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February 23, 2010

Book Bloggers Get Blogged: Page Turners Blog (2)

Filed under: Book Bloggers Get Blogged — Tags: , , — admin @ 2:53 pm

Book Bloggers Get Blogged!

In talking to Chelsea (The Page Flipper) and Heather (Book Woman), I thought it would be a fun to turn the tables and do a series on my blog of interviews with YA book bloggers — let them be the stars! So now every Tuesday, another Book Blogger will be featured.

If you’re interested, please e-mail me.

Amber “Pixie,” Page Turners Blog

1. Describe yourself without using any qualifiers relating to reading, blogging, or writing… who are you outside of your literary life?

I’m a mother, wife and an on the side photographer. I have four children; my life is built around school, Dr. appointments, meetings and anything else that happens to pop up.

2. You’re trapped in a dystopian society like that in Fahrenheit 451, where all books, periodicals, scriptures, texts, or other forms of written communication have been banned… but in this society, every person can hoard away one piece of writing to keep for herself. What is the one written piece that you choose to keep, and why?

The Host by Stephenie Meyer. It’s long, not as long as Stacey’s choice but almost. It’s just a great story, with an unfinished ending. Plus I could daydream about my Ian(played by James McAvoy) all day.

3. Congratulations! You’ve been given the position as Personal Assistant to any author of your choice (all time periods and genres allowed)… who is it, and what’s the biggest problem you have to overcome working with them?

Man, there are so many great authors, it’s hard to choose. Not sure what “problem” we would have, because I would be grateful I had a job I loved. But the first thing I thought of after I read the question was- Suzanne Collins – trying to convince her to write me into the story as Gale’s new love interest.

4. When it comes to reading and reviewing, which aspect of a book is the most important to you? The plot? The characters? The setting? Something else entirely?

This is a hard question. I am all about the story; it has to be a great story. It can be flawed, with editing errors and the over use of chagrin, but if the story is interesting, I am going to like it. To have a great story, you definitely need well developed characters a defined plot/conflict and a cliff hanger ending. Even if the story ends there, leaving it open, will have the readers contemplating different possibilities.

5. If book blogging weren’t an option, how would your reading habits be affected? Would you be as motivated to read if you couldn’t widely impart your thoughts on books to other readers?

Probably the same thing I was doing 6 months ago- annoying my daughter and teenage sister in law. I’ve been “on the internet” chatting about books for the last few years, with our blog it’s easier to pick the books we want to read. Like Stacey mentioned, I wouldn’t be reading as much YA as I am now. I would still be in the store asking kids, have you heard of this book. Is it any good?

6. You’re giving a dinner party for three contemporary (living) YA authors and three dead classical authors. Who are they, and who do you seat next to whom? Why?

Classic – Jane Austen, J.R.R Tolkien & Mark Twain

Current YA –Stephenie Meyer, J K Rowling & Suzanne Collins

Man, where do I sit?? I guess it would be Austen, Meyer, Me, Collins, Rowling, Twain, Tolkien

7. What’s your favorite punctuation mark? Why?

Does 11 count? You know when you see!!!11!!!, that always makes me laugh. I guess my favorite one would be ?, Because that is usually my state of mind.

8. What literary device could you happily never see used again? (Simile, metaphor, spoonerism, hyperbole, etc.)

I am going to say repetition in sequels. I know some of it needs to be in there, but it’s usually overdone. I hate saying this; because I love this series, but there is a certain vampire series (not Twilight) that up until the 6th book the same things were repeated over and over and over.

9. What is your favorite local bookstore? What’s a bookstore that you’ll never set foot in again? And do you have a ‘dream bookstore’ that you’d either love to visit… or would love to design and own one day?

There is one in Houston that I really like. It’s called Murder by the Book, not really local but pretty close. I only go there when they are having events I want to attend, because it’s closer to drive to B&N to pick something up. It has that old time library feel, there is a back corner that I could just curl up and read a book in all day. Luckily, I haven’t found a bookstore that I don’t like. If I could build my own— I would definitely want to put it in the middle of down town, in a loft. With a lot of windows, maybe a spot to get something to drink and some none book damaging to snack on. I love to snack when I am reading. Oh books, yeah we need a lot of books. I would keep it simple. It would be a certain type of book store like mystery or YA/Children.

10. Have you been to any Teen Read Week events or other Writers’ Conferences? What was your favorite meet-and-greet or interview experience?

Unfortunately, I have not been able to attend any of these. I would love to though.

11. In your opinion, what is a YA novel? How is it different from a children’s novel, and how is it different from an adult novel? What makes someone a YA reader — because it’s clearly more than a matter of their being “a young adult.”

A YA primarily have characters between teen – early 20’s. Their books are more “adult” they start dealing with life experiences, first love, heartbreak. Yet they are not as mature as some adult books dealing with the same situations. As an adult YA reader that is one of the things I love about YA, I can read them and talk to my daughter about certain things in the book, things she is just starting to go through(she is still preteen). I can’t really do that with any other genre of books. A YA reader can be anyone old enough to read it, there is no age limit on YA. Some of the best books ever written are considered fit into that genre. Adults sympathize with the character while teens are experimenting, living these situations with the character.

12. What’s your guilty pleasure reading snack? And what’s your guilty pleasure to read while snacking on it?

I am a huge snacker, when reading. I love to snack on raisinettes or apples. The book doesn’t matter; I would snack reading the phone book.

13. “Don’t judge a book by its movie!” As a connoisseur of all types of books, which genre do you think translates the best from page to screen? What’s your favorite book-to-movie adaptation? Conversely, what’s a book that you hope never to see filmed?

I agree with Stacey. I think historical fiction translates into some of the best book to movie adaptations. When I am watching a book to movie adaptation, I kind of forget the book, so that I can enjoy the movie without yelling- “There is no climbing in trees!!! Or Dobby showed him the room” I just want to be able to enjoy the movie. I hope to never see The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series made into a movie, because it would make a better series on Cinemax.

14. What are your plans for the future? Do you see yourself working in the literary community?

Not sure, once all my kiddos are in school I have been planning on going back to college maybe to teach or maybe to become a Liberian, but that is about it for me.

15. Describe your perfect reading location… are you in a coffee shop sipping cappuccino or curled up at home near the window? Reading on a Kindle in the Big City or taking in the smell of a dusty hardcover?

It would be in an oversized stuff chair next to a bay window (with a great view it could be city, beach or green mountain)- with some raisinettes and a large cup of Jason’s Deli black current tea.

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February 15, 2010

Steering the U.S.S. Blogfail to Starboard…

Filed under: Creative Writing, HAP: Interviewed — Tags: , , , , , , , , — admin @ 5:53 pm

And answering the questions posed in my last post!

BUT FIRST!  A reminder!  If you haven’t read TRIBOCHARGE yet, then what are you waiting for?

Tribocharge

Tribocharge

Tribocharge
A Metempsyche companion short story
http://www.hayleyanneperkins.com/tribocharge/
Tribocharge: A type of contact electrification in which an object becomes electrically charged after coming into contact with another object.

Lightning bolts wounded beautifully, but they healed ugly.

Peter Borley knew this. He saw it a little more every day in his grandpa, Alexander, whose light dimmed just a bit more every morning as his tungsten veins reignited and his skin — pink and shiny, rippled from the current — showed through.

When Indira P. of Brazil (our Supporter of the Moment January 2010) started metempsyche and so many amazing readers joined so quicky to support Green, The Metempsyche novels, and my writing, I decided that I really needed to give something back.

The first offering I have is Peter Borley.

Peter is one of my very favorite characters to inhabit the Metempsyche universe, and he was my natural choice to star in the first Metempsyche companion short story. Because a release of Green itself is still TBA, I wanted to be able to give something (always spoiler-free!) back to the community members, readers, and well-wishers to whom I feel so indebted. I’m hoping to release a short story starring one of the secondary or tertiary characters from the Metempsyche world every 6-8 weeks for as long as I’m able, and Peter Borley the neighborhood poltergeist is just the first!

With that, my interrogation from you begins!

From Mary:

What I’d like to know about you is this: How do you walk around in the shoes you do? I’m speaking literally – I would fall down dead and die if I tried to wear your shoes in the rain (I loved your shoes in Kent) – and figuratively; how do you maintain a good head on your shoulders whilst being so talented and genuinely kind?

Aw, well, thank you miss Mary!

As for the literal “walking in my shoes” — I guess the best explanation that I have is that I took dance for sixteen years (and thus have very little feeling in my toes) and that in my last two years of high school, I wore heels every day.  I was Rachel Berry from Glee, dressing like both a toddler and a grandmother at the same time.  Although… I’ve never owned a pantsuit, thankfully.

My favorite pairs of shoes that I own:

Except in lime green!

These are my #1 favorite pair, except mine are in lime green!

As for the second half of your very sweet question, the answer is simple: I never lie, at least not intentionally.  My freshman and sophomore years of college, I dated a truly horrendous, emotionally abusive, ridiculous, spoiled, awful boy to whom I told three very big lies in an attempt to scare him into being a better person.  After the upkeep of those lies cost me several very good friends and didn’t do anything to make him stop hurting the people around him, I wised up, broke up with him, and proceeded never to lie again.  I might sometimes withhold information from people if I think my opinion would hurt them, but a lie of omission is very different than telling a lie, in my opinion.

From Sam:

This is anything but deep… what’s your favorite kind of ice cream?

My favorite kind of ice cream in the entire world is tragically extinct.  There’s a small ice cream shop in my town that’s owned and run by this very sweet, old Vietnamese woman, and they used to carry this very delicious ice cream called Fudgy Pudding, which was, literally, frozen chocolate pudding with brownie pieces and chocolate fudge chips.  Unfortunately, I was apparently the only person in town who liked it, so they don’t carry it anymore, and I am always sad about it.

Of ice creams that still exist, I’m sort of an old person and I either like amaretto-cherry or spumoni.  As my friend Justin once asked me, “You really like sweets that taste like they’re supposed to be dusty, don’t you?”

Yes.  Yes, I do.

Thank you to Liz, Jacee, and Ashley for your comments as well!

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February 11, 2010

When Your Failboat Hits the Blogging Iceberg

Filed under: Nostalgia & Memories — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 3:46 pm

At this very moment, I am doing A Very Scary Thing.

I am writing a blog entry.

“Why is that scary?” you might ask.  “You write every day!  You Tweet!  You comment on LiveJournal!”

“That’s different,” I might respond.  “That is responding to someone.  I know there’s a person on the other end reading my words, and I know I don’t sound totally stupid.  Or… if I do, it’s only 140 characters of teh dumb.”

I think my phobia of blogging stems from three distinct stimuli:

1.  I really loved Meg Cabot’s blog in high school.

2.  I was a geek in first grade.

3.  Blog entries, other than Book Bloggers Get Blogged, are about myself and not about a friend, acquaintance, or fictional character.

When I was sixteen, I thought Meg Cabot was the coolest, funniest, savviest, most insightful person alive.  I mean, let’s face it, she still is.  All-American Girl and Princess in Love still make me laugh out loud every time I read them, and that really speaks to their lasting humor, considering how often I reread books.

I think what I admired — and still admire, and now envy — most about Meg’s blogging is her way of making her own life read like a hilarious, engaging story.  I have that ability in person, I think… I hope… maybe… but I psych myself out when it comes to blogging.  I get great blog ideas in the shower every day (as a Digital Age baby is wont to do) and I open up Wordpress and look at the blank textbox and freeze up.

November 2006

I am once again setting myself the goal of blogging more like Meg Cabot. Or, actually, more like the Princess Diaries books. Maybe it will help me to develop talent for writing. Or at least give me some material about which to crappily write. Whichever.

Although I’ve gotta say, in general, I find people who blog about “What happened to me today” to be completely ridiculous, because, I hate to tell them, people generally really don’t care about what you did today. Like my roommate, for instance, who updates her Livejournal about four times a day and writes about how she… sat at her desk, writing on LJ.

Four years later, I still think that’s true, and that is the reason for my Blog Stimuli #1: Meg Cabot Is Cool.  When she blogs about her day, she’s able to make me care and laugh and envy and think.  Of course, part of that stems from the fact that her days seem to be pretty fascinating — she gets to wear a tiara, for pete’s sake!  She knows Judy Blume!  She gets TV channels!

I realize that many blogs’ format is to include aspects of daily life along with a hook (and Meg’s hook is simply, “I Am Meg Cabot”), but… I don’t know.  Even blogs that I find fascinating have some sort of hook, a reason why I pay attention — and it’s rarely the actual blog portion.

Foodblogs?

I like the pictures. Food is really pretty, especially macarons, which are the benchmark of a good foodblog.

Sleep Talkin’ Man?

…Does anyone read the little italics after what Man has Sleep-Talked?   I don’t.  I just read the bits about how kittens have TOO MANY WHISKERS, TOO MANY WHISKERS!

The authors whose blogs I enjoy intimidate me for a different reason, however.  They are more closely related to my Blog Phobia Stimuli #2: I Was A Geek In First Grade.

Actually, to be more honest, I was a geek from age one onward.  But first grade is really the impetus of my blogosphereophobia.  (It’s a real word.  It is.  Swear.)

In first grade, my elementary school hired a Music Appreciation teacher who seemed to completely miss the part of her teacher certification in which she should have been informed that first graders are six years old, do not generally have musical training, and listen to things like Mary-Kate & Ashley’s Brother For Sale or I, Grover.  Sometime in October, she gave us the assignment of writing an original Christmas carol.

Because we totally knew how to compose music.

Because we were absolutely not six years old.

So I went home and I worked and I worked and I wrote out some lyrics about ornaments, and I brought my song to school.

Every time I sit down to write a blog entry, I feel like I’m wearing my pink leggings and sitting on the too-big piano bench, being made to try to play the piano and sing an original Christmas carol in front of my pantsuit-clad, spiral-permed music teacher and twenty-two other kids who already tease me every day.

The teacher started laughing halfway through the first verse of my song and told me I was murdering her piano, which really should have been expected as I had never touched one before in my entire life, but the worst part was not the teacher belittling me.  It was the reactions of my classmates.  Three or four kids laughed at me back, but most everyone else just sat on the floor, watching the glowing lights in their Lite-Up shoes.  On the one hand, it’s awesome that probably no one else remembers the moment of my mortification, but on the other, it would have been really nice to have just one kid stand up and say, “Hey!  You never taught us piano, lady!  You can’t laugh at us for not knowing how to play!”

This would never have happened in a first grade Music Appreciation classroom, but it’s the emotion that counts.  My fear of blogging is less about sounding stupid and boring, and more about not sounding like anything at all.

That feeling is what segues into Blogosphereophobia Stimuli #3: I Am Not A Fictional Character.

I love writing about fictional characters.

I would hope that this is somewhat obvious, at this point.

Ever since I discovered that I was allowed to create my own characters, it’s been my passion, but more than that, it’s the discovery of someone else’s life, motivations, and experiences that fascinates me.  It’s why I studied History, Journalism, and Creative Writing in college.  It’s why I enjoyed interviewing popstars for Tommy2.net and why I liked transcribing long, rambling recollections of WWII vets for PBS.  Listening to the conversations around me was my favorite part of being a barista in New York City, and the one part of being a college admission counselor that really suited me was speaking one-on-one with really great, interesting prospective students.

But I already know me!

So, to make my Blogosphereophobia less severe, tell me: Who are you?  What do you like reading blogs about?  How did you stumble across my little blog, and what do you want to know about me?

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February 2, 2010

Book Bloggers Get Blogged: Page Turners Blog

Filed under: Book Bloggers Get Blogged — Tags: , , — admin @ 5:22 pm

Book Bloggers Get Blogged!

In talking to Chelsea (The Page Flipper) and Heather (Book Woman), I thought it would be a fun to turn the tables and do a series on my blog of interviews with YA book bloggers — let them be the stars! So now every Tuesday, another Book Blogger will be featured.

If you’re interested, please e-mail me.

Stacey C., Page Turners Blog

1. Describe yourself without using any qualifiers relating to reading, blogging, or writing… who are you outside of your literary life?

I’m opinionated, always in the middle of something, passionate about things I enjoy and love.

2. You’re trapped in a dystopian society like that in Fahrenheit 451, where all books, periodicals, scriptures, texts, or other forms of written communication have been banned… but in this society, every person can hoard away one piece of writing to keep for herself. What is the one written piece that you choose to keep, and why?

I would choose to have Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. First, it’s REALLY long. Second, she doesn’t answer all the questions so I could ponder things and make up my own story. And third it had a great story. It’s a love story, it has action, redemption, everything!

3. Congratulations! You’ve been given the position as Personal Assistant to any author of your choice (all time periods and genres allowed)… who is it, and what’s the biggest problem you have to overcome working with them?

WOW, this is really touch choice! I’m going to go with JK Rowling. And I think the biggest thing I’d have to overcome would be my lack of literature. I’m not well read, and I think it would be amazing to help with her charity work and to learn from someone how to weave so many different classic storylines together.

4. When it comes to reading and reviewing, which aspect of a book is the most important to you? The plot? The characters? The setting? Something else entirely?

If I can’t picture what’s going on or I’m questioning how long something took or if it was possible for it to happen in that length of time I’ll lose interest. Characters are also very important. You have to really be drawn into a character. You have to feel some emotion for them to get drawn in. If characters are blah it doesn’t matter how amazing your plot is I won’t care about the characters enough to continue with it. So I guess that makes Plot lower on my list because if you screw up the first few things I mentioned I’m probably not far enough in to be drawn in by the plot.

5. If book blogging weren’t an option, how would your reading habits be affected? Would you be as motivated to read if you couldn’t widely impart your thoughts on books to other readers?

I have an outlet to talk about books I love without the blog. I’m lucky to be a bookseller and also be part of an online community that chats about books. But if I didn’t have that my friends and family would probably get really sick of me saying OOO I just found this great book. But I also wouldn’t be reading as much YA as I am and it would take me longer to find the great books that I’ve found early on.

6. You’re giving a dinner party for three contemporary (living) YA authors and three dead classical authors. Who are they, and who do you seat next to whom? Why?

Classical: Margret Mitchell, Geoffrey Chaucer, Jane Austen

Current YA: Stephenie Meyer, Suzanne Collins, Maggie Stiefvater.

I’d have a big round table. I’d be in between Margret Mitchelle and Stephenie Meyer. Next to Stephenie would be Jane Austen, then Maggie Stiefvater, then Suzanne Collins and Geoffrey Chaucer.

7. What’s your favorite punctuation mark? Why?

! I use it a lot. It can be excitement or anger. It expresses a lot of emotion.

8. What literary device could you happily never see used again? (Simile, metaphor, spoonerism, hyperbole, etc.)

Dramatic Irony. I think this can be overdone (well any device over done can get annoying) and it makes me yell at the character more while I’m reading. I like to figure things out and sometimes it is fun knowing what the other characters don’t but not to the detriment of the character.

9. What is your favorite local bookstore? What’s a bookstore that you’ll never set foot in again? And do you have a ‘dream bookstore’ that you’d either love to visit… or would love to design and own one day?

Well I’m a bit bias; I work at a Barnes & Noble so that’s my favorite local bookstore. It also doesn’t help that there’s only 2 bookstores in town now and both are chain bookstores. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a bookstore that I’d never go to again. And if I could design a bookstore…1. I’d like to have more fun things to go with teen books. I really like being able to have a physical reminder of books I love. Be it bookmarks or stickers or whatever. 2. I’d have a computer system that could search more than just the title of the book. It could search the color of the cover and theme and topic and all sorts of things like that. 3. My store would be a community place. I’d love to have a events and things always going on.

10. Have you been to any Teen Read Week events or other Writers’ Conferences? What was your favorite meet-and-greet or interview experience?

I have not. I’d love to go to some events though. I’ve been to several author signings and I’ve enjoyed every one I’ve been too!

11. In your opinion, what is a YA novel? How is it different from a children’s novel, and how is it different from an adult novel? What makes someone a YA reader — because it’s clearly more than a matter of their being “a young adult.”

A YA novel, in general, has main characters who are in their teens or early 20s. They tend to deal with topics regarding growing up, finding one’s self, getting over some challenge to a better point in life. They tend to be books that teens can relate to because they are facing a similar challenge to those in the book. Adult books deal with a lot of the same issues, they mostly just have adult content in them that is more appropriate for older readers. Their main characters also tend to be older, lets say 25 and up. I think a YA reader it someone who enjoys good plots with characters with lots of heart.

12. What’s your guilty pleasure reading snack? And what’s your guilty pleasure to read while snacking on it?

I don’t really have one. When I’m reading I don’t really snack, I’m normally so into a book I forget to eat.

13. “Don’t judge a book by its movie!” As a connoisseur of all types of books, which genre do you think translates the best from page to screen? What’s your favorite book-to-movie adaptation? Conversely, what’s a book that you hope never to see filmed?

Historical fiction: some of the best adaptations have been the classics (especially if they are done by the BBC). My favorite book to movie…Probably any of the Jane Austen books. Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion… they have been done so well. I also think the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers hits that list too. HBO really captured the story. I can’t think of any YA books I wouldn’t want made into movies or adapted somehow but the adult book I hope doesn’t get made into a movie is The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I’m not a huge fan to start with and I’ve seen the other 2 movies and I’ve had enough hehe.

14. What are your plans for the future? Do you see yourself working in the literary community?

I have no clue. I’m open to whatever comes my way. I think I’d be fun to plan book events. Something that allowed me to travel would be fun.

15. Describe your perfect reading location… are you in a coffee shop sipping cappuccino or curled up at home near the window? Reading on a Kindle in the Big City or taking in the smell of a dusty hardcover?

I have not found this place yet. But I’d imagine it’d be a big oversized chair with a blanket and music playing in the background.

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January 19, 2010

Book Bloggers Get Blogged: The Art of Losing

Filed under: Book Bloggers Get Blogged — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 2:53 pm

Book Bloggers Get Blogged!

In talking to Chelsea (The Page Flipper) and Heather (Book Woman), I thought it would be a fun to turn the tables and do a series on my blog of interviews with YA book bloggers — let them be the stars! So now every Tuesday, another Book Blogger will be featured.

If you’re interested, please e-mail me.

Jacee S., 18, The Art of Losing

1. Describe yourself without using any qualifiers relating to reading, blogging, or writing… who are you outside of your literary life?

This is the one question that forever leaves me at a loss for words, despite how frequently it is asked and how many social networking sites of which I am a member. I suppose I should start by saying that I am 18-years-old and a freshman in college, hoping to major in something that’ll lead me into the realm of music marketing, which, sorry to say, book-lovers, is my true calling in life. I work currently as a webmaster for a talent management company, but I also do a little freelance web design on the side. Oh, and I have a cat! I cannot tell you her name or how she got it; I’d be breaking the rules!

2. You’re trapped in a dystopian society like that in Fahrenheit 451, where all books, periodicals, scriptures, texts, or other forms of written communication have been banned… but in this society, every person can hoard away one piece of writing to keep for herself. What is the one written piece that you choose to keep, and why?

You know what? Despite how badly I’d like to start flapping my hands like a fangirl and name something by the ever-enchanting J. K. Rowling, I really think I’d want to keep Grendel by John Gardner. It tells the opposing side to the epic poem “Beowulf,” which is about this very one-dimensional, ultra-buff hero type that comes to a village to kill all of the monsters. Grendel is told in the point of view of one of those monsters, and not only does it demonstrate how things are never all that they seem, it also is very thought-provoking in that it explores a lot of different philosophies as the protagonist struggles with finding which one best fits him. I don’t think I will ever come to a point where I won’t still be pondering over that book and all it has to offer. There’s just so much left in it that I’ve yet to wrap my mind around.

3. Congratulations! You’ve been given the position as Personal Assistant to any author of your choice (all time periods and genres allowed)… who is it, and what’s the biggest problem you have to overcome working with them?

Charles Dodgson, who some know better as “Lewis Carroll,” author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. (He wrote many more stories, poems, and essays, but those are his most popular works.) Not only did he have such a clever way with words, but he was also a teacher of mathematics and a great logician, a church deacon, and an inventor. He even dabbled in photography. Although he found great talent in so many arenas, he remained quite a private man. His enigmatic tendencies both on paper and in real life make him all the more intriguing, but that’s an aside.

I read once that he decided to quit teaching and take up photography because he felt that most of his students were lazy, stupid, and altogether unwilling to learn, and, though I would most certainly experience quite an inferiority complex when standing next to the genius himself, I cannot help but laugh along with him for now. His rejection of his students and his compassion for Alice Liddell, for whom he wrote both of the Alice books, made obvious in a favorite poem of mine, “A Boat Beneath A Sunny Sky,” make him seem likable enough as a person.

More importantly, I have the impression that every word that ever came out of his mouth was perfectly placed and deep and thoughtful, and I would just love to work for someone so … absolutely brilliant.

I think my biggest problem, besides feeling so dwarfed by his talent and intellect, would be that, his being such a hero of mine, I wouldn’t want him to be other than as I imagine him!

4. When it comes to reading and reviewing, which aspect of a book is the most important to you? The plot? The characters? The setting? Something else entirely?

Plot advancement is important, yes, but aren’t the parts of books that we always remember most the characters and the things they say, the little things they do? Without interesting characters to carry the plot, there is little reason or motivation to finish reading a book in the first place.

5. If book blogging weren’t an option, how would your reading habits be affected? Would you be as motivated to read if you couldn’t widely impart your thoughts on books to other readers?

I do not currently reach quite a large audience, and I am actually very new to book blogging. However, I have noticed some differences in my reading patterns already. I am the type that loves familiarity. There is nothing more comforting to me or more enjoyable than reading a book I have read a hundred times before! Suspense can be nice, but, for me, the absence of it does not at all make a great book any less enjoyable. Perhaps that is the mark of a great book! But to answer your question, I have noticed that I have much more motivation to read new things. I think I also pay much more attention to details that change often, like setting and periphery characters, that I don’t always remember so specifically by the time I have finished the chapter. Telling others about what you have read requires a deeper knowledge than simply reading for entertainment does.

6. You’re giving a dinner party for three contemporary (living) YA authors and three dead classical authors. Who are they, and who do you seat next to whom? Why?

Classical: Charles Dodgson, C. S. Lewis, and Sir James M. Barrie. Contemporary: J. K. Rowling, Joyce Carol Oates, and Jerry Spinelli. I’d seat myself at one end of the table with Dodgson and Barrie on either side of me so that they faced one another. Judging from each of their most renowned works, I don’t think I’d want to miss a second of interaction between them. I’d have Lewis seated next to Dodgson because I can’t imagine him stranded at the other end of the table with the contemporary authors. Rowling would be next to Barrie, for no reason that I can put my finger on. Oates would be on Rowling’s other side with Spinelli on her other side, seated at the end of the table opposite me. I think Oates and Spinelli would get along best out of the three contemporary authors, and Rowling might just be perfectly suited between Barrie and Oates.

7. What’s your favorite punctuation mark? Why?

Common as it may seem, I love the comma. If it were allowed, my sentences would go on forever like one flowing, continuous thought. Unfortunately, most people aren’t fans of elongated sentences, laden with comma after comma, and after reading Charles Dickens, particularly A Tale of Two Cities, I cannot blame them.

8. What literary device could you happily never see used again? (Simile, metaphor, spoonerism, hyperbole, etc.)

Portmanteau! As clever as it is to group together words to form new ones, I have no idea what you’re trying to say to me.

9. What is your favorite local bookstore? What’s a bookstore that you’ll never set foot in again? And do you have a ‘dream bookstore’ that you’d either love to visit… or would love to design and own one day?

Unfortunately, I have no local bookstores! (That goes only if Walmart and the public library don’t count, and, if you ask me, they don’t.) There used to be this really lovely one downtown that looked a bit on the inside like how I imagine Ollivander’s Wand Shop (from the Harry Potter books). The walls were of some sort of dark wood and the books, though separated, thankfully, into sections by genre, were just sort of strewn about so that finding just the right book seemed a bit like magic in itself. I was sad to see it close! A bookstore I would never set foot in again? I went inside one once that was only sci-fi and harlequin romance! The horrors! The cheesy covers! My dream book store would be a lot like the old local bookshop that I previously described, only much larger. Perhaps I would also require an employee of chalk-white hair and pale, blue eyes to creep out the customers a bit.

10. Have you been to any Teen Read Week events or other Writers’ Conferences? What was your favorite meet-and-greet or interview experience?

Unfortunately, no.

11. In your opinion, what is a YA novel? How is it different from a children’s novel, and how is it different from an adult novel? What makes someone a YA reader — because it’s clearly more than a matter of their being “a young adult.”

My impression is that it’s largely got to do with the way an author introduces the protagonist. In children’s literature, the author’s first task is to ensure that the child reading the book will even want to read about the lead character. In a way, it’s like introducing him/her to a new friend, and the character in question should be someone the kid would want to be best friends with. In young adult literature, it is generally understood that the reader is of a little more maturity, and so, while the protagonist may not be someone that the reader totally identifies or agrees with, there is usually a certain respect or empathy (or both) that the reader has for the lead character for one reason or another, and this is established very early in the novel, as so with a children’s novel. With an adult novel, the author may skip this step altogether, realizing that the reader will have already experienced a disillusionment with society and the real world, expecting the protagonist to be flawed and carrying a bit of baggage.

12. What’s your guilty pleasure reading snack? And what’s your guilty pleasure to read while snacking on it?

There is something about warm tea that makes me feel really clever when I’m drinking it and reading a book. My guilty pleasure books all include classic children’s novels like Peter and Wendy and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

13. “Don’t judge a book by its movie!” As a connoisseur of all types of books, which genre do you think translates the best from page to screen? What’s your favorite book-to-movie adaptation? Conversely, what’s a book that you hope never to see filmed?

This may sound a bit weird, but what about Nicholas Sparks books, particularly? I think they tend carry over very much in one piece. Perhaps adult romance fiction, in general, though I don’t have much knowledge of the genre.

My favorite film based on a book is a version of Tom’s Midnight Garden that I frequently saw on HBO Family as a child. I don’t believe it’s ever been released to video or DVD, but it was so lovely that it inspired me to search for the book at my local library (contrary to its popularity, I’d never actually heard of it before). The film actually did an excellent job of not only telling the story accurately and with a well-casted set of actors and actresses, but also of portraying the book’s feel, which for any story is nearly impossible to describe and probably much harder to reproduce.

Though it has probably already been done, I hope never to see a film version of Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Do not misinterpret me; it is an excellent book. I only think that, upon seeing it played out, because of its intensity, I might vomit.

14. What are your plans for the future? Do you see yourself working in the literary community?

I think I will always be a part of the literary community, but as a simple fan of books. Like I previously stated, I would like to work in PR or marketing someday, but my focus, more preferably, would be in the music industry.

15. You’re one of only two Book Bloggers who has read Green! Without spoiling too much, describe the book… a “mini-review” of the Focus Group draft, per se.

You know how you read one of those YA romance novels for which your only true motivation for getting through the book is that you wish that you could be the leading lady so that you could have that fantasy romance? When you’re done, you might feel very skeptical about the mythology of the book, find some gaping holes in the plot, and realize that the writing is really not that good at all. Thankfully, Green is not one of those books! The first of the Metempsyche novels chronicles protagonist Lindy’s discovery that she is, in fact, the physical embodiment of the universe. As if discovering smack dab in the middle of your teenage years, when everyone is telling you that you aren’t the center of the universe that you actually are, after all, isn’t enough, imagine struggling to accept that coupled with falling in love with the most beautiful boy you have ever laid your eyes upon. Oh, and he’s a werewolf! But he isn’t perfect, he can’t make the world bend to her every will, and he sometimes gets a little too caught up in his knitting. That is the gist of Green, but I must also vouch for Hayley here in saying that besides all of the aforementioned, which had me squeeing all the way, there is a truly stunning cast of characters backing the novel, all of them complex and well-rounded, and the work put into researching the mythology of the series is mind-blowing. Reading Green, there are no, “Huh. He sparkles?” moments. It is truly fantastic.

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January 18, 2010

HAP Interviewed!: The Art of Losing Interview Repost

Filed under: HAP: Interviewed — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 9:35 pm

The Art of Losing Interviews Hayley Anne Perkins

Originally Posted 16 January 2010.

Since you put me on the spot, I’m going to have to do the same to you! Without alluding to your writing career or your love of reading, describe yourself. Who is Hayley Anne Perkins?

I’ve been a professional graphic designer for almost ten years. My taste in music is so bad that it’s circled back around to being awesome, kind of like how pugs are so ugly that they’ve rounded the twist to cuteness. I worked as a journalist during and after college, both in print and as an assisant/intern on a documentary for PBS. I have over 10,000 photographs from sixth grade through college, arranged chronologically in photo albums, and they take up a majority of the wall space in my living room. Everything important that I’ve ever learned, I learned from Mr. Feeny or Professor Dumbledore.

Now, on to Green! Briefly summarize, please.

You know how teenagers all think they’re the center of the universe and it changes their lives to discover they’re not? Well, my main character’s life changes when she discovers that she IS. Oh, and her boyfriend is a werewolf.

More seriously, Green is a YA paranormal romance with a few twists — not only is the girl, as well as her love interest, supernatural, but she’s more powerful than he is; Green has a strong tie to real history and historical figures, as well as historical fiction; and I tried to stay away from “traditional” supernatural creatures as much as possible (outside of Werewolf Boyfriend). Rather than culling the majority of my characters from popular Greco-Roman or Norse mythologies, I explored stories and creatures from Japanese, Maori, Celtic, Breton, and Germanic traditions (among others).

And there are no vampires.

Spoilers aside, what would you consider the major themes of Green and the rest of the books of the Metempsyche series? How will the rest of the books in the series be different from Green?

I would say that the central theme of Green is the growing awareness of both self and world that everyone experiences in their adolescence. Of course, Lindy gains this awareness through her transformation into a pillar of the supernatural world’s pantheon (the “Metempsyche”), but also – paradoxically – more human channels as she grows into her romantic relationship with werewolf Daniel. Given that all of the planned books in the series take place within the span of only a few months, that theme stays fairly central, but obviously takes different routes and tackles different obstacles. The second book will likely be the darkest — Green is moderately light, just because I’m not a terrifically angsty person — and will follow Lindy to some pretty scary places in both the past and present, as well as within herself. The third book, as of now, is planned to take a look at the tangled web that is friendship. The fourth book I’m keeping a secret, so you’ll just have to read it!

And how is Green different from other books of the YA fiction genre?

I think that the biggest difference is that while Lindy and Daniel’s love story heavily influences the plot, the crux of the novel is not in their romance. Rather than “OMG new sexy supernatural boyfriend! THIS IS THE BE-ALL, END-ALL OF MY LIFE!”, their relationship helps Lindy to find an anchor in her new existence as a supernatural herself, treating the tropes of immortality, power, and perpetual youth as coming-of-age issues, and not ideals. It would kind of really suck to be a teenage forever, or rather to live hundreds of separate lifetimes of having to go through the same pangs and trials of puberty and adolescence over and over. Getting your period for the first time is traumatic enough once, thanks. Wondering if that cute boy is mean to you because he likes you or because he’s a jerk is confusing enough the first time. At the same time, there is nothing like being a teenager. It’s a very universal experience (no pun intended) despite the fact that it’s all about discovering and cultivating your individuality. The dichotomy of being teenage is something I strived to touch on with Lindy’s narrative.

I’m also going to tentatively say that the structure is somewhat unique, but I’m not sure I can reveal too much without it being a huge spoiler. Or possibly a lie, although I don’t think so.

Some writers say when they are writing a story that they are writing solely for their own enjoyment and writing the story that they themselves would want to read. Some writers, on the other hand, write with a specific audience in mind. Which would you say holds true for you?

The best writing advice given to me by any of my college professors was, “Write your rough draft for yourself. For all of your revisions, pick one person — one specific, tangible person you know — and revise the book for them.” There’s definitely a specific audience, or pop (sub)culture, that I identify with and to whom Green will appeal, and I don’t mind that at all. It’s actually really encouraging, and kind of terrifying. The Green/Metempsyche Novels/Hayley Anne Perkins Fan Club on LiveJournal already has over 80 members, based purely on my blogs and the synopsis of the manuscript, and I think the fact that this idea strikes such a chord with people who haven’t even read the book yet speaks highly of knowing how you can appeal to other readers like you.

But of course, Jacee, you mostly asked this because you’re the person for whom I revised the book, and I will not begrudge you the shoutout!

Stories often undergo a lot of editing before even the first reader, other than the author, lays eyes upon it. How different would you say the version of Green that you now have in your hands is from the first spark of inspiration you had for Lindy’s story? Do you think it will change much more from now until publication?

This might be a mistake to say, but I hope that it does change before it hits shelves. I’m really excited to find an agent and then an editor, and to get a copy of the manuscript covered in red ink in the mail. I’m weird and really love getting revision suggestions and edits — particularly if they’re specific — from someone I respect and trust and whom I know has the best interests of my characters in mind.

Changes that have happened already… Well, Lindy’s name wasn’t Lindy until 30,000 words into the rough draft. She is no longer a cheerleader, and doesn’t fight the FBI. Green was originally much more like an action book than a romance, but this was years and years ago. The current draft (of the romance incarnation) has a different villain than the rough, too!

Would you say that recent trends in YA fiction have at all influenced the development of the Metempsyche series? If so, to what extent, and how?

Yes and no. I didn’t write Green as a paranormal romance because that’s what’s on shelves now; I wrote it as a paranormal romance because that’s what the story is. It was always encouraging to see deals being made and debut authors being released within the same genre, but I only started really tracking that once I had pinned down the first 50k or so of the rough draft and really realized, “OK, this book is a paranormal romance. Is there still a market for that?”

One thing that did influence the way that I wrote Green was definitely my personal negative reaction to books that glorify “dark” (otherwise known as “actually, that’s pretty emotionally abusive”) romantic leads, or reinforce female sexual roles that I consider detrimental. I’m not into the idea of a relationship based in large part on swooning — though in my opinion, Daniel is very swoonworthy, don’t get me wrong. However, I dislike the emphasis that a lot of YA paranormal romances seem to put on controlling or dominant males who make all of the decisions regarding the whats and whens (both physical and emotional) of their relationships, and I really worked to make Lindy and Daniel equals in all aspects.

Sometimes, I confess, the scale tips a little in Lindy’s favor in terms of who wears the pants, but hey, she’s the universe. She does wear the cosmic pants.

I hear that you will soon be releasing short stories centering on some of the periphery characters of the Metempsyche series. Besides Lindy, your protagonist, and Daniel, her love interest, which of the characters in Green do you favor the most and for what reasons, and which do you think has the most interesting backstory? Which character do you identify the most with?

I don’t want to spoil too much! Let’s see…

I love my hipster poltergeist. His short story is coming first. I adored creating my rokurokubi — a Japanese demon — and I think she’s totally kickass. My regenerist vexes me in all the best writerly ways — she’s the character who makes me stop what I’m doing sometimes and go, “Wait, if your body can heal a [blankity blank blank], then what would happen if you [blank]? Could you [blankity blank]? I need a medical journal!”

As for who has the most interesting backstory, all I will say is that you can decide for yourself as the short stories and book[s] are released.

Did you draw from any real-life experience or acquaintance inspiration for any parts of Green or its characters? How much would you say you are like Lindy?

There are small moments of Lindy’s life that are taken from things that happened to me — just small anecdotal things that she or Daniel or her mother might mention in passing. There is one character who is a sort of homage to the friend with whom I was staying when I both started, and finished, the manuscript, but I don’t really like when books are made up of the author and her/his friends, masked only by thin veneers or de-aging. The most fun that I have in writing is creating my characters, so I really like to start with a blank slate!

How would you describe your writing style? Are you the type to plan as you go or must you have sorted out all the details before you begin writing? Do you tend to write straight through or in bits and pieces that come together in the end?

I have the entire series plotted out day-by-day on a calendar, down to weather details (which, really, when you’re writing about so many supernatural creatures, even the most mundane meteorological changes can be very important), but I don’t write in order. I tend to write from the middle of the book. Part of what I like about writing with an outline is the ability to write “as I’m inspired” while still staying on track.

Would you say that your writing style is inspired by any particular writers? If so, whom?

Hmm… Chelsea from The Page Flipper compared me to Jane Austen, which was very cool. I think that was more in the way that I crafted Lindy and Daniel’s love story than in my actual writing style, but either way, I took it as a huge compliment. Indira Petit, who started the first Green/Metempsyche Novels fan group on LiveJournal, wrote a beautiful review on her blog comparing me to J.K. Rowling, which was my middle school dream come true.

OK, and my adult dream come true. I’ll admit it.

I’m very inspired by the writing styles of Jack Kerouac and F. Scott Fitzgerald — very lush, full of imagery, erring a bit on the verbose side. I’m not one for short, muscular sentences, and I think that the smaller actions between people are often more interesting than huge RUNNING KICKING FACEPUNCHING CAR EXPLOSION! action scenes.

Except in movies, wherein — to quote The Princess Diaries — It’s very hard for me to pay attention unless there’s dancing or explosions.

As of now, what are your goals for the future? What would you consider success?

I just want to find the right representation for Green and the Metempsyche universe so that I can do right by Lindy, Daniel, and the rest of the characters in this world. I don’t want to disappoint the amazing supporters that the series has somehow already garnered, and for them I want to know that I’ve written the best book that I can. And success to me would be walking into a bookstore and being able to pick up a beautiful hardcover copy of Green from a display table.

Finally, what is the current status of Green?

Green is currently being shopped to agents. Outside of that, I’m not sure what I can say without getting sort of iffy on ethics. In other words, REAL-LIFE SPOILER ALERT!

Or something.

For the most reliable updates on Green’s progress through publishing, you can sign up for the e-mail list at http://www.hayleyanneperkins.com (with the form in the sidebar). You can also follow me on Twitter or Facebook for many minor updates and to chat with me, and Indira and Suzanne Keller do an amazing job keeping the LiveJournal fan community for the Metempsyche novels up-to-date.

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January 13, 2010

Book Bloggers Get Blogged: Jodi Wayne (Whatcha’ Reading Now?)

Filed under: Book Bloggers Get Blogged — Tags: , , — admin @ 4:06 pm

Book Bloggers Get Blogged!

In talking to Chelsea (The Page Flipper) and Heather (Book Woman), I thought it would be a fun to turn the tables and do a series on my blog of interviews with YA book bloggers — let them be the stars! So now every Tuesday, another Book Blogger will be featured.

If you’re interested, please e-mail me.

Jodi Wayne, Whatcha’ Reading Now?

1.  Describe yourself without using any qualifiers relating to reading, blogging, or writing… who are you outside of your literary life?

I’m obsessed with music and always on the search for the perfect song.

2. You’re trapped in a dystopian society like that in Fahrenheit 451, where all books, periodicals, scriptures, texts, or other forms of written communication have been banned… but in this society, every person can hoard away one piece of writing to keep for herself. What is the one written piece that you choose to keep, and why?

A copy of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution–freedom of religion, speech and press.

3. Congratulations! You’ve been given the position as Personal Assistant to any author of your choice (all time periods and genres allowed)… who is it, and what’s the biggest problem you have to overcome working with them?

I would’ve loved to work with Jane Austen.  She was defiant, a free-thinker, and ahead of her time.  I admire how her novels show concern for moral issues and questioning a woman’s place in society.  Our biggest problem working together would probably be her constant need to rein me back in.

4. When it comes to reading and reviewing, which aspect of a book is the most important to you? The plot? The characters? The setting? Something else entirely?

The character-driven novel has always been my favorite.  Strong characters pull me into the story and encourage my imagination.

5. If book blogging weren’t an option, how would your reading habits be affected? Would you be as motivated to read if you couldn’t widely impart your thoughts on books to other readers?

For me, the inability to blog about books is like going to Disney World by yourself–sure it’s fun, but so much better with someone else there to share the experience with…

6. What’s your favorite punctuation mark? Why?

I adore the em dash, which can be found throughout my own writing.  I love how it makes the reader pause and catch an emotion or point out what I want to bring to their attention.

7. What literary device could you happily never see used again? (Simile, metaphor, spoonerism, hyperbole, etc.)

Though I’m not in favor of rules in writing, I certainly wouldn’t miss never seeing spoonerism again–soooo cheesy!

8. What is your favorite local bookstore? What’s a bookstore that you’ll never set foot in again? And do you have a ‘dream bookstore’ that you’d either love to visit… or would love to design and own one day?

When I lived in both England and New York, I was a big fan of indie bookstores.  Unfortunately, I don’t know of any in the area I live now. So, I tend to buy most of my books from the local Barnes & Noble and Borders.

9. Have you been to any Teen Read Week events or other Writers’ Conferences? What was your favorite meet-and-greet or interview experience?

I’m really excited about going to my first writing conference in January—the SCBWI in Miami!

10. In your opinion, what is a YA novel? How is it different from a children’s novel, and how is it different from an adult novel? What makes someone a YA reader — because it’s clearly more than a matter of their being “a young adult.”

In recent years, the lines drawn between YA and adult fiction have become less clear.  Though YA generally has main characters of an age ranging from fourteen to eighteen, the stories are often exceptionally well-written and addressing issues beyond the standard teen or high school experience.  Because of this, it is common to see adults in the YA section of bookstores.  YA is often separated from children’s (middle-grade) due to the often mature themes and use of profanity.

11. What’s your guilty pleasure reading snack? And what’s your guilty pleasure to read while snacking on it?

I don’t generally eat while reading and never feel guilty for reading anything–every bit of literature has its place.

12. “Don’t judge a book by its movie!” As a connoisseur of all types of books, which genre do you think translates the best from page to screen? What’s your favorite book-to-movie adaptation? Conversely, what’s a book that you hope never to see filmed?

I rarely find a movie to ever be as wonderful as the novel.  That said, I did love the book and movie of both The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

13. What are your plans for the future? Do you see yourself working in the literary community?

I see my novel published and loved by an endless number of readers.:)

14. Describe your perfect reading location… are you in a coffee shop sipping cappuccino or curled up at home near the window? Reading on a Kindle in the Big City or taking in the smell of a dusty hardcover?

I enjoy reading in bed surrounded by pillows. I tend to be “old school” and love the feel of a book in my hands.

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January 10, 2010

A Book Blogger Who Got Blogged: Steph Bowe

Filed under: Book Bloggers Get Blogged, Bookish Chat, Creative Writing — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 10:19 pm

In October, I interviewed the lovely Steph Bowe of Hey! Teenager of the Year (and also of exotic Australia) for my Book Bloggers Get Blogged feature.

You can read her interview here.

In it, she mentions:

What are your plans for the future?  Do you see yourself working in the literary community?I recently signed with literary agent Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown Ltd for my contemporary YA romance novel, and I hope that I’ll one day be a published author! I’d also like to work as an editor at a publishing house.

Just shy of a month later, Steph’s book was sold to Text Publishing in Australia!

In celebration of being a very-nearly-published YA author (her book will come out in September of this year), Steph is hosting a contest for other aspiring YA authors on her book blog.  Here’s what she has to say:

“I am giving away First Five Pages critiques! So if you’re an aspiring YA novelist, interested in getting a bit of feedback from, um, me (a soon-to-be published YA author and real live bonafide teenager), this is the competition for you! There will be five winners, but if there are over 100 entries I’ll announce a few more.

To enter this contest you have to:

  • Be a Google Friend Connect follower of this blog (in the sidebar on the left), just click Follow.

For extra entries:

  • Post about this contest on your own blog (an actual post! Include a link.) +10 bonus entries
  • Tweet about the contest with a link to this blog (include a link to the tweet in your comment) +3
  • Sign up for my mailing list +2
  • Follow or subscribe through a feed, Networked Blogs on Facebook, or Bloglovin’ (all links on left sidebar) +1
  • Put a link to this competition in the sidebar of your blog +1

To enter, just comment below. Be sure to include your links, and I’ll add up your entries.

Competition closes January 18th at 11:59 PM AEST, and will be announced the following day. Winners will be selected randomly with Random.org. Quick, start spreading the word!

(Although at her link, there are more pretty pictures.)

Check out the contest, and her book blog, here!

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January 5, 2010

Book Bloggers Get Blogged: Whatcha’ Reading Now? (Susan Safra)

Filed under: Book Bloggers Get Blogged — Tags: , , , — admin @ 3:01 pm

And we’re back for BBGB: 2010 Edition!

Book Bloggers Get Blogged!

In talking to Chelsea (The Page Flipper) and Heather (Book Woman), I thought it would be a fun to turn the tables and do a series on my blog of interviews with YA book bloggers — let them be the stars! So now every Tuesday, another Book Blogger will be featured.

If you’re interested, please e-mail me.

Susan Safra, Whatcha’ Reading Now?

1. Describe yourself without using any qualifiers relating to reading, blogging, or writing… who are you outside of your literary life?

I’m a Homecoming Queen trapped inside the body of a high school English teacher.

2. You’re trapped in a dystopian society like that in Fahrenheit 451, where all books, periodicals, scriptures, texts, or other forms of written communication have been banned… but in this society, every person can hoard away one piece of writing to keep for herself. What is the one written piece that you choose to keep, and why?

That’s a super hard question to answer, but if I had to choose one piece of writing then I think it would be The Hunger Games to remind me of what a dystopian society can do to a person’s spirit if we let go of our humanity.

3. Congratulations! You’ve been given the position as Personal Assistant to any author of your choice (all time periods and genres allowed)… who is it, and what’s the biggest problem you have to overcome working with them?

I’d love to work with Judy Blume because she was one of the authors who truly made me love reading. Her stories inspired the little girl in me, helping me understand and feel confident about myself. I can’t imagine that I would encounter any problems working with her, although I think she would have a problem with me since I would never want to leave work at the end of the day.

4. When it comes to reading and reviewing, which aspect of a book is the most important to you? The plot? The characters? The setting? Something else entirely?

For me, it’s all about the characters—the details of their lives, how they grow, how they overcome their obstacles. I love reading about characters that I can relate to, even the paranormal ones. And, if there’s romance between them that’s just an added bonus for me. Love the romance!

5. If book blogging weren’t an option, how would your reading habits be affected? Would you be as motivated to read if you couldn’t widely impart your thoughts on books to other readers?

That would be really hard since most of what I read comes from the suggestions of other people. Then, if I just totally love a book, I want to tell everyone about it. I probably would read less if it wasn’t for book blogging and that would mean I would miss out on so many cool novels. The thought is just too depressing… can we move on to another question???

6. You’re giving a dinner party for three contemporary (living) YA authors and three dead classical authors. Who are they, and who do you seat next to whom? Why?

WOW! Love this question, but so hard to chose…

1. Scott Westerfeld (author of The Uglies series) sits with George Orwell (author of Animal Farm)… so they can discuss how the elite are always trying to control society, but there are a few of us who can elude the stifling of democracy.
2. Stephanie Myer (author of Twilight series) sits with William Shakespeare (needs no introduction)… so they can discuss the tragic comedy of everlasting love.
3. Dan Brown (author of Angles and Demons) sits with Dante (author of The Inferno)… just for the heck of it.

As for me, I’d sit back taking notes on my laptop and enjoying the show!

7. What’s your favorite punctuation mark? Why?

I love the exclamation point!!! In fact, I probably overuse it!!! But, it totally shows my personality because I am loud and usually say what I think!!!!!!!!!!!

8. What literary device could you happily never see used again? (Simile, metaphor, spoonerism, hyperbole, etc.)

Similes are like wasted words when there is always a better way to say something. They are as corny as a bad joke on David Letterman.

9. What is your favorite local bookstore? What’s a bookstore that you’ll never set foot in again? And do you have a ‘dream bookstore’ that you’d either love to visit… or would love to design and own one day?

So many questions, so little time…

I don’t think I’ve ever met a bookstore I didn’t like, but my favorite local bookstore is the Borders near the Sawgrass. The comfy big couches are perfect places to prop my feet, sip a mocha latte and read the day away. In my “dream” bookstore, I would have a comfy sofa reserved just for me right in the middle of the YA section and with moccachinos delivered to me on the hour by some hottie.

10. Have you been to any Teen Read Week events or other Writers’ Conferences? What was your favorite meet-and-greet or interview experience?

The Miami International Book Fair was awesome! I spoke with amazing authors such as Joyce Sweeney, Alex Flinn, Gaby Triana, Danielle Joseph, Debbie Fisher, Meg Cabot, and so many others. It was so inspiring to hear their stories and it encouraged me to keep working on my own novel.

11. In your opinion, what is a YA novel? How is it different from a children’s novel, and how is it different from an adult novel? What makes someone a YA reader — because it’s clearly more than a matter of their being “a young adult.”

Typically, YA is supposed to be for kids 12 to 18, but I think the lines are becoming blurred. So many adults like to read YA—the stories are much more fun and fresh. Even though the characters in these novels are teens, adults were once teens, too, and can totally relate.

12. What’s your guilty pleasure reading snack? And what’s your guilty pleasure to read while snacking on it?

I don’t usually eat while I’m reading—I’m too involved in the story to notice anything around me. But, I do frequently light candles while I’m reading and my fav scents are vanilla and lavender. As for my guilty reading pleasure… well, I hate to admit it, but I read Twilight three times. Edward was just so delicious!

13. “Don’t judge a book by its movie!” As a connoisseur of all types of books, which genre do you think translates the best from page to screen? What’s your favorite book-to-movie adaptation? Conversely, what’s a book that you hope never to see filmed?

I usually don’t like when great books are made into movies because they always seem to lose some of the magic. I’d rather see the movie I create in my own mind. However, the one movie I thought was great was The Color Purple. In fact, I liked the end of the movie better than the novel ending. That said, I think that dramas make the best book-to-movie adaptations.

14. What are your plans for the future? Do you see yourself working in the literary community?

In my very near future, I see my novel picked up by an agent and acquired by a top publisher. In the future over the next few years, I see it as a best-seller!

15. Describe your perfect reading location… are you in a coffee shop sipping cappuccino or curled up at home near the window? Reading on a Kindle in the Big City or taking in the smell of a dusty hardcover?

My favorite place to read is sitting in an old rocking chair by the fireplace in the Smoky Mountains…. pure luxury! As for what I’m reading—a hardcover or paperback because I love the feel of the pages melting away in my hands as I immerse myself in the story.

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January 3, 2010

HAP Gets Interviewed!: a girl and her books Interview

Filed under: Biliophilia!, Bookish Chat, Creative Writing, HAP: Interviewed — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 6:50 pm

a girl and her books Interview

Originally Posted 31 December 2009

Hayley let me interview her for my tiny corner of the world! So without further ado:

1. I know you get asked this only all the time, but explain Green to someone who has never ever heard of it?

It depends… sometimes I make a lame joke and say, “You know how teenagers all think they’re the center of the universe and it changes their lives to discover they’re not?  Well, my main character’s life changes when she discovers that she IS.  Oh, and her boyfriend is a werewolf.”

Other times, I’m more serious and explain that it’s a YA paranormal romance with a few twists — not only is the girl, as well as her love interest, supernatural, but she’s more powerful than he is; Green has a strong tie to real history and historical figures, as well as historical fiction; and I tried to stay away from “traditional” supernatural creatures as much as possible (outside of Werewolf Boyfriend).  Rather than culling the majority of my characters from popular Greco-Roman or Norse mythologies, I explored stories and creatures from Japanese, Maori, Celtic, Breton, and Germanic traditions (among others).  And then I usually close with another lame quip of, “And there are no vampires.”

2. What got you into writing Green?

It’s funny, but the story of my connection to this plot and the character of Lindy Cook (the protagonist) could be said to have begun any number of places.  I never sat down and said, “OK, I’d like to write a novel. I’d like for it to have fantastical elements and historical fiction, and lots of kissyface, and… and…” Instead, Green and the rest of the Metempsyche universe feel very organic to me. It’s the story I was always meant to write.

I actually just remembered the other day that in sixth grade, the author Debbi Chocolate (Imani in the Belly) came to my school and ten kids — including me — were chosen to do a writing workshop with her.  She gave us thirty minutes to write a story, and mine was about a teenage girl who took one-hundred years to age one year, basically giving her a first-person account of most of the major events in history.  Obviously, that’s not really Lindy, at all, given the synopsis of Green, but I feel like it shows an inherent interest of mine to create one character who has gotten to experience… everything.

More specifically, and less cheesily, the idea for the basic identity of Lindy’s character — a high school girl who was literally the embodiment of the universe — came to me when I was sixteen myself. However, her name wasn’t Lindy, she was a cheerleader, and the rest of the world in which she lived was pretty much nonexistent. Oh, and she was supposed to fight the FBI or something, I don’t know. I tried a few times to write her story, but it never panned out. I never got further than a prologue full of shadowy no-ones and a lot of running.

I never forgot about the idea, but I also stopped attempting to do anything about it until one early early morning about six months after my college graduation. Through the rest of high school, college, and after, I explored all different genres of writing — playwriting and screenwriting, hard-boiled mystery, journalism, chick lit.  I never really attempted paranormal romance or urban fantasy, but the bug was still there.  Then, I went back to campus to visit my best friend, who writes really fascinating comic books. I fully maintain that there’s just some sort of fantastical idea-bug in the air wherever she is, because I fell asleep… I woke up at five o’clock in the morning… wrote 25 pages of what was to be Green… and fell back asleep. When I woke at a more reasonable time, I found the pages, reread what I’d written, and just felt that it was right.

3. How long did it take from first writing Green to the publishing world?

Well, I guess depending on where you’d count the start date, either twelve years and counting, six years and counting, or just over a year and counting.  But there’s still a long road left to go.  I don’t think that the process of a writer is ever really done.  That might be a bastardized Michelangelo Buonarroti quote, but I’m not sure.

4. What is your dream job that is not in the literary field?

Cafe-owning ballerina on broadway.

5. What book, or book series do you consider to be highly overrated?

I have never read a single Animorphs book, and I don’t think I ever will.  I also think that people give Ernest Hemingway WAY too much credit.

6. Is there a certain genre of books you just cannot get into?

I’m not a fan of really hardcore scifi or epic fantasy.  I respect it for how much research and detail is put into the stories, but I usually have a hard time reconciling the stories with the ideas they present — if characters are living on a planet a different distance from their sun than Earth, and with different geographic and anthropological boundaries than Earth, I just don’t believe that they would eat three meals a day and pull out a pocketwatch to check the time.  I think that’s part of the reason that I do really enjoy paranormal romance and urban fantasy, though — I love the idea of “our world plus otherworld.”  Otherworld on its own is a little much for me, I guess.

7. If you could only read five books, a series could count as one book, for the rest of your life which five?

The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac, The Universe in a Nutshell by Dr. Stephen Hawking, The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot, only I wouldn’t bring Princess on the Brink on account of the Michael/Judith thing.

8. I know you were a fellow history major. What got you into history and made you decide to major in it?

I’ve always been fascinated by history.  As a very small child, all of my favorite movies took place in the first half of the 20th Century (Pete’s Dragon, Bedknobs & Broomsticks, Summer Magic, Polly).  Then I discovered the American Girl series, and history had me at Samantha Parkington.

I have a theory that there are so many historical fiction series for girls because pre-teen and teen girls are inherently nosy and want to know about other girls’ stuff: “What are her clothes like?  What kinds of boys does she know?  What does she do for fun?”

History majors just never lose that nosiness.  I focused on social history and emphasized pop culture history and its effect on adolescent girls (my thesis was on The Beatles & Boy Bands!) and it opened a lot of diaries, closets, and idealized fantasy crushes for me to explore.  That was fun.

9. What is your favorite 90’s cartoon?

Doug!  Actually, most of the cartoons I watched in the ’90s are probably actually considered cartoons of the ’70s and ’80s.  I watched a lot of Muppet Babies and Care Bears, and my dad and I made a tradition of The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show.  You can read about my eccentric taste in cartoons here: http://hayleyanneperkins.com/blog/?p=229

10. Anything else?

I just want to thank everyone who has shown support for me and for my writing, especially over the rollercoaster of new experiences that was 2009.  And Happy New Year!

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