Author Insight: Bookish Battles

What is the worst fight you've ever had with a character?

"I pretty much end up hating all my characters by the time I'm done writing about them--in fact, I can't read my finished books at all.- Elizabeth Scott, author of Grace.

"Vera won't stop slurping her coffee." - Heidi Kling, author of Sea.

"I've never had an actual fight with a character, but I have resisted a few times when something changes. I had a character show up on a page at random, and basically took over the story for the next twenty pages. I tried to push her out, and instead she became one of the main characters." - Scott Tracey, author of Witch Eyes.

"The worst fight I've had with a character is probably Indigo in Indigo Blues. I wanted her to look at Adam, her ex, in a different light. She's stubborn and it was hard for her to see that he had grown." - Danielle Joseph, author of Indigo Blues.

More Author Insight: What they write

In five words or less, how would you describe the genre and age group you write for? Why do you write it?

 

"Young Adult Urban Fantasy. Challenge." - Leah Clifford, author of A Touch Mortal.

"Teens and anyone with $17. (Just kidding!) But seriously - I write for teens about contemporary complexities and challenges because being a teenager is the time in your life when you really start to figure out the kind of person you want to be and CAN be." - Daisy Whitney, author of The Mockingbirds.

"Contemporary paranormal YA.  My books are grounded very much in the real world, with a single 'otherworldly' element.  They’re classified as 'paranormal', but I see that as a jumping off point more than the dominant element.  I like seeing how people think and react and what decisions they make when put in an unusual situation.  So that’s what I write.  Initially, I didn’t even realize my stories were YA, but I like the openness and flexibility people generally have at that time of their lives.  Characters’ reactions are less certain and, therefore, more intriguing." - Jen Nadol, author of The Mark.

 "Misfits of all kinds. I suppose because I identify with them. People on the fringes, who don't quite fit anywhere are the most interesting to me. If you really like marketing labels, you can call my writing YA, but in my mind, the only real rules of YA is that the main character is a teen and plot is important. the lack of rules is why I like it so much. It affords me the flexibility of writing a intimate, realistic book like Struts & Frets, then turn around and write a vast epic story about a demon girl in Catholic school and still be considered writing in the same genre. I feel like YA currently has the same sense of freedom as comics did in the 80's. Neil Gaiman said that they did so much bold work because there was this sense that nobody was paying attention. That they could get away with it because nobody took them seriously. That's where YA is right now. Successful, but not really taken seriously. That leaves lots of room to do the unexpected." - Jon Skovron, author of Struts & Frets.

Tweet News (10)

What did you miss on Twitter this week?

Scholastic posted video of Suzanne Collins reading from Mockingjay... TWEET.

Author David Macinnis Gill shared an excerpt of his latest novel, Black Hole Sun... TWEET.

Penguin Teen passed along some good news about The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller... TWEET.

Harper Teen unveiled the trailer for Emily Whitman's Wildwing... TWEET.

Author Jessica Brody announced a foreign rights deal for The Karma Club... TWEET.

Author Kelly Creagh told all about writing her debut novel, Nevermmore... TWEET.

Harper Teen shared a look at The Vampire Diaries Season 2 trailer... TWEET.

Behind Yellow Eyes passed on the news that Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater has been nominated by YALSA... TWEET.

Author Insight: What they write

In five words or less, how would you describe the genre and age group you write for? Why do you write it?

"YA, the best genre EVER!" - Elizabeth Scott, author of Grace.

"Entertaining, (hopefully) enlightening fiction." - Heidi Kling, author of Sea.

"Dark, disaffected urban fantasy YA. I like stories that are more serious, may not always have a happy ending, and explore life as a loner. I write things that I would have wanted to read in high school, so that's my mindset right from the start." - Scott Tracey, author of Witch Eyes.

"Teen fiction for real people. And I write it because that's where I found my voice and will always be a teen at heart." - Danielle Joseph, author of Indigo Blues.

Winner of Linger & Kiss Me Deadly

And the winner of a doodled copy of Linger and an ARC of Kiss Me Deadly, both signed by Maggie Stiefvater, is...

Alyssa

(lyssad87)

Congratulations! I have emailed you and will be sending your books out shortly. Thanks to everyone who entered.

More Author Insight: When Inspiration Strikes

Ideas for novels can spring from unexpected places. Where were you when inspiration struck and what form did it arrive in?

 

"Inspiration tends to strike me in the car, so usually when I’m having trouble with plots or ideas I’ll hop behind the wheel and just drive for an hour or two. For A Touch Mortal, I was watching Jackass on MTV when Scott Tracey uttered the line that inspired the short story that became the book." - Leah Clifford, author of A Touch Mortal.

"Inspiration once struck me while I was driving and listening to a great break-up song from Melissa Etheridge that made me think The Break-Up Album would be a terrific title for a novel. So I wrote a chick lit novel called just that during the summer of 2007. It didn't sell. Oh, I should have shared inspiration for a book that sold!" - Daisy Whitney, author of The Mockingbirds.

 

"I don’t remember where I was, but I’d just scrapped my first (horrible) novel and was trying to think of something new to write. It was a simple random thought - what if you knew it was someone’s day to die? - that became The Mark and Vision." - Jen Nadol, author of The Mark.

 

"The first line of the story (which was actually changed during revision) was Sammy's voice in my head, saying, "One thing I knew for certain, we were going to be famous." I think it was late one night while feeding my (then) three month old son in the rocking chair." - Jon Skovron, author of Struts & Frets.

Tweet News (9)

What did you miss on Twitter this week?

Harper Teen offered you a look inside Kisses from Hell... TWEET.

Publishers Weekly shared news about Borders... TWEET.

Author Mitali Perkins passed along Yalsa's Best YA Fiction nominations... TWEET.

News about the Mockingjay leak... TWEET, TWEET, and TWEET.

Young Adult Book Central told you where to download the audiobook of Alex Flinn's Beastly for free...

TWEET.

Harlequin Teen reminded you to download Julie Kagawa's free Iron Fey novella... TWEET.

Author Cat Clarke shared the back cover copy of Entangled... TWEET.

 Harper Teen shared the first two chapters of Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen... TWEET.

Author Gayle Forman shared news about the Where She Went teaser tour... TWEET.

Harlequin Teen passed along news about an upcoming Soul Screamers novella from Rachel Vincent... TWEET.

Author Lisa Desrochers received her author copies of Personal Demons... TWEET.

The book trailer for Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare went live... TWEET.

Author Rachel Hawkins shared some of her foreign covers... TWEET and TWEET.

Harper Teen offers you a look at the first nine chapters of Paranormalcy by Kiersten White... TWEET.

Author John Green posted details about his UK mini-tour... TWEET.

The Merry Sisters of Fate share news about their forthcoming anthology... TWEET.

Author Brenna Yovanoff shared an excerpt of her debut novel, The Replacement... TWEET.

The YA Contemps introduced themselves... TWEET.

Author Inara Scott shared the book trailer for Delcroix Academy: The Candidates... TWEET.

Penguin Teen shared a sneak peak of Robin McKinley's Pegasus... TWEET.

Author Alyxandra Harvey revealed the North American cover of Out for Blood, Book 3 of the Drake Chronicles... TWEET.

Publishers Weekly shared news about The Vampire Diaries prequel trilogy... TWEET.

Author Insight: When Inspiration Strikes

Ideas for novels can spring from unexpected places.

Where were you when inspiration struck and

what form did it arrive in?

"I got the idea for from a dream. (I know!) In the dream, two people were sitting on a train--one of those old-fashioned, very fancy trains, but the train itself had become very worn down. And it was very hot. I still remember the girl in the dream--that would be Grace--thinking about how hot it was. And how scared she was that she was going to get caught. I woke up, thought, 'Huh?' but wrote it all down and then fell back asleep, hoping for a nice dream about, oh, me and three weeks with nothing to do but read! Instead I was back on the train. And this time the girl--and now I knew her name was Grace--wasn't alone. There was a guy about her age sitting next to her, and they knew each other but didn't know each other and they were both on the run from something. And then the guy looked at her and what Grace saw--I can't tell you because it's a huge spoiler for the book, sorry!---terrified her. And then he told her he knew what she was, said a word she didn't think she'd ever hear again. Then they just looked at each other. I woke up again then, thought, 'Nooooo! More!!' and got up and wrote everything down. And then it actually just sat for a while, stewing around in my brain while I tried to figure out why Grace was so scared of him and why the guy said what he did. And then, one day, as I was folding socks (!), it all came together. I started taking notes furiously, and began writing the story that day." - Elizabeth Scott, author of Grace.

"Shape of...a Kitchen! Form of...a lightning bolt!" - Heidi Kling, author of Sea.

"For Witch Eyes, it was just walking out of my apartment to go to work and having the sun in my eyes. From there, I researched light allergies, and later thought about a supernatural cause for light sensitivity. My inspiration is usually like that: a hop, skip, and a jump from where the idea really takes root." - Scott Tracey, author of Witch Eyes.

"Well, just last week I had an idea for a new novel while I was getting my makeup done at the Estee Lauder counter at Macy's for a book signing. The lady was putting mascara on my lashes when an idea hit me. However, the book has nothing to do with makeup. It's a mystery, tentatively titled, Tarnished and the concept just hit me at that time." - Danielle Joseph, author of Indigo Blues.

Uncovered: Fixing Delilah

The cover of Sarah Ockler's Fixing Delilah was revealed today over at 21 Pages, and it is A-MAZING! The ARC cover was pretty and very elegant, but I really like the paperdolls. It's an American childhood gone horribly wrong. I think it's brilliant.

What do you think?

Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her "boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

In stores December 15, 2010.

Author Insight is back!

In case you haven't already heard, Author Insight will be back for a second round!

This feature got such an amazing response from everyone involved that, when I spread the word that it would be ending, people jumped at the chance to keep it alive. As a result, a new round will be starting tomorrow with 30 32 amazing author participating! The format remains the same with half the authors answers on Tuesday and half on Thursday.

Here's who you'll be hearing from this time...

 Jenniffer Hubbard, author of THE SECRET YEAR.

Leah Clifford, author of A TOUCH MORTAL.

 

Erin Bow, author of PLAIN KATE.

Tweet News (8)

What did you miss on Twitter this week?

Author Rachel Hawkins got a visit from the ARC fairy... TWEET.

Author Maggie Stiefvater showed off the UK cover of Lament... TWEET.

Harper Teen showed you where to get Darkest Power goodies and find out details about Kelley Armstrong's latest novel, The Gathering... TWEET.

Author Kristina McBride shared news about her debut novel, The Tension of Opposites... TWEET.

Mortal Instruments creator Cassie Clare made a major announcement about the series... TWEET.

Harper Teen showed you where you can read the first chapter of Anna Godbersen's Bright Young Things... TWEET. 

Author Daisy Whitney revealed the new cover of The Mockingbirds... TWEET.

MockingJayNet shared a letter to readers from author Suzanne Collins... TWEET.

Harper Teen let you peek inside David Macinnis Gill's Black Hole Sun... TWEET.

WestSide Books' new teen site went live... TWEET.

Author Scott Westerfield reminded you that Leviathan is now available in paperback... TWEET.

Harper Teen told you where you can read the first 11 chapters of  Beastly by Alex Flinn... TWEET.

Penguin Teen gave you a sneak peek of Nancy Werlin's upcoming novel, Extraordinary... TWEET.

Author Tessa Gratton shared news about her debut novel, Blood Magic... TWEET.

Harper Teen offered you an exlusive excerpt from Delirium by Lauren Oliver... TWEET.

Publisher's Weekly Kids Bookshelf interviewed author Melissa Marr... TWEET.

Author Lisa Desrocher's showed you where to read 48 pages of Personal Demons... TWEET.

Penguin Teen revealed the trailer for Sapphique  by Catherine Fisher... TWEET.

Author Saundra Mitchell announced that her upcoming novel, The Vespertine, will have a companion novel... TWEET.

Back in the Blogging Saddle

Apologies for my absence in the virtual world lately. Life recently intervened as it so often does and forced me to step away from blogging to take care of other, more pressing things. Twitter, Facebook, other social media, and anything that isn't immediately necessary have also taken a backseat. Things are starting to settle down, and I am slowly, steadily making my way back into the blogosphere.

I do want to take a moment and say thank you to everyone out there who has asked about my dad or expressed concern in any way. I've probably come off as very nonchalant and sometimes even unappreciative of your well-wishing, but I want you to know that I do appreciate it very much. You all have been awesome. The old man is now home from the hospital and recovering well. He'll be back to his snarking, sarcastic self in no time.

Frankly, I can't wait to get my butt back in gear. You see, I'm a worrier by nature and actually having things to worry about like broken cars and stressful jobs and fathers with broken tickers does a number on my physical and mental health. It's no good, and things like reading, writing, and blogging get my mind off the fretting I often do about the real world and its many imperfections.

We'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming soon. Thanks for bearing with me.

Tweet News (7)

What did you miss on Twitter this week?

Penguin Teen shared the soundtrack for Robin Benway's latest release... TWEET.

Author Lauren Oliver unveiled the cover of Delirium... TWEET.

Publisher’s Weekly shared news about Barnes & Noble… TWEET.

Shelf Awareness passed on more info about the Barnes & Noble sale… TWEET and TWEET.

Harper Teen revealed the cover of Ellen Schreiber's Once in a Full Moon... TWEET. 

Author Leah Clifford got a visit from the ARC fairy... TWEET.

Scolastic prepares for the Mockingjay blog tour... TWEET.

Author Rachel Vincent shared a mini-excerpt from Alpha... TWEET.

Lauren Oliver's upcoming novel, Delirium, gets buzz from Publisher's Weekly... TWEET.

Author Lisa Desrocher shared the final Personal Demons teaser... TWEET.

Harper Teen told you where you can meet authors Sophie Jordan and Kiersten White this fall… TWEET.

Mockingjay author Suzanne Collins heads to Massachusetts this month to kick of her tour... TWEET.

Author Kim Harrington revealed the cover of Clarity... TWEET.

Author James Dashner got his ARCs and shared a look at The Maze Runner trailer... TWEET.

Tell Me A Secret Trailer

Welcome to the Tell Me A Secret Trailer Launch Party!

The trailer for author Holly Cupala's debut novel is live on various sites and blogs today, and you have the opportunity to spread the word and win some cool stuff!

It's just over one minute long, but it makes a real impression!

Take a look...

 

What's up for grabs...

• Signed TMAS books!
• TMAS t-shirts!
• Fan-made bracelets by Hannah S!
• Music that inspired the book!
• Sneak Previews!
• Bookmarks and Handmade Magnets!
• A Tell Me a Secret handmade necklace made by Gypsy Wings!

How do you win?

1. Pop over to YouTube and click the "Share" button on the Tell Me A Secret Trailer, and post it to your blog, Facebook, MySpace or tweet it. Every entry is worth 5 points.

2. Tell Holly where you posted it using her Contact Form.

Holly will be featured on ReaderGirlz for the entire month of August, including a live Twitter Chat soon. Now, go forth and spread the trailer love!

 

CSN Gift Card Winner!

One of my readers has lucked into a $40 gift card from CSN Stores, so they can go on a little shopping spree, be indulgent, and buy themselves a new bookcase or any number of other shiny new toys. Want to know who it is?

Congratulations!

Kelsey (crazyhippo37)!

I have emailed you. Please respond with your mailing adress within 48 hours, and I will forward your information along to CSN so they can get your gift card to you.

Thanks to everyone who entered.