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.
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.
This is a very exciting week for me because my fabulous critique partner, Christina Phillips, has her book debuting. Below are details about her launch party and the fabulous prizes on offer. I know it’s not YA (she writes hot and steamy) but I couldn’t let this moment pass without giving her a HUGE shout out!!!
To help celebrate the release of Forbidden, Christina Phillips’s debut Roman/Druid Ancient Historical Romance from Berkley Heat, she’s holding a launch party with lots of amazing authors and fabulous giveaways! In addition, Christina’s giving away a signed copy of Forbidden to one lucky person who helps spread the love. All you have to do is mention the party (you can copy and paste this blurb), being held from 1st to 6th September at http://christinaphillips.blogspot.com. You can Tweet about it, blog, Facebook, MySpace or anything! And then drop her an email at ChristinapPh @ gmail dot com (no spaces) to let her know. Please put Forbidden Launch Party (or something similar) in the subject line. The winner will be drawn for that on Monday 6th September.
Got home from the Romance Writers of Australia conference the other day and had the most amazing time. It’s the first time I’ve been to this conference and was also presenting a YA workshop with my friend and CP Amanda Ashby.
We laughed and laughed all through the weekend, in fact it started in the taxi on our way there. The taxi driver asked where we were heading and we said to a romance writers conference…. big mistake!!! He then handed us something he’d written, complete with pen, and asked us to look at it. Luckily for me I can’t read in a car because it makes me feel sick. So, Amanda took charge. After assuring him several times that it was very well written, and that no it didn’t need any more emotion (it turns out it was a sermon he was giving about the composer Hayden and his religious beliefs) he allowed us to pass it back to him. But then, having discovered that Amanda’s husband is a composer decided us regale us with his version of Ave Maria (hummed!!).
The conference was so slick, the workshops amazing and getting the chance to meet all the people I’d only known online was awesome. And of course catching up with people I already know, and love, was fab too.
So here are my some of my photos:
Amanda and Christina (my fab CPs) also known as the Tiara Girls, or as we’ve now decided to rename ourselves the Tiara Mafia…. which we thinks sounds more kickass!!!!
Me by the Sydney Opera House, it was awesome!
The Tiara Mafia at the cocktail party
Cocktail party: I can’t remember the name of the person on the left, sorry, who we met; Amanda, Christina, Giovanna, Kris, Trish Morey.
Me, Emily Gee/May, Amanda at the cocktail party – Emily is trying on the Tiara for size.
It was fantastic to meet Vanessa Barneveld again and she came out to dinner with us on the Sunday.
At our YA workshop: me, Amanda and the fabulous Robyn Grady who introduced us, and lived to tell the tale!!
Emily and Barb enjoying drinks in our room before the awards dinner!!!
That’s it for photos, I wish I’d taken more. I can’t believe I don’t have any of the fabulous Rachel (soon to be neighbor), Amy, Allison Rushby, Anna Campbell, Maxine Sullivan, Kerri Lane, Louise, Nalini……. I could go on forever.
One more sleep until flying to Australia. And I’m beyond excited!!! I can’t wait to do the tourist bit in Sydney, and to meet up with people I’ve only talked to online.
I’m looking forward to giving our YA workshop…. we’re going to have another run through this morning…. it’s a good job run throughs and the actual thing bear no resemblance to one another because they’re usually very bad and we giggle a lot!!!
Will pack this afternoon, last minute washing is hanging up drying and must remember to leave instructions for the motel…. I’ll worry about that when I get back, I’m sure it will all be fine… and as I said to my husband: don’t worry I’m only a phone call away – and of course my phone will be turned off during workshops (which is pretty much all the time!!!)
Hope you all have a good week. I will be posting lots of pics on my return… providing this time I remember the memory card!!
A week today and we’ll be flying to Sydney, and if I said I was getting excited that would be an understatement….
I haven’t started packing yet but my suitcase is open beside the bed and I’m dropping things in there, or near there as I remember…. most importantly our three Tiaras. Because what is a Tiara Girl without her Tiara. The Tiara Girls are Amanda Ashby, Christina Phillips and me. We’ve been crit partners and best friends for years and it’s only once a year (though we’re planning for more when Amanda and I move to Australia) that we can all get together. And this year we have so much to celebrate, not least Christina’s debut book is just about to launch!!
I’m trying frantically to get as much written of my new book as possible before we go, well at least 50 pages so I can whizz it by my agent to see what she things. Yet again, I’m writing edgy near the knuckle stuff… which seems to be what suits me best.
Anyway, have a great week, I will try and post again before I go away, but with my track record I wouldn’t bet on it.
After conference there will be lots of photos and goss.
I’m an author of fiction for young adults, and my book ‘The Second Virginity of Suzy Green’ was published by Flux. When not writing I’m often to be found on msn, with my writing buddies.
