Archive for the 'Interviews' Category

May 19, 2010 • Comments

Today I’m doing a blog tour with a difference. The fabulous Lauren Baratz-Logsted, fellow TFCer and awesome writer is doing THE ONE-QUESTION INTERVIEW BLOG TOUR which involves touring from blog to blog answering one question on each. So, I came up with a two in one question for Lauren….. and we really got value for money.

But first the books Lauren’s touring:

THE EDUCATION OF BET published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and coming out in July, is about a 16-year-old girl in Victorian England who impersonates a boy in order to get a proper education.

Volume 5 of the Sisters 8, co-written with Greg Logsted and Jackie Logsted, also published by Houghton Mifflin, MARCIA’S MADNESS which came out on May 3rd and is about Marcia – the fifth-born sister, Marcia, the sensible one; Marcia, the reasonable one; Marcia, the one who would never do anything crazy, begins to act in a most unusual way.

And now for the question:

What I find incredible is the way you move, seemingly effortlessly, from one genre to another. How do you manage to do this and what tips would you give anyone wanting to do the same?

I’m glad it looks effortless, but it isn’t always! Basically what it boils down to is that like a lot of people, I’m an eclectic reader. There are books I love in nearly every area of literature. I’m the same in terns of writing. I can no more see myself sticking to writing in one area than I can picture myself saying I’ll only read adult comedies for the rest of my life or only YA vampire novels. Obviously if I have a multibook contract with a publisher, I have to write the type of book they hired me to write in terms of what I deliver to them, but for things not under contract, I simply move where the whim takes me. In fact, that’s how I wrote my first YA novel, Angel’s Choice. I’d started it thinking I was writing yet another novel for the adult market but somewhere in the process realized that the voice of the narrator was authentically a teen and that I’d stumbled into writing YA.

I’ve loved writing YA ever since. One of the fabulous things about it is that a writer is less likely to get pigeonholed by YA readers. When you write for the adult market, people try very hard to keep you in the box you first were published in. If you start out in light comedy, they get perplexed if you published a book classified as literary Victorian suspense – ahem. Not so with YA. Perhaps that’s because readers of YA are as eclectic as I am: as likely to read a contemporary problem novel, a seriocomic sort-of mystery, a fairy tale re-visioning, or a novel set in the Victorian era about a girl impersonating a boy in order to get a proper education.

As for tips for people who want to do what I do – well, hopefully they’ll do it better! – I would say simply to begin thinking as early as possible about what would make you happiest in terms of a writing career and also examine why you write in the first place: Do you do it primarily because you love to write, or because you want to be published? You can have both goals simultaneously but they are separate things. If you’re more security-oriented, you may want to stick to one area so you have a better chance of branding yourself as the marketing gurus like to call it these days. But if you’re more task-oriented, like me, you might want to try writing what you love, whatever that might be on any given project, and hoping the money will follow. If, like me, you’re not a branded author, the money will not follow all that heavily, but it may just be enough. And in my case, writing as I do means I’m never bored as a writer, which is important to me since life is short. I hope my readers are never bored either.

And now this is, officially, the longest answer I have given on The One-Question Interview Blog Tour!

Bio:
Before becoming a published author, Lauren was an independent bookseller, a Publishers Weekly reviewer, a freelance editor, a sort-of librarian and a window washer. You can read more about her life and work at www.laurenbaratzlogsted.com.

May 4, 2010 • Comments

It gives me great pleasure to be touring Jeri Smith-Ready and her latest book SHADE (how awesome is the cover).

About the Book:

Love ties them together.

Death can’t tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan’s band playing a critical gig and Aura’s plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend’s life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan’s sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He’s gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan’s violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn’t help that Aura’s new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura’s relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura’s heart…and clues to the secret of the Shift.

And now for the usual questions:

What inspired the plot for your book?

It originally started as an idea for a world where the existence of
ghosts had been proven, and a law firm that specialized in wrongful
death suits.  As tickled as I was by my cheesy tagline, “I sue dead
people,” the idea went nowhere without a main character or a
compelling story to give it life.  (Besides, I know zilch about law,
so it wouldn’t have gotten far.  It wasn’t until the main character of
16-year-old Aura Salvatore came into the picture that the story took
off.  I thought hey, what if all people her age and younger could see
ghosts?  And then the biggest part of the story of all: what if her
boyfriend died and become a ghost?

Why did you decide to write in this genre?

Going from adult to young adult urban fantasy was a very natural path
for me to take, because all of my books have a young focus.  My Aspect
of Crow fantasy trilogy had 16 and 18-year-old protagonists, and the
heroine of my vampire books, WICKED GAME and BAD TO THE BONE, is only
24 and has a very young, contemporary voice.  My adult books have a
large teen readership because of these factors.

More important, in writing for teens, I get to focus on the elements
of storytelling I enjoy most and that I think I’m best at: character
development and voice, especially dialogue.  Writing for teens usually
requires a faster pace, and I’m all for that.  Whether I’m writing for
adults or teens (and I will continue to do both), I believe in following
Elmore Leonard’s #1 rule of writing: leave out the boring parts.

What is your writing process like?

Hmm, it tends to be different for each book, because each book forces
me to learn how to write a novel all over again.  But here’s the usual
process:
1. Set unrealistically high word count goals.
2. Meet those goals for roughly two weeks.
3. Burn out.  Panic.  Despair.
4. Re-examine plot, make changes to the outline, and move on with a
more realistic deadline.
5. Finish filthy first draft and send to critique partners, praying
they don't wonder which hole my talent crawled into to die.
6. Do massive overhaul second draft.  This is where the real writing
happens for me, where I discover the true story.
7. Submit to editor.
8. Repeat as necessary until I can look at myself in the mirror and
honestly say the book is as good as it can ever possibly be.

What are you working on now?

I’m writing the sequel to SHADE, called SHIFT, which will be out in
May 2011.  I also just finished page proofs on the third book in my
adult vampire series, BRING ON THE NIGHT, which comes out in August.
I can’t wait to see what fans of the series think of this instalment!
As soon as I turn in SHIFT, I'll be finishing the rough draft of the
fourth, still-searching-for-a-title vampire book.

What do you do when you're not writing?

I love to play with my dog or cats.  They totally live in the moment
and get so thrilled over the smallest things.  Our kitten recently
saw her first millipede.  She celebrated by jumping over it five or
six times in a row, chirping as she leaped, then doing a little dance. 
So far she hasn’t worked up the courage to actually touch one.

Who do you like to read?

What I really enjoy most these days are non-paranormal humorous books,
usually with romance or at least romantic elements. My current faves are
Victoria Dahl’s contemporary romances (her historicals are
wonderful, too, and I don’t usually read historicals) and Caprice
Crane’s romantic comedies (especially STUPID AND CONTAGIOUS). I also
really love Nick Hornby and Carl Hiaasen. Neil Gaiman is still my
all-time favorite author.

In YA, some of my favorites are Jennifer Echols, Stephanie Kuehnert,
Lisa McMann, and Lisa Schroeder.  My favorite books this year are THE
SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson, SPLIT by Swati Avasthi, and WILL
GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON, by David Levinthal and John Green, two of my
other favorite YA writers.  I just got my hands on ARCs of Jennifer
Lyn Barnes’s RAISED BY WOLVES and Jackie Morse Kessler’s HUNGER.
Can’t wait to read them!

Bio:

Award-winning author Jeri Smith-Ready lives in Maryland with her husband, two cats, and the world’s goofiest greyhound.

Jeri’s plans to save the earth were ruined when she realized she was more of a “problem maker” than a problem solver. To stay out of trouble, she keeps her Drama Drive strictly fictional. Her friends and family appreciate that.

When not writing, Jeri she can usually be found—well, thinking about writing, or on Twitter. Like her characters, she loves music, movies, and staying up very, very late.

Jeri loves to hear from readers, so please visit her at www.jerismithready.com, or even better, on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jerismithready) or Twitter (http://twitter.com/jsmithready), where she spends way too much time.

Praise for SHADE:

“Shade is a hauntingly good story and an intriguing beginning to a new series. Jeri Smith-Ready proves again why she is one of my very favorite reads! — PC Cast, New York Times-bestselling author of the House of Night series

“The perfect combination of mystery, ghosts and romance, Shade left me breathless.” — Lisa Schroeder, author of I Heart You, You Haunt Me and Chasing Brooklyn

“Smith-Ready changes the world completely by simply changing our ability to see.”  PW  Starred review

April 27, 2010 • 2 Comments

I’m thrilled to be touring Jessica Brody and her book The Karma Club which releases on April 27 from Farrar, Straus, Giroux Books for Young Readers. I can’t wait to read it.

So, what’s it about:

When you mess with Karma, Karma messes back…

Madison Kasparkova always thought she understood how Karma works. Do good things and you’ll be rewarded, do something bad and Karma will make sure you get what you deserve. But when Maddy’s boyfriend cheats on her, nothing bad comes his way. That’s why Maddy starts the Karma Club, to clean up the messes that the universe has left behind and get back at the people who have wronged them. Sometimes, though, it isn’t wise to meddle with the universe. It turns out Karma often has plans of its own.

Check this out:

And now for the usual questions:

What inspired the plot for your book?

This was definitely one of those ideas that just “came” to me. A friend of mine had told me some horrendous story about how a boy dumped her (I don’t even remember the story, I just remember it was infuriating!) and the entire time she was talking, I kept thinking, “Someone needs to do that right back to him. He can’t just get away with that. He needs a taste of Karma!” And then boom, the idea came to me. A secret society of girls who help each other out, dosing out Karma to those who deserve it when the universe is slow to do it on its own. And thus THE KARMA CLUB was born. Of course, as soon as the idea came to me, I also knew that my characters would never be able to get away with it. Karma is a tricky thing. And you definitely don’t want to meddle with the universe!

Why did you decide to write in this genre?

It was a total fluke, actually. When I first came up with the idea, I thought about it as an adult novel. I had already written two other adult novels so it was the only thing I knew. But as I started fleshing out the story, I realized it didn’t fit at all in an adult world. It was much more of a teenage story. So I wrote out 50 sample pages, sent it to my agent and said, “Does this have any chance of becoming a YA novel?” She wrote loved it and told me I had a very natural voice for young adult. As it turned out, I loved writing it so much that I’ve since sold two more YA novels. I adore this genre. It just feels like a good fit with my writing and storytelling style. Maybe that’s because I’m still a teenager at heart. 

What is your writing process like?

Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. LOL. The writing process is actually very random for me. It all depends on the day. Because I tend to be equally right and left brained, sometimes I feel as though the writing process is just a constant struggle (or sometimes clash) between the two sides of my brain to come up with a consistent way to write a novel. I write outlines, because my analytical side tells me it’s the right thing to do, but then halfway through the story, I come to the conclusion that I only write outlines so that I’ll have something to deviate from. And yet, despite this seemingly random chaos, it all feels perfectly natural to me. As if it was designed specifically for a purpose. So I suppose, my lack of a defined process is a process in itself!

What are you working on now?

I’m working on a new YA book that will be out in 2012 called 52 REASONS TO HATE MY FATHER about a teen heiress who is forced by her ever-absent mogul father to take on a different low-wage job every week for a year if she wants any hope of getting her trust fund. I’m SO excited about it! Plus, I just finished the copyedits on another book that will be out in 2011 called MY LIFE UNDECIDED. And I’m also working on a new YA series that I can’t quite talk about yet. But it’s gonna be SOOOO cool! What do you do when you’re not writing? Think about writing. LOL! Seriously though, when I’m in the middle of a book, it completely consumes me. I live that book. I inhabit that world. I react to things as my character would. It’s actually a really cool process and I love it.

Who do you like to read?

Anything and everything! But I tend to only read fiction. I’m not much of a non-fiction fan, unless it’s research for a book. I love stories. And voices. And fictional worlds. I love to read within my genre. My latest obsession: The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. OMG…best books ever!

Bio:

Jessica Brody is the author of two books for adults. The Karma Club is her first book for teens. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California where she is working on her next novel. Despite what some people from her high school might claim, she has never sought revenge on an ex-boyfriend. Visit her online at: http://www.jessicabrody.com

Free Flip Giveaway:

To celebrate the release of The Karma Club on April 27, Jessica is giving away FOUR Flip Video Cameras (as well as TONS of other cool prizes!) on her site. Visit her website, http://www.jessicabrody.com for all the details and to enter to win!

April 19, 2010 • 4 Comments

I’m very excited to be touring fellow TFCer, the fabulous Kay Cassidy and her debut THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY, which I’m seriously hanging out to read:

What’s a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn’t want to wear it anymore?

Sixteen year old Jess Parker has always been an outsider. So when she receives an invitation to join The Cinderella Society, a secret society of the most popular girls in school, it’s like something out of a fairy tale. Swept up by the Cindys’ magical world of makeovers, and catching the eye of her Prince Charming, Jess feels like she’s finally found her chance to fit in.

Then the Wickeds–led by Jess’s arch-enemy–begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers there’s more to being a Cindy than reinventing yourself on the outside. She has unknowingly become part of a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil, and now the Cindys in charge need Jess for a mission that could change everything.

Overwhelmed, Jess wonders if The Cinderella Society made a mistake in choosing her. Is it a coincidence her new boyfriend doesn’t want to be seen with her in public? And is this glamorous, secret life even what she wants, or will she risk her own happy ending to live up to the expectations of her new sisters?

And now for the usual questions…..

What inspired the plot for your book?
The Cinderella Society actually came from a magazine article about high school sororities. I’d never heard of that before and, once I started thinking about the kind of society I would create if I could, I realized I would’ve wanted it to be an organization devoted to fighting the everyday battle of good vs. evil. It all snowballed from there and The Cinderella Society was born.

Why did you decide to write in this genre?
I’d been writing adult fiction for several years but never seemed to find my fit there. A friend suggested that my voice would be a great match for YA, but I hadn’t read YA since I was a teen! So I headed on down to my local library. The teen librarian suggested three books: The Princess Diaries, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and How My Private, Personal Journal Become a Bestseller. I took them home, devoured them, and knew that this was what I wanted to write. The rest is history!

What is your writing process like?
I’m a big planner in general, so I naturally fall on the plotting end of the plotting/pantsing spectrum. I plot every scene in advance. Not in great detail, just a paragraph or so laying out what the purpose of the scene is. It helps me make sure the story hangs together and makes writing the first draft a ton easier for me because I never have to worry about the What comes next? issue. And I tend to write myself into fewer corners that way. That’s a pet peeve of mine that makes me crazy, so avoiding it is a definite plus of my process.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on the sequel to The Cinderella Society, titled Cindy on a Mission. It follows the further adventures of Jess and the Sisters as the Wickeds launch an offensive that threatens everything the Cindys hold dear. Cindy on a Mission will be on shelves in Spring 2011.

What do you do when you’re not writing?
Mostly try to catch up with life. What I enjoy doing in my free time is reading and watching Glee and FlashForward (both of which I absolutely adore).

Who do you like to read?
I’ve branched out a lot in my reading in the last year. I’ve been reading dystopians, fantasies and chick lit (the YA versions). I’ve also been reading some mysteries, some Dan Brown, and some women’s fiction when I want to escape into the adult world for a peek into someone else’s life. My favorite series/related books right now are by Ally Carter, Suzanne Collins and Kristin Cashore.

Bio:
Kay Cassidy is the author of teen fiction she wishes was based on her real life. She is the founder of the national Great Scavenger Hunt ContestTM reading program for kids and teens and the host of the inspirational Living Your FiveTM web project. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, movies, music, and reading. Lots and lots of reading. She hopes her debut YA novel, THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY (April 13, 2010 – Egmont), will help girls embrace their inner Cindy.

March 14, 2010 • Comments

I’m really excited to be touring Elizabeth Scott and her book The Unwritten Rule.

About the book:

Everyone knows the unwritten rule: You don’t like you best friend’s boyfriend. Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He’s easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he’s paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna’s boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah’s best friend. Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she’s thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It’s wonderful…and awful. Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can’t stop herself from wanting more…

And now for my usual questions:

What inspired the plot for your book?

The Unwritten Rule actually came about because my editor at Simon Pulse, Jennifer Klonsky, and I were talking about friendships and high school and the things you just instinctively knew you could never ever do then, like be interested in a friend’s boyfriend and I said, “Yeah, it’s like the unwritten rule,” and bam! There was the story. It just popped into my head–all the characters, everything that was going to happen–and I love my editor for letting me take the idea and run with it!

Why did you decide to write in this genre?

I’ve always written about teens and I love young adult novels. So how could I not write YA?

What is your writing process like?

It involves a lot (A LOT) of rewriting.

What are you working on now?

My next book, Grace, will be out from Dutton in September. It’s about a girl who’s been raised to be a suicide bomber–and what happens when she decides she wants to live.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

Hang out with my husband and dog, catch up with friends, and read.

Who do you like to read?

I’ll read anything, but if I’m not hooked after three chapters, I go on to the next book. Life’s too short and there are too many books to not read the ones that grab you and don’t let go!

Author Bio:

Elizabeth Scott grew up in a town so small it didn’t even have a post office, though it did boast an impressive cattle population. She’s sold hardware and panty hose and had a memorable three-day stint in the dot-com industry, where she learned that she really didn’t want a career burning CDs. She lives just outside Washington, DC, with her husband; firmly believes you can never own too many books; and would love it if you visited her website, http://www.elizabethwrites.com.

February 1, 2010 • Comments

I’m so thrilled to be touring Suzanne Young and her book THE NAUGHTY LIST, which I’m hanging out to read.

About The Naughty List:

As if being a purrfect cheerleader isn’t enough responsibility! Tessa Crimson’s the sweet and spunky leader of the SOS (Society of Smitten Kittens), a cheer squad–turned–spy society dedicated to bringing dastardly boyfriends to justice, one cheater at a time. Boyfriend-busting wouldn’t be so bad . . . except that so far, every suspect on the Naughty List has been proven 100% guilty!
When Tessa’s own boyfriend shows up on the List, she turns her sleuthing skills on him. Is Aiden just as naughty as all the rest, or will Tessa’s sneaky ways end in catastrophe?
The Naughty List. Is your boyfriend on it?

And now for my usual questions:

What inspired the plot for your book?
Once I got past the fact that they were cheerleaders and that they were busting cheaters, I thought about the pain that can be involved in betrayal. I really tried to explore the emotions there.

Why did you decide to write in this genre?
I love the pacing and voice in YA. I have a really short attention span, and I’ve found that YA fascinates me.

What are you working on now?
I’m just finishing up the third book in the series: A Good Boy is Hard to Find. Other than that, I have some other projects that are non-Naughty List. But that’s top secret. lol

Who do you like to read?
I really like Carrie Ryan, and I just finished Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. FAN!

What bloggers are saying about The Naughty List:

www.bookchicclub.blogspot.com: “Suzanne Young’s The Naughty List is a fast, original, and fun romp that fans of Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series will surely enjoy! Tessa is a wonderful, relatable character full of depth, quirks, and heart. A sure-fire hit!”

www.thestorysiren.com: “Espionage, lively cheerleaders, and very naughty boys… equal one debut that I found unputdownable!”

www.sharonlovesbooksandcats.com: “Holy cannoli! The Naughty List is one of the most adorable books I have ever read. Seriously people this book is just dripping in cuteness.”

Bio:

Suzanne Young is a brilliant scientist. Not really. But she is a former middle school teacher turned zookeeper (mother). When Suzanne’s not fending off zombie squirrels or narrating her daughter’s Barbie soap operas, she can be found camping on the Oregon coast or writing obsessively.

Suzanne is the author of The Naughty List series coming February 4th, 2010 from Razorbill/Penguin. The Naughty List is about a group of cheerleaders who investigate cheating boyfriends. Which Suzanne never did. Or at least, not that you can prove.

Learn more at www.suzanne-young.blogspot.com