Interview with Karen Amanda Hooper

Today, I've got the fabulous Karen Amanda Hooper telling us all about her debut novel, Tangled Tides, which was released last month. This is just one stop in her blog tour.

Congratulations, Karen!! Tell us about your book.
Tangled Tides is an older YA fantasy novel about a girl who is turned into a mermaid and discovers she is the only soul who can save a world of sea creatures who are trapped in our Earth realm. It's full of magics, secrets, and romance.

What was the inspiration behind your idea?
The inspiration came from my love of mermaids which started when I was a toddler. Also, my lover for the ocean and my wild imagination about what might be going on beneath the surface.

How long did it take to get from the initial idea to a completed novel?
I wrote my first draft in about 5-6 months, and then I edited and revised for another 2-3 months. My critique partners always give such amazing feedback, and they helped make it a lot stronger.

How often do you write, and how much do you write in one sitting?
It varies for a million reasons. I'm bad with rules (as you can tell from my story being told from 3 different 1st person POVs) so I don't have a strict writing schedule. When I'm first starting a story I usually only write for an hour or two at a time, but once I get going on a manuscript my creative process becomes a little obsessive and I can write for hours on end.

Do you work on one project at a time, or multiple?
I focus on one at a time, but I play around with other ideas, or make notes for my future projects. I have random scenes written from three other story ideas, and I wish I could have all of them completed by yesterday, but as all writers know, telling a good story takes time.

Are you a planner, or do you write by the seat of your pants?
Seat of my pants all the way. I started an outline once and that same day I got the flu. I'm convinced the two were connected, so I'm not willing to attempt another outline because being sick drains my creativity.

Are you a paper person, or the computer-only-type?
I make notes on paper, and I might jot down a few lines or a scene here and there, but mostly I work on my laptop.

What does your writing space look like?
Ha. It's a small laptop desk that sits on my lap. While writing, I'm usually on my couch with my dogs napping on either side of me.

How much do you read, and what are you reading now?
I try to read one book a week, but if I'm super busy with my own project, or critiquing for writing partners, then sometimes I don't meet my goal. I just started CLOCKWISE by Elle Strauss and I'm loving it so far.

What are you working on now?
Book 2 of The Sea Monster Memoirs. And I'm thinking about submitting my other YA reincarnation based manuscript, but I'll probably go through it and revise it one more time before I do.

Congratulations on your book's release! And thanks so much for including Writer Musings in your tour so we can share in your success. :)
Thank you, and thanks so much for having me, Tabitha! :)

To see more of what Karen is up to, check out her website and her blog.

Blog Tour: The Galaxy Games by Greg Fishbone

Today I'm interviewing Greg R. Fishbone, author of The Galaxy Games: The Challengers, a humorous middle-grade book about the most important event in human history, aliens, and sports. Greg is here to tell us a bit about his book as well as how his tour has been going.

Writer Musings: Welcome, Greg! How does it feel to be on the last day of a month-long blog tour?

Greg Fishbone: It's like finishing a marathon.

WM: How so?

GF: More like a sense of dragging myself across thefinish line, puking into a bush, and wanting to sleep for a week. Maybe the triumph will sink in later.

WM: Yes, that sounds understandable. You did 31 guest blog entries in 31 days--what were some of the highlights?

GF: There were some great essays and resources that will definitely find a permanent home on my website. The one I did about writing a sophomore outing for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations, the one about book trailers at Shevi Arnold's blog, and writing SF for young readers at DeborahJ. Ross. I enjoyed the conversation I had with Simon Haynes, live from Australia, and it was great to present materialfrom some deleted scenes that didn't make it into the book at Roots in Myth. I had a lot of fun this month.

WM: Sounds great! This is the first blogging you've done it awhile, isn't it?

GF: That's true. I had an author blog, in one form oranother, for about ten years until I gave it up earlier this year. The problemwas that whenever there was something newsworthy happening in my life, therewasn't time to write about it. But when I did have time to blog, I didn't haveanything much to say.

WM: Has this blog tour made you more or less likely to blog in the future?

GF: More likely. It had been just long enough that I'd started to miss having a virtual soapbox and megaphone, and it's helpful to reflect on things from time to time. Blogging every day isn't for me, but I'm excited to announce that I'm going to be blogging once a month as part of a newgroup blog called Read It and Laugh.

WM: Can you tell us what that's about?

GF: Myself and a bunch of fellow authors of humorousYA and Midgrade books will make you laugh until you cry, and then cry until you start laughing again. I call it the laugh-cry-laugh cycle, patent pending.

WM: What else is going on in the Great Galactic Blog Tour?

GF: The big contest ends today, and also there's the puzzle contest. This final piece is a huge key that should really help folks to put it all together.

WM: Very nice. Has this all helped you get word out about The Galaxy Games series?

GF: I like to think that every blog post was a pathfor people to find out more about the book. The tour as a whole should reallygive people a good idea of what I'm all about and what the book is all about,and hopefully that will make them want to pick up a copy of their own. Available in hardcover or ebook from stores everywhere!

WM: Thanks for visiting with us today,Greg!

GF: Thanks for hosting me, Tabitha.

To see more of what Greg is up to, check out his website at GFishbone.com. I will be announcing the winner of his book, The Galaxy Games, at the end of the day. So you have until then to get your last-minute entries in!

Interview with Jennifer Hubbard!

Today, we have an interview with debut author Jennifer Hubbard! Her first book, THE SECRET YEAR was released last week. And her fabulous agent has already held a great contest for it.

Tell us about THE SECRET YEAR.
Seventeen-year-old Colt has been sneaking out at night to meet Julia, a girl from an upper-class neighborhood unlike his own. They’ve never told anyone else about their relationship: not their family or friends, and especially not Julia’s boyfriend. When Julia dies suddenly, Colt tries to cope with her death while pretending that he never even knew her. He discovers a journal Julia left behind. But Colt is not prepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship, nor to pay the price for the secrets he’s kept.

What was the inspiration behind your idea?
I had an idea about a secret relationship, a sudden death, a notebook left behind. I wrote the book to find out what was in the notebook, why the relationship had to be secret, and what would happen next.
This was a case of a project’s beginning coming very vividly and easily to me; the ending was harder to find. Sometimes it goes the other way: I know how a story ends but not exactly where it begins.

How did you come up with the title?
Early on, I had trouble finding a title. One of my critiquers suggested After Julia, which is the name it had when my agent signed me. He and I brainstormed new titles and came up with Black Mountain Road; that’s what it was called when Viking bought it. But titles often change before publication, and mine was no exception. The Secret Year resulted from some serious brainstorming with my editor. From this list, you can see the different angles we considered along the way, with loss and secrecy being big themes.

The theme of Us vs. Them is strong in the story. Did this come from a personal experience or from research?
I think everyone has experienced that feeling at some point. Taken to an extreme, it results in wars. But I really wanted to explore how people react to such divisions. I hope readers notice that some of the characters view the dividing line as canyon-like, deep and significant, while other characters move easily across it. I especially wanted to explore how Colt and Julia use that dividing line for their own purposes.

The setting is also quite vivid. Was it taken from a place in your life or was it from research?
The town in the book doesn’t represent any specific, literal town. But I have witnessed the transition of many towns from farmland to suburbs, and the building of mansions in once-rural areas. For most of my life, I’ve lived near rivers and creeks, and the Willis River may be a composite of them all.

How long did it take to get from the initial idea to a completed novel?
I didn’t keep track, and I worked on other things at the same time. I would estimate a couple of years.

How often do you write, and how much do you write in one sitting? And is there anything you must have in order to write?
I write something almost every day. If I’m extremely busy and tired, it may only be fifteen minutes. If I’m on a roll and have some freedom, it may be five hours. The typical session is one to two hours on weekdays, longer on weekends.
I prefer to write on the computer in my home office, with the door closed and music on. But I’ll write longhand, in hotel rooms, on planes, in waiting rooms—wherever I have to.

What are you working on now?
I can’t talk much about works in progress, but I’m always working on something!

Thanks so much for sharing with us! And congratulations on the release of your first book!!

To see more of what Jenn is up to, check out her blog, WriterJenn. Or, see what she's up to on her website. For a chance to win a copy of her book, go here.

Interview with Lisa Schroeder!

Today we have an interview with the amazing Lisa Schroeder, author of I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME and FAR FROM YOU, as well as a few picture books. She also contributes to the fantastic blog, Author2Author. This week, she is celebrating the release of her most recent book, CHASING BROOKLYN.

Tell us about CHASING BROOKLYN.
It's a novel in verse told from two points of view - Nico and Brooklyn. I like the summary my editor came up with, so here is that:

Restless souls and empty hearts
Brooklyn can't sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca, died only a year ago, and now her friend Gabe has just died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca visiting her dreams.

Nico can't stop. He's always running, trying to escape the pain of losing his brother, Lucca. But when Lucca's ghost begins leaving messages, telling Nico to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.

As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest.

What was the inspiration behind your idea?
CHASING BROOKLYN happened because I wanted to write a book for the fans of I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME. I started out thinking about a sequel for that book, but my editor felt like we left Ava in a good, hopeful place. So he tossed out the idea of a companion novel - one in which Ava makes an appearance. I liked that idea, and I started thinking about why she might show up. And it made sense that perhaps she showed up to help someone else who was struggling with grief. I had recently heard about this high school that made the news because they had three or four tragic deaths of students in a year. I started wondering what that might be like and started writing. And a book was born.

How did you come up with the title? Why is the focus on Brooklyn instead of one of the other characters?
It's a title that sort of has multiple meanings. First of all, Brooklyn literally has a ghost chasing her for most of the book. But then Brooklyn and Nico, the other main character, come together and train for a sprint triathlon, as a way to deal with their grief after losing a friend to a drug overdose. So there is lots of running in the book, and I wanted an active title to reflect that.

This is your third YA, but you’ve also written a picture book titled BABY CAN’T SLEEP. How is writing YA different from writing picture books?
Well, besides the obvious that there are a LOT more words, I think there's a lot more to think about with a young adult novel. Getting everything right - character development, plot, voice, etc etc. - it's hard! And you know, I think small children are a bit more forgiving than teens. You need to get it right for teens. It has to be real. Or they're going to notice and call you on it. Picture books have their own sets of challenges, of course. Telling a good story with a conflict and resolution in 500 words or less isn't exactly easy either.

Do you think your skill for writing YA verse comes from your skill with picture books? Or is that a coincidence?
Because I started with picture books, where you need to be succinct as possible, I do think it helped me with the verse. I seem to do well in getting to the heart of a scene and figuring out how to get the emotional truth with just the right choice of words. I don't think I'm as good at long, beautiful prose. I envy authors who do that well, but I've sort of come to accept where my strengths are and I need to play to those strengths. Now, I should say, I work hard at the verse, and I still don't think I'm as good as I could/should be. With every book, I try to improve, as I'm sure we all do.

How is your career different now from when your first book was published?
Let's see. I'm not rolling in money, unfortunately. I don't have "NYT bestselling author" after my name. I don't have a movie coming out based on one of my books. Sooo, it's more about the time I have to write (ie not as much, because I have to answer interview questions or respond to review requests or other promotional things) and the pressure to write stuff that the readers will like as much as, or even more than, the last book.

The best thing is probably the e-mails I get from readers through my web site. I didn't have that before. So, I might be having a discouraging day and then I'll get a note from someone who will say something like - I love your books, please keep writing - and I instantly feel better. It's awesome.

What are you working on now?
A couple of YA projects, one in verse, one in regular prose with regular chapters. Can't really share what they're about yet, but I'd LOVE to have good news to share in the next couple of months. It's very competitive in the YA market right now, so who knows. Whatever happens, of course I'm thankful for the books I've published so far. Very, very thankful.

Thank you so much for joining us today! And congratulations on the release of your latest book!

To see more of what Lisa is up to, check out her website and her blog. Or, check out what's going on at Author2Author. For a chance to win a copy of CHASING BROOKLYN, go here.

Interview with Barrie Summy!

Today, we have an interview with Barrie Summy, author of the I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES series. The second book in the series, I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY, came out just last week, and Barrie has an interesting story that goes with it. I'm sure this hasn't happened to many people!

Tell us about I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY‏.
Sherry (short for Sherlock) Holmes Baldwin is baaack!! Sherry and her ghost mother team up in a new mystery. Can they keep The Ruler (Sherry's stepmother) safe? There's robotics, ghost hunting and some serious toilet papering. It's scary. It's spooky. It's fun. Oooooo. (p.s. Of course, Josh is back too!)

Or here's the blurb from amazon.com:
Someone’s out to get Sherry’s stepmom. . . .Can she save her before it’s too late?

Did you know that the main campus of the Academy of Spirits is at a Dairy Queen in Phoenix? Me either. Until now. Some weird stuff has been happening to my stepmother, Paula, and the Academy has asked me, Sherry Holmes Baldwin, to get to the bottom of it. They think someone’s trying to hurt her.

I really don’t want to get involved—my life is way too busy. Josh and I are celebrating two blissful months of togetherness. And my best friend, Junie, is finally showing a teeny bit of interest in clothes and makeup after years of brainiac behavior. But being that my mom is a ghost and all, me, my brother, and my dad rely on Paula a lot. So it’s not like I can just ignore what’s going on. Especially since my mom is competing at the Ghostlympics. If she comes in first place, she earns five minutes of Real Time.

And that means I’ve got to get involved in a creepy, freaky mystery.

But . . . I so don’t do spooky.

It sounds great! What was the inspiration behind your idea?
Let's see....I was interested in the idea of Sherry helping someone she didn't necessarily like. So, that's where a mystery involving The Ruler was born. I did some online judging of websites for high school robotics teams. So, that's where the robotics stuff came from.

Congratulations on the next book in the series coming out in May! Did you always envision this as a series?
Thank you! Well, I always envisioned it as a series. But I'm not sure everyone else did! ;)

How often do you write, and how much do you write in one sitting?
It depends if a deadline is looming large! In general, I try to write five days a week. I try to write for a couple of hours each morning when my kids are at school. After that, a lot of my writing time is in spits and spurts. For instance, I write Thursday afternoons, when my daughter is at her piano lesson. I write in my car when waiting for kids to finish swim practice. I am forever indebted to the inventor of the laptop!

I love it when I can check into a hotel room for the weekend and do nothing but write. That doesn't happen too often, though.

Is there anything you have to have in order to write?
my laptop. Plus, I find I'm most productive if a machine is running. Like, for example, the dishwasher or the washing machine. Then, I feel as though my chores are getting done while I write!

What do you do when you get stuck?
I try a variety of things. First, I repeat over and over, "Do not panic. Do not panic." Then I go for a stint on the treadmill or I walk the dog, change writing locations, skip the problem area. And, if all else fails, I eat licorice. Lots of it.

What are you working on now?
The fourth book in the series: I So Don't Do Famous
In this book, Sherry busts up a teen burglary ring in Hollywood.

What does your writing space look like?
I write at the kitchen table or in this huge lazy boy in our living room.

How much do you read, and what are you reading now?
I actually read less than I used to. ;( I used to read a book a week, now I'm down to a book every other week. I'm currently reading What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman. Loving it!

Thank you so much for joining us today!!

To see more of what Barrie is up to, check out her blog. For a chance to win a copy of both her books, go here.

Interview with Kristina Springer!

Today, we have an interview with debut author Kristina Springer! She's a fellow Chicagoan (which is reason enough to cheer), and also co-author of the blog Author2Author. So let's give her a warm welcome!!

Tell us about THE ESSPRESSOLOGIST.
THE ESPRESSOLOGIST is a sweet, fun book about a teenage barista named Jane. Jane works at a coffee shop in Chicago and she started noticing that the same type of people always get the same type of drinks-- she keeps notes on this and calls it her espressology. One day she decides to hook up one of her regulars with the girl whose favorite coffee drink is the perfect match for his and the fun begins.

What was the inspiration behind your idea?
COFFEE!! :-) Really, I'm a hard core coffee fan and it came to me while sitting in a Starbucks with my hubby one night.

I loved the post you wrote about how your story went from concept to shelves. How has writing and publishing this book impacted you as a writer?
Regarding writing, it helped to not stress and plot and plan too much-- this book sort of FLEW right out of me. I never thought too much about what I was going to write until I sat down each time to work. I guess I just let me be myself. Friends and family (since reading the book) have said oh, I can see you in it! And regarding publishing, WOW I've learned SO much! I'm almost through with getting my second book ready for publication and everything was much easier the second time around. I guess it's like when you have a second baby. The first time you don't know what's going to happen and you're scared. After that it gets easier.

How often do you write, and how much do you write in one sitting?
I write a few times a week-- at least one or two night during the week and then some time on either Saturday or Sunday. I've got 4 kids ages 1 to 7 so I only write when my husband gets home and takes over kid duty.

What are you working on now?
Well, right this very minute I'm going through my first pass pages on MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS (it will be out fall of 2010). And I'm also revising a new YA, PUMPKIN PRINCESS, so that it can go out on submission next week.

Is there anything you have to have with you in order to write?
My laptop! Yummy coffee drinks are also essential. I do all of my writing in coffee shops.

I love it! Goes well with your books. I suppose that's what your writing space looks like?
Like your average Starbucks. :-) Wooden table and chair in the corner, facing the door so I can watch people come in at the same time. Sometimes they end up in my books.

How much do you read, and what are you reading now?
I read at nap time everyday (kids nap-- not mine. I drink too much coffee to nap. :-) ) and I listen to audiobooks in the car. At home I'm reading HATE LIST by Jennifer Brown and in the car I'm listening to PAPER TOWNS by John Green.

Thanks so much for doing this interview!!!
Thanks for having me Tabitha!!!

To see more of what Tina is up to, check out her website, KristinaSpringer.com. Or, go visit her at Author2Author. For a chance to win a copy of this book, go here.

Interview with Sarah Zarr!

Today we have an interview with the amazing Sara Zarr, author of National Book Award finalist STORY OF A GIRL, SWEETHEARTS, and her most recent ONCE WAS LOST. And can I just say I love the cover? So simple, but very effective.

Tell us about ONCE WAS LOST.
ONCE WAS LOST is about fifteen-year-old Samara, a pastor's daughter in a rural town where a young girl from the community goes missing. That crime precipitates a crisis of faith for Samara, who was already on the brink of one. So there is that aspect of it going on---a character study---but it's a mystery, too, as everyone tries to figure out what happened to the missing girl.

What was the inspiration behind your idea?
The first seeds of the story go back to the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping, which happened here in the community where I live. That case got my "what if" wheels turning. What if I were a teen who sort of knew Elizabeth, but couldn't really call her a friend? What if we were in the same tight-knit religious community? What if I were already in the midst of a personal crisis when a crime like that happened? How would it change my view of the world at such a formative age? The book is not about that particular case, in the end, but I was able to use some of those memories and details, as well as the feelings I was having during that time, in the story.

How long did it take to get from the initial idea to a completed novel?
It's hard to measure, because I started and stopped so many times. I first started with the story back in 2002, and dabbled in it now and then for years. In late 2007 I started seriously shaping it into a the novel that it would become, and first turned it in to my editor in fall 2008. Then we did a serious of major (but fast!) revisions that we wrapped up in spring 2009, and I can't believe it became a published book so quickly after that!

What was your favorite part of writing this book? Least favorite?
I loved being able to really dig into some of the doubts Sam had about her religious faith. As someone who grew up in church, I was often afraid of doubt. It would have meant a lot to me to read about a character with the same questions I had but was afraid to ask. I also loved writing the scenes between Sam and Nick, the older brother of the missing girl. He was a somewhat unexpected character. My least favorite was the first major revision I did for my editor. I rewrote the book from third person into first. That's like writing a whole new novel, but in a very short time. I didn't think I would make it.

How often do you write, and how much do you write in one sitting?
I try to write Monday through Friday, especially when I've got a deadline (which is always, lately). It doesn't always work out when I'm doing promotional stuff for the current book, but I get unhappy fast if I'm not working. Generally I go one to three hours. I usually have some goal, like a chapter or a thousand words or some tangible chunk that will help me feel like I'm progressing. Some days it's a lot of hair-pulling and staring into space, other days it flows and flies.

How is your career different now from when your first book was published?
The biggest difference is that I have an audience. When you start out, no one cares. There are lots of new books to read---why yours? You hope to win them over. Then when you do, you know you can't slack off. Knowing I have an audience keeps me working hard, and also I interact with them through my blog and social networking sites. At the same time, I still write primarily to please myself and write the kind of book I would like to read. That hasn't changed, nor has the fact that writing is difficult! Finding publishing success doesn't solve the basic problem: how do I translate an imaginative vision into language?

How did you get in to writing for young adults?
It wasn't so much a conscious choice. The stories I come up with just seem to always involve characters who are 15, 16, 17. That's my natural writing voice. And, as an adult I've always been a fan of YA literature as much as of books written specifically for grownups.

What are you working on now?
I'm working on my fourth book for Little, Brown. I can't say much about it because it's too early in the process, but it should be out some time in 2011.

What does your writing space look like?
I have two primary spaces: one at home, which is a nook off the dining room and has a simple IKEA desk, with a Levenger Editor's Desk on top of that. I've got some plank shelving for supplies so I can keep clutter off my desk, and adjacent to IKEA desk is my grandmother's little writing desk that is sort of a staging area. My other space is an office I rent away from home. Desk, big monitor, love seat, and stacks of books. Here are some pictures of both spaces at their cleanest!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2518/3884166569_294e3f0f32.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/3155027604_69c14d2d55.jpg

How much do you read, and what are you reading now?
Not enough! I'm working on rediscovering the joy of reading and figuring out how to let go of everything I know about the publishing industry and let myself get lost in a book. I just started FEELS LIKE HOME, a young adult novel by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, and I'm also reading Marilynne Robinson's HOUSEKEEPING. But slowly, because I do not want it to end.

Thanks for sharing so much with us! I have truly enjoyed reading your books, and I look forward to more of them.

To see more of what Sara is up to, check out her website, SaraZarr.com, or her blog, SaraZarr.livejournal.com. For a chance to win a copy of ONCE WAS LOST, go here.

Interview with PJ Hoover!

Today, PJ Hoover, author of THE EMERALD TABLET, is joining us! EMERALD TABLET debuted a year ago, and she is here to tell us about the second book in her Forgotten Worlds trilogy, THE NAVEL OF THE WORLD. So, let's get to it!

Tell us about THE NAVEL OF THE WORLD.
THE NAVEL OF THE WORLD is book 2 in The Forgotten Worlds Trilogy. It has the same base set of characters as THE EMERALD TABLET (Benjamin, Andy, Heidi, Gary, and Iva) with the addition of a new gal friend who seems to have a ton in common with Gary, a guy who quotes Iva love poetry, and a special appearance by a Nogical named Lulu. As if one Nogical weren't enough :) Greek gods come onscreen when least expected, and, best of all, it's got time travel. I love time travel!

It’s such a unique title; how did you come up with it?
Thanks! The Navel of the World is actually a reference made to many various places around the earth. These include Easter Island, Delphi, Arizona, Peru, and Jerusalem, just to name a few. You can read more about the navel of the world here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navel_of_the_World

As to which I'm referring to, you'll have to read the book to find out!

You bet I will!!

Did your writing process change from the first book to the second? Was the number of drafts more or less?
The main way my writing process changed from THE EMERALD TABLET to THE NAVEL OF THE WORLD was in my understanding the value of taking time between revisions. Like lots of time. As soon as I had a complete draft of THE EMERALD TABLET, I wrote a draft of THE NAVEL OF THE WORLD. But after that, I began heavy revisions on THE EMERALD TABLET, and set aside NAVEL for longs periods at a time. And I'm talking six months to a year at a time. Then I took the time to write a draft of book 3, THE NECROPOLIS. What would happen is that each time I came back to NAVEL and re-read it, what I needed to cut and add and revise became so much more clear. I willingly cut things I wouldn't have even considered six months before, and I cut them without remorse.

Overall, I'd say the number of drafts was less, but only because on each draft I made so many more vast changes.

How long did it take to write this book? Was it more or less time than the first?
My first draft stage was maybe a little bit shorter (around three months), though overall time of first word to time of publication was about the same: four years. I started writing NAVEL September of 2005 and it's being published in October of 2009.

How often do you write, and how much do you write in one sitting?
I used to work full time as an electrical engineer which pushed my writing to evenings only. I would write two hours a night—every night. Now that I have more time during the day to write, it varies. Some days I spend doing administrative and marketing things, and other days I'll write for four hours during the day and then maybe another one or two at night. I find when the words are flowing, I try to write as much as I can to get them down. This is a golden time.

What are you working on now?
I have a few different projects in the works and tend to be really tight-lipped about them. But I'll try :)

I have a MG fantasy book heavy in Egyptian mythology that I love. I also have a YA urban fantasy with roots in Greek mythology. And because mythology seems to be the key to everything for me, I also have a YA horror/fantasy with elements of (you guessed it) mythology scattered about.

What does your writing space look like?
I'd have to say in transit. Up until a couple months ago, I had a very organized space with everything within hand's reach. The problem with this writing space was that I had EVERYTHING within hand's reach. I looked up one day and realized I needed to free my writing space. To make it less cluttered and more Feng Shui. So I've taken down tons of shelves, moved office supplies into closets, and am shopping for new bookshelves and a new desk. I want as much as I can out of my office so it's only me and serenity and the word. Sounds nice, doesn't it :)
How much do you read, and what are you reading now?
I read a ton! And I'm trying to read more and more. I think I forgot how much I love to read and felt so stressed for time that I let reading take a backseat. Only in the last year or so have I rediscovered the joy of reading a book. And also the value of it for my own writing. I think it beyond all else has helped my writing in the last year.

To date I've read 56 books so far this year. My goal was 50, but now I'm shooting for 75!

Currently I'm reading THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY by Trenton Lee Stewart and am listening on audio to I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU by Ally Carter. I read mostly in genre but have to admit I'll be reading Dan Brown's latest next. I do love a good action-packed novel!

Woohoo!! I'm sure you'll reach your goal. I have had BENEDICT SOCIETY next to my table forever. I really need to move it up. And I loved Ally Carter's books.

Thank you for joining us! Again! :)
Thank you so much for the interview!

To see more of what PJ is up to, check out her website, PJHoover.com, and her blog, Roots in Myth. To read reviews of her book, go here, here, and here. For a chance to win a copy of her book, go here.

Interview with Michelle Rowen!

Today we have Michelle Rowan, author of DEMON PRINCESS REIGN OR SHINE, joining us for an interview. This is her first young adult novel, but she has several adult paranormal books under her belt.

Tell us about DEMON PRINCESS: REIGN OR SHINE.
Sure! It’s the story of a sixteen-year-old girl named Nikki who finds out that the father she’s never met before is the demon king of a place called the Shadowlands -- kind of a buffer-zone that protects the human world from Hell. Now that she’s sixteen she’s going to start manifesting certain hard-to-manage “powers,” as well as busting out some horns and wings when she gets upset (fyi, very inconvenient), and must keep all this a secret from everyone she knows. Her father sends a cute guy named Michael to be her guide and protector and it doesn’t take long before Nikki realizes that he has a whole bunch of secrets of his own -- one of which is that it’s forbidden to like him as more than a friend. Not that she does, of course. She already has a sort-of boyfriend. But Michael is pretty hot.

What was the inspiration behind the series? Was it always a series or did it start as a single book?
The original inspiration was wondering what would happen if your average, everyday teenager found out that her father was a demon. If you don’t know who one of your parents is, you can imagine all sorts of different people. I figured, what would be the worst thing ever that would affect you in crazy, unexpected ways? (and give you cool powers, of course). Then I added on the fact that she would be a princess (although as far away from Disney as you can get, LOL).

I always get ideas that are series-length -- or, at least, more than one book. When I wrote Demon Princess: Reign or Shine I approached it as if it would be the first book in a potential series so there are lots of things that aren’t totally resolved. It was not certain it would be a series for a while, but luckily my publisher really loved the idea and agreed that Nikki and her friends should have more than one book. Hooray!

How do you get to know your characters?
Sometimes they arrive in my imagination fully formed and I know exactly what they want and even what their names are. Other times, I don’t find out until I start writing. I don’t try to force it, instead letting their personalities come out gradually. Mostly I just put hands to keyboard and hope for the best!

What was your favorite part of writing this book? Least favorite?
Honestly, my favorite part of writing this book was Michael, the boy Nikki’s father sends to protect her and bring her to his castle. He was just so mysterious and cryptic and angsty -- I got to know him as Nikki got to and he surprised me a couple of times. He’s still surprising me in book two. My least favorite part was doing a bunch of rewrites on this book. I first wrote it in 2006 for Nanowrimo without an outline. While it was fun discovering my characters “by the seat of my pants” I had to do a lot of work to make it into a real book.

How did you go from writing adult books to young adult? Was it difficult to find a new editor, or did your adult books help you out there?
I started off wanting to write young adult books, but I got distracted when an adult book I wrote -- Bitten & Smitten -- got published. But in the back of my mind I still wanted to write for teens since I love YA books. Whether my previously published track record had any influence on getting published in YA, I really don’t know. The two genres -- romance and YA -- are very different so I think editors look at new stuff completely on its own. Now I definitely want to keep writing for both markets.

How is writing for young adults different from writing for adults?
It’s really not that different at all. At least, I don’t think it is. I approach the writing exactly the same way, the only difference, for me, is the age of the main character. Sure, in my adult books I can be a bit more salty with the language and adult situations, ahem, but at its core, the writing process is exactly the same for me.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m writing the first book in a new urban fantasy duology about vampires that’s going to be a bit grittier and edgier than my other Michelle Rowen books (which, for the most part, are light and funny). I’ll be writing these under a pen name. So far it’s a lot of fun.

What does your writing space look like?
I have a desk that I never use. For some reason I’ve gotten into the habit of writing on my couch with my legs up on the coffee table. It’s not good for my back but I can’t seem to think creatively when I’m in a chair at a desk. I really need to break myself of that bad habit. I took a picture of both of my writing areas so you can see that I’m a bit, uh...messy is a good word. The files on my MacBook, however, are very neat and organized!

Thanks again for doing this interview!!
Thank you very much for inviting me! :)

To see more of what Michelle is up to, check out her website, MichelleRowen.com, or her blog, Michelle-Rowen.livejournal.com. For a chance to win a copy of DEMON PRINCESS, go here.

Interview with Mary Pearson!

Today, we have an interview with the amazing Mary Pearson. Mary has won the SCBWI Golden Kite award and honor, YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, Kirkus Best Young Adult Books, and much more. She has agreed to share some of her wisdom and experience with us, so let's just get right to it, shall we?

What was the inspiration behind THE MILES BETWEEN?
After writing two very heavy books, I simply wanted to write something that was fun. Combine that with a certain fascination with coincidence and the unlikely ones I have encountered and the wheels began turning. I thought what if there was a girl who was obsessed with coincidence? What if one particular day in her life had bunched up with all the wrong events? I think we’ve all experienced that before. We’ve had a whole day, or a week, or month of bad luck where someone consoles us saying, “oh, when it rains, it pours,” or, “it always comes in threes.” But that doesn’t make us feel much better. It still sucks.

And then I thought, couldn’t it work the other way too? We always notice when everything goes wrong, but what if everything went right? At least for one day. And from there the story took off.

It was a fun adventure for me listening to my characters, and being in awe right along with them, as the day is turned on its ear. Of course, even though I set off writing this to have a rollicking outrageous time, my serious side was bound to kick in too. Destiny turned out to be a very complicated and conflicted character–a much darker side to her than I expected--and through her and the other characters, I did explore fairness, or the lack of it, which is central to the story.

How long did it take to get from the initial idea to a completed novel?
I began The Miles Between in the autumn of 2006 and delivered final edits to my editor in August of 2008, so it was completed shy of just 2 years, but the completed first draft took about a year and a half–my fastest ever. However, I think the simmering of the idea had been going on for years, wanting to explore the unlikely and unexplainable.

Your last three books have been written in present tense (successfully, I might add, and that’s no easy feat). Has this become your tense of choice, or does it depend on the story? How did you decide on present tense for MILES BETWEEN?
I honestly do not consciously think about which tense or pov I am going to use when I begin a book. I listen to the voice of the character and go from there. Sometimes part way in I will look at the story and ask myself, what would it read like in another tense or pov, and perhaps even tinker with it, but generally the voice is already there in stone and I do not change it. I think for MILES, because part of the story is told through flashbacks, the present and past tenses support each other. I think if it were all past tense it would have a flatter feel to it.

I know there is some controversy regarding tense. I think if you generally read a certain type of tense, another one can feel foreign to you. I don’t think one is better or worse than the other–just different. I’ve heard some people say they have a hard time with the logic of present tense which I really can’t understand. Omniscient viewpoint, which you don’t see as much anymore, has a long tradition in books, and to me that is the most illogical tense of all. What narrator can possibly be inside of every character’s head? Literature styles are always changing–it is natural and right that they evolve or we would still be reading literature in the form of epic poems.

How is your career different now from when your first book was published?
WAY busier, and I have many more distractions and obligations. But it all comes back to the writing eventually, and in many ways that is still much the same. Every book feels like a first, and really it is. Each character and their story requires a unique approach. So finding my way through a story is still an exciting, uncertain, and often bumpy process, just as it was with my first book.

What are you working on now?
I’m not ready to talk about it yet, but I think fans of The Adoration of Jenna Fox will be surprised. That’s all I can say right now.

Ooooo!! I'm insanely curious now! :)

Do you work on one project at a time, or multiple?
I work on one project at a time. Recently I attempted to work on two projects at once and failed almost instantly. The problem is in my down time, like when I am walking or driving, etc. Amazingly, this is really where a lot of writing gets done. The down times are where the surprises happen and I hear dialogue or see scenes or characters, and that sends me racing back to my keyboard. Unfortunately, I can only “hear” one story at a time. I guess my subconscious refuses to do double-time.

What does your writing space look like?
Right now it looks like my patio. : ) Seriously, I have been writing my current manuscript almost exclusively on my laptop out on my patio. It gives me some distance from the “business” of writing in my office. And I just plain like being outdoors. When the weather turns, I may go back to some of my local hangouts, like coffee shops, to get that distance.

How much do you read, and what are you reading now?
Like most writers, I read a lot. My TBR pile is huge. I just finished Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins and When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, and now I’m digging into a non-fiction book, Writers Workshop in a Book, which is a series of essays by various authors from the Squaw Valley Community of Writers. I love reading about how other authors approach their writing.

Thanks so much for sharing this interview, Mary!

For a chance to win a copy of MILES BETWEEN, go here. To read my stellar review of her book, go here. To see more of what Mary is up to, check out her website, MaryPearson.com.

Interview with Saundra Mitchell!

Today, we have an interview with the fabulous Saundra Mitchell, author of SHADOWED SUMMER.

Tell us about SHADOWED SUMMER.
Shadowed Summer is a southern gothic ghost story, about a girl who accidentally calls up an unsettled spirit, then spends the summer putting things right again.

What was the inspiration behind your idea?
I actually set out to write a paranormal romance. I wanted to write a book like Annette Curtis Klause's The Silver Kiss. But once I got started, my girl didn't want to fall in love with my ghost, and my ghost didn't want to fall in love with my girl. I had to sort them out on the page. The final book doesn't look at all like what I intended!

How long did it take to get from the initial idea to a completed novel?
I used to have the dates written down, but now I can't find them, wah! But it took me about six weeks to write the first draft. But that was in 2003- it then took several years to revise it, to get two different agents, and to finally sell it in 2007. And, of course, I revised again for almost 2 years with my editor. So it took six weeks or six years to finish the novel, depending on how you want to measure it!

Your knowledge of southern customs, language, and habits is deep. Have you lived there, or did that come from research?
Well, southern Indiana thinks it's the south (even though it's not, really,) so some of it comes from living where I live. And much of it comes from my best friend Wendi, who was born, raised and lives in Georgia now- and my many visits down to meet her. One day, I'll set a book in Georgia so I can call grocery carts "buggies"!

But the rest is research. I like to read linguistic surveys, which teaches me a lot about common phrases and words in an area. And I'm not shy about asking the experts- I called the Louisiana Sheriff's Department to find out the colors of the cars and uniforms, and who would respond to certain kinds of calls.

I bothered the Louisiana Native Plant Society to make sure Iris didn't pick flowers that don't exist there. I feel like the setting is a character in the book, so I worked hard to make it real.

Your research is seriously impressive!!
What was your favorite part of writing this book? Least favorite?
I really enjoyed writing the Delancie brothers. In the first draft, we saw a lot more of them. They amused me, so I included way, way, way too many of their antics. I also had more of Shea Duvall in the original, which also got cut. I thought he was cute, what can I say?

My least favorite part was hurting Jack Rhame. I really do feel bad for him. He lost the most and gained the least of everyone in this book.

How often do you write, and how much do you write in one sitting?
I write every day. How much I write depends on the project. If I'm working on a novel, I schedule myself 1000 words a day, period. That's my minimum. I can stop there, or go on, if I feel particularly inspired. Screenplays, I have to write two whole shorts (20 pages) or 1 act for an episodic (about 20 pages.)

However, I've been known to break up blog posts into 200-word gasps dragged over several days. My jedi mind-skills don't apply to blogging, it seems.

How did you go from screenplays to writing novels for young adults?
Most of my screenwriting is *for* young adults. I'm the head writer and an executive producer of Fresh Films (www.fresh-films.com) and for more than a decade, I exclusively wrote all the films based on ideas that teens sent into the program. Now I instruct young screenwriters with the Fresh Writers program- so really, I wrote when I was a young adult, I have always written movies for young adults, and now I'm writing YA novels. It was a pretty seamless transition!

What are you working on now?
I'm revising my latest novel, THE VESPERTINE, for an editor (fingers crossed!) It's about a girl in Victorian Baltimore who can see the future, but only at sunset.

Crossing fingers for you! :)
How much do you read, and what are you reading now?
I read *constantly* and *voraciously*. Right now, I'm reading The Friar and the Cipher, which is non-fiction about an untranslated medieval manuscript. I'm also reading Pemba's Song by Marilyn Nelson & Tonya C. Hegamin, and The Afterlife by Gary Soto. I also just finished an awesome review copy of Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan. I love a book with consequences, and this one is rich with them!

Thanks again for doing this interview!
Thank you very much for having me!

For a chance to win a copy of this book, go here. To see my raving review of her book, go here. To see more of what Saundra is up to, check out her website, ShadowedSummer.com.

Interview with Cynthea Liu!

Today, we have an interview with Cynthea Liu, the highly energetic author of PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE, THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA, and WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS: A CRASH COURSE. Her novels, PARIS PAN and CHINA, both debuted this year. Definitely a unique situation. And Cynthea is going to tell us all about it!

What was the inspiration behind each book?
PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE started from a blank page without an outline or character sketch. Nothing. I had no any idea of what I was going to write.
Then a scene appeared in my head--a girl on her first day at a new school. From there, I found myself writing a lot about my own experiences as a child. My family. The dynamics of attending a small school in the middle of nowhere. And all those things a girl goes through - from first crushes to family crises.

THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA was written for an established series. So in many ways, I already knew what the plot was going to be - a romance, an adventure in a foreign land, a girl dealing with a personal struggle. The idea to write about an adopted teen was hinted at in a series concept letter from my publisher. I took it from there: 16-year-old Cece journeys to China in search of answers to her past. The story's theme was inspired by my own feelings about my heritage and Asian-American identity. The characters? Variations of teens I have met along the way.

WRITING FOR CHIDLREN AND TEENS: A CRASH COURSE was inspired by my intense desire to help other people, and help them avoid reinventing the wheel. After being online for some time, I realized how much misinformation there was out there. How confusing it was for a new writer to sort out all of the info that is out there. So I began freely dispensing the lessons I learned on my website (www.writingforchildrenandteens.com) and now, it's a physical book, too, for those people who can't stand sitting in front of the computer.

Can you tell us how PARIS PAN made it onto the shelves?
The journey to getting my first book published was a tough one! While some writers have the happy joy of whipping off a manuscript and getting it sold in mere weeks, my experience was quite the opposite. For those of you who want to know all the scary, juicy details, you can check out my friend-locked posts on cynthea.livejournal.com. You must be a friend to read them though. I don't just spill my guts to anyone, you know.

But here's the short of it:

PARIS PAN went on three submission rounds with my agent, was rejected 13 times by various editors, was revised FIVE times during the submission process. Rejected twice by the same house that ultimately acquired the book. After all those rejections, I was seriously thinking about getting a different career. But not long after the 5th revision, it went to auction, and I received a two-book-deal. Then THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA sold a couple of weeks after that.

After both books were bought, there was still a lot of work to be done. THE GREAT CALL wasn't finished (it was sold based on three chapters and an outline). Paris Pan still needed more revision. Four rounds, to be exact. And as the book was revised, it grew to 65K words. During the last round, I was asked to cut the manuscript by 20K words with a due date in 10 days. Now I know you all must be thinking, is the editor crazy?! No, I actually like my editor quite a bit and she understood the gravity of what she was asking as well. I saw the need for the cut, too---during the revision rounds, I kept thinking - how are we going to make this shorter? In the end, we worked it out together. And the manuscript came down by 10K. At the same time, I had to cut THE GREAT CALL by 10K. We got it down by 6K.

This isn't the first time I have stories like this from other authors. Large requests. Tight deadlines. So be mentally prepared. Try to keep a positive attitude (though some whining may be justified!)

What's it like to have two books released in the same year? Has it kept you insanely busy with promotion?
Yes, it's total insanity. Before THE GREAT CALL launch was barely over, the PARIS PAN one was about to begin. I don't think most people realize this, but what I do with my books is on the fly and really driven from, "Well, I need to do something! What would I like to do that would be fun?" and then what that turns out to be gets blown to epic proportions. A lot of writers believe what I do is planned way in advance, orchestrated down to the millisecond. But really? I can barely put together a grocery list, much less a promotion plan. Everything I do comes from my heart, not my head. Which is why I can be so passionate (and disorganized) about it!

I think a lot of people call me a marketing genius. Whatever they call it, I say, over and over again, what I do is not about selling books. It's about celebrating my books. Getting them in the hands of the kids they were meant for. Now that's something everyone can be excited about!

How did you get in to writing for kids?
I was working a corporate job in management consulting for about six years. I commuted for long hours. I was getting really snippy at work. To the point I even asked to be laid off when everyone was making cutbacks. They wouldn't lay me off so I quit, knowing that i would never get out of it if I didn't proactively make a change.

I needed to do something different. I had always enjoyed animated films like Toy Story and The Little Mermaid, etc. so I recognized I had a child-like aspect to my personality. I even talked about writing an animal story once when I was in college. After I quit my corporate job, I explored the idea even further and found SCBWI. I picked up a few books on writing, then got to work. I completed my first novel within a month (oh, the joy of not realizing how bad you're writing is!) and read some of it during the SCBWI-LA conference to a critique group (where I knew no one). Based on that experience, I realized that I wasn't as bad as I thought I was. Nor was I the best. And fortunately, for me, I got to know Tammi Sauer, a more senior writer than my sorry newbieness, nd she realized I'm a great critiquer. And I realized that she is great writer. We could learn a thing or two from each other. We became critique partners, and the rest is history!

How often do you write, and how much do you write in one sitting?
When I'm writing, I usually write in 4 hour chunks. After about four hours of really intense writing, everything that comes out after that is usually drivel. Though when I was revising my books for my publisher, I wrote non-stop. Quite frankly, I don't know how I did it - creatively - like how my brain didn't just quit and put up a CLOSED sign. I think adrenaline must have kicked in and taken over for me.

What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on finalizing school visits for this upcoming school year, wrapping up details from my PARIS PAN launch which raised $15,000 for a Title I school in my home state (whoot!). As for books, my next work is a more serious teen novel that I am really excited about!
How much do you read, and what are you reading now?
It's so embarrassing. I haven't even finished reading the final version of my own book yet. There's just no time.

Don't you know what's in your own book?

I do, but not entirely. We made a lot of changes at the end and now I can't remember what we went with. So the book I am reading now is PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE. How do you like that?

Thanks so much for sharing all this with us!
Thanks for having me, Tabitha!

To see more of what Cynthea is up to, visit her website at CyntheaLiu.com. She would also love to hear from you at her blog, Cynthea.livejournal.com. Or, see what she's doing on WritingForChildrenAndTeens.com. No matter where you go, it'll be interesting. She's always doing something fun. :)

For a chance to win PARIS PAN or GREAT CALL OF CHINA, go here and follow the instructions to enter. The contest ends a week from saturday, so good luck!

Interview with Mandy Hubbard!

Today, we have an interview with Mandy Hubbard, author of PRADA & PREJUDICE. This is her first book, but I think we can expect many more in the future! And now, here's Mandy!

Tell us about PRADA AND PREJUDICE.
It's a novel for teens about 15 year old Callie, who buys Prada heels to impress the popular girls--but then trips, hits her head, and wakes up in 1815.

What was the inspiration behind your idea?
I really love the time period, but novels set in that era are a little harder to identify with. A teen in 1815 would be worrying about finding a good husband, not a boyfriend! So I combined my favorite elements in reading: a modern character and a historical setting.

How long did it take to get from the initial idea to a completed novel?
If by "completed novel", you mean the one you read today, 3 years. If you mean the first time I thought it was complete, a couple of months. As it turned out, I was wrong. Very, very wrong.

How long did it take to find your agent?
Surprisingly, the agent was the easy part. I signed my first agent based on a partial of a book called THE JETSETTERS SOCIAL CLUB. We were together nine months when I decided to leave her, and that was a super scary decision, but it wasn't what I thought it would be. I queried immediately, and within three weeks signed a new agent. As it turned out, nothing else would go that quickly or easily-- it took nearly two years and over forty rejections on two novels before I sold my debut.

How often do you write, and how much do you write in one sitting?
This varies tremendously. I generally write at least six days a week, at least a half hour at a time. In a day, I can write 2,000 to 5,000 words (my record is 8,000). I almost never get to carve out three or four hour blocks-- I write during my train commute, during my lunch break, or after 9pm, when my daughter is in bed. Turns out you can write a whole novel in 20-30 minute increments.

How did you get in to writing for young adults?
That first agented novel, THE JETSETTERS SOCIAL CLUB, was originally about four twenty-something girls. My first agent asked me to rework it as a YA. Ever since I did that, everything else has been YA.

What are you working on now?
I'm writing two projects at the same time-- my June 2010 novella for Harlequin (this one is for adults) and my Summer 2010 YA book. I'm SUPER psyched about the YA and I think it'll really appeal to fans of Prada & Prejudice. I can't announce the details yet, but I hope to soon!

Are you a planner, or do you write by the seat of your pants?
Mostly seat of my pants, but this is slowly morphing. My editor is really amazing at piecing together the elements of a good book and making it the best that it can be, so if I provide her with an outline before I start, she can steer me in the right direction and ask the right questions. So I am trying super hard to start planning more!

Are you a paper person, or the computer-only-type?
I kid you not, I don't think I would write another book if I had to hand write it. I hate, hate, hate hand-writing things. Computer only, for sure!

What does your writing space look like?
I have a spare room at home, with hardwood floors and green and tan painted walls. The furniture is all black ikea furniture, except my bright blue rolly chair. I do have a huge blowup of my Prada & Prejudice cover, too! It keeps me motivated.

How much do you read, and what are you reading now?
I seem to average about 75 books a year. The last book I read was FAIRY TALE by Cyn Balog. She's my critique partner, and I hadn't read Fairy Tale since she wrote the first draft, back in 2006. It was so much fun reliving the story and seeing what she'd done with it!

Thanks so much for joining us today!

To see more of what Mandy is up to, check out her website at MandyHubbard.com, or her blog at MandyWriter.livejournal.com. For a chance to win a copy of this book, go here and follow the instructions to enter!

Interview with Sarah Prineas!

Today, we have an interview with author Sarah Prineas, author of the acclaimed THE MAGIC THIEF books. If you haven't read them, you should!

Tell us about THE MAGIC THIEF: LOST.
LOST is the sequel to THE MAGIC THIEF, which is the story of how a gutterboy named Conn becomes the apprentice of a grumpy wizard named Nevery and saves his city from the machinations of the city's evil Underlord, Crowe. At the end of THE MAGIC THIEF, Conn realizes that he has to find a new way to do magic. In LOST he decides that new way is going to be through pyrotechnics--blowing things up. Conn is very good at getting himself into trouble, so inevitably his pyrotechnic experiments result in his exile from the city of Wellmet. He goes with his friend Rowan, the duchess's daughter, to the desert city of Desh, where he has an encounter with a sorcerer king and discovers a new, dreadful kind of magic, and realizes that some of the things that happened in the first book were part of a larger, more evil plan.

What was the inspiration behind your idea?
In LOST I wanted to get Conn out of his comfort zone, his own city of Wellmet, and out into the world a little bit. I also wanted to add some more of my favorite fantasy elements into this book, swordfighting and pyrotechnics.

How did you get to know the characters in this story?
My characters grow as I write them. Because I knew them from the first book, I pretty much knew what they would do in any given situation.

How many edits did you do with your editor? Did you do any edits with your agent first?
I had kind of a weird situation with this book. First I did one round of edits with my awesome agent, and then a round with my editor, and the book went into production. Then my editor was, sadly, laid off and I was assigned to a new editor. I suggested to her that we might do another round of edits, and she took me up on that, so we did. The final version of the book ended up being quite different from the ARC's because of this added editing pass. It ended up working out very well; I think the book is stronger for the extra attention it got from my excellent new editor.

Did you always plan on writing this sequel to THE MAGIC THIEF, or did it come later?
When I wrote the first book I didn't have any plot ideas about what might happen next, but I suggested to my agent that it might be the first book in a series, and that's how she pitched the book when she sent it out to editors. When HarperCollins bought three books, I was excited to realize that I'd get to write more about Conn's adventures.

What was your favorite part of writing this book? Least favorite?
My favorite part was writing the swordfighting scenes. Least favorite? I struggled with one scene, where Conn and Nevery are at odds with each other, because I wanted to get the emotional balance of the scene right. I didn't want it to get too angsty, and that took a lot of tweaking.

How often do you write, and how much do you write in one sitting?
I write pretty much every weekday, but how much varies enormously. Sometimes I'm just tweaking things I wrote earlier, sometimes I'm zooming along, getting 1K or 2K words at one sitting.

How did you get started writing for kids?
When I started THE MAGIC THIEF I'd been writing fantasy stories (and one failed novel) for adults. I had no idea I was a children's writer. I started writing THE MAGIC THIEF as a short story for Cricket Magazine, and I just found my voice. The story grew into a novel, and then the novel grew into a series.

I’ve been seeing lots of book deals announced for you (congrats on that!). How is your career different now from when you landed your contract for THE MAGIC THIEF?
Thanks for the congrats! My career is different now because back then I really didn't think of it as a career. I mean, I had a career that I loved, in university administration, and I wasn't planning on becoming a full-time writer. It was all sort-of "what if?" I just wrote for fun, really. Once I had the book deal, I worried that writing wouldn't be fun and full of possibilities any more, or that I'd be blocked at having to write toward a strict deadline, but that totally didn't happen. Now I'm a full-time writer, which means lots of time for writing, but also for authoring, which I didn't expect to take so much time.

What are you working on now?
Right now I'm doing research for my next novel for HarperCollins, the one after the third MAGIC THIEF book. It's called The Crow King's Daughter, and it's notorious for its Publisher's Weekly announcement that called it a fairy lore book without any sex, drugs, or angst. Well, it's a middle-grade book, so of course it doesn't have that stuff in it! I am very psyched to write this book because it's got a fierce, wild girl protagonist. I want to make it my best one yet.

How much do you read, and what are you reading now?
I read a fair amount, but I'm a very picky reader and abandon things ruthlessly. Right now I'm reading Hannah Tinti's The Good Thief, Kenneth Oppel's Starclimber, and an ARC of Janice Hardy's The Shifter. I just finished reading Caroline Stevermer's Magic Below Stairs, which is coming in 2010 from Dial. Anybody who's read the Sorcery and Cecilia books that she wrote with Patricia Wrede (as I did) is going to love that one.

Thanks for taking the time to share with us!
Thank you, Tabitha!

To see more of what Sarah is up to, check out her website, Sarah-Prineas.com. Or, visit her at her blog, Sarah-Prineas.livejournal.com. For a chance to win a copy of either of THE MAGIC THIEF books, go here and follow the instructions for leaving comments.

Interview with Lisa McMann!

Today, we have the fabulous author of WAKE and FADE, Lisa McMann. Both books have been on the bestseller lists for quite some time, and the stories themselves are riveting.

And so, here's Lisa!

Tell us about FADE.
Fade is the second book in the WAKE trilogy. It continues the story of Janie, a 17-year-old girl who gets sucked into other people's dreams, and Cabe, her awesome go-to guy. In FADE, Janie has to face a sexual predator and her own physical problems.

What was the inspiration behind your idea?
All I know is that when I finished writing WAKE, I felt that the story wasn't done. I wrote FADE immediately after writing WAKE...so I guess WAKE inspired me to write FADE.

How long did it take to find your editor?
My agent submitted the manuscript in October 2006 and we had offers at the end of January 2007, so about 3 months including December holidays.

Did you sell WAKE on its own, or did you sell the whole trilogy?
WAKE was sold in a 2-book deal, so it was both WAKE and FADE. The third book came along about a year after we sold the first two.

What was your favorite part of writing this book? Least favorite?
I absolutely love the part of writing where you are so into it, you can't stop and you ignore everything that's going on around you. My least favorite part of writing this book...researching date-rape drugs. Ew. I felt really dirty doing that.

How often do you write, and how much do you write in one sitting?
I write whenever I have a book under contract. When I start a novel, I like to stick with it five days a week and then take a couple days off to regroup and get the fresh voice back. The most I've written in one insane day was about 9000 words. On a good day, I average about 3000 - 4000 words now.

How did you get in to writing for kids?
To me, teens are less like kids and more like adults. But to answer your question, I just wrote what I thought sounded interesting, and I think teens are about the most interesting age group on the planet. There is a lot of stuff going on during those years, and adults can relate because we've all had the crappy teen years seared into our memories.

What are you working on now?
So, so many things. Another creepy teen paranormal. A realistic emotional thriller. A short story told from Cabe's perspective that we're going to offer as a free download in August.

What does your writing space look like?
Oh, wow. Well, our house is really small. I don't have an office, so I write from my green chair in the living room. I have a few piles of things...envelopes, copies of my books for charities, hard copies of manuscripts I'm working on, a few bills, books I'm reading, three pairs of reading glasses...and on the wall are two framed NYT bestseller lists -- one for WAKE, one for FADE. And the rest of the wall is covered with fan mail, which is so inspiring.

How much do you read, and what are you reading now?
I read whenever I can. A lot. Almost exclusively YA/teen stuff, but I mix in a few non-fiction things in there too, like Monica Seles' memoir, which I adored. I also just read an ARC of Fat Cat by Robin Brande, and I LOVED it. It comes out in October, so go pre-order it! If you're looking for funny, Eileen Cook's What Would Emma Do was hilarious. Also coming soon -- Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted and As You Wish by Jackson Pearce. Awesome books!

Thanks so much for sharing all this great info! I'm looking forward to next year's release of GONE! :)

To see what Lisa is up to, check out her website, LisaMcMann.com, or her blog. If you go visit her blog, you'll be able to see the cover for GONE. :) For a chance to win FADE or WAKE, go here and follow the entry rules!

Interview with E. Lockhart!

Welcome! Today, we have the amazing author, E. Lockhart, sharing a few things about her books, her writing process, and her road to publication. She has several books on the shelves, including THE BOYFRIEND LIST, THE BOY BOOK, DRAMARAMA, FLY ON THE WALL, HOW TO BE BAD, and, most recently, THE TREASURE MAP OF BOYS, which will be in stores July 25th.

This year, THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS was nominated for the National Book award. Now, let's get started!

Tell us about THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS.
A girl at an elite boarding school brings down her boyfriend's all-male secret society.

What was the inspiration behind your idea?
I wanted to write about pranks and urban exploration -- and I also wanted to write about the old boys' network, which still exists and is incredibly powerful, even in this supposedly post-feminist age.

What was your favorite part of writing this book? Least favorite?
I had great fun with the research. I read up on the history of college pranks, all different kinds of urban exploration, stuff like that. My least favorite part was before I wrote the first chapter. It was a very hard book to get going, because it was to be written in third person, and tackled some storytelling challenges I had never faced before.

How do you get to know your characters?
They just arrive in my head. I guess the best answer is by writing their dialog.

How many drafts did you go through?
I revise heavily as I go, and heavily before I turn a "first draft" into an editor. So that "first draft" is probably the eighth draft.

How many drafts did your editor go through with you?
Generally I revise two or three times for the editor -- but I'm going through the MS multiple times for each of those revisions.

Did you find your agent first, or your editor?
I have several editors at different publishing houses. And I'm on my third agent. It is a long and ugly story. But the editor on Disreputable History, Donna Bray, actually edited my very first published book, which came out in 1996 under a different name.

How long did it take to find each?
Well -- the agent took years, because I had to go through two agents who were bad fits before that! And I had a nonfiction book project with my first agent (found in a few weeks with help in the search from a friend who had written a bestseller) -- that didn't ever sell and was on the market for a year or so before I realized it never would. It was several books into my career before I found an editor with whom I was really compatible.

How did it feel to have your first book on the shelves? How do you feel now, with several books on the shelves?
My first book (that one back in 1996) was published very quietly. I was so proud of it and no one seemed to buy it or review it. So it was joyous and sad, both. Generally, the moment of publication is a bit of a letdown. I try to focus on the work itself, and on making stories I am proud of.

How did you get in to writing for kids?
I've written two books for adults but children's books were my real focus from the age of eight, when I wished I had written The Wolves of Willoughby CHase by Joan Aiken. In terms of writing for teens: people told me over and over that I should, but I didn't listen to them. Until, one day -- I did. And it felt very natural.

What are you working on now?
Finishing the first draft of the fourth book about Ruby Oliver, heroine of The Boyfriend List.

Do you work on one project at a time, or multiple?
One, pretty much. But sometimes I start something new before copyedits are done on the old thing.

Are you a planner, or do you write by the seat of your pants?
I plan, and then I ignore my plans. The planning is just to trick myself into thinking this one will be easy.

Are you a paper person, or the computer-only-type?
Computer all the way. I type fast. I don't write fast. Handwriting anything is thus completely infuriating.

What are your favorite reference books? And why?
Great question! I use Beyond Jennifer and Jason for naming my characters. It's a baby naming book that organizes names by contexts, trends, heritage, etc. And I have a bunch of slang dictionaries I use pretty often -- plus Urban Dictionary online.

This was great! Thanks so much for taking the time to share with us!

To see what E. Lockhart is up to, stop by her blog, TheBoyfriendList.com, or her website, E-Lockhart.com. For a chance to win a copy of THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS, go here and leave a comment.

Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith!

Cynthia Leitich Smith is the acclaimed YA author of TANTALIZE (2007), and its companions, ETERNAL (2009) and BLESSED (2011), all Gothic fantasies from Candlewick Press. She also has written several YA short stories as well as books for younger readers. TANTALIZE was a Borders Original Voices selection, honored at the 2007 National Book Festival, and The Horn Book called it "an intoxicating romantic thriller." A graphic novel adaptation of TANTALIZE is in the works. ETERNAL is a 2009 YALSA Teens Top Ten nominee. She makes her home in Austin, Texas; with her husband, author Greg Leitich Smith.

So, without further ado, here's Cynthia!

Tell us about ETERNAL.
ETERNAL (Candlewick, 2009) is a young adult Gothic fantasy novel, told in alternating point of view, about a vampire princess and the one-time guardian angel who blames himself for her fate. It’s a love story, a political thriller, and a thoughtful look at redemption. The story is set partly in Dallas, partly in Austin, and mostly in Chicago.

What was the inspiration behind your idea?
I’d written a previous novel, TANTALIZE (Candlewick, 2007), which is set in the same multi-creature-verse, one populated with vampires, angels, shape-shifters, and ghosts. TANTALIZE focuses on more “everyday” characters—high school students, their vice principal, a restaurant manager and chef, a wedding planner—people you might meet on street (some of whom just happen to be supernatural).

From there, I wanted to take a look at the upper hierarchy of the world, the undead royalty, the guardian-and-arch angels. I also was interested in doing a “Romeo & Juliet” story with the most extreme opposites imaginable.

The books were inspired by Bram Stoker’s classic Gothic, DRACULA (1897), and that influence becomes more apparent with each new title.

The casts of TANTALIZE and ETERNAL will crossover in a third book, BLESSED (Candlewick, 2011), which I’m working on now.

How long did it take to get from the initial idea to the completed novel?
I started the first draft in the summer of 2006 and signed off on the final pass pages in late 2008.

How did you come up with the title?
ETERNAL is the name that the vampires call themselves.

I was interested in contrasting that concept of eternity, the idea of being undead, with the eternal life we associate with heaven.

What was your favorite part of writing this book? Least favorite?

I’m a sense-of-place writer, and even though I’ve previously lived in Chicago (for three years in the late 1990s), it was important to me to see the city through my characters’ points of view.

So, I traveled there in February, stayed at the Conrad Hilton, and did everything my characters did in the book. I visited the Field Museum, shopped on North Michigan, rode the El, and visited Chinatown.

A great deal of the smaller, grounding details in the book came from that experience, and I’ve received very appreciative mail from Windy City readers.

In contrast, this “second chapter” is arguably the “darkest” of the three books. I had to spend some serious “head time” pondering demonic evil. That’s less fun.

How is your career different now from when your first book was published?
I know more people in the industry and enjoy being a member of the national and international youth literature community. I have a substantial Web presence and do my best to use it to encourage, inform, and inspire. I’ve improved my craft and stretched to publish in new forms and for a wide range of ages.

The biggest challenge now is time. The time pressures of my writing/publishing life are absolutely crushing at times. It’s a very big deal now, if I take a half day off over the course of a few months. I work most major holidays, including Christmas and Halloween, which are my favorites.

How did you get into writing for kids?
After a break during college, I returned to reading comics, graphic novels, and children’s-YA literature while I was in law school. In an academic field with some weighty (sometimes intentionally convoluted) language, such works came as a welcome relief. Not long after graduation, I made the decision to write full-time.

What are you working on now?
BLESSED is my current focus. I just finished a graphic novel adaptation of TANTALIZE, which will be told from a different point of view than the prose novel.

This year I also look forward to the release of two short stories, “The Wrath of Dawn,” co-authored by Greg Leitich Smith, which will appear in GEEKTASTIC: STORIES FROM THE NERD HERD, edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci (Little, Brown) and “Cat Calls,” which will appear in SIDESHOW: TEN ORIGINAL TALES OF FREAKS, ILLUSIONISTS, AND OTHER MATTERS ODD AND MAGICAL, edited by Deborah Noyes (Candlewick).

How often do you write per week? And how much do you write in one sitting?
Unless I’m doing a special event, I write every day.

When rough drafting, I can get down anywhere from two-to-ten pages. Revising is another beast. I can do that all day (and night).

What does your writing space look like?
I write in a bedroom so small, you’d be doing good to squeeze in a twin bed. The walls are painted in an arts-and-crafts green, decorated with both a painting and a photograph of wolves. My shelves are overflowing with books and office supplies.

The top of my 1950s-style stainless steel desk could be excavated in layers by era.

How much do you read, and what are you reading now?
Typically I read a novel a day and a tall stack of picture books every week or so.

At the moment, I’m re-reading The Postcard by Tony Abbott (Little Brown, 2008), studying it in a serious way for an upcoming presentation on writing mysteries.

Wow, so much great info here! Thanks so much for sharing all this with us! And, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm looking forward to BLESSED!

For a chance to win ETERNAL (or TANTALIZE), leave a comment here. To see more of what Cynthia is up to, visit her website at CynthiaLeitichSmith.com. She also writes the truly fabulous blog, Cynsations, so stop by there, too!

Eternal Trailer