Blog Tour: The Land of 10,000 Madonnas by Kate Hattemer (Author Interview)

Apr15

Hey everyone! I’m super excited to be on the blog tour for Kate Hattemer’s The Land of 10,000 Madonnas (April 19, 2016 – Knopf)! Today, I have an interview with Kate to share with you. First, here’s more about the book:

Five teens backpack through Europe to fulfill the mysterious dying wish of their friend.

Jesse lives with his history professor dad in a house covered with postcards of images of the Madonna from all over the world. They’re gotten used to this life: two motherless dudes living among thousands of Madonnas. But Jesse has a heart condition that will ultimately cut his life tragically short. Before he dies, he arranges a mysterious trip to Europe for his three cousins, his best friend, and his girlfriend to take after he passes away. It’s a trip that will forever change the lives of these young teens and one that will help them come to terms with Jesse’s death.

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository
Kobo | IndieBound

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And now for the interview! Enjoy!

Question: Congrats! When this interview goes live, you’ll be just a few DAYS away from release! What will you be doing for the next month to prepare for release? And in the last few days before release?
Answer: Thank you! I can’t believe it’s finally happening! Based on my experience last time, I’ll spend the month before release alternately freaking out it’s happening and forgetting it’s happening, and I’ll spend the last few days working through key last-minute preparations (googling “how to walk in high heels,” doodling exclamation points in my planner, etc.).

Question: The Land of 10,000 Madonnas is such a unique, intriguing title! Who came up with it? What’s the significance of the title in relation to the story?
Answer: Thank you! One of my students, trying to remember this title, said, “I know it has something to do with Beyoncé!” But no, it refers to the original diva, Madonna, the mother of Christ. The phrase has been in the book from very early on – it’s what Jesse calls his apartment, which his art-professor father has wallpapered with postcards of Mary – but it wasn’t actually the title until I realized how much significance it holds. To me, the book is all about where we find home, and I think we’re all searching for our own lands of ten thousand Madonnas, for the places filled with our mothers, literal and figurative. We’re searching for the lands of the people who love us and take care of us, of people who rejoice with us and grieve at our sides – just as Mary is doing for Christ in every single representation of her in the past two thousand years of Western art.

Question: And speaking of the story, what a fascinating concept – sad, but beautiful and heart-warming, all at once. Where did the idea for the plot come from?
Answer: Thank you again! A lot of elements came together to form the plot, but the journey the characters take was inspired by my own travel during the summer of 2012. I was fortunate enough to spend about six weeks in Europe with, variously, a cousin, a few friends, and a sister. It was an amazing trip: we saw a massive amount of art, went on some jaw-dropping, thigh-quivering hikes, and ate our weight in gelato.

Question: There are some really important life lessons in The Land of 10,000 Madonnas. What’s the MOST important message you wanted to convey to your readers – the one thing you hope they take away with them after reading the book?
Answer: Given how much this book changed from conception to final product, I’m surprised to realize that my central goal stayed the same. I wanted to write a book about grief that was about the tawdry, tedious underside – not the shock of the first few days, not the black clothes and the crying, but about the way your world’s still shattered a year later, two years later, ten years later, and you have to wake up every morning and go into that shattered world and pretend that everything’s okay when it isn’t okay, when you’re starting to suspect that it will never be okay. I wanted to write about grief that’s never resolved because it springs from an event so fundamentally wrong that it shouldn’t be resolved. This probably sounds incredibly dire and depressing, but to me, I think, as a grieving teenager, it would have provided some hope. If I am sad for the rest of my life, his life meant something. It means something. I wanted to write about this paradox, which I fiercely believe: you will never stop grieving and you will feel joy. You will never lay eyes upon him again and he will always be at your side.

Question: This is your second book. How was the publishing process different the second time around? What lessons did you learn as a debut that helped make things easier?
Answer: I like how you assume it’s been easier.
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…
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Just kidding: it has been! The revision process was a lot tougher this time around, but I think that without my experience revising my debut, it’d have felt even worse (and that’s saying something). I’ve felt a good deal of anxiety with both books – for some reason I don’t worry about how they’ll do, but I absolutely dread feeling so publicly exposed – but it’s gotten more manageable. I’m trying to embrace the strange shift in control: when you’re writing, you’re the god of your book’s universe, but then suddenly it’s out in the world and doesn’t belong to you at all anymore.

Question: Craziest thing you’ve had to Google for a WIP?
Answer: “Best German karaoke songs.” This, as I’m sure you can imagine, led to an intense afternoon of YouTube research. It was one of those days when you think you’re a writer, and the person next to you in the coffeeshop thinks you’re a fool.

Question: According to your bio, you previously worked as a bookseller. What was it like being on that side of the publishing world, as compared to being a published author now?
Answer: I loved my bookseller job – for one, thanks to my intensely well-read colleagues, I always had a great TBR stack! And I think it’s thanks to my time in the bookstore that I now feel so grateful whenever someone reads one of my books. There are so many books out there, so many freaking wonderful books, and you’re choosing mine?! Like: you are the light of my life.

It’s also nice, though, to have a day job that has nothing to do with publishing. I’m teaching high school Latin now, and I adore every minute. I think I do my best writing (and personing) when I have a healthy mix of interests and priorities.

Question: Are you working on anything new?
Answer: Yes! I’ve spent some time lately returning to my roots as a Roald Dahl fanatic (when I got in trouble as a kid, my mom would confiscate his oeuvre as punishment), so I tried my hand at a ridiculous middle-grade novel. And now I’m working on a YA about a feminist firebrand. I hope they’ll both see readers someday!

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About the Author:

KATE HATTEMER graduated with a degree from Yale in Classics. She works as a bookseller in Cincinnati and is the author of The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy, which has received five starred reviews.

Website | Twitter | Instagram

Author Interview: Nightstruck by Jenna Black (Giveaway)

Apr4

Hey everyone! I’m really excited to have Jenna Black, author of Nightstruck (April 5, 2016 – Tor Teen) here for an interview! First, here’s more about the book:

The start of a paranormal horror series from Glimmerglass author Jenna Black.

The night is the enemy, and the city of Philadelphia is its deadliest weapon.

Becket is an ordinary teenage girl, wrestling with the upheaval of her parents’ divorce. Her biggest problems to date have been choosing which colleges to apply to, living up to her parents’ ambitious expectations of her, and fighting her secret crush on her best friend’s boyfriend. That all changes the night she tries to save an innocent life and everything goes horribly wrong.

Becket has been tricked into opening a door between worlds. As dark magic trickles into Philadelphia, strange creatures roam the streets and inanimate objects come to life, all of them bloodthirsty and terrifying. The city returns to normal when the sun rises each morning. The moment the sun sets, most citizens shut themselves in their houses and stay there no matter what they hear.

The magic is openly hostile to most mortals, but there are some it seems to covet, trying to lure them out into the night. While Becket struggles to protect her friends and family from predatory creatures of the night, she is constantly tempted to shrug off her responsibilities and join them.

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository
Kobo | IndieBound

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And now for the interview! Enjoy!

Question: Describe your book in ten words or less. Go!
Answer: The night has teeth. Literally. Stay inside!

Question: Now let’s talk about that plot – Epic doesn’t even begin to describe it! Where did you come up with the idea for Nightstruck?
Answer: I’ve played around with the idea of a setting that physically changes at night for years, the first iteration coming so many years ago that I don’t remember what triggered the idea. However, always before these changes had taken place in an imaginary world, and Nightstruck takes place in modern-day Philadelphia. I’ve been writing since I was a child, and sometimes I find that ideas I played with years or even decades ago are worth revisiting now that I have the skill set to tackle them.

Question: If you were in Becket’s shoes and stuck outside, would you survive the night?
Answer: Nope. I’m not a person who thinks particularly quickly or well during a time of crisis, and that would not bode well for me in the night version of Philadelphia.

Question: You’ve written a LOT of books! How do you continue coming up with such amazing ideas for new stories? How do you get through writer’s block and avoid burnout?
Answer: I come up with the ideas simply because that’s the way my mind works. I love thinking of “what if” scenarios, and those are the basis for my stories. I don’t really get anything I would describe as writer’s block (though I do sometimes get stuck on a plot point—usually how to get my protagonist out of the terrible jam I got her into). I do struggle with burnout sometimes. I love my job, but sometimes it’s very hard to be creative on command, and my energy starts to wane.

The best way to combat burnout is to have a life outside of your writing. I have quite a number of hobbies (ballroom dancing, golf, knitting, Zentangle drawing, to name a few), and those help a lot. Of course, when the burnout is particularly severe, those hobbies get awfully tempting … Really the only thing you can do is give yourself a break and hope to come back fresh.

Question: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in all your years of being a published author?
Answer: Dare to be bad! It’s amazing how much fear of being bad can stifle creativity. I think that’s why a lot of people who want to write don’t actually do it or don’t finish what they start. It’s like learning to ice skate—you’ll never be able to do it if you’re not willing to take a fall. Then get up again and fall again. In writing terms, that means being willing to take chances and to stretch yourself, even when that leaves you open to criticism.

Question: Favorite reader experience so far?
Answer: Meeting Patricia Briggs at the RT Booklovers Convention. She’s one of my all-time favorite authors, and I had never met her before. She was on a panel that I attended, and when it was over, I went up to the front to introduce myself. When I did, she told me she loved my books, and I had a big, embarrassing fangirl moment as I realized one of my favorite authors actually knew who I was. Even now, the memory makes me both smile and blush.

Question: Craziest thing you’ve had to Google for a work in progress?
Answer: I haven’t had to Google anything all that crazy (at least not so far). I am not a very good Google researcher—I tend to get frustrated if I don’t find what I’m looking for right away, and I’m usually trying to find something ridiculously specific. I do remember way back when I was writing my Morgan Kingsley adult urban fantasy series, I went pretty crazy trying to find out what you do with a Taser after you’ve fired it and are ready to put it away. I had no trouble finding plenty of info and videos and info about how to fire one, but no information on dealing with the aftermath. I mean, what was Morgan going to have to do to put the thing away after she’s fired it and there are wires coming out of it and attached to the bad guy? It seems like such a simple question, but (at least with my Google skills) it was really hard to find an answer.

Question: Biggest writing quirk?
Answer: I absolutely must do revisions on paper. If I have to write whole new scenes, I’ll probably do those on the computer, but when I’m making corrections or adding a few lines or paragraphs, I will handwrite them on the printed out manuscript. It means I always have to transcribe all that work later, which is always a pain, but it’s the only way I’m comfortable working.

Question: According to your Bio, you’ve done a LOT of different things, including ballroom dancing, traveling to all seven continents, and singing in a barbershop chorus – to name a few. How have these activities and adventures influenced your writing, if at all?
Answer: Little bits of my life’s adventures work their way into my stories, sometimes in obvious ways, sometimes not so obvious. For example, in the Faeriewalker series, my sixteen-year-old heroine, Dana, travels to London and is supposed to be met at the airport by someone her father is sending to pick her up. When she gets off the plane, there’s no one there to meet her. I knew exactly what she felt like, because at that age, I made a trip to Africa (Zaire, Rwanda, and Kenya), and at one point along the way—in Rwanda—my mother was supposed to meet my plane and didn’t show up. (I tell this story of my first travel unaccompanied by an adult on my website, here.

Question: Are you working on anything new?
Answer: I’m currently working on the revisions to the second book of the NIGHTSTRUCK series, which doesn’t have an official title yet. I’ve also just finished reading the proofs (all 1,000+ pages) of the Nikki Glass omnibus edition, DESCENDANT, which is coming out on June 28.

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And now for the giveaway! One lucky winner (US only) will win a copy of Nightstruck!

-Giveaway is US only

-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-Neither I nor the publisher are responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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About the Author:

Jenna Black is your typical writer. Which means she’s an “experience junkie.” She got her BA in physical anthropology and French from Duke University.

Once upon a time, she dreamed she would be the next Jane Goodall, camping in the bush making fabulous discoveries about primate behavior. Then, during her senior year at Duke, she did some actual research in the field and made this shocking discovery: primates spend something like 80% of their time doing such exciting things as sleeping and eating.

Concluding that this discovery was her life’s work in the field of primatology, she then moved on to such varied pastimes as grooming dogs and writing technical documentation. Among her other experiences…

-Ballroom dancing.
-Traveling all seven continents. Yes, even Antarctica.
-Becoming a Life Master in Bridge.
-Singing in a barbershop chorus.

Read the true story of Jenna’s first trip out of the country by herself at the age of 16: Jenna’s Zaire Adventure. And remember, insanity is a good thing for a writer.

She’s also a proud member of the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, and would love for her readers to support her fellow authors!

Jenna is represented by Miriam Kriss, of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr

Blog Tour: A Drop of Night by Stefan Bachmann (Interview + Giveaway)

Mar21

Hey everyone! I’m really excited to be on the blog tour for A Drop of Night by Stefan Bachmann (March 15, 2016 – Greenwillow Books) and to have Stefan here for an interview! First, here’s more about the book:

Seventeen-year-old Anouk has finally caught the break she’s been looking for—she’s been selected out of hundreds of other candidates to fly to France and help with the excavation of a vast, underground palace buried a hundred feet below the suburbs of Paris. Built in the 1780’s to hide an aristocratic family and a mad duke during the French Revolution, the palace has lain hidden and forgotten ever since. Anouk, along with several other gifted teenagers, will be the first to set foot in it in over two centuries.

Or so she thought.

But nothing is as it seems, and the teens soon find themselves embroiled in a game far more sinister, and dangerous, than they could possibly have imagined. An evil spanning centuries is waiting for them in the depths. . .

A genre-bending thriller from Stefan Bachmann for fans of The Maze Runner and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods.

You cannot escape the palace.

You cannot guess its secrets.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Indiebound | iBooks | The Book Depository

And now here’s the interview! Enjoy!

Question: Congratulations on the release of A Drop of Night! What have you been doing the last few weeks to prepare for your book birthday?
Answer: Thank you! ☺ I’ve haven’t really had time to freak out about the book release. I’ve mostly been tweeting and/or stuck in class. On ADoN’s book birthday I’m going to be sitting in orchestra rehearsal until 10PM. I’m super excited, just kind of in a low-key way at the moment.

Question: A Drop of Night was AMAZING! What inspired the story?
Answer: Aw, thanks a ton! I’m so happy you liked it. It was inspired by a dream about a group of teenagers running down a baroque, gilded corridor and suddenly being confronted by . . . something dreadful. That exact scene isn’t in the book anymore, at least not the way it was originally written, but it was the jumping-off point. Another thing that I think inspired it was that Zürich, where I live, and Paris/France, where the book is set, has an odd mixture of the sleek and expensive, and the old-fashioned and history-steeped, which I find fascinating and which is kind of the aesthetic of this book.

Question: That cover is epic! Did you have any say in the concept? Do you feel it represents the story well?
Answer: I love the cover, glad you like it, too! I sent my editor some pictures of things I liked, and color schemes I thought would look cool, and the designer incorporated them. Writers usually don’t have a ton of say in book covers, which is good, because writers usually aren’t very savvy graphic designers. But I did get to give my two cents, and they used it, and that was nice.

Also, yes, I think it represents the story really well. My stories are usually a bit dark, both middle grade and YA, but my earlier ones got fairly jolly covers (which I love, too) and I got some emails from parents who were expecting correspondingly jolly books. A Drop of Night got an actually dark cover, so: goals achieved.

Question: You’ve stated on Twitter that the ARC is very different from the final book. Can you share what, exactly, changed (without spoilers)? Were any scenes cut that you really wanted to keep? Should the ARC readers re-read the book when it releases?
Answer: I cut a chapter, and pared down several scenes, and added clarification throughout for where early readers had questions. So, in essence, the book is thirty pages shorter now and a bit clearer. For me that feels huge, but I have no clue how it will impact different readers. I think if you liked the ARC, the finished book is smoother and more enjoyable. If you hated the mean main character and got hung up on the science behind the book, the changes won’t do anything to change that. Anouk is still blunt and prickly and the science is still dubious at best. ☺

Also, I love deleting extraneous things. I think it almost always makes a book better, the fewer words it has, so I don’t regret any of the cuts made. At least not right now.

Question: If you were dropped into the underground palace, would you fare as well as your characters? Would you make it out alive?
Answer: Do my characters fare well, though? xD I’d probably do as well as some of them, and worse than others. But let’s be real, I’d probably just be Hayden on page 104, because sleeping is everything to me right now.

Question: What books would you recommend to a reader who loved A Drop of Night, and wants to read something similar?
Answer: Hmm . . . ADoN is a bit of a weird amalgamation of genres, so content-wise I’m not sure what’s similar to it. Maybe More Than This by Patrick Ness?

Question: Craziest thing you’ve had to Google for a work in progress?
Answer: I don’t know if this is the craziest, but for A Drop of Night, I Googled: “How does it feel to lose a finger” The answer is “not great.”

Question: According to your bio, you “live in a 150-year-old house outside of Zürich, that may at some point collapse” on you. How do these things—living in an old house and living abroad—influence your writing, if at all?
Answer: So, just to explain the “house collapsing” bit: when we were kids, we moved from the US—land of the new houses—to Switzerland—land of the sometimes 15th century houses—and since we were really young, my siblings and I were always *slightly* worried the third-story bathtub would break through the floor if we filled it, or we would fall through ourselves if we stomped too hard. The house is actually great and very hardy, but we still joke about this when we’re there.

Also, yes! I think living abroad influenced me a lot, as a writer and as a person. I don’t think you realize it as a kid, but growing up between two cultures and continents is a big deal and it can be really challenging. For me the positives far out-weigh the negatives, though. One of the best things about it is that you get a perspective on both countries that I think you wouldn’t have, had you been in the thick of just one country your whole life. I think it’s that feeling of looking in on something you’re not 100% a part of, be it language or customs or unwritten rules, and questioning them or wondering about them or just noticing them, and I think that’s a really valuable thing for a writer to experience.

Question: Are you working on anything new?
Answer: I am! I just sent my next manuscript to my editor. It’s middle grade again—A Drop of Night was my first foray into YA—and I loved writing it. It’s inspired by Jules Verne and is about monsters who emigrated from the Moon in airships, and a band of kids with strange powers who live in the sewers of an Italian Renaissance–like city.

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And now for the giveaway! We have 3 Finished Copies of A DROP OF NIGHT (US Only) up for grabs! To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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About the Author:

Stefan Bachmann was born in Colorado and spent of most of his childhood in Switzerland, where he’s now a student of music at the Zürich University of Arts.

His debut, gothic-faery-fantasy THE PECULIAR, was a New York Times Editor’s Choice and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2012, and was translated into eight languages. Its companion, THE WHATNOT, was released on September 24th, 2013.

THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES: 36 TALES BRIEF AND SINISTER, a collection of scary stories he wrote together with authors Emma Trevayne, Claire Legrand and Katherine Catmull, was released May 27th, 2014, from Greenwillow/HarperCollins.

His next book, YA thriller A DROP OF NIGHT, about a group of American teens fighting to survive after they become trapped in an underground Versailles, will be out March 15th, 2016, also from Greenwillow/HarperCollins.

Website | Twitter

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Tour Schedule:

Week 1:
3/14: Emily Reads Everything – Review
3/15: He Said Books Or Me – Guest Post
3/16: Lilybloombooks – Review
3/17: Brittany’s Book Rambles – Q&A
3/18: Kissin’ Blue Karen – Review

Week 2:
3/21: Pandora’s Books – Q&A
3/22: Books In Her Heads – Review
3/23: Part Time Book Nerd – Top 10
3/24: Lisa Loves Literature – Review
3/25: My Bookish Itinerary – Guest Post

Author Interview: A Raven’s Touch by Linda Bloodworth (Giveaway)

Feb13

Hey everyone! I’m really excited to have Linda Bloodworth, author of A Raven’s Touch (January 4, 2016 by Pronoun) here for an interview! First, here’s more about the book:

Bullied through high school, seventeen-year-old Justice St. Michaels is grateful for the help of her best friend Moira O’Fhey. Their only wish is to graduate high school, leave the sleepy town of Fallingbrook and all that happened behind them. The Heavens have other plans. Between growths on her back and being involved in explosive school fights, nothing seems to make sense. When an unexpected encounter with Darien Raventhorn causes worlds to collide it exposes the truth about Justice’s real identity. To avenge a family death, Justice must embrace her birthright, and slay a demon before all Hell breaks loose.

Goodreads | Amazon

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And now for the interview! Enjoy!

Question: Congratulations on the release of A Raven’s Touch! Your book has been out in the world for over a month now. What’s the response been like?
Answer: Thank you! It’s been a lot of fun, that’s for sure. I’ve met so many new people I don’t know if I’d have met otherwise. Having built a fan base before I released really helped and then reading the 5-star reviews after has put me on cloud 9. I have to reel myself back in sometimes. Overall, it’s been fantastic, a real dream come true.

Question: A Raven’s Touch sounds amazing! What inspired the plot?
Answer: I had a dream and the name of the book came to me. From there I just let the story take me on a journey and that’s how it came to be.

Question: What books/movies/TV shows did you enjoy when you were younger? In what ways did those books/movies/TV shows inspire your writing style?
Answer: I absolutely loved watching X-Files. There’s something about the bizarre and strange that spoke to me. I have a character that is a combination of David Duchovny and Matt Smith’s Doctor Who character. I identified with X-Men because who doesn’t feel like a freak at some point in their life. Also, Sailor Moon really dominated my early teenage years. My main character, Justice, has some extraordinary powers and she also has the bravery of the sailor scouts. I figured, why not combine all the things I love? Twin Peaks really influenced me during the first time I wrote my novel when I was 14-18. Now, in my 30s, I’ve re-written it from an adult perspective and that in itself is rather different.

Question: According to your website, A Raven’s Touch features a half angel, a witch, a vampire, elves and a dragon! If you could be ONE of these supernatural creatures, which would it be and why?
Answer: Oh, that’s a good question! I’d have to say a half angel. It’s the best of both worlds. You don’t have to kill anyone to survive, you have awesome powers, and you get to be chummy with the big man upstairs. Sounds like a win-win to me.

Question: You’re self-published. Can you tell me more about that? When did you make the decision to self-publish? What has the road to publication been like for you?
Answer: I knew when I started writing that I’d self-publish. From speaking with a few friends who are with a publishing house, I’ve heard they don’t get to decide their covers, or agree with their edits, and have to do a lot of the promotion themselves. That is something I can’t tolerate. Why would I let someone take a huge percentage just to have me do the work? No thanks. I’m not afraid of a little hard work.

Question: Do you see yourself breaking out of YA Paranormal/Fantasy for future WIPs? Or is it your preferred genre?
Answer: For now, it’s what I am writing just because that’s how the stories come to me, but I can see myself writing a horror novel. If I look deep enough there might be a contemporary story in me. I may have to squint.

Question: Craziest thing you’ve had to Google for a WIP?
Answer: I honestly hope the FBI doesn’t come knocking on my door because I’ve had to search a few weird things indeed. The worst one was how long does a human body decompose after being dissolved. Yeah, I can imagine that wouldn’t go over too well. Other runners up: how to defend against an attack, how to stop a throat wound, and police radio codes.

Question: According to Goodreads, A Raven’s Touch is book one in the A Raven Wing series! Are you working on the next book? When can readers expect it out? Any idea how many books – total – will be in the series?
Answer: I am working on the sequel to A Raven’s Touch and I am thinking it will take me at least two years minimum. The revision/editing process is not the easiest and I know this time to leave a long period of time for that alone. Probably the story will be a trilogy, but I’m going to leave that open because I left many avenues open for Justice and her friends to explore even after they complete their first adventure.

Question: Are you working on anything new (aside from book two of A Raven’s Wing)?
Answer: Just keeping my sanity. One book is all I can handle at a time. ;)

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And now for the giveaway! Thanks to Linda, two winners will receive an eBook copy of A Raven’s Touch!

Rules: Giveaway is International as long as you can accept the eBook copy from Amazon or in ePub or PDF format. Once emailed, the winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email to claim their prize. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be selected. Must be 13 or older OR have parental permission to enter! Neither I nor the author/publicist/publisher are responsible for lost, stolen or damaged prizes/items

To enter, leave a comment on this post, answering this question: A Raven’s Touch features a half angel, a witch, a vampire, elves and a dragon! If you could be ONE of these supernatural creatures, which would it be and why? Along with your comment, please leave your email address and/or Twitter handle so I have a way to contact you if you win! Giveaway ends February 29, 2016 at 11pm EST!

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Linda Bloodworth loves chips, like really, ketchup to be exact. Ketchup chips are only found in Canada. Lucky for Linda she lives in Toronto with her husband and three fur babies. In between writing, debating for hours about the Oxford comma, and the misunderstood semi colon, Linda enjoys camping and getting away from the city on day trips.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Author Interview: Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell (Giveaway)

Feb11

Hey everyone! I’m really excited to have Lisa Maxwell, author of Unhooked (February 2, 2016, Simon Pulse) here for an interview! I LOVE retellings, so I’m VERY excited for Unhooked and thrilled to have Lisa here today! First, here’s more about the book:

For as long as she can remember, Gwendolyn Allister has never had a place to call home—all because her mother believes that monsters are hunting them. Now these delusions have brought them to London, far from the life Gwen had finally started to build for herself. The only saving grace is her best friend, Olivia, who’s coming with them for the summer.

But when Gwen and Olivia are kidnapped by shadowy creatures and taken to a world of flesh-eating sea hags and dangerous Fey, Gwen realizes her mom might have been sane all along.

The world Gwen finds herself in is called Neverland, yet it’s nothing like the stories. Here, good and evil lose their meaning and memories slip like water through her fingers. As Gwen struggles to remember where she came from and find a way home, she must choose between trusting the charming fairy-tale hero who says all the right things and the roguish young pirate who promises to keep her safe.

With time running out and her enemies closing in, Gwen is forced to face the truths she’s been hiding from all along. But will she be able to save Neverland without losing herself?

Goodreads | Amazon
IndieBound | The Book Depository

And now for the interview! Enjoy!!

Question: Congratulations! Unhooked just published! What have the last few weeks been like for you? And going forward, what do you have on your schedule?
Answer: The last few weeks have been absolutely intense. I had a deadline for my 2017 book that was due Jan. 19th, so I had barely two weeks to shift from writing mode to book launch mode. Going forward, I’ll be working on the edits for the 2017 book, and hopefully writing more!

Question: Unhooked sounds AMAZING! How did the idea for it come about?
Answer: The short answer is that I wanted to write a pirate book, but I didn’t want to write a historical. Once I thought about rehashing Hook, to make him younger and more appealing, the rest came out of research.

Question: There have been a lot of Peter Pan retellings recently. What makes Unhooked stand out?
Answer: I think retellings in general have been pretty popular lately. Mine takes a different twist on the story, but it’s hard to explain what that is without giving away the end. But I tried to go back to the source material as much as possible, because I wanted to revive the darkness in the original book.

Question: On a similar note, why do you think Peter Pan retellings have been so popular recently?
Answer: I think as kids, the idea of going off to Neverland and running amok has a certain appeal. I think as an older teen and even as an adult it also has that same appeal—to leave reality behind and live in a fantasy world.

Question: Did you do a lot of research for Unhooked? If so, what was the weirdest/craziest/most intriguing thing you had to Google and/or learned?
Answer: I didn’t do as much for UNHOOKED as I’ve done for my other books. I read the original Peter and Wendy, and I did a lot of research about JM Barrie and the Llewelyn Davies boys when I was trying to figure out which angle I was going to take on the story. I did some reading on Fairy mythology, especially Celtic myths about the Fey. And I did some research on World War I battles, because I needed to find one where troops got caught in a crossfire.

Question: Unhooked is your third published novel. Is the publishing process easier, now that you know what to expect? Or harder?
Answer: Oh, that’s a good question. I think it’s just different. When you get your first deal everything is a combination of shiny and happy and terrifying. But once that book’s out and you have to start worrying about if you’ll ever have another book, I feel like maybe there’s more pressure.

Question: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned since signing with your agent?
Answer: A good agent—one who is a real partner and loves your work—is worth her weight in gold.

Question: Best reader experience you’ve had?
Answer: I think UNHOOKED is the first book where I’ve gotten actual reader mail telling me how much they loved the story. That has been really fun.

Question: Have you had any moments where you met an author and, despite being a published author yourself now, still fangirled over him/her?
Answer: Oh goodness, yes. There was that one time when I was meeting a bunch of the 2014 debut group in New Orleans and Natalie Parker had brought her partner, which I wasn’t expecting, and I was like, “Oh, my god. You’re Tessa Gratton!” and she just kind of smiled politely, like… duh. But she was lovely. After that, I’ve been better at not making a total idiot of myself. For instance, when I met Maggie Stiefvater, I did not lick her car. So that’s a win, I think.

Question: Are you working on anything new? Can you share some details?
Answer: I am!! The book I just finished a first, very rough draft of should be my 2017 release. I pitched it as Gangs of New York with magic. Also with time travel and magicians who wear guy liner, and…I’m kind of excited about it:

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And now for the giveway! One winner will receive some epic Unhooked swag!!

Rules: Giveaway is International. Once emailed, the winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email to claim their prize. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be selected. Must be 13 or older OR have parental permission to enter! Neither I nor the author/publicist/publisher are responsible for lost, stolen or damaged prizes/items

To enter, leave a comment on this post, telling me why you’re excited to read Unhooked/Why you enjoy retellings (Peter Pan or otherwise). Along with your comment, please leave your email address and/or Twitter handle so I have a way to contact you if you win! Giveaway ends February 29, 2016 at 11pm EST!

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About the author

Lisa Maxwell is the author of Sweet Unrest, Gathering Deep, and Unhooked (Simon Pulse, 2-2-16). When she’s not writing books, she’s an English professor at a local college. She lives near DC with her very patient husband and two not-so patient boys.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

2015 Debut Authors Bash: Heather W. Petty (Interview + Giveaway)

Dec12

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the 2015 Debut Authors Bash! I’m so excited to be hosting Heather W. Petty, author of Lock & Mori (September 15, 2015, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers). Today, I’m pleased to share with you an interview with Heather, as well as an epic giveaway! First, here’s the epic cover and synopsis:

In modern-day London, two brilliant high school students—one Sherlock Holmes and a Miss James “Mori” Moriarty—meet. A murder will bring them together. The truth very well might drive them apart.

Before they were mortal enemies, they were much more…

FACT: Someone has been murdered in London’s Regent’s Park. The police have no leads.

FACT: Miss James “Mori” Moriarty and Sherlock “Lock” Holmes should be hitting the books on a school night. Instead, they are out crashing a crime scene.

FACT: Lock has challenged Mori to solve the case before he does. Challenge accepted.

FACT: Despite agreeing to Lock’s one rule—they must share every clue with each other—Mori is keeping secrets.

OBSERVATION: Sometimes you can’t trust the people closest to you with matters of the heart. And after this case, Mori may never trust Lock again.

Goodreads | Amazon | IndieBound

And now here’s the interview! Enjoy!

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Question: Lock & Mori is a YA Sherlock Holmes retelling! Where did the idea come from? Why Sherlock Holmes?
Answer: I was reading an article about nemeses relationships that mentioned Sherlock is the only person in the canon to ever actually meet Moriarty. We only know what Sherlock told Watson about Moriarty. So I thought, what if he lied? What if Sherlock knew Moriarty from when they were in high school? What if something happened in high school turned them into enemies? And the book ideas kind of spun out from there.

Question: Imagine you’re speaking to someone who hasn’t heard a single thing about your book. Without using the phrase or words “YA Sherlock Holmes retelling,” how would you describe your Lock & Mori to them?
Answer: It’s the origin story of a criminal mastermind, whose high school relationship with her future nemesis set her on the path to what she would become.

Question: Did you do a lot of research prior to writing Lock & Mori? If so, what was the most interesting thing you learned?
Answer: Definitely. And I think the most interesting research was learning more about the way the English legal system works and how it differs from ours. But, then, I really love to study law, so I may have just been geeking out a bit.

Question: Biggest difference (editorial, character, etc) between your first draft and the final first edition of the book?
Answer: Well it definitely got better! Nothing major got added or taken away, but my editor definitely helped me to make the book much stronger. I learned a lot for sure!

Question: According to your bio, you’ve been obsessed with mysteries since you were twelve. What’s your favorite mystery book? Favorite mystery author?
Answer: Agatha Christie was my first and will probably always be my favorite mystery author. (Even though she totally cheats.) And MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS will probably always be my favorite, although I love the Tommy & Tuppence books so much, it’s hard not to pick one of theirs. MOTOE, though, blew my little 12-year-old mind back when I read it. It was the book that made me obsess over mysteries for the rest of my life.

Question: Craziest thing you’ve had to Google for a work in progress?
Answer: I once Googled abandoned buildings in East London, how to delay-start a fire, and how alcoholism affects decomposition of a corpse in the same night. I’m pretty sure I made it onto some kind of watch list with all of that.

Question: Name one book you read within the last six months and STILL can’t stop thinking about.
Answer: My most recent would be MOSQUITOLAND by David Arnold. That book completely opened, broke, and revived my heart in ways I never expected. I literally had to be consoled by a flight attendant while reading the end. He got very confused when I was smile-crying at my iPad and then hugging it. (It’s possible I should never fly Southwest again.)

Question: Favorite part of the publishing process so far?
Answer: Definitely the people. Beyond all of the amazing people I’ve gotten to meet through my literary agency and publisher, meeting other authors is so very cool. Honestly, going to some of the events/shows/festivals and hanging out with brilliant and hilarious authors for a weekend is like my utopia. It’s really hard to say goodbye.

Question: Lock & Mori is going to be a trilogy! Can you share any news? Are you editing book two? Writing book three?
Answer: I am currently editing book 2 and starting to write book 3. I’m super excited about what happens next!

Question: Aside from the Lock & Mori sequels, are you working on anything new?
Answer: I am! But I can’t tell you about it yet. (And I want to talk about it SO VERY MUCH.) Fingers crossed I’ll be able to make an announcement about it someday soon. :)

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Heather has been obsessed with mysteries since she was twelve, which is when she decided that stories about murders in London drawing rooms and English seaside villages were far superior to all other stories. Lock & Mori is her first novel. She lives in Reno, Nevada with her husband, daughter, and four hopelessly devious cats.

Website
Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr

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Finally, thanks to the lovely Heather, we have an AMAZING giveaway for you guys! One lucky winner will receive a copy of Lock & Mori, plus an awesome swag pack! One winner, US & CAN only!

So, the rules:

-Giveaway is US & CANADA Only

-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

*The above giveaway rules were borrowed and modified from Jessica @ Just a Book Lover.

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Spotlight: Drowning Is Inevitable by Shalanda Stanley (Interview)

Oct2

Hey everyone! I’m really excited to have Shalanda Stanley, author of Drowning Is Inevitable (September 8th 2015, Knopf Books for Young Readers), here for an interview. First, here’s more about the book:

Olivia has spent her whole life struggling to escape her dead mother’s shadow. But when her father can’t even look at her because Olivia reminds him of her mother, and her grandmother mistakenly calls her “Lillian,” shaking a reputation she didn’t ask for is next to impossible. Olivia is used to leaning on her best friend, Jamie; her handsome but hot-tempered boyfriend, Max; and their wild-child friend, Maggie, for the reality check that her small Louisiana town can’t provide. But when a terrible fight between Jamie and his father turns deadly, all Olivia can think to do is grab her friends and run.

In a flash, Olivia, Jamie, Max, and Maggie become fugitives on the back roads of Louisiana. They’re headed to New Orleans, where they hope to find a solution to an unfixable problem. But with their faces displayed on all the news stations, their journey becomes a harrowing game of hide-and-seek from the police—and so-called allies, who just might be the real enemy.

Shalanda Stanley’s breathtaking debut novel explores the deep ties between legacy, loyalty, and love, even as it asks the question: How far would you go to save a friend?

Goodreads | Amazon | Kobo

And now here’s the interview! Enjoy!

Question: Congratulations! Your debut novel, Drowning is Inevitable, will be out in the world soon! What have you been doing the last few weeks/months to prepare for release?
Answer: I’ve been eating a lot. And having weird dreams where only three people come to the launch party and one of them is Randy Travis. I’ve also been doing a lot of author talks and blog interviews. School visits have been my favorite promotional activity.

Question: Drowning is Inevitable touches on several sensitive topics, such as suicide and what it means for those left behind – as well as the topics of family, friendship and loyalty. What inspired you to write about these things? What do you hope your readers will take away from it?
Answer: My own grief inspired me to write about the heavy topics in Drowning is Inevitable. I lost my brother to a car accident ten years ago and for a very long time I didn’t know how to find a new normal. When someone you love dies, the love doesn’t. The hardest part for me, in moving forward, was finding a place to put that love that only belonged to him. While I didn’t lose him to suicide, I did lose him and myself for a while. We were very close. Being left behind is hard. There’s a hole there. This book helped me explore those feelings and put words to it.

The biggest take away I want for readers is that the emotions and topics in the book feel real. I want the reader to be left feeling loved and gutted and ultimately hopeful for the main character, Olivia.

Question: Craziest thing you had to Google while writing/researching for this book?
Answer: I had to Google cases of Patricide and lots of things related to Louisiana law. Olivia and her best friend Jamie are involved in the death of Jamie’s father and this is the catalyst that sends them on the run. Louisiana is still under Napoleonic Law, which means things are a little different down here. (Okay, a lot different.) Our laws are very lenient in some regards, but not when it comes to death. If you’re going to kill someone, don’t do it in Louisiana. The conviction rate is extremely high, and even a second degree murder conviction carries a life sentence. In Louisiana, a life sentence is not twenty-five years, but the rest of your life. We have a lot of old, dying men in our state prison.

Question: Any fun plans for release day? What do you think you’ll do the first time you see your book in stores?
Answer: My launch party was on my release day (Thank goodness more than three people came and none of them were Randy Travis), so I spent the day mentally preparing for the big event. This entailed eating cupcakes and trying to write a speech, but that made me more nervous, so ultimately I winged it. The party was amazing. Debuting in a small town is such a great experience, because the entire community came out to support me. It was a cup runneth over experience for me

The first time I saw my book in a bookstore, I did a little dance, and there might’ve been some squeeing. Also, my friends have been great in sending me pics of the book at their bookstores. I dance and squee when I see those, too.

Question: Are you working on anything new?
Answer: I am! I’m working on new novel that’s Romeo and Juliet meets Bonnie and Clyde. It’s tentatively titled, It Didn’t Have To End This Way and I’m having so much fun writing it

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About the Author:

Shalanda Stanley grew up in Louisiana and earned her BA in creative writing at Florida State University. She has an MEd in special education from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and a PhD from LSU in curriculum and instruction, with a focus in reading and literacy education. She’s an assistant professor at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, where she also lives with her family.

She is represented by literary agent, Kate Mckean at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.

Website | Twitter

Blog Tour: The Detour by S.A. Bodeen (Interview)

Sep30

Hey everyone! I’m really excited to be on the blog tour for The Detour by S.A. Bodeen (October 6th 2015, Feiwel & Friends) and to have Stephanie here for an interview! First, here’s more about the book:

On her way to a writer’s conference, a bestselling teenage author takes a detour that has been deliberately set up by her biggest fans—a mother and daughter who kidnap her.

Livvy Flynn is a big deal—she’s a New York Times-bestselling author whose YA fiction has sold all over the world. She’s rich, she’s famous, she’s gorgeous, and she’s full of herself.

When she’s invited to an A-list writer’s conference, she decides to accept so she can have some time to herself. She’s on a tight deadline for her next book, and she has no intention of socializing with the other industry people at the conference.

And then she hits the detour. Before she knows it, her brand new car is wrecked, she’s hurt, and she’s tied to a bed in a nondescript shack in the middle of nowhere. A woman and her apparently manic daughter have kidnapped her. And they have no intention of letting her go.

Goodreads | Amazon
Book Depository | IndieBound | Kobo

And now for the interview! Enjoy!

Question: Congratulations! The Detour will be out in the world soon! How does it feel?
Answer: Thank you! Like with every book, it feels a little surreal. And terrifying. But mostly, I’m just happy because it means the book is done and I don’t have to work on it any more.

Question: The Detour sounds creeptastic! Where did the idea for the story come from?
Answer: The initial inspiration struck when we dropped my youngest off at college in Eugene and were driving home on a two-lane highway lined by trees and houses. We passed a girl, standing on a log, playing a flute. For several months, I walked around with that image in my mind before I figured out how to use that in a story…

Question: Your main character is a bestselling teenage author. As an author yourself, did you find it easier or harder to create this character and this world?
Answer: Livvy had a much easier road, publishing-wise, than I did. It was a bit of a fantasy for me to write that part of it, how she got the huge deal and tour, etc. She experienced some things as an author that I still only dream about, so that part was fun to imagine.

Question: Can you discuss the similarities and differences from this book to your others?
Answer: Like so many of my others, this one has a twist or two, which I won’t reveal here. And this one definitely has some unhinged characters, like some of my others. Differences? This one is much more contemporary, in terms of dealing with social networking and the dangers there. My other books were a bit more isolated, and didn’t deal with modern realities so much.

Question: In The Detour, Livvy is dealing with a manic mother and daughter. Have you ever had any crazy reader experiences?
Answer: I was in a town, doing a keynote event at a young reader festival. A retired professor on the committee was tasked with driving me to the after party and took a very circuitous route, shall we say. We ended up back at his house, where his wife was fairly surprised to have an unannounced guest, and it was quite awkward. I was very glad when we finally arrived at the party.

Question: If you were placed in Livvy’s position, what would you do? How would you escape?
Answer: I don’t even like to think about it. Let’s just say that I try not to take road trips on my own.

Question: Craziest thing you’ve had to Google for a WIP?
Answer: It’s in a future book, so I don’t want to say :)

Question: Are you working on anything new?
Answer: Yes, another YA thriller, more middle grade adventures, and even a YA contemporary or two…

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About the Author:

S.A. Bodeen grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. She graduated from UW-River Falls with a degree in Secondary Ed., then joined the Peace Corps with her husband and went to Tanzania, East Africa. Her first picture book, Elizabeti’s Doll (written as Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen) was published in 1998, followed by six other picture books.Her first YA novel written as S.A. Bodeen, the award-winning The Compound, came out from Feiwel and Friends in 2008. The novel count is up to five, with two more releasing in 2015. She has lived in eight states, two African countries, and an insular possession. Currently, she lives in the Midwest with her husband and two daughters.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Blog Tour: The Girl at the Center of the World by Austin Aslan (Interview)

Sep18

Hey everyone! I’m really excited to have Austin Aslan , author of The Girl at the Center of the World (August 4th 2015, Wendy Lamb Books), here for an interview. First, here’s more about the book:

As sixteen-year-old Leilani and her family learn to live without electronics, farming the land as her ancestors did, she finds strength in her relatives, her friendships, and her strange connection to the Emerald Orchid–the force whose presence caused global devastation–but suffers regret over what she must do to survive.

An exciting and satisfying sequel that continues the thrilling ideas and adventure of THE ISLANDS AT THE END OF THE WORLD.

Native Hawaiian mythology and history is beautifully intertwined in the story.

An eco-thriller by an expert: great choice for dystopian fans who want a new spin. The author has a masters in tropical conservation biology from the University of Hawaii-Hilo.

Goodreads | Amazon | Kobo

And now here’s the interview! Enjoy!

Question: Congratulations! The Girl at the Center of the World released a little over a month ago! What has the response been like?
Answer: Thank you! I’ve been very pleased with reader reaction to the second book in the ISLANDS series. A number of folks genuinely like Book Two even more than they enjoyed Book One. I’m flattered that so many readers are caught up in the series. Two things I keep hearing over and over that thrill me to no end are that readers love my main character, Leilani, and deeply appreciate the strong bond she shares with her family. Boom. Mic drop. Mission accomplished. This past month has been a very wild and satisfying ride!

Question: The Islands at the End of the World was your debut novel. How was the process of writing the sequel similar? How was it different?
Answer: You’d think one of the most significant differences between a debut novel and its sequel would be the fact that one of them was written before knowing the book would ever get published and the other was written as a contractual obligation. But I’ve found that this hasn’t impacted my writing landscape at all. The process for each book remained largely the same. Both novels were extremely fun and satisfying to write, and somehow I was able to sit down with The Girl at the Center of the World and focus on Leilani and her story rather than pesky peripheral things like deadlines and industry reviews and Goodreads noise, etc.

Question: The concept for this series is absolutely fascinating! Where did the idea for the plot come from?
Answer: I lived in Hilo (pronounced HEE-lo), on the Big Island, when I was getting my masters degree in Tropical Conservation Biology. My field sites were high up on the forested slopes of Mauna Loa Volcano. I was coming home from a rainy day of doing pollination experiments with rare Hawaiian flowers and I drove down through the clouds and suddenly had a great, clear view of the ocean surrounding the island. I was struck by how alone and isolated the Hawaiian Islands were (this is something that people in Hawaii think about frequently, and it wasn’t a new thought for me, either).

At that time, I happened to be thinking about a haunting post-apocalyptic book by Cormac McCarthy called The Road. The idea popped into my head that it would be really interesting to set a post-apocalyptic story on the isolated Hawaiian Islands, and the story and characters just started flowing out of me like lava! I thought to myself, Everybody know what happens at the end of the world in New York and LA, but what would a global disaster mean for Islanders? 95% of Hawaii’s food is imported every day. The islands are home to 1.5 million people. If things got tough there, where would all those people go? There are no mountain ranges or Great Plains to escape to. Everyone is stuck. Hungry. No way to escape. When I arrived home at the end of my drive, I started writing the book immediately, that night, and I had my first draft finished 83 days later—all while going to class and doing field work for my degree!

Question: What do you hope readers take away/learn from reading your books?
Answer: Well, first and foremost, I aim to entertain and provide readers with an exciting story and memorable characters. But writing for me goes deeper than that. I do hope to leave my readers with some food for thought, and ultimately my dream goal is for this series to inform conversations among Islanders and community leaders and everyone everywhere about how we should treat and care for ourselves long term. My masters program and my background in science helped me immensely in the writing of the series, mostly in terms of identifying the powerful themes of interdependency and sustainability, which undergird the entire story. We live in a fragile world, and the way that we plan for our future will have consequential impacts.

After writing the novel, I begin to hear a new phrase bandied about: “Cli-Fi.” Climate fiction. The ISLANDS series has often been lumped into this category. Climate and weather and global warming and climate change have nothing to do with this story. However, at its heart, my series is a cautionary tale about human hubris and too much reliance on technology and globalization to make our world work, and it begs for a new vision for a Hawai`i that is much more self-sustaining and locally-operated than it currently is.

But it’s worth repeating: this is a story about a girl struggling to define herself in a crazy, messed up world, and to the extent that I’m able to touch readers on that level alone, I’ve succeeded.

Question: Craziest thing you’ve had to Google for one or both of these books?
Answer: This is a super fun question. I imagine it comes out of having many conversations with authors who worry that the NSA has taken an interest in their Internet search patterns! It’s amazing and hilarious to think about how crazy book research can get! Wouldn’t it be funny if government secret agents have flagged my Google results for research related to these books? (Hi, Uncle Sam!) I’ve done extensive research on how nuclear power plants operate, and more concerning, mapped out the location of each nuclear power plant throughout the U.S. and around the world! I’ve never been to the Marine Corps Base on O’ahu, but thanks to Google Earth, I’ve been able to explore it with enough resolution to write about it with plausible expertise. Combine those searches! Am I on a government watchlist now? Probably not. I’m not remotely paranoid in that way. Nor am I important enough or interesting enough to actually garner that kind of attention. But it’s fun to speculate, yeah? The NSA has probably been less concerned with my inquiries about the native Hawaiian names for exotic fruits and fish.

Question: According to your bio, you’ve done a LOT of amazing things – You were in two movies, you were in the Peace Corps, you were an EMT and a campaign manager, and you’ve traveled the world, from Arizona to Hawaii and Honduras, to name a few. How have all these things shaped your life? How have they affected your writing and the stories you want to tell?
Answer: Setting is put forth as an important character in all of my novels. I’m even sitting on a high fantasy epic that basically takes place not in medieval Europe, but in varied landscapes of colonial Central America. The places and the cultures and the cuisine and the climate all very much mirror my experiences as a Peace Corp Volunteer living in an isolated, high-elevation Honduran cloud forest from 2001-2004. The natural world really does come alive in all of my projects, and while this pattern was never intentional or deliberate, it doesn’t surprise me one bit that it has become a constant thread in my writing.

And my various crazy adventures definitely inform my plot lines! I’ve done so many of the things my characters do! I’d end up boring you with a list, but as an example, one of my favorite scenes in The Girl at the Center of the World takes place along Hilo’s two-mile long breakwater, in which Lei and her friends dive for lobsters. Ninety-nine percent of the sensory details and experiences in that scene (minus the eventual gunfire!) mirror my real-life encounters while lobster diving in those very spots.

Question: Of everything you’ve done, what was your favorite and why?
Answer: My three years as a Peace Corps volunteer located in a cloud forest in Honduras shaped me profoundly and has inspired so much of my writing. I’m super excited about my latest upcoming adventure, too, which I anticipate will touch my life in many substantial ways. Starting in just a couple weeks I’m going to thru-hike the entire Arizona Trail, all 800 miles of it, from the Utah border to the Mexico border. I’ll be setting out on my own, though my wife is making it all possible. She will be my trail manager and will resupply me throughout the adventure. I expect the journey to take around six or seven weeks, and I’ll be posting pics and updates as often as reception allows. So please be sure to follow me on twitter: @Laustinspace, and on Facebook at /Laustinspace!

Question: Working on anything new?
Answer: As a matter of fact, yes! Several projects. Different genres. I mentioned my fantasy project earlier. I recently finished a draft of a new disaster adventure set later in the 21st century. I’m very fond of that project. I’m also developing a series of chapter books with an environmental theme. I have a second fantasy project in the works, as well. In this industry, the key is to keep writing, and I plan to continue doing just that for the foreseeable future.

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About the Author:

I graduated from the University of Arizona in 2000 with a degree in Wildlife (seriously…Wildlife Biology). Later that year I successfully appealed my only parking ticket. David Copperfield once disappeared me in front of 2,000 people at Caesar’s Palace, but I found my way back. I have appeared in two movies: The Getaway with Alec Baldwin and The Postman with Kevin Costner (Huzzah!). After college, I briefly drove ambulances way to fast as an EMT. Starting in 2001, I served a three-year stint in the Peace Corps in Honduras. While saving the world, I freaked out way too much about colorful birds and made lots of hideous tortillas. Upon returning to the States in 2004, I served as the campaign manager for a U.S. Congressional bid in Oregon.

From 2004 – 2011 I worked as a professional community organizer in Sacramento, California. I spearheaded several comprehensive strategies to reduce youth violence in the Sacramento region. Out of many worthwhile accomplishments, I’m particularly proud of a successful campaign to remove the name of a sordid Sacramento eugenicist from a county park and a middle school (the school was renamed Rosa Parks). There’s a great Wall Street Journal article about that campaign here. Once my wife completed her PhD in Ecology at UC Davis, we quickly vacated to the Hawaiian Islands, where we set up shop in the rainy town of Hilo on the Big Island.

In Hawaii, I completed a master’s degree in Tropical Conservation Biology. In the spring of 2012, I received a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship for my research on rare Hawaiian plants. While in Hawaii, I penned a YA disaster/survival novel with sci-fi elements and slowly polished the book to a nice glossy sheen.

Then came 12.12.12. The day I got “the call.” ISLANDS AT THE END OF THE WORLD, sold, to Wendy Lamb of Random House, in a two book deal.

These days, I spend my time between Tucson, Arizona, deep in the Sonoran Desert, where I pet scorpions and hug saguaro cacti with my high-school-sweetheart wife and our two young children, and exploring the wilds of northern Arizona while camping in a tent on a punctured air mattress and taking complicated photos of sunsets and the stars.

My writing journey toward publication was tough. I know how heartbreaking the quest for publication is, and in addition to promoting my works, one of my principal aims with this blog is to be a guiding light for other prospective authors out there. I made a lot of mistakes that unnecessarily lengthened my time in the wilderness, and I’ve learned so much along the way. I hope I can pay this knowledge forward as I enter this exciting new phase of my writing career.

Website
Twitter | Facebook

Author Spotlight: Twist My Charm: The Popularity Spell by Toni Gallagher

Sep17

Hey everyone! I’m really, really, REALLY excited to have Toni Gallagher, author of Twist My Charm: The Popularity Spell (September 22nd 2015), here for an interview. Not only was this book a really fun read, but Toni was a producer for Disney’s Bug Juice, which… Guys.. I was OBSESSED with that show! In fact, I found some episodes on YouTube and I ended up watching 3 of them before I even started this post – whoops (Sorry, not sorry!)!! First, here’s more about the book:

Magic and a little twist of mayhem will charm fans of Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Wendy Mass in this fresh, contemporary debut!

When a package arrives in the mail for Cleo Nelson, she can’t wait to open it. The birthday present is seven months late, but it’s from Uncle Arnie and that can only mean one thing: magic! Inside is a voodoo doll complete with instructions for making happy, wonderful things happen to Cleo and her friends—err, friend. Just one, really. But maybe the doll can change that. . . .

Cleo can’t wait to try out the magic with her friend, Samantha. They start small by wishing for treats (surprise pizza!), but then their spells start to grow. And when they wish for popularity, they accidentally get the popular girl in school in major trouble with the principal. Can happy spells be twisted into bad magic?

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And now here’s the interview! Enjoy!

Question: Congratulations! Twist My Charm: The Popularity Spell will be out in the world very soon! How does it feel?
Answer: It feels incredible! Like you, I’ve been writing since I was old enough to write, so it’s really a dream come true. On my website there are samples from “books” I wrote in fourth, sixth and seventh grades, articles from my junior high and high school newspapers (and a college internship), plus responses to fan letters I wrote as a kid to Steven Spielberg an John Irving. It’s awe-inspiring to think that John Irving said that I “sound like a writer” over 30 years ago and now I AM!

Question: Twist My Charm: The Popularity Spell sounds amazing! Where did you get the idea for the plot?
Answer: My dad traveled a lot in the Air Force, and would sometimes bring me interesting presents from around the world. He once gave me a voodoo doll, but a joke one, with things written on it like ‘weak chin’ and ‘bad breath.’ Well, fast forward to just a couple years ago, and an 11-year-old daughter of a friend saw this doll residing on one of my bookshelves and said, “I’d like to use this on some kids at school!” Being a semi-wise adult I responded, “Well, you shouldn’t do that…” but that’s when I thought, this could be a really good story! And since I’ve worked in the entertainment business a long time, it wasn’t that hard to come up with drama, humor, and action. It was the writing that was hard!

Question: You’ve been a story editor, producer and co-executive producer on several reality shows (including Disney’s “Bug Juice,” which I need to fangirl about for a second because that show was my childhood!!!). What made you decide to take the leap to writing books? And middle grade books, specifically?
Answer: Oh my gosh, first of all, I am thrilled that you’re a “Bug Juice” fan. It’s probably the favorite of all the shows I’ve ever worked on. (And if there’s a third Twist My Charm book, it may feature the summer camp experience!) Throughout my loooooong career in reality TV, I’ve always written on the side – screenplays, TV scripts, stand-up comedy routines, journals, even a book for grown-ups. So I never really took a “leap” into writing. The difference with Twist My Charm is that it clicked with an agent and then a publisher, and that’s why I’m talking to you today!

I never intended specifically to write middle grade books. This was just the story that jumped out at me, the story I really wanted to tell. Now I’ve been told I have a really good middle grade voice… but that doesn’t mean I won’t try YA or other types of books one day.

Question: You received your journalism degree from Northwestern University. How did a journalism degree turn into a career in reality TV?
Answer: Though I studied journalism at Northwestern, I always knew I wanted to write in a more creative way – specifically for TV or films. I thought journalism was a more reputable thing to study, though, as it gave me the option of a “real” job if the entertainment business didn’t work out. As soon as I graduated, I moved to Hollywood, paying back my student loan and telling my parents I’d never ask for money. (And, I’m proud to report, I haven’t!)

Reality TV didn’t even exist then. But when “The Real World” began on MTV, I was intrigued. I’d always liked documentaries and soap operas – and “The Real World” was a cool combination of both. I wasn’t quite sure HOW it was put together, but I wrote Bunim-Murray Productions a letter, and they called me. At first I wasn’t sure whether I was interviewing to be ON the show or work for it. Luckily they hired me as a story editor and here I am today, an executive producer on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” having worked on many types of reality shows in between.

I still love working in reality TV. It’s a different type of storytelling. It’s not writing in the sense that we create plots or dialogue (at least not on “Housewives”), but we have to take the things that happen in real life and figure out a way to construct them in a satisfying and entertaining way. It’s more like writing a script out of puzzle pieces.

Question: Aside from working on the sequel to Twist My Charm: The Popularity Spell, are you working on anything new?
Answer: Exciting news! The sequel, Twist My Charm: Love Potion #11, is already done! I think Random House is releasing it next summer (2016), though I’m not sure. Right now I don’t know if they’ll want a third Twist My Charm book or not, but I’m working on an outline just in case. I’d also love to revisit a book my cousin and I started writing when we were kids, about two girls who consider themselves detectives. Then they stumble across a real mystery on a cross-country train trip. The first page of it is on my website. It was called (The Case of) Harry Keebler, Where Are You? That title will probably change, but who knows? Maybe something I started in seventh grade will be online and in bookstores one day!

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About the Author:

I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I loved writing from the time I could write, so I’ve been doing it most of my life! For more about my experiences in writing, click here.

At 15, I moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio (which is why Cleo is from there). I was sad to leave PA but ended up meeting some of my best friends ever while I was in high school in Ohio.

For college, I went to Northwestern University outside Chicago, Illinois. I majored in journalism (writing for newspapers specifically), but moved to Los Angeles right after graduation to pursue a career writing for TV and movies.

Right now, my main career is being a producer for reality television. It’s a different type of storytelling — you have to make the story out of the real-life moments that actually happen on camera. It’s definitely challenging, but fun too!

I started in reality TV a long time ago, on the MTV show The Real World, season 2. After that I worked on Road Rules, where young people hit the road and had adventures. I loved the Disney Channel show Bug Juice, about real kids at summer camp… and I even liked Dr. 90210, though I had to watch a lot of plastic surgery!

Right now, I’m Executive Producer of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Bravo TV. It certainly keeps me busy, and there’s never a dull moment.

If you want to know more about my TV career, check out check out my IMDb page.

When I have time between TV shows, I love to travel. If you want to read more about that (and see a lot of fun pictures), click here.

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