The time it was about Into the Still Blue

My love for Veronica Rossi knows no bounds.  I've been lucky enough to meet her several times and she's always so sweet and puts up with my fangirling like a champ.  I've been in love with her books from the beginning and after reading Into the Still Blue [and tweeting the hell out of my feels], I asked Veronica if she would be available to do an interview.  And she said yes!  

But, before we get to her answers, let's check out the book, shall we?

The earth-shattering conclusion to Veronica Rossi's "masterpiece" Under the Never Sky trilogy and sequel to the New York Times bestselling Through the Ever Night (Examiner.com).

Their love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to bring balance to their world.

The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe-haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do-and they are just as determined to stay together.

Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. And when Roar returns to camp, he is so furious with Perry that he won't even look at him, and Perry begins to feel like they have already lost.

Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble a team to mount an impossible rescue mission-because Cinder isn't just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, he's also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most.

In this final book in her stunning Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi raises the stakes to their absolute limit and brings her epic love story to an unforgettable close.

Sounds good, right? [Hint: It's amazing!]

 

1. How did the idea for the series come about?

Through lots of staring at walls, and imagining a world comprised of opposites. An advanced society, and a primitive one. The idea of safety and danger. Shelter and exposure. Male, female. It came to me that way, and also in images. I "saw" Perry first. Then I started imagining his world, his home, his problems. Aria came right afterward.

2. I could make a list of reasons why I love Aria and Perry. Why do you love them and why should we root for them?

There are lots of reasons, but I'll mention one of my favorite qualities -- one they both possess: they are driven. Neither one sits back and lets life happen to them. They have agency. They aren't afraid to take action.

3. Did you know the ending right away?

Yes. 

4. What is the weirdest thing you googled while researching?

Can tattoo ink poison your bloodstream if it's been infused with hemlock? That's not that weird, but that one comes to mind first.

5. What was your favorite part about writing this series?

The fans. The bloggers. The writing itself. All of it.

6. Describe Into the Still Blue in 5 words.

How about three?

Thrilling. Epic. Romantic.

Speed [ish] round:

1. You get the call/email that you're being published for the first time. What happens next?

Lots of silence and catatonic staring, alternating with bouts of utter hysteria. Then, eventually, champagne!

2. What three things would you take to a desert island?

Perry, Roar and Aria.

3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life.  What is it?

Something by Jane Austen. Maybe PERSUASION.

4. Who are your favorite swoony boys? 

Ugh, so many. Gale. Finnick. Gale.... Finnick.

5. Are there any authors that you fangirl over?

TONS. Megatons. I'm a booklover! Totally freak out of authors who can suck me into their stories, and their words.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Huge thanks to Veronica for always dealing with my fangirling taking the time.  Make sure you're following her on Twitter, liking her Facebook page, subscribing to her blog and adding all of her books to your GoodReads shelf. 

Now.  To celebrate the release of Into the Still Blue, I've got a copy of for grabs! Giveaway is international, as long as The Book Depository ships to you for free.

Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget. 

**Good Luck!!**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The time it was about Infinite

Jodi Meadows is a lot of fun.  I've been lucky enough to catch her on the west coast and she's even more fun in person.  So of course, when it was getting close to Infinite being released, I bugged asked her if she would do an interview.  And she said yes!

But before we get to her awesome answers, let's check out the book, shall we?

DESTRUCTION
The Year of Souls begins with an earthquake—an alarming rumble from deep within the earth—and it’s only the first of greater dangers to come. The Range caldera is preparing to erupt. Ana knows that as Soul Night approaches, everything near Heart will be at risk.

FLIGHT
Ana’s exile is frightening, but it may also be fortuitous, especially if she can convince her friends to flee Heart and Range with her. They’ll go north, seeking answers and allies to stop Janan’s ascension. And with any luck, the newsouls will be safe from harm’s reach.

CHOICE
The oldsouls might have forgotten the choice they made to give themselves limitless lifetimes, but Ana knows the true cost of reincarnation. What she doesn’t know is whether she’ll have the chance to finish this one sweet life with Sam, especially if she returns to Heart to stop Janan once and for all.

With gorgeous romance and thrilling action, the final book in the Incarnate trilogy offers a brilliant conclusion to the compelling questions of this fascinating world, where one new girl is the key to the lives of millions.

 Sounds amazing, right?

1. Where did the idea for the series come from?

Fairies and sawdust and more caffeine that I care to admit.

No, okay. The truth is, a lot of times, authors aren't sure where ideas come from. They happen with "what if...?' a lot, but that's not the complete idea. Those questions just kind of circle in the back of a writer's mind for a while until other things stick to it. Answers to the "what if...?' and more questions. Sometimes people. Sometimes places. Eventually an idea is born.

2. Let's talk Ana and Sam. I could give you a list of reasons why I adore them, but why do you love them and why should we root for them?

Obviously I love them because they were born in my brain. You should root for them because I will come after you if you don't.

Wait, no, that's not an appropriate answer. Um.

Root for them because they like coffee. Sam is a coffee snob. Ana is not.

3. What was the weirdest thing you googled while doing research?

Probably not the weirdest, but it definitely sounds strange: I had to look up how to survive a drop into a body of water from a good height. (Answer: cover your mouth and nose so water doesn't rush up. Also, er, your nether regions. And clench those butt muscles. For all the same reasons.)

4. You've completed your trilogy, hooray! What was your favorite part of writing these books?

I enjoyed all of the writing! But if I had to choose, I think writing the first draft of INCARNATE was probably the best. I'd just come out of a dark emotional place and I was feeling free to write about whatever the heck I wanted to write about. INCARNATE was very healing for me. It was difficult, but it was just what I needed at that point.

5. Describe the series in 5 words.

Ana is new. Everything sucks.

Speed [ish] round:

1. Describe what your writing area looks like.

A desk. Ferrets. Lots of books, yarn, and lately, calligraphy supplies.

Jars filled with the tears of my readers. They make the room smell nice.

2. What three things would you take to a desert island?

How did I end up on the desert island? Did you leave me there? Were we going on a trip and you abandoned me??? Maybe our plane crashed and now, in addition to have to survive this desert island alone, I'm feeling sad about how violently and senselessly you died during the crash, right after we had that argument about which Hogwarts house we'd be in.

Gosh, this is a sad question. But here are the things I'd prefer to have, which I probably wouldn't have if that last scenario is how I got on the island. But if you left me there (WHY?)  and I was able to pack:

*Survivor manual
*Canteen with a built-in filter
*Satellite phone with a fully charged batter so I could call for help.

(I thought about saying a boat, but I figured I'd just get more lost once I was actually on the ocean. I'm hoping the survivor manual will have some clues on natural sunscreen and stuff.)

3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?

Is the rest of my life really short or something? Do you hate me? I thought we were friends, in spite of that whole desert island incident.

Okay, the Bible. There are lots of stories.

4. Who are your favorite swoony boys?

Logan from DEFIANCE by CJ Redwine.
Titus from THE BURNING SKY by Sherry Thomas.
Hector from THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson.

5. Are there any authors that you fangirl over?

Yes, but I can't say who because I don't want them to take out a restraining order against me. I have to play it cool. One day, they'll realize we were meant to be together forever, though.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Huge thanks and and endless supply of yarn to Jodi for taking the time to deal with my fangirling answer the questions.  Make sure you're following her on Twitter, liking her Facebook page, subscribing to her blog and adding all of her books to your GoodReads shelf.

Now.  To celebrate the release of Infinite, I've got one up for grabs.  The book will be coming from The Book Depository, so it is international, as long as TBD ships to you for free.  

Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget. 

**Good Luck!!**

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

The time it was about Landry Park

I was given an arc of Landry Park a couple of months ago and I absolutely loved it.  So, of course, when I saw that there was an upcoming blog tour going on for Bethany, I jumped at the chance to be a part of it.

But, before we get to her interview, let's check out the book, shall we?

Downton Abbey meets The Selection in this dystopian tale of love and betrayal

In a fragmented future United States ruled by the lavish gentry, seventeen-year-old Madeline Landry dreams of going to the university. Unfortunately, gentry decorum and her domineering father won't allow that. Madeline must marry, like a good Landry woman, and run the family estate. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers the devastating consequences her lifestyle is having on those less fortunate. As Madeline begins to question everything she has ever learned, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself and David at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty - her family and the estate she loves dearly - and desire.

 Sounds good, right?

 

1. Where did the idea for Landry Park come from?

The short (ish) answer is that is came from the long days spent working at a local history museum, cleaning Plexiglass cases and staring at the old pictures inside.  The long(er) answer is that it came from more than a decade of loving Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte and King Arthur and Science Channel documentaries.  I think our brains are like crock pots.  Or percolators.  Or brewing vats...I'm not really sure where I'm going with this metaphor, but what I mean is that our brains are these vessels that things we love/wonder about/obsess over fall over into.  Our favorite movies and music and quotes and gifs--and then they all stew together and mix and reduce into a sludge from whence newly birthed ideas crawl shakily forth.  (Sludge sounds bad.  Goo?  Nectar?  Whatever it is, it's made of rainbows and angst.)

2.What do you like most about Madeline and David and why should we root for them?

I think my favorite thing about Madeline and David is that they challenge each other in a very dynamic way.  A lot of couples enjoy each other's company because they affirm and reassure each other; this is why so many (but not all) people marry inside their particular educational/cultural/class/political demographics, because it's very easy to be with someone who believes the exact same things you do. But somebody who forces you to examine your beliefs and your actions--that can be both very painful and very rewarding. I think David and Madeline demonstrate this well.

3. How did you go about building your dystopian world and the rebellion?

I started with the atmosphere, the set pieces.  Once I began spinning this world of balls and glowing nuclear charges, I knew there would have to be people who handled the nuclear waste.  I came up with a name for them--Rootless--out of nowhere, and from that name, I realized the didn't have money or capital or even real homes.  Once I realized what their lives looked like compared to what the gentry's looked like, a rebellion was fairly easy to imagine.  Systems of oppression are ultimately unstable because they rely on fear to crush every other feeling and need.  And luckily, that's not how people work.

4. What was the weirdest thing you googled while researching?

I am probably on so many FBI watch-lists right now.  I've googled bomb-making, how to load and fire automatic weapons and how to start fires.  The thing that made my husband go "Really? While I'm trying to eat?" was the time I was scrutinizing pictures of radiation victims (so I could accurately describe their wounds.)  It wasn't pretty stuff.

5. Describe Landry Park in 5 words.

Glowing, dancing, kissing, rebelling elegance.

Speed [ish] round:

1. You get the call/email/letter that says you're being published for the first time.  What happens next?

Screaming.  Hugging.  Frantic texting to critique partners.  Usually you'll get a congratulatory chat on the phone with your editor, and then it's on to waiting for that first edit letter.

2. What three tings would you take to a desert island?

An e-reader, a wifi connection and a bottle of scotch.

3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life.  What is it?

Jane Eyre.  Always.

4. Who are your favorite swoony boys?

Edward Rochester and Fitzwilliam Darcy, definitely. Also Max de Winter from Rebecca, Sebastian Flyte from Brideshead Revisited and Matthew St. Clair from A Discovery of Witches. The more tortured, the better.

5. Are there any authors that you fangirl over?

Too many to name! I would faint if I ever got to meet Elizabeth Wein or Laini Taylor.  I think on every level--technical and artistic--they are telling some of the best stories out there today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Huge thanks to Bethany for taking the time!  Make sure you're following her on Twitter, subscribing to her blog and adding Landry Park to your GoodReads shelf!

Click here to see the list of other blogs participating the tour and see what goodies they're doing. And...Bethany is hosting a giveaway, so go forth and enter!

**Good Luck!!**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The time it was all about Wonderland

By now we all know about my undying love and affection for A.G. Howard, yes? So, it sort of goes without saying that of course I was going to do whatever I could to help promote Unhinged. I bugged asked Anita if she would do an interview, she agreed.  And then I read The Moth in the Mirror and had another set of questions I wanted to ask... So, we had a redo.

But, before we get to the interview: take two, let's check out the book, yes?

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.

That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.

If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.

 Sounds amazing, right? [It totally is.]

 1. How did the idea of Splintered come to you?

I've always been a Carroll junkie. The man was a literary genius. But the idea first came to me when I went to see the Tim Burton & Disney Alice adaptation. The cinematography was so vivid and evocative that it stayed with me, and I started playing out my own Wonderland scenarios in my mind. One evening, I went to my writer's critique group and pitched the idea of a modern day Wonderland -- though darker and more twisted -- with a teen protagonist who was related to Alice Liddell, Carroll's real-life inspiration. My group's enthusiasm was palpable, and I knew I was onto something.

2. Alyssa. She's feisty and smart and unique. I absolutely adore her. What do you love most about her and why should we root for her?

Thank you! I'm pretty sweet on her, too. ;) My favorite thing about Alyssa is that she's 100% human, even though she's not, if that makes sense? She's having to navigate the high school teen waters and feeling all the same insecurities as we do (did), albeit with the added obstacle of otherworldly stuff going on in her life. But even with that, the core of her insecurity stems from not yet knowing who she is, and we've all been there. I think this is what makes her human and relatable.

3. You recently wrote a novella featuring Jeb/Morpheus POV. Who was easier to work? Was it easier to  be in one of their head than in Alyssa's?

Haha. Pulling out the tough questions now, are you? ;) Both guys are complex individuals with their own dark pasts, but Jeb was easier because I once wrote from his POV. In the earliest version of SPLINTERED Alyssa and Jeb had alternating chapters. So I already knew his voice and thoughts inside and out. Plus, Jeb is first and foremost a gentleman, and didn't make life too difficult. Morpheus was a bit more of a challenge. Even when I was "in his head", I didn't always know what his motives were...or what he was going to say or do next. It was the same way in SPLINTERED and UNHINGED. He's often surprising me and taking the story on detours I didn't see coming. My job is to decide whether to follow his lead, or reign him in. Most often, I let him have his way (he can be quite persuasive). But sometimes I have to pull the boss card. He's definitely the most demanding character I've ever written. And Alyssa's head is the easiest to write from because I myself was once a teenage girl and living *some* of her issues.

4. Can we mention the last chapter in Splintered? There was a pretty big reveal and some satisfying closure, but it was sort of cliffhangery [or was that just me?]. Did you already know it was going to be a trilogy? 

I sold it to Amulet as a standalone with a two book potential. That's why the ending was closed with one thread left loose. I signed a two book contract, so I knew there would be another YA book, but they hadn't okayed a second Splintered. They had me set it aside and in fact had me working on a Phantom of the Opera spinoff instead. But when presale numbers started coming in for Splintered, they were ready to invest in UNHINGED. The problem was, we waited so long that my deadline was swiftly approaching so everything was rushed. When I got to the end of book 2, we all knew there would have to be a third, or I would have to change some major plotlines. But they had a meeting, and everyone loved the story as it was, so they signed me for the third book. All that to say, no. I didn't know it would be a trilogy and neither did my publisher, but I'm happy it worked out that way. I wasn't quite read to say goodbye to these characters yet.

5. What has been your favorite part about writing these books?

Rereading and studying Lewis Carroll's masterpieces.

6. Describe Unhinged in 5 words.

Frustrating
Frightening
Enlightening
Heartbreaking
Empowering

Speed [ish] round:

1. What three things would you take to a desert island?

Since you didn't specify whether the desert island is real or fantasy based, I'm choosing fantasy. Which means I only have to pack one thing: a genie in a bottle.

2. What are you reading right now?

I'm at the tail end of So Silver Bright by Lisa Mantchev. It's the last in a YA fantasy trilogy. I've read them all and love the uniqueness of the premise.

3. Who are your favorite swoony boys?

Living or fictional? Ryan Gosling, Jr. for my live guy. And for my fictional, Hareton from Wuthering Heights. One of the most underappreciated book heroes. He was loyal, devoted and patient, even in the face of abuse and scorn from the two people he loved most in the world. He was the one redeeming character in the story (If you've read it, reread the last 30 pages to see my point). He's definitely swoon-worthy.

4. Are there any authors that you fangirl over?

Heck yah! Here are my top six: Neil Gaiman, Alice Hoffman, Charlotte Bronte, Melissa Marr, Christina Rossetti, and of course Lewis Carroll.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Huge thanks, boxes of Godiva and squishy hugs to Anita for being so EPIC and taking the time to deal with my fangirling answer the questions.  Make sure you're following her on Twitter, liking her Facebook page, subscribing to her blog and adding all of her books to your GoodReads shelves.

To celebrate the upcoming release of Unhinged, I've got a signed hardcover copy of Splintered up for grabs.  Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget and this contest is international! Also? Don't forget that Jeb is mine, I have proof.

**Good Luck!!** 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The time it was about The Promise of Amazing

I got approved for The Promise of Amazing from Edelweiss and devoured read it in July. It quickly became one of the books I needed all of the copies of and when I came across a physical arc in the super secret back room, I may or may not have gotten pushy to get my hands on it. Robin was amazing and agreed to sign it if I sent it to her.

From there, it just got worse.  I bugged asked Robin if she would be willing to do an interview and she agreed!  But before we get to her answers, let's check out the book, shall we?

Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

Sounds great, right?  [It totally is. You can read my review on GR here]

1. Where did the idea for The Promise of Amazing come from?

Wren's story had been brewing in my head for a long time. The seed of the idea was to have a shy girl save a local celebrity's life and then be thrust into the spotlight. I worked on other things and fooled around with it every so often, but it wasn't until I moved to a new state that Grayson's part was born.

Home invasion/break-in is apparently a popular crime in the area that I live. And you know, who wants to deal with that? Before we purchased our home I had a conversation with my realtor about it and she mentioned that most break-ins were either people who knew the owners or rashes of crimes. (Neither of which made me feel better, btw) She went on to tell me about a recent crime spree involving thieves who would scope out malls, take the garage door openers out of people's cars and go to their target's houses while they were still shopping. For some reason this stuck with me, maybe because it's more thought out than just your average b&e. I kept wondering about it - did they have a lookout? What did they do with the merchandise they took? I didn't want to write that story but it kept stalking me. I'd get flashes of scenes and just think no...no...NO! But when I sat down to finally tackle Wren's story, I decided to bring that aspect into it. Grayson had been a minor character in another book I'd been writing and I loved him so much, I brought him along for this story. I put a twist on the method of break-in and changed the local celebrity to former thief and the story took off from there.

2. You wrote from two POVs: Wren and Grayson. Who was easier to work with?

The book didn't start out in two POVs but I got about a page into chapter two from Wren's POV and thought this is going nowhere. So I switched it up. Grayson was actually easy for me to write in the drafts - he was very visceral/shoot from the hip and it was fun to switch up the voices - but his chapters were the ones that needed the most revision during the entire process. He's such a delicious mess of a person to me, someone who really wants to do the right thing, get out from underneath the trouble he's gotten himself into, but keeps screwing it up.

3. I really enjoyed the family aspect. Both Wren and Grayson have supportive family members who take an active part in their lives, but don't hinder [for lack of a better word] the character growth. Was that an active choice?

Thanks!! Yes, it was an active choice. I love both of their families. You always here "kill the parents" because your main character is supposed to figure things out for themselves -- which I get to a certain degree but people who come from supportive and loving families can screw things up too. I just always saw these characters with parents and siblings. I love Grayson's father in particular. I think he's this guy with rough edges, someone whose glory days are in his past and he's really okay with that but he wants more for his son -- in his darker moments he dwells on what might have been, but for the most part hes' a guy who is happy and would do anything for his family. And I love Wren's relationship with her brother Josh. So much.

4. I've seen some reviewers say Promise is a mash up of Pretty and Pink and Cruel Intentions. Do you think that's accurate?

Can I just say I LOVE that comparison? That would have been awesome to put in a query!! I'm not sure I see what the boys are doing as intentional which may sound strange. Or maybe I should say THEY don't look at what they are doing as intentional or cruel. I think Operation Amsterdam is something that started out as 'we bored, let's see if we can get away with this' and it snowballed. Smart boys doing stupid things and they don't quite fully comprehend the consequences of their actions -- moral or legal. They see the end -- a trip to Amsterdam -- and a way to get there. If they had pulled this stuff when they were twenty-five, that would be a completely different story. We think we're above the law and invincible when we're teens. (At least I did.)

On the other hand, the part I do see that is intentional is Luke and Ava and how they manipulate Wren and Grayson to get what they think they want. And in that respect I can see the Cruel Intentions parallel. Pretty in Pink is a little harder for me (although it's one of my favorite movies so I'll take it!!) but maybe the parallel of Stef trying to keep Blaine away from Andie because he's always sort of liked her and if he can't have her, then Blaine shouldn't either, so he causes trouble for his own amusement? That mirrors a little bit of the Grayson-Wren-Luke dynamic for me. When Luke meets Wren, I have a very specific reason why he acts the way he does, but that's between him and me....mwahahaha.

5. What was your favorite part of writing the book?

I loved Wren and Grayson's first kiss (outside the hospital). Originally they didn't kiss until the cottage scene. In my first draft Grayson wanted to kiss Wren but he thought it might be too soon, and one of my CPs said, well if he wants to, why don't you let him and see what happens. So he kissed her and the scene took a different route from there. For me, it's Grayson being awkward but being so overwhelmed that Wren would go out of her way to do something for him, when once again he's really done nothing to earn it. He's sort of blown away by her kindness. And while Grayson can really put on the whole lady-killer-jerk act as Mike Pearson...it's an act...he's genuine at heart.

I also LOVED writing the cottage scene with Wren and Grayson. And I ADORED writing the scenes with Maddie, Jazz and Wren because they reminded me of the best times with my friends.

6. Describe Promise in 5 words.

Funny. Raw. Sexy. Sweet. Maddening.

Speed [ish] round:

1. You get the call/email/letter that says you're being published for the first time. What happens next?

Have heartburn for a year. Kidding. Kind of.

I got "the call" December 2012 -- I'd just come in from a fruitless Christmas shopping trip and was online looking up a doll for my niece when the phone rang. I have one of those phones that announces the person who's calling so I knew it was my agent and I was immediately like OMG. A million and one different scenarios floated through my head as I walked over to pick up the phone. I'm not sure I heard much after she told me that Donna Bray loved my manuscript and was interested in talking to us. The whole process took about two weeks -- we spoke to Donna before acquisitions and it was all pretty nail biting wondering if the sale would go through -- really you sort of steel yourself by being cautiously optimistic, so by the time my agent called me and said it was a done deal, I just kind of sat down and let it all sink in and was oddly calm, not jumping around flailing like I imagined I would be!! Until I received my editorial letter and started working on the book again, it all sort of felt surreal. Some days it still does!

2. What three things would you take to a desert island?

Matches, Nutella and a thick pair of socks.

3. What are you reading right now?

Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano -- it's coming out March 2014 and it's soooooo good.

4. Who are your favorite swoony boys?

Pretty much the cast of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, but I'm partial to the bad boys -- Damon and Klaus and Stefan when he's being evil. And I LOVED the bromance between Damon and Alaric!!

5. Are there any authors that you fangirl over?

I kind of fangirl over every author I meet! And I am so goofy when I'm fangirling -- it's like my brain forgets how to form words. I met Laurie Halse Anderson right before Speak came out and she was so down to earth and genuine, she put me at ease. On the other hand I was recently at an event with Judy Blume and I was too overwhelmed to go up to her and introduce myself for fear that I'd just kind of run off at the mouth of worse, stand there and gape after awkwardly professing my love for her. (I regret that!!) And if I ever met Marcus Zusak, I'd probably do something embarrassing like walk into a wall or trip over my own feet. (That was not a speedy answer, was it?)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Huge thanks to Robin for putting up with my fangirling taking the time for the interview.  Make sure you're following her on Twitter, following her on Tumblr, subscribing to her blog, and adding Promise to your GoodReads shelves.

And now for the giveaway!!

There will be two winners! Robin has so awesomely offered up an annotated copy of Promise and I'm going to give one away as well.  Robin's special copy is US only and since mine will coming from The Book Depository, it'll be international.

Rules for the giveaway are under "terms and conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget.

**Good Luck!!**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The time it was about Bitter Pill

I signed up for Stacey Kade's blog tour for Bitter Pill because I really enjoyed The Rules and was really intrigued about this particular premise. Down below you'll find my review for the book as well as an interview with Stacey.

But before we get to all of that, let's check out the book, shall we?

The truth is a bitter pill...

Rennie Harlow is having a bad year. She had a handsome husband, a good job, and a renovated condo in Chicago. Now, thanks to one "exotically beautiful" paralegal, she’s divorced, faking her way through a writing career, and living above her hypochondriac mother's garage back in Morrisville, the small town she couldn't leave fast enough at eighteen. On top of all of that, she just found Doc Hallacy, the local pharmacist, dead behind his counter. And the worst part is, he's the third body she’s stumbled across this year.

Jake Bristol has lived in Morrisville his whole life. A former bad boy turned sheriff, he doesn’t believe it’s just Rennie’s luck or timing that’s the problem. He thinks she’s too nosy for her own good. The last thing he needs is her messing around with his murder investigation so that she can freelance for the Morrisville Gazette. But as they both delve deeper into Doc's death, they find that things don't add up. This isn't a robbery gone wrong or the work of a desperate junkie. Someone has a secret they're killing to keep. The only question is—who's next?

**Thanks to my pretty prancy PA, Christina from The Book Hookup, for letting me steal borrow her review format!**

Rating & First Reaction:

4.5 stars.  I really enjoyed this story.  It was a quick, entertaining read that left me wanting more.  No, really.  I hope there's more [and I'll be bugging Stacey about this] because the ending nearly had me screaming.  If it wasn't for the "The End" on the bottom of the page, I would have thought there was a problem with my e-book... 

MCs:

Rennie: Recently divorced, Rennie comes back to her small town home to live with her mom. She's quick to find trouble and whether she likes it or not, realizes that she has feelings for the very married sheriff. I feel like Rennie is the type of girl who would get arrested when she goes out with a group of friends, but not for anything serious.  It would be for something trivial law like wearing flip-flops while walking down a sidewalk on a Tuesday afternoon.  Does that make sense?

I loved being in her head.  She's hurting over the situation that she's in, but by the end of the book, I knew that she was strong enough to get through it all.  Even if we don't get anything else from these characters, I'm certain that Rennie is going to prevail in whatever she does.

Bristol: He is a good, strong man. A stand up man with convictions.  Bristol loves his job, the law in general, and seems to see most of his life in the same sort black and white. Except when it comes to Rennie, she's very much a grey area. The sparks between Rennie and him are very apparent and even if he's aware of the town whispering, he never shows it. I would have loved to have gotten even one chapter from his point of view [hint, hint], I'm very interested in the maybe history he and Rennie had...

There weren't swoons in the conventional way, but there were some moments where I gasped at what was happening.  But, as River Song says, spoilers.

Secondary Characters:

Max: Editor of the town newspaper and Rennie's sort of boss.  He's a Morrisville transplant and definitely gives off the vibe of "big, bad city guy".  But, under all of that gruff exterior, there's a bit of a gooey inside. His exchanges with Rennie are interesting.  His respect for her writing shows and sometimes it felt like there was a sort of father/daughter relationship, but it was the mood swings and erratic behavior that kept me curious.

The Rest of the Town: There's quite a mix of people in the small town of Morrisville and while we only got snippets of most of them, there are a few that I should have added to this.  However, I don't want to spoil anything, I want you to experience them for yourself and trust no one. Perhaps you'll be able to pick out the killer. ;)

Plot & Pacing:

Well, it doesn't get any faster than starting the book out with having the MC find a dead body. This book is fast paced from the get go.  There were several components happening all at the same time.  Not only is it a whodunnit, but there's a real exploration of different types of relationships that made for some interesting scenes.  There were some definite twists that I didn't see coming.  I spent the entire book thinking I knew who was behind all of it and I was way way off.

Rec It?

Absolutely. If you're looking for a fun murder/mystery with a sharp, trouble finding heroine and a smoldering, but straight laced sheriff, this one is for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now for the interview!

1. Where did the idea for Bitter Pill come from?

A couple of different places, actually. It's the only one of my books where a dream played a role. I woke up from a nap one day with the phrase "Pharmacists know all of our dirty secrets" running through my head. Then I had to figure out what that meant, in terms of a story.

But the idea for Rennie's personal life and her decision to go back home actually came from an incident in my newlywed days. My brand-new husband and I were arguing, likely over something stupid, like who emptied the dishwasher last, and I wanted nothing more than to walk out the door in a grand dramatic exit and slam the door after me. (No worries; the husband and I have been married form almost 15 years now!)

But I realized then, for the first time, that there wasn't a place for me to go. Once you're married, you've kind of tossed your lot in with someone else's...no matter how infrequently they unload the dishwasher. :)

So I gave that place to Rennie and tried to figure out what one does when one's life implodes, as hers had.

By the time my husband tracked me down in the downstairs family room, I was in full note-taking mode and not angry anymore! :D

2. What do you love most about Rennie and Jake and why should we root for them?

Jake Bristol is one of the most honorable men/characters I've ever written, I think. I both love and hate him for that. I want him to give in to temptation, but I know, as Rennie does, that it might change who he is, if he does. He's a total white hat but so very human and trapped in a bad marriage. To me, it was interesting to see which side of him would win out.

He needs Rennie because she is someone who sees him for who is is as a person, rather that a status symbol. And her wholehearted belief in his goodness/honor (vs. her lying, cheating ex) is what draws him to her and also makes things complicated. We all want someone who believes the best of us, you know? But if he follows through, then will Rennie see him as that good man? Will he be able to believe it himself?

Rennie is, I hope, one of those complicated people. She knows exactly how awful it is to have someone you love betray you with another person, and yet, she's dancing on the edge of being "the other person" and playing a role in the destruction of someone else's marriage. She's trying to figure out who she is and what she's capable of (good and bad). She's been battered and tossed around by her circumstances, and she has to figure out whether she's going to rise above and be the person who is worthy of Bristol, even if that means, rather contradictorily, that she can't have him.

You should root for them because they are two people who belong together. :) What remains to be seen is whether the world will cooperate with that idea.

3. What was the weirdest thing you googled while researching? 

I don't know that I googled anything all that strange, but I had a very detailed and awkward conversation with a lovely and obliging pharmacist about what kind of pills could be used to drug someone without their knowledge and how that might happen. It was one of those moments where I was pretty sure the phrase, "I promise, Officer, it's research for a book," was going to become very relevant to my life.

4. What was your favorite part about writing this book?

I loved writing this book. I cackled with glee every night when I settled in to write. It is almost an homage to all the mystery novels I loved as a kid (Rennie is my grown-up version of Nancy Drew) and I was writing it just for me, just for fun. I loved sticking Rennie in situations and then watching everything go wrong.

5. Describe Bitter Pill in 5 words.

A funny, small town mystery.

Speed [ish] round:

1. You get the call/email/letter that says you're being published for the first time. What happens next?

Does "shriek in disbelief and sheer joy" count as an action? :) Because that's exactly what happened.

2. What three things would you take to a desert island?

Short of a helicopter, an experienced pilot and a book to read on the flight of the island? I'd have to say sunblock, an iPad (with an endless battery and internet access) and an inflated air mattress. Sand makes me itchy.

3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

4. What are you reading right now?

Parasite by Mira Grant

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Huge thanks to Samantha at CLP for providing the review copy and to Stacey for taking the time to answer my questions!  Make sure you're following her on Twitter, liking her Facebook page, subscribing to her blog and adding all of her books on your GoodReads shelves. 

Annnnnnnd?

If you head over to the CLP Blog tour page and leave a comment, you'll be entered to win all sorts of goodies.  You can also check out all of the other tour stops!

The time it was about a goddess

I'm not sure how I found Tellulah Darling and her books.  I do know that I've loved every word of them and I definitely need to spread the word of her awesomeness.

And, we've all seen my recent posts about the Sassy Girl Swoony God Tourney, yes? Well, that fun adventure is almost over and I just wasn't ready to stop fangirling all over Tellulah, so I begged asked her for an interview and she agreed! 

But before we get to her awesome answers, check out two of the books in the Blooming Goddess trilogy!

Sixteen-year-old Sophie Bloom wishes she’d been taught the following:
a) Bad boy’s presence (TrOuBlE) + teen girl’s brain (DraMa) = TrAuMa (Highly unstable and very volatile.)
b) The Genus Greekulum Godissimus is notable for three traits: 1) awesome abilities, 2) grudges, and 3) hook-ups, break-ups, and in-fighting that puts cable to shame.

Prior to the Halloween dance, Sophie figures her worst problems involve adolescent theatrics, bitchy teen yoga girls, and being on probation at her boarding school for mouthy behaviour. Then she meets bad boy Kai and gets the kiss that rocks her world.

Literally.

This breath stealing lip lock reawakens Sophie’s true identity: Persephone, Goddess of Spring. She’s key to saving humanity in the war between the Underworld and Olympus, target numero uno of Hades and Zeus, and totally screwed.

Plus there’s also the little issue that Sophie’s last memory as Persephone was just before someone tried to murder her.

Big picture: master her powers, get her memories back, defeat Persephone’s would be assassin, and save the world. Also, sneak into the Underworld to retrieve stolen property, battle the minions of Hades and Zeus, outwit psycho nymphs, slay a dragon, rescue a classmate, keep from getting her butt expelled from the one place designed to keep her safe …

… and stop kissing Kai, Prince of the Underworld.My Ex From Hell is a YA romantic comedy/Greek mythology smackdown. Love meets comedy with a whole lot of sass in book one of this teen fantasy romance series. Compared to Kai and Sophie, Romeo and Juliet had it easy.

Annnnnnnnd:

Sophie Bloom’s junior year has been a bit of a train wreck. After the world’s greatest kiss re-awakened Sophie’s true identity as Persephone (Goddess of Spring and Savior of Humanity), she fought her dragon-lady guidance counselor to the death, navigated mean girl Bethany’s bitchy troublemaking, and dealt with the betrayal of her backstabbing ex, Kai (sexy Prince of Darkness). You’d think a girl could catch a break.

Yeah, right.

With Zeus stepping things up, it’s vital that Sophie retrieve Persephone’s memories and discover the location of the ritual to stop Zeus and Hades. So when Aphrodite strikes a deal that can unlock Sophie’s pre-mortal past, what choice does the teen goddess have but to accept?

The mission: stop media mogul Hermes from turning Bethany into a global mega-celebrity. The catch? Aphrodite partners Sophie and Kai to work together … and treat this suicide mission as a date. Which could work out for Sophie’s plan to force Kai to admit his feelings for her–if she doesn’t kill him first.

Add to that the fact that BFF Theo’s love life and other BFF Hannah’s actual life are in Sophie’s hands, and suddenly being a teenager—even a godlike one—seems a bit like … well, hell. Whatever happened to dinner and a movie?

The YA romantic comedy/Greek mythology fireworks continue to fly in My Date From Hell. Love meets comedy with a whole lot of sass in book two of this teen fantasy romance series. Breaking up is easy; dating is deadly.

Sounds good, right? [Trust me, they totally are.]

 1. Where did the idea for the Blooming Goddess series come from?

I was a huge myth and fairy tale lover growing up. And I've always loved the idea of playing around and retelling them. When I got serious about doing that myself, it was Persephone who spoke to me. This was back in my days as a screenwriter and so I was thinking of the idea as a possible series. But in the end, I realized I wanted to tell it in novel form. I didn't want to retell the original or just move the same story to modern day. I wanted her past mostly as is (with some liberties like Kai) and then make it firmly about a human struggling to be a goddess. To be divine. What does that mean for her? Sophie suddenly has to deal with all these expectations of herself on a global scale. It's hard enough figuring out who we are as teens, so adding the goddess layer just made it that much more of a pressure cooker.

2. What do you love most about Sophie and Kai and why should we root for them?

If I've done my job right, then Sophie and Kai will have earned their happy ending. I love romantic comedies. Between books and movies, I've consumed thousands of them. And the thing that drives me nuts is when the leads end up together without working for it. Without overcoming those flaws that make their love seem to insurmountable at the start. Sophie and Kai are highly flawed. Their respective families have done a number on them. Not to mention, the spectre of Persephone complicates everything. Teen or god - self-awareness is not big on either's agenda. But if they can acknowledge some hard truths about themselves, let themselves be vulnerable to the other, their love will be magic.

3. Did having these books rooted in mythology help or hinder the research process? Do you think there were any limitations on your characters because of it?

 Even though I took some fairly big liberties with the story -- i.e. the invention of Kai -- I still wanted many of the details to be rooted in the canonical understanding of the story. For that reason, it was great to have an established pantheon to be able to explore. And while I don't think it necessarily limited how I portrayed my characters, what did perhaps pose a challenge was the fact that Greek mythology is such a richly mined territory. I didn't want my stories to come across as a pale imitation of anyone else's. So I was really conscious of "how do I make my story balance being true to the original while feeling fresh and unique?"

4. What has been your favorite part about writing the series?

Back in my screenwriting days, I always enjoyed flipping between writing features and series. Features allowed me to tell a self-contained story in a two hour period while series allowed for a deeper exploration of character and theme. I find it's the same with my novel writing. When I wrote by stand alone romcom Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls, all I wanted was to tell this funny, contained story. It wouldn't have worked as a series. But Sophie's story always demanded a trilogy. And in fact, each book had a specific thematic journey. It's been wonderful having the freedom to play with those concepts on a book-by-book basis.

5. Describe the series in five words.

Sassy goddess saves world romcom

Speed [ish] round:

1. What three things would you take to a desert island?

1) Sharp Hatchet

A very  handy tool for both chopping of kindling and decapitation purposes when the zombie apocalypse happens.  Sure, you say, what are the chances the virus will spread to my particular deserted island and infect the local animals> But do I really want to take that chance? I think not.

2) Vat of Ground Espresso -- preferably Lavazza Rossa.

This desert island stay can go one of two ways. I can be happy (with espresso) or very very cranky. Believe me, no one wants the latter. Since I'll have my hatchet to both chop wood for the fire and cut open a coconut which I'll turn into a stovetop (firetop?) expresso maker, it's just common sense.

3) MAC paramount lipstick

I don't leave home without it because I was not raised by wolves. And even if I'm only facing angry hyenas or zombies, there is no need for me to look as scary as they do. Plus at least my epitaph can say "She was stupid enough to get herself stranded on a deserted island, but boy, did she look good!"

2. What are you reading right now?

I just finished tearing through the Shifters series by Rachel Vincent which was a blast! I would love to read The Dream Thieves next, but I think I'm number 2 billion on hold at the library.

3. Who are your favorite swoony boys?

I've been thinking a lot about that because: a) why not and b) I'm planning on writing a post soon about my favourite book boyfriends. So I don't want to give too much away right now, but I will say my absolute swooniest is Jericho Barrons from the Fever series. *fans self*

4. Are there any authors that you fangirl over?

So many! Neil Gaiman, Karen Marie Moning, David Levithan, Haruki Murakami, Oscar Wilde to name a few.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Huge thanks to Tellulah for taking the time to answer my questions.  Make sure you check out her website, blog, Facebook and Twitter pages. And go add all of her books to your TBR shelf on GoodReads.

Now.  Haven't had a chance to check this series out? Well, I definitely think you should. [You can check out my review here.] And when I contacted Tellulah about getting some signed copies for the giveaway, she offered to donate them! So, there will be two winners.  The first winner will get signed copies of My Ex from Hell and My Date from Hell. The second winner will get a copy of My Ex from Hell.

Rules for the giveaway are listed under the "terms & conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget.

**Good Luck!!**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The time there was a guy with antlers

When the Fierce Reads tour was announced as with a stop in San Diego, it was a sure thing. And then Macmillan asked me to be designated blogger and sent me a box filled with pretty books to giveaway AND set me up with an interview time with the

I met Michelle at Starbucks, as usual. We took over a couple of tables and waited until the ladies showed. 

Everyone showed up just after six. We decided to sit outside to not irritate the inside guests. 

As with the last interview I did, I intended to record this and then figure out some way to make it a sound file for you to choose whether or not you wanted to listen. As I am complete and total fail at technology, instead there is a wall of text. And to keep the wall of text as small as possible, I kept out all of the tangents and giggles. Just believe me when I say these four women are hilarious. If you want to get straight to the event, scroll past the block quote. 

What's the hardest book to write: your first or your last?

G: The second.  They buy a finished book and are like, "You're amazing!" and then you turn in your second one and they're like, "Wellllllll....we've revised our opinion." No, I'm joking, but I couldn't count on my hands anymore how many people I know who have had to rewrite their second book and I was one of them.  I flew through the third book and it got through revisions really fast and everyone loved it.  So for me, it was the second book.

J: I would have said the second book about three months ago, until I started writing the third book and it is impossible. I think the problem with the third book is that you have to solve every problem that you set up.  And through out, I've been very nice to my future self, going "Oh, future Jessica will deal with that. I'm going to set it up here and then she's going to solve it in a really cool way in the third book." Now I'm getting to those problems and I'm like, "Damn you, past Jessica!" so I'm going to say the third one.

L:  Book two was the most intense, but book three was the most challenging. I thought it was going to be the easiest because I had everything mapped out and I thought it would be the fun part. I knew where everything was going and I thought I would just enjoy myself.  And it could not have been less true. I think that in books one and two, you're opening doors and in book three, you're closing doors.  For me, that was sort of a new experience and not one that I enjoyed.

A: If you're comparing the first book to the last, I think they each have their challenges.  The new idea is always sexiest.  You run with it, you can do anything you want and it doesn't matter how crazy it is because the sky is the limit. But, like Jessica said, in the third book, you absolutely have to make everything make sense and if you weren't completely logical with some of your decision making, you have to deal with those consequences. By the same token, I didn't really have a hard time with the first or the third book. 

With the first book, there was no expectation.  I wrote the YA because my kids were bugging me to write a book that they could read. I just wrote it to have fun and with book two, I was kind of freaked out.  I didn't really expect that it would sell and then it did. And then it did kinda well and then it did better and people were excited for the second one.  That's when I realized that I was going to have to make lightening strike twice.

So, for me, I'd have to say that Outpost was the hardest to write because I was struggling with the weight of reader expectations and I was afraid that they wouldn't like it as much. I couldn't, from a plot sense, duplicate the excitement of discovery from Enclave because everything is brand new. In Outpost, you're returning to the world, they're getting the second look and maybe they'll look a little closer.  What I tried to do instead of offering breakneck, relentless action was I tried to intersperse that with more emotional development and emotional growth. Some people called that book slower, in comparison.  Some people liked that and said that it was good to get to know the characters and care about them.  It was an absolutely necessary maneuver because if you don't care about the characters, you don't care when I raise the stakes in book three. So, for me, book two was the toughest.

What is the most stressful thing about writing?

G: When you get out of the habit of doing it. I'm always like, "Oooh, I finished a book, I'm going to take a week off.  I'll start all of these sewing projects and I'll bake things and I'll take care of the children for once and I'll clean my house." The next thing you know, I've turned into some domestic person, which is not me. And then I'm like, "How do I write again? What do I do? What is a computer?" That is the hardest thing, just getting back into a groove if I left myself stop.

J: I think one of the most stressful things is when you sell a book on proposal. When I write a proposal, I feel like a rock star. They buy it and I'm thinking, "This is going to be EPIC!" You get to put all of the really cool stuff in a proposal, but you don't have to put all of the garbage that gets in the way of the cool stuff. Every time I turn in a book, I think they're going to say it isn't the book they bought.

A: If I can dovetail or piggy back or whatever on that answer, I hate selling on proposal. I find it stressful for slightly different reasons. Generally, I'm really excited when I write the proposal and the sample chapters and then I just want to finish it.  But then, I have to send it away and I have to wait.  I'll have other deadlines, but eventually I'll hear back.  They're going to buy it, but they don't actually need it until December, 2016;, so the book I'm really excited about, I can't write right now. By the time December comes along, I don't even want to write it any more. I don't even know what I was thinking or where I was trying to go with it.

L: For me, I have a very strong streak of self-doubt and that is sort of with me through everything. On the days where it gets the better of me, those are the worst days. Those are the days where I feel like a hack and a fraud and I regret every negative review I ever read because I have all of those voices that are like a Greek chorus saying, "That's right, you're terrible!"

What do you like more: drafting or revising?

G: Whatever I'm not doing at the time. "Oh, if only I were drafting and I could just create and I didn't have any notes!" When I'm drafting then it's, "This is terrible! When I revise, everything will be magical and I'll make everything beautiful!"

L: I like drafting more.

J: I like drafting more. Until about three months ago, when I started something called Book Three.

A: I say revising.  It takes so much more mental energy for me to create something out of nothing. Once I have a book, even if it's kind of crappy, I can work on it and work on it and work on it and I can make it not crappy. It's not as exhausting because I have a place to start.

Is it ever too late to start writing?

L: This actually drives me insane. Ask someone who didn't manage to write their first book until "late in life". No, it's not too late. I think one of the problems we have, not just in publishing, but in everything is this weird sort of festishization of youth and being the first to discover a talent. The fact is that there are a lot of writers and artists and even actors who started later in life. The only issue is that, if you're anything like me, you feel like you're going to have to play catch up forever because there are people who have backlists when they started at twenty-five years old. We live in a culture that celebrates youth and celebrates the first book, the first starring role, the first whatever it is.  That's not what is important. What's important is the story that you write and how you connect with your readers.

J: I've had people say that they're frustrated that they haven't hit that certain point by a certain age.  I think what's important is to not compare yourself to anyone else.  Everyone is on their own path and their own road to publishing or success or however you want to define what you want. If you start comparing yourself to people, you will just set yourself up to fail. I wanted to be published by a certain age too and I didn't get there.  Everyone gets there when they're meant to get there.

L: I have one more thing to say.  I think we do this tremendous disservice to kids when we say things like, "You're so smart for your age" "You're so talented for your age." because as some point, you stop being the youngest, smartest person in the room and you really need to learn who you are and to rely on your talent and hard work. I think it would be great if we could distance ourselves from this idea that somehow being a prodigy or having some inherent gift is somehow a great boon. A lot of people do publish when their really young and then never publish again. Or it takes them ten years to write another book because of all of the pressure. There's no right way to do it, just write the book.

A: I would add that we live in a culture that sort of glamorizes writing. From the outside, it looks extremely glamorous and it looks like an easy thing to do and an easy way to make money. I would ask anyone who is an aspiring writer: where do you see this going? What are your expectations? A lot of people who think they want to write, if they knew how many late nights, how many days in your pyjamas, how many showers you skip, you eat crackers and olives for a whole day... If they knew the reality of it instead of what's shown on Castle. I think he's been at his keyboard maybe twice in six years.

J: Well, even with Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City. She's shopping all the time and she writes a column once a week. What does is pay? $25,000 a piece?

A: If you want to write because you love it and it's always been in the back of your head that you wanted to try it and you think you would enjoy it and you want to tell stories... if that's your parameter, then go for it. But, if you're expecting glamor and fame and buckets of money and your publisher to fly with you to Martha's Vineyard to have a holiday weekend... If their expectations are realistic, then absolutely. 

You get the call/email/letter saying that you're going to be published for the first time. What happens in the next five minutes?

A: Since I'm international, I got an IM from my agent saying "Are you there?" I was away when she sent it. I knew we had a proposal out. It had only been ten minutes, but she had gone to lunch. I sat there and stared at the IM for about an hour. She finally came back and said that we had an offer and it was a good offer and I wanted it.  I just started screaming and jumping around and crying because at that point, I had been trying for twenty years and I had around twelve books rejected. She was my third agent and I was at the point where I believed it just wasn't going to happen for me.

So, I burst into really loud, sobbing tears.  We had a part-time housekeeper, who came running in terror because she thought I was having a brain aneurysm.  I was snotting and crying and barking out in Spanish what happened and it's absolutely indecipherable. She calls my husband and she tells him that I'm having some sort of a fit. My husband calls me all panicked and I'm finally able to tell someone in English that I sold a book.  He asked to talk to the housekeeper so he could tell her that I wasn't dying. So, he does and then she just leaves! She didn't even congratulate me.

L: I was in Whole Foods and it was Thanksgiving time and I had had an idea that the way I was going to get through the waiting for the submissions was that I was going to cook and bake up a storm. I am neither a good cook or a good baker, so it was good to be challenging myself. I had a cart filled with groceries and I was standing in the produce section.  I didn't expect to hear from anyone and we had gotten an offer before Thanksgiving and I shrieked. Then I left my entire cart of groceries so I could go outside and hyperventilate on the curb. It was there when I got back.

J: I just remember it being really surreal. I think I expected to be more excited than I was, not that I wasn't excited, but I expected it to be some huge emotional fireworks.  I didn't know a lot about the publishing industry at that point, but it was for my first adult book and when she told me that we had an offer from St. Martins Press and I was like, "I've heard of them!" I was excited that I had heard of the publisher and figured that it must be good.  It didn't become real until later that night.  I was producing a really horrible indie film at the time and I went to the editing studio and told all of them that I got an offer on my book and they got excited.

G: It was the night of my son's fourth birthday on the night that the final offers came in from auction. We had taken him to Chuck E. Cheese because it had been a crazy month with submission and I didn't make any birthday plans.  I was feeling like a horrible mother and I had to sneak out and my agent and I had this whole conversation while I was standing behind one of the Chuck E. dolls. She was in a closet at some dinner for her father and we were trying to discuss the pros and cons of who to sign with and it was just a little ridiculous.

We finished the interview around 6:50 and I left them to take a few moments and get my eleventy billion books to have signed. [Thank you, Jennifer for saving seats!]  The ladies got to the store and the event started right at 7. After the store introduction, each author briefly talked about their book [it was the first time Ann had seen finished copies of Horde] and then the Q&A started.

 

What is the most drastic thing you've done for a deadline?

L: I killed a man

G: Because I needed to see how the blood pooled. 

L: I go into the bunker. I guess I just go into my house and give up any social life. Oh and I take a lot of showers because that's where I get ideas.  So I am very very clean.

J: I locked myself in a cabin for four days. 

L: I thought you were going to say a cabinet. 

G: I do that often. My husband will book me a hotel and I'll get a lot of words down. Actually, I'll write for about 5 hours and then I'll read a bunch of books. 

A: I tend to be really obsessive. The closer I get to finishing the more obsessive I'll get. I don't want to do anything else. That includes eating or sleeping or bathing or seeing my family. Sometimes my husband will poke me to make sure that I'm still alive. My record is 16k words in 24 hours. But my hands were tired and I had to take pain medication. I didn't know what day it was.

 

What's your process: pantser or plotter?
 

G: The first time I ever finished a book was with NaNo. That made me think I was a pantser. And then I had to write the second book. I came to the realization that it depends on the book. I'm currently working a historical book and I need to do research otherwise it's going to be a hot mess of things that didn't actually happen.

J: I'm a plotter. Anyone who follows me on all of the things know that I'm a big fan of Save the Cat. I say that I outline just so I can deviate from it. I'm like a plotter with a side of pantsing. 

L: I'm a plotter. Jessica says there's 15 beats and I have 12. There's a skeleton and it gets better. That helps me if I get stuck somewhere, I can go somewhere else. For example, in book two, I was planning on killing someone and I decided not to. I call it the reverse George RR Martin. 

A: Depends on whether or not I'm writing with my husband. We didn't talk about things beforehand and I got us started while he wrote a bunch of crap. I would tell him "No, you can't have them doing that there." and he would say, "Well, I just did." Instead of working on the scene, we fought. 

In conclusion, if I write with my husband, I have to plot because we'll fight. And I don't want to fight because I want to stay married. For myself, I'm more of a pantser. I need to know the end. If I don't know the ending, I don't know how to get there. 

 

Since Allegiant came out, there's been a lot of fan opinion, how do you guys plan for reader reaction?

 L: I think readers have the right to react however they want. And authors have the right to finish the way they want. The problem I have is when people say "if you do this, I'm going to punch you in the face or kill you". You can't please everyone. Forced creators make horrible product. 

A: You can react however you want, just don't bring it to my yard. You can write fan mail, but don't send me hate mail or chicken heads. I respect readers to have their own forums and opinions, but to start a discourse with the person who created it? What do you think is actually going to come of that?

J: What's the saying? Love and hate are different sides to the same coin. If you create something that makes that sort of reaction, it's amazing. When I get things in my head, like from reviews, I go to GoodReads and I read the one star reviews of my favorite book. It makes me realize that with a billion people in the world, there's always going to be someone who doesn't like it.

Have you ever created a character for your protagonist?

L: Sturmhond was the first character that actually leapt off the page and wouldn't shut up. There was so much darkness and OMG CAN I DO THIS? with every character. And Sturmhond says I got this. 

How did you build your magic?

L: It is sort of molecular chemistry. It answers the question of what happens if you take a gun to a magic fight. 

J: I tried to keep mine in a bit of a "it could happen". In the outline, I thought it would take maybe a page or two to tell her everything and then I found that I had to make up some of the technology to get what I needed.

G: Mine came from a painting [I didn't get the name!]. Or a series of paintings that show people at looms, weaving and the fabric is going out the window, creating the world. In all of them, there's one girl who is looking at the audience and I wanted to know what that girl was thinking. I like to sew and I love sci fi like Doctor Who and Star Trek. It took a lot of physics which would be surprising to my teachers. It started with what would the world look like and then what would the women think about this. 

A: The freaks started because I have an obsession with zombies. I've always been totally into zombies. When I was ten, I snuck into a movie and saw Night of the Comet. I came from a strict religious family, we were the last to get a microwave because it was run by demons. So, I snuck a lot of zombie stuff and it was inevitable that I was going to write something with zombies. And I did some research on genetics and genetic memory.

The signing started around 8:15.  They had all of the people who were standing go outside and start a line and the people who were sitting were asked to fold their chairs before getting in line.  Jennifer handed Michelle and I post-its for personalization and we tackled the line.  I also saw KEIKO and Crystal from the BN store in Vegas.

And this happened too... Yah. That guy is wearing antlers.

While we were waiting, we ended up getting behind the counter and chatting with Jennifer and Kate about a variety of things.  And then....Jennifer took Michelle and I to the super secret back room.  It was the first time I had been in the one at the San Diego location.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take anything without discussing it with Patrick first.  But to see it....sigh.

We eventually got in the line, at the back of it. When it was our turn, I ended up in a serious conversation about Doctor Who with Gennifer and Jessica [who has just started watching it]. See, Gennifer has the most amazing Doctor Who lunch box and it has River on it.  Somehow, that lunch box led to me showing them my tattoo and talking about how my license plate says TARRDUS [yah, that was the only spelling left]. Annnnnnd due to this captivating conversation, I didn't get any photos of the ladies signing my books.

So, here's just the books!

  

Then there was a bit of a photo shoot.  There were about 15 people left over to take photos.  First it was just the authors holding their books.  Leigh said it was like the paparazzi.  Gennifer said that someone should say "Marco" and everyone would know where to look. 

Michelle took a photo for me and then I thanked the four of them for taking the time to do the interview.  Jessica thanked me for driving down and I said that I lived about 15 minutes away and she said, "well then, never mind." And then thanked me [again] for driving to Vegas. Before we walked out, I also found Molly [who was their handler/publicist/tour manager/HBIC] and thanked her for letting me do the interview.

Ann, Leigh, Jessica and Gennifer are quite the charismatic group.  Their stories are funny and the camaraderie is delightful and entertaining.  I can't recommend them enough.

Now.....

Macmillan was awesome enough to send me this pretty stack of books to giveaway.  All of them are signed. I'm sorry, but this giveaway is US only.  It's a pretty hefty stack and I'm a little scared to find out what international shipping would cost me. 

There is a side note: I didn't get the arc of Unforgotten in time to take it with me, the one pictured in the stack is mine.  The arc is included in the giveaway, I just don't have it yet.  If it doesn't show up before the giveaway is over, it will be sent separately. Anyhoo.

Edit 11/5: I have found another stack of books from previous Fierce Reads tours and will be including them in this giveaway.  There will now be two winners. The first winner will win the books pictured above.  The second winner will win the books pictured below.  All of the books in the second group are signed, except for The Fallout.

Rules for the giveaway are under the "terms & conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget.

**Good Luck!!**

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway