Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja

Jo has just moved to America with her mum. She's always been a fairly average girl - not a nerd but certainly never one of the popular kids. But on her first day in her new school, she seems to be adopted by the It girls - and is invited to one of their parties. There, she meets Jake Matthews, officially the hottest boy in school, and when they begin to play the kissing-in-the-closet game, Seven Minutes in Heaven, amazingly Jake picks Jo join him in the closet! She can't believe her luck. But the reality of being kissed and groped by Jake is not quite as great as the fantasy... Jo has a choice to make: should she carry on, kiss Jake and secure her position in the It crowd - or should she tell him where to get off and risk relegation back to the land of the ordinary . . . ?

At this moment - Jo splits. She's Josie the Cool - girlfriend of Jake, member of the It crowd. She's also Jo the Nerd - rejected by the It crowd, single . . .

Will her two halves ever come back together again? Is Jake the guy she's meant to be with or could some of the other people she meets along her journey - Rachel the scary goth, David the misfit or Albie the rocker - be the answer?

A fabulously inventive, heartwarming and funny take on the Sliding Doors idea, for teen readers.

Though it’s a bit lighter in tone than books I usually read, I really enjoyed Split by a Kiss – I loved the whole concept of a person splitting in two, though what really happened was two different realities were created. In one, Jo slaps Jake in the face and tells him to be more respectful. Had I been at the party, I’d’ve given Jo a high-five (Jake is really, truly awful) but Jo’s actions aren’t taken well by the other partygoers. It’s revealed the boyfriend Jo accidentally made-up isn’t real, and she’s suddenly excluded from the popular group, becoming Jo the Nerd (which really is Jo as herself).

In the other reality, she starts going out with Jake, and remains a part of the cool group of girls, even though she kind of compromises herself to do so. All through the novel, we go between Jo the Nerd and Josie the Cool… but in both realities Jo makes a lot of mistakes and everything goes really terribly.

I loved all of the differences Jo notes between the UK and the US, and there were so many really touching, funny scenes. Though through a lot of the novel it seems very lightweight (and quite hilarious) there’s a really nice heart to the story, and Josie is a very relatable – albeit misguided, and boy-crazy to say the least – character. The transitions between her two realities – and how they crash back together – was completely seamless, and never confusing.

One thing which disappointed me was that in the end Jo does end up with someone, when I think, honestly, she’d be far better off on her own, and I think it would be far braver of her to be independent (not that she’s necessarily dependent on the person she winds up with, but hopefully you understand where I’m coming from). That said, that’s only how I would’ve preferred the book to finish. I think other readers probably would’ve been disappointed if she didn’t win a boyfriend in the end.

Fans of Jacqueline Wilson, Louise Rennison and Meg Cabot’s novels I think will really enjoy Split by a Kiss. I think it’d be suitable for girls 12 and older, and certainly worth a read. Split by a Kiss is a super-enjoyable, hilariously funny novel.

Buy it on Amazon
Visit Luisa Plaja's website

:: Advice for NaNoWriMos & Other Answers ::

Here are some of the questions that were asked overnight (well, it was overnight where I am). If you have a question to ask me, click here and ask it. I'll do my best to answer.

Now, on the eve of NaNoWriMo, here we have some NaNo questions, for which I will provide advice I am not qualified to give.

Hi, Steph. Hey, this is pretty neat. Anyway, when you did your NaNoWriMo last year, did you plot out every teeny bit of your story or did you "go with the flow"? This is my first NaNo and I barely have anything of my plot, so I'm wondering whether I should actually spend the time to plot things out or just wing it.

Hi stranger! Glad you think it's neat.

My super-annoying answer to your question, though it's the truth: It's really up to you. Some people can't write without a tight outline, others can't stand to plot. You need to figure out what works for you.

However, if you're planning on going with the flow, before you start writing, know how your novel is going to end. Have a couple of complications in mind. If you know what you're working towards it'll be easier to stay committed to finishing the story. Otherwise, it'll just meander off into nothingness...

I go with the flow for everything I write, but I have a clear idea of four or five major plot points in my head before I begin. You need to write a bit and figure out what works best for you. If you do outline, don't make yourself stick to it if it doesn't work for the story. You might discover more things about your characters and their struggles that you previously hadn't incorporated into the plot. Good luck!

Hi Steph!

My question for you is: have you particapated in NaNoWriMo before? If so, how do you survive working on one story for 30 days? (I have a bad tendancy to work on several stories at once, so I'm desperate to figure out how to give my undivided attention to just one novel this year!)

I did NaNowriMo in 2008. When I started writing seriously, I found it incredibly difficult to stick to one story and finish it. what I'd recommend to you is to figure out how your novel will end and if you really love the story and the characters, it'll be easier for you to stay committed towards that goal of reaching the conclusion. Don't think in terms of word count; think in terms of the story.

That's just what works for me. The best thing for you to do is if another story is really calling to you, work on that one. Hey, why not complete 25,000 words of two stories? If you love them both, you'll be able to revisit them after NaNo and finish them both. Many, many authors have several novels on the go at once - the important bit is that you finish them! The world won't end on November 30th, you can keep working on it.

And also remember - all of the writing you do is practice, and improving your craft (don't you love how I say craft? It makes me think we're casting spells on people, not just writing down a whole bunch of words). Don't punish yourself for wanting to work on multiple things at once! Good luck!

Do you want to ask me something about NaNo, writing, etc? Click here and ask it.

Another writing-related question:

Do you have a routine for when you write?
Usually at night before bed. If I know I'll be going out at night, I'll write first thing in the morning. Mainly, I try and write a specific amount each week, but don't really concern myself whether I do it all in one go on a Saturday, or between 10 and 11 every day through the week. The exact number of words depend on what I'm doing that week, but I aim for between 5,000 and 15,000 (except when I'm revising, when I work chapter-by-chapter).


Now, some miscellaneous Q & A...

What is the longest book you've read and how long was it?
I read the first three Harry Potter books, and the first three Twilight books. Then I lost interest in both series (at the respective ages of 11 and 14). To be entire honest, I don't read many long books. They have to be really phenomenal to keep my attention. There are plenty of short books that are amazing and far less time-consuming.

Why do you use a small dog as your avatar on Twitter?
The picture I had of me disappeared for some reason. I had a picture of a dog saved to my desktop. So I uploaded that. I find it curious that you ask this question. Please note that this dog (also my twitter avatar) is not my dog:

This is my dog (she's been shaved since this photo was taken. This is her in the winter):


Why do you like Zombies so much?
Because brain-munching is so much cooler than blood-sucking.

Do you believe in Aliens?
Yes! I have quite a number of theories. I also have The X-Files series on DVD.

Do you believe in God?
Yes.

Are you scared of Spongebob?
Oh yes. Petrified.



One more!

Ooh, this really isn't writer related, but we have an Australian guy in our WIP. Any good slang that we can work in?

Is he an Australian living overseas? Does he come from the city or the country? It really depends. An Australian might play down their accent and slang overseas, and a lot more Australianisms are used by people who come from the bush (a rural place, the US equivalent being 'the woods' which is not an equivalent at all). If you state the character is Australian, people will imagine an Australian accent, and you don't really need for him to greet everyone with "g'day", but if you feel particularly inclined (or want an especially ocker Australian) these words would be used:

• Queenslanders (Queensland being a Northern Australian state) tend to add 'eh' to the end of their sentences. Like a Canadian, but less Canadian and more Queenslander.
• People really do greet each other with "G'day, mate" where I live. It's a very casual greeting. We also might greet someone with "How's it goin', mate?"
• Instead of ketchup, we have tomato sauce. A slang name some Australians use for tomato sauce is 'dead horse'. Because it rhymes.
• 'Fair dinkum' may be used to mean 'true' or 'genuine'.
• 'Arvo' instead of 'afternoon'.
• We have 'milk bars' and 'op-shops' instead of 'convenience stores' and 'thrift stores'.
• We hold barbies. As in, barbecue.
• Sport is central to Australian culture. Any fair dinkum Aussie grew up playing backyard criket and kick-to-kick with a footy (our football is called Aussie Rules. Collingwood is the best team).
• A lot of people still call cookies 'biscuits' here or 'bikkies'.
• Less-cultured people like myself tend to say 'I reckon' instead of 'I think'.
• We have 'take-away' instead of 'take-out' and 'nappies' instead of 'diapers' (in case they eat-out or have a baby or something, and you need to use the right terminology).
• We say 'no worries' as in no problem! It can also be used in the place of 'you're welcome'.
• In Australia, an American is called a 'yank' and an english person a 'pom' or 'pommy'. Also, we tend to call the US 'America' rather than 'the US'. Or maybe that's just me?
• We 'wag' school, we don't cut.
• A good-looking person is a 'spunk' or 'a bit of all right'. As in 'she's a bit of all right' or 'what a spunk'. It's like saying, 'I find that person sexually attractive'. Because a part of being Australian is having a bit of good-hearted sexism.
• Also, we say 'Good on you' a lot, except it's all one word - gudonya, mate!

Okay, I'll stop now. I could go on forever.
More questions? Click here and ask 'em, mate.

:: Quotes ::

I only ever wanted to become an author so that I can go to my own book signings dressed like this.

Public decency: You know it's overrated.

Gamer's Quest by George Ivanoff

Tark and Zyra are teenage thieves living in a fantastical world filled with danger, in which magic and technology co-exist. They strive to gain entrance to a place called Designers Paradise. In order to gain entrance, they must steal keys and money to pay for the time they spend there. They face many dangers and challenges along the way, but they finally succeed.

Those who gain entry to Designers Paradise are able to immerse themselves in virtual reality games. Tark and Zyra, whose lives are filled with danger and death, choose to play a game called ‘Suburbia’ — a game in which they live peaceful, uneventful lives, simply going to school and hanging out at the mall with friends. But they
are pursued into ‘Suburbia’ by the Fat Man, who is intent on controlling Designers Paradise. In order to stop him, Tark and Zyra must seek out the Designers. But when they reach the control centre of Designers Paradise they are faced with a revelation that makes them question the nature of Designers Paradise and their own world.

Gamer's Quest is a really cool sci-fi/fantasy novel that I think will appeal especially to teenagers who enjoy reading fantasy, playing videogames and are intrigued by concepts of reality & identity. This novel certainly contains a lot of action and adventure, and challenges ideas about reality & virtual worlds in videogaming. I think it'll appeal to girls as well as boys (Zyra is a pretty awesome character), and anyone 10 & up can read it.

I really liked the realities that were created in Gamer's Quest - it's a bit difficult to explain anything without giving it away - but the place where Tark and Zyra live is certainly very intriguing; people have both traditional magic and futuristic technology, there are dragons and wizards, The Designers are their equivalent of gods (this made me think of the Architect in the second Matrix movie...) and a lot of other videogame-esque elements coexist in their reality that couldn't in the real world. Though there's a very interesting twist about midway through, where this reality changes...

If you'd like to find out more, have a look at the book's website, http://www.gamersquestbook.com/ (be warned, it speaks to you! It scared the bejesus out of me. Also, has some very cool short stories related to the novel - but you might want to read Gamer's Quest before you read them) and have a look at the computer-generated trailer below:

(The edge of the screen there is cut-off, but you can see the entire thing on Youtube.)

Interview with Kathy Charles

Kathy Charles is the author of the brilliant novel Hollywood Ending, currently available in Australia from Text publishing and to be published in the US by MTV Books. In my review, I said: 'This novel was wonderful, and unsettling, and sometimes just plain scary.' and 'This seems to me a novel that could develop a cult following. It definitely has the capability to become a hit amongst emos (You knew I was going to mention emos, didn't you?) but it's intelligent enough to be popular amongst both teens and adults. Definitely a novel worth checking out.'

But don't take my word for it! Read Hollywood Ending yourself!

There are sure to be plenty more great novels to come from Kathy Charles, and here I interview her about Hollywood Ending, writing and inspiration:

1. The setting is such a strong element of Hollywood Ending. What made you decide to write a novel set in LA, as opposed to Australia? Will your next book be set in Australia?

Hollywood Ending is a story about the dark side of celebrity, and there was no way it could be set anywhere other than Los Angeles. I have had people scratch their heads and ask why an Australian author would write about Los Angeles, and it is strange to think that authors should be relegated to writing only about the places they were born or where they live. I strongly believe that you should write what you are passionate about, and LA is a city that continues to inspire me with all its darkness, mystery and secrets. If the right story set in Australia came along then I would write it.

2. What provoked you to write a book that centralized around two teenagers' fascination with death?

There are so many fascinating, scandalous stories about how famous people had died that I thought they would be the perfect backdrop for a novel. I also wanted to write something that expressed my love for the celebrities that had inspired and touched me, people like Kurt Cobain, John Belushi and Chris Farley. Celebrity often has very bad connotations but I think everyone has a celebrity who they looked up to and idolised, and were maybe traumatised by their passing. This year we have seen so any famous people pass away tragically, people like Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, David Carradine and John Hughes, that our interest in celebrity death is stronger than ever.

3. You also work in the film industry. How has working in film affected the way you write a novel?

I think my writing has an emphasis on plot and dialogue that is very similar to screenwriting. I’m a big fan of screenwriting gurus like Robert McKee who emphasise that story is everything. In the case of novel writing you could have the most beautiful prose in the world but if the story doesn’t pull the reader in you will most likely lose them. When I’m writing a first draft I try not to agonize about fashioning beautiful sentences: I concentrate on getting the story out and making sure that it is compelling, truthful and moving.

4. What was the road to publication like for you?

I think I had a relatively easy path to publication compared to some people. I started writing seriously about five years ago and only have one trunked novel, so I’ve been very fortunate. That doesn’t mean that the process hasn’t had periods of heartache and doubt. If you want to write as a career you soon learn that rejection is an integral part of the process, and it’s actually beneficial because it pushes you to want it even more. I have also been very lucky to find strong advocates in my agent and publisher, as well as other authors who dig what I do.

5. What inspires your writing? Any particular books or authors, music or foods, colours or sounds?

Some of my favorite authors are Bret Easton Ellis, John Gilmore and Stephen King, but in some ways I am more inspired by the films that I watch than the books I read. I am a fan of the director Hal Ashby, who made off-beat, character-centred films like ‘Shampoo’, ‘Harold & Maude’ and ‘Being There.’ I also admire David Lynch a great deal and am very inspired by his refusal to compromise his vision, no matter how strange or disturbing some people may think it is.

In terms of music, each novel I write has a soundtrack that I listen to while I’m working on it that dictates the tone and mood of the story. Hollywood Ending had a bit of an indie soundtrack with bands like Modest Mouse and Grandaddy. The manuscript I just finished was Jolie Holland, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Marilyn Manson. The novel I’m outlining at the moment will have a very folksy-feel. I’m listening to a lot of Elvis Perkins.

6. Complete this sentence: Outside of writing, my life is...

Busy. Sometimes it’s hard to juggle everything. I wish I had more time to read.

7. Complete this sentence: My years as a teenager were...

Some of the best of my life in hindsight.

8. Are you working on something new at the moment? Can you reveal anything about it?

I always envisioned Hollywood Ending as the first in a series of three books that I am informally calling ‘The L.A. Death Trilogy.’ The books aren’t sequels as such but deal with similar themes. I have just finished a manuscript that features serial killers in the same way Hollywood Ending focuses on dead celebrities, and I’m outlining the next book at the moment, which will center around the music industry. You never know which stories are going to work so I like to have multiple projects on the go.

--

Many thanks to Kathy Charles and Text Publishing for making this interview possible! Remember to check out Kathy's website and blog at http://kathycharles.com

Interview with Rhiannon Hart

Rhiannon Hart is like ten shades of awesome. This is for a number of reasons:
1. She writes an awesome YA fantasy/dystopian/paranormal book review blog. If you don't read her blog, you should.
2. She's an Australian.
3. She recently signed with Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown for her YA fantasy trilogy, Lharmell (I know, she has the same agent as me!!!! EEEK!!!).
Observe the awesome in the following interview:

1. When and how did you start writing? Can you tell me a bit about your previous writing projects?

OK, I'm outing myself: I started by writing fan-fiction. Yes, the nerdiest of all nerdy things to do in high school. These were the heady days before blogging, and forums and homemade geocities websites ruled the interwebs. Season three of Xena had just aired on Channel Ten--the pinnacle, in my opinion, of the show--and I was inspired. Labyrinth fan-fiction was also booming and eagerly jumped on board. Later came Charmed, but by then my interest was waning and I only wrote a few short stories. I've never been scared of identity theft over the internet and even then I posted under my real name. Which means if you Google hard enough, you'll find me. I'd forgotten all about my much-loved but well-hidden teenage hobby until my friends did a spot of idle Googling over beers about a year ago while I was preparing dinner. Horror of horrors, they found me. Raucous laughter ensued, followed swiftly by my utter mortification.

But in all seriousness, writing fan-fiction was great writing practice for me: I had a pre-made set of characters and settings to play with, so I could focus on dialogue and plotting and tension and so on. The pressure was off to create everything from scratch. Well, that's how I justify being a giant nerdy-pants! Basically I just did it for fun. I should dig one out and post it on my blog--I think I've overcome my embarrassment by now!

Since then there have been several failed novels that were never finished and I won't bore you with.

2. Could you tell me a bit about Lharmell, your YA fantasy trilogy?

Here's the blurb I wrote one day for book one when I was daydreaming about Lharmell being published. It was all pie in the sky then, but now it might actually happen! I'm not sure what a marketing department would make of my attempts, but here goes:

In the tiny, impoverished queendom of Amentia, Princess Zeraphina finds it easy to hide what she really is—especially from herself. But when her sister becomes betrothed to a prince from the northern land of Pergamia, Zeraphina’s strange hungers become entangled with an obsession for the nearby land of Lharmell. Inhabited by unnatural creatures, Lharmell seems to be calling her home—but whether it's a journey she should make, or avoid at all costs, is impossible to discern when everyone is keeping secrets from her. Most secretive of all is Rodden Lothskorn, adviser to the King of Pergamia. Does he plan to expose her ugly truth and ruin her sister's hopes of happiness, or hand her over to the ones she fears most?

Dah-dah-DAH!


3. What inspires your writing? Are there any authors who particularly influence your work?

All the authors I fell in love with as a teenager: Tamora Pierce, Annette Curtis Klause, Tanith Lee, Jean M. Auel, Judy Blume, Paula Danziger, L.J. Smith, Isobelle Carmody. I've never loved reading more than I did at fourteen. It was a magic time for me. What inspires me is when I get a flash of insight into a character or two, and a situation that's going to cause trouble on all sorts of levels: family, romance, peril and so on. Usually these flashes burn out into nothing, but the one that inspired Lharmell just kept going and going until it was a trilogy.

4. Were there any parts of the writing process that you really struggled with?

The opening. It's been so hard to write, and it still needs work. The actual events haven't changed, and I love my opening line (which hasn't changed either) but it was so hard to match the tone of the scene with the rest of the book, know when to put info in, take it out, put it somewhere else. The rest just flowed out in a mad month, followed by a few months of editing. Mostly spent on the damn opening!

5. Can you tell me a bit about how it came about that you signed with your awesome agent Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown?

I came across Nathan Branford's blog at some point. He's at Curtis Brown too. I saw that he said emphatically that he wasn't after books about vampires, so I wandered off to research other agencies. My Lharmellins aren't exactly vampires in the traditional sense---but whose are these days? (You certainly wouldn't want to kiss one though.) I researched and queried like a demon for about two months, ferreting out every single YA agent that went for speculative and compiling a huge list. I queried a few each week, and ended up with seven manuscript requests. Ginger Clark was one of my automatic-yes agents by then. I'd heard so many good things about her and her tastes match mine so closely that when I got her email saying she loved Lharmell I screamed, jumped all over my boyfriend (who was asleep, poor thing) and immediately said yes when Ginger called me.

6. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were...

Full of books, and full of waiting for my real life to begin.It was a fun time, but I knew the real fun was to come.

7. Complete this sentence: Outside of writing, my life is...

Reading, eating, clubbing with my friends and boyfriend, arguing about books and movies with my boyfriend, wishing I spent my money on clothes instead of books, wishing Sarah had let just Toby become a goblin, and publicising other people's books. Which mostly means fretting about typos, unfortunately.

8. What are you working on now?

Ooh, it's TOP SECRET. In this over-paranormalled YA world it's so hard to find themes and characters that haven't been done to death. All I'll say is it's inspired by a Grimm Brothers' fairytale that I'd never heard of til I picked up one of their collections. Most, honestly, made me want to puke. They were late edition versions of the tales so had been sugar-coated beyond belief and lacked any sort of depth. But one struck a huge chord and I was off. I wrote about a third waiting to hear back from agents about Lharmell, but it'll have to take a back seat while I finish The Harmings and Queen of Lharmell (books two and three of the Lharmell trilogy).

Thanks so much for interviewing me, Steph! Here's to Ginger and our imminent book deals! *clink*

--

http://rhiannon-hart.blogspot.com

Zombie Blondes by Brian James

From the moment Hannah Sanders arrived in town, she felt there was something wrong.

A lot of houses were for sale, and the town seemed infected by an unearthly quiet. And then, on Hannah’s first day of classes, she ran into a group of cheerleaders—the most popular girls in school.

The odd thing was that they were nearly identical in appearance: blonde, beautiful, and deathly pale.

But Hannah wants desperately to fit in—regardless of what her friend Lukas is telling her: If she doesn’t watch her back, she’s going to be blonde and popular and dead—just like all the other zombies in this town. . . .

I think the author pulled off really well Hannah's self-consciousness and self-doubt - to me, the zombie-cheerleaders plotline was secondary to the story being told of Hannah moving to a new school and dealing with all those issues that you face there - starting over, making friends, being ostracised, trying to figure out your place, etc. She was so clueless about the zombies and perhaps a bit boring in parts (Lukas was a lot livelier), but I think most teenage girls will find something relatable in her.

I don't think you should expect when reading this novel there to be a huge zombie element because I don't think it really is what the entire book is centralized around (and it took a while to warm up to the zombie plotline); moreso it was about Hannah's personal journey. Though the ending was classic. It's not a novel that really makes you think too hard, and it's certainly easy reading.

This novel had a similar feel to Generation Dead by Daniel Waters - the whole zombies in high school thing, but without the zombie-prejudice. I think this novel will appeal to teenage girls (maybe 12-15) who like novels with that very traditional teen novel plot (new girl at new school, clashes with popular girls...) and will really really appreciate the zombie twist (it's kind of like the monster mash, but it's different. There's more brains. The zombie twist...).

Anyone want to recommend other great zombie books? (I hear they're so hot right now, which is great, because I love zombies.)

Where the streets had a name by Randa Abdel-Fattah

"I need to see Sitti Zeynab one last time. To know if I will have the courage to go ahead with my plan. The two nurses look frazzled and smile wearily at me. 'We must leave now,' they say in urgent tones. 'I won't be long,' I reassure them and I jump up onto the back of the ambulance.

"I can smell the air of her village, pure and scented. I can see her village as though it were Bethlehem itself. I can smell the almond trees. Hear my heels click on the courtyard tiles. See myself jumping two steps at a time down the limestone stairs. I can see Sitti Zeynab sitting in the front porch of the house. I only have to remember that walk through her memories and I know I can make my promise. I've already lost once. I refuse to lose again. 'Stay alive,' I whisper. 'And you shall touch that soil again.'"

Thirteen-year-old Hayaat is on a mission. She believes a handful of soil from her grandmother's ancestral home in Jerusalem will save her beloved Sitti Zeynab's life. The only problem is the impenetrable wall that divides the West Bank, as well as the check points, the curfews, the permit system and Hayaat's best friend Samy, who is mainly interested in football and the latest elimination on X-Factor, but always manages to attract trouble.

But luck is on their side. Hayaat and Samy have a curfew-free day to travel to Jerusalem. However, while their journey may only be a few kilometres long, it may take a lifetime to complete.

The Middle East is such a rare setting to see in books for teenagers, and I found this to be such an interesting, intelligent and thought-provoking book that also managed to be funny, despite such heavy content. Hayaat was a likeable protagonist, and I really felt as I was reading her need to save her grandmother.

I really enjoyed one of Randa Abdel-Fattah's earlier novels Does My Head Look Big In This?, which I think is a really wonderful book, but it is dramatically different from Where the streets had a name which seems to me a more mature novel, even though the central character is younger. It's such a real novel; to me, it felt as Hayaat and her family could really exist. There is so much about politics and history in this book, but it never seems forced. It's fascinating and heart-breaking at once.

Where the streets had a name is definitely a book that I would love to see being studied in schools, or at least on some recommended reading lists. So often you see on the news things that are occurring in the middle east, and it's so impersonal most of the time, not really a thing you think about for more than a moment or two and I think Where the streets had a name shows the reality of life in a warzone, and it's such a touching and outstanding novel. A must-read.

Interview with Chris Morphew

Chris Morphew is the author of awesome action/adventure novel The Phoenix Files: Arrival which is the first book in what will hopefully be a really great series (the second book, Contact, is being released in January of next year). I reviewed Arrival here. Chris Morphew blogs on his website about funny stuff (Lost vs. FlashForward, haircuts and lawn bowls).

1. What inspires your writing?
A whole bunch of things: books I’ve read, people I’ve met, being a student, being a teacher… I think everything in my life feeds into my writing in some way or other. My faith is a big influence too. I believe that the universe is ultimately a place of hope and redemption, so anything I write is going to be a reflection of that worldview. Not that my writing won’t venture into dark places, but abject tragedy isn’t really my thing…

2. What three words would you use to describe yourself? And what three words would you use to describe your writing?
Same answer for both: Eclectic. Hopeful. Unfinished.

3. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were...
…awkward but necessary.

4. Have you always wanted to write for young people? Or did you set out to become a brain surgeon and wind up stumbling down this path? Was the road to publication rocky for you?
I’m still reeling from the high-speed ridiculousness of my getting-published story.
Being a writer had always seemed like a great idea, but I never thought I’d actually get to do it. My original plan was to finish my teaching degree, find a kindergarten classroom in a nice school somewhere... and then stay there until I retired.
But then one day, I was chatting about writing with a friend at church, and she told me that Hardie Grant Egmont were looking for new writers for this series called Zac Power. I spent the next week reading up on the series, and then had a crack at drafting a manuscript. I sent it off to HGE, not really expecting anything to come of it.

A week later they were calling me up to offer me a contract for the book, and to ask when I could have another one ready. Two years and twelve Zac Power books later, I’m in the amazing position of writing my own books under my own name.

5. Who are your favourite authors and which novels are your all-time favourites?
In primary school, I became completely obsessed with K.A. Applegate’s Animorphs series. Kids turning into animals to fight aliens – what more could an 11-year-old boy ask for?
At high school and uni, it was Harry Potter. I think the next 10-15 years are going to prove just how influential J.K. Rowling has been in shaping the next generation of writers.
C.S. Lewis is another favourite. (Apparently, I have a thing for double first initials…) The Narnia books are classics, obviously, but my all-time favourite of his is a novella called The Great Divorce.

6. Complete this sentence: My life outside of writing is...
Busy! I still do as much casual teaching as I have time for – partly because I just love doing it, but also because it’s a great way to keep my head in the real world. I also do a bunch of kids’ stuff at my church, spend too much time on Facebook, draw, cook, read, and come up with ideas for yet more stories that I will probably never have time to write.

7. If you were a superhero, what would be your name, power and costume?
I spent way, way too much time thinking about this question…


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Many thanks to Chris Morphew & Jennifer at Hardie Grant Edmont for the interview.

Now, obviously Chris' superhero is super cool (I love it when people include visuals with their interviews! Awesome!), but I ask you:
If you could have any superhero ability, what would it be?

Real stuff that seems unreal vs. Stuff that Steph made up that seems realer than the real stuff i.e. Awesome novel characters

Head over to the Miss Snark's First Victim blog today, where there's an interview with myself, my agent and Sara J. Henry. Go and read it.

It doesn't feel as if this happened at all.

I have schoolwork to do and reviews to write and cleaning to do and packages to post and angsting to do over whether or not I will go to a drama class this evening. I am also rewriting my novel and I keep catching myself thinking that one character in particular is real and wondering what she's up to. And then I remind myself, you made her up, Steph. She doesn't exist.

This is depressing, because she is so awesome she deserves to exist.

I'm saving for a camera. A really good one. I have a bit of money from work experience and a bit of money from an article I wrote and about 5 cents from having ads on this blog. I think I might be saving for a while.

Currently listening to: The Killers - Hot Fuss

Currently reading: Zombie Blondes by Brian James

Currently watching: The rain. I want to walk to the library and spy on people but I can't because it's raining.

A question for you: What is the best book you have read this year and why?

If you answer, you may win a prize. I have books to give away. I'm feeling the need to get rid of everything I own so I can run away and join a travelling circus, and at the moment everything I own mainly constitutes a lot of books.

Book Chat: Chenxi and the Foreigner by Sally Rippin + WIN!

Chenxi and the Foreigner is set in China in 1989, in the weeks before the Tiananmen Square protests. It tells the story of Anna, an eighteen-year-old Melbourne girl, who is visiting her father in Shanghai and taking classes in Chinese painting. There, she falls in love with Chenxi, who is also a painter and engages in counter-revolutionary activities. (Read the rest of my review).

Finally, Megan of Literary Life and I managed to do the Chenxi and the Foreigner book chat. Here we talk a bit about what we thought of the novel, and we talk a bit about the issues in it about life in China. Hopefully you enjoy reading the book chat, and if you scroll to the bottom of this post, two copies of Chenxi and the Foreigner are up for grabs!

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Steph:
What were your overall thoughts on Chenxi and the Foreigner?

Megan:
I thought it was good. It kept me reading. It was pretty amazing to read about the scenery and how it was so different to most of YA

Steph:
I really liked it, and I liked the fact it was set in China - not a location used much in YA fiction

Megan:
yes I completely agree. Not much - if anything - is set in China

Steph:
I find it interesting that in the American edition of this book, Anna was from San Francisco.

Megan:
I think that happens a lot. To make them more relatable for the America readers.
But then again, it’s not like there was much about Melbourne in it, so it could have easily been San Fran, Munich or the moon

Steph:
I didn't think her being from the US or from Australia made any difference - the novel concerned primarily her time in China and her infatuation Chenxi.

Megan:
Anna's dad was annoying, and so was her friend, the French exchange student Laurent.

Steph:
Laurent irritated me a lot.
Anna was a bit clueless at times.

Megan:
His cockiness annoyed me

Steph:
I really liked the bit where Anna went and met Chenxi's family.

Megan:
That was a "real China" part for me
Sleeping on the floor etc
Versus Anna's posh apartment, you know?
Gave you a real insight, and I’m glad she included it

Steph:
What did you think of the fact that the white people were allowed to go all these places, and but Chinese were considered 'less-than' the white people?
I thought it was a really interesting insight into Chinese politics and what life was like for foreigners compared to locals.

Megan:
That was a major issue of the book, and I think by writing it Sally has opened a lot of people's eyes: I for one had no idea that happened. I’ve heard of bars and such over seas being targeted at travellers, but never to deny Chinese people entry.
I was of the mind that if a traveller didn't want a Chinese person in the same bar as them, then why the hell would they travel to their COUNTRY?!

Steph:
I know!

Megan:
I was frustrated with Anna, because I didn't think that Chenxi deserved all of her attention
He left her, he was brash, rude, ditched her. Only because he was good looking

Steph:
Anna was so impulsive, and clueless! But I don't think sh could've been written any other way. I think Anna liked how Chenxi was kind of fighting against doing all the stuff the Chinese were supposed to.
I wonder if those things still go on (white-exclusive restaurants and bars in China) - I imagine they would, even though that book was set 20 years ago.

Megan:
Probably. There's still a lot of issues over there I think

Steph:
It seemed like a really one-sided relationship to me, the one between Anna and Chenxi.

I'm just reading the author's afterword and I find it really saddening that everything about the Tiananmen Square massacres has been covered up by Chinese media.

It makes you realise how much freedom Australians have, compared to places like China, where you're just expected to accept your life as it is and shut up about injustices going on around you.

Megan:
But yes. It is very sad. I know. I thought that too.

I can't believe how paranoid everyone was about the government, and what power the government had. It was/is insane. I can't even imagine that

Steph:
The whole way through the novel, Chenxi seemed worried about the government...
...I don't know how someone could live like that
(And I imagine that a lot of real people lived like that at the time.)

Megan:
I know
And I completely agree
Listen to this: "This doesn’t mean, however, that the massacre is forgotten. Each year, on its anniversary, the government places Tiananmen Square under tight security to make sure that there can be no public mourning. Dissidents are placed under house arrest" (from Sally Rippin’s afterword in Chenxi and the Foreigner)
How can a government do that? It’s sort of like Hitler/Germany...
Hmmm, well maybe it does happen

Steph:
Imagine what'd happen if something like that occurred in Australia or the US.

Megan:
But still. I can't imagine Australia doing that
I don't think it would be covered up
Do you?

Steph:
Australia wouldn't do that, but imagine the reaction of our people - I guess we have the benefit of lots of rights/money/things the Chinese don't have...
This would be a great book to study in school.
(Steph = nerd.)

Megan:
I agree
(Megan = also nerd)

Steph:
Actually, what were your thoughts on the ending? *SPOILER*

Megan:
Hmmm it was ok
I didn’t like the fact that she got pregnant
Seems to me that that was the next best thing if she couldn’t have Chenxi
Having his son, you know? And publishing a book.

Steph:
It seemed kind of glanced over to me, like it ended too quick.
Anna was very impulsive, I think.
And those scenes in the Chinese hospital were scary. *END SPOILER*

Megan:
I KNOW. I can't imagine doing that.
I think that ties back in with what we were saying earlier
We take things for granted in Australia
Think about everything we have
And compare it to them
Gosh
I LOVE AUSTRALIA
lol

Steph:
You can read my review of Chenxi and the Foreigner here.

Megan:
Bottom line for me is:
Well written, well researched. Opened my eyes to so many things I had no idea about, and it just shows you how lucky you are to be from Australia. I thought jumping between the character's perspectives was good, although I think I would have liked it more if it was written from either Anna or Chenxi's, and didn’t jump.
I would recommend it, except with the caution of it being a heavy read.

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Australian residents are eligible for this Chenxi and the Foreigner giveaway. All you have to do is become a follower of my blog (Hey! Teenager of the Year) and Megan's blog (Literary Life) and comment below with the answer to this question:

Chenxi and the Foreigner is set in what year?

Also, include a way to contact you (email or blog/website) if you win. Two copies of this novel are up for grabs! Winners are the first two correct & eligible commenters below.

Interview with Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is a YA fantasy author, represented by Tamar Rydzinski of The Laura Dail Literary Agency. You can find her on Twitter (@SJMaas) and she blogs. Her fantasy trilogy, Queen of Glass, is currently on submission.

1. When and how did you start writing?
I guess every author says they’ve been writing since they could hold a crayon, so I won’t go on about my early childhood years. It all truly started when I was sixteen, and figured that I should try my hand at writing a fantasy novel. I’d written fan fiction before, and attempted a few “novels” that were little more than rip-offs of published works, but the idea that grabbed me (and later became QUEEN OF GLASS), was different. I couldn’t—and still can’t—explain it, but I just knew that it was special.
After I wrote the first few chapters of QUEEN OF GLASS, I shared it on FictionPress.com, a website for writers. During the six years the rough (like, REALLY rough) draft was posted there, it became one of the most popular stories on the site, with close to 7,000 reviews. The overwhelming response and enthusiasm continue to astonish me, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that I wouldn’t be in the place I am today without the encouragement of my FictionPress readers. I’m still kinda bummed that I had to take the story off FictionPress, but thrilled at the possibility that my readers might someday get a real copy of QoG!

2. Could you tell me a bit about Queen of Glass, your YA fantasy trilogy?
Uh, it’s awesome? Ha, just kidding (sort of). QUEEN OF GLASS is an epic fantasy retelling of Cinderella, where the “Cinderella” figure is actually an assassin sent to the ball by a wicked empire to murder the royal family.


3. What inspires your writing? Are there any authors who particularly influence your work?
Music. All kinds of music, but especially classical and movie scores. Every scene I’ve written was inspired by some piece or another, and listening to music often helps me sort out plot problems, build character arcs, and connect to the soul of my book.
In terms of influential authors—brace yourself: it’s a long list. For YA, I’d have to say Garth Nix, Robin McKinley, Lloyd Alexander, Suzanne Collins, Philip Pullman, J. K. Rowling and Tamora Pierce. For adult fantasy, definitely James Clemens, Peter S. Beagle, Anne Bishop, J. R. R. Tolkien, Terry Brooks, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Emma Bull, Neil Gaiman, and Patricia A. McKillip. I’m sure I’m forgetting some, but I think you get the point.

4. Were there any parts of the writing process that you really struggled with?
Keeping my word count down. I write long books by default. I can’t help it. During revisions I usually have to cut out at least one or two subplots and characters. “Murder your darlings” has sort of become my motto (and has nothing to do with the fact that my heroine is an assassin).

5. Was the search for an agent difficult or easy for you? Did you have a dream agent in mind that you targeted, or did you query every agent you thought would suit your novel?

It’s difficult to briefly describe my querying experience, because it happened so sporadically. I queried two agents with an earlier draft of QUEEN OF GLASS in spring of 2008, and got rejected (as I deserved, because the manuscript was 240k words long). I wrote another series over that summer, and queried a handful of agents with it in fall of 2008. I received some partial and full requests for it, and a few revision requests, but no offers. After that, I came to a standstill.

I didn’t really like the revision requests that agents had made on that second series, and knew QoG wasn’t in the best shape it could be in. It was ultimately a choice of the heart: I decided to do another major revision of QoG—the project in which I’d invested seven years of my life, and my heart and soul. I cleaned it up, tightened the plotlines, cut out a few more characters, and managed to get the word-count down to 140k (which is still a beast, but better than 240k!).

I made a list of agents who repped fantasy, and took special care to make sure they were also interested in books featuring strong heroines. I think I queried about 16 of them in December of 2008. I got a lot of requests, and a few revision requests from awesome agents, but in January of 2009, after requesting a partial, then immediately requesting a full, my agent, Tamar Rydzinski, called to offer representation. Just hearing her talk about why she loved the series so much made me realize she was The One. She truly understood what the series was about, and had a fantastic vision for its future. I’m blessed to have her in my life.

6. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were...
Dorky. Busy. I wrote every second I could, and devoured books when I wasn’t writing. Learning to balance a social life with my writing life was a struggle, but I had some great friends who were fun to be with, and supported my writing endeavors.

7. Complete this sentence: Outside of writing, my life is...
Normal. Completely and utterly normal. I live with my fiancé, who is responsible for keeping my life sane, and we do totally normal and non-fantastical things like going to the beach, hanging out with friends, and exploring Southern California. I also watch too much TV, drink too much coffee, and pester my fiancé too often about getting a dog, or some other sort of fuzzy animal.

8. What are you working on now?
I’m actually working on a ton of stuff right now. In the past year and a half, I’ve written three different YA fantasy series, so I’m hard at work polishing them up. I’m also just starting a new WIP, but it’s too early to talk about it (you know how superstitious we writers are)! I’ll keep you posted, though.

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Thank you, Sarah! Remember to check out her blog, and keep updated on Queen of Glass!

Interview with Goldie Alexander

Goldie Alexander writes books, short stories and articles for adults and children of all ages. You can find out more about her on her website, which can be found here. Here she talks a bit about writing, and her latest novel for younger readers, Hedgeburners.

When and how did you start writing?
I began writing professionally some 20 years ago. Before that I had some seriously weird jobs until I finally found myself teaching English and History in a number of high schools. That’s why I still love visiting both primary and high schools when they invite me in to talk about my work, take workshops or teach Creative Writing.

Could you tell me a bit about your mystery novel for tweens, Hedgeburners?
"Hedgeburners, an A-Z Mystery".(Illustrated by Marjory Gardner) is loosely based on a series of actual crimes committed in the recent past. This suspense-filled detective book aimed at a ‘tween’ readership poses the question: Who is setting fire to the old cypress hedges in Anna’s suburb?

Anna Simpson insists that her best friend Zach Santisi help her find the culprits. But Zach has other things on his mind and he’s an unwilling participant. Just about everyone these young detectives come across has a motive, and as time goes on there are more and more fires and more and more serious confrontations…

You can find out more and even see a youtube presentation at: http://ipoz.biz/Titles/Hedge.htm

What inspires your writing? Are there any authors who particularly influence your work?

I read very widely (both adult and kids books) so I can’t say any one writer is a greater influence than another. Of course some books appeal to me more than others. When it came to being influenced on the writing of ‘Hedgeburners’, I went back to when I was a kid and those wonderful Famous Five mysteries by Enid Blyton. I wanted to write something that would appeal to Aussie kids living today in settings they’d recognize.

What other books have you written that you can tell me a bit about?
I have written over 60 fiction and non fiction books for adults and kids of all ages. So there are too many to mention individually. Those still in print can be found on my website (www.goldiealexander.com) I write science fiction, mystery, historical fiction, magic realism and contemporary stories. I am probably best known for the first of the series My Australian Story: Surviving Sydney Cove, a story about our First Fleet. This is now coming out in its 10th edition next March with a brand new cover. My latest books include a story picture book for readers 7 to 9’s: Lame Duck Protest; and 10 stories for older girls: My Horrible Cousins and Other Stories . Next year this anthology will have a follow up with 10 stories for boys called: Space Footy and other Stories. Also coming out next March is a novel for young readers about Anzac Cove called Gallipoli Medals. I have lots of publishers so I can’t send you to any one in particular, just to my website which has lots of notes about all the stuff I write. Some of my non fiction is co-authored with Hazel Edwards and we enjoy writing plays where we act out the lines and having ideas rushing between us.

Complete this sentence: Outside of writing, my life is...
just as busy. Sometimes I try to imagine myself doing nothing, but I think I could go mad with boredom and look for another activity that is equally creative and demanding. I think I would work at becoming an illustrator.

What are you working on now?
An adult ‘memoir’ cum ‘how to write non-fiction’ I’m calling “Where do you get your ideas?” I hope it will answer some of the questions posed above in more detail.

Interview with Chrissie Keighery

Chrissie Keighery is the author of Outside In, which I reviewed here, as well as numerous other books for teenagers and children (including stories in the Go Girl! series, which has the most awesome pink website ever, and my little sister loves). Chrissie was kind enough to answer a few questions here about life as an author...

1. What inspires your writing?
Generally, I am inspired by people’s perspectives. It never ceases to amaze me how the world, and individual experiences, can be interpreted so differently. I like to explore this. As such, my writing is almost always character driven, and plot is often there to illuminate character choices.

2. What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Emotional. Interested. Loyal.

3. And what three words would you use to describe your writing?
I tried to answer this one and didn’t have much luck. Think it’s probably best left up to the readers…

4. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were...
recorded in a series of diaries in which my best friend made many appearances. Lots of angst and a fair whack of romance; both for people and experiences.

5. Have you always wanted to write for young people? Or did you set out to become a brain surgeon and wind up stumbling down this path? Was the road to publication rocky for you?
I forgot to be a brain surgeon, although I have had many incarnations in terms of jobs. I started off my writing career after having taught at a high school. Being close to young adults, and identifying with their trials and tribulations gave me the impetus to write for them.

Now, I seem to be having a second round of growing up with my daughter. I have written many Go Girls! and now she is older, I have moved back to YA fiction.

My first attempt at a YA novel was published in 1992. I thought that might mean my road wouldn’t be rocky. But of course, it was! It wasn’t until 2005 that I actually was able to make a career out of writing.

6. Who are your favourite authors and which novels are your all-time favourites?
That’s a hard one. There have been so many books at so many junctures of my life. Some that suited, then, and didn’t seem to fit me later. Having said that, I adore Tim Winton, Sonya Hartnett, AA Milne, Cate Kennedy and so many more. My recent favorites are ‘Butterfly’ by Sonya Hartnett and ‘This is How’ by MJ Hyland.

7. Complete this sentence: My life outside of writing is...
busy with kids and husbands (one only) and negotiating ups and downs.

8. If you were a superhero, what would be your name, power and costume?
How about ‘Mentabird’? Then I could have the powers of reading minds (and getting great insight into how other people actually use theirs) and flight (just because it would be fun).

Probably best that my costume would be an invisible suit, but let’s give it a bit of ‘Wonderwoman’ shaping too for when I am able to be seen….

Interiew with Carrie Harris

Carrie Harris is represented by Kate schafer Testerman of kt literary, and her debut novel, No Pain, No Brain is being published by Delacorte in 2011 (It's about ZOMBIES. I can already tell it's going to be ten shades of awesome). Carrie blogs and tweets and likes Richard Simmons (have a look at her blog, and you'll see). In the last question here she mentions a demon-fighting rollergirl novel, and I want her to write this NOW, because it sounds wicked.

1. When and how did you start writing?

When I was in high school, I got an F on my first Honors Freshman English story. Mind you, I was NOT an F kind of girl. That F felt like the freaking Scarlet Letter, and it didn't stand for 'Fabulous' either. So I slaved over the next assignment, determined to write something so good that my English teacher would choke on it. I ended up with an A+. When the teacher read it to the class and complimented me on its awesomeness, I was totally hooked. So I owe a big debt of thanks to Mrs. Elrick. I'm glad she didn't literally choke on my story, because that would have been, you know, BAD.

I also found that my reaction to the F (revenge writing of awesome stuff) was really handy for querying agents. I'm a firm proponent of the revenge query.

2. No Pain, No Brain sounds awesome. Could you tell me a little bit about it?

Can I tell you that I still go all squealy fangirl every time someone says nice things about my book? Because I do. To an embarrassing extent, even.

A while back, after a SHAUN OF THE DEAD/RESIDENT EVIL marathon, I started thinking about how in zombie movies, people readily accept the idea that undead are rising from the graves even though it's so crazy. I wanted to know how someone uber logical would come to that conclusion. And I've always wanted to write a book about the zombie football players from the movie BEETLEJUICE, so I put those two ideas together for NO PAIN. The book follows Kate Grable, shoe-in valedictorian and huge science geek, as she discovers that her high school football team has been infected with a virus that turns them into zombies. She teams up with the uber sexy and super smart quarterback to try and develop a cure. There's lots of dismembered body parts and puking, but it's FUNNY dismembered body parts and puking. So I pretty much wrote a zom-rom-com.

3. What inspires your writing? Are there any authors who particularly influence your work?

Well, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the comedy greats like Terry Prachett and Douglas Adams. It's my goal to be at least 73.45% as funny as they are. But mostly, I'm a rabid people watcher. I'm not sure if people are funny in general, or I'm a freak magnet. Either way, I find that my best characters are inspired by strange people that I run across. I've found that a good character can make even the most mundane situation funny.

Right now, I'm trying to find a place in my books for the Speedo Guy that goes to my gym. Because I think speedoes are one of the funniest things on the planet.

4. Were there any parts of the writing process that you really struggled with?

For me, the struggle was figuring out what I ought to write. When I first decided that I was going to try my hand at a novel, I was writing these depressing, symbolic, snotty books. And don't get me wrong; some people enjoy those books. They read them and think about them and discuss them with friends, and I think that's just peachy. But it's not me. I'm the kind of person who can seriously discuss whether or not hobbits would make good ninjas.

The answer, of course, is yes. Except that they'd have a really hard time fitting into the tabi (ninja shoes that make you look like you have two huge turtle toes). I know these things. I'm married to a ninja.

Once I started writing the kind of thing that I actually enjoy reading, the actual writing became comparatively very easy.

5. Was the search for an agent difficult or easy for you? Did you have a dream agent in mind that you targeted, or did you query every agent you thought would suit your novel?

I guess that depends on your definition of "easy." I queried with an earlier novel about superheroes, and I had a lot of close calls. Unfortunately, there are a lot of superhero books out there, and writing a good book is only part of the equation. I got a lot of I-love-this-but-it's-too-similar-to-something-else-I-represent responses. So I sent a lot of queries and ended up with multiple offers of representation. But I had Kate Testerman at the top of my list; she represents Maureen Johnson and I actually compared my book to MJ's DEVILISH in my query. So while I would have been lucky to take any of those offers, I always felt a pull toward her. So I guess the answer is all of the above!

6. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were...

Boy crazy. Seriously, I don't know how I got a darned thing done. When I think about high school, I don't think, "Oh, that happened during my sophomore year." I think: "Oh, that happened when I was dating Jeff. And Shawn." Which is a story in and of itself, but probably not appropriate here. And honestly? I'd like to get a time machine so I can go back and smack some sense into myself. Moping around and eating nothing but sunflower seeds for a week because a boy dumps you is NOT SMART. It is stupid, even though sunflower seeds are really good. The boy in question turned out to be a complete blowtard too.

So please learn from my stupidity and don't do that.

7. Complete this sentence: Outside of writing, my life is...

A little loopy. I'm a mom now, but I think my house is the only place where you'll find five-year-olds running around and playing zombie tag. And lately, I've been struggling with the urge to dye my hair purple, which would really freak out the other mommies at the bus stop. But I think a little loopiness is good for you, and if there's one thing I've learned through this whole writing quest thing, it's that sparkles are kewl. Which isn't really applicable, is it? Um... I've also learned to embrace who I really am, even if other people think it's weird or silly. I wish I would have had the guts to do that when I was a teen, so it's something that I bring to my books.

8. What are you working on now?

Right now, I'm working on a sequel to NO PAIN, which is tentatively called HYDE AND GEEK. I've got a demon fighting rollergirl book sitting on the back burner, and I'm toying with some ideas about interdimensional travel. Carrie-style, of course, which means there will be lots of sparkles and Richard Simmons clones and people dressed up as giant bats.

The more I talk about this idea, the more that I like it.