Guest Post: Katie from Katie's Bookshelf

Today's guest post is a little bit different. Today's post comes from Katie of Katie's Book Blog. Rather than writing a post, Katie decided she wanted to interview me about this milestone. So here are Katie's questions and my corresponding answers. I hope you enjoy it!



What made you decide to start your blog?

Really, it was kind of a spur of the moment impulse thing. My first post was on September 1, 2006 which if I remember correctly, was the day I decided to start it. I was bored and looking for something to do on the day before the semester started that year, and it just kind of happened.


Did you always plan on it being about books?

Yes, it was always going to be about books. I had always loved sharing books I’d read with others, and I’d just started writing reviews about 6 months before that. Two girls I "knew" from a YA book forum stated they had just started their own blogs and I thought "hey, I could do that". The focus has changed a lot for me over the years, but it’s still mostly about book-related things.


What is your most memorable moment from your five years of blogging?

Ooh, that’s a hard one. I have to say one of my favorite things I’ve done is meeting some of my readers in person. There’s a family I know that lives close to me and we meet from time to time to exchange books and ideas. It’s the highlight of my year. :)

A close second would have to be when I had the chance to be interviewed by Barry from A Book and A Chat on his blog radio talk show. I had never done anything like that before, and I was super nervous, but it was lots of fun. There were some wonderful bloggers who got interviewed during that month, and I was very honored to be one of them.


What is your favorite thing about being a book blogger?

It used to be the ability to share books I love with other people. And while I still love doing that, blogging is also an outlet for me. I really have to blame my blog on why I chose the major I did in college. If it hadn’t been for what I’ve done in the past 5 years and the people I’ve met and the events I’ve participated in, I don’t know what direction I would have gone in.

But I also love hearing from other bloggers and people who read my blog. It’s nice to know that sometimes I’m not talking to just myself. That’s why I love hosting guest posts and events like the YA Bloggers Book Battle. It’s a great chance to get to know and network with other bloggers. There really are some amazing people out there, and I really look up to a lot of them.


Can you pick a favorite book that you have read since you started your blog? Or two or three? =)

Haha, probably not. I hate these kinds of questions, they are so hard to choose one or two favorites. Hmmm… narrowing it down a bit, one of my more recent (within the last year) favorites is Heist Society by Ally Carter. I just love that book, and I’ve reread it several times (Note to self, get hands on sequel!). I also have to say there are many graphic novels that I would count among my favorite books that I would have never even heard of/tried if it weren’t for my blog and my participation in the Cybils awards every year.


Do you think you will continue to review YA books for many years to come? And why YA?

I would hope so, although my reviews have been lacking lately (LOL). I expect to be reading YA for years to come at least. As far as why YA, that’s a good question. My brother likes to joke that my reading style never grew up. I started reading YA when children’s books felt too young to me, and the adult books were too “smutty” (for lack of a better word) for my taste. Since then I’ve never looked back.

I feel like a lot of adult books are so formulaic, and although that happens in YA too, I feel like a lot of YA authors are willing to push past conventions and try new things. Really, I’m a plot-driven person so I’ll try anything that sounds like it has an interesting plot. I also feel like a lot of adult books are driven on romance or are trying too hard to be “great literature” for my personal preference. I do find myself reading more and more adult books in the last year, so maybe my reading tastes are finally growing up. But I don’t think I will ever give up YA completely.


Last but not least, what do you have to say about your blog turning 5? Did you think it would make it that long?

Well, the first thing that comes to mind is has it really been 5 years? And in some ways it makes me feel kind of old. On the other hand, I’m extremely overwhelmed when I think of the experiences I’ve had through the blog over the years. I never in a million years would have expected this to go as long as it has, and obviously I’m still going strong. As far as whether it will make it another five years, who knows? A lot can happen between now and then. But I’m certainly committed to try for 10 years!

Thanks so much for being a part of the celebration Katie! You can check out her blog for more information about her. Meanwhile, the blogoversary is down to a little over a week. Are you sorry to see it go?

YA Radio Month

This is really cool. In case you didn't know Barry Eva hosts an internet radio show called A Book and A Chat. And for January, he's featuring only YA-themed shows! Check out this awesome schedule:

Jan 2nd – 11:00am Rhonda Stapleton (Stupid Cupid) 1hr

Jan 5th – 7:00pm Bree Despain (The Dark Divine) 1hr

Jan 7th – 6:30pm Tirzah Price - “Compulsive Reader Blog”

Jan 9th – 11:00am Michelle Zink (Prophecy of the Sisters) 1hr

Jan 12th – 6:30pm Kristi – “The Story Siren”

Jan 14th – 6:30pm Alyssa – “Shady Glade Blog”

Jan 16th – 11:00am Sarah MacLean (The Season) 1hr

Jan 18th – 6:30pm Kyle – “Goodreads”

Jan 19th – 6:30pm Jessica Reese – “Chick Lit Teens Blog”

Jan 21st – 6:30pm Sharon Somers – “Sharon Loves Books & Cats”

Jan 23rd – 11:00am Heidi R Kling (Sea) 1hr

Jan 26th – 7pm Carol Lynch Williams (The Chosen One) 1hr

Jan 28th – 6:30pm The Cindy Loves Books Show

Jan 30th – 11:00am Lisa Schroedar (Chasing Brooklyn) 1hr

Hmmm... notice anything on there? That's right! Yours truly will be a guest on the 14th. I'm super excited! I mean, just look at the other names up there. This is going to be great!

It starts today, so make sure you catch the first one at 11:30 AM EST. And if you missed it, you can still listen to an MP3 of the show! You can get all the details at the show blog. More details to come!

Author Interview: Dan Elconin

This month's author interview is with Dan Elconin, author of the newly released Never After. Never After is a dark retelling of Peter Pan, and Dan started writing it when he was 14! Now at 19 he's a published author, and he's kindly agreed to do an interview with me for December. If you'd like to learn more about Dan after this interview, be sure to check out his website. And now, here we are, with my questions in bold:

Where did you get the idea to write Never After?

I honestly don’t remember -- I got the idea like eight or nine years ago. I have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast this morning.

What are some of the challenges of being a young author? And some of the great things?

The biggest challenge is trying to juggle writing, marketing, and school (I dropped the social life ball a long time ago). The greatest thing is the relief of having that first book under my belt, because everyone says the first one is the hardest.

The first of several to come, I hope! How is being a published author different from what you expected it to be?

“High hopes, low expectations” has always been my formula for happiness as a writer. I was hoping my book would have outsold the Bible by now, but I was expecting a long, uphill road, and it is.

Okay, so I have to ask this because I’m a California girl. I know you moved to San Diego when you were 8. Do you consider California your home state? Or Wisconsin?

I consider California my home state -- but I am and always will be a hardcore Green Bay Packers fan.

Yeah, go CA! :) Tell us about your writing process/environment.

My writing process is 5% planning, 5% writing, 10% rewriting, and 80% screaming obscenities and breaking things in frustration. My ideal writing environment is any tranquil room; my actual writing environment is a dorm room that’s about as tranquil as a cage of monkeys on meth.

Yeah, I know from experience dorm rooms are anything but tranquil. Do you have any new projects you’re working on that you can tell us about?

I am working on another novel. The working title is AFAX and it’s inspired in part by Orson Scott Card’s ENDER’S GAME, which is one of my favorite books.

Thanks for stopping by Dan! If you'd like to featured for one of my monthly author interviews, please send me an email and let me know.

Guest Post (sort of): Holiday Catterview

Hope everyone is having a fantastic Christmas Eve! Today's guest post is a collaborative effort between me and Sharon from Sharon Loves Books and Cats. Sharon came up with the idea to do a holiday "catterview" with me and my two cats Brownie and Greysen.

So head over to her blog to check it out. Happy Holidays!

Author Interview: Carolyn Meyer

I'm going to try and make an author post once a month, and so today I am super happy to announce Carolyn Meyer as my guest! She has been one of my favorite authors for just about as long as I can read. Her book are what made me love historical fiction, especially the Young Royals Series. So here's my interview with Carolyn with my questions in bold:

A lot of the books that you write are historical fiction. What kind of research do you do for your projects?

I start with a quick google to get an idea of dates and major events. Next I check the library for biographies, using the on-line catalogue, and then I trot down for a quick look, check out two or three that seem likely and later buy the ones that seem the most useful. Then I begin looking for the peripheral material--what they wore, what they ate, where they went to the bathroom--and that's when the fun really begins for me. Charles Darwin was easy--all of his correspondence, including letters from his sisters and the lovely Fanny, are in an enormous database. It gets even better: in the name of research, I went to England and visited Darwin's hometown, actually visited the house where Fanny lived, saw the school where he was so miserable, the house where he grew up, the universities where he studied. For the book about Mozart's sister, there was a trip to Vienna and Salzburg. My current project, Cleopatra, is much MUCH harder. Actual details of her daily life are scant, historians disagree about most of the basic facts, and I can't seem to get the image of Elizabeth Taylor out of my mind.

Do you have a favorite spot that you’ve travelled to?

I'll back to Paris in a heartbeat. The Nile in Egypt was certainly the most exotic.

That does sound exotic. Do you have one character or time period that you enjoyed writing more than the rest?

No. They range from Cleopatra to Charley Darwin with a number of interesting characters like Shakespeare and Mozart and members of royalty in between. I must say, though, that I was getting tired of the Tudors.

Are you allowed to give us a sneak peek of any of your new projects?

How's this?
(click to enlarge and to read excerpt and description on the jacket)
The Bad Queen: Rules and Instructions for Marie Antoinette is scheduled for pub in spring 2010.

Wow! That cover is absolutely amazing! What is the one question no one ever asks you but you wish they would? And the answer too!

I don't think anyone has asked me if I've ever considered another career. I've been writing full time for 46 years. During the years when I was not making any money at all, I often wondered what else I could do. It's a little late to change now, but in my next life, I will be an architect. (But first I'll have to get really good at math and learn to draw.) I've always been interested in creating interesting living spaces.

Thanks so much for stopping by! It's been an honor to have you. :)

Carolyn Meyer is the author of over 20 different books including many historical fiction novels that cover topics from Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth, Charles Darwin and Mozart. For more information on her and her books, check out her website or follow her on twitter: http://twitter.com/cmeyerbooks

Author Scavenger Hunt Contest

Here's the contest I promised yesterday. This one's going to be a little more difficult to enter. :) It's a scavenger hunt!

So just how much do you remember from the author interviews and guest posts from the blogoversary? I've assembled a question for every author featured last month. You should be able to find the answers to each one of these, as long as you pay attention.

How to Enter: Answer as many of the questions as you can. Then email me with your answers, name, email, and mailing address. Every right answer you get = 1 entry, so you should get as many right as you can! Need some hints? Here's a list of all the authors featured last month and links to their posts.

Prizes: Winners will get a chance at these three books.

A hardback copy of Likely Story (Book 1) by David Van Etten, a paperback copy of Beware, Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer, and an ARC of House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones

Whether or not there are split up or won as a group depends on the number of entries received. I may also add additional prizes if I get lots of entries. So go enter!

Misc. Rules: Books must be purchased between September 1st and the end of the contest. Open internationally! You can get one entry for each book you buy. Contest is open until October 31st at midnight. Winners will be randomly selected from the entries.

+1 for every correct answer
+1 for posting this link on your blog/website (leave a link here)
+1 for telling me who referred you
+2 for every person who says you referred them

And here's the questions:
1. Who wrote her lastest book as a love letter?
2. Who's book is now being published in Spanish?
3. Who's first book started on the NYT besteller list?
4. Who did an author film at Belvedere Castle in the middle of winter?
5. Who lived in Germany for several years?
6. Who has overcome dyslexia to become a writer?
7. Who worked as an actress before becoming a writer?
8. Who's book got a thumbs up from Boba Fett?
9. Who was the author featured in my first book blog tour?
10. Who has three Burmese cats?
11. Who quit her job at IHOP after one shift?
12. Who was stopped at airport security about a doorknob she was carrying in her purse?
13. Who has two sisters who are painters?
14. Who had previously made an appearance at The Shady Glade before September?
15. Who's favorite Shakespeare play is Much Ado About Nothing?
16. Who has a "teddy bear cat"?
17. Who called Edward Cullen to celebrate the release of one of her books?
18. Who's favorite word is "bizarre"?
19. Who has the same favorite princess as I do?
20. Who attended the premiere of the movie Serenity?
21. Who likes writing about bad girls?
22. Who battled swine flu in order to participate in the blogoversary?
23. Who currently has two tiaras sitting on her writing desk?
24. Who adopted a bunny after babysitting the class pet?
25. Who is currently planning a wedding for her characters?

Author Interview: Laini Taylor

Wrapping up the celebration today I'm happy to introduce Laini Taylor, author of the Faeries of Dreamdark series (Blackbringer and newly released Silksinger) and Lips Touch (released tomorrow!). Laini and I got to know each other last year when we were both on the Cybils panel for Fantasy/Science Fiction, so despite being really busy with a new baby, she agreed to answer a few questions for me (my questions in bold).

You must be very busy these days with a new baby and two new books coming out just one month apart. What’s it like having the release of two great books so close together?

Well, actually, the part where the books come out is the easy part :-) It's writing the next ones that's a bit more challenging with a baby in arms! I haven't set up a lot of launch events, though I do have some bookstore and festival readings coming up, and a few blog interviews, but overall it's just a matter of watching my google alerts for reviews and hoping for the best. When Blackbringer came out two years ago I hadn't scheduled anything, and the day came and went like any other. It was quite anti-climactic, and I've talked to other authors about this. Especially with a first book it's hard not to expect the whole color of the world to change on that day, but . . . nothing actually happens. To other new authors I recommend having a local signing stocked with friends and family to mark the day.

What made you decide to become a writer?

I don't even know, since I can't remember a time when I didn't want to be a writer. There is no "before." I might have been born wanting to be a writer! Ever since I can remember, I've believed this is what I would do "when I grew up."

What is it like having your husband do the artwork for your books? Does he work on them as you write, or is it a mad dash to finish the artwork before the book comes out?

I feel very lucky, and I advise other writers to marry illustrators. That way, you're never surprised by the cover of your book! Ha ha. In truth, though we've been really lucky so far, we know that neither of us has any power when it comes to covers, but at least I've had the security of knowing that Jim wasn't sending any art in that I didn't like. It's really nice and really rare for an author to have so much input into the art in their books. For the most part he's worked from my finished manuscripts, and with Lips Touch especially he was up late for many nights trying to get it done in time -- including not sleeping for 48 hours just before the deadline!

One of your new books, Lips Touch, is a collection of short stories. How did that get its start?

After I sent the finished manuscript of my first novel, Blackbringer, to my editor, Timothy Travaglini, I had a wait of three or four months for my editorial letter. Though I knew I had to write Silksinger, since it was part of a two-book deal, I didn't feel like I could get started until I know what Tim thought of Blackbringer. So to keep myself busy I started writing very short stories for fun, and posting them on my blog. Several of these, without premeditation, happened to be about kisses. Jim had the idea that they could combine to make a book, and so we pitched it that way. Now, three years later, here it is!

Any previews of future projects you can give us?

I'm working on another YA right now that's similar in style to the Lips Touch stories, but is one long novel. Jim and I are also developing another collaborative project that's a secret, but I will say that it's for younger readers than the Dreamdark books. I'm really excited about both!

Both sound great! We'll keep an eye out for those. Thanks for stopping by!

And to celebrate Laini's (almost) release day, here's the trailer for Lips Touch if you haven't seen it yet (very cool!).


And you really should pick up her other books too. Blackbringer even got a thumbs up from Boba Fett, see? Can't go wrong with that! Laini is also an artist. You can learn more about her, her books, and her artwork Laini's Ladies at her website.

Author Interview: Sally Gardner

For this post I'm interviewing Sally Gardner author of the 2008 Cybils nominee The Red Necklace, (its sequel The Silver Blade just came out) I, Coriander, and several books for younger readers. So without further ado, here's more about Sally Gardner!

What’s the best thing about being a published author?

That you can work at home at your own speed. That you're in a very small percentage of people who are lucky enough to make a living from what they love doing.

Why did you choose to write novels with historical backgrounds? What are the challenges of writing in this particular genre?

The main reason is this dreadful PC world we know live in which means young adults and children are unable to have an adventure, take risks - the past isn't PC, and that's that. Also the distance in time is very good for setting stories in as it means young people can look at things with a moat of time around them enabling them to deal with subject matters that if written in modern day would be too hard for a young reader to deal with (child cruelty, abuse, neglect, abandoment). In England history is neglected as a school subject and I'm fearful of neglecting the past and I feel it has great lessons to teach us. Changes are historical accuracy and finding all those little bits that fall through the slipstream of history - trying to put your fingertips into history and not to be a tourist once you get there is the challenge.

In your bio it mentions your struggle with dyslexia. Was it hard to overcome this in order to have a career as a writer?

Yes it completely made me feel that the notion of being a writer was an impossibility. School had done a great deal to make sure I knew that writing was something completely out of my reach. Then one day I realised that writing is like singing - you've either got a voice or you haven't. It just took me a long time to acknowledge that I could sing. One of the main things is not whether one can spell or has perfect grammar, but if you have a love of words, a love of reading and a love of story.

It’s a sort of tradition around here for me to ask about pets. So can you tell us a little about your two dogs?

I have a wonderful big standard long Dachshund called Oscar who will be 14 in March. His claim to fame is that he was the Brooklyn Bridge at the Christmas dog party where he stood on two boxes while other little dogs went under him. As a puppy he appeared in the US Ikea catalouge wearing a littler red jacket. He was the only dog who disgraced himself by pooing on the white laminate floor much to the horror of the ad man. Lottie is a very small mini Dachshund who's two years old with a character bigger than the Brooklyn Bridge, she's feisty, charming and the biggest flirt known to the dog world. Her best friends are a great dane and several bull staffs and one basset hound.

Can you give us a sneak peek at The Silver Blade?

It's just been released in America and hopefully some good news about a forthcoming film...

Ooh exciting! Thanks for stopping by to chat. :)

To learn more about Sally (and to see some of her great illustration work) head over to her website and check it out.

Author Interview: Deva Fagan

The end of September is fast approaching, so we're winding up with the blogoversary posts. This time I have author Deva Fagan as my guest. Deva is the author of Fortune's Folly, which was just released this year. So here's my interview with her with my questions in bold.

Typing or longhand?

Definitely typing, now. Both because I type faster than I write longhand, and because I would go crazy if I couldn't back up each day's work. I did write my very first novel (which was quite terrible and full of purple prose and cliches) in two spiral notebooks when I was 12 though. It's fun now to look back at those and see all the doodles of dragons and maps sprinkled throughout!

What is your writing environment like?

Currently I write at my desk in our spare room, usually with my dog snoozing on his bed nearby and a cup of tea close at hand. I do most of my writing early in the morning so I sometimes light a candle for inspiration. I also have a postcard right below the monitor with an old photo of one of my favorite authors, Maud Hart Lovelace, writing at her own desk when she was a girl. And I always set my computer background to something thematically inspiring for my current project. Right now I have one of the beautiful Hubble images of the Orion Nebula, because my current project is about an intergalactic circus.

At the moment my desk is also cluttered with two cheap costume tiaras (for a panel on strong female characters I'm doing at the Bar Harbor Book Festival with fellow authors Erin Dionne and Megan Frazer), a recipe for lemon curd (I am throwing a tea party in October with some friends), a card from my wonderful husband congratulating me on my first book sale, a vial of orange perfume, and assorted owls (I like owls, and my family and friends know it!).

Here's a picture of what it looks like when I've cleaned up a bit.

Any other hobbies besides writing?

Too many! I love to cook (especially using local produce from the farmer's markets) and to work in my flower garden. I have dreams of getting together a regular Irish style ceili with other fiddlers in my hometown someday, but right now I'm lucky if I pick up a bow once a month. I love to read, of course. I also help run and participate in live-action gaming events, which is kind of like telling a giant collaborative story with some of the most creative people I know.


I understand you like to travel. What’s the best place you have ever visited?

I only discovered that my love of travel was more powerful than my fear of flying in the past 5 years, so I haven't actually been to a huge number of places. I kind of regret not taking more opportunities to travel before this! The trip that turned everything around was a wonderful week in Paris. It is such a beautiful city! The thing that surprised me most was how my favorite part of travel wasn't going to see the art or even the delicious pastries (which were amazing!). What I loved best was just wandering and absorbing the feel of the place: discovering funny streetnames (Rue du Chat qui Pêche, the "street of the fishing cat") and sitting in the Luxembourg gardens and watching all the people strolling hand-in-hand, or eating a picnic dinner, or walking their dogs.

We're actually going on another big adventure next month: Italy! I have never been before, but I spent a lot of time looking at pictures of Tuscany and Venice when writing Fortune's Folly (which is set in a fantasy world loosely based on renaissance Italy). I am really looking forward to seeing the real landscapes that inspired my book. And to eating lots of gelato and pasta!

Do you have a favorite fairy tale?

My favorite of the traditional western fairy tales is Beauty and the Beast. Partly because I like that the girl gets to be more proactive than in some other tales, and partly because it's the first fairy tale I remember reading as a novel re-telling (BEAUTY, by Robin McKinley).

Anything new in the works you can tell us about?

I have a second book coming out in the Spring of 2010 called THE MAGICAL MISADVENTURES OF PRUNELLA BOGTHISTLE, from Henry Holt. Here’s a blurb:

All Prunella wants is to be a proper bog-witch. Unfortunately, her curses tend to do more good than harm, and she hasn’t got a single stinking wart. When her mixed-up magics allow a sneaky thief to escape her grandmother’s garden, Prunella is cast out until she can prove herself a true bog-witch. It’s hard enough being exiled to the decidedly un-magical Uplands, but traveling with the smugly charming young thief, Barnaby, is even worse. He’s determined to gain fame and fortune by recovering the missing Mirable Chalice. And to get what she wants, Prunella must help him. But what if the aspiring villain and the would-be hero are on the right quest . . . for the wrong reason?

It was a very fun book to write, so I am thrilled to be able to share it. Plus, it has a giant alligator in it!

Thanks for coming by to celebrate. It's been fun!

Thank you so much for interviewing me! And happy blog anniversary!

For those of you who've never heard of Fortune's Folly, here's a trailer for you:


Deva likes searching for patterns, which is how she explains both her degree in mathematics and the echoes of old fairy-tales in her stories. She also loves tea, gardening, and playing the fiddle. She lives in Maine with her husband and her dog. You can visit her at her website.

Author Interview: A. S. King

For this post I'm glad to introduce you to A.S. King, author of the novel The Dust of 100 Dogs. Mondays are always crazy busy for me, so let's cut to the chase and get right to the interview!

What was your funniest writer moment?

Wow—there are so many. Like the time I wrote a book and killed off a character in chapter six, only to have her reappear in chapter twelve and live a long life. Or the poetry reading where the guy introduced my poem by telling the audience what it was about—when it wasn’t about any of the stuff he said it was. Or, my first book signing, where the oil light in my car went on while I was stuck behind a trash truck, and the engine overheated on the way to the book store.

Have you ever had a job that required a geeky uniform?

Several. I’d say my bus girl dress at the diner was the worst—brown polyester wrap around style, without enough wrap around, so that every time I bent over, it opened. Also, the Arby’s uniforms in the early 1980’s were pretty ugly/geekish. Oh—and then there was the late 1980’s IHOP uniform. I’d applied, interviewed, and stopped by the day before my first shift to pick up the uniform, and went home and tried it on. I then walked back to IHOP, returned it and quit before ever working there. That probably doesn’t count, but man, was that a bad uniform.

Wow. It must have been really bad! If your life was a TV series, what would the theme song be? And would it be a comedy or drama?

Live comedy with no laugh tracks. Theme song? How about “Good Foot” by James Brown?

Favorite pirate inspiration?

I think I was most inspired by actual pirates rather than fictional ones. The breadth of their fierceness is fascinating.

I totally agree. But sometimes fictional ones are pretty fun too. Are you allowed to give us a sneak peek of anything new you’re working on?
I can tell you about Ignore Vera Dietz which will come from Knopf in fall 2010. It’s about a teenage girl, her dead (ex) best friend, and her attempt to clear his name, and it features a sarcastic pagoda. I just finished work on a book with no solid title, but it’s about a summer at the swimming pool, a trip to Arizona, and a man who’s been lost in the jungle for over 35 years.

What is the one question no one ever asks you but you wish they would? And the answer too!

Q: If you built yourself a Utopia, what would it look like?

A: It would be an island in the Caribbean, with no one else living on it. There would be a large swimming pool and a lot of books. I would have a huge (hurricane proof) office with windows for walls, looking out into the untamed wilderness in one direction, and the sea in the other direction. The island would be close to civilization, where I could go a few times per week and work in my literacy center. There would be copious amounts of reggae music and there would be dancing.

Thank you so much for coming by! This was super fun.

Thanks for having me Alyssa! And happy blog anniversary!

A.S. King’s short fiction has appeared in a lot of great journals and has been nominated for awards, including Best New American Voices. Her first young adult novel, The Dust of 100 Dogs, was published by Flux in February 2009 and was an Indie Next List pick for teens and has been nominated for YALSA's Best Books for Young Adults. Her next novel, Ignore Vera Dietz, is due in Fall 2010 from Knopf.

Author Interview: Cyn Balog

Today I'm happy to welcome Cyn Balog to the blog (okay, that sounded a little weird). Anyway, Cyn is the author of the newly released novel Fairy Tale. I'm sure you've heard of it if you hang around the YA blogosphere. She agreed to do a short interview for me, so here it is with my questions in bold.

Why write YA novels?

Because once you get past a certain age, everything is been-there, done that. YA is all about firsts. At that age, there are so many new experiences. I think maybe that is why I have a hard time writing a blog-- every day of MY life is the same old stuff. But when I was growing up, every day was some new tragedy or triumph. Infinitely more exciting. I think Ally Sheedy in The Breakfast Club said it best, that when you get older, part of your soul just dies.

It sounds like you’ve had a lot of jobs in your life. Did any of them have an influence on your life as a writer (beyond the fact that writing is more fun)?

Yes, seems like all the summer jobs I had as a teen always seem to be trying to make an appearance in my novels. The novel I am working on now is based in a bakery, and coincidentally, my first job ever was at a bakery. Strangely enough though, all the jobs I've had since graduating college haven't influenced my writing one bit-- they are part of an entirely different world, an excruciatingly boring one with lots of cubicles.

Cubicles are definitely boring. If your life was a TV series, what would the theme song be? And would it be a comedy or drama?

It would probably sound a whole lot like Seinfeld. It would be a show about nothing. But it wouldn't be as funny, therefore it would get horrible ratings and be cancelled after the first episode.

Any new projects you’re working on?

Yes, SLEEPLESS, about a sandman who falls in love with a mortal girl whose sleep he controls, comes out in July of 2010. I'm also working on another paranormal, which is the one set at a bakery... which is all about how perception is everything.

Yum, bakery. Can't wait to hear more. What is the one question no one ever asks you but you wish they would? And the answer too!

Can you roll your tongue? Why, no, I can't. I also can not roll my R's, which is why I hated Spanish class. And I can not roller skate either. I am not a very good roller in general. Thanks for asking.

Yeah, I don't do rolled R's or roller skating either. Thanks for stopping by!

If you'd like to learn more about Cyn Balog, you can visit her at her website where she has all sorts of neat stuff. Example: I found out that her favorite princess is also Sleeping Beauty! Oh, and check out her book too. :)

Author Interview: Shanna Swendson

My guest today is Shanna Swendson, author of the book Enchanted, Inc. and it's three sequels. And although it's technically an adult book, it definitely has lots of YA appeal. I really enjoyed it! So I asked Shanna to join me for a little chat. Here's our conversation with my questions in bold.

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

My job is to sit around the house and make up stories. It just doesn't get any better than that!

Do you have a favorite word?

The copy editor would probably say it's "just." I don't really have a particular favorite that I use on purpose.

Do you think you’d like to work at Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc.?

Well, it would involve putting on nice clothes and going to a real office, so that would be a downside even if magic's involved, and considering that I based a lot of the corporate hijinks on jobs I've had, I'm not sure it would be the place for me. I'd rather stay at home and write. I don't deal well with office politics.

I noticed on your bio that you like to bake. Do you have a recipe that’s your favorite to make?

I don't have any one favorite. I'm known among my friends for my chocolate-chip cookies. I just use the recipe in the Betty Crocker cookbook, but somehow they seem to come out particularly well when I make them. But I also love making bread, muffins, scones, pies, cakes and a lot of different kinds of cookies.

You also have contributed to several essay anthologies, including one about the TV show Firefly. Are you a fan? If so, who’s your favorite Firefly character?

I am a HUGE Firefly fan, going back to the first broadcast of the first episode. Getting to go to the Hollywood premiere party for Serenity is one of the craziest and best things to happen in my life. My favorite character is Simon because I was intrigued by the story possibilities surrounding him. I thought it was interesting that the most wanted criminal on a ship full of criminals was the nice, clean-cut, civilized guy. He lost everything, but in a weird kind of way, that was the best thing that could have happened to him because it meant he would really have to stretch himself and could find out what he was really made of. (That was a lot of what my Firefly essay was about.)

You would get along so well with my brother. He's a big fan too. So any new projects you are allowed to tell us about?

Not really, unfortunately. I've got some things I've been working on, but haven't sold them yet. I'm just starting a new book that I think will be a lot of fun, so we'll see where it goes.

Thanks for stopping by to help celebrate!

To learn more about Shanna and her books, check out her website. And if you're already a fan, make sure you check out the website for all the fun book extras she's got over there.