YALLFest Interview: Sean Williams

For the next week, this is the second interviews for authors that are going to YALLFest this year. Sadly I will not be going, but it has an amazing line-up. I highly suggest that you check it out, if you have the chance and live in the south. Sean Williams wrote Twinmaker and here is the interview with him.

What one thing do you need to have when you write?

The right music. And chocolate as a reward when I finish.

Describe your book in 5 words

Jump meets Uglies. But different.

What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?

The first line is often the hardest to write, but I like a good challenge. The line I like writing the least is the last because it means I have a whole load of rewriting ahead of me.

Best writing tip you ever received?

Give up. If you can do that, you’ll be happier and probably better off as a result. If you can’t, then you know writing is exactly the right thing for you!

Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.

1) I live in Adelaide, South Australia, a place that’s home to about a million other people but somehow feels like a small town, which is why I love it.

2) I still think music from the 1980s is cool.

3) My stepson has situs invertus, which means his heart is on the wrong side of his body. That’s not really about me, but it is pretty random.

4) I’m a huge fan of Doctor Who.

5) I’m minding a pair of green tree frogs, Skipper and Jumpy, for a young friend while she’s overseas with her family. You can see pictures of them on my Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/seanwilliamsauthor/.

Where's your favorite place to write?

In my study, a lovely upstairs nook containing all my favorite book-related things, but I’ve trained myself to write anywhere as long as I have my headphones and some music. I quite like writing in hotels, probably because someone else does all the household chores.

What are you working on now?

Crashland, the sequel to Twinmaker.

YALLFest Interview: CJ Lyons

For the next week, I will have two authors that are going to YALLFest this year. Sadly I will not be going, but it has an amazing line-up. I highly suggest that you check it out, if you have the chance and live in the south. 
Today, I have CJ Lyon as a promotion for YALLFest, . She is the author of Broken, which is a YA Thriller. Before writing YA, she was a pediatric emergency room doctor and wrote thrillers. Anyways, without further instructions, here is the interview.

Describe your book in 5 words:

CJ: Girl dying of broken heart (literally)

What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?

CJ: The first. I’ll often return to it over and over again until I’ve sliced and diced and fine-honed it to that perfect combination of intrigue, visceral reaction, and emotional connection with the reader.

Best writing tip you ever received?

What one young adult novel do you wish you had when you were a teen? Why?

CJ: Code Name Verity because it is so emotionally honest and inspiring, empowering, not to mention gut-wrenching. Really brings the era to life as well as the sacrifices made in the name of freedom.

Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.

CJ: When I was a kid I worked summer stock theatre and was actually a theatre major undergrad before switching to pre-med. I’ve had two hard landings in helicopters while working as a flight doc. I survived rampaging Cape Horn Buffalo and a pack of wild baboons, not to mention a leopard (he’s already eaten) while hiking in Hells Gate Park in Kenya. I’m a Capricorn. I diagnosed my niece with the heart condition that’s at the center of my YA thriller, BROKEN.

What are you working on now?

CJ: DAMAGED, my next YA thriller, due out in 2014. It deals with the really tough topic of abuse and coercion and is the most difficult book I’ve ever tackled—there have been times while writing when I was literally in tears as I typed.

What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?

CJ: I created my own genre of Thrillers with Heart—I love writing fast paced stories with raising stakes but centered on the emotional heart of an evolving relationship. As for reading, I read almost every genre but especially love YA, magical realism, and thrillers. As long as a story grabs me by the throat and won’t let me go because I’m too worried about what the characters are going through, I’ll read it and love it.

If you are interested in YALLFest, visit their website or Twitter for more information.

Five Years Later: Blogging

Today marks the fifth blogoversary.
I have changed so much in that time. I have finished high school and began college. I have learned so much about what I like to read and what I don't. I have found out that I want to work as a librarian in youth services. I have met many wonderful people from blogging, and some include my now closest friends. I went to NYC for BEA in 2010 and went to ALA Mid-Winter this year in my wonderful city of Seattle. Overall, this blog has brought so many wonderful things to my life and I am really glad that I started it. I am immensely proud of what I have done and hope to do many more wonderful things.
Thanks to anyone that has read this or followed my blog over the years. It means a lot to me that you have taken the time. Also, thank to the bloggers that inspired me like Chelsea, Tirzah, Khy, and many more. I would not be doing this without you guys.

Guest Post: Elisa Freilich

Silent Echo comes out September 10th from Diversion Books. It isn't your usual fantasy novel. It has sirens, music, prophecies, and of course, romance!
Elisa has come to the blog for a bit of a Q&A.
There is also a prize giveaway below for a chance to win a pack of awesome things including a book purse inspired by the book, an iPhone case and other trinkets featuring the beautiful illustrations of the upcoming trailer and a YA book of your choice. 

1. Describe your book in 5 words: Modernizing mythology through music & romance.  ( does the ampersand count as a word?  Ooops)

2. What surprised you the most as you were writing SILENT ECHO? How many of my metaphors seem to veer towards the food-related (i.e. "his voice was a block of milk chocolate wrapped in sandpaper")  I guess I'm also a die-hard foodie.

3. Are you a plotter or a panster? Do you plot your book or fly by the seat of your pants? I fly on a magic carpet woven loosely of plot driven threads.  I've got a vague idea where I'm headed but once in flight, it really solidifies.

4. Do you have any kind of writing rituals? I need silence or else white noise, a constant din.  I can't have music or a tv on - way too distracting. 

5. Who would you cast in a movie version of your book for Portia, Felix and Max? Young unknowns who resemble Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher and Rob Pattinson (in order as asked)

6. As a lover of mythology, what's your fave myth? I love the story of the Six Headed Scylla.  There are several explanations for how she came to have six heads and for Silent Echo's sequel, I have expounded and expanded on my favorite one.  (Scylla is an integral part of the next installment of my trilogy.)

7. Lightnight round:

Fave food - Truffle fries (ok, or any fries)

Fave book - Special Topics in Calamity Physics (most recently, that is)

Fave song - Closer to Fine by Indigo Girls

Fave vacation - Laguna Beach, CA w/my hubby (or pretty much anywhere w/my hubby)

Fave color - brown (chocolate, mocha - there's that food thing again...)

Beach or mountains - Pool with a view of the beach

Soda or Pop - soda

Coke or Pepsi - Coke (diet, of course)

Can't live without - Air conditioning

Can live without - bees ( even if it meant sacrificing honey - they terrify me)

Fave person -  Mark Darcy (can a fictitious character count?)

Person you want to meet most dead or alive - Marcus Mumford (His genius blows my mind)

Person you admire most - My husband - he wears his own skin with unyielding confidence and comfort

If you could be anyone, who? George RR Martin - can you imagine what must go on in that guy's head?!

Follow Elisa Freilich on: TWITTER  FACEBOOK  TUMBLR 
There is also a sneak peak on her Tumblr, that you should check out. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

What's Raising Our Pulse Discussion and Giveaway: Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young

Today's post comes from What's Raising Our Pulse Book Club. I am going to answer a question that comes from the book and give you guys the chance to win a copy by answering below.
The question comes from Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young. Here is the summary: 
Caroline is at a crossroads. Her grandmother is sick, maybe dying. Like the rest of her family, Caroline's been at Gram's bedside since her stroke. With the pressure building, all Caroline wants to do is escape--both her family and the reality of Gram's failing health. So when Caroline's best friend offers to take her to a party one fateful Friday night, she must choose: stay by Gram's side, or go to the party and live her life.
The consequence of this one decision will split Caroline's fate into two separate paths--and she's about to live them both.
Friendships are tested and family drama hits an all-new high as Caroline attempts to rebuild old relationships, and even make a few new ones. If she stays, her longtime crush, Joel, might finally notice her, but if she goes, Chris, the charming college boy, might prove to be everything she's ever wanted.
Though there are two distinct ways for her fate to unfold, there is only one happy ending...

The book is told from two point of view and unfolds with what would happen with each decision.
The question is:  Have you ever looked back on a decision you made and wondered how your life would have changed if you had done something differently?
When I applied for colleges, I got into three different schools. I picked the one that was closest to home, because I was afraid to move away from my family, my friends, and also changing my doctors. I always wonder what would have happened, if I changed my mind and went to a school farther away. Overall, I like my university and have made some great friends that I care about. A part of my mind causing me to wonder what if...
Now it is your turn to answer for the question in the comments below for a chance to win a copy of Just Like Fate and a mini magic eight ball. The contest will be open till the 19th at midnight and is US only.