Author Interview: Kersten Hamilton

Yesterday I reviewed Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton and today I am very excited to be able to share an interview with Kersten Hamilton the author of Tyger Tyger.  Without further ado I give you Kersten!










What inspired you to write Tyger Tyger?
Kersten: The goblin world grew from my Celtic roots and love of scary stories—the kind that grandmothers used to tell by candlelight while shadow creatures crept across the walls behind you. You could feel them; their cold breath on your neck gave you the shivers.
I wasn’t sure at first what the physical form of my goblin book would be. I first wrote it as a dark, scary picture book called Loveleaves and Woodwender. And then I read Beastly by Alex Flinn, which is a YA retelling of The Beauty and the Beast. It was so much fun that I decided to try a YA fairy tale of my own—I reworked Loveleaves and Woodwender, and Tyger Tyger was born!



Tyger Tyger is based on the Finnian Cycle, did you spend a lot of time researching before you started writing?
Kersten: I’ve been researching it my whole life—I can’t think of a time when I wasn’t hearing or reading the stories of the Celtic heroes. But I also did a lot of reading of history, nonfiction, and myth before and during my writing. I traveled to the National Zoo in Washington DC and several arboretums to get good ideas for the plants, trees and strange creatures of Mag Mell. The neighborhood Teagan lives in came from one of my trips to Chicago.



How did you decide on the title Tyger Tyger?
Kersten: ‘The Tyger’ is a brilliant poem by William Blake. It explores the question that is very much at the heart of the Goblin Wars books: did a good God create evil?  If you’d like to read the poem, you can find a copy here.



When can we expect the next book in the Goblin Wars series?
Kersten: I’m writing In the Forests of the Night right now, and it will be out in the fall of 2011. Fearful Symmetry should follow in 2012!



Do you have planned out how many books will be in the Goblin Wars series yet?
Kersten: I think it will be a trilogy, but you never do know, you never can tell…. J



When you're not writing, what do you enjoy doing?
Kersten: I like hunting camels, mammoths, saber tooth tigers—and the really BIG game, dinosaurs— in the desert bad lands of New Mexico. They are bones now, of course. But I love being the first human to find a creature that hasn’t been seen for tens of thousands or even millions of years.
I also dream a lot about the forest garden I want to grow somewhere in the East where rain falls from the sky. In his book, Edible Forest Gardens, Dave Jacke describes a forest garden as “…an edible ecosystem, a consciously designed community of mutually beneficial plants and animals intended for human food production.”
Forest gardens mimic natural forests, and include trees, shrubs, and ground cover as well as insects and small animals that are essential to woodland health.
I’m going to call my forest garden “Bombadil’s Wood,” and it will be a place where people can come and learn how to plant forest gardens of their own.
You can find out more about forest gardens and why they are such an important concept by watching the series of BBC videos called ‘A Farm for the Future’ on YouTube. The first one is here.



Do you have any 'must-haves' while writing?
Kersten: If I can have a walk and talk with the Creator of creation before I start my writing day, a very hot cup of coffee, and my computer, I am perfectly happy.



Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? 
Kersten: Be aware and beware of Zeitgeist
In our culture we read the same popular books, watch the same popular movies, listen to the same network newscasts…and this leads to many writers coming up with very similar story lines. Don’t do it.
Send your literary roots deeper and farther. Read classics. Read books outside of your genre. Read history, psychology, and science. Read books from other cultures.
Make friends with people who are different from you, who grew up in different times, in different places, with a different religion. Let them tell their whole story, and listen with your whole heart.
I think writing is the most important job in the world. Give it your best!



Thanks for the great advice and awesome interview Kersten! The first book in the Goblin Wars series, Tyger Tyger is out in November 2010 so be sure to check it out!



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Author Interview: Anna Jarzab

Yesterday, I reviewed All Unquiet Things and today I have an interview with the author of All Unquiet Things. Without further ado I give you Anna Jarzab:










What inspired you to write All Unquiet Things?


The book began its life when I was a sophomore in college. It was partly inspired by a friend of mine, who is no longer evident in the book. I wrote it all through college, but what I ended up with wasn't very good--it was melodramatic and kind of unbelievable. So I put it aside and started working on something else; I really didn't think I'd go back to it. But during the next year, I was living at home and all my friends (mostly) lived hundreds of miles away, so I was pretty bored and lonely and I went back to AUT because I loved (and still love) the characters. I reimagined it as a mystery and spent the rest of that year plotting. The next year, when I was in graduate school, I wrote the book as my master's thesis and that's (basically) the version that people are reading today!






All Unquiet Things is a really interesting title. Did you come up with the title? If so, how did you think of it?


I actually came up with the title back in college, when I was in a British Literature class. We were reading Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and I came across the passage that the title came from and thought, "That would be a GREAT book title!" I was writing what would become the first draft of All Unquiet Things at the time, so I gave it that title--it's one of the only things that stuck from that verison. But, I would also say that the book grew into that title, and now it fits better than I ever thought possible. When I was rewriting the book for my thesis, I had it taped up over my desk and would constantly refer to it. I think it gave the book a real meat that it wouldn't have otherwise had.






When writing from two different perspectives did you find it hard or easy to switch between the two?


I never had a problem with it. To me, Neily is Neily and Audrey is Audrey, and close readers will understand why the perspective had to change so that you could get the right information from the right people. There are certain things that only Neily knows, ditto Audrey, and if you pay attention it's easy to tell who's who because of the information they're giving you and the way in which they're presenting it. 






Do you have a favourite out of Audrey or Neily?


WHY MUST I CHOOSE? I love them both, although if you put a gun to my head I'd choose Neily every time. I love Audrey, though, so much. She wasn't in the original version and the book suffered without her. She has a real purpose in AUT and a unique perspective. 






Are you currently working on anything else?


Yup! I'm working on a currently untitled YA mystery about a teenage boy who goes missing and his friends who try to find him. It's a work in progress.






When you're not writing, what do you enjoy doing?


Hanging out with my friends, reading, and watching television. I'm really into Supernatural right now.






Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?


Read a lot, write as much as you can, and don't let people discourage you. 



Thanks a bunch Anna! If you want to know more you can visit her here.
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TMI

Today, we have an author interview with Sarah Quigley about her book TMI. So without further ado here is Sarah.










What inspired you to write TMI?
TMI is about Becca, a high school sophomore who can't stop herself from telling everyone her personal business. She finally decides to change her ways when her first boyfriend dumps her for kissing and telling. Becca still needs an outlet to vent all her feelings and secrets, so she starts a blog.





I started keeping a diary when I was nine years old and then switched to blogging when I was 24. At that time, blogs were just beginning to become popular. It's probably for the best that I wasn't able to blog when I was a teenager because I might have encountered some of the same difficulties that Becca does.





I also think that these days, with the popularity of blogs and Facebook, we're all trying to figure out how much information we should actually reveal about ourselves online. How much is too much? Who decides? I know that adults and teenagers alike now struggle with these questions, so TMI explores a problem that a lot of people can relate to.




Your character, Becca, in TMI is quite the oversharer, are you yourself a bit of an oversharer?
Definitely! I used to love saying shocking things to get attention. I also didn't understand why some people were so reluctant to talk openly about their own lives. As I've gotten older (and more mature?), I've come to realize that boundaries are important, even in my closest relationships. It's not a good idea to say anything and everything that pops into my head.





On the flip side, I think my openness is a positive thing as well. Many friends have admitted that they tell me things they don't normally discuss with other people. Maybe they feel more comfortable with me. I'm not sure, but I'm always flattered when someone chooses to confide in me.




Do you have any plans for any other books?
I'm currently working on a second novel, not a sequel to TMI. It's a coming-of-age story about a cellist who spends the summer waiting tables at a resort. I can't reveal more than that right now, but I'm very excited about it.




As an author what is your opinion of book bloggers?
They're great! I don't interact with many teenagers in my day-to-day life, and since book bloggers are mostly teen readers, I'm always interested in their opinions. The bloggers have also helped tremendously in getting the word out about TMI, inviting me to do interviews, guest blogs, and contests. I've also had the pleasure of meeting bloggers at some of my book signings. It makes me feel like I have fans!




Is there anything you hope people will get from reading TMI?
I'm always happy when people tell me they thought the book was funny and entertaining. Those were my main goals when I was writing it. I've also heard from readers who said they identified with Becca or wished they had a friend like Jai. It pleased me to know that people thought the characters were realistic and likable.





I also wanted readers to think about some deeper issues, things that didn't occur to me until I was older. As I mentioned, personal boundaries make a lot of relationships easier (although being too closed off can cause problems, too).




Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
Give yourself permission to suck. Seriously, perfectionism takes all the fun out of writing and makes it an exercise in anxiety. Get the words on the page and worry about improving them later. After all, you can't fix what you haven't written. This philosophy has gotten me through many, many bad days and pushed me to continue when I wanted to give up.





Some people wait for inspiration to strike before they sit down to write. I don't have the luxury of that much free time, so I make myself write nearly every day, whether I'm in the mood or not. I think this kind of discipline is necessary to improve and develop my skills.





It's also important to set goals. I was having a hard time working on the first draft of my new novel, so this past fall, I rolled up my sleeves and finished the book in six weeks. I wrote 1,000 words a day (trying hard to suspend judgment on the quality of those words) and gave myself rewards for every 20,000 words. Now I have two new outfits, an appointment for a massage, and a completed manuscript that I'm in the process of improving.



Thank you heaps Sarah.  But don't leave just yet.  Thanks to the very awesome Sarah, we have a copy of TMI to give to one lucky person. And what do you have to do?
You have to fill in the form below, AND you must leave a comment below telling us an embarrassing story.  We have left anonymous commenting on so if you want to comment anonymously you can but you must comment.





Rules for all contests can be found here.





Fill in the form below, and leave a comment telling an embarrassing story.



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Coffeehouse Angel

Today we have a very special contest!!!  This one is for coffee (or any type of hot drink) lovers.  I myself, am a coffee lover! I have a cup of coffee every morning.  It is very good stuff.



Anyway, thanks to the lovely Suzanne Selfors, you can be in to win this very awesome Coffeehouse Angel Mug pictured below.








But firstly, today we have an interview with Suzanne Selfors, author of Coffeehouse Angel and then I will give you  more details about the giveaway.








What gave you the idea to write Coffeehouse Angel?
I was sitting in this coffeehouse called Hot Shots Java, where I do a lot of my writing, and the character of Katrina popped into my head. I thought, I want to write a story about this girl. She stayed in my head for a few months and because I couldn't get rid of her, I knew her story needed to be told.
I usually don't come up with a story that way. Usually it's the plot that comes to mind first. 




I notice that you write children's and young adult's books, is there much difference between the two?
Total difference. My middle grade books are all about adventure. Middle graders are open to anything and are willing to suspend their disbelief. So I can write about vikings and mermaids, magical farms and people-eating tortoises. And, here's the big difference, I don't have to include a romance in the story.
While my teen books always have an element of magic in them, it has to be more believable, and there always, always needs to be some romantic tension.
  
What do you hope people will get out of reading Coffeehouse Angel?
Pleasure. I write books that are fast-paced and fun because I think the act of reading should be fun. That's it.




Are you, yourself a coffee drinker? If so, how do you have your coffee?
I'm drinking coffee right now. I drink a single, tall nonfat latte. No flavoring. I have one every day. I despise regular brewed coffee.




When you're not writing, what do you enjoy doing?
I feel like I'm always writing these days. But I'm a big movie-goer. Love getting a huge bucket of popcorn and hanging out at the theater. Also love going to plays. I guess I just love stories.




Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Hmmm. There's so much advice. What to choose? Well, if you are writing your very first book, don't start to worry about the publishing process until your book is the best it can be. That means getting some other people to read it, and I don't mean parents or boyfriends. I rely heavily on my writer's group to give me critiques. And that also means being willing to revise, revise, revise. I'm revising my next teen novel for the billionth time. It's hard work.



Thanks heaps Suzanne.



Now for the giveaway.  I have just one little detail I need to point out because it is very important.  This one is open to those with US ADDRESSES ONLY!  So if you live in the US or have someone who lives in the US and can send it to you, then you can enter to win.



All you have to do is fill in the form below.  Not too much hassle. 
















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A Match Made In High School

Today we have a very special interview with Kristin Walker, author of A Match Made In High School.  Here is Kristin:




















What inspired you to write A Match Made in High School?


I decided to write a funny young adult novel, so I had my radar out for good topics. One morning, I woke up with the idea of a marriage education class in high school, and that seemed like it could be hilarious. So I went with it.






Do you have any plans for any other books?


I'm working on a couple of things. I'm definitely going to write another young adult novel, though. I love writing for teens!






A Match Made in High School sounds like such a fun and entertaining read, did you have a lot of fun and laughs writing it?


I did! I loved coming up with a great line or a funny prank. Especially since I would never have the guts to do or say some of those things in real life.

 









As an author what is your opinion of book bloggers?


I love you guys! I think book bloggers are funny and smart and generally awesome. I've had such a blast getting to know so many of you. Yay internet!








Is there anything you hope people will get from reading A Match Made in High School?


I hope they get some laughs, and maybe get the idea of taking a second look at people. 






Do you have any tips for anyone wanting to be an author?


Don't quit! Keep writing and reading and don't let anyone scare you off of it. 



Thanks Kristin!  Now for our giveaway for today. Thanks to Kristin we have a really neat bundle of swag related to A Match Made In High School. We have, some post-its, a bookmark, postcard, business card, pencils and a neat engagement ring! Today, all you have to do is fill in the form below telling us your favourite high school memory. Fill in the form below to be entered.








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Blog Tour : Sing me to Sleep

Today is my first ever blog tour. And it is for Angela Morrison's Sing Me To Sleep.
Here is a description of the book:
THE TRANSFORMATION
Beth has always been “The Beast”—that’s what everyone at school calls her because of her awkward height, facial scars, and thick glasses. Beth’s only friend is geeky, golden-haired Scott. That is, until she’s selected to be her choir’s soprano soloist, and receives the makeover that will change her life forever.
THE LOVE AFFAIR
When Beth’s choir travels to Switzerland, she meets Derek: pale, brooding, totally dreamy. Derek’s untethered passion—for music, and for Beth—leaves her breathless. Because in Derek’s eyes? She’s not The Beast, she’s The Beauty.
THE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE
When Beth comes home, Scott, her best friend in the world, makes a confession that leaves her completely torn. Should she stand by sweet, steady Scott or follow the dangerous, intense new feelings she has for Derek?
THE HEARTBREAK
The closer Beth gets to Derek, the further away he seems. Then Beth discovers that Derek’s been hiding a dark secret from her …one that could shatter everything.

And now I have an interview with Angela Morrison as part of the tour. Without further ado I give you Angela:
What inspired you to write Sing me to Sleep?
I was introduced to the world of competitive youth choirs when my daughter sang with the Junior Amabile Singers when we lived in London, Ontario, Canada. Writer that I am, I took notes and gathered ideas. But I didn't have a strong story. Then a tragic thing happened to a good friend of hers that sang with the Amabile guys, I had a story that took hold of me and wouldn't let go until I'd written it.
What do you hope will people get out of reading Sing me to Sleep?
People will come away with different things. That's really up to the reader to decide. Beth changes and grows throughout the books. She learns that love more than anything can transform you. And that physical beauty is second to the beauty inside a person.
Your character Beth, travels to Switzerland, have you ever been to Switzerland?
We lived in Switzerland for four years! So it was way fun to be able to go back to some of my favorite places and create scenes in the book.
Do you have any 'must-haves' when writing?
I write best in my jammies, propped on feather pillows, scribbling away on my lapdesk. I ALWAYS use black Zebra gel pens and pale pink paper.
When you're not writing what do you enjoy doing?
I am a huge bookaholic!! When I'm not writing, I love to indulge myself catching up on all the books I didn't have time to read because I was so busy writing. I can't read when I'm in the middle of a project. I need my story to stay in my head. But it does help to read lots of books between drafts. I have to be careful, though. When I start reading a book, I usually can't put it down until it is finished. I read all three TWILIGHT books in a weekend!
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
I'm writing this in London, Ontario, where I've been visiting schools and talking to students about writing. I tell them they have to be prepared to fail. You have to write badly A LOT before you can do it well. The key is to keep trying. First drafts are just the beginning. Maybe by the tenth draft you can start thinking about marketing it. Find good mentors. Seek opportunities to qualify yourself. Critique groups help tons, but if you want to be a professional in anything, you need to learn from professionals. The master of fine arts in writing for children and young adults at Vermont College of the Fine Arts CHANGED MY LIFE. I went from worn out mom verging on permanent jello brain to a two-book contract with Penguin. Start by joining SCBWI--www.scbwi.org. I've got some of my best writing tips and will be adding more on my liv2writ blog on my website. Check that out, too.
Thanks a bunch Angela, be sure to check out Sing Me To Sleep which was released March 4th! Now Angela Morrison has very kindly offered up a hardcover copy of Sing Me To Sleep for one lucky winner.
All you have to do is fill in the form below and also, comment in the comments with either a comment or a question for Angela.
Good luck and stay tuned tomorrow for a chance to gain an extra entry into this amazing contest.
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Author Interview: Jennifer Brown

Yesterday I reviewed Hate List by Jennifer Brown and today I am here with an interview with Jennifer Brown. So without further ado I give you Jennifer:

• What gave you the idea to write Hate List?
I think a lot of things came together at just the right time for me. I was bullied in junior high and part of high school, and that bullying was something that has definitely been on my mind for a lot of years. I've never really understood the bullying mentality, and have always wondered what makes some people act so cruelly. Strangely, after writing a "bullying" character and getting to know "the real girl behind the bully," I think I started to see it a little better, how she's flawed just like everyone else and that sometimes you can bully without really meaning to bully, and how sometimes you can get caught up in a situation where you're bullying even though you know what you're doing is wrong.Also, as a parent, I have found myself very interested in school shootings and what we can do to stop them. I want schools to be a safe place for my kids to go. And I hate that so many people have suffered because of these truly senseless acts. I've asked myself a lot of questions about this over the years, and it, too, has been something on my mind.The "spark" event, however, that brought all these things together, was the Nickelback song ("If Everyone Cared") that's quoted in the front of the book. The song got stuck in my head one night while I was sleeping, and when I woke up in the morning, I had this idea for a book, where I could ask all my questions and see if I could work out some answers. More importantly, I had my characters, who I could "see" in my mind when I listened to the lyrics of that song.
• As a reader I found myself emotionally affected by Hate List, how did Hate List affect you emotionally as the author?
It did bring up some old memories and make me sort of face down the things I'd been hanging onto for a lot of years. For that reason, it was emotionally tough. But I'm glad I did it, because I do feel like I got some answers that help me look at people and situations more compassionately than I did before.I'm generally an upbeat person, so it did at times feel a little "heavy" to me. Fortunately, I write humor for my local paper, so every week I was forced to put away the heavy stuff and write something nice and light. The humor was a lifesaver in that regard.
• What do you hope people will get out of reading your book?
First and foremost, I hope for enjoyment. Reading provides so much enjoyment in my life, I want to share it with others. That's probably the main reason I even became a writer in the first place -- to share my enjoyment of the written word. But I also hope that HATE LIST makes readers think. Not feel guilty or anything, but just to think about how their actions and words can make big differences in this world.I never set out to excuse school shootings, or to say they were somehow deserved because the shooters were possibly bullied. And I tried very hard in HATE LIST to show how not only Nick and Valerie were misunderstood by the people who tormented them, but also how the "tormentors" were misunderstood as well.
• As a teenager were you yourself bullied the way that Nick and Valerie were?
Yes, and some of the scenes in HATE LIST were directly inspired by things that happened to me (the scene at the movie theater, for instance, is based on some things that happened to me). While I was tripped a few times in front of people, there wasn't a lot of physical bullying going on in my case, but there was a lot of name-calling and teasing/tormenting and public humiliation. Junior high was very difficult for me. It got better midway through high school, though, and by the end of high school, people were kind of over it. Finally.
• Do you have any more books in the works?
Yes, I've been working on another YA novel about a girl who's being abused by her boyfriend. It's tentatively scheduled to come out in Spring 2011.
• When you're not writing what kind of things do you like doing?
I'm a stay-at-home mom of three, so there's not a ton of time for extracurriculars. I love to play board games with my kids. I love outdoor sports during the summer. And I'm a huge reader. I read for at least two hours every day.
• Do you have any must-haves for when you are writing?
Not really. I like to have music (preferably something in a foreign language so I'm not distracted by lyrics) and something to drink while I'm writing, but I can pretty much write anywhere, anytime, under any circumstances. I'm great at drowning out peripheral noise (I credit the "pod learning" classrooms of one of my elementary schools for helping me hone that skill) and am able to sink into work fairly easily.
• Any advice for aspiring authors?
Say you're giving up as often as you like (it's nice and cathartic to do that every so often, especially if you fling a manuscript on the floor dramatically while you say it), but don't actually give up. Ever. If you hang in there through all the rejections (and, yes, there will be many), you will succeed and it will be worth it in the end!
Thanks heaps Jennifer! Be sure to check out Hate List if you haven't already.
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