Katherine Longshore's Blog, page 6

Happy Holidays!

Well, my friends, tomorrow is December 1 and then the year ends.  Thank you so much for traveling through 2012 with me!  Thank you for your support and well wishes, for reading and for giving opinions.  And thank you, most of all, for all of your interest in the Friday Five authors.  They have all been fabulous to work with and so enthusiastic about writing, kids and good stories.

I wrapped up the Friday Five feature with Elizabeth Richards last week, and I'm looking into starting up again next year.  But for now, I'm going to sign off the Internet for a while.  I have a deadline looming, family matters to attend to, and the holidays to celebrate - as I'm sure you do, too.  So enjoy your Christmas, your Hanukkah, your Kwanzaa and any other days you want to make special.  You may occasionally see me on Twitter or Facebook, and I will be scheduling blog posts in advance for Tuesdays at the YA Muses blog, on the 13th at the Class of 2k12 blog and on the 17th at Corsets, Cutlasses and Candlesticks.  But for the most part - at least this is the plan - I will be writing my fourth novel (and drinking peppermint mochas).  Call it a late NaNoWriMo.  Good luck to you all!

 I will see you here again in 2013 - may it bring us all joy.

Friday Five -- Elizabeth Richards

Today's Five features the author of The Black City, the gorgeously dark and lovely-sounding romance published by Putnam on the 13th.  Elizabeth is a journalist and world traveler and lives in England.  Her website bio states that she'd like to see ten volcanoes before she dies - I hope one day she makes it to California, because as the daughter of a geologist, I could show her a few...

THE FIVE:


1. What scares you most?
I’m petrified of spiders (specifically evil house spiders that like to leap on me in the shower, bleurgh) and ever since I was a kid I’ve had nightmares about being eaten by sharks. However, I have to say my biggest fear is losing my husband and family. I couldn’t function without them – they’re my strength, my heart, and I need them.
2. Who would play you in the film of your life?
Probably Thora Birch during her American Beauty years. We look quite alike (round faces, wide eyes and ghostly pale skin!), plus she gives off this weird, sullen vibe that matches my character.
3. What living person do you most admire and why?
Stephen Fry! He’s funny, intelligent, silly, gentlemanly, artistic, humble, sexy – the list goes on. I’ve been a fan of his work ever since I was a teenager. I just find him fascinating.
4. What other profession would you like to learn?
I’d love to learn to be an illustrator. I adore drawing and painting and whenever I get a free moment (which I admit isn’t very often these days), you can find me up in the study working on a new art project. It’s a very fulfilling and relaxing pastime and it would be a joy to do that for a profession, but I would never give up being an author!
5. What profession would you never, ever want to have?
I would never, ever want to be a politician. I’m too blunt.
ABOUT BLACK CITY:
In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable--they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash's long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they're caught, they'll be executed--but their feelings are too strong.
When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.
You can order BLACK CITY here!
ABOUT ELIZABETH:
You can find Elizabeth on her website.On Twitter.And on Facebook.

Books! Books! And More Books!

As you all know, I'm a proud member of the Class of 2k12.  We are a group of debut authors of young adult and middle grade books who came together as a marketing collective and through the course of the year became friends, confidantes, and - I hope - a lifelong support network.  These authors are great people.  And now you all get the chance to find out what great authors they are, too.  There is something for everyone here - middle grade verse, deep dark YA mayhem, faeries, astral projection, history, legend, elephants, war... Need I go on?

The Class is hosting a huge end-of-the-year giveaway on the class blog, and I'm doing my bit by spreading the news and giving you the chance to win here, too!  The giveaway closes on the 12th of December!  I regret to say, it's open to US and Canada only - our coffers can't spread to sending 21 books abroad.

Check out the Rafflecopter to find out which books will be coming your way if you win, and then enter!  You want these books....


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bonus!  I'm also posting over at the Corsets, Cutlasses and Candlesticks blog today - hop over and find out what a Tudor feast was like - and be thankful you don't have to cook (or eat) one yourself!

Friday Five -- McCormick Templeman

This week's Five is with the author of THE LITTLE WOODS, published by Random House in July.  I only know her online, but McCormick Templeman is a delight to follow on Twitter.  She has a dry and unconventional sense of humor, and what seems to be an obsession with sharks.  One day, we will have to compare notes...


THE FIVE:

1. What is your guiltiest pleasure?  

Probably Survivor. I haven’t watched it in years, but there’s a reason for that.

2. What is the worst job you’ve done?

I worked for a very short while as a phone operator for a posh hotel. I am terrified of speaking on the phone, so this was not a good fit. It did not end well.

3. What keeps you awake at night?

My daughter. She scolds her brother in her sleep.

4. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Getting a basically feral cat through a metal detector at an airport. The TSA agent was like, you gotta take that cat out of the carrier, and get it through. It had taken me half a day to get her inside. I tried to beg them to give me another option. I had an image of her escaping and killing like twelve people before starting an enormous fire, but in the end, we made it through, and she actually got back in her carrier. That was definitely the most proud I’ve ever been.

5. Who would play you in the film of your life?

Kate Winslet, but Kate Winslet trying to look frumpy. Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind except not so fancy.


ABOUT THE LITTLE WOODS:


Are the woods behind St. Bede's Academy really haunted, or does bad stuff just happen there? When Calista Wood, a new student, arrives midway through her junior year, St. Bede's feels like a normal school . . . until she discovers that a girl had disappeared a couple of months earlier. Some kids think she ran away, others think she was murdered, but it's only when Cally starts digging around that she finds the startling truth.

You can order THE LITTLE WOODS here!
ABOUT MCCORMICK:
You can find McCormick on her website.And on Twitter.

It Gets Better

When I was in high school, I expected it to be like a movie.  I watched the greats - Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Dirty Dancing, Lucas (OK, maybe they're not up there with Citizen Kane) - and I thought high school would be like that.  I went through school thinking "If this were a movie, x, y and z would happen."  And it wouldn't.  It was mostly just boring and repetitive.  No one got dunked in a toilet.  The prom queen was exactly who you would have guessed would be prom queen back in Freshman year.  I wasn't plucked from the (rather frightful) school play by a scout to be the next star of Broadway.  It was high school.  But I did hone some of my story skills - I found foreshadowing everywhere and knew there had to be a payoff for poor behavior.

But I always wondered about everyone else's high school experience.  Were there people who lived like they were in a John Hughes film?  Did people really meet the boy of their dreams at the Homecoming Dance?  Did anyone get plucked from obscurity to be famous for what they did well? (remember, this was before reality television).

That's one of the reasons why I enjoyed reading the Dear Teen Me blog and now the anthology: Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves.  Comparison to my own letter.  To my experience.  But it rapidly became more than that.  Sure, I saw similarities: Tom Angleberger's Buckaroo Banzai obsession struck mysteriously close to home.  Miranda Kenneally's wish that she'd called the boy back.  Caridad Ferrer's struggle with shy Jekyll and competitive, spotlight-craving Hyde.

And I read lots of differences.  My high school was a relatively safe place.  My life was even safer.  Two parents with stable emotions and a dad with a good job.  A sister who was even more of a brainiac than I was.  Nothing like what some of these authors have gone through.  These are stories that completely change you, my friends, and I daren't even mention them here because you need to read them in the author's words.

But one thing that stands out in all of these letters is the same thing that was posted on my Facebook page by an old school friend when I asked the question, "What would you say to your teen self if you could?"

It gets better.

This is why I've seen so many reviews saying teens should read this book.  And why people say they wish they'd read it as a teenager.

Keep living.  Keep loving.  Keep dreaming.

It gets better.



Dear Teen Me is published by Zest Books, and available from Amazon, Indie Bound and Barnes&Noble. 

Want to know more?  Check out the Zest Books Dear Teen Me blog tour and check out the list of contributing authors.

And find out when Dear Teen Me will be near you - I'll be joining some of the authors in Corte Madera on Thursday the 15th and Berkeley on Friday the 16th.

Friday Five -- Ame Dyckman

It is my absolute pleasure to introduce this week's Friday Five interviewee, another picture book writer, Ame Dyckman, author of BOY + BOT.  Ame has a  wonderfully quirky sense of humor that comes through in all her writing - even her Twitter posts - and she is an active supporter of authors everywhere.  One day, I hope to meet her in person...


THE FIVE:


1.  What is your earliest memory?

I remember catching roly-poly bugs in the backyard and trying to give them a bath in the little plastic trophy cup that I won in a tot fishing contest when I insisted that I caught a fish and everyone said I didn’t but I pulled my line in anyway and there was The World’s Teeniest Minnow!  (I don’t remember the actual contest or why I thought the roly-polies needed a bath, though.)

2.  What would your superpower be?

Speaking of memory, I wish I had Super Photographic Reading Memory!  It would be fantastic to be able to remember every single bit of every book I ever read.  (Of course, then I wouldn’t be able to shout, “WOW! I forgot how AWESOME this book is!” during re-reads.  Hmmm…)

3.  What is your most unappealing habit?

When I write, I chew gum like a cow.  *SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK*  (Okay, it’s not just when I write.  It’s whenever I chew gum.  Don’t give me gum.)

4.  What is the worst thing anyone has said to you?

“You can’t.”  It was hard to hear.  (Until I did it.)

5.  If you could go back in time, where/when would you go?

OOH!  I’d go back to the morning of that day in 2nd grade when I split my pants on the playground IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY and had to wear The Ugly Pants From The Nurse’s Office for the rest of the day and I’d… well, I’d change SOMETHING in that equation!  And I’d go back to 1963 and buy a first printing of WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE!  And I’d… um, you know, after I stopped wars and stuff.

ABOUT BOY + BOT:


One day, a boy and a robot meet in the woods. They play. They have fun.

But when Bot gets switched off, Boy thinks he's sick. The usual remedies—applesauce, reading a story—don't help, so Boy tucks the sick Bot in, then falls asleep.

Bot is worried when he powers on and finds his friend powered off. He takes Boy home with him and tries all his remedies: oil, reading an instruction manual. Nothing revives the malfunctioning Boy! Can the Inventor help fix him?

Using the perfect blend of sweetness and humor, this story of an adorable duo will win the hearts of the very youngest readers.

You can order BOY + BOT here!

ABOUT AME:

You can find Ame on her website.
On Twitter.
And on Facebook.

GILT Paperback Cover Reveal!

I'm very excited to be able to share this!  And really, there's not much I can say, right?  Lush, sexy and just...wow.



Because of my recent break from daily social networking, I missed the post on the Gilt Novels Facebook page (oops!), so if you already saw it there, you saw it first!

The paperback will be available in May.

Friday Five -- Kami Kinard

Today's interview is with the author of THE BOY PROJECT, published this year by Scholastic.  Kami Kinard has been writing all of her life (just check out the bio on her website!) but is also a teaching artist, which I think is just as cool as it sounds.  


THE FIVE:


1.  What single thing would improve the quality of your life? 
A cure for childhood illnesses.
2.  What is your guiltiest pleasure?  
The Chocolate Tree. Beaufort, SC.
3.  What do you consider your greatest achievement? 
A lot of moms probably say this, but I’d have to say my children. There is nothing else I’ve given up more for, and nothing else I love more.
4.  Who would play you in the film of your life? 
Meryl Streep. She can play anyone.
5.  Who are your real-life heroes? 
People who are willing to give back – to share. I admire people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, who have acquired so much, but want to, and are willing to, share their assets and good fortune. I also admire people who give back in other ways. Good teachers are among my greatest heroes, as are caring physicians who use their brilliance to help others.
ABOUT THE BOY PROJECT:
For anyone who's ever felt that boys were a different species.... 
Wildly creative seventh grader, Kara McAllister, just had her best idea yet. She's going to take notes on all of the boys in her grade (and a few elsewhere) in order to answer a seemingly simple question: How can she get a boyfriend? 
But Kara's project turns out to be a lot more complicated than she imagined. Soon there are secrets, lies, and an embarrassing incident in the boy's bathroom. Plus, Kara has to deal with mean girls, her slightly spacey BFF, and some surprising uses for duct tape. Still, if Kara's research leads her to the right boy, everything may just be worth it... 
You can order THE BOY PROJECT here!
ABOUT KAMI:
You can find Kami on her website.On Twitter.And on Facebook.

Friday Five -- L.B. Schulman

L.B. Schulman is another Apocalypsies author who lives in Northern California.  I met her several years ago, just after LEAGUE OF STRAYS sold and just before GILT did.  She is gracious, unassuming, welcoming and courageous, and I am delighted to be able to consider her one of my writer friends.  She also has an incredible talent for writing setting and character details that spark and pop and make every scene in STRAYS come alive.

THE FIVE:


1.  What keeps you awake at night?

My plots. I keep thinking of points I forgot to put into my work-in-progress. I am writing a very complex story right now, involving the Holocaust, and I wake up wondering what major details I’m missing.

2.  What is your most treasured possession?

My Nespresso machine. I go through three lattes a day. I adore the colorful pods, the no-clean-up hassle. I even polish it every day with stainless steel cleanser, lovingly.

3.  What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned since becoming a writer?

That people don’t always have patience for weak heroines who learn how to find their way; they prefer strong ones who grow stronger and solve problems. I tend to write realistic, every day characters, but I am finding that they’re not always the most likeable or commercial. This theory may change, but it’s how I feel right now.

4.  What intrigues you?

At the moment, controversy. But I’m afraid of it at the same time. I wish I had the guts to say what I mean, when I feel it, and not have to worry what others will think. I find controversy to be very exciting and thought-provoking.

5.  What annoys you?

As soon as people have to be by themselves in public, they pull out their cell phones. I get that it’s a way to look busy, but it’s eliminated the possibility of random communication. Twenty years ago, I met a really good friend in the DMV line. I’m not sure that would happen today.

ABOUT LEAGUE OF STRAYS:

This suspenseful debut follows a group of teenage misfits in their delicious quest for revenge on those who have wronged them at their high school. When a mysterious note appears in Charlotte’s mailbox inviting her to join the League of Strays, she’s hopeful it will lead to making friends. What she discovers is a motley crew of loners and an alluring, manipulative ringleader named Kade. Kade convinces the group that they need one another both for friendship and to get back at the classmates and teachers who have betrayed them. But Kade has a bigger agenda. In addition to vandalizing their school and causing fights between other students, Kade’s real intention is a dangerous plot that will threaten lives and force Charlotte to choose between her loyalty to the League and her own conscience.

You can order LEAGUE OF STRAYS here!

ABOUT L.B. SCHULMAN:

You can find Lisa on her website.
On Twitter.
And on the blog Emu's Debuts.

Taking a Break

As some of you may have noticed, I didn't post last Monday.  I've been going through a rough time, personally, which I wrote about on the YA Muses blog last week.  Between that, copyedits for TARNISH, finishing the first draft of Book 3, upcoming events and just life in general, I need to take a bit of a break from the blog.  So please, bear with me - I'm hoping November will be a bit less hectic.

I will continue to post the Friday Five, so please come back and meet more Apocalypsies authors every week!