Author Interview with Scott Tracey

How would you describe Moonset in ten words or less?

Sinisterly motivated adults manipulating oppressed teenagers hunted by dark powers.

What was the inspiration behind Moonset?

I wrote a line of dialogue, where Justin talked about his parents. It summed up their rise and downfall and really made me curious about the world they inhabited. The line never made it into the book, but it's the seed the whole idea sprang from.

"When they were sixteen, my parents were Romeo & Juliet. In their twenties they were Bonnie & Clyde. Later, they were Rasputin and Elizabeth Bathory....and I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that."

Where do you do most of your writing? What are your reading and writing habits like?

I tend to write somewhere for a few weeks, and then I move spots. I usually start at the desk in my room, but eventually I'll move either into the living room at the coffee table, the kitchen table, or sometimes downstairs in our library/rec room. I always have to have music playing, although it flips between actual playlists and movie scores.

As for reading, I try to read a little every day. Every so often I'll take an afternoon off and blow through the rest of whatever I'm reading at the moment. I'm trying to do that more and more, so that I'm reading at least as much as I'm writing.

How is the Moonset series different from your first series, Witch Eyes? How is it similar?

Moonset focuses more on a big picture of magic. There's a secret government to the magical world, spells are restricted, everyone is spread out so that magic will always survive. To me, magic in Witch Eyes is a little like bending in Avatar: the Last Airbender (at least visually). The collection and manipulation of energy. In Moonset, words are spoken and spells snap into place.

How are they similar? Well, both feature adults of nebulous allegiances, creatures and threats of a demonic origin, as well as lots of darkness and sarcasm. Sarcasm is definitely my favorite.

Was writing Moonset easier or more difficult than the Witch Eyes stories? In what ways?

Moonset was actually a really hard book for me to write. I wrote it during a rough period of my life, and every time I've gone back to work on it, it's stirred up all those old memories. It's like when you get food poisoning after eating a certain type of food - every time you're confronted with that food in the future, you associate it with the one time you got food poisoning.

That said, I like and am proud of the book, I just remember that it was definitely a struggle there for a bit. ;)

What are some of the books, releasing in 2013 (besides Moonset and Phantom Eyes!), that are you most excited about? Do you have any you've fallen in love with so far this year?

Nova Ren Suma's 17 AND GONE (which will be out by the time this gets posted, I'm so excited)!

First book I've loved, for sure, has been Victoria Schwab's THE ARCHIVED. Flawless storytelling. And also Alex Kahler's THE IMMORTAL CIRCUS.

What do you do when you're not writing?

Lately, it feels like I'm always writing! That's the best and worst part of having two books coming out in the same year. :)

What are you writing now?

I have a couple of things I'm working on. One is an urban fantasy that does NOT feature witches, and the other is more of a horror/thriller YA. I love the idea of serial killers, so I've been itching to play around with that.

Thanks so much to Scott for stopping by In The Next Room!

Other information about Scott and his books: 

Moonset, a coven of such promise . . . Until they turned to the darkness. 

After the terrorist witch coven known as Moonset was destroyed fifteen years ago—during a secret war against the witch Congress—five children were left behind, saddled with a legacy of darkness. Sixteen-year-old Justin Daggett, son of a powerful Moonset warlock, has been raised alongside the other orphans by the witch Congress, who fear the children will one day continue the destruction their parents started.

A deadly assault by a wraith, claiming to work for Moonset’s most dangerous disciple, Cullen Bridger, forces the five teens to be evacuated to Carrow Mill. But when dark magic wreaks havoc in their new hometown, Justin and his siblings are immediately suspected. Justin sets out to discover if someone is trying to frame the Moonset orphans . . . or if Bridger has finally come out of hiding to reclaim the legacy of Moonset. He learns there are secrets in Carrow Mill connected to Moonset’s origins, and keeping the orphans safe isn’t the only reason the Congress relocated them .. .

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | FLUX

Scott Tracey is a YA author who lived on a Greyhound for a month, wrote his illustrated autobiography at the age of six, and barely survived Catholic school (and definitely not for the reasons you might think).

He is the author of WITCH EYES, chosen as one of Amazon’s Best LGBT Books of 2011, as well as an ALA Popular Paperback in the Forbidden Romance category. The final book in the WITCH EYES trilogy, PHANTOM EYES, will be released in the fall of 2013.

He is also the author of MOONSET, a new series which will be released April 8, 2013, as well as a contributor to the SHADOWHUNTERS & DOWNWORLDERS anthology, edited by Cassandra Clare.

His career highlights include: accidentally tripping a panic alarm which led to nearly being shot by the police; attacked in a drive-thru window by a woman wielding a baked potato, and once moving cross country for a job only to quit on the second day.

His gifts can be used for good or evil, but rather than picking a side, he strives for BOTH (in alternating capacity) for his own amusement.
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | TUMBLR

Other stops on this blog tour (visit Rockstar Tours for the full list):

Apr. 1st - I Am A Reader, Not A Writer - Interview
Apr. 2nd - TSK, TSK, What to read? - Guest Post
Apr. 2nd - Paranormal Book Club - Review
Apr. 3rd - YA Reads - Review
Apr. 4th - A Book and a Latte - Interview
Apr. 5th - Fade Into Fantasy - Guest Post
Apr. 6th - In the Next Room - Interview
Apr. 7th - DforDarla's Definite Reads - Review

And an opportunity to win a copy of Moonset! Five winners, open to the US only:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Interview with T. J. Brown

How would you describe Summerset Abbey in ten words or less?

Edwardian, fun, exciting, comical, dramatic, heartbreaking, vivid, rich, detailed, lush.

Oh, wait. That’s not what you meant? How about: An exciting, fun, sometimes comical, often dramatic and heartbreaking, Edwardian romp full of vivid and lush detailed descriptions.

Where did the inspiration behind Summerset Abbey come from?

When I was about fifteen I read this gorgeous book called Amanda, Miranda by Richard Peck. I absolutely fell in love with the time period, but being without Internet or library access, I didn’t really research the era or even know what exactly it was called. As I grew older, I realized it took place during the Edwardian period. Then I saw Downton Abbey and fell in love all over again. This led to a random email to my agent and the idea for Summerset Abbey was born.

Where and when do you do most of your writing?

About ten years ago, I removed the dining room table from the house and made the dining room my office. I live in a 70’s ranch style home and have the smallest great room ever, so my office is right where everyone lives. This isn’t a problem now that my children are grown up, but it was a bit challenging when I first did it! When I am having trouble making the words happen, I find that a change of venue often helps and head to my local coffee shop. Most of my writing is done during the day when my husband is at work, because he’s kind of distracting!

Did you always want to be a writer? What has your writing journey been like?

When I was in the third grade, I read a biography on Louisa May Alcott and fell in love with her and her books. I decided I was going to be a writer just like Louisa and her alter ego, Jo March. But writing takes an awful lot of self-discipline and that’s something I didn’t have in abundance until after I had children. They taught me more about self-discipline in the first few years of their lives than I’d learned in all the previous 23 years of mine! I took those lessons and applied them to my writing life. I’ve written both nonfiction and fiction and writing fiction is so much more satisfying to me. I sold my first YA novel in 2007 and it came out in 2008. Summerset Abbey will be my second novel.

What did you do when you found out Summerset Abbey had sold?

I quit my job. Seriously! Six months prior, I had sold a young adult series set in the 1920’s to Balzer+Bray. I had a lot of books to write and knew that even my part time job was going to be too much, so I turned in my notice.

The sequel to Summerset Abbey, A Bloom in Winter, comes out in March. What's it like having two books released in the same year? Do you have time to sleep?

What’s sleep? I actually have FOUR books coming out this year! The third Summerset Abbey book will be coming out in August and my young adult novel, Born of Illusion will be out in June.

What are you writing now? Can readers expect a book 3 in the Summerset Abbey series?

Yes! Spring Awakening will be out in August. I am currently working on a novella and another novel. They are both top secret right now, but I hope to announce them soon!

TJ Brown is passionate about books, writing, history, dachshunds and mojitos. If she could go back in time, she would have traveled back to England, 1910, Paris, 1927 or Haight-Ashbury, 1967. She resides in the burbs of Portlandia, where she appreciates the weirdness, the microbreweries, hoodies, Voodoo Donuts and the rain.  

Thanks so much to T. J. for stopping by In The Next Room! To learn more about Summerset Abbey check out her website or Goodreads page.

Author Interview with Nataly Kelly, "Found in Translation"

 Why did you become interested in translation?

My earliest memory is of not being able to communicate. As a very young child, I vividly recall trying to explain something to my mother and aunt, and they didn't understand me. The frustration of not being understood is one of my strongest memories.  I believe this is why I became a translator and interpreter. Having a talent for languages is one thing, but having a passion to help people communicate is another thing entirely.

Do you have any advice for aspiring translators?

This field is so diverse that there is truly something for everyone who has the necessary skills and proficiency. If you love video games, there are localization jobs out there.  If you have a beautiful voice, there is multilingual voice-over work available.  There are translators (written language) and interpreters (spoken or signed language) who specialize in cosmetics, sports, the opera... even those who work for NASA!  Success as a translator depends on many factors, but for those just getting started, I suggest looking into professional associations, such as the American Translators Association.

What about advice for people who are struggling to learn a new language?

First, find a method that does not make you struggle.  Look for ways to link it to something you absolutely love. The author Tim Ferris credits his Japanese proficiency in part to his love of comic books. Likewise, I was blessed to have a teacher from Korea, Mrs. Helen Kim, who taught me to sing classical music in various languages. My relationship with her helped fuel my desire to learn other languages and to see them as something fun and enjoyable, thanks to music.

Second, don't be hard on yourself. I often encourage people to focus on what they are good at instead of worrying about what they aren't good at where languages are concerned. Who cares if you have a strong accent or you can't conjugate a verb perfectly? Aim for proficiency instead of perfection. Eventually, you'll get better.  Mistakes are part of the process!

How would you describe Found in Translation in ten words or less?

"A fun book that reveals how translation shapes your life."

Why did you write it?

I dreamed for many years of writing a book that would shake up the average person's notion of translation as a dry, boring, or academic topic.  It's actually fun, exciting, and fascinating!  It really does affect life as we know it.  My hope is that this is the conclusion that the reader comes to after reading the stories in the book, which are quite diverse.

Are there any particular funny or moving anecdotes about your experiences translating that didn't make it into the book that you would like to share?

Oh, absolutely. We'd need a separate book of those!  One moving example that comes to mind is of a situation in which I was interpreting for a speech therapist, who was asking questions to help a stroke victim recover her speech and language skills. She asked the patient several questions, such as "Who drives the bus?" and "Who teaches at the school?"  The questions became more complex, and she eventually asked, "Who grows the food?"  The answer the therapist wanted to hear was "the farmer," but the woman responded with, "the mother." The therapist then asked her, "Who grows the food for a lot of people?" The patient said, "God." That experience really made me realize that translators and interpreters are not just bridging languages, but leaping across cultural chasms as well.

As for a funny example, I was once interpreting via telephone for a patient in a doctor's office. The doctor asked him to undress and left the room to enable him to do so.  When the doctor came back, the patient had not undressed yet.  When asked why, he said he did not want the interpreter to see him.  I was only connected via telephone, but he thought I could see him through the phone. This was about 10 years prior to Skype video calls.  Perhaps he was ahead of his time!

And come to think of it, I've also been called "the interpretator" once or twice instead of "the interpreter."  That always makes me smile.

Nataly Kelly is an author, consultant, and advisor in the areas of language services and global business.

​She is the Chief Research Officer at Common Sense Advisory, an independent market research firm dedicated to language services and technology, located in the Boston area. She has formally studied seven languages, has traveled to 36 countries, and has obtained higher education on three continents.

​

Thanks so much to Nataly for stopping by In the Next Room! To learn more about her and her translation work, stop by her website. To read the review of Nataly's latest book, Found in Translation, click here. 

Author Interview with Caragh M. O'Brien (#2)

How would you describe Promised in ten words or less?

Let me first say thanks, Zoë, for having me by to answer a few questions. It was just about a year ago that you interviewed me for Prized, and it’s nice to be chatting with you again.

≤10 words about Promised: Gaia returns home to fight, suffer, love, and lead.

You recently released a short story, Ruled, that takes place between Prized and Promised, told in Leon's perspective, much like Tortured was between Birthmarked and Prized. What made you decide to tell some of the Birthmarked story in Leon's voice and how was it different from writing Gaia?

The stories posed a unique challenge. They were supposed to deliver something about the Birthmarked world without containing spoilers for the subsequent novels, and also I wanted them to matter. Setting the stories between the novels and jumping to Leon’s head made sense, especially since I’d heard from readers by then that Leon was a favorite character. Writing from his perspective was more difficult than writing from Gaia’s mainly because I didn’t know him as well, but also because he’s a very guarded, private character. It was interesting for me to play around with conveying how he felt when he rarely expressed it openly. I liked that. I especially liked in “Ruled” how he felt something, couldn’t express it, then Gaia figured him out anyway, and he knew she knew. Incomplete communication was an element of their relationship that I always found satisfying to explore.

Now that the final book in the Birthmarked Trilogy, Promised has been published, do you think the story is complete? Or can readers hold out hope that another Birthmarked short story may be published in the future?

The narrative truly ends with the last chapter of Promised, and I gave considerable thought to what conclusion would resonate best for the series. That said, I do find that certain characters keep knocking, as it were, and there are some poignant possibilities that tug at me especially. I don’t think I’d have enough to turn into a novel, though, and a short story would feel too flimsy. So that’s it. Thanks for asking, but the project is finished. We just have to imagine what comes next.

How was writing Promised easier or harder than the previous books in the trilogy?

Promised was easier in that I had so much more to work from already, and I’d been thinking about its problems in the back of my mind for a long time before I started writing, so I didn’t agonize as much over the first draft as I did with, say, Prized. It was harder in that I had essentially two casts of characters to combine, one from each of the preceding books, and it was difficult to let some favorite characters shift to the background. Worst of all was letting some truly awful things happen to characters I care about. That still bugs me.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Sure. Be sure you’re writing to fascinate yourself.

Are there any authors that have especially inspired you? This could be during your journey writing the Birthmarked Trilogy, or as a writer in general.

I’m inspired all the time, usually by whatever I’m reading at the moment. David Levithan’s Every Day sucked me in a few weeks ago and I’m still pondering it. I like books that take risks, like his does, and I like when it’s clear that the writer is having a ball writing. Kate Burak’s Emily’s Dress and Other Missing Things is also delightful and strange and intense. It feels very personal, somehow.

After having spent years immersed in the dystopian societies of Birthmarked, do you see yourself continuing in the genre in the future?

I enjoy writing about the future, which puts me squarely in sci fi, and I’m definitely sticking with YA.

The question I have to ask...now that the Birthmarked Trilogy is finished, can you share anything about what you have planned next?

I have not figured out a coherent way to talk about what I’m writing next, but I have started another futuristic, YA project, and I’m working with the same editor and team at Roaring Brook. I’m so happy to be on board there.

Thank you so much, Zoë, for having me by. I love that your questions are so thoughtfully focused on the books. You always make me think, and that makes me happy!


Caragh M. O'Brien is the author of the dystopia Birthmarked trilogy that includes  BIRTHMARKED and PRIZED and PROMISED. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ms. O'Brien was educated at Williams College and earned her MA from Johns Hopkins University. She has resigned from teaching high school English in order to write full-time.

Thanks so much to Caragh for stopping by In The Next Room again! To learn more about her dystopia trilogy, stop by her website. To read the In The Next Review of Birthmarked click here, for Tortured click here, for Prized click here, and for Promised click here. To read last year's interview with Caragh, click here.

Author Interview with Sarah Jio

Publishing three amazing books in 2 years, raising three young sons... I think what I really want to know is, are you secretly Superwoman? How do you manage it all?

Aww, thank you Zoe. Truly, though, it has nothing to do with any superhuman abilities (though, I wish!). I am simply fortunate to do what I love. When you enjoy what you do, it all sort of falls into place. Oh, and I have an amazing husband who is particularly great with the kids, so that helps a bunch!

Setting is so important in your novels, for example Bainbridge Island in Violets of March and Bora Bora in The Bungalow. Is Seattle just as important in Blackberry Winter? Do you intentionally try to set your stories in different locations? What comes first– the setting or the plot?

Blackberry Winter is set in Seattle. I live here, and absolutely am a Seattle-ite through and through. So far, all of my novels (except my fourth!) have been set partially or fully in the Northwest. I tend to gravitate to this area because I know it so well and love it. But, I think the plot comes first in most cases—then the setting. Though in Violets, Bainbridge Island was sort of a character in its own right, so it came to me along with the idea for the novel.

Your novels are so great at transporting the reader to a new place they've never been– if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Also, I think you should definitely make the trip (research expense!)

I've been to Paris before, but I want to go back! The last time I was there, I traveled alone to a cooking class. This time, I want to rent an apartment in Paris for 2 weeks and bring the whole family. I have dreams of surviving on bread and pastries and showing the boys all the sights!

Now that your third novel is about to be published, has anything about writing and publishing gotten any easier? Is anything harder?

I wouldn't say that it's gotten any easier, but it's nice knowing what to expect in the process. There is so much that the author cannot control, so much that is just out of your hands, that I've learned to simply enjoy writing good books and then let the experts take it from there. My goal is to try to just focus on the writing and interacting with readers: both of my favorite things!

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Yes, write daily. And, do not begin writing a story unless the characters absolutely haunt you by day and keep you up at night. You must love, love, love your story for readers to also love it. (And for editors and agents, too!)

What are the five books you are most excited about at the moment? They can be ones you've read recently, or ones you're anxious to pick up, whatever you want!

So many! I want to read "Gone Girl" because of all the press about it, and Anne Lamott's new one. Also, Maeve Binchy was working on a new book, A Week in Winter, which she turned in to her editor shortly before she passed away last month. I want to read this one the second it is published.

Where do you do most of your writing? What are your reading and writing habits like?

I write in a little office next to the playroom in my house (I have three boys under the age of 6, so this is key). It's small, and there are usually kid toys at my feet. But it works. And I feel fortunate to have a dedicated room for my writing pursuits. My desk is covered with books and notebooks and other random things (I'm staring at a Lego creation that my 5 year old made me and a withered dandelion flower that my 3 year old gave me yesterday). I like to write fiction at night, after the kids are in bed and the house is quiet. Better yet if it's raining outside and the window is propped open.

Not only do flowers appear on the covers of your novels, but they also play a unique and important role in the stories. What is it that draws you to their symbolism? Do you expect that future novels will also feature them? 

Yes! I adore flowers, plants and nature, so I suspect that these types of themes and symbolic elements will be a permanent feature in my novels in the future. I love how certain flowers and trees are meaningful to people. For instance, crocuses always remind me of my parents because they planted them every spring in the garden of my childhood home. Come to think of it, I think I should use the crocus as a symbolic element in a story. It would sure make a beautiful cover!  

 

How would you sum up Blackberry Winter in ten words or less?

Seattle, a life-changing snowstorm, love and loss—and hope.

Usually, I'd ask what's next but you're so ahead of the game you already have a release date for book four, The Last Camellia, May 28th 2013! So is there anything else you can reveal about The Last Camellia? Or even book five, six, or seven– which I've read are already in progress?

I can't share a bunch about The Last Camellia yet, but I can't wait to—soon! For now, I'll share that it is set in the English countryside (in two time periods: present and 1940s), and delves into mystery, history, romance—and a bit of suspense! I also think fans of Downton Abbey should really like it!

Sarah Jio is the author of The Violets of March, The Bungalow, Blackberry Winter and The Last Camellia (out on 5/28/13)-all from Penguin/Plume! Sarah's books have/will be translated into 17 languages.

Thanks so much to Sarah for stopping by In The Next Room! To learn more about her awesome third novel, Blackberry Winter, or her first two books The Violets of March (click here to read my review) and The Bungalow (click here to read my review), stop by her website http://www.sarahjio.com/

Author Interview with Karen Thompson Walker

1. The science behind the slowing and the events that follow in The Age of Miracles was really interesting, how did you come up with it? Did you decide on the story or the series of natural disasters first?

I got the idea from something that really happened. In 2004, the earthquake that caused the tsunami in Indonesia also affected the rotation of the earth, shortening our 24-hour days by a few microseconds. I began to wonder right away what would happen if a much larger change ever took place. From the beginning of the process, though, I also knew that I wanted to tell this story through the perspective of a woman looking back on her childhood and that the events in her life would be central to the novel. I wrote the book in chronological order, gradually and simultaneously charting the small-scale events in Julia’s life as well as the large-scale consequences of the global disaster.

2. As an editor as well as a writer, do you have to take yourself out of one mindset in order to do the other task? If so, how do you manage and what's the difference? Does being an editor give you any advantage as a writer, and vice versa? 

For me, the two things are intimately connected, and I do both at the same time. I like to edit as I write, sentence by sentence, rearranging the words again and again as I go.

3. What five books are you most excited about at the moment? They can be ones you've read recently, are reading, or are just really looking forward to.

The Buddha in the Attic by Julia Otsuka
The Girl Giant by Kristen den Hartog
The Life Boat by Charlotte Rogan
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

4. Where do you do your reading and writing?

I wrote almost all of The Age of Miracles at one desk in a little studio apartment in Brooklyn, in the mornings before work. I still do most of my writing at home, but now that I’ve left my full time job, I sometimes also write at nearby coffee shops, especially in the afternoons. As for reading, I read in all kinds of places, wherever I happen to be.

5. How did you feel when you found out about the bidding war and incredible support behind The Age of Miracles? Did you do anything to celebrate selling your first novel (and with such fanfare!)?

Shocked. (And elated, obviously.) I’m still a bit shocked, actually. I knew from working in book publishing how hard it is to sell a novel, so I was really bracing for disappointment. My husband and I went out to dinner to celebrate that first night, but we both had a hard time believing that it was real.

6.  Now that you've published your awesome debut novel, what's next?

I’m working on a new novel, but I feel too superstitious to say much about it. It’s about another extreme situation, though, and I’m exciting to settle into it.


Karen Thompson Walker is a graduate of UCLA and the Columbia MFA program. A former book editor, she wrote The Age of Miracles in the mornings before work. Born and raised in San Diego, California, she now lives in Brooklyn with her husband. 

Thanks so much to Karen for stopping by In The Next Room! To learn more about her incredible debut novel, The Age of Miracles, stop by the book's website www.TheAgeofMiracles.com, and Facebook page.  Click here to read my review of The Age of Miracles at In The Next Room.

Author Interview with Kristina McBride

What do you do when you're not writing? 

I love spending time with my family and friends. Preferably outdoors. My favorite thing to do, other than reading or writing, is to take a hike in the woods.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? 

Write. Write. And write some more. And don’t forget to read. It’s the best way to learn what to do . . . and, in some cases, what not to do.

What are your five favourite recent reads? 

THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS – Rae Carson
HOW TO SAVE A LIFE – Sara Zarr
EVE – Anna Carey
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS – John Green
11/22/63 – Stephen King

What was the inspiration behind One Moment? 

This is going to sound kind of awful, but you asked, so here goes. My first book deal was for two books, but THE TENSION OF OPPOSITES wasn’t a series book, so the two books would be unrelated and stand alone. This was tricky, because after my first book was accepted, I started working diligently on my second. When I had 75-100 pages and a complete outline, my agent submitted all of this to my editor. And my editor rejected the book. Which was a horribly awful experience. My editor thought the idea was okay, but not dark enough to follow THE TENSION OF OPPOSITES, which, I agree, is quite dark. I was sad and upset and frustrated . . . so I decided to kill someone. (A character type of someone, not a real someone.) That’s dark, right? This was actually a pretty cool development, because I then started brainstorming all the ways I could kill a character. Which led to Joey’s little fall. And then the rest of the book. (And for the record, I am SO happy that my editor rejected that first idea, because if not for that, ONE MOMENT wouldn’t exist!)

How has it been different publishing a sophomore novel, compared to your debut, The Tension of Opposites? Has anything gotten easier? Harder? 

You know, I think the main thing that changed with ONE MOMENT is simply that I knew more of what to expect. I didn’t feel as defeated when I received a lengthy editorial letter, didn’t feel quite as antsy when I was in a waiting stage, and overall felt a little bit more confident. The whole process is difficult – almost every step of the way – but it’s a rewarding type of difficult that is so worth the struggle through to the end. 6. How would you sum up One Moment in five words? Tragic, heartbreaking, intense, thought-provoking, uplifting.

Kristina McBride has dreamed of being a published author since she was a child and lived across the street from a library. She loved her position as a high school English teacher for eight years, but decided to quit teaching and take a crack at her dream when she had her first child. She has two books for young adults: THE TENSION OF OPPOSITES (2010) and ONE MOMENT (2012). Kristina lives in Ohio with her husband and two young children, stealing as many moments as she can to write, write, write.

Thanks so much to Kristina for stopping by In The Next Room! To learn more about her novel, One Moment, stop by her website. Click here to check out the other stops on this tour.

Character Interview with Honor and Rusty from In Honor

1. How would you sum yourself up in five words? 
Honor: honest, brave, afraid, hopeful, genuine

2. What are three things you love? 
Rusty: Finn, Honor, The Pala

3. What are three things you hate? 
Honor: Losing people, lies, and letting go

4. If you could have a dinner party with any five people, living or dead, who would they be? 
Honor: My mom, dad, Finn, Rusty, and Kyra Kelley, of course

5. What does your average day look like? 
Rusty: eat, sleep, football practice, beer, repeat

Jessi Kirby is the author of MOONGLASS, published in May 2011 by Simon and Schuster. She is also a former English teacher and librarian, wife, mom, beach lover, runner, and lover of Contemporary YA, strong coffee, and dark chocolate. In that order. Jessi’s second novel, IN HONOR, will be released in May of 2012.

Thanks so much to Honor, Rusty and Jessi for stopping by In The Next Room! To learn more about In Honor, stop by her website. Click here to check out the other stops on this tour. 

Author Susanne Winnacker on the Top 10 Books She's Anticipating

I love to read. No surprise there, I guess. But as a teen I didn’t read as much as I do today. Maybe I thought it was uncool or maybe I didn’t take the time to discover just how many wonderful books are out there.

Nowadays, no matter where I am, I always pay a visit to the local book stores and most of the time end up buying something, though my to-read pile is already daunting.

Today I’d like to give you my most anticipated books. (They will join my to-read pile as soon as possible!)

1. Book 3 of the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth – I read Insurgent a few days ago and I’m dying to read the next book!
2. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger – I love her adult series (Parasol Protectorate) so I’m very excited about her first YA series!
3. Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs – I’m a huge fan of her Mercedes Thompson series and I can’t wait to read book 7!
4. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer – Cinder was one of my favorite reads this year!
5. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor – Daughter of Smoke and Bone was a 2011 favorite. So excited to read book 2!
6. Skinny by Donna Cooner – A girl with obesity who undergoes gastric-bypass surgery and tries to figure out who she is and what she wants. It sounds amazing.
7. Butter by Erin Jade Lange – A boy called Butter is going to eat himself to death on the internet. That was all I needed to hear. I’m so so so excited about this book.
8. Body and Soul by Stacey Kade – I really enjoyed the first two books in The Ghost and the Goth series!
9. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo – It sounds awesome and the cover is fantastic!
10. Ten by Gretchen McNeil – I love horror stories. As a teenager I devoured Dean Koontz and Stephen King, so I can’t wait to read Gretchen’s take on YA horror!

Of course the list could go on and on, but the books above are my top ten!

Thanks for having me on your blog, Zoe!  

Susanne Winnacker studied law and lives with her husband, a dog and three bunnies in the Ruhrgebiet, Germany. She loves coffee (in every shape and form), traveling and animals. 

Thanks so much to Susanne for stopping by In The Next Room! To learn more about her debut novel, The Other Life, stop by her website. Click here to check out the other stops on this tour.

Character Interview with Sara from What She Left Behind

Pick Sara’s preference for each pairing:

• Paperback or hardcover? paperback

• Coffee or tea? tea

• Chocolate or vanilla? chocolate

• TV or film? TV

• Walk or run? Walk (or bike)

• Morning or evening? evening

• Cats or dogs? Neither: horses

• Beach or pool? beach

• Pen or pencil? pencil

• Winter or summer? summer

• Age seventeen or eighteen? 17

Tracy is a high school French and Spanish teacher in Michigan where she lives with her husband and two children.  She studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and taught English in Strasbourg, France. She enjoys cross-country skiing and walks in the woods. Her debut young adult novel, WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND, will be released by Simon Pulse on May 1, 2012.

Thanks so much to Tracy for stopping by In The Next Room! To learn more about her debut novel, What She Left Behind, stop by her website. Click here to check out the other stops on this tour. 

Author Interview with Buffy Cram

1.  You've got quite a vagabond history, do your travels inspire your writing? Is there a specific story in Radio Belly that was inspired by a particular trip ("The Moustache Conspiracy" perhaps?)

Living and working all over the world has definitely inspired my writing. It has exposed me to all kinds of different realities, which may be why “reality” is such an ambiguous thing in my fiction. Several of the stories: “Loveseat,” “Refugee Love” and “Floatables” were written while I was living in Buenos Aires. I was haunting the same cafes Borges and Cortazar used to write in and I must have absorbed some of their magic realist leanings. “Mrs. English Teacher” was directly influenced by (but loosely based on) my time teaching English in South Korea. And “The Moustache Conspiracy” is based on some of the paddling trips my dad used to take me on around Vancouver Island as a kid. So, yes, many of the places I’ve been work their way into my fiction.

2. Do you have a favourite place for writing? (Or even a favourite country?)

My hometown, Victoria, is still one of my favourite places to write. I’m able to go for long walks and not be interrupted by traffic or trams or crowds the way I am in other cities. I’m able to take a break from my writing and yet stay in the dream state from which I do my most creative work.

3. The stories in Radio Belly often deal with contemporary concerns, like the economy in "Large Garbage", in a slightly whimsical way; what made you decide to take a look at serious issues, often with a humorous eye?

It’s extremely important to me to be relevant to my readers and that means not avoiding the “big issues” of the day but tackling them head-on. Short fiction is so often overlooked and I think that’s because it has a reputation for being overly-precious or overly-subtle. But actually, when done right, short fiction is one of the most powerful ways I know to really get inside an issue and experience it first-hand. In order to be motivated, I need my writing to address the things that matter most to me— the economy, the environment, mental illness— but not in the usual “newsy” way. Whimsy and humour are my way of creating new perspective on these issues. My goal is to offer readers a safe way to see themselves and, by extension, an opportunity to laugh at themselves. I think there is great healing in that.

4. Interestingly, like the short story/memoir author, Charlotte Gill, who blurbed Radio Belly, you've also been recognized for your creative non-fiction. When you start a new piece, what makes you lean towards fiction or non-fiction? What are some of the differences for you between writing in the two genres? Do you have preference?

For me, fiction and non-fiction are two different gears within the same machine. They serve very different purposes. Sometimes the plain truth is the most powerful type of story. Adornment would just clutter the message. Other times, and often with more complicated or more fraught subject matter, the reader has to be drawn in more slowly and methodically. For example, if I were to write a non-fiction human-interest article about a family man who loses his home during the economic downturn, readers might turn away. They’ve heard it too many times before. It’s a downer and offers no solutions. But, if I’m to take that same story and dramatize it, and make it silly and imaginative, and then turn the issue on its head and make it so that the reader actually wants that man to lose his home (as in “Large Garbage”) it’s much more powerful.

5. How would you sum up Radio Belly in five words or less?

Great question! I would say: soft-lobbed, sometimes-funny, magical political poetry (okay, I cheated with the hyphens!)

6. The order selected for short story collections is always so interesting– was that something you decided on, and if you did, what made your decisions? How does the chronology of the stories in Radio Belly compare to the order that they were written in?

I’m so close to my stories, I can’t always see them clearly, so I really relied on my editor and publisher when deciding the order within the collection. In the end, one of the most important things we considered was pacing—it was important to start off with a bang. But it was also important to ease readers into my “otherworldly” point of view, which is why stories like “Radio Belly” and “Floatables” were put near the end. Interestingly enough, the order of the stories in the collection lines up pretty well with the order in which they were written, with the exception of “Floatables” which was one of my earliest stories.

7. What are some amazing books you've stumbled upon lately? Any Canadian fiction recommendations?

I was most recently living in Berlin where English books are a little scarcer and a little more expensive. I was getting my books from second-hand book stores and flea markets so I was reading a strange mix of older books: Steinbeck and Virginia Wolfe and Gertrude Stein. While there I did discover a wonderful German contemporary short fiction writer, Daniel Kehlmann and a wonderful new American short fiction writer, Ben Loory. And I had the pleasure of blurbing new Canadian writer Melanie Schnell’s powerful new book “While the Sun is Above Us.”

8. If you could have a dinner party with any five people, living or dead, who would they be?

My dinner party would be all dead people. I would invite Earnest Hemmingway, Hunter S. Thompson, Janice Joplin, Salvador Dali (he would do the cooking) and, hmmm, maybe my grandma who was supposedly a real entertainer.

9. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

My advice for aspiring authors is to try and write for at least an hour every (or most) days. Try not to focus on quality at first, but just on time spent in the act. I would also say don’t expect ideas for stories or characters to arrive fully formed—in more than a decade of writing this has almost never happened to me. Instead, think of writing like building an onion—you’re adding one thin layer at a time, a little bit every day, and only at the end of the process does the work start to resemble a single coherent idea.

10. What's next for you as a writer?

I’m having a lot of fun working on my novel, which will come out soonish with D&M. It’s about two kids who grow up on a schoolbus chasing the Grateful Dead across the country.

Growing up in a communal housing project on the tip of Vancouver Island, Buffy Cram spent most of her childhood running wild on beaches with a gang of kids her own age. Buffy has spent the last decade teaching and writing in Vancouver, Montreal, Boston, Texas, Mexico, South Korea, South America and various parts of Europe. She currently divides her time between San Francisco and Berlin, Germany. She writes by day, bartends by night and has a business making repurposed leather handbags on the side. 

Thanks so much to Buffy for stopping by In The Next Room! To learn more about her debut collection of short stories, Radio Belly, stop by her website or Facebook page. Click here to read my review of Radio Belly at In The Next Room.

Author Jill Hathaway on Books

So there are a ton of amazing books I’ve read recently!

FRACTURE by Megan Miranda

I was soooo excited to get to read this one early. The book grabbed me from the very beginning, when Delaney falls through the ice. This is actually one of my greatest fears. Whenever I drive on a bridge over a river or something, I picture what I would do if I accidentally drove into the water. So I was completely on edge when Delaney fell. After they pull her out, she develops this weird affinity with people who are about to die; it’s fascinating. Also, Decker is one of my favorite characters of all time! Definitely check this one out!

UNEARTHLY and HALLOWED by Cynthia Hand

There are a ton of angel books out there, but what really sets Cynthia’s books apart is her gorgeous writing style. I read UNEARTHLY while I was on a camping trip last summer, and I’m afraid I was totally rude, ignoring everyone so I could find out what happened to Clara. UNEARTHLY has a really smart mythology, and I was riveted as Cynthia slowly revealed the secrets of Clara’s background. When I finished reading the book, I contacted Cynthia to let her know how much I liked it, and we became friends. She sent me a copy of HALLOWED, and it was every bit as brilliant as UNEARTHLY. It actually had me in tears, and I’m not one to cry when I’m reading. I can’t wait to read the third book in the series!

11/22/63 by Stephen King

So I’m a huge Stephen King fan (as is Rollins in SLIDE), and I needed something to read during those late night feedings after my son was born. I downloaded King’s latest novel and was immediately daunted by the book’s length… a whopping 1000 pages! But I was quickly sucked in by the brilliant premise. Jake Epping, a high school English teacher, finds an… um… portal (?) through which he can travel to the year 1958. So he’s able to go back and change things and see how they alter the future. But there’s a catch… Every time he goes back through the portal, history is reset. So he basically has to go back and change everything again and again if he wants to keep those same results. Ultimately, he wants to prevent JFK from being assassinated, but I felt like that was almost a backstory to the real tale, which is about Jake falling in love. This book explores whether, indeed, everything happens for a reason.

Thanks for having me, Zoe, and allowing me to share some wonderful books with you!

Thanks so much to Jill for stopping by!  Click here to follow the rest of the stops on this tour. 

Character Interview with Chase from Article 5

Hi Zoe,

Thanks for taking the time to ask Chase a few questions today. I…um…well, I’m just going to apologize now. He can be a little curt. He’s under a lot of stress you know, what with the soldiers coming after him and Ember and all. He’s really worried about her. Anyway, he’s agreed to play nice, but if he gets a little short, you’ll know why.

Take care!

Kristen

Paperback or hardcover? Paperback for sure – easier to carry. When I was in Chicago, after the bombs dropped, they set up this mobile library at one of the Red Cross Camps. That’s where I picked up FRANKENSTEIN. It’s Ember’s favorite.

Hey, don’t tell her I said that, okay? She’s got a lot on her mind…I don’t want her feeling weird about it…I mean, it’s just a book. She probably doesn’t even remember us talking about it anyway. That was a long time ago.


Coffee or tea? Tea? What is this? England? The borders are closed, last I checked. I’d take some coffee if you’re offering. Put it in a to-go cup. I can’t stay all that long. Running for my life here.


Chocolate or vanilla? Hard to say. They both sort of remind me of her. Damn, did I just say that? What’d you put in this coffee?


Walk or run? When the FBR’s tailing you, you don’t walk, you run. Got it?


Morning or evening? Morning. Better visibility. More people around, easier to blend in. Evening’s are dangerous. That’s all we need – some soldier snagging us on a curfew violation.


Cats or dogs? What the hell use is a cat? A dog can bite someone, and bark if someone’s coming. Definitely a dog.


Beach or pool? I’m sorry, does this look like a vacation to you?


Pen or pencil? Now we’re talking. The truth is, it doesn’t matter. Both of them can be used in self-defense. Remember, quick, deliberate moves. Go for soft spots – the eyes, the mouth, the groin. If you get in trouble, hit fast and hard and then get out.


Hot or cold? What do you…wait, is this about Ember? It’s hard to tell with her. Sometimes I think it’s like before, and everything’s good. Other times…I don’t know. It’s complicated.

Why? Did she say something?


Bath or shower? Is this about Ember? Because if so…I uh…I’m pretty sure that’s not your business.

Are we almost done? Man, it’s hot in here. Crack a window or something.


Science or art? Art. I was in chemistry when the air sirens hit. Chicago was bombed for three straight days, so no, science class doesn’t exactly hold fond memories for me.


Single or attached? Right. So, I’ll be going now. Thanks for the coffee. What’s that supposed to mean, anyway? Single or attached. Like am I dating or something? Listen, nobody dates. Not anymore. And definitely not with all that’s going on. Single or attached. What kind of interview is this, anyway? More like a monthly inspection. Don’t worry, I’m compliant officer.

…

…

Attached. On my part anyway.

We done here?

Thanks so much to Chase (and Kristen!) for stopping by. Click here to follow the rest of the stops on this tour.

Author Interview with Amanda Grace

How different is it writing more serious novels like But I Love Him and In Too Deep in comparison to your lighter fare under the name Mandy Hubbard, like You Wish? Do you write one type of novel followed by the other, or do you get into a mood and write several more serious books in a row?

I usually have to switch back and forth to accommodate deadlines. I wrote the initial draft of BUT I LOVE HIM just a couple of weeks before PRADA & PREJUDICE sold, and then I had to dive back into that. I don’t have much trouble alternating on two extremes, but when they’re a bit closer (RIPPLE is also serious) it can be harder. Sometimes I don’t even realize I’m using the wrong character names and have to do a find and replace.

Most often, authors tackle the subject of rape from the perspective of a survivor in a way that demonizes the rapist, what made you want to take on this issue in such a unique way? 

I’m really fascinated by character who choose to lie, for one reason or another. HARMLESS by Dana Reinhardt is a book like that. Two girls lie about what they were doing one night to avoid getting caught for something fairly minor—but their lie spirals. I know books like this one can be frustrating for the reader—telling the truth is such an obvious choice, and right for moral reasons. It’s fun to explore a character who makes the wrong choices.

Have you ever experienced a rumour spiraling out of control?

Hmm. Certainly not to this extent. I was misunderstood, in general, in high school. I was shy and awkward but desperately wanted others to think I was effortlessly cool, and the result was not talking to a lot of people but pretending I didn’t care, and that made people actually think I was a snob, at times. It’s so easy to be misunderstood in high school, when we don’t have the life experience to see beyond the surface.

Getting Caught, a novel that you co-wrote with Cyn Balog, was recently published in ebook only format. What made you go this route as a traditionally published author? Can we expect anymore e-book releases from either Amanda Grace or Mandy Hubbard in the future?

Getting Caught was such an insanely fun project for me to write, and Cyn and I had a blast working together! It’s contemporary, fun, and centered around friendship, which is a hard sell in this market. We decided to explore the ebook-only idea because I think that’s just the best platform for a book that might be considered “too quiet” to break out in traditional publishing.

What are you reading and writing habits like?

If I’m not on deadline, I tend to write about an hour a day, alternating between fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, my fingers can barely keep up with what’s spewing out, and sort of tinkering and re-reading things. I definitely discover the story as I go, even when it is plotted out in advance. Twists and turns present themselves as I write. For reading, I tend to fill most of my reading time with full manuscripts. I tend to feel guilty knowing writers are oh-so-patiently waiting for my response, and then pulling open a published book and reading that instead. I went from reading about 75 books a year to more like 25 when I became an agent.

What are some of your favourite books you've read so far in late 2011/early 2012?

Right now I am reading A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL by Suzanne Young and loving it. I’m really excited to dive into BITTERSWEET By Sarah Ockler next. Earlier this year, I fell in love with REVOLUTION by Jennifer Donnelly. And I had the pleasure of reading another e-pubbed amazon book, CROSS MY HEART by Katie Klein, and it’s freaking amazing.

Amanda Grace is a pen name for Young Adult author Mandy Hubbard (PRADA AND PREJUDICE, YOU WISH). She lives near Seattle, Washington, with her husband and young daughter. She is also a literary agent for D4EO Literary Agency.

Thanks so much to Amanda/Mandy for stopping by In The Next Room! To learn more about her novels, including In Too Deep, stop by her website. Click here to read my review of Ripple. Click here to check out the other stops on this tour.

Author Interview with emily m. danforth

On your website you describe The Miseducation of Cameron Post as being about, among many things, "A girl named Jane Fonda and the hollowed compartment in her prosthetic leg." is there anyway you can elaborate on this without spoilers? If not, what else makes the novel so unexpected?

Well, that “synopsis” on my website is a bit cheeky, I suppose, and also maybe a little misleading, out of context, because it’s really built around Flannery O’Connor’s belief (one that I very much share) that “a story is a way to say something that can’t be said any other way, and it takes every word in the story to do so…a statement would be inadequate; so when anyone asks what a story is about, the only proper thing is to tell him to read the story.” I know that’s not a particularly satisfying answer, but I think it’s true: if I could have gotten at everything I wanted to get at in The Miseducation of Cameron Post with just a statement or a synopsis then I wouldn’t have needed to write a novel, right? So, you know, keeping all of that in mind: Jane Fonda is a character who appears in the second half (really, third act) of the novel. And no, she’s not the Jane Fonda—as in famous film actress, activist, fitness guru, and daughter of Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda—but certainly the Jane in my novel recognizes that her name, which, in most ways, is quite plain (plain-Jane), has this whole strange celebrity connection.

Jane is one of Cameron’s fellow “disciples” at God’s Promise, which is an evangelical boarding school and conversion therapy center Cameron’s Aunt Ruth sends her to when she finds out that Cam has been romantically involved with a girl from their church. (The novel goes into great detail about just what religiously informed conversion therapy is, but for our purposes here I’ll just say that it’s intended to fix the “sexually broken” (ie: anyone not exhibiting traditionally accepted gender and sexual identity traits). As you might imagine, a place like this has many strict rules and regulations and so its “disciples” (the teenagers sent there, some of them against their wills) have many secrets amongst them. In fact, the novel, as a whole, is very much about secrets and how the process of sharing those secrets (or not), and just how and to whom one shares one’s secrets, comes to shape the characters profiled within, especially Cameron.

As you mention above, Jane Fonda has a prosthetic leg and she does have a compartment she’s built within it to hide things, and some of those things are very much forbidden at God’s Promise. But this kind of hiding is also an echo of an earlier series of moments in the novel with Cameron, who before being sent to God’s Promise often stole small things and glued them to the inside of a huge Victorian dollhouse she keeps in her bedroom. Cameron’s an orphan, so the dollhouse, an elaborate construction built for her by her father, is imbued with all kinds of meaning.

Anyway, back to Jane: she’s a veteran of God’s Promise, she’s been around, is a little older than Cameron, and she’s absolutely unafraid to be exactly who she is, which is something Cameron isn’t yet sure how to do (partly, maybe mostly, because she’s just not yet sure just who she is). Jane is strange and complicated and, I hope, sometimes funny, and she plays a vital role in Cameron’s development, and her “big decision” at the end of the novel. It’s important for Cameron to realize that her own “sad story” is just one of many sad stories, and maybe not even all that unusual or tragic when she compares it to those of her fellow disciples.

You were born and raised in Miles City, Montana, the same place that Cameron ends up after her parents die, did you draw a lot of inspiration from your own life in telling this story?

Cameron is actually from Miles City, too; she’s also born and raised there in the novel. (It’s her Aunt Ruth who moves there to be with her (from Florida) after her parents’ die). Unquestionably my own childhood and adolescence in eastern Montana informed the sense of place in the novel: it’s cowboy country, big sky country (as the state tourism board would have it, though really, the sky is huge out there, just enormous), and lots of the folks who live there are very connected to the land, if not by profession then by passion or necessity.

There are less than a million people in the entire state, but it’s also the fourth largest state in the country, so even if you’ve never been there (and I recommend visiting—go to Glacier National Park, you won’t regret it) you can probably imagine the vastness of the land, the immense expanse of the prairie, and the way all of that “big sky” informs your daily life as a Montanan, even if you live in town, as Cam does. Also, the novel explores the often provincial social customs of a small western ranch town—the fairs, the festivals, the dances and parades—and what it’s like to “participate” in all of those events when you feel like an outsider, which Cam often does, both because she’s an orphan and because she’s a girl who “likes girls.”

Miles City is "best known for its Bucking Horse Sale"; what is emily m. danforth best known for?

 Hmmm. Well, I suppose I’d like to be best known for my fiction. But, at this point, among close friends and family, anyway, I’m probably best known for my uncanny ability to impersonate a squirrel eating a cracker and my prowess at the board game Clue®. I’m tough. So long as I get to be Mr. Green, anyway: I’m nearly unbeatable.

What are five things the reader should know about Cameron? 

1. She’s brave if not always entirely sure of how to direct that bravery.
2. She has a thing for dollhouse-dioramas (read the book to learn more about that).
3. She’s seen a lot of movies, many of them a whole bunch of times. You might even call her a film-buff, though she’d probably laugh at that.
4. She’s curious about the world and her place in it.
5. She’s ultimately a real romantic, even if she often gets sort of awkward and sarcastic to cover that up.

Lastly, because I have to ask, as a professor of literature, why does your name always seem to appear in complete lowercase? 

Honestly: because I like the way it looks. It’s a visual thing. It has absolutely nothing to do with my academic position. I love the lowercase e + lowercase m combo, those curves like sloping hills. That’s all. It’s not an e. e. cummings tribute (though cummings is great) or a political statement. I like the way it looks and have been writing it lowercase since junior high (maybe before that, even).

emily was born and raised in Miles City, Montana, a town best known for its Bucking Horse Sale-which was once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for hosting the most intoxicated people, per capita, of any US event. She obsessively collects erasers, large-letter linen postcards from the 1940s, snow-globes, and neologisms. (She has an iced-coffee addiction, too.)

Thanks so much to Emily for stopping by In The Next Room! To learn more about her debut novel, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, stop by her website. Click here to check out the other stops on this tour. 

Author Megan Bostic on This Or That

Author Megan Bostic picks her preferences:

1. E-book or hardcopy? Definitely hardcopy. I’ve not yet gone the way of the e-book. I still like to turn pages.
2. Paperback or hardcover? Paperback. I don’t feel as guilty spilling on them, doggy earring them, or bending them at the bind.
3. Coffee or tea? I could not live without coffee. Well, I could, but someone might have to die.
4. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate. Vanilla is too flavorless. If I’m having dessert, I want it decadent.
5. TV or film? Film. I only watch TV on Netflix now, and I have a hard time finding shows I want to watch.
6. Walk or run? Walk. Running should be outlawed.
7. Morning or evening? Evening. Even though I wake up early, I’m not officially a “morning” person.
8. Cats or dogs? Can I choose neither? My allergies keep me from being an animal lover. If I had to choose though, Cats definitely. I love their aloofness.
9. Beach or pool? The beach. I love sitting beneath the sun digging my toes through the sand.
10. Pen or pencil? Pen. Not even sure when I last used a pencil.
11. Hot or cold? Hot. I hate to be cold. No matter how hot it gets in the summer, I never complain, because I know what’s coming in a matter of weeks. Brrr.
12. Age seventeen or eighteen? Seventeen was a much better year for me. Carefree, no worries. Eighteen is a different story.

Megan loves the color black, monkeys, and is a notorious Facebook addict. She’s a proud member of The Class of 2K12 and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. You can also find her on Twitter, Goodreads, Jacketflap, and anywhere else cool authors hang out.

Thanks so much to Megan for stopping by In The Next Room! To learn more about her debut novel, Never Eighteen, stop by her website. Click here to check out the other stops on this tour. 

Author Interview with Caragh M. O'Brien

The title of the first book in the series, Birthmarked, is both literal and highly symbolic, is the meaning of Prized also so complex? Are there any hints you can give about its origin?

Let me first say, Zoe, you’re so nice to have me by for a visit during my blog tour. Thank you for such an interesting variety of questions. They’ve really encouraged me to ponder.

As for titles, I struggle with them, so I’m glad you think these work. The best titles invite someone to read the book and then take on resonance once the reader is further into the story. A member of the art team at Macmillan, Anne Diebel, came up with “Birthmarked” after I’d already suggested two hundred possibilities that didn’t work, like “The Baby Quota” and “The Freckle Code.” For “Prized,” I tried for a concept at the center of the novel, where girls are valued because of their scarcity. If you’re a girl, that might sound like a good thing, but there is a lot of unfairness when one group of people is prized over another, and the title matches how complicated things get for Gaia.

Did you always want to be a writer or was it something you discovered later in life?

This question is surprisingly difficult to answer because “be a writer” means two different things to me. I started keeping a journal in 7th grade and read everything I could get my hands on, so I was a writer in the real sense of the word long before it occurred to me that I could try to be a writer for my job. That discovery happened my senior year in college. Then life continued, you know. I’ve always written regardless of what other jobs I’ve had, and now with the Birthmarked trilogy, I’m a writer for my job, too.

How did teaching high school impact the kind of young adult book you decided to write?

Teaching undoubtedly helped my writing because I witnessed my students first-hand when they grappled with issues of injustice, so I knew they’d be drawn to complex moral stakes in a novel. I also gained a clear sense of how quickly readers can become bored, and how unforgiving they are once that happens, so I wanted to write a book that would be fun to read with a fast pace, adventure, and unexpected twists. Being with teens daily convinced me I never have to hold back in any way just because some of my readers are chronologically younger than I am. I hope Gaia captures a little of the bravery and resourcefulness I knew in so many of my students.

How would you describe Prized in ten words or less?

Ha! Here goes:
Gaia fights a matriarchy, guys, the environment, and her heart.

Any hints about what we can expect in Promised? (I had to ask!)

I’m deep into the 7th draft of Promised right now, and it goes to copy edits at the end of October, so it’s very much on my mind. You’re the first one who’s asked about it online, actually. I suppose the third book is what happens when the first two books collide. Yes. That’s what it is. It’s pretty intense, with some heartache and a bit of gore. My favorite things.

 
Prized Code #12: O


Caragh M. O'Brien is the author of BIRTHMARKED and PRIZED, two novels in a dystopia trilogy which will end in 2012 with PROMISED. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ms. O'Brien was educated at Williams College and earned her MA from Johns Hopkins University. She has resigned from teaching high school English in order to write full-time.

Thanks so much to Caragh for stopping by In The Next Room! To learn more about her dystopia trilogy, stop by her website. To visit the rest of the stops on this book tour, click here.