Printer's Row Pics

I realize Printer's Row was a little over two weeks ago but I forgot to post pics! We've been having a fun summer of swimming, walks to the park, and zoo trips and it slipped my mind. But Printer's Row was lots of fun as always! I signed at the SCBWI booth and walked around and visited all of the awesome bookseller's booth's that filled two streets in the Chicago loop. Here are some shots from the day:

GCC Spotlight on: Myra McEntire's TIMEPIECE

Myra McEntire stopped by to talk about her newest YA book, Timepiece.

ABOUT TIMEPIECE:

Kaleb Ballard was never supposed to be able to see ripples—cracks in time. Are Kaleb’s powers expanding, or is something very wrong? Before Kaleb can find out, Jonathan Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, reappears. Why is he back, and what, or whom, does he want?


In the wake of Landers’s return, the Hourglass organization is offered an ultimatum by a mysterious man. Either they find Landers and the research he has stolen on people who might carry the time gene, or time will be altered—with devastating results for the people Kaleb loves most.


Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their extraordinary powers to find Landers. But where do they even start? And when? Even if they succeed, just finding him may not be enough. . . .


The follow-up to Hourglass, Timepiece blends the paranormal, science-fiction, mystery, and suspense genres into a nonstop thrill ride where every second counts.


OUR INTERVIEW:

KRISTINA:   How did you get the idea for Timepiece?

MYRA: The first title came naturally, as the Hourglass is the name of an organization in the book, and both are about time travel. Timepiece was harder, but once I reread when I was finished, it jumped out as the perfect one.

KRISTINA:  If your book was made into a movie, who would star as your main character?

MYRA:  Kaleb is hard to cast, but Chris Zylka, most recently of Secret Circle fame, seems like a good choice.

KRISTINA: How do you come up with the names of your characters?

MYRA:  I have a HUGE baby names book. Also, depending on the character’s age, I search for the most popular names for their birth year.

KRISTINA: Have you ever based one of your characters on someone you know? If so, did that person find out? How did they react?

MYRA: I did! Dru is based on a couple of girlfriends, and I’m pretty sure they both liked it!

KRISTINA: Would you ever try writing in another genre?

MYRA: I'd love to try pure romance one day. That genre has such dedicated fans!

KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?

MYRA: I am, and my handle is @MyraMcEntire

KRISTINA: What are you working on now?

MYRA: The third book in the Hourglass series, titled Infinityglass!

ABOUT MYRA McENTIRE:

Myra McEntire knows the words to every R&B hit of the last decade, but since she lives in Nashville, the country music capital of America, her lyrical talents go sadly unappreciated. She's chosen, instead, to channel her "mad word skills" into creating stories. She's an avid Doctor Who fan and will argue passionately about which incarnation is the best.


You can find her at:


http://MyraMcEntire.com
https://twitter.com/#!/MyraMcEntire

Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit Starring: Amanda Ashby's SOPHIE'S MIXED UP MAGIC

Introducing Amanda Ashby’s new middle grade series, Sophie’s Mixed up Magic! Books one and two were just released. Here’s more information about them.

Book One: Wishful Thinking (May 31st Puffin)

Be careful what you wish for…

After eleven year old Sophie accidentally gets herself turned into a djinn, she starts to think that it might not be so bad after all. (Of course, that’s after she gets the whole orange skin problem sorted out.) Who wouldn’t enjoy having the power to grant wishes! But when Sophie develops RWD (Random Wish Disorder) and can’t STOP granting wishes, things get more than a little mixed-up!

Book Two: Under a Spell (May 31st Puffin)

And that spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E…
As Sophie gets used to her magic, her relationship with the adorable Jonathan Tait is blossoming. There’s only one problem: Jonathan’s twin sister, Melissa. She’s a total mean girl who seems intent on making Sophie’s life miserable. On top of that, Melissa somehow seems to sense that Sophie has powers–and manages to bind Sophie to her in a totally self-serving way. Can Sophie figure out a way out of this–without ruining her chances with Jonathan?

Book one and two are a simultaneous release and watch out for book three in October…

Our Interview:

KRISTINA: Would you ever try writing in another genre?

AMANDA: Before I wrote young adult and middle grade books, I spent many years writing romance and chick lit novels. I still really enjoy writing romantic comedies and I’m actually thinking of self-publishing some of those stories, so watch out!

KRISTINA: Who is (or who are) the Young Adult author that turns you into a fangirl?

AMANDA: I’m a huge fan of Jonathan Stroud. I didn’t read his books until after I did my Sophie books and I remember thinking, “ah, so that’s how you write a djinn book.” Anyway, he’s amazing and I would be very bouncy if I ever got to meet him!

KRISTINA: What is your most favorite (or, weirdest, craziest, funniest, most touching etc.) comment you’ve received from a fan?

AMANDA: I was at a writing festival last week and this lovely teenage girl came up and told me that my aura was amazing and that she could tell how much I loved doing what I did. I was deeply touched!

KRISTINA: What are the last five young adult books you read?

AMANDA: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver, Nightpeople by Antony Eden,  The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson and Shipbreaker by Paulo Bacigalupi (phew – thank goodness for Goodreads or I never would’ve remembered)

KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?

AMANDA: https://twitter.com/amandaashby

KRISTINA: What are you working on now?

AMANDA: I’m just about to start revising my next young adult novel, Demonosity. I’m pretty excited about this book. It’s a lot darker than anything I’ve done before and it has a lot of cute, complicated boys in it!

Bio:

Amanda Ashby was born in Australia and after spending the last sixteen years dividing her time between England and New Zealand, she’s finally moved back and now lives on the Sunshine Coast. When she’s not moving country, she likes to write books (okay, she also likes to eat chocolate, watch television and sit around doing not much, but let’s just keep that amongst ourselves, shall we?)

She has a degree in English and Journalism from the University of Queensland and is married with two children. Her debut book, You Had Me at Halo was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice award, and her first young adult book Zombie Queen of Newbury High was listed by the New York Public Library’s Stuff for the Teen Age 2010. Her latest release, Fairy Bad Day, has been selected by Voya as one of their Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers 2012 and is a SCBWI Crystal Kite Award finalist for the Australia/NZ region. To find out more, please go to www.amandaashby.com

Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit Starring: Melissa Walker's UNBREAK MY HEART

Melissa Walker's latest novel, Unbreak My Heart, released recently and is a perfect romantic read for the summer!

From the Author's Web Site:


The year that broke her heart. The summer that healed it. A dual love story.


Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams’ heart. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and long story short: he’s excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life. Enter her parents’ plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now. Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he’s just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem’s walls and heal her broken heart? Told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clem’s heart and the summer that healed it, Unbreak My Heart is a wonderful dual love story that fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti will flock to.


♥ “A super cute love story! Melissa Walker will inspire readers to never stop believing in true love.” —SUSANE COLASANTI, author of When It Happens and Keep Holding On


♥ “A raw, real, and ultimately heartwarming discovery of what it means to be a true friend. Walker gets it exactly right.” —JENNIFER ECHOLS, author of Love Story and The One That I Want


♥ “ I can’t stress enough how firmly this book has wedged itself in my heart.” -The Hiding Spot


♥ ”This book earns an infinity amount of stars!” -Novel Nerd Bailey


♥ ”Unbreak My Heart challenged me as a reader…and I loved every bit of it.” -Anna Reads


♥ ”There are tinges of Julie Taylor and Matt Saracen in this one. For real, y’all.” -Clear Eyes, Full Shelves

Our Interview:

KRISTINA:   How do you come up with the names of your characters?


MELISSA: I always walk through Greenwood Cemetery near my apartment in Brooklyn and look for names I like. Seriously! I love old graveyards--so many stories there!


KRISTINA:      Have you ever based one of your characters on someone you know? If so, did that person find out? How did they react?


MELISSA: My first books, the Violet on the Runway series, had a love interest/best friend named Roger who was very much like my high school boyfriend. He totally called me on it, but he was flattered (I think). 


KRISTINA:   Who is (or who are) the Young Adult author that turns you into a fangirl?


MELISSA: If I met Judy Blume, I might faint. I'd definitely need smelling salts on hand.


KRISTINA:   Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?


MELISSA:  Yes! I tweet a lot about food and TV, and books. If that sounds good, I'm here: twitter.com/melissacwalker


KRISTINA:  What are you working on now?


MELISSA:  I have a letter in DEAR TEEN ME, an anthology of YA authors writing letters to their teen selves, which is out in late October. And I've got another book in the works for 2013, but I'm keeping mum for now. 

Find it at IndieBound, B&N, or Amazon. Follow Melissa on twitter at @melissacwalker or visit her Web site at: www.melissacwalker.com.