Bookalicious » Interviews

Interview with L.J. Smith part deux

Pam — Tue, 24 May 2011 06:03:36 +0000

Two years ago when this blog was a tiny 20 hits per day machine I got the okay to interview L.J. Smith. I had recently found and fell in love with her Vampire Diaries series and was eager to make my mark on the book blogging scene. I credit that interview with L.J. as being one of the things that gave my blog a push in the right direction.

When I learned that L.J. had been fired from the TVD series I was heartbroken for her. After years of reading interviews, blog posts, and the books themselves it was clear to me that she loved writing this series. I asked her just a few questions about her feelings on this whole debacle, I really don’t want/need the books to be closer to the show. The only reason I DVR that hot mess is for Ian Somerhalder.

Pam:Did you know when you signed on that having the series taken away from you could be a possibility?

Lisa: Good Lord, no! I signed on over twenty years ago, in 1990, just to do a sort of upscale trilogy about vampires. Normally, back then, a book packager put together “bargain” books, using “bargain” authors and a huge amount of editing. But even before I got The Phone Call That Changed My Life, Alloy had decided that this was going to be a chic trilogy. I remember that at first Elise D.—the editor that called me to ask me to write it, saying she’d read my first two fantasy books and thought I’d be great for the job—was saying that they were going to do “special photographs” for the cover.

But once I’d actually written The Awakening, the first book in the trilogy, everybody went nuts. “Harper is dancing in the streets,” Elise D. told me gleefully. I got a call from a woman at HarperTeen who thought the manuscript had come in as a submission and was dying to buy it—and to know what happened after Stefan disappeared and Elena went out to confront Damon. And on the cover the book packager put no photograph, but an expensive drawing.

The only problem with the lovely cover was my name. If you ever get a first edition, you’ll see that it’s so small it can barely be read. Hot book, no credit to the author. That was the when I began to realize what was in store.

Well, that was the old days. After doing Vampire Diaries I did Secret Circle for what’s now Alloy (with the same kind of contract—not because I was naïve anymore but because the head of the company actually laughed at my agent when she asked for more money in advance. He wrote…”These spooky books must be getting to you,” as in “giving you delusions as to what a book by L. J. Smith was worth” and that hurt me so much). I’d written the first three books for either $2,500 or $3,500 advances—plus all the rights I was giving away, but he laughed when I asked for more.

And then I did one more book with them—for readers. While I was writing that trilogy I had so many readers write begging me to bring Elena back to life that I did, and made it a quaterlogy or whatever. Trilogy plus one. So that was very convenient, when the vampire craze began again in the 2000’s and Alloy packaged the books: two in one omnibus and two in another. And the craze? It was different from the 1980s-1990s supernatural craze because 1) It focuses on romance and 2) it is much more centered on vampires. But suddenly The Vampire Diaries were back on the bestseller list. I hadn’t even known Alloy had rereleased them.

But I wanted to write more of them. Alloy wanted me to write more. The thing was, I was no longer a cowering mouse. I’d had the grand doyen of children’s book agents, the late Marilyn Marlow, for many, many years, while I wrote The Forbidden Game, Dark Visions (which recently debuted as a Number 1 New York Times Bestseller) and the first nine books of the Night World series.

So, I had a different kind of contract when I wrote three more Vampire Diaries books, although it didn’t change the “work for hire” idea that had been set in stone when I had signed my original contracts. (“Work for hire” means the author doesn’t get most of the important rights she would if she were just writing the book for a regular publisher. It means, for me, that Alloy owns the books.)

When I wrote the “TVD The Return” books, I did it my way, because I write everything my way. I do enough research for a nonfiction book in the beginning, and get my characters so clear that they become independent people, and then I just write about them, chronicling their adventures. This is really true. I can’t write properly if I am aware of writing. I have to see it in front of me, feel it inside me. (That’s why I spent ten years with writer’s block at the height of my career, while my family dealt with cancer. I could research, but I couldn’t see the characters. If I could have written I certainly would.)

As for the new book I wrote, Nightfall, Shadow Souls, and Midnight, they were all huge bestsellers. (Even though the first Nightfall was the worst book I’ve ever written. Maybe I was rusty.) Good or bad, the recently released Midnight debuted on the New York Times bestsellers list, on the Washington Post list (up against adult books) and on the Publisher’s Weekly bestseller’s list. And then I just in the last few days got a snail mail letter from the president and CEO of HarperCollins, congratulating me on the success of Midnight, and on all having the Vampire Diaries books made into a TV show, and saying that he was looking forward to the next installment of The Vampire Diares: The Hunters. Now I have to write back to him—somehow. He clearly doesn’t know that I won’t be writing The Hunters.

So, no, I never imagined that while I wanted and was eager to write these books the carpet could be yanked out beneath me. I did agree that someday, after I’d written my fill of Vampire Diaries, if vampires were still in fashion, a ghostwriter could continue the series. But of course I assumed I’d be able write the endgame. Damon would end up with one of the girls, Stefan would end up with Elena or die . . . I don’t know what would have happened. But I wanted–desperately–to write TVD: The Hunters. I picked that name for the next trilogy and I picked the names for the books. I picked Phantom (and I duly wrote a book called Phantom, but no one will ever see it).

Of course I assumed I wouldn’t be writing Vampire Diaries for the rest of my life. I have many other stories in my head, flying in a holding pattern. But I also assumed I’d be the one to cry “Nay, enough!” (hey—Shakespeare)! I assumed they’d want a bestselling writer for . . . eternity.

Here’s the way a book is normally published. The author writes it, an editor makes suggestions, the author takes some and leaves some, and the book goes to print. But when I sent in Phantom instead of edits, I got a letter addressed twice the ghostwriter by name, that was about eight pages long, single spaced, telling her how to completely rewrite the book. I’m still in shock. Voodoo had been added. Tyler Smallwood’s cousin had been added as a major character. Things had been added that, to me, didn’t make sense. It looked a lot as if a bunch of editors had worked simultaneously on it.

And no matter how I begged and offered to do the book their way, Alloy wanted the ghostwriter (whom I happen to know, and know why she was free for the job, but I won’t release that information right now.)

Pam:Outside of being fired, has there been a larger effort to disaffiliate you and the series?

Lisa: I feel that it has, but maybe that’s just because HarperTeen sided so vehemently with Alloy, scaring my agent, so that she told me she was not going to represent me in this matter anymore. I was, very literally, alone surrounded by unfriends.

If, as Alloy stated to the Hollywood Reporter, they are doing this to get the books closer to the show, I can’t imagine how they would do it. Get Elena to dye her hair? Kill off her little sister Margaret and introduce a new brother Jeremy? Change Mrs. Flower’s into Bonnie’s grannie? Kill Meredith, forget her newly introduced part-vampire blood, and her whole-hearted hunter-slayer dedication? Forget where the plot has been and never let Elena go back to the Dark Dimensions?

I do have a strange, strong feeling that despite Alloy wanting my name on the cover of the books, they don’t want me around. Which would make sense, given that the books have become a worldwide commodity.

When I get email from Albania and Brazil and Canada and Denmark and England and Finland (not so sure about that one so I’ll skip the cutesy abc thing) and Israel and Qatar and India and Turkey, and Panama and Belgium, and Mexico and Australia, and Russia and Italy and New Zealand, and you get the idea. I’ve been begging my agent for a year to find out how many languages The Vampire Diaries has been translated into, or at least how many countries it has sold to, some in English (like India because of all the different dialects in different areas) but she never has gotten the info for me.

Pam: Will all the future books be in your name but ghost written?

Lisa: Not in my name. “Created by” my name, with the “created by” written pretty small. I’m having déjà vu from the first edition of the Vampire Diaries and how infinitesimal my name was on the cover.

Pam: Tell us how to support you now? What books are not affiliated with a company?

Lisa: Everything but Secret Circle and Vampire Diaries is just published by a regular publisher. This means the three-omnibus Night World series for vampire lovers who also like witches, soulmates, werewolves, etc,; Dark Visions, for a different variety of vampire; and The Forbidden Game for people who like a scary, soulful guy who has been raised in a world of complete evil but who falls in love with the only sunlight he ever saw as a child: who has become a teenager now, called Jenny Thornton.

Pam: What is the single biggest misconception in all of this? What is your response to it?

Lisa: That I am or would be, in any shape, size, philosophy, or form ever willing to give up before I had finished The Vampire Diaries endgame. Before the romantic endgame. And here I may have to define a couple of words, Vampire Diaries style. What I wanted was to set the characters into their final romantic positions—that’s all. Alloy could have done books after that; I was willing to see “The Blood-Craving, Spine-Crunching, Yet Strangely Sensual Wednesday that Damon Had Last Week Fighting A Sea Monster” on the shelves after Damon had either 1) left without taking any of the contestants or a forwarding address; 2) knelt before Bonnie and said, “You were the human I met first in this godforsaken town. You were the first girl I kissed here. I know how badly I’ve treated you. Can you ever forgive me?”; or fought with Elena and ending up kissing her madly in mid-argument and whispering, “Run away with me. Now. On this wind. This moment. Make me the happiest dead person alive; or Stefan would be wed to Elena in the Dark Dimension as thousands of Black Magic corks are popped, and a free hospital is opened as freedom fighters worked in tunnels below; or Stefan would die nobly and Elena live a life of pure and single blessedness in his memory; or whatever . . . but it would be my channeling of the spirits, my choice, not that of a ghostwriter who hardly knows the series.

And my reaction to people getting angry at me for “leaving” the series: well, think of someone taking a wee on your grandmother’s (the nicest one’s)—or if you’re old enough, your mother’s—gravesite. And then think of the whole world as you know it doing it. Think about how that would hurt in your mind, in your soul; and you’ll have an idea of how my left pinky feels. You don’t want to get me talking about how my soul feels. It feels . . . trashed. Mutilated. Worse than its felt in a long, long, long time, Like being raped in a lonely stairwell by a guy with a knife and then being blamed for it by the Supreme Court. (And, yes, I have a referent for all but the “Supreme” court. Not me, but someone in my immediate family.

Pam: Is there anything you want to say to fans?

Lisa: Just that I want to write The Vampire Diaries. I ache all over to do them. But I’ve run out of Plans. I don’t know how to make Harper and Alloy want me, not just my name. And I still love all my fans even though they’re going to buy the ghostwritten books, even if they say they won’t. I understand. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you!

Lisa ♥

Interview: Tricia Rayburn author of Siren

Pam — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 13:00:53 +0000

I just adored Siren, and Tricia gives a great interview guys. You can read my review of Siren here. Thanks Tricia and Egmont for stopping by!

Pam: One of the things I loved about Siren was that it was that it was paranormal but not the same old thing. What made you think of Sirens?

Tricia: Siren came about because of my somewhat recently developed fear of sea creatures. Sharks, jellyfish, crabs, you name it—if it’s underwater, I’m not a fan! That got me thinking about what ELSE might be lurking beneath the surface, and the idea for Siren grew from there.
Pam: The main character grows up so fast. She starts insecure and unable to make decisions, by the end of the book she is a power house of confidence.
How did she evolve for you?

Tricia: Vanessa’s scared of many things, but she eventually learns that one force overpowers her biggest fear: love. When hiding behind Justine, her older sister, is no longer an option, she could retreat, pull the covers over her head, and pretend that nothing bad is happening…but she doesn’t. She can’t. She loves Justine too much to not solve the mystery of her death, and she grows when trying to do so makes her confront some of her worst fears for the first time.

Pam: Where did you get the idea for the creepy old man? I love him!

Tricia: I’m so glad you liked Oliver! Someone in Winter Harbor had to have an idea of what was causing the sudden storms and eerie deaths, and he was the perfect candidate. His creepiness stems from what he suspects—but isn’t sure—is happening.

Pam: At Book Expo America I was in line next to your line since I already had your book. Your line filled up so fast that I saw people being turned away. How was that experience for you as a new author?

Tricia: It was incredible—and totally unexpected! I actually worried no one would come, and when I saw the line of people waiting, I thought there had to be some sort of mistake. But there wasn’t! And I was surprised, excited, and truly grateful.

Pam: Thanks for stopping by. Is there any plans or secret stuff you can share about this series or another? Where can we check you out on the web?

Tricia: Thank you for having me! Siren is the first in a trilogy; the second book will be out Summer 2011, the third Summer 2012. As Vanessa’s story continues she’ll return to school for her senior year, try to figure out her relationship with Simon, and struggle with new physical abilities and limitations. Readers can visit me online at TriciaRayburn.com and TriciaRayburn.blogspot.com!

Interview witih Eliot Schrefer

Pam — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:15:43 +0000

I was super lucky to meet Eliot Schrefer at the Teen Author Carnival in New York before the Book Expo America. I watched his panel and through he spoke very intelligently on what it was like to write his latest book The Deadly Sister. Thanks so much to Eliot and Scholastic for stopping by!

Pam: How hard was it to go with an idea from your editor and write?

Eliot: Very easy, actually. It’s sort of like having an essay assignment in high school; it’s actually easier to write one that’s on an assigned question, than one that’s open-ended. It requires your brain to go in directions that it wouldn’t tend to naturally, and surprisingly makes you more creative, rather than less.

Pam: Was it easy to expand on the topic he gave you?

Eliot: Yes and no. The topic was really general–just the two major plot points, really, and a title, and I filled in the middle. I knew I wanted to set The Deadly Sister in Florida, which is where I went to high school, and that naturally gave the book some directions to go. The heat and the concrete, the listlessness and occasional seediness, gave me inspiration.

Pam: Did you flesh it out or was the outline already done?

Eliot: I wrote my own outline. I didn’t really outline my previous books, but this one really required it. Because it’s a murder mystery, I almost had to make a spreadsheet–there are so many clues to plant, leads to follow or tie up. There’s no room for the narrative to meander in a book like The Deadly Sister.

Pam: I heard you have been on a boat for quite a while researching a new novel. Can you give us any small preview?

Eliot: Ah! It’s still in the early stages, but I can tell you that it’s about a bacterial outbreak on a freighter. The research was really interesting. A ship at sea is such a sealed-off, lawless place. It runs much more like a dictatorship than an office.

Pam: What are you reading at this moment, and the last book you read that you can’t get out of your head?

Eliot: I’m currently reading “I am not Afraid” but Niccolo Ammanti. It’s a bit like The Deadly Sister, actually, in that it captures some of the breakdown of social order that happens during a really hot summer.

Pam: Have you ever read a book that you wished you would have written?

Eliot: Yes. Many times. I’m a sucker for a well pulled-off surprise ending. They always make me jealous.

Pam: What is the earliest age you remember wanting to be a writer?

Eliot: Second grade, I think. I collected seeds from the tree behind my house and made little books about them. The plots were, umm, basic.

Pam: What else is coming up that we should be in the know about?

Eliot: There’s a comic fantasy coming out from Scholastic in April called Geek Fantasy Novel. It’s by a mysterious author named E. Archer, and he and I are very well acquainted.

Pam: Where can we stalk you on the interwebs?

Eliot: I’m a facebook scrub. But www.eliotschrefer.com usually has what’s going on.
Thanks so much for having me! It’s been fun.

Smart Chicks Kick Some Answers

Pam — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 02:05:33 +0000

I was super lucky to get to interview Kelly Armstrong and Melissa Marr about the Smart Chicks Kick it Tour. Some great answers here I hope you guys are going to some of the dates. If you are let me know in the comments what venue and signing you will be at!

Smart Chicks has an awesome website full of a ridiculous amount of information. If you need to know what venue, what time, or even why all this came about click the image and check out the website.

Credit: John Marr
Melissa Marr grew up believing in faeries, ghosts, and various other creatures. After teaching college literature for a decade, she applied her fascination with folklore to writing. Wicked Lovely was her first novel. Currently, Marr lives in the Washington, D.C., area, writes full-time, and still believes in faeries and ghosts.

Visit Melissa on the web and on Twitter.

Credit: Curtis Lantinga
I’ve been telling stories since before I could write. My earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, mine would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to my teachers’ dismay. All efforts to make me produce “normal” stories failed. Today, I continue to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in my basement writing dungeon.

Visit Kelley on the web and on Twitter.

Pam:Where did you get the name for the tour?
Melissa:I had to look at the old email for that one, actually! In August 09
during the preliminary planning, I sent an email to Kelley & Alyson in
August that (among other things) says, “We need a name.” Kelley pulled
our ideas together and suggested “Smart Chicks Kick It” and succinctly
summarized that we were focusing on books about “Strong heroines, smart
heroines, capable heroines…real girls with real strengths, not
necessarily out there kicking butt, but able to handle themselves in
tough situations.”

Kelley:Yes, I vaguely recall coming up with that one. Also, if I’m right, I
wanted “Smart Chicks Kick Ass” but knew that would pose a small problem
for booksellers putting up event posters!

Pam:How many years have you been going?

Melissa:This is the first Smart Chicks tour. We started planning a year ago;
the tour is in September.

Kelley:Yes, it’s the first. As Melissa said, we did start planning very
early, but that was the only way we could get commitments from so many
authors. We had to make sure they could blackout those dates before
their publishers started arranging their own tours!

Pam:What city are you most looking forward to on the tour?

Melissa:I’m a travel addict, so they all look great to me. However, I’m
probably most excited about Jackson because it’s the only one I haven’t visited already.

Kelley:Toronto! As a Canadian, I really wanted to make sure we had a
Canadian stop. We usually get overlooked on book tours. It wasn’t easy
keeping this one either–the first store we had arranged with closed at
Christmas.

Pam:Why do different dates have different authors?

Melissa:The tour is a large, author-funded, attempt to get a lot of busy
authors with crazy schedules together. As a result, we needed to mix
and match. Doing so enabled us to include more authors and more cities.
Despite that, we still didn’t get to include all of the authors we
wanted to. The YA market is so filled with amazing authors that we could
have doubled our final plans (which are already double the initial
plan!) and still not fit everyone we want to invite.

Kelley:Ditto. We really wanted to feature as many authors as we could.
Even at six per stop, though, we’re pushing it for store space (most
have to be held at an off-site venue) so they only way we could get more
was to mix-and-match. And as Melissa says, we still had a wish-list of
authors we’d have liked to invite.

Pam:Why did you design a tour featuring fantastic female writers?

Melissa:Actually, we weren’t aiming to only have female authors. We were
looking at the characters in the books, not the writers! Hopefully, if
we continue, we’ll be adding male authors (& other female authors) to
future line-ups. Why a “smart chicks” focus? I’m a mother & a feminist
who taught gender studies and lit. Celebrating smart chicks simply makes
good sense to me.

Kelley:Yes, the “female authors” focus definitely wasn’t intentional. It’s
a result of paranormal YA fiction skewing very heavily toward female
writers. We need more male writers in this genre!

Interview with Elizabeth Scott. Thoughts on Piracy.

Pam — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:42:00 +0000

Pam:Is it true that publisher’s who aren’t making their money back on their investments will publish less debut authors and create a lack of good fiction for all of us by only publishing people of James Patterson’s status?

Elizabeth:Well, to be honest, it’s people like James Patterson, who are perennial bestsellers, that make it possible for publishers to take chances on debut authors. Publishing is a business, like any others, and established bestsellers who bring in a constant stream of money are what they want and need.
Having said that, you are right that authors who don’t make money for their publishers won’t have a career for very long because, as I mentioned before, publishing is a business. And an author who isn’t profitable is an author that is a liability instead of an asset.

Pam:Should e-books be cheaper than hardcovers? Why or why not?

Elizabeth:I do think e-books should be cheaper than hardcovers, but I am coming to this question from the young adult market, where e-book sales aremuch, much lower than they are for adult books.
Past the price of e-books, I think the best thing publishers could do to sell more hardcovers–in both young adult and adult fiction, is to lower hardcover prices. When an adult hardcover edges over the $25 mark, I have a hard time truly considering it, and I know many teen readers don’t like paying, on average, about $17 for a hardcover young adult book. I’d love to see the prices of hardcover books come down because I think your average book buyer is going to be far more
likely to try a new author–or even an established one–if their hardcover books is priced at say, $17 for an adult book, and $12 for a young adult.

Pam:What costs go into releasing a digital release?

Elizabeth:I can’t speak for those who do it on their own, but I know that
creating an e-book version of a published book isn’t as easy as simply sending a file from the publisher to amazon.com or e-book vendor of choice. In fact, there’s an interesting look at the actual costs–and how an e-book isn’t just “free” money for a publisher here: ebook price war.
I don’t agree with everything the article says, but creating an ebook? Not free for publishers. Not free at all.

Pam:How does sharing copies of your e-book illegally hurt you as an author?

Elizabeth:Pirated books–e-books versions, or in my case, mostly scanned copies that have been turned to .pdf files–hurt me because if I don’t make my publisher money, where’s there incentive to keep me? I’m not a bestseller, and so I don’t have the luxury of having a book or two fail.
Bottom line: If I don’t make my publisher money, they have absolutely no reason to keep me on. It’s like any other business–would you want to work with someone who did nothing? And that’s what a non-profitable author is to a publishing house–someone who brings nothing to work.

Pam:How is sharing illegal copies of your book different than loaning a hardback to a friend?

Elizabeth:Loaning a book to a friend means you a. liked the book enough to buy and better yet, b. liked it enough to want your friend to read it. Throwing up a pirated copy for people to download means you think my work is not worth paying for.
And it’s your right to think that. But it could–and very well might–cost me my job.

Pam:No trees had to die for this, so I should only have to pay $5.00 at most for your book. Your reaction?

Elizabeth:I’m assuming this is an e-book question and again, it’s not something
I have lot of experience with. But I look at it like this:

What do you do for a living? And how would you feel if your boss came in and told you, “Sorry, but we don’t want to pay you more than $5 for every project/job you do.”

Would you think that was fair? To get paid $5 per job/project? To get a salary of $5 a year? Because that’s what you’re saying when you tell authors you don’t want to pay $5 for their e-book. (Or regular
book, for that matter!)

photo: Matt Mendelsohn
Elizabeth Scott is a fantastic writer of YA fiction. I agree with every bit of what she has said in this interview. e-books are the same as MP3′s in my book. You don’t expect to pay nothing for an album from your favorite musical artist now do you? Check Elizabeth out on the web and on Twitter

Interview: Emma from Deception

Pam — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:00:08 +0000

Pam:Are you anxiously awaiting seeing your parents and brother again?

Emma:Well … Max … it’s not like we’re best friends, but he is my brother and I am kind of worried about him. And my parents have some serious explaining to do. You don’t disappear for weeks and then drop a bombshell like that note they left me. At least now I know they’re alive, I just have no idea what they’re up to. You know how you’re always wishing that your parents would leave you alone? It’s not as good as it sounds.

Pam:Are you hoping to find a way around the rules so that you can be with Bennett?

Emma:Yes! But it’s not as easy as just breaking the rules. He could lose his powers, and I don’t want to take that from him. What if he’s not the same without them?

Pam:Natalie. Friend or foe?

Emma:Sometimes she bugs the heck out of me, other times I think she’s the best friend I’ve ever had.

Pam:Anxious about your meeting with the Knell?

Emma:A little. Mostly I’m pissed off about the way they’ve treated me and plan to let them know.

Pam:Are you planning to research why you have so many similarities with your ancestor?

Emma:It’s not like I can google it. Believe me, I’ve tried. I’m hoping the Knell will have some answers.

Pam:The end of the book gave us a kind of shocker. How are you processing that information?

Emma:I’ve always had issues with trust. This isn’t helping. Not sure I have processed it yet.

Pam:Did you get a new phone or are you still using the purple dinosaur?

Emma:Purple dinosaur, thanks for reminding me. Praying there’s a new phone in my immediate future.

Pam:Will you be returning to the museum and the prep school or moving on somewhere else?

Emma:Right now, I’m still in Bennett’s museum and at Thatcher. It’s hard to know what will happen next.

Pam:Will you be asking Bennett the hard questions. Like how did he get guardian forms for you?

Emma:The more I learn about the Knell, the less surprised I am Bennett had those papers.

Pam:How does it feel knowing you are like super ghost keeper?

Emma:I feel special, terrified, powerful, and humbled all at the same time.

Interview with Bertie from Eyes Like Stars and Win Perchance to Dream

Pam — Mon, 10 May 2010 16:55:07 +0000

I am so super excited to have interviewed Bertie from the awesome book Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev. Bertie’s saga is continuing in Perchance to Dream and thanks to Lisa and her Publisher I have an extra advance reading copy to give away. So after you read the interview tell me in the comments what fictional character you would like to interview and what you would want to ask. Random.org will choose the winner. Contest ends at Midnight California time on Sunday the 16th and winner will be announced on Monday the 17th.

Pam: So Bertie, when we left you in the theater with Eyes Like Stars you were pretty hot and heavy with A. What happened to having the hots for N.?

Bertie: *ahem* Nate and I have been best friends for a very long time, and I will do anything to get him back.

As for Ariel, well, being around him is like eating an entire chocolate ganache cake in one go: something you don’t regret until afterward.

Pam: When you found out that you have an awesome power as well and weren’t so removed from the players as you thought. What was the first naughty thing you did with your new power?

Bertie: There was an incident with a hail of blueberry pancakes, but I’d prefer not to talk about the syrup or butter, if that’s all right with you.

Pam: How are your little fairy friends, are they still being disruptive?

Bertie: I’m pretty sure it would be a sign of impending apocalypse if they _weren’t_ being disruptive.

Pam: Do you think there is a chance that N. is still out there somewhere?

Bertie: He is out there… I feel it in my bones.

Pam: How is your new relationship with your Mother?

Bertie: I didn’t really have much time with her at all… I guess I’ll deal with that sometime down the road.

Pam: Now that you have answers about your life and how you came to be are you happier, or do you wish you didn’t push so hard to find out?

Bertie: It’s better to know, but it just seems like a whole new set of troubles have popped up to replace the old ones.

Pam: Have you spoken to the manager of the theater since the end of ELS?

Bertie: I haven’t bothered to send any notes back, and he hasn’t sent a Brute Squad after me yet.

Pam: Have you been on a traditional date with A.?
Bertie: There’s nothing really traditional about traveling alongside someone atop a caravan… and I think dinner and a movie at this juncture would just feel ridiculous.

Pam: Have you used your power to conjure up a kick ass espresso machine?

Bertie: After what happened with the syrup, I’m a little afraid of boiling hot coffee raining down upon me from the sky!

Pam: What do you want us to know about your continued struggles and how do you feel as you are about to set out on another adventure?

Bertie: Mayhem and Chaos seem to be constant companions of mine… I don’t think any of us can guess what’s going to come next!

About the author:

Lisa Mantchev is the author of Eyes Like Stars and the forthcoming Perchance To Dream, the first two novels in the Théâtre Illuminata series. She has also published numerous short stories in venues including Strange Horizons, Fantasy, Clarkesworld, and Weird Tales. She lives on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state with her husband, daughter, and hairy miscreant dogs. You can visit her worlds at Theatre Illuminata.

Interview with Lesley Livingston

Pam — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:00:48 +0000

Read my review of DarkLight here.

HarperTeen: Which one book would you pick to read if you were snowbound in a mountain lodge and the ski slopes were closed (but luckily, the hot chocolate kitchens were open)?

Lesley: Hmm… If I was stuck there for good long while, I’d probably want the collected trilogy edition of the Fionavar Tapestry series by Guy Gavriel Kay. I haven’t read it in a while, but it was one of my favorite series when I was Kelley’s age and I’d love to revisit it. Great characters, sweeping fantasy epic, romance. . . and some really terrific fight scenes! Perfect with hot chocolate!

HarperTeen: The heroine of Wondrous Strange and Darklight, Kelley, is the daughter of the Faerie Winter King, Auberon, and the Queen of Autumn, Mabh. But which of the four seasons does Kelley most closely identify with?

Lesley: I think Kelley would probably say that she identifies most with autumn. Aside from the fact that she cringes inwardly every time someone compares her to her capricious, fiery-tempered mother, there is still something about this season, the crispness in the air, the crunch of leaves under her feet. . . that, and the fact that she just so happened to meet a certain Janus Guard for the first time in a fall-shrouded Central Park at twilight. . .

HarperTeen: Sonny is good at the Faerie sport of hurling. Any winter sports he excels at, considering he grew up in Auberon’s court?

Most of Sonny’s time growing up in the halls of the Unseelie Court was spent learning how to fight. Even playing in the hurling matches was akin to tests of survival for the young Janus. For those who don’t know, hurling is sort of like a cross between field hockey and football. Only—in the Faerie Kingdoms—with higher stakes and greater risk of dire injury. It is played on a large field with two goals—one at either end, a small ball (made of enchanted silver in the Otherworld, so it really hurts if you get hit with it), and curved wide-bladed wooden sticks (which the Fae tend to wield like weapons). There is no protective padding worn.

In his rare moments of free time during his youth, Sonny learned to pack a mean snowball and devised several unorthodox uses for icicles. If he were to have to pick an actual winter sport to play in the mortal realm, he’d probably have a hard time choosing. Sonny’s problem is that he’s ridiculously good at just about every physical activity he’s ever set out to master. I’m sure he’d probably excel at something fast and dangerous like downhill skiing, or difficult and dangerous like ice-climbing, or crazy and dangerous like luge! But I have a feeling he might be drawn toward hockey, given the chance. It’s a little like hurling—what with chasing a small object with a stick—and there’s the added bonus of danger from bodychecking and slap shots and knives strapped to your feet!

HarperTeen: Living in Canada, you’re familiar with winter, I’d say! Any favorite long winter survival techniques?

Lesley: You have to embrace it! You can’t be shy with winter up here—you have to actively court it, and seek to discover its charms. Throw a log on the crackling fire and light some candles. Grab your ice skates—and a handsome guy’s hand—and take a spin on a frozen pond. Learn to love stylish layering and funky hats and awesome boots and scarves and ponchos. Wear luscious scented lip balm and revel in the pinkness of your cheeks without blush and the sparkle in your eyes without mascara! And, of course, use body heat to its best advantage. Chilly winter evenings are for snuggling. A warm hug is the best way to drive away the cold.

HarperTeen: What would be your number one getaway spot during the winter months?

Lesley: A good book! Or better yet, a fully stocked library. Then I can go anywhere I want without having to deal with the hassle of lines and the plane deicing at the airport! (Seriously. I’m not much of a beach person anyway—I’m so pale I tend toward spontaneous combustion in direct sunlight!)

Valentine’s week promotion

Because it’s Valentine’s day this week, HarperTeen asked Lesley a few extra questions.

HarperTeen: What was the funniest date you’ve ever had?

Lesley: For one of my birthdays, my boyfriend arranged an entire crazy day for me based on one of my favourite movies—Ferris Bueller’s Day Off! It was hilarious and sweet. And really elaborate! We went to the art gallery and the museum and up the CN Tower and to the racetrack. My boyfriend had prearranged for whole bunches of friends to meet up with us at certain times and places so this movable party just kept getting bigger and bigger—and he’d sound-tracked the whole thing with a mix tape of the movie sound track, my fave songs, and quotes from the film! It was awesome!

HarperTeen: And something more romantic—the best date?

Lesley: Again, it was another birthday, when my guy brought me to New York City and then arranged, secretly, for some of my friends to meet us there. That part was lovely and surprising, and he’d put so much thought and planning into it that I thought it was really tremendously romantic, even if it wasn’t just the two of us. And, of course, then there was the sparkling winter ride through Central Park in a carriage at night, with all of the lights of the city twinkling in the distance and the crisp, dark air and frost on the trees. . . and snuggling. . .

HarperTeen: Kelley and Sonny experience something close to love at first sight. Do you believe in love at first sight?

Lesley: I really do. Or sometimes, it’s love at first “hear”—which was the case with me. Sometimes all it takes is listening to someone speak Prospero’s lines from Shakespeare’s The Tempest in a perfectly rich deep voice for the very first time. . .

HarperTeen: Is there anyone special in your life who’s inspired the swooningly romantic love story in Wondrous Strange and Darklight? If so, does he/she play a role in your writing process—reading early drafts, for example?

Lesley: See above! ;-) And he’s tremendously helpful with my writing. He’ll read drafts for me and help me brainstorm ideas and work through plot knots and help me out of all the writerly corners I paint myself into. And sometimes he’ll just listen to me rant and complain about a story (although I’m sure he prefers it when I’m enthusing and triumphant about a story)!

HarperTeen: What would Sonny’s Valentine’s plans be for Kelley?

Lesley: I think, seeing as it’s February, and it might be a little gray out in the mortal realm, his plans might have something to do with showing her all of the winter wonders that the Unseelie kingdom has to offer. After all, it might be Kelley’s birthright, but she’s never really seen the place, while Sonny grew up there. And it’s chilly—so there would be necessary snuggling (Sonny’s not above an ulterior motive or two). I think maybe a horseback ride across a frozen lake at night under the dancing lights of the Otherworld’s aurora, and then a crackling fire, with strawberries and roses in the garden of the Winter Palace (he’d probably have to call in a few favors to procure those, I would imagine). And then dancing. Kelley still hasn’t forgotten the first time they danced, you know.

Interview with Lucy from Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

Pam — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:04:29 +0000

I am super excited to bring to you the exclusive interview with Lucy Hamilton. Vampire slayer, and fashionista she slayed me (with snark) through-out the Hearts at Stake novel. You can learn more about Lucy, the author Alyxandra Harvey, and the future books by checking out thedrakechronicles.com. Did you have a favorite character? You can read my review of Hearts at Stake also!

Pam: So Lucy, what’s it like hanging out with a family of ancient vamps?

Lucy: Crowded. There are a lot of boys in that house. It was a big pain when we were younger. We were banned from practical jokes after we tried to fill all the birdbaths with red jello. Mosty, I don’t really think of them as a vampire family, they’re just the Drakes. Of course, over the last few years we’ve had to be a little more careful. Not just with the secret of it, but also because apparently I now smell yummy. Which is, actually, kinda gross when you think about it.

Pam: You and Solange are so different, what makes you best friends?

Lucy: We just get each other. And we’ve been friends for so long it’s really more like we’re sisters. She might seem quiet and calm all the time but she has a wicked sense of mischief when you get to know her, when her undead life isn’t crushing her with stress.

Pam: Your attitude and dialog are refreshing and funny, you had me laughing out loud. Where does your attitude come from?

Lucy: My mom would say I get it from her. Dad thinks I get it from his mom. I just forget that I shouldn’t say everything I think out loud!

Pam: I got the point, you don’t like Tofu, but why it’s an amazing food?

Lucy: Dad makes really good tofu. Mom makes it mushy and disgusting. And really, I just think tofu and ice cream should never meet.

Pam: Can you tell me a bit about the different kinds of vampires?

Lucy: There are three ancient families that carry some kind of vampire gene, which they pass on through birth-only through the male line: the Drakes, the Amritas, and the Joiiks. Together they form the Raktapa Council.

Montmartre is more than 400 years old and an undead jerk. He calls his army the Host. He used to be in love with Lady Natasha who claims to be the vampire queen.

The Hounds are really secretive and I don’t know much about them, except that they’re fierce and superstitious.

And the Hel-Blar are just gross. They’re blue and smell like rot and are vicious feral vampires who will drink from anything at anytime. They scare even Solange’s mom Helena, which tells you something!

Pam: I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but that guy you know the one guy, how did you NOT know you were crushing on him?

Lucy: I think of him as a mosquito bite I didn’t even know I had until it started to itch.

Pam: At the end of book one everything still seems a little tense, do you think the Drake family is safe at the moment?

Lucy: I wish I could say yes. Those boys just attract trouble though (even if it that’s what they say about me).

Pam: Did the Drakes make you give back the crossbow?

Lucy: Shh. I hid it under Solange’s bed. I’m smuggling it out when my parents get back from the ashram.

Pam: What is your fave flavor of ice cream?

Lucy: Chocolate cherry.

Pam: Your sense of style seems fantastic! Can you tell me more about your day to day wear?

Lucy: I like silver jewelery and turquoise. Mom has some great turquoise pieces I “borrow” all the time. And I like shiny things, like sequin scarves.

Pam: Now that you are a vampire slayer / protecter do you wear more sensible shoes?

Lucy: A pair of good boots never has to be sensible! Mine have sky-blue velvet laces. And steel-toes for kicking.

Interview: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl Authors of Beautiful Creatures

Pam — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:20:10 +0000

Photo by: Alex Hoerner

A big thank you to Kami and Margie, co-authors of Beautiful Creatures for answering these interview questions for Bookalicio.us. You can read my review of Beautiful Creatures by clicking here.

Bookalicio.us: I have to say you have Southern people described to the letter. Are either of you Southern or have family that lives in the South? As I was reading I was fascinated with how much your book took me home to my teen years in Saltville Virginia (The Salt Capitol of the Confederacy).

Kami: My family is originally from a small town in North Carolina, so I grew up with three generations of women (two Southern) living under one roof. I have a deep affection for the eccentricities of the South, and still go to see my mom in North Carolina every summer. Margie’s family is originally from a tiny town, though not in the South, and I think our shared stories from casserole counties are what made us want to set our story in Gatlin, SC. Even if it isn’t the Salt Capitol of the Confederacy!
Bookalicio.us: I often wondered through out the book why you chose Ethan as opposed to Lena as the main character. The more I read the more I was confused about that, but the more I read the more I loved the fact you did so. It was a breath of fresh air in the paranormal YA assortment.

Margie: You have to remember, we originally wrote this story on a dare from seven teenagers, who read our pages nightly and weekly as we wrote them. So we weren’t really thinking about anything other than what they would want to read. They were powerful, strong, individualistic teenage girls – except for our one Caster Boy! – and we wanted to give them a story where the girl was the powerful, mysterious supernatural, and the boy had to unravel her mystery, find his way to her. Also, I think we also wanted to give them something they hadn’t read before.
Bookalicio.us: The Character of Lena’s Uncle was an amazingly thought out addition to the story. I can’t go into too much detail of how you as the authors used his character for some plot twists without giving spoilers, I wanted to ask how you fleshed him out the way you did.

Kami: Lena’s Uncle Macon is one of our favorite characters, and an important counterpoint to some of the smaller-minded folks in town. He’s brilliant and sophisticated and worldly and unique, and he’s been living in Gatlin as long as the town folks who loathe him. He’s also a wonderfully loyal father figure to Lena. We love how he loves her.
Bookalicio.us:I like the different kinds of paranormal in the book and the way you handled the naming of things and persons with even a little Southern Voodoo thrown in for charm. How did you mesh so many different supernatural elements into one piece without making it over the top?

Margie: We named our Casters from day one. It was important to us to create our own unique rule set for our own magical universe. We didn’t want to be generic, and we wanted to give our readers a kind of magic that was deeply regional, and tied to the Caster County our book lives in.
Bookalicio.us: What is your favorite place to write?

Kami: In my comfy chair, in complete silence, with a Diet Coke. Extra ice.

Margie: In the library or in my own comfy chair, also with a Diet Coke and my earphones blasting my mix of the day!
Bookalicio.us: Pen and paper? Mac or PC? Why?

Kami: We’re both Mac girls, though we use more white boards with more complex color-coding that you could possibly imagine.
Bookalicio.us: Beautiful Creatures is a book that made it on my short list of favorites for 2009, it almost didn’t make it on there because I hadn’t heard about the book. Usually I get recommendations from literary blogs, and Amazon is always throwing stuff to me I devour. It is kind of hard for me to miss a young adult novel, and I am so glad I didn’t miss this one. How hard has it been marketing a YA book in a sea of others? Teens are statistically
reading more now and there is so much to choose from. Publishers expect you to be able to market yourself effectively from the beginning now as well.

Margie: Little, Brown has been incredibly supportive of our book from day one. Our editors, Jen Hunt and Julie Scheina, have always made us feel like a priority, and our publicist Jessica Kaufman is amazing. And the day Amazon picked us for their Top Ten of 2009 and their number one Teen Pick, we were thrown into a bit more of the spotlight than we had ever anticipated. The Warner Brothers movie announcement hitting the day before our book came out was another spotlight, and things just sort of kept rolling from there.
Bookalicio.us: How do you feel about book trailers? Have you ever watched one that made you want to buy a book?

Kami: We love good book trailers. Vania Stoyanova, the photographer who made one of our BC trailers, is so talented that she makes you want to buy any title she makes a trailer for. That’s why we were so happy she made one for us! You can watch her trailer on the homepage of our site, under the reviews. www.BeautifulCreaturestheBook.com
Bookalicio.us: What has been the best part of reader reaction for you?

Margie: It’s amazing to hear people talking about the characters, the town, the story – all of these things that only existed in our heads for so long. We also love love love our librarian readers, so the Morris Debut Award nomination from the YALSA was a special kind of “reader reaction” that we will never forget!
Bookalicio.us: Are you going to be a book tour? Release dates in other countries or movie deals (really it should be a movie)?

Kami: Beautiful Creatures is being published in 25 countries, which is really wonderful. We are going to be on our Southern US book tour from January 18th until the 29th, and then on a more limited northern states book tour from February 20th until the 27th. The movie is going forward in development at Warner Brothers, and we couldn’t be happier about that. For more information on all of the above, be sure to check back at www.BeautifulCreaturestheBook.com – we will be updating the site the whole time we are touring, so you can see the latest BC happenings!