How many of you have heard of YallFest? How many are attending? It's a one day book festival in Charleston, South Carolina. For more information, check out the official website! Each monday and friday leading up to the festival, I, along with a bunch of other bloggers, will be posting author interviews to help with promotion for the festival. Today, please welcome Jocelyn Davies! She is the author of the awesome A Beautiful Dark trilogy, which I reviewed here.
Author Interview:
Q. What one thing do you need to have when you write?
A. COFFEE! And a cocoon of silence.
Q. Describe your book in 5 words
A. Girl has angel blood, torn.
Q. What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
A. It differs from book to book--really, it's anyone's guess! Sometimes, the first line is hardest, because I'm just getting started and I'm not warmed up yet, and by the time I get to the end, I've got the momentum of an entire book to propel me into that last line. Then again, sometimes a first line just pops into my head, and the whole idea unfolds from there. Theres usually no way to know what is going to happen until it's happening, which is often the approach I take to writing.
Q. Best writing tip you ever received?
A. “Create interesting characters, give them an excuse to meet, and the story will write itself.”
Q. Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.
A. I'm a dog person--cats kind of freak me out.
I was a theater kid in high school. I used to dream of being an Oscar-winning actress.
I love everything about autumn.
I live a few blocks away from my best friend from high school.
In my day job, I'm also a children's book editor.
Q. What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
A. I love magical realism—a novel that's set in the real world, but ever-so-slightly different.
Q. At what point in the development of an idea do you know that it will become a full-length novel?
A. I usually have a pretty strong sense right from the moment the idea comes to me. I start writing knowing I’m embarking on a novel.
Showing posts with label YallFest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YallFest. Show all posts
Monday, October 28, 2013
Friday, October 25, 2013
Interview: Lisa McMann
Author Interview:
Q. What one thing do you need to have when you write?
A. Silence.
Q. Best writing tip you ever received?
A. “Think of the one thing your main character would never, ever do. Now make her do it.”
Q. What are you working on now?
A. We’ll be ramping up the releases of books 5, 6, and 7 in the Unwanteds series, so I’m working on Unwanteds book 5 right now.
Q. What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
A. I really enjoy writing in a variety of genres, from realistic to paranormal to dystopian fantasy. At the moment, fantasy is winning, but that could change at any moment. My favorite genre to read is memoir.
Q. At what point in the development of an idea do you know that it will become a full-length novel?
A. As soon as I have a one line concept that gives me a little shiver.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Interview: Michelle Hodkin
How many of you have heard of YallFest? How many are attending? It's a one day book festival in Charleston, South Carolina. For more information, check out the official website! Each monday and friday leading up to the festival, I, along with a bunch of other bloggers, will be posting author interviews to help with promotion for the festival. Today, please welcome Michelle Hodkin! She is the amazing author of the Mara Dyer series, which I utterly adore! So sad that the last book got pushed back to next summer! Check out my review of the second book in the series The Evolution of Mara Dyer here!
Author Interview:
Q. Describe your book in 5 words
Author Interview:
A. Romeo and Juliet meets Hitchcock
Q. What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
Q. What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
A. I spend a lot of time thinking about my first lines. A lot of time. Too much time. Luckily the last lines usually come to me as I write.
Q. What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
Q. What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
A. What I love about YA is that I don't have to choose a genre. I can blend elements and mess with conventions from all of them—horror, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, whatever. I'm not sure I could choose a favorite, if I were ever told that I had to. And my reading is all over the place, but right now I'm reading a lot of old school sci-fi and fantasy, with some literary fiction thrown in.
Q. What one young adult novel do you wish you had when you were a teen? Why?
Q. What one young adult novel do you wish you had when you were a teen? Why?
A. The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It's not YA, but it is about a teenager who reminds me of my teen self. And maybe also my adult self. Anyway. I basically push the book into the hands of everyone I meet. It's just that good.
Q. What are you working on now?
Q. What are you working on now?
A. A secret project that is secret. But I'm wildly excited about it, and I think my readers will be too.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Interview: Lisi Harrison
How many of you have heard of YallFest? How many are attending? It's a one day book festival in Charleston, South Carolina. For more information, check out the official website! Each monday and friday leading up to the festival, I, along with a bunch of other bloggers, will be posting author interviews to help with promotion for the festival. Today, please welcome Lisi Harrison!
Author Interview:
Q. What one thing do you need to have when you write?
A. A scented candle. Each book has it’s own scent.
Q. Describe your book in 5 words
A. Popular freshmen’s secret journals revealed.
Q. What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
A. A scented candle. Each book has it’s own scent.
Q. Describe your book in 5 words
A. Popular freshmen’s secret journals revealed.
Q. What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
A. First. 100%
Q. Best writing tip you ever received?
A. Stop writing in the middle of a chapter instead of the end. It will be easier to start up again the next day.
Q. What one young adult novel do you wish you had when you were a teen? Why?
A. Stargirl.
Q. Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.
A. I can’t run.
I have a tattoo with a type-o. It’s supposed to say, “creativity” but it says, “dry.”
In college I thought it would be cool to get a tattoo written in Chinese characters.
I was supposed to be on one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center. I changed my reservation at the last minute. Now every time I look at a clock it says 9:11.
I can’t stand being asked about my “favorites.” I don’t have favorites. If I did I’d forget what they are the minute you asked and would remember them the minute you leave. It’s maddening.
I prefer to give 6 random facts.
Q. Where's your favorite place to write?
A. My office.
Q. What are you working on now?
A. Pretenders #2: License To Spill.
Q. What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
A. What did I just tell you about “favorites?”
Q. At what point in the development of an idea do you know that it will become a full-length novel?
A. When I can describe it in one sentence. And do it without cringing.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Interview: Shannon Hale
Author Interview:
Q. Describe your book in 5 words
A. Boarding school for children of famous fairytales
Q. Best writing tip you ever received?
A. People remember a story for its characters.
Q, What one young adult novel do you wish you had when you were a teen? Why?
A. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart. It’s smart, engaging, and discusses so many things I was struggling with.
Q. Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.
A. I have 4 kids (including identical girl toddler twins). My husband likes to wear masks and hide around the house to scare me. I like to read while lying on my belly. I love the sky. I’m not a very good speller.
Q. What are you working on now?
A. The third Princess Academy book.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Interview: Kami Garcia
How many of you have heard of YallFest? How many are attending? It's a one day book festival in Charleston, South Carolina. For more information, check out the official website! Each monday and friday leading up to the festival, I, along with a bunch of other bloggers, will be posting author interviews to help with promotion for the festival. Today, please welcome Kami Garcia! She is the author of the Legion series and the coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures series!
Author Interview:
Q. What one thing do you need to have when you write?
A. I need three things: my laptop, my headphones, and Diet Coke.
Q. Describe your book in 5 words
A. Paranormal. Ghost-hunting. Intense. Romance. Secret Societies.
Q. Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.
A. 1. I don’t know how to ride a bike. 2. I used to be an artist (a painter). 3. I won’t fly without my huge charm necklace that I believe will keep the plane from crashing. 4. I believe in ghosts. 5. Every time I write a book, I worry that everyone will hate it.
Q. What are you working on now?
A. I am working on the second book in the Legion Series, the sequel to Unbreakable. Like Unbreakable, the sequel is very intense and has plenty of paranormal elements. But I think it’s even more romantic and surprising than the first book.
Q. What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
A. My favorite genre to write is definitely urban fantasy/paranormal romance. I love to read paranormal, but I am also a huge fan of horror, crime fiction, high fantasy, and science fiction.
Author Bio:
BEAUTIFUL CREATURES has been published in 50 countries and translated in 39 languages. The Beautiful Creatures movie based on the novel, released in theaters on February 14, 2013, from Warner Brothers, directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring: Viola Davis, Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson, Emmy Rossum, Alice Englert, and Alden Ehrenrich.
You Can Find Her At:
Synopsis:
Unbreakable:I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.
When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, she doesn’t realize paranormal forces are responsible—not until mysterious identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into her room and destroy a deadly spirit sent to kill her.
Kennedy learns that her mother’s death was no accident, and now Kennedy has to take her place in the Legion of the Black Dove—a secret society of ghost hunters formed to protect the world from a vengeful demon. A society whose five members were all murdered on the same night, leaving the Legion in the hands of the next generation: a misfit group with unique skills.
As the new members race to find the only weapon capable of destroying the demon, each uses their individual skills to battle paranormal entities and earn their rightful place in the Legion—except for Kennedy.
If she is truly the missing piece of the puzzle, can she stay alive long enough to find out—without losing her heart in the process?
Protect yourself.
What you can’t see can hurt you.
You Can Find it At:
Beautiful Creatures:
Ethan Wate is haunted by dreams of a girl he’s never met. When Lena Duchannes moves into his small southern town of Gatlin County, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her. And he is determined to uncover the strange connection between them, even if it means uncovering the one secret that could change everything.
You Can Find It At:
AMAZON
B&N
BOOK-A-MILLION
BOOK DEPOSITORY
IBOOKSTORE
INDIEBOUND
OFFICIAL SITE
MOVIE SITE
AUTHOR SITE
MOVIE FANSITE
US FAN SITE
BC EXAMINER
Friday, September 27, 2013
Interview: Veronica Rossi
Author Interview:
Q. What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
A. Yeah, those. And all the ones in between!
Q. Best writing tip you ever received?
A. $5. Just kidding. Um… tip… I think it’s probably to allow yourself to suck when writing early drafts. It takes away a lot of the fear of generating good material. It’s not easy to be creative when you’re judging your work.
Q. Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.
A. 1. In the past year, I discovered a deep love of Brussel sprouts
2. I talk to myself. Heck. Sometimes I argue with myself.
3. I’m arguing with myself about including that last point at this very moment.
4. My favorite animals are elephants.
5. Dresses with pockets make me happy.
Q. Where's your favorite place to write?
A. I usually work in my home office, but I love working in hotel rooms. No distractions!
Q. What are you working on now?
A. Something I’m very excited about! Can’t divulge any details yet, but it’s an idea I’ve been mulling over for years.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Interview: Ransom Riggs
Author Interview:
Q. What one thing do you need to have when you write?
A. Silence. My noise-cancelling headphones have become almost essential.
Q. What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
A. The first. I rewrite and rewrite it a million times. The last comes easy.
Q. Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.
A. I’m six foot four. I lived on a working farm until I was five. I used to know how to cook Indian food but now I’ve forgotten. I love documentaries. One day I will conquer the moon.
Q. What are you working on now?
A. A novel for Little, Brown the plot of which is SECRET! (Sort of, for now. But I’m really excited about it.)
Q. What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
A. Oh, definitely YA to write in. I read everything, lots of YA, lots of adult, nonfiction of all sorts. I even read poetry when I’m feeling ambitious. I think it’s crucial to have lots of different influences. If you only read in the genre you write in, your writing will sound like everything else that’s already out there.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Interview: Rainbow Rowell
Author Interview:
What one thing do you need to have when you write?
Lip balm.
Describe your book in 5 words.
FANGIRL
Earnest,
snowy, swoony, minty, bookish.
What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
THE FIRST!
The whole first page is a nightmare. I want people to just skip it. And I
always end u rewriting it.
Best writing tip you ever received?
“Just
finish your book.”
What one young adult novel do you wish you had when you were
a teen? Why?
Homecoming by Cynthia
Voigt. I think it would have made me feel less alone.
Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.
Where's your favorite place to write?
At
coffeeshops. In giant overstuffed chairs.
What are you working on now?
I’m
revising my adult novel, Landline, which comes out in spring 2014, and playing
with a romantic/political/tragicomic fantasy.
What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
I write
mostly contemporary. I read mostly fantasy.
At what point in the development of an idea do you know that
it will become a full-length novel?
All of my
ideas are full-length novels. I have a hard time narrowing my scope.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Interview: Sean Williams
Interview With Sean Williams
Q. What one thing do you need to have when you write?
A. The right music. And chocolate as a reward when I finish.
Q. Describe your book in 5 words
A. Jump meets Uglies. But different.
Q. What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
A. The first line is often the hardest to write, but I like a good challenge. The line I like writing the least is the last because it means I have a whole load of rewriting ahead of me.
Q. Best writing tip you ever received?
A. Give up. If you can do that, you’ll be happier and probably better off as a result. If you can’t, then you know writing is exactly the right thing for you!
Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.
1) I live in Adelaide, South Australia, a place that’s home to about a million other people but somehow feels like a small town, which is why I love it.
2) I still think music from the 1980s is cool.
3) My stepson has situs invertus, which means his heart is on the wrong side of his body. That’s not really about me, but it is pretty random.
4) I’m a huge fan of Doctor Who.
5) I’m minding a pair of green tree frogs, Skipper and Jumpy, for a young friend while she’s overseas with her family. You can see pictures of them on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/seanwilliamsauthor/.
Q. Where's your favorite place to write?
A. In my study, a lovely upstairs nook containing all my favorite book-related things, but I’ve trained myself to write anywhere as long as I have my headphones and some music. I quite like writing in hotels, probably because someone else does all the household chores.
Q. What are you working on now?
A. Crashland, the sequel to Twinmaker.
Q. What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
A. The first line is often the hardest to write, but I like a good challenge. The line I like writing the least is the last because it means I have a whole load of rewriting ahead of me.
Q. Best writing tip you ever received?
A. Give up. If you can do that, you’ll be happier and probably better off as a result. If you can’t, then you know writing is exactly the right thing for you!
Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.
1) I live in Adelaide, South Australia, a place that’s home to about a million other people but somehow feels like a small town, which is why I love it.
2) I still think music from the 1980s is cool.
3) My stepson has situs invertus, which means his heart is on the wrong side of his body. That’s not really about me, but it is pretty random.
4) I’m a huge fan of Doctor Who.
5) I’m minding a pair of green tree frogs, Skipper and Jumpy, for a young friend while she’s overseas with her family. You can see pictures of them on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/seanwilliamsauthor/.
Q. Where's your favorite place to write?
A. In my study, a lovely upstairs nook containing all my favorite book-related things, but I’ve trained myself to write anywhere as long as I have my headphones and some music. I quite like writing in hotels, probably because someone else does all the household chores.
Q. What are you working on now?
A. Crashland, the sequel to Twinmaker.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Author Interview: CJ Lyons
How many of you have heard of YallFest? How many are attending? It's a one day book festival in Charleston, South Carolina. For more information, check out the official website and twitter! Each monday and friday leading up to the festival, I, along with a bunch of other bloggers, will be posting author interviews to help with promotion for the festival. Today, please welcome CJ Lyons!
Interview With CJ Lyons
CJ: Girl dying of broken heart (literally)
What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
CJ: The first. I’ll often return to it over and over again until I’ve sliced and diced and fine-honed it to that perfect combination of intrigue, visceral reaction, and emotional connection with the reader.
Best writing tip you ever received?
What one young adult novel do you wish you had when you were a teen? Why?
CJ: Code Name Verity because it is so emotionally honest and inspiring, empowering, not to mention gut-wrenching. Really brings the era to life as well as the sacrifices made in the name of freedom.
Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.
CJ: When I was a kid I worked summer stock theatre and was actually a theatre major undergrad before switching to pre-med. I’ve had two hard landings in helicopters while working as a flight doc. I survived rampaging Cape Horn Buffalo and a pack of wild baboons, not to mention a leopard (he’s already eaten) while hiking in Hells Gate Park in Kenya. I’m a Capricorn. I diagnosed my niece with the heart condition that’s at the center of my YA thriller, BROKEN.
Where's your favorite place to write?
What are you working on now?
CJ: DAMAGED, my next YA thriller, due out in 2014. It deals with the really tough topic of abuse and coercion and is the most difficult book I’ve ever tackled—there have been times while writing when I was literally in tears as I typed.
What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
CJ: I created my own genre of Thrillers with Heart—I love writing fast paced stories with raising stakes but centered on the emotional heart of an evolving relationship. As for reading, I read almost every genre but especially love YA, magical realism, and thrillers. As long as a story grabs me by the throat and won’t let me go because I’m too worried about what the characters are going through, I’ll read it and love it.
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