend their summers catering to rich tourists and the rest of the year chafing against small-town life. Then Mona’s mom marries one of the island’s rich summer visitors, and Mona joins the world of the Boston elite, leaving Kendra and Martha’s Vineyard behind. When Mona returns the following summer, everything is different.

Unlike his sister, Mona’s twin brother Henry hasn’t changed. He’s spending his summer the way he always has: with long, quiet hours fishing. Early mornings before work become special for Kendra as she starts sharing them with Henry, hoping he can help her figure Mona out. Then Kendra hatches a plan to prove she’s Mona’s one true friend: uncover the identity of the twins’ birth father, a question that has always obsessed Mona. And so she begins to unravel the seventeen-year-old mystery of the summer boy who charmed Mona’s mother. But it may prove to be a puzzle better left unsolved–as what she is about to discover will change their lives forever…
In RICH BOYS, Winnie jumps at the chance to babysit for a wealthy summer family and earn some extra money—but soon learns that life in the Barclay’s beautiful vacation home isn’t as perfect as it appears. And what was supposed to be a carefree summer quickly becomes more complicated than she ever thought possible.

Learn how you can win an Island Summer t-shirt – just in time for the beach. Go to http://jennyoconnell.blogspot.com and enter to win today! And learn more about LOCAL GIRLS and RICH BOYS at www.jennyoconnell.com.

Bio
Jenny O’Connell received her BA from Smith College and her MBA from the University of Chicago. The author of PLAN B and THE BOOK OF LUKE, she lives outside of Boston with her family.

June 16, 2010 • 3 Comments

This is the tour I’ve been hanging out for, my very good friend, the hugely talented, fabulous Wendy Toliver. I was lucky enough to read Lifted before it was published and I know you’re all going to love it. And the cover is amazing, I have serious cover envy!!

So………

Being Bad Never Felt So Good.

Poppy Browne had never stolen anything in her life before moving to Pleasant Acres, Texas and meeting Mary Jane and Whitney. But when Poppy walks out of the mall with her two new friends and her first pair of stolen jeans, she’s hooked.

Before long, Poppy is lifting whenever she gets the urge—it’s never about the merchandise, it’s always about the thrill. But when her secret gets out, the girls in Poppy’s clique turn on one another. As she watches her life collapse around her, Poppy must decide where her loyalties lie … and how far she’ll go to protect herself.

Check out the book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX6goy2sAwc

And now for my usual questions:
What inspired the plot for your book?
I was watching a show on TV about how shoplifting is a huge problem, especially with teens, and thought it would make an interesting topic for a book. Most people have either shoplifted themselves, have been tempted to try it, or know someone who has, so I think it’s something we can all relate to.

Why did you decide to write in this genre?
My first attempt at writing a book was in the chick lit genre. That manuscript never sold but it did get me some valuable feedback from editors. More than one mentioned that my voice is “young and fun” and that I might be suited to write YA. Sure enough, my first attempt at writing for teens (The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren) was successful and I was hooked!

What is your writing process like?
Since I have three little boys who are always getting into things I have to write whenever I can squeeze out the time. I write on a laptop most of the time (though I sometimes do jot things down on napkins or scraps of paper). I self-edit along the way, which sometimes bogs me down but I can’t seem to go on if something isn’t quite right. I tend to walk around in a daze, thinking about my stories so that when I do get a minute to sit down, I can type it out and make the most of the time.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a paranormal YA at the moment, with a few other projects on the sidelines.

What do you do when you’re not writing?
I try to catch up on housework, play, and sleep. For fun, I like to wakeboard in the summer and snowboard in the winter, and I’m always up for a hike or long walk.

Who do you like to read?
I read a variety of authors. Right now, I’m reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett and enjoying it.

What People Are Saying About Lifted
“Smart, deftly written, and extremely well-observed, Wendy Toliver’s Lifted is so realistic and moving I felt like I was transported right inside Poppy’s world, watching as she struggled to navigate her way through a school where appearances are deceiving and no one is quite what they seem. A hard to put down, compelling read!”
Alyson Noël, #1 New York Times Best Selling author of The Immortals series

“Lifted is the story of an imperfect heroine seeking her place not only in school, but in life. Its exploration of the amount of truth behind social and religious stereotypes escalates into a double-dog dare to believe them. A haunting morality tale that will leave you questioning just what it means to be “good.”
Aprilynne Pike, author of the #1 New York Times Best-Selling novel Wings

“Lifted by Wendy Toliver is an amazing, compelling read, filled with all the realness of being in high school, from humor to love to angst. I haven’t met a character so well developed as Poppy since reading Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. At times heartbreaking, at others uplifting, Lifted is a book that I absolutely loved.”
James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner and the13th Reality series

VOYA
Poor Poppy Browne! Her mother, an attractive but uptight college professor, has moved her from hip Colorado to bucolic Pleasant Acres, Texas, saying that she is doing it for Poppy’s benefit. Even worse, she has to make a go of it in a conservative Baptist school. Calvary High, though, proves to be a much more interesting place than Poppy had imagined. Initially, it is all a bit straight-laced and humdrum, but when she makes friends with popular Mary Jane and Whitney, her life becomes more intriguing. The two girls, top students and role models, prove to be accomplished shoplifters. When they introduce Poppy to their pastime, she is instantly hooked—and it is not the merchandise—it is the thrill of the chase, the charge of getting away with something. Then, one of her friends informs on her, and as her world comes crashing down, Poppy has to figure out what her values really are. The writing and characterization are both decent, with enough contemporary slang and topical references for teens to relate. Plot driven, yes, indeed; but in the category of light read, this rates well on the girl interest scale. A strictly additional purchase, this is excellent beach reading for those seeking mean girl-fare with a soupcon of romance. Reviewer: Ann Welton

Booklist
Especially well drawn is Poppy’s crush, a quirky, sincere minister’s son, who—as Poppy’s world spins out of control—comforts her with unconditional support: “We all make mistakes. It says so in the Bible, so it’s gotta be true.” Will appeal to all teens interested in wayward behavior. Reviewer: Karen Cruze

Contest
Wendy is running a contest on her website, www.wendytoliver.com, the entire month of June. Simply click on the “contact” button and send her a message including the word “contest,” your name, and your U.S. mailing address. (If you’re under the age of 14, please get permission from your parents/guardians first.) She will be giving away gift cards to Border’s, signed copies of Lifted, as well as other fun prizes. One entry per person, please.

Bio
Born in Texas, raised in Colorado, and now living in Utah, Wendy Toliver has successfully eliminated “y’all” from her vocabulary. However, she still managed to marry a pickup man. They have three young sons and an assortment of furry, scaly, and slimy pets. She is the author of three novels for teens: The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren, Miss Match, and Lifted.

Online
Web-site: www.wendytoliver.com
Blogs: www.teenfictioncafe.blogspot.com, www.booksboysbuzz.com, www.pulserocom.com
Other: www.facebook.com/wendy.toliver, www.twitter.com/wendytoliver, www.myspace.com/roxytoliver, http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Wendy-Toliver/44777487

May 25, 2010 • 5 Comments

I’m very excited to touring ENDLESS SUMMER by Jennifer Echols.

Two irresistible boys. One unforgettable summer.

Lori can’t wait for her summer at the lake. She loves wakeboarding and hanging with her friends–including the two hotties next door. With the Vader brothers, she’s always been just one of the guys. Now that she’s turning sixteen, she wants to be seen as one of the girls, especially in the eyes of Sean, the older brother. But that’s not going to happen–not if the younger brother, Adam, can help it.

Lori plans to make Sean jealous by spending time with Adam. Adam has plans of his own for Lori. As the air heats up, so does this love triangle. Will Lori’s romantic summer melt into one hot mess?

And now for the usual questions:

What inspired the plot for your book?
I grew up on a beautiful lake in Alabama, and I invented a romantic plot that should have happened to me when I lived there. I’m a sucker for books about love triangles, the boy next door, and finally getting together with the crush you pined after forever—so I threw every bit of that into the pot and made it into the book I wanted to read.

Why did you decide to write in this genre?
I love the romantic comedy genre above anything else.

What is your writing process like?
It’s a total mess. It takes me forever to figure out what I’m writing about next, and then I start the book…on page 150! I don’t write in order. I have tried to streamline my process, but I’ve found that I need the chaos. It drives me crazy but it seems to work for me, and I do produce a book I love in the end.

What are you working on now?
My next romantic drama, Forget You, is coming out on July 20. Right now I’m writing still another romantic drama that will be published in July 2011.

What do you do when you’re not writing?
I work as a copyeditor. In my free time I hang out with my son, run about four miles a day, and read!

Who do you like to read?
I like to sample one book by everybody just so I’ll know what’s going on—but my all-time favorite writers are Jane Austen, adult romantic comedy writer Jennifer Crusie, and my fabulous critique partner, Victoria Dahl.

Bio:

Jennifer Echols grew up in a small town on a beautiful lake in Alabama–a setting that has inspired many of her books. Always interested in creative writing, she finished her first (and still unpublished) novel soon after graduating with a degree in English from Auburn University at age 20. She worked as an editor for newspapers, a writer for business publications, and a writing instructor for three major universities, completed a master’s degree in English, and finished the coursework for a PhD in genre studies before selling a book. Since then, she has written many young adult novels for Simon & Schuster, including Major Crush, which won the National Reader’s Choice Award, and Going Too Far, which is a finalist in the 2010 RITA, the National Reader’s Choice Award, and the Book Buyer’s Best. Her next novel, Forget You, will be released on July 20. Currently she works as a copyeditor and lives in Birmingham with her husband and son. Please visit her online at www.jennifer-echols.com.

Endless Summer is Published by Simon Pulse, a division of Simon & Schuster. ISBN-10: 1442406593; ISBN-13: 978-1442406599.