Courtney Summers: An interview plus a giveaway of THIS IS NOT A TEST

I have the opportunity to read the ARC for Courtney Summer's latest book, THIS IS NOT A TEST. Needless to say I jumped at the chance and needless to say I read it in one sitting. So. So. Good. Here is more about it from the author's website:

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up.

As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, everyone’s motivations to survive begin to change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life–and death–inside. When everything is gone, what doyou hold on to?



And to double up on the cool I was also given a chance to interview Courtney as part of her blog tour.  So, here is that interview. And, if you'd like to win of copy of Courtney's book, just leave a comment by the end of today. Midnight MST, that is.


Courtney, I've been a fan of yours since your first book. When I started to read THIS IS NOT A TEST and you dropped us into an apocalyptic novel (zombies no less!) I was amazed. I loved the premise. What if a teen who thought she had nothing to live for was thrown into a world where instinct would make her fight for her life. And once she started that fight, how would she (and could she) stop the fight. What made you decide to write this particular book? How did the idea come to you, in other words.

Thanks so much, Deb!  Everyone who knows me knows I've always been a fan of zombies, so writing a book about them wasn't much of a stretch for me.  After my editor gave me the
greenlight on the pitch, which was basically, "teens stuck in a high school during the
zombie apocalypse," I began to develop the idea.  I thought a lot about the zombie movies
I liked and one thing I noticed was that the main characters in those movies usually had
this unwavering will to live and I thought--would I be that person, if I was in the
zombie apocalypse?  Would I want to live in spite of it all?  When I took away the the
things that were important to me, I realized my answer wasn't so cut and dried.  I
thought it would be interesting to write about a character who doesn't want to survive,
who is determined to die, during the zombie apocalypse and it all sort of grew from there.

As you developed the story, what were some surprises the characters and plot had in store for you? For example....characters you knew for certain would survive who were suddenly not so fortunate. (If answering this question makes you think you might be in a position to spoil some of the book, we can totally skip it!)

It's hard to tell you what surprises the characters and plot had in store for me without
giving anything away.  I will say that going into this zombie novel, I knew there HAD to
be a body count and I knew that I didn't want every death to be entirely expected.  I had
a pretty clear idea of who was and wasn't going to make it from the beginning--except for
one character.  That particular character ended up rewriting their fate.  But I'm not
saying who it was. ;)

Every single character you created was compelling and so, so real. It was like a cross
section of kids from high school. They also represented, for me, different aspects of
family relationships-sibling to sibling, child to parent. How did your settle on the
characters you chose and I'm curious who came first in terms of their development. Anyone not make in into the final draft?

I'm so glad you found them compelling and real!  The characters revealed themselves to me
as I wrote.  The first draft of TINAT was about finding their voices and the second draft
was about fine-tuning their motivations.  The character that came first in terms of
development was Sloane.  She always had the same background with her father, but how that defined her and how she interacted with other characters because of it evolved from one
draft to the next.  In the first draft of THIS IS NOT A TEST, there were eight teens who
made it to the school:  Sloane, Rhys, Trace, Grace, Cary, Harrison... and Sabrina and
Will.  Sabrina and Will were two characters too many and they really watered down Grace
and Harrison arcs.  So when I wrote the second draft of the book, I combined Sabrina and
Grace and Harrison took on some, but not all, of Will's traits.

I'd love for you to share your zombie research. How'd you establish the rules for them in this world? Favorite movies? Book of rules for zombies we could go check out, too? Although the ending is completely satisfying (and oh so _well_ done. When I was done reading I just had to sit and think for bit. Loved it.). I could totally see a sequel to
this book or another book set in this world. Is this a possibility?

In terms of research, I mostly looked into the ways power and technology would fail and
how water could continue to run in the school.  I also did a lot of research relating to
how I wanted the school to be designed--I wanted the place to be easily fortified since I
knew most of the conflict would be interpersonal, so I looked up windowless schools,
various kinds of lighting schemes, things like that.  In terms of the zombies--the
characters don't know how the outbreak started but I do.  :)  I'm keeping that under my
hat for now, though.  I did decide on some fundamental basics for my zombies right away,
however.  They had to be fast moving because I wanted the outbreak to take people by
surprise--no time whatsoever to prepare for it, just instant chaos.  I wanted how fast
people became zombies to depend on the bite--that's a pretty classic zombie rule.  I
didn't read a book of zombie rules to establish the way my zombies operated so I can't
rec one but I can tell you my favourite zombie movie is Night of the Living Dead (a
classic for a reason!).  For now, it's best to think of THIS IS NOT A TEST as standalone
though I can't promise I'll never revisit zombies again.  :)

Thanks for having me on your blog, Deb!


Thanks for being here and double thanks for writing the books you do. Happy touring.


More books from Courtney, you know you want to check them out and so you should because she is one talented writer!

 When “Perfect” Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter’s High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher’s pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace? Parker doesn’t want to talk about it. She’d just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her counselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there’s a nice guy falling in love with her and he’s making her feel things again when she’d really rather not be feeling anything at all. Nobody would have guessed she’d turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth. Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault. 

When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he seemed to find inspiration in everything he saw? And, most important, why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world? When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. Culler seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on… but are some questions better left unanswered?

Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard–falling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High… until vicious rumors about her and her best friend’s boyfriend start going around. Now Regina’s been “frozen out” and her ex-best friends are out for revenge. If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day. She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully. Friendship doesn’t come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend… if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don’t break them both first.

Catherine Austen Blog Tour and a Giveaway

Today it is my pleasure to welcome Catherine Austen to the blog. She's a mighty fine author of picture books, middle grade and young adult authors. And, she's Canadian so I'm adding her to my OH (MG/YA) Canada collection of interviews!

Adding a quick note to say...The Marvelous Middle Grade Read-a-thon is on!

Catherine has two new books out now and she's on a whirlwind blog tour that I'm thrilled to be a part of. Plus, her publishers are giving away both of her books. Details follow the interview.

First, let me share the books.

Her Young Adult: ALL GOOD CHILDREN
From Catherine's site: Quick-witted, prank-pulling graffiti artist Maxwell Connors is more observant than the average New Middletown teenager. And he doesn't like what he sees. New Middletown's children are becoming frighteningly obedient, and their parents and teachers couldn't be happier. As Max and his friend Dallas watch their classmates transform into model citizens, Max wonders if their only hope of freedom lies in the unknown world beyond New Middletown's walls, where creativity might be a gift instead of a liability. For those who like their dystopias with a rich character sauce and a side of humour.
Her Middle Grade:  26 Tips for Surviving Grade 6
From Good Reads:Becky wrote the book on getting through grade 6, but these aren't the kinds of tips that come from school books or teachers... 
Forget social studies, math, and science - this hilarious new novel is about surviving some of the real problems tween girls face. Honest and heart-warming, the story follows 11-year-old Becky Lennnox over the course of the school year as she figures out how to survive friendships, first crushes, embarrassing parents and annoying older brothers. 

And now, the interview!

Congrats on having two more books out! One is middle grade, one young adult. Was the process for writing each one different? Or do you have a basic path you follow from idea to book?

I am all over the map. If I make any progress at all in a manuscript, I call it a good day.

I wrote All Good Children  fairly steadily for about ten months (5 drafting and 5 revising), working from a detailed outline. Some days were hard to face (I got stuck in my narrator’s terrified head a bit too deeply), but I was I was dedicated and methodical.

I wrote the first part of 26 Tips as a short story about 8 years before I wrote the rest of the book, and I expanded it SUPER FAST: I jotted out some ideas and drafted the whole thing in the space of a few weeks. Then came revisions, but still, it was a fast and completely joyful process because that book is all fun.

You have been pretty busy this fall with launching ALL GOOD CHILDREN & 26 TIPS FOR SURVIVING 6TH GRADE, blog tours, interviews. What were some of the highlights. Did you getting any sleep? ) Any advice for other authors embarking on a blog tour or getting out there and promoting their books online?

I always get my sleep. I always exercise. And I practice drums at least a couple times a week. The real question is: Did I get any writing done?

As for highlights, I love my book launches. I throw a party at my local library. It’s relaxed and warm and busy and chatty. I am always touched by the friends and neighbours who come out to help me celebrate.

I also enjoyed meeting other writers this past year – I joined a critique group and attended events and visited an awful lot of coffee shops. I’ve always envied the way musicians collaborate. “I’ll do the dialogue and you jump in with some narrative summary,” just doesn’t work the way guitar and piano can. But writing and publishing is still made easier by friends who are peers. 

For promotion advice, I’d say: Do what you’re comfortable with. I like interviews because they make me pause and think about my own creative process. I have fun on my website, and a few people actually look forward to my blog posts. But if you’re not comfortable doing those things, then don’t. One good review in a respected journal will sell your book better than a ton of self-promotion. So write a great book and let other people blog about it. Would Salinger tweet? Would Dostoevsky do a blog tour? You need to write; all the rest is optional.

In my book club I have some keen readers (of course!), but also some keen writers. They range in age from 8 to 14. When did you start writing and do you have any advice for my book clubbers?

I don’t remember if I wrote stories as a kid, but I took extra English credits in grade 13 and I published my first story in university, so I’d guess that I started young.

As for advice: Cultivate your imagination (unplug and go stare out of windows or sit on a stoop and conjure up some characters and stories – adults will call this lazy but it’s hard work). Devote yourself to a task long enough to accomplish something (keep working until it’s the best you can make it – adults will call this obsessed but it’s completely normal and necessary). Read A LOT. And just write, whatever it is that you feel like writing – a poem, a journal, a comic, a story – as often as you can and as well as you can. And be proud of it.

What’s your typical writing day like?

Drag self to computer. Procrastinate for twenty minutes. Berate self for procrastinating and UNPLUG INTERNET. Open work in progress. Reread yesterday’s writing. Experience pleasant surprise that it’s not as bad as I remembered. Resist temptation to plug internet back in. Resume writing (for whatever time I have available that day).

Recent read/s you’d like to recommend?

A House Called Awful End by Philip Ardagh cracked me up. The Glory Wind by Valerie Sherrard made me cry. Blink and Caution by Tim Wynne Jones was beautifully written. And Christopher Paul Curtis’s Elijah of Buxton is my favourite narrator ever. 

Thanks for stopping by, Catherine! Happy touring.


If you'd like to learn more about Catherine please do head to her website and her blog. And, be sure to check out the blogs on the tour. I know I am!

The giveaway is for US and Canada. All you need to do is comment and make sure I can contact you so I pass the info to the publishers. One winner with receive BOTH books. You have until midnight (MST) Monday, November 28. Good luck!

And to all our neighbours south of the border...Happy Thanksgiving.


And a quick note to say...Marvelous Middle Grade Read-a-Thon is on!

Adam Selzer Interview & Guest Post "Developing Skills as a Smart Aleck in a Practical Application Environment."

Happy to say that Adam Selzer is on the blog today! I featured him last week and now he's back to answer some questions and well....share some smart aleck insight. He's officially one of my favorite authors and hope you'll check out some of his titles. Now, on with the interview!

What is the writing process like for you, especially when it comes to finding the voice of your novels, something you are pretty darn good at! (Note: I PUT  A SPELL ON YOU-multiple points of view, each voice rings different and true).

Every project is different, but it usually starts with a lot of throwing stuff at the wall. With "Spell" i made a list of characters before I did anything else, then tried writing from a number of different voices. As the plot came together, I got a better sense of which characters worked as narrators and started to build the story around a core four of them. It was a lot of fun finding ways to make them each distinct from the others - and interesting to see how people reacted. The critic/librarian reviews all said the characters had distinct voices, but a lot of goodreads reviews said they didn't. I don't go on goodreads anymore.

How did go about aging Jennifer for EXTRAORDINARY? Can we expect to see more of her?

I actually wrote a whole sequel to "Spell," that took place a few weeks later. It's still just sitting on my hard drive, but having done it gave me some more idea of where she'd be as a person in six or seven years: burned out, and dealing with a lot of anger, but holding it all together and still working towards being the kind of person she wants to be (despite her parents' objections). "Extraordinary" sort of exists in an alternate reality from "Spell," the kind of reality with vampires and zombies in it, but she'd be the same sort of person in either reality. The kind who relieves stress by destroying dollar store junk with crowbars and imagining people getting trampled to bit by ponies, but is disturbed even to think this sort of thing. She's good at anger management, but has more anger than she's comfortable with (in this way, she's a lot like me).  I always wanted to write more about the kids from "Spell," and sneaking them into this book was a fun way to get away with it. Jennifer will probably only be back if the sales on this one are great, or if I ever find something to do with that "Spell" sequel.  I'd still like to bring Harlan back some time. 

 

Pretty cool on having two books come out at the same time. (SPARKS & EXTRAORDINARY). How did that come about?

Strictly by accident! They were written a year or so apart, but the wheels spin at different speeds with different publishers. For them to end up coming out on the same day was a total coincidence - authors don't get a lot of say in things like the release date. Or the title, for that matter. I wanted the titles to be "Fairy Godmofo" and "Debbie Does Detention," but I knew deep down that I'd never get away with either of those! I have a real habit of coming with titles that I think are great, but no one else does. 

So, a while back I asked Adam what it took to be a smart aleck writer--here's his answer in a special guest post. Thanks for this Adam. Enjoy the read everyone, I know I did!

***

"Developing Skills as a Smart Aleck in a Practical Application Environment."   

I got my start as a smart aleck in algebra class, way back in 8th grade. My friend Tanner and I were sort of the Back Row Hooligans of the class. Rather than learning anything, we just sat at our table cracking jokes. Making up jokes about algebra was tricky business, so we really had to stretch our brains to come up with anything funny. When we ran out of material, we'd write goofy songs about slushees and beating people up (which we couldn't have actually DONE on the best day of our lives). We still record (under the name Scapegoat 95) when we're in the same city.

But I didn't really get into much intensive training as a smart ass until high school, when I moved down to a redneck town in Georgia and started working in restaurants. The customers not only seemed to be begging for someone to make fun of them  - the deserved it.

When someone asks to be moved to your section, because he doesn't want a black waitress, you can't just let that pass. You can't ARGUE with guys like that, and you certainly can't talk any sense into them, but you CAN make them feel stupid. In fact, you MUST. Some people still think it's actually socially acceptable to make a request like that in a restaurant, and you have to make it clear that times have passed them by. "The Times They Are a-Changing" was already more than 30 years old by then - they'd had plenty of time to adjust. My favorite trick with those guys was to say "ooh, you're a racist? Oh, far out! Say something all prejudiced and everything." Then I'd laugh and loudly ask if everyone else got a load of the hillbilly. 

When someone asks you to be a dear and bring the 8 year old birthday boy's present (a high powered rifle) out for him, you can't just slip into a career as a gun runner without making some snarky remark to save face.

The high point, the real baptism by fire, came when I was working at a Starbucks in Duluth, an Atlanta suburb where only about half our customers spoke English, in 2001. After 9/11, word got around that the guy who steered the plane into the south tower was a regular customer of ours, and we started to get a lot of vigilantes in the store. One guy, who I'm pretty sure thought he was Batman, lamented that he'd seen the guy and his partner at IHOP with airplane blueprints. "And I let them slip through my fingers!" he wailed. He was genuinely upset and coping with what seemed like a real feeling that he'd failed, so I didn't say anything, but it was hard not to. What would he have done? Called the FBI and said he saw a couple of brown-skinned guys who looked like they were into airplanes? Any time other than those heady days right after the attack, you would have just assumed they were pilots or engineers. Really, that should ALWAYS be what you assume when you see a guy with airplane blueprints, isn't it? 

My proudest moment of that period - indeed, the proudest moment of my career as a smart ass - came when a guy strolled into the store and complained that there were a bunch of Arabs sitting at the table outside of the store.

"You've got a bunch of terrorists on your porch," he said. "I'm gonna go get their driver's licenses so when they blow up a building, I can sell my story to CNN."

I knew most of those guys on the porch. I'd sit with them on my breaks and chat. I wasn't going to let this guy get away with calling them terrorists.

"We're not profiling against Arabs here," I said. "But we ARE profiling against idiots. So you'll have to leave."

My manager backed me on this one. He was a cool cat, that manager. Most of them would have fired me. I would have been proud to be fired for that one, though. 

I spent a few more years honing my skills - there's probably no better place to develop smart aleck techniques than working in customer service. You don't always get to say what's on your mind out loud (unless you're a sassy waitress in a sitcom), but your brain is always working.

Thanks Adam! Favorite part...we are profiling idiots. Nicely done.

OH (MG YA) CANADA with Jo Treggiari & ASHES, ASHES GIVEAWAY

Welcoming Jo Treggiari to OH (MG YA) CANADA today! After reading and loving her book I tracked her down (stalked?) and she agreed to answer a few questions. She has also, very kindly, endured my moments of fan girl.

Before the interview, here is a little bit about her book (which I am GIVING AWAY to one one lucky commenter and it's international)

FROM GOODREADS: Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

************************

Jo, as you know I loved ASHES, ASHES. What really sold it for me was the main character, Lucy . For me she was the wall flower, quiet one that you could easily overlook, but boy did she rise to the occasion. Where did you get the inspiration for her?  


* The wallflower parts of her probably came from some of my high school memories. I felt all that teenage angst so acutely I can still summon it up all these years later. There's a bit in the book where I mention that she is marked absent in a class photo although in fact she is there, and that's something that happened to me in Grade 10. I think I tried to be both seen and invisible most of the time. The rest of her personality took shape as the story unfolded. I used characteristics from friends, and family, made stuff up, and ultimately allowed myself to be guided by what felt true to her. At some point in the writing process the characters start to take things over a little. I liked that she was strong and insecure, brave and scared, hot-tempered and kind. Those seeming contradictions are what make people interesting whether in real life or in books.



I read on your website that you had finished FIERCE. Can you tell us a little bit about it?


* I have two manuscripts finished. FIERCE is ultimately about friendship but it's also about making art, cheating boyfriends, punk rock, West Oakland, and coming of age. BRINY DEEP is an urban fantasy combining Celtic myth and great white sharks, and I am halfway through INKERS which is a neo-gothic YA.


Favorite part of the writing process? Least favorite?

* I love revising. I'm not so keen on the first draft process lately. In the past I've been able to get my first drafts down very quickly but recently, perhaps because I have 2 young kids, I tend to write in quick snatches. Once I get to the end though I love going back over it before sharing it with my beta readers, and then revising it again before sending it to my agent, and then of course, revising with my editor. If you write, you had better learn to love it! We all pretend that genius just pours out of out fingertips but sadly this is not true.


Any must read blogs that you start your day off with?


*I love author Kelly Barnhill's blog- lately she's been doing a poem a day. And writer Diana Peterfreund's blog which is always so smart and informative. And Donna Hosie's Musings of a Penniless Writer is great. Oh, and author Katherine Langrish's Seven Miles of Steel Thistles is wonderful too especially if you're interested in myth and fairytales.


In my former book club there were some keen readers (of course!), but also some keen writers. They range in age from 8 (the age you started writing) to 15. Do you have any advice for them? Even though I'm no longer running the club (we moved) I will be skyping with them from time to time, I can pass along your wisdoms!


* Writing is supposed to be fun. This is wisdom I need to remember too. Sometimes all the other stuff associated with writing for a living gets in the way and I need to remind myself of the joy of just putting different words together. 


And on the topic of book clubs. Any recent reads you'd recommend for middle graders and or teens? An all time favorite read from when you were a kid?


* Recent faves: MG: The Mostly True Story of Jack (Kelly Barnhill), Ghost Hunter (which is 6th in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver), The Tanglewood Terror (Kurtis Scaletta), West of the Moon (Katherine Langrish). 


YA: The Near Witch (Victoria Schwab), The Piper's Son (Melina Marchetta), Shine (Lauren Myracle), Blood Red Road (Moira Young), Please Ignore Vera Dietz (A.S. King).


All-time favorite read: The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien) or maybe A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L'Engle), or A Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula K. LeGuin). I cannot choose just one!


And of course when you aren't reading, you're writing-what's your writing space like? How do you start your day?


*I finally, after many many years have my own office. With a door. This still does not keep the kids out but it's better than balancing a lap-top on my lap. Unfortunately I am now set in my ways and need a cup of coffee, and a hike with the dog, and then another cup of coffee before I get down to work. The walk tends to prepare my brain and often gives me ideas. I try and write every day and when I am working on something specific, I set word count goals of 1000 per day which is not too much or too little.

And, that's it! Thanks again for doing this Jo and I would say you and I have similar reading tastes. More than a few of your faves are mine too.

Next up...how to win the giveaway? Simple...leave me a comment. You have until Sunday, Oct 9, midnight MST.

Interview Wednesday - Kidlitosphere - Tales from the Rushmore Kid

A big big, thanks to Tina Nichols Curry who has put together Interview Wednesday. It's an opportunity to read, watch and or listen to interviews with authors, illustrators, agents, editors. Pretty darn awesome I tell you. Click on the link below to see you Tina recently spoke with (and you are always assured of getting some great great information), then check out the comments for links to even more wonderful-ness!


Interview Wednesday - Kidlitosphere - Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Happy reading, listening...learning all!

OH MG YA Canada Interview & Giveaway: Joelle Anthony

Joining me for Oh (MG & YA) Canada today is Joelle Anthony.  I've been looking forward to hosting her ever since I read her book. It captivated me from page one and I loved following Molly's story, watching her make her way into the States, with nothing but determination (and her fiddle) to bring her Grandparents back. And the setting! Oh my--I can still see and feel it.

More about her book from Goodreads:

The year is 2041, and sixteen-year-old Molly McClure has lived a relatively quiet life on an isolated farming island in Canada, but when her family fears the worst may have happened to her grandparents in the US, Molly must brave the dangerous, chaotic world left after global economic collapse—one of massive oil shortages, rampant crime, and abandoned cities.

Molly is relieved to find her grandparents alive in their Portland suburb, but they're financially ruined and practically starving. What should've been a quick trip turns into a full-fledged rescue mission. And when Molly witnesses something the local crime bosses wishes she hadn't, Molly's only way home may be to beat them at their own game. Luckily, there's a handsome stranger who's willing to help.

Restoring Harmony is a riveting, fast-paced dystopian tale complete with adventure and romance that readers will devour.

And more:

Joelle Anthony's young adult novel, Restoring Harmony, is a riveting tale of how a resourceful teen survives, and even finds romance, in a future world where no one is as they seem. Putnam Books for Young Readers, May 2010

Armed with only a fiddle and a keen sense of the land, Molly is the best kind of heroine–smart, feisty and courageous. Anthony writes with tenderness and imbues her story with hope. - Suzanne Selfors, author of SAVING JULIET and COFFEHOUSE ANGEL

Watch for her second novel, The Right & the Real - forthcoming, also from Putnam.  Joelle's website : http://www.joelleanthony.com

*********************

Joelle, thanks for taking the time to do this! The book we’re giving away is RESTORING HARMONY, it was a debut novel for 2010. You’re currently working on your next book. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

I’ve actually finished my second book already and it’s in production. My third one is still bouncing around in my head right now, so I’ll talk about the second one. It’s called The Right & the Real and it comes out in April of 2012. It’s about a girl whose father gets mixed up in a cult and when she won’t join him, he kicks her out on the street. She doesn’t have anywhere to go, and so she’s essentially on her own. She is only a few months away from graduating, and also turning eighteen when she can legally live on her own, so she just wants to hang in there. The book is about how she does that, and also how she reconciles with her father when everything gets out of hand and he needs her help.

Do you have any advice for a first time author going in to do a school or library visit or do you have a great 2010 debut moment you would like to share with us? (or--both?)

I haven’t done many school visits as an author, but I am currently the writer in residence at my local school (we got two grants – thanks to Arts Council and BC ArtStarts!) so I’m in the classroom every week. I would suggest to authors if it’s at all possible to get the students writing during your visit. Even a little bit. One of my favourite things to do is talk about description and sensory details. Kids know the five senses so well and applying them to writing comes naturally. Then I give them each an index card and pencil and ask them to take ten minutes to describe a place that is familiar to their fellow students using all five senses without saying where it is. I let them read them aloud and the other kids guess the place they’re describing. The other thing, which I think is actually the most important thing, I learned from author Tim Wynne Jones…ask your audience questions. It’s the best way to start. And then end with letting them ask you questions. Everyone is engaged then.

In my book club I have some keen readers (of course!), but also some keen writers. They range in age from 8 to 13. When did you start writing and do you have any advice for my book clubbers?

I wrote a lot in Grade 5, but after that I was much more into theatre. I guess I was in my early twenties when I decided to start writing for kids and thinking of it as a possible career. It took me about sixteen years from when I started to publication, but part of that was just life getting in the way and also growing up. And I worked as a professional actor for a while too.

My best advice to writers is always the same. Read. Read some more. And then keep reading. You will learn to write from the books you read. At some point, you actually have to write too, but seriously, reading is your first tool.

I write in a journal every morning for half an hour. It’s really just a lot of boring stuff about my life, and how I slept, and what I ate yesterday, etc., but it primes the pump for the writing day. Also, you can get rid of all your grumblies and then you’re a more pleasant person to be around. Occasionally, a plot point will work itself out, or I’ll have an epiphany while journaling, but mostly it’s just blah, blah, blah! I highly recommend it.

Speaking of my book club kids. Anything you’d like to recommend they read or we get for our library? Something that is a recent read, or a book you loved when you were a kid?

Well…everyone who knows me say it together…, “You can’t go wrong with the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace.” Actually, if you have a bunch of teen boys in your group, they probably wouldn’t get that excited over Betsy, but I still have to mention these books every chance I get.

Let’s see…for a book club…recent reads…I really love Megan Whalen Turner’s series that starts with THE THIEF. I do not really read books that fall into that fantasy/kings & queens/days-of-yore category, but my friend, the wonderful writer, Kim Thacker got me started on these and I devoured them. They’re good for everyone – boys, girls, adults. I also loved C. J. Omololu’s DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS, Jandy Nelson’s THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE, and Nova Ren Suma’s DANI NOIR.


What is your favourite part of living where you do? Do you have another part of Canada that you love to visit or that you’ve always wanted to but haven’t yet?

We moved to Canada from the U.S. almost four years ago, and we live on one of the small Gulf Islands in B.C. I can honestly say that I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. I mean, if we had the dough, we’d definitely buy a little more property and live at the quieter end of the island, but I don’t see us ever actually leaving this island. We have a great little house in the woods and we love it, but we’d like a little sunshine for growing food too. This is just a wonderful place to live with fantastic people and we’ve made great friends.

We definitely want to visit Cape Breton and the Maritimes. We love the music and it looks so beautiful. And as an Ann of Green Gables fan, I have to go to PEI someday!

Anything I didn’t ask that you hoped I would?

No one ever asks about the language. Just kidding. I’m currently reading Stephen King’s book ON WRITING and in the forward he says he asked Amy Tan what no one ever asks in interviews that she wishes they would, and that’s what she said, so he wrote the book because he thought he had something to say about the language!

How about if I share something that I told my students the other day? They were asking me questions about getting ideas and how to grow them big enough to write a story or a book, and I told them something that I just recently learned. It took me fifteen years to learn it, but I was willing to save them the effort! Here it is: It’s okay, no, it’s more than okay, to ask for help from your writer pals, your friends, your spouse, teacher, parents, whoever when you’re brainstorming an idea. You don’t have to figure it all out yourself. If you’re stuck, take it to your team and say, “I’ve gotten this far, but I don’t know what happens next.” You don’t have to use any of their ideas, but sometimes you’ll want to. And even if you don’t, their ideas will get you thinking of more of your own.

I’d heard that saying that a writer should never write in a vacuum, but I didn’t really get it until I had a great book idea, but couldn’t come up with the ending so I asked the writer Eileen Cook and she came up with a brilliant finish! That book’s on a back burner right now, but because I asked, and she is so great, it’s all figured out. It’s okay to ask for help. Thanks for having me.

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