Magan Vernon's Blog, page 39

Why Ace and Alex break up

Ive gotten flack from reviewers and even critique partners and friends about this concept of this second book, so why did I write it?

Lemme tell ya... When I read New Moon and saw the movie I was beyond disgusted with Bella. Her vampire boyfriend dumps her, so what does she do? Well she cries in a hole for awhile, stays in her room for days, and then uses the hot werewolf boy to help her become a daredevil so she can see visions of her vampire boyfriend. Then Edward comes back after leaving her ass and all is forgiven?

 That wasn't the message I want girls to have about break ups. That their boyfriend is the end all and be all. This story is about Alex and her dreams. Her goal of going to Circe was to eventually get into Columbia and she found Ace along the way. But what happens when instead of thinking about life with her alien forever she thinks about the alternative, a normal human life.

 People said that I could have made Ace a bigger jerk to add to the break up or even just done the Girlmance love triangle I originally had planned. But no. This is Alex's story. She has to come to her own conclusions about what she wants in life. It's not a fairy tale. Long distance relationships are hard and deciding what she wants for her future is even tougher.

 I promise that the third book will redeem the love story with lots of heavy petting, but if you want a story with a strong heroine that goes for what she wants, no holds bar, then How to break up with an alien is for you.

P.s. But there is totally still kissing and alien making weird comments about Earth.

To Ride a Puca tour

Hi Magan and friends, thanks for having me over. For those who have followed my tour so far, it’s fabulous to see you again, for those of you who are new, welcome and thank you for celebrating with me! Today I’m dropping by to celebrate the release of my young adult historical fantasy about the last of the druids in ancient Ireland, To Ride A Puca. Though parts of it were heartbreaking to write, this one was a labor of love that will always hold a special place in my heart. Before I get to the goodies I brought, here is a bit about the book:

Invaders are coming to take what isn't theirs, again.

Neala wants to stand and fight for her homeland, but as one of the last druids, she may be standing alone.

Persecuted, hunted down, forced to live in obscurity, the druids have all but given up. Can the determination of a girl who has barely come into her power bring them together? Or, just when she finally finds her place among her kind, will they end up losing a homeland their very magic is tied to?

Available in eBook and hardback at B&N, Amazon, and other retail sites.

Disclaimer: This novel contains some violence and difficult subject matter. It is recommended for mature YA and up.

I’ll be giving away great prizes, a new one, every week for the next three weeks. This week I’m giving away a signed paperback of TANGLED TIDES by Karen Amanda Hooper. It is about a girl who finds herself tangled up in the underwater world of mysterious merfolk and secretive selkies. It is one of my favorite books of the year so far, trust me you’ll love it! The contest will be open until June 3rd, the winner to be announced on the 4th.

Let's just fall in love again

Let's pretend baby, that you just met me. I've never seen you before.

Oh Jason Castro, your beautiful dreadlocks and striking blue eyes *ahem* Okay enough about Jason Castro, this really isn't about him...though it should be...he is pretty.

AHEM

Okay, this is about falling in love with your story.

I had a WIP that I started before How to Date an Alien was published called Spliced. I hadn't worked on it awhile because I was busy with How to Date an Alien and then How To Break Up With an Alien. Since Book 2 is done and Book 3 is really moving along, I decided to pick up Spliced again.

And let me tell you it's like falling in love with the story all over again.

It feels like we haven't seen eachother and now I'm catching up with an old friend. As I write these characters I can't help but fall in love with them over again. Like Jason says, "It' so easy we don't need to pretend."

I don't need to pretend I just met these characters, I can fall in love with them all over again just from that little break. With writing an outline I know exactlly what is going to happen to them, but even with an idea these characters still surprise me and keep me on the edge of my seat.

I do love Ace and Alex, but Pacey and Rowen are so giving them a run for their money. I know, of course, the same thing is going to happen when book three comes around, but until then I'm just going to keep falling in love with these characters again and again.

Do you fall in love with your characters over and over again? How do you come back to an old WIP?  And no...unfortunatley none of the characters in Spliced or the alien books look like Jason *lesigh* I guess I will have to write a book for him too, don't tell Mr. Lambert!

Indelibles Beach Bash

It's that time of year, Memorial Day is around the corner, the pools are open and you need that new Ereader loaded up with your favorite Indelibles books!

To celebrate all of our new releases The Indelibles are giving away your choice of a Kindle or Nook with all of our new release Ebooks! (This includes How to Break Up With An Alien!).

All you have to do is find the secret code word on each of our blogs (I have two!) and once you put them all together to discover the secret phrase, go back to The Indelibles blog and enter in that secret phrase to win! It's that simple! (Hint, Hint my secret words are bold and very large!)

But I really can't just leave you all with that, can I? Since there are alot of scenes focused around a coffee shop in How To Break Up With An Alien, to celebrate I'm giving away a $25 Starbucks giftcard! Now you can read your book, sip on a frappacino and the best part is it doesn't matter where you live because this is international! Just fill in the rafflecopter form below!

But before that, the part you are all waiting for, a little sneak peak into one of my FAVORITE scenes from How To Break Up With An Alien. Enjoy! And after your done head over to Shelli's blog for the next secret word.

We finished our meals and headed outside. The temperature dropped enough so that a comfortably cool summer breeze caressed the bare skin of my arms. Even with all the streetlights, the stars still shone brightly in the sky.A group of guys stumbled out of a bar a few doors down, leaning on each other and laughing like they had just heard the funniest thing in the world. There were five of them and each one carried the strongest scent of cologne and alcohol. Simone and I made a point to walk near the art gallery that was across from the bar."Hey, Elvira, why you gotta be like that?" One of the guys yelled. He had douchebag hair, the kind that was overly gelled and didn't move, like a Ken doll's.The rest of his friends let their bloodshot eyes trail in our direction. I tried to walk faster. Not only were their cat calls annoying, but I was afraid of what was on the mind of five drunken guys who saw a couple of teenage girls walking alone."Yeah, if you prefer some sparkly vampires, I can put some glitter on my balls for you!" Another guy laughed, swinging his hips, his greasy hair flailing around his head."Ugh, boys." I rolled my eyes. "Let's get out of here." I pulled Simone's elbow and tried to edge her toward the car.But Simone didn't keep walking. She stopped, moved my hand, and did an about-face, walking right up to the greasy haired guy. His chapped lips parted into a scummy smile. One like the villains always had in cheesy cop shows. "Hey, baby, you gonna take me up on that offer?"I ran up to try and stop the guy from grabbing Simone, but before I got there she launched her hand out and grasped the front of his jeans. A sound like a dying rabbit came from his mouth as he kneeled down before her."Let's get this straight, glitter boy." She looked down at him, not letting go of his pants. "Where I come from we respect women, and nobody, I mean nobody, wants to hear you spew your nasty dribble. Got it?"He nodded, all the color leaving his face before Simone released her grip and he fell to the street below."Come on, Alex, let's get out of here."Without looking back she turned and looped her arm through mine as we headed toward her car. Suddenly I had a whole new respect for the lead barista and possibly my new best friend.



http://www.blogger.com/%3CA%20href= Rafflecopter giveaway

Fangirl Friday: Lisa Nowak

In addition to being a YA author, Lisa Nowak is a retired amateur stock car racer, an accomplished cat whisperer, and a professional smartass. She writes coming-of-age books about kids in hard luck situations who learn to appreciate their own value after finding mentors who love them for who they are. She enjoys dark chocolate and stout beer and constantly works toward employing wei wu wei in her life, all the while realizing that the struggle itself is an oxymoron.
Lisa has no spare time, but if she did she’d use it to tend to her expansive perennial garden, watch medical dramas, take long walks after dark, and teach her cats to play poker. For those of you who might be wondering, she is not, and has never been, a diaper-wearing astronaut. She lives in Milwaukie, Oregon, with her husband, four feline companions, and two giant sequoias.

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The Fangirl met Lisa as part of The Indelibles. Lisa likes to give her a hard time about aliens, but The Fangirl knows that her aliens can still take her.

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The last thing on 16-year-old Jess DeLand’s wish list is a boyfriend. She’d have to be crazy to think any guy would look twice at her. Besides, there are more important things to hope for, like a job working on cars and an end to her mom’s drinking. Foster care is a constant threat, and Jess is willing to sacrifice anything to stay out of the system. When luck hands her the chance to work on a race car, she finds herself rushing full throttle into a world of opportunities—including a boy who doesn’t mind the grease under her fingernails. The question is, can a girl who keeps herself locked up tighter than Richard Petty’s racing secrets open up enough to risk friendship and her first romance?
~~~~~~~~~~“The first romance is captured beautifully—just the right combination of natural and awkward, of eager and scared.”
 ~ Bob Martin, writing professor, Pacific Northwest College of Art
Buy it on AmazonBuy it on Barnes and NobleBuy it on Smashwords
Fangirl:  What inspired you to write Driven?
Lisa:  Aliens. They planted this dream in my head and told me if I wrote about it, they’d send me a million dollars. They totally lied.
Fangirl:  What made you decide to go Indie with this book?
Lisa:  I was tired of agents stalking me. It was bad enough, having them peer in my windows and trample my marigolds, but when they started getting into catfights on my front lawn, I had to draw the line. I figured if I published it myself, they’d give up and go back to New York.
Fangirl:  Was there ever a time that you felt like giving up? If so, what did you do about it?
Lisa:  Too many times to count, but who wants to hear me whine about that? All the I-wanna-give-up stories are the same. The only one that’s interesting is when I got this rejection from an agent who I thought was a sure thing. My response was to bake brownies and take them to my critique group. We’ve got this rule where you have to bring chocolate if you get published, so I figured, to heck with this, I’m going to celebrate my defeats, too.
Fangirl:  Do you have critique partners, betas? How do you work with them?
Lisa:  I have two critique groups, countless betas, and one alpha (a reader who I exchange chapters with as soon as I write them, when they’re still in first-draft form). I either send Word files or format my manuscript so it takes up about half the normal pages, print it double-sided, and have it bound. It makes it really easy for people to read and mark up.
Fangirl:   Who would win in a fight, your book's hero or my alien heartthrob?
Lisa:  Jess could kick Ace’s butt, and then he’d have to go crying back to his home planet in disgrace since she’s a girl.  (Fangirl Note:  Caltian women are stronger than Caltian men, so yes Ace would probably loose. He did have to have Alex save him after all.)
Fangirl:  Does your book have a soundtrack? What songs are on it?
Lisa: Jess collects car songs, so those are the soundtrack for this book. The typical ones everyone knows about, like Little Deuce Couple and Hot Rod Lincoln, the obscure but awesome ones like Robert Mitchum’s Thunder Road, and the ones nobody’s heard of, like Queen’s I’m in Love with My Car and King Crimson’s Dig Me. A virtually unknown Beach Boys song, Car Crazy Cutie, was the partial inspiration for this book. When I think of the story being made into a movie, I picture the opening credits rolling as Jess drives to the speedway as this song plays.
Fangirl: What are you coming out with next?
Lisa:  Redline, the sequel to Driven, should be out in December. While Driven is technically book 3 in the Full Throttle series, it’s really a stand-alone. I consider it a companion novel to the first two, rather than a sequel. Running Wide Open and Getting Sideways are from Cody’s point of view, while Driven and Redline are from Jess’s. The fifth and final book, tentatively titled Never Surrender, is told from an alternating viewpoint. Even though the books are part of a series, I’m careful to craft them so each story is complete and there are no cliffhangers. I want my readers to be able to pick up any of the books, in any sequence, and have them make complete sense.
Fangirl:  If you could cast the main characters from your novel in a movie, who would you choose to play them?
Lisa:  When I first wrote this book, I wanted that kid who plays John Conner in Terminator 2 to play Cody, but he grew up. Sigh. I’ve never successfully been able to come up with actors for the other characters.
Fangirl: Favorite book, movie, and food?
Lisa:  Are you serious? Who can pick just one of any of those things? Just some random choices at the top of the list are The Changeling by Zilpha Keatley Snyder and Dogsbody by Dianna Wynne Jones, Stand by Me, pizza and chocolate.
Fangirl:  Words to live by?
Lisa:  Never Surrender.
Thanks Lisa for stopping by!

Like clockwork is here!

Like Clockwork, a companion novel to the Clockwise series, is here!!


Adeline doesn't feel she belongs in her own time, but can bad boys from the past be trusted?

 Adeline Savoy had hoped that the move west from Cambridge to Hollywood with her single dad would mean they’d finally bond like a real family, but all she got was a father too busy with his new female friends and his passion for acting to really see her.

 Instead she finds herself getting attached to Faye, the divorcee hair dresser she befriends when she travels back in time to 1955. Plus Faye has a hottie, James Dean-esque, bad-boy brother who has Adeline’s heart all aflutter. But bad boys from the past can be dangerous. Is it possible that Adeline really does belong in her own time and that maybe the right boy lives as close as next door?

LIKE CLOCKWORK is available now at Amazon and Smashwords and soON for B&N, ibooks and other e-book retailers.

 Read on to sample the first chapter:



Chapter One
Adeline Savoy


My dad still thought I was ten. That was how old I was when my mother died, and how old I was when my father crawled into his “cave,” also known as his office on the 26th floor of the John Hancock tower. Six years later, like a bear coming out of hibernation, Dad decided his days of hiding behind a desk were over. I thought he was going through a mid-life crisis, which was why we now lived in Hollywood instead of Cambridge. And why when I spotted his reflection in a mirror at the cosmetic counter in the Shop & Save store, I almost dropped the Scarlet Passion lipstick tester I'd just smeared on my lips.

Even though I was sixteen, I wasn't allowed to wear make-up. True. With my left hand I used a tissue to wipe the evidence off my mouth, all the while watching my dad’s familiar profile move in and out of range in the mirror.

He was laughing. I crouched down and turned, my vision just missing the counter top, and watched. His hair had grown out since the “decision.” He used to always keep it so short, that I didn’t even know it was wavy before, and the lines on his face never used to turn upward in a smile.
I had to see who was causing this cosmic reaction in my father. The clerk who sold cheap jewelry, a pretty-in-a-fake way brunette, tilted her head and giggled back.

My jaw dropped and something really strange started happening in my stomach. I felt a little sick because I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. My dad was flirting!

Who was this man dressed in khakis, flip-flops and an un-tucked pseudo Hawaiian shirt? My real dad only wore pinstriped suits with starchy white shirts and a blue tie. Always. Even to bed, I was certain.

“Miss? Are you all right?” The cosmetic clerk was armed with a spray nozzle cleaner in one hand and a paper towel in the other.

I mimed as best I could, “ssh”, but apparently dad was the only one with acting skills in my family, since she wouldn’t leave me alone.

“Miss? You don’t look too good. Should I call for medical?”

The fake pretty lady stopped chatting when she heard her colleague talking so loudly. Obviously, that meant my dad’s little flirtation episode was over. And of course, my blonde ponytail was a giveaway.

“Adeline?” he said.

“Dad!” I jumped up, feigning surprise.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

What are you doing here? I thought. “Um nothing, just looking. Thought I might buy some gum.”

Dad glanced back at the fake and I did a quick switcheroo, replacing the tester and grabbing a sealed golden tube. It tucked nicely in my fist as I crossed my arms over my chest.

“Adeline, come here,” Dad said. “I want you to meet someone.”

My legs moved toward dad and the fake without my permission.

“Adeline, this is my friend from acting class, Spring. Spring, this is my daughter, Adeline.”

Spring extended her hand. Unfortunately, the contraband lipstick was in my right hand. I wasn’t a magician. Dad would notice if I tried to switch. I opted for the awkward offering of my left hand.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Spring gushed.

“Same,” I said, not meaning it at all. “Not that I don’t want to stay and chat,” I added quickly, before Dad could draw us into more forced intimacies, “but I’ve got to go.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Dad said. But he wasn’t looking at me; he was smiling at the fake.

“It’s okay, Dad. I’ll meet you at home.” I strutted across the floor to the cashier. He glanced back at me as I stood in line at the register. I waved the pack of gum in the air. I paid for it and the lipstick while Dad and the fake went back to making googly eyes.

I snapped the gum in my mouth while caressing the lipstick tube in my hand. It was encased in a plastic protective seal, a perforated strip running the length of it like a zipper. My thumb picked at the rim. All I had to do was rip it open and it would no longer be returnable.

But I really should return it. I’d promised myself I’d give up the greasy lip habit when we moved. It was a chance to start over, do everything new, and be a proper daughter with a proper father.

Hrumph. Like that was turning out. Dad wasn't exactly holding up his end of the bargain.

My breaths came out short and rapid, like a panting dog. I didn’t realize how fast I’d been walking. I’d hardly taken in the tall palm trees that lined the road or the sweet smell of tropical flowers I didn’t know the names of.

No signs of autumn in sight. In Cambridge the leaves would be showing signs of turning color, bright reds and yellows. A little twist in my stomach. I was homesick.

And angry.

He was supposed to change, but not like that. He was supposed to notice me, spend time with me, not some flake called Spring. What kind of name was that anyway? It sounded like a made up actress name. Her last name was probably Storm or Wind. My thumb picked the plastic a bit more.

“Hi, there.”

I turned my head. Some guy riding a pink bike with a sparkly white banana seat and matching tassels that hung off tall, wide handle bars slowed down to keep pace with me.

“Hi,” he said again. This time there was no mistaking he was talking to me.

“Hi?” I said, not slowing down at all to do so. I may be entering my junior year, but I still didn’t talk to strangers. Janice, my babysitter/pseudo mom in Cambridge, had drilled that lesson into me good.

“My name's Marco. I live next door to you.”

Okay. I slowed a little. “Why are you riding a girl’s bike?” Did he steal it? Why didn’t he care about how stupid it made him look?

“It’s my sister’s. I sold mine to buy something else, but riding this is better than walking.”

“I’m walking and you’re not making any better time than me.” I was annoyed. Why didn’t he just keep going? I preferred to sulk alone.

“You’re new, so I thought with school starting tomorrow, you’d like someone to ride the bus with.”

Good point. Who knew what kinds of Hollywood weirdos would be on the bus? I looked Marco up and down. He was average height, shaggy hair, and wore a graphic t-shirt and surfer shorts with fat, loosely tied skate shoes on his feet. No socks. He had nice, tanned skin and warm brown eyes that squinted to almost close when he smiled. He wasn’t hard to look at.

And he looked trustworthy enough, I guessed. Plus, he was right. I didn’t really want to go to Hollywood High alone.

I stopped and turned to him. “I’m Adeline Savoy.” I wiped the sweat on my right hand off on my skirt—sky blue, slightly flared and to my knees—and offered it wanting to start my new friendship off on the right foot.

“Cool,” Marco said as we shook. “You like to make things official. I like that.”

The sun must’ve glinted off the gold tube in my other hand because Marco nodded toward it. “What’ya got there?”

“Oh, it’s just lipstick. I bought it, but now I’m not sure. I might take it back.”

“I don’t know why girls wear that vile stuff,” he said. I was surprised by the strength of his statement.

“It makes us feel good. Pretty. What’s wrong with that?”

“For one thing, you’re already pretty without it.”

He thought I was pretty?

“Besides,” he continued, “it’s made out of horse urine.”

“It is not! That’s so gross.”

“It is. That’s why it has that sticky consistency. Have you ever seen dried urine around a toilet?”

“You’re disgusting! How would you know about lipstick, anyway?”

“I have three sisters, though one is only six years old and hasn’t discovered the evils of make-up and this culture’s drive to sexualize young girls. It’s too late for my older sisters, but you can still be saved.”

Who was this guy? And how did he get off talking to me like that? He didn’t even know me. I felt my lips settle into a tight line and my pace picked up.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

How long was he going to walk with me? “Where did you say you lived?”

“Right next door to you.”

“Right next door?” This annoying person, who happened to be my only friend, lived right next door?

“Yeah, the two storey. My bedroom window faces yours.”

“You see in my window!”

“No. I don’t…” His face flushed red.

“You do, you do look in. You peeping Tom!”

“Adeline, I didn’t see anything. I just heard your music.”

“Huh?” I stopped and spun to face him.

A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. “And your singing.”

“What?” I was mortified. He probably heard me singing along to  Feist, or even worse, he saw me doing my Michael Jackson impersonation. I bet he saw me doing the Thriller dance the other night. Ugh!

“Everyone can hear you. You have your window open.”

“You know what? Don’t talk to me.”

Marco seemed truly taken aback, and yet he didn’t get the hint. Not even one as direct as that. He was not only a peeper, but he was dense, too.

“I live in a house full of women. Three sisters and a mother. I get what’s going on here. It’s PMS, isn’t it?”

Was he kidding me? As if I would talk about something like that with him! I stopped and stared hard into his eyes. I produced my new tube of lipstick and slowly peeled the perforated strip, letting the plastic wrapper drop to the ground. I dramatically popped off the lid and twisted the base until the bright red dried horse urine was in full view.

Then I put it on my lips, slowly, purposefully, first the top and then the bottom, smacking them in Marco’s direction when I was done.

Take that, Mr. I Know Women.

Marco bent down, picked up the plastic wrapper and pushed it in his pocket. He straddled the bike and pushed off, turning back long enough to say, “I’ll pick you up at 8:10 tomorrow morning for school.”

Argh.

How To Break Up With An Alien is here!

The Highly anticipated second book in The My Alien Romance series is here!
Face it, long distance relationships in high school are hard, especially when the other one in the relationship is an alien. Alex Bianchi may have survived an intergalactic battle, but that still doesn't excuse her from her senior year of high school, or qualify her for any sort of scholarship. To make up for college tuition costs, she takes a job at a local coffee shop. If only coffee could solve all of her problems. As Alex's senior year progresses, everything changes and she can't figure out if it is interstellar or if it is just time to break up with an alien.

It is available now on Amazon and Smashwords.
Check out the series that Lydia Kang, author of The Fountain, calls
A tiny bit Twilight, A tiny bit Men in Black, and a whole lot of fun!
For a limited time the first book in the series, How to Date an Alien is only 99 cents for the Ebook. The #1 Alien Romance on Goodreads!
Get it to day at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, & Smashwords.

Stay tuned for more details and a giveaway coming up with The Indelibles!

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Magan is a self-proclaimed geek-to-glam poster child who channels her inner geek by writing science fiction for teens, even though she slept with a night light until she was in middle school for fear of alien attacks. She now lives with her husband, daughter, and dog in central Illinois where she still sleeps with a night light...just in case.
You can find her online at www.maganvernon.com

Monday Musings: Character Chemistry

I don't want you all to get too excited and start sending me flowers and edible arrangements, but tomorrow is my two year wedding anniversary.

It seems like only yesterday (even thought it was five years ago) that I met my husband. And for some reason we still have that chemistry. He still likes to cuddle when we sleep at night and I still love to get dressed up for him or try out a new recipe.

It's like this when we write characters or read them. We want to see that initial spark, that initial chemistry, and then see how it expands throughout the novel (or the series).

There are so many couples in literature that have that *spark* that can continue on through novel after novel even after the initial flame has died down.

Some of my favorites include:

Sookie and Bill- The Sookie Stackhouse Series
I'm not going to give away any spoilers for the books, but even though Sookie has met many different men throughout this series, Bill is the one that always seems to still make her heart flutter even if it's not clearly written.

Noah and Allie - The Notebook
I'm not a fan of the movie, but Nicholas Sparks does a beautiful job in the novel weaving the story of two people whose love can transcend time and place.

Kate and Taylor - My Sister's Keeper
I'm ashamed to say I have not read the book yet (the movie made me cry so much I had to wait to read it), but I loved the chemistry of the two cancer patients brought together because of their shared medical condition, but then ultimatley went beyond that.

Okay, you got me, most of these are adult novels. So you have any favorites that spark your interest? What makes that character chemistry work for you?

Coffee Talk with Addy from The Veil

Alex:  Okay, Addison, since this is coffee talk, what is your coffee drink of choice?
Addy: Hi Alex! Thanks for having me! And it’s Addy, please!
Coffee is totally my thing – but I’m a purist. I like my coffee black with just a splash of nonfat milk. It drives my best friend, Nate crazy! He works at a coffee shop and likes to show off by making the fancy stuff. But what can I say? I like what I like!
Alex: Before we get down to the nitty gritty, I was facebook stalking you and saw that are a David Copperfield fan (the novel of course). Very refreshing. Any other of the classics you are into?
Addy:  I do love my Dickens. I also like Jane Austen, the Brontes (all three of the sisters, especially the poems) and Agatha Christie. I guess it’s an English thing? I’m from England, originally, so maybe that’s why I like them. But I also think they just don’t write books like they used to.
Oh boy, that makes me sound like a nerd. I guess I am. Just a little bit.
Alex: And oh, be still my heart you are a Cary Grant fan! Do people give you flack for that? Because a lot of people don’t understand my love of Dustin Hoffman.
Addy:  Ha ha – I live with my grandmother, so I grew up watching old movies with her. She’s a big Cary Grant fan, so I guess it rubbed off on me! Tall, dark and handsome – but also funny! You just can’t beat that combo.
Actually, my name comes from a Cary Grant movie (Can you keep a secret? Oops, I guess I should have asked before I told you. Too late now!) It’s kind of a long story, but I left England with my grandmother when I was six, and she had to come up with a new, fake last name for me so that certain people wouldn’t be able to track me down. She chose “Russell” in honor of the actress Rosalind Russell, who stars with Cary Grant in His Girl Friday. She liked her spunk.
People only give me flack for liking Cary Grant until they see him in Arsenic and Old Lace. Then they get it. And if they don’t, they just aren’t worth knowing.
Dustin Hoffman, eh? Interesting . . . no judgment here, friend.
Alex: Okay, not back to the real reason you are here, the boy. Before this interview we were talking about our boy issues. How the heck do you deal with being with someone and everything seems to be telling you to go against it?
Addy:  Interesting question. You know, Luc and I are such an unlikely couple – he’s like the god of my high school and I am nothing but a lowly little book nerd who would ordinarily never attract the attention of someone like that. But circumstances brought up together in such a way that we had to pretend that we were dating, for a while, even though we weren’t. That was weird. People were flat-out shocked to see us “together” and that was sort of hurtful. And embarrassing. And lying to my friends about it was really hard.
From the beginning, the voices inside my head were telling me to stay away from him. First, he was too perfect – untouchable, unreachable, destined to break my heart. Then, I thought my actual crush on him might hamper our fake relationship and put us both in danger. And now . . . I don’t know. There are a lot of complications. I just know how I feel, and how I feel is that I love him. Bottomline. People can think whatever they like.
Being with him is a danger to me, because if he ever broke my heart I’m not sure how I would survive it. But being with me is actually way more dangerous for him (for a lot of reasons having to do with Annorasi laws and prejudices against humans). I worry about that the most – that our relationship may end up bringing harm to him.

Alex: Since you’re stuck here in small town Winnebago instead of the west coast, what is your favorite place back in Novato?
Addy:  Hmm, well, my friends and I hang out a lot at this coffee shop called Sully’s. They have really good coffee there (you’d like it!) and the best pastries in town.
Alex:  Okay, let’s say you and I are hitting the town in Novato with our respective boyfriends. Where do we go and what do we do? (Without getting attacked by any evil beings, God Willing.)
Addy:  Well, Novato isn’t exactly big on the nightlife, so I think we’d definitely head down to San Francisco, where there’s more to do! I’ve actually been meaning to take Luc to Ghirardelli Square – there’s this thing that my friends and I do for special occasions: we order this enormously big sundae called The Earthquake. It has 8 scoops of ice cream (more if you flirt with your waiter), 8 toppings (not including the whipped cream, bananas, cherries, nuts and chocolate chips – those come standard), and it comes in this huge dish. People stare at you when you order it and the wait staff totally cheers you on to finish it. Pigging out on ice cream is such a human thing to do – I’m sure our boyfriends would get a kick out of it. Or at least a stomachache J
And if it was just you and I alone in San Francisco – if we could convince the boys to let us go out on our own for awhile, doubtful because of the aforementioned Evil Beings – we would definitely hit Jest Jewels – the most awesome jewelry/clothing/stuff store on earth. It’s the kind of place that makes girls want to swoon and boys want to vomit – it absolutely reeks of “girliness.” I’m not even a “girly girl” and I love it - you and I could easily spend a small fortune there.
Alex:  Okay to round this interview out, favorite movie, food, and book?
Addy:
Movie: Arsenic and Old Lace
Food: My grandmother’s homemade gnocchi, with spicy tomato sauce and goat cheese. I am drooling just thinking about it . . .
Book: Well, right now I’m reading Peter Pan (the original, by J.M. Barrie). It totally fits in with my love of English literature, but I’m actually reading it because my friend Olivia is making me. It’s rumored that the spring play at my school this year is going to be a steampunk revival of Pan, and Olivia really wants to play Peter. So I’m helping her do research. That’s kind of funny, actually, because – arghhh!
*Cory Putman Oakes strides angrily into the coffee shop, grabs Addy by the ear, and hauls her off before she can reveal any more spoilers from the next book of The Veil series, coming March 2013 from Octane Press.*
************************************************************Seventeen-year-old Addison Russell is in for a shock when she discovers that she can see the invisible world of the Annorasi. Suddenly, nothing is as it appears to be—the house she lives in, the woman who raised her, even the most beautiful boy in town all turn out to be more than what they seem. And when this strange new world forces Addy to answer for a crime that was committed long ago, by parents she has never known, she has no choice but to trust Luc, the mysterious Annorasi who has been sent to protect her. Or so he says . . .Purchase it today on Amazon or Barnes and Noble

Writerly Wednesday: Pants or no pants?

Yeah you know you just clicked on this post because you thought I would be talking about going pantsless.

Okay, well it is sort of like that. I'm talking about pantsing a book.

As you all know HOW TO BREAK UP WITH AN ALIEN is out to reviewers and the official release date is May 22nd. What was so different about writing this sequel is I found that pantsing doesn't work as well as you would like for a sequel.

Why not? I pantsed the entire first book, why couldn't I do it for this one? *lesigh* It turns out that somehow when you write a sequel you have to still combine it with the first book so you dont' start throwing out random facts and if your first book hasn't been out for awhile, you do need to catch people up.

*groan*

So for book three I decided to outline. Susan Quinn uses a nice bulletin board and a spreadsheet...mine was written on a scrap piece of paper that I found in the hotel. My process may not be as precise and I still might be a pantser at heart, but just by writing down a vague idea of how I want the order of things to happen I am now 40K into book 3 (the monster may end up being around 80K).  So in other words you may get Book 3 sooner than October.

What say you? Are you all pantsers? Plotters or doing the no pants dance?