Lately I've been doing this really fun thing with some other writer friends (Rhonda Stapleton, Michelle Zink, Jennifer Brown, and Danielle Joseph) where we meet online at a set time, someone says go, and we all write as fast as we can on our different projects. We do it for a half an hour at a time and then report back in with our word count. It's kind of like having a diet buddy, someone to cheer you on to write more words instead of lose lbs. It's awesome! I'm getting so much stuff done this way!
Except for last night. I had to miss out so I could go to a canning party. What's that you ask? Well, it's where a bunch of women get together to learn how to can. Good stuff I tell you. I have to admit, I've never canned before in my life and I probably never will again (takes a long time!) but it was fun to try and I felt very Ma Ingalls while doing it. Here's what we made:
The one on the right is strawberry jelly but we weren't sure it turned out as thick as it should so we wanted to leave it open-ended in case it was runny. Then we could call it ice cream topping.
I'm not sure when we'll open these to try. It took so much to get it canned I just sorta want to leave it like this.
They're pretty right?
One last writing thing before I go. I finished my story for the October 2011 Debs Anthology! Yay! I'm really excited about it! 25 super cool authors have contributed to it and the cover is BEAUTIFUL. Check it out:
Welcome Girlfriend Elana Johnson with her debut dystopian, POSESSSION!
About POSSESSION:
Vi knows the Rule: Girls don’t walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn…and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi’s future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.
But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they’re set on convincing Vi to become one of them….starting by brainwashed Zenn. Vi can’t leave Zenn in the Thinkers’ hands, but she’s wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous: everything Zenn’s not. Vi can’t quite trust Jag and can’t quite resist him, but she also can’t give up on Zenn.
This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.
Our Interview:
KRISTINA: In my book, THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, Jane, a coffee barista, matchmakes people based on their favorite coffee drinks. What’s your favorite coffee drink? (If you don’t like coffee, tell me what your favorite drink in general is. But I am sorry, you’ll never find love. Kidding!)
ELANA:Yeah, not a coffee drinker. But I love me some grape-flavored Squirt. Like, love it!
KRISTINA: I am always curious about when and where writers write. Can you tell me about your schedule and your favorite place to work?
ELANA:I have a “cockpit” which is really just a tiny card table pushed into the corner of my kitchen. I do most of my writing from 9 – 11 PM, and whenever else I can.
KRISTINA: What are you reading right now?
ELANA:I have so many books in the to-be-read pile! Right now I’m reading BLOOD MAGIC by Tessa Gratton and CHIME by Franny Billingsley.
KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?
ELANA:I am on twitter! You can find me @ElanaJ.
KRISTINA: What are you working on now?
ELANA:I’m working on the companion novel to POSSESSION. It’s slated for a June 2012 release, and I’m about to dive into edits.
What People Are Saying About Possession: "Possession held me completely captivated from beginning to end. And what an end! I fell in love with the characters and had countless moments of 'Wow.'" --James Dashner, bestselling author ofThe Maze RunnerandThe Scorch Trials
"Who Should Read This: Anyone who wants a challenge: This plot is so twisty, I had to read the last chapter twice before I could believe what happened. There's also a very nice balance between badass action and romantic tension for readers who like a good mix of the two." --MTV.com
“Most [readers] will be drawn in by the love triangle, revelations about Vi and her family, and a dark twist ending that maintains the faintest glimmer of hope.” --Publisher's Weekly
"This debut dystopian succeeds at suspense and tension.... Revelations come hard and fast." --Kirkus
“Emotion pumps through every scene of this thriller. Given all the urgency and action, the novel’s ending may surprise readers as the heroic adventure turns into a tragic love story.” –School Library Journal
“An intriguing dystopia…A good choice for fans of Pam Bachorz and Ally Condie.” --Booklist
Amanda Ashby is visiting with her newest book, FAIRY BAD DAY.
About the Book:
It’s going to be a fairy bad day...
First, my rightful designation of dragon slayer is STOLEN right out from under me by Curtis Green. Sure, he’s really cute, but that doesn’t give him an excuse.
On top of that, I am assigned to slay fairies. I know what you’re thinking—how hard could it be, right? Wrong! These menacing beasts with their tiny hipster clothes and mocking sarcasm love taunting me. And they won’t STOP!
But the thing that tops my list of stuff to ruin my day? That would be the GIANT KILLER FAIRY that I have to hunt down and slay because I am the only one who can see it. There is someone who can help me. Unfortunately…it’s Curtis.
Our Interview:
KRISTINA: In my book, THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, Jane, a coffee barista, matchmakes people based on their favorite coffee drinks. What’s your favorite coffee drink? (If you don’t like coffee, tell me what your favorite drink in general is. But I am sorry, you’ll never find love. Kidding!)
AMANDA:Hahaha—I like people who call it the way it is!!!! I don’t actually know what my coffee is called—I guess it’s just a long black and have a splash of milk and sugar (because sugar and coffee are SO meant to be together!) We have our own espresso machine, which I love more than life itself. It is just about to die though so I think we’re going to need to get a new one (or throw ourselves off a cliff!)
KRISTINA: When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?
AMANDA:Not until I was about 27. The signs were all there from early on but I just never took to the time to piece them all together. I was always an avid reader, English was my best subject and I even went to College and did a Journalism and English degree. In fact, some people could say that I’m a very slow learner! However, I finally did decide it would be cool to write a book and from that moment I never looked back!
KRISTINA: Why do you write MG/YA as opposed to other types of fiction?
AMANDA:I write YA because it just feels right. I’ve done adult fiction as well but it just didn’t resonate as much. Though I must say that I’ve just written my first MG series and that was a LOT tougher than writing YA. I guess it’s that old saying—don’t work with kids! But seriously, by the time I went back to writing YA I was so happy to have a heroine who could sneak out of the house, drive a car and own a cell phone!!!!!
KRISTINA: How do you come up with the names of your characters?
AMANDA:I LOVE naming characters! I just flick through name books and watch lots of TV! I tend to use quite English sounding names for my heroines and geeky names for me heroes. Not sure why!
KRISTINA: Have you ever based one of your characters on someone you know? If so, did that person find out? How did they react?
AMANDA:Well, I didn’t consciously do that but after my first book, You Had Me at Halo came out I suddenly realized that the stepmother in the book was VERY similar to my own stepmother and I swear on something pink and glittery that I had no inkling of what I was doing until it was way too late. I was mortified though thankfully I’m pretty sure she never read the book, though she does have a copy.
KRISTINA: What is the title of the first book you ever wrote?
AMANDA:Love Story! I know, I really pushed the boat out on that one! Mind you, the bad title just reflected how bad the rest of the book was. Thankfully I have purged it from my mind and from under my bed so Love Story by Amanda Ashby will NEVER be coming to a Kindle near you!
KRISTINA:What are you reading right now?
AMANDA:Fly Me to the Moon by Jill Mansell, who is one of my favorite authors and life always becomes a bit better when I’m reading her books!!!
KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?
AMANDA:Yes, I love twitter and obviously only ever use it to say wise and profound things with no mention of how many Skittles and muffins that I’ve consumed in any single day!
AMANDA:I’ve just finished revisions on the first of my afore mentioned MG books. The series is called SOPHIE’S MIXED-UP MAGIC and book one is Wishful Thinking. It’s about a girl who gets turned into a djinn the day before she starts sixth grade and as you can imagine, chaos ensues!!!!
KRISTINA:Thanks for stopping by Amanda and good luck with the book! Visit Amanda at her Web site.
Jessica Brody is visiting me this week with her newest release, MY LIFE UNDECIDED. It sounds super cute. Take a look:
About the Book:
PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!
Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment.
Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure.
But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I’m gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else be the one to decide which book I read for English. Or whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich Maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: Chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated!
Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever.
But don’t take my word for it, read the book and decide for yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.
Our Interview:
KRISTINA: In my book, THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, Jane, a coffee barista, matchmakes people based on their favorite coffee drinks. What’s your favorite coffee drink? (If you don’t like coffee, tell me what your favorite drink in general is. But I am sorry, you’ll never find love. Kidding!)
JESSICA:Short Raspberry Soy Latte. I can’t get enough of them!
JESSICA:When I was writing the book, I always pictured Shailene Woodley from The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I think she’d be really good in the role.
JESSICA:I have a running list of cool names that I come across. Whenever I meet someone who has an especially cool name I ask them if I can use it in a book someday. If they say yes, it goes on the list. Then whenever I start a new book, I scroll down my list and see which name seems to fit my character.
JESSICA:Actually, MY LIFE UNDECIDED has a few real people in it. I set it in my home town of Parker, Colorado, at a fictitious representation of my own high school. Mr. Simpson, the Algebra teacher in the book is based entirely on Mr. Simpson, my own high school algebra teacher! I’ve recently reconnected with him on Facebook and I let him know that he has a special cameo. He’s totally psyched and promises to buy a thousand copies.I’m going to hold him to that! :)
JESSICA:The Kitty and the Puppy. I wrote it when I was seven. It even had illustrations. And if you saw it, you’d understand why I don’t illustrate my books anymore.
KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?
JESSICA:Yes! Please follow me! @jessicabrody
KRISTINA: What are you working on now?
JESSICA:Ooh, I have TONS of fun stuff in the works! Some I can talk about and some I can’t…YET! My next book is called 52 REASONS TO HATE MY FATHER. It will be released in Summer 2012. I just finished all the edits. I’m so excited about this one! It’s about a spoiled teen heiress, famous for her partygirl antics and tabloid headlines, who’s forced by her ever-absent mogul father to take on a different low-wage job every week for a year, if she wants any hope of receiving her trust fund. I had SO much fun writing that one. And it was recently optioned for film! So fingers crossed it actually gets made! How cool would that be?
And right now I’m working on the first book in a new sci-fi trilogy I just sold called UNREMEMBERED. It’s about a sixteen year old girl who wakes up amongst the wreckage of a devastating plane crash with no memories. She's forced to piece together her forgotten past with only one clue to her identity-- a mysterious boy who claims she's not from this time.
******
Thanks for visiting me Jessica! And everyone else, check out Jessica’s new trailer!
Ellen Booraem and C. Alexander London both flew in for the event (so cool of them!). Ellen from Maine and C. Alexander from New York. Ellen was so nice and her newest book, SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS, looks great! C. Alexander was really funny and has traveled all over the world as a journalist before writing fiction. I always like seeing Brenda Ferber and sat next to her on the panel. She shared great stories about where her ideas for her books come from. And I was so excited to see Ilene Cooper again. She's written more than 30 books for kids of all ages and she's the Children's Books Editor at Booklist Magazine. On her Web site she says, "Every book published in a year comes into my office and I look at almost every one. All 6,000 of them." How cool is that?!
It was really exciting being with such a great group and as I sat there I realized it was my first official panel. Things I learned:
1) Drink lots of water if you're sitting outside in 95 degree heat. (Yikes, it was hot.)
2) Make sure they have your book for sale at the event. (I usually do check for that at events. I don't know why I didn't think to this time.)
3) Listen closely to the moderator when she's asking questions. (I was thinking about how sweaty and hot it was at one point and missed my question. Whoops.)
4) Talk directly into the microphone (and don't keep thinking about how funny your voice sounds in it.)
4) And have fun! It really takes a lot of pressure off to be with a group of people and have a moderator with pre-determined questions. There is no worry if someone from the audience will ask questions and the moderator keeps things rolling along beautifully. It was a great time!
Hi and welcome to my blog! I'm the YA/MG fiction author of The Espressologist, My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours, Just Your Average Princess, The Paparazzi Project, and Boy Swap. I'm also the mom to four little ones and a coffee fanatic. Find me on twitter @TinaSpringer.
