Elise Allen's Blog, page 5

The GCC Presents Jennifer Echols!

Have I discussed how much I love the Girlfriend’s Cyber Circuit?  I know I have, and this is why: it brings amazing authors to my blog.  Today I have the extreme pleasure of welcoming Jennifer Echols, and her new book, SUCH A RUSH!

Here’s a little about the book:

High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever.

But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business–until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers–and the consequences could be deadly.

You know what’s coming now, and you know it involves a haiku.  Yes, it’s my interview with Jennifer!

ME: If you had no other responsibilities and could take off on a retreat to your dream place to write, where would that be, and what would your dream daily schedule be like?

JENNIFER: Wow. This is kind of a mean question. It fills me with longing. Right now I’m trying to finish a book while carting my son around to summer activities, and my husband has decided this is a great time to remodel the kitchen.

However, I have been in that dream scenario, theoretically, and I hated it. I went to a writers’ conference in New York City a couple of years ago, but I went a few days early so I could finish a book. I got lonely. I got bored. And what I concluded from that trip is that I really need to write in between going for a jog and ironing. I’ve been juggling writing with family duties from the very beginning–and until last year, I also worked lots of hours at a freelance copyediting job–so when presented with the opportunity for unlimited writing, my brain doesn’t know how to handle it.

ME: Is there a character you thought would be in the book, but who landed on the cutting room floor?  Conversely, is there a character you never expected to appear, but turned out to be intrinsic to the story?  If so, tell us about him/her.

JENNIFER: I sit around and think about my books for so long beforehand that by the time I start writing them, I know where I’m going–not the details but the basic journey. Characters don’t usually surprise me. However, the relationship between the main character Leah and her flight instructor Mr. Hall, who is also the father of the hero Grayson, is much more complex that I originally imagined.

ME: Writing rituals: do you have any?  If so, what are they?  If you don’t follow them, do you find it harder to write?

JENNIFER: I need coffee. I need the soundtrack I made for the book on my iPod. I need the menfolk in my house to stop asking me for laundry. Other than that, I’m pretty flexible. I write in my office, on the screened porch, in the yard, and at Starbucks, on my laptop, on my Alphasmart, and often longhand when I get stuck.

ME: Ever gotten a piece of fan mail, or had an experience with a reader that really stands out in your mind?  Tell us about it!

JENNIFER: I am always touched by the e-mails that say readers have been sick, or have a sick loved one, and my book helped them forget their troubles for a time. Books have done that for me, too, and I’m happy to be able to do that for someone else.

ME: Let’s reach back to school and describe your book in a single… HAIKU!  Three lines, five syllables-seven syllables-five syllables.  Ready?  Go!

JENNIFER:

Flying to escape

The troubles of this flat earth:

Harder than it looks.

Thanks so much for the interview, Jennifer!  I’m personally terrified of flying in small planes, so I’m eager to escape into Leah’s head for awhile.  Best of luck with the book — I’m sure it’ll be a huge success!

The Girlfriends Cyber-Circuit Presents Denise Jaden!

I found out something very cool when I read Denise Jaden‘s bio,  Check it out:

Denise Jaden spent her high school lunch hours trying to tame her frizzy/curly hair in the bathroom, or playing freeze tag in the drama room. She attended the theatre program at college, and then enjoyed a variety of occupations, including stage production, mushroom farming, and Polynesian dancing. The first draft of her debut novel, Losing Faith, was written in 21 days during National Novel Writing Month. This is her second novel. She lives just outside Vancouver, Canada with her husband and son. Find out more online at www.denisejaden.com or on Twitter: @denisejaden

I love that she wrote her first novel in 21 days.  Yes, it was a first draft, and I’m sure a lot of rewriting happened after that, but the first draft is the hardest, so to zip it on out that quickly kicks butt.

I’ll chat her up about that another time; now I want to talk about Denise’s NEW novel, Never Enough.  Here’s the summary:

Loann’s always wanted to be popular and pretty like her sister, Claire. So when Claire’s ex-boyfriend starts flirting with her, Loann is willing to do whatever it takes to feel special…even if that means betraying her sister.

But as Loann slips inside Claire’s world, she discovers that everything is not as it seems. Claire’s quest for perfection is all-consuming, and comes at a dangerous price. And Loann is frightened she could lose the sister she’s always idolized.

As Claire increasingly withdraws from friends and family, Loann struggles to understand her and make amends. Can she heal their relationship—and her sister—before it’s too late?

Sisterhood?  Eating disorders?  Perfection issues?  This is a book that hits on all cylinders for me, and I’m looking forward to reading it.  Even more so now that I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Denise!  And so…

ME: If you had no other responsibilities and could take off on a retreat to your dream place to write, where would that be, and what would your dream daily schedule be like?

DENISE: My ideal would be in a quiet cabin on a beach, preferably with some kind of non-glare laptop that I could take outside with me. I’d prefer to have a couple of solid hours to write in the morning, broken up by a long lunch, and then two to three more hours in the afternoon. The evenings would be geared more toward wine that writing, unless my muse strikes.

ME: Is there a character you thought would be in the book, but who landed on the cutting room floor?  Conversely, is there a character you never expected to appear, but turned out to be intrinsic to the story?  If so, tell us about him/her.

DENISE: This happened with my first book, Losing Faith. One of my favorite characters, Tessa, appeared out of nowhere and took over a good portion of the story. With Never Enough, the characters have all stayed the same, but I have had more name changes in this book than any other. The mom, for instance, was originally named Marcia, and Claire’s best friend originally went by Susan.

ME: Writing rituals: do you have any?  If so, what are they?  If you don’t follow them, do you find it harder to write?

DENISE: I don’t really have any rituals, but I do get up and pace a circle around my house when I get stuck and need inspiration. And sometimes I crunch on carrot sticks while pacing.

ME: Ever gotten a piece of fan mail, or had an experience with a reader that really stands out in your mind?  Tell us about it!

DENISE: I have gotten some WONDERFUL fan mail, and it absolutely makes every piece of this writing process worth it for me. One that sticks out is a girl who wrote to me recently and had made a beautiful poster AND a book trailer to go with Losing Faith. Loved them both!

ME: Let’s reach back to school and describe your book in a single… HAIKU!  Three lines, five syllables-seven syllables-five syllables.  Ready?  Go!

DENISE:

Complicated girls

Sisters who love each other

Can’t see their own good

Okay, that’s a haiku that could actually be its own stand-alone published poem, right?  Thanks so much, Denise!  And thanks for passing along the link to a GIVEAWAY!

Peeps, Denise is holding a contest on her blog for four boxes of great books! Anyone who comments here will automatically be eligible to win, just tell Denise you commented!  Here’s the link to her blog post about it:

But wait, there’s more!  Below is the trailer for Never Enough.  Enjoy!

No One Has Ever Taken This Picture Before. EVER.

But if you have taken this picture (or, you know, one remarkably similar but with YOU), by all means send it my way.  I say we start a collection.

It’s My Party And I’ll Hail Jessica Brody If I Want To

Today is my BIRTHDAY, but I’m giving you guys something fabulous.  Two things, really: the winner of the Myra McEntire giveaway (later in the post), and a Girlfriend’s Cyber-Circuit interview with my fellow Los Angeleno (Los Angelite?) JESSICA BRODY!

Jessica’s new book is called 52 REASONS TO HATE MY FATHER, in which “a spoiled teen heiress, famous for her party-girl antics and tabloid headlines, is forced by her ever-absent mogul father to take on a different low-wage job every week for a year, if she wants any hope of receiving her trust fund.”

That’s the description, but Jessica went further than that; she made one of her awesome movie-style trailers for the book.  Check it out:

I totally want to read it immediately.  But before I sit down and crack it open, I bring you my interview with Jessica, complete with… haiku!

ME: If you had no other responsibilities and could take off on a retreat to your dream place to write, where would that be, and what would your dream daily schedule be like?

JESSICA: I would LOVE to live and write on a cruise ship. I’m obsessed with cruises and boats! I don’t care where the cruise goes as long as I have a balcony. I would wake up in the morning, order room service pastries and coffee, write my 1500 daily words (which usually takes me about 2-3 hours), then eat lunch and have the rest of the day to lounge by the pool, take dance lessons, practice yoga, play bingo, etc. That is definitely my DREAM life! And then when one of my books becomes like UBER successful, I’ll ditch the cruise ship and buy my own yacht!

ME:  Is there a character you never expected to appear, but turned out to be intrinsic to the story?  If so, tell us about him/her.

JESSICA:  I love minor characters who turn out to be really important. Characters like this are what keep us writers on our toes. I think in this book that character would be Horatio, Lexington’s butler. At the start, he was just going to be a butler. Kind of background character, but from the moment he first came into the story, I realized what a special relationship he and Lexi had. Because her mother died when she was five and her father is NEVER around, Horatio is kind of like a father figure to Lexi, a fact she both loves and resents about him. At the beginning, when I set out to write the story, he didn’t even have a name. He was just going to be “the Butler” but by the end of writing the novel, he became one of my favorite characters, so at the end, I decided to give him a very special role in one of mysteries that Lexi unravels about her father’s past.

ME: Writing rituals: do you have any?  If so, what are they?  If you don’t follow them, do you find it harder to write?

JESSICA:  Yes, I have a few. And I’m quite adamant about following them. First off, I can’t write at home. I have to write in a public place. Like a coffee shop. For some odd reason, all the stuff going on around me keeps me from getting distracted! I know, counter-intuitive, right? It’s when I’m alone in my office that I find SO many other things to do and think about!

Secondly, I have a really cool “white noise” track that I listen to. Despite the fact that I have to have people and things around me when I write, I can’t have any noise. (Writers are so weird!) So I found this track called “Waterfall Entrainment” and it’s nothing but a constant waterfall sound that goes “SHHHHHHHH!!!!” in my ear. I loop it and play it full blast.

And third, I ONLY drink coffee when I’m writing. I’ve actually managed to trick my brain to thinking that coffee equals productivity. Plus, limiting my caffeine intake makes the caffeine more effective. So as soon as that coffee hits my blood stream, I am ready to rock!

ME:  Ever gotten a piece of fan mail, or had an experience with a reader that really stands out in your mind?  Tell us about it!

JESSICA:  Let me preface this story by saying that I was NOT a reader when I was a kid. I actually kind of hated it. Because all the books we were required to read in school were long and serious and boring. It wasn’t until I was 20 and read BRIDGET JONES DIARY by Helen Fielding that I realized that books didn’t have to be serious and boring! They could be funny! That was the book turned me into a reader. So I decided that if I ever became a writer, I would write fun books that hopefully make you laugh.

Fast forward ten years and I got an email from a reader who told me that before she read one of my books, she hated reading and that my book got her into reading. It was such an amazing thrill to get that because there was once a book that did the same for me and I always thought, if I could do the same for just ONE person, then I will have given back the gift that Helen Fielding gave to me.

ME:  Let’s reach back to school and describe your book in a single… HAIKU!  Three lines,

five syllables-seven syllables-five syllables.  Ready?  Go!

JESSICA:

This spoiled heiress

Is about to learn how to

Scrub a toilet bowl.

LOL!  This is why I write novels…not poetry!

Don’t sell yourself short, Jessica — anytime you can work “toilet bowl” into poetry, you rule!  Thanks for the interview, and I can’t wait to read the book!

For those of you out there who aren’t familiar with Jessica, here’s her scoop:

Jessica Brody is the bestselling author of THE KARMA CLUB and MY LIFE UNDECIDED, as well as two books for adults: THE FIDELITY FILES and LOVE UNDER COVER. In researching this book, she took on several minimum wage jobs, her favorite of which was working the drive-thru at a fast food restaurant. She splits her time between California and Colorado. Visit her online at: www.jessicabrody.com

Now one last thing to make this a full Girlfriend’s Cyber-Circuit post: the winner of my Myra McEntire giveaway!  The randomizer at Random.org made its choice and it’s… TRAVIS!  Travis, I’ll be emailing you, and once I get your address I’ll send you copies of HOURGLASS and TIMEPIECE.

America in Scotland

Happy July 4th, everyone!

I loved my trip through Europe, loved the other countries I visited, but I’m also very happy to be back home, especially in time to celebrate Independence Day.

In honor of the USA’s birthday, I thought I’d share a pic from an American-themed diner in Edinburgh (yes, I know — ridiculous to go to an American-themed diner while overseas, but it was our first night, we were jet-lagged, and it was the only place that served breakfast at 10pm).  The place looked like Ruby’s Diner, had pictures of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe everywhere, and even served an all-American breakfast… complete with haggis:

Have a great July 4th, everyone!  And don’t forget to enter my giveaway for copies of Myra McEntire’s books, HOURGLASS and TIMEPIECE!  Just leave a comment to enter the random drawing I’ll hold July 6th (my birthday)!

Mea Culpa to Myra McEntire… and a GIVEAWAY!

I’m back from Europe!  And while I had big plans to blog the entire three-week trip, take copious notes on every moment, and all but write a complete novel while I was away… I didn’t.  I enjoyed every second of the trip, spent lots of time with Pre and Miss M, ate great food, soaked in the sights… I have no guilt about my lack of work-time.

Except.

I totally bailed on a member of my new sisterhood, the Girlfriend’s Cyber-Circuit.  While I was away, Myra McEntire released her new book, TIMEPIECE.  She toured the Girlfriends’ Cyber-Circuit, sent me terrific answers to my interview questions, and I failed to take time out to post them, which stinks.  I feel terrible about it, and to try and make it up to her, I’m posting her interview NOW, and also doing a GIVEAWAY!  Leave a comment on this post, and you’ll be automatically entered to win copies of both TIMEPIECE and the book that started the series, HOURGLASS.

Want to know a little about TIMEPIECE?

Kaleb Ballard was never supposed to be able to see ripples—cracks in time. Are Kaleb’s powers expanding, or is something very wrong? Before Kaleb can find out, Jonathan Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, reappears. Why is he back, and what, or whom, does he want?

In the wake of Landers’s return, the Hourglass organization is offered an ultimatum by a mysterious man. Either they find Landers and the research he has stolen on people who might carry the time gene, or time will be altered—with devastating results for the people Kaleb loves most.

Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their extraordinary powers to find Landers. But where do they even start? And when? Even if they succeed, just finding him may not be enough. . . .

The follow-up to Hourglass, Timepiece blends the paranormal, science-fiction, mystery, and suspense genres into a nonstop thrill ride where every second counts.

It sounds fantastic, which is why I was so excited to get her interview answers (and so bummed that I didn’t post them in a timely fashion!).  Here they are…

ME: If you had no other responsibilities and could take off on a retreat to your dream place to write, where would that be, and what would your dream daily schedule be like?

MYRA: I’d go to the Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island. I was there when I started writing my first book, and it’s a beautiful and special place. The lobby bar and restaurant have all kinds of seats, and huge windows that look out on the beach. I’d write in the morning, break for lunch, sun, and a quick nap, and then get back to work as the sun went down.

ME: Is there a character you thought would be in the book, but who landed on the cutting room floor?  Conversely, is there a character you never expected to appear, but turned out to be intrinsic to the story?  If so, tell us about him/her.

MYRA: There was a character that showed up who became intrinsic. He’s still a mystery to me, and I’m shocked at his crush of choice, but I’d like to write him to find out more.

ME: Writing rituals: do you have any?  If so, what are they?  If you don’t follow them, do you find it harder to write?

MYRA: I need fuzzy socks and a hoodie. July or January.

ME: Ever gotten a piece of fan mail, or had an experience with a reader that really stands out in your mind?  Tell us about it!

MYRA: I got the cutest email from a college senior who was in the middle of finals and reading TIMEPIECE. She needed to know if there was a third book, and I couldn’t answer her at the time. Once I could, I did!

ME: Let’s reach back to school and describe your book in a single… HAIKU!  Three lines, five syllables-seven syllables-five syllables.  Ready?  Go!

MYRA:

Hero is hot mess

World is rocked, faith restored, hope

Love is best bonus

Huge thanks to Myra for the great interview!  Now to win a copy of both HOURGLASS and TIMEPIECE, just leave a comment to enter a random drawing.  I’ll choose a winner this Friday, July 6 (which happens to be my birthday, just sayin’).

And while you’re waiting for the drawing results, here’s a little bit about Myra to get you even more excited about her books:

Myra McEntire knows the words to every R&B hit of the last decade, but since she lives in Nashville, the country music capital of America, her lyrical talents go sadly unappreciated. She’s chosen, instead, to channel her “mad word skills” into creating stories. She’s an avid Doctor Who fan and will argue passionately about which incarnation is the best.  You can find her at her website, or follow her on Twitter!

 

 

 

 

The Girlfriends’ Cyber Circuit Keeps On Rockin’

The authors on the Girlfriends’ Cyber Circuit are having a wildly prolific summer, which means I get some seriously fabulous interview opportunities here on the blog!

And for the next three weeks, my posts are all coming from EUROPE, which I firmly believe makes them better.  As I type, I’m woozy from jet lag, in a hotel in Edinburgh with Miss M.  We have an amazing location and we’re surrounded by wondrous things to do… but we’ve been up for over 24 hours and our bodies have no idea what time it is, so we’re spending the evening with room service and Harry Potter.  I have no complaints.  In fact, I just ate four incredible French macaroons, so I’m in fact right chuffed.

But now the awesome business of the day… Amanda Ashby!

Amanda was born in Australia, and after spending the last sixteen years dividing her time between England and New Zealand, she’s finally moved back and now lives on the Sunshine Coast. When she’s not moving country, she likes to write books (okay, she also likes to eat chocolate, watch television and sit around doing not much, but let’s just keep that amongst ourselves, shall we?)

She has a degree in English and Journalism from the University of Queensland and is married with two children. Her debut book, YOU HAD ME AT HALO, was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice award, and her first young adult book ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEWBURY HIGH was listed by the New York Public Library’s Stuff for the Teen Age 2010. Her latest release, FAIRY BAD DAY, has been selected by Voya as one of their Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers 2012 and is a SCBWI Crystal Kite Award finalist for the Australia/NZ region.

So that’s Amanda’s history, but what’s going on with her now?  Turns out she has two books releasing at once, the first two installments of a middle grade series called SOPHIE’S MIXED-UP MAGIC.  Here’s the scoop:

Book One: Wishful Thinking

Be careful what you wish for…

After eleven year old Sophie accidentally gets herself turned into a djinn, she starts to think that it might not be so bad after all. (Of course, that’s after she gets the whole orange skin problem sorted out.) Who wouldn’t enjoy having the power to grant wishes! But when Sophie develops RWD (Random Wish Disorder) and can’t STOP granting wishes, things get more than a little mixed-up!

Book Two: Under a Spell

And that spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E…

As Sophie gets used to her magic, her relationship with the adorable Jonathan Tait is blossoming. There’s only one problem: Jonathan’s twin sister, Melissa. She’s a total mean girl who seems intent on making Sophie’s life miserable. On top of that, Melissa somehow seems to sense that Sophie has powers–and manages to bind Sophie to her in a totally self-serving way. Can Sophie figure out a way out of this–without ruining her chances with Jonathan?

Total fun, right?  So to continue the fun, I foisted my GCC interview questions on Amanda!  Here’s how it went:

Me: If you had no other responsibilities and could take off on a retreat to your dream place to write, where would that be, and what would your dream daily schedule be like?

Amanda: The other day a friend was telling me that she stayed in a penthouse on the beach here in Australia. There was an enormous spa bath and 360 degree views and it sounded pretty amazing. There was also no mention of children demanding to be feed, or asking for me to Google the answers on how to get through their latest Nintendo games, which also sounded pretty amazing!

Me: Is there a character you thought would be in the book, but who landed on the cutting room floor?  Conversely, is there a character you never expected to appear, but turned out to be intrinsic to the story?  If so, tell us about him/her.

Amanda: Malik! In SOPHIE’S MIXED-UP MAGIC I knew that she would be having a djinn guide to help her navigate her new world but I had No Idea that he would take over the story as much as he did. Honestly, I had to put a muzzle on him in the end because he was so ridiculous and out of control! Though I guess that’s what happens when I make a dead djinn look like Zac Efron and let him get addicted to Cheetos and American Idol!

Me: Writing rituals: do you have any?  If so, what are they?  If you don’t follow them, do you find it harder to write?

Amanda: Diet Coke and my playlist. I’m a bit like Pavlov’s Dogs so I need to trick myself into it!

Me: Ever gotten a piece of fan mail, or had an experience with a reader that really stands out in your mind?  Tell us about it!

Amanda: Last week I did a writing festival and after my first presentation this lovely teenage girl came up to me. She was super nervous and her friends had to convince her to talk to me. Anyway, she wanted to tell me that I had the most amazing aura and that I must love writing books because it lit up the room. It was the single nicest compliment I have ever received and especially coming from a teenager!

Me: Let’s reach back to school and describe your book in a single… HAIKU!  Three lines, five syllables-seven syllables-five syllables.  Ready?  Go!

Amanda:

Once a normal girl

Now a powerful genie

Chaos will ensue.

(apologies in advance to Haiku police)

No apologies needed, Amanda — it was fabulous!  Thanks for stopping by the blog, and I look forward to picking up your new books — they sound right up Miss M’s alley!

Home of the BRAVE

It’s Friday, which means tomorrow I’ll be on a flight to SCOTLAND!!!!

Won’t see Nessie this trip — it’s all about Edinburgh and Ayr.

I’m crazy-excited.

Anyone know either city well?  Got any recommendations for things to see/do, or places to eat?  I’m all set on Edinburgh Castle and hiking Arthur’s Seat… otherwise I’m pretty open!

(I do wish BRAVE would be out already when I’m there; I like the idea of seeing a Scottish Pixar movie while in Scotland.  Maybe I can hunt down a production of The Scottish Play…)

The Wrap: Stages on Pages in NoCal!

The good: I just got back last night from the Stages on Pages NoCal tour, and OMG it rocked!

SaThe bad: I’m under a bunch of deadlines and about to head out of town for a trip, so I don’t have time to expound in detail on its awesomeness.  I’ll just say a few things:

1. I.  Love.  Stages on Pages authors.  Seriously — I could hang with Stasia Kehoe, Gretchen McNeil, Kim Culbertson, and Katherine Longshore all day and night.  I also love Stages on Pages pets.  Specifically, I’ve started a highly illicit love affair with Kim’s dog, Maya.

2. San Francisco book people rock.  Big time.  I met incredible people at the Belmont Library (where the spread of giant strawberries was to die for), at the Center for the Arts (where we got to do our schtick in a fabulous black box theater), at Towne Center Books (where the Q and A flowed as freely as the wine so graciously provided to us as we spoke), and at Book Passage (where one teen boy gave the best dramatic reading from POSSESS ever).  I’m so thankful to everyone who took the time to host us, see us, and chat with us.  Every visit along the tour was just spectacular.

3. The area surrounding San Francisco is a treasure trove of great towns!  Who knew Nevada City looked like a slice of Miner 49-er Americana, and had such an incredible candy shop and wine tasting room?  Who knew Pleasanton totally lived up to its name, with it’s Main Street U.S.A. look and feel?  Who knew late night, post-appearance In’N'Out Burger could taste so, so good?  (Oh wait, I knew that last one already.)

4. There’s nothing like hearing an author read their work to bring it to life.  I’m reading GILT now, and while I’d have enjoyed it no matter what (I’m a big-time Henry VIII junkie), it’s hearing Katie’s voice in my head that brings an added impish life to Cat Howard and her friends, and enthralls me that much more.  Similarly, since I’m OCD about reading authors’ works in chronological order (even if they’re not a series), I bought Kim’s SONGS FOR A TEENAGE NOMAD at our first appearance together.  Yet when I heard her read INSTRUCTIONS FOR A BROKEN HEART out loud, I was roped in so completely that I think I’ll have to break my rule and dive into it first.

Here are some pictures, as shot by Miss M, cub photographer for the event:

Wine tasting in Nevada City with Gretchen and Stasia

Our happy band in Grass Valley: Kim, me, Stasia, Katherine, and Gretchen

Stasia with her cover... look at it closely... do you think the guy looks like Ashton Kutcher?

Katherine Longshore with her delicious book, Gilt

It's like Gretchen's headshot -- love this pic. And it shows her new book, TEN!

I swear, Kim is DELIGHTFUL head-on... we just didn't get a great single shot of her.

Kim reading from her book -- head-on now, but a little blurry (she's not blurry in real life, honest).

Reading from Populazzi and trying not to swallow the microphone...

Apparently I was emoting a little when we spoke at Book Passage...

 

If you were at any of the events, thanks so much for coming!  If not, thanks for checking it out here!  Stages on Pages will be sweeping the midwest in fall 2012, and likely heading to the mid-Atlantic in spring 2013, so stay tuned for more dates!

Presenting Elana Johnson on the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit!

Why do I love being on the Girlfriends’ Cyber Circuit?  Because I get to bring you some seriously cool books.  Today’s is SURRENDER, the second book in Elana Johnson’s POSSESSION series.

I’m a sucker for a rich sci-fi mythology, especially if that mythology is developed over several books.  This is doubtless an extension of the Trekkiness that kept me indoors watching a Star Trek: The Next Generation marathon with a couple friends during Senior Week of college.  Elana’s mythology?  Totally compelling, which is why I’m so happy to host her here, answering some questions…

Me:  If you had no other responsibilities and could take off on a retreat to your dream place to write, where would that be, and what would your dream daily schedule be like?

Elana: I would escape to the English countryside, where I’d hole up in a beautiful cottage with Internet access. I’d sleep late, have brunch, and work in writing spurts of 1-2 hours. Breaks in between would be filled with delicious pastries and sitting in a hammock in the garden. I love staying up late, so that would be on the agenda too.

Me: Is there a character you thought would be in the book, but who landed on the cutting room floor?  Conversely, is there a character you never expected to appear, but turned out to be intrinsic to the story?  If so, tell us about him/her.

Elana: There’s a character in the book named Trek Whiting. Initially, I just threw him in and didn’t think much of him. But later on, I realized that he was important in a lot of different ways. He could fill roles in more than one subplot, and so I developed him more fully from the beginning and threaded him throughout.

One character that I had to cut was Vi’s sister, Tyson. In my head, she was still alive. In my editor’s head, I’d killed her at the end of POSSESSION… So when I got the edit notes, it was like experiencing her death for the first time—and it was sad!

Me: Writing rituals: do you have any?  If so, what are they?  If you don’t follow them, do you find it harder to write?

Elana: For me, I have to plan my time out. So if I know I have an hour to write during my daughter’s dance lesson, I don’t let anything infringe on that time. Other than that, I’m stealing minutes here and there, so I don’t have time for rituals.

Me: Ever gotten a piece of fan mail, or had an experience with a reader that really stands out in your mind?  Tell us about it!

Elana: I get a lot of emails from readers. They are the highlight of my authorly stuff. I love getting them. I got one from an 11-year-old, saying how much she loved POSSESSION—especially that it didn’t end like every other book.

Me: Let’s reach back to school and describe your book in a single… HAIKU!  Three lines, five syllables-seven syllables-five syllables.  Ready?  Go!

Elana:

Raine and Gunner fight

The Thinkers from the Inside

Their crush—will it grow?

(And that was REALLY HARD!)

It may have been hard, but it was awesome.  Thanks so much, Elana!  I’m excited for your book, and also your FAB GIVEAWAY!

Yup, Elana’s hosting a Spectacular Seconds giveaway this week!  You can enter to win one of five signed sophomore books by Beth Revis, Ally Condie, Veronica Roth, Kristi Cook, and Kim Harrington. CLICK HERE for all the details and to enter.

Now, a little about Elana and her latest book…

Elana’s work including POSSESSION, REGRET, and SURRENDER is available from Simon & Schuster wherever books are sold.  She is the author of From the Query to the Call, an ebook that every writer needs to read before they query, which can be downloaded for free on her website.  She runs a personal blog on publishing and is a founding author of the QueryTracker blog.  She blogs regularly at The League of Extraordinary Writers, co-organizes WriteOnCon, and can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

She wishes she could experience her first kiss again, tell the mean girl where to shove it, and have cool superpowers like reading minds and controlling fire. To fulfill her desires, she writes young adult science fiction and fantasy.

And now, about SURRENDER…

Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.

All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn.

Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque….

Sounds great, and I can’t wait to read it!

Are you a fan of book series with deep mythologies (like Elana’s, of course) too?  What are some of your favorites?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!