Ultimate YA

BOOK GIVEAWAY REMINDER! Enter for a chance to win a copy of Ashley’s The Knife and the Butterfly.

7. What is the best part about being a writer? The most challenging?

The most challenging part for me is always the first draft. At that point, I don’t trust what I’m writing at all, and I live in fear that it won’t add up to anything.

The best part of the actual writing is when things really click and I can feel the direction that I should go in with a project. Also, I love revising. The best part of being an author is connecting with readers. I love doing school visits and hearing from folks.


9. Any book recommendations for our readers?

Some of my YA faves include THE BOOK THIEF, everything by Matt de la Peña (his debut BALL DON’T LIE will always be special to me), MADAPPLE by Christina Ledlum, IMANI ALL MINE by Connie Porter, HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff, and of course the amazing works by my fellow Carolrhoda Lab authors.

If you want to read something totally different, check out Ana Castillo’s brilliant THE MIXQUIAHUALA LETTERS, a book that offers you multiple ways of reading the chapters, with each path totally changing the ending. I also love THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS by Arundhati Roi. It gives me chills every time I read it.

10. What message would you like people to take away from THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY?

I hope it will make them think about how lucky each of us is when we get a chance to fix something we’ve screwed up. Also, I’d like people to discover another side of what being a teen can mean for some kids out there. One of my readers (who lives in Houston) recently wrote to me about how, after reading THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY, she couldn’t stop thinking about “the other Houston.” I liked that very much.

11. Any advice for our aspiring writers?

Actually do it. Write, I mean. Every day if you can, even if it’s only for a few minutes. I wrote my first novel in fifteen-minute chunks, and I have a supremely dorky way of making sure I write at least this much every day (it involves colored markers and a calendar, and I explain it here).

For more ideas on making writing work, check out this post on my blog or just explore any of the entries under the “writing advice” tag. And don’t be afraid to comment or send questions. I occasionally do a “reader’s question” feature on my blog where I respond to questions that have been sent to me.

12. What’s next on the writing front after the February release of THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY?

I’m smack-dab in the middle of writing my third novel. I’m very superstitious about discussing unfinished work, so I will only say that it’s set in the 1930s (but please don’t even THINK about sticking it with that hideously boring-sounding label, “historical fiction”) and that it involves an explosion, an interracial romance, twins, a shoe, and a tree. I won’t know until I finish it when you can expect to see it on shelves, but the latest news is always on my website, and if you follow my blog, or follow me on twitter (@ashleyhopeperez) you are sure to find out about it!

Thanks for the wonderful questions—and for letting me hang out with all of you. Hope to hear from you soon!

We are pleased to announce that our February 2012 Featured Author, Ashley Perez, will be giving away one gorgeous, hardcover copy of her novel, The Knife and the Butterfly!

Here are the rules:

1.) It is only open to residents of the United States and Canada.

2.) Enter your name and email address into our ask box OR post it on our community page on Facebook.

The contest ends on February 29th. We will announce the winner March 5th!

Good luck to all our entrants!

BOOK GIVEAWAY REMINDER! Enter for a chance to win a copy of Ashley’s The Knife and the Butterfly.

1. Who was your favorite character to write in THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY?

Writers, like parents, are probably not supposed to have favorites. This hasn’t been an issue for me yet as a mom because I only have one little boy. But as a writer, I definitely have favorites. In THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY Azael was my favorite from the beginning, in part because I felt that—in the news coverage of the event that sparked my novel—the guy got a lot less attention than the girl who was the starting point for my other main character, Lexi.

I still wanted to grab Azael sometimes and just shake some sense into him, especially when he was making bad choices. There were also plenty of things that I didn’t want to think about (like Azael’s, ahem, private thoughts about his girlfriend). But to capture the mind of my 15-year-old protagonist, I had to get over myself. In the end, Azael lived up to his status as “favorite” most of all in his good intentions regarding  his little sister, Regina. Azael and his brother Eddie don’t have a lot of resources, but they do their absolute best to make up for their dad’s lack of warmth toward her. And when things get too bad, they get her out of the home and into a safer place.

2. Which do you enjoy more: teaching or writing? Or do you love them equally?

I think I need them both—working in tandem—to do my best in each domain. For me, writing is generally very draining, although in a good way. Teaching is hard work, but when it’s going well, it’s energizing for me. I use a lot of classroom structures that help students to become active contributors to each other’s understanding, and along the way I learn A LOT. After being inside my head all morning to write (if I’m lucky enough to have a whole morning), it feels great to head to campus, change gears, and dig into texts with my awesome students.

3. How many languages do you know?

(Picture me staring at my feet, wishing you had asked something easier to answer, like how many toenails still have at least some nail polish from that pedicure five months ago.)

It all depends on how you define “know.” If you are very generous, I know four languages.

Of course my English is decent. I speak Spanish fluently, although there are gaps in my vocabulary. Like, I could never explain to you how to change a tire in Spanish, although I could talk about literature or cooking all day long.

Things get dicier from there. I can read in Portuguese, but beyond one graduate class, I’ve never spent much time speaking it. As for French… I read well, but my speaking is pretty pathetic. We live in Paris at the moment, and my French is good enough to get around, but I’m sad to say that it has not improved much. I teach all day in English, and then I come home and speak Spanish with my husband and our son. So French is pretty much reserved for buying fruits and veggies in the market, ordering in restaurants, and greeting our neighbors when we cross paths in the apartment building.

4. Of your two published novels, WHAT CAN’T WAIT and THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY, which was your favorite to write?

You keep hitting me with the questions about favorites! Are you a middle child? I ask because, in my experience, middle children are obsessed with favoritism. :)

Seriously, now… these novels—and my experiences writing them—are so different it’s hard to compare them, so I’ll just tell you what I loved about writing each.

My students in Houston read the first draft of WHAT CAN’T WAIT as I was writing it, and it was very exciting to have real readers clambering for the next installment of the novel. They also covered the manuscript with sticky notes and annotations, many of which I revisited when I was revising the novel.

THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY is more complex in its narrative structure, and I loved learning to be the writer who could do the story in my head justice.

5. Which character (from any of your novels) do you related to the most? And why?

There is a kernel of me and my experiences in every character I write. Often, giving a character some of my own flaws (which I can relate to) helps me to understand him or her. That’s why, for example, Lexi in THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY has a terrible sweet tooth. At the same time, none of the characters is “me.” I actually answer the question, “Is Marisa me?” on my blog here.

If I had to pick one character from my books who is most based on my own experiences, it would be Ms. Ford, Marisa’s calculus teacher in WHAT CAN’T WAIT. She is as well intentioned and clueless as I was as a first-year teacher, and sometimes her desire to help her students to achieve academically makes her overlook the challenges of their lives outside of school.

6. How did you concoct the idea for your novel THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY?

The gang fight that opens the novel was directly inspired by an event that actually took place in Houston. It was covered by THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE, which did a series on two teens involved in the conflict. Out of that initial seed grew the gritty world of the novel, but I also break the rules just a little to make certain second chances possible. I’ll let you check out the novel to find out exactly what I mean!

That’s it for December! But no worries, P.J. Hoover is more than happy to have you contact her!

Author website: http://www.pjhoover.com
 
Link to Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkWezTGdTkg

Blog: http://pjhoover.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pj.hoover1

Twitter: http://twitter.com/pj_hoover

6. Which character (in any of your novels) do you connect most with? And Why?

The characters in SOLSTICE are created from my imagination solely and don’t match people I know in real life. Sure, I use bits and pieces of so many people to create so many different parts of characters, but with SOLSTICE, there are not definite matches. As for which character I relate to the most, I’d go with Chloe. She’s fun but smart and looks out for her best friend. Plus she likes to walk on the wild side just a bit J

7. What are some of your favorite novels and/or authors?

As a teen, I read all the time. That said, mostly what I enjoyed was adult science fiction or fantasy, or classics like The Odyssey, Oedipus Rex, and Beowulf. As for my adult SFF favorite authors, there are so many. I loved Tolkien, David Eddings, Roger Zelazny, Terry Brooks, and Isaac Asimov, just to name a few. The list could go on and on, and I could talk all day about it, but I’ll keep it at this. I read tons of current YA fantasy stories also, and it’s hard to name any here because I’m always finding new stuff I like.

8. You probably get this question a lot, but why Austin?
Well, I live here. It’s hotter than blazes during the summer. And it’s a fun, eclectic city that uses the phrase “Keep Austin Weird” as its tagline. Combine that with Greek gods and global warming, and there was just no other choice. And I love that it’s set in my home base. It makes the novel that much more special!

9. For our aspiring writers, what is the easiest part of writing a book? The hardest?

The easiest part is coming up with ideas. I have gazillions of new ideas. So many I have a hard time catching up. The hardest part is the soggy middle of the story. I’m all excited to write a story at the beginning, but by the time the middle comes, things get harder and new ideas sound so much better. They try to tempt me away to write them.

10. What are you working on next? Any new releases in the future?

I’m working on a middle grade and a young adult novel, both fantasy. I never talk much about unpublished works, but I am managing to keep myself busy. And there are definite

plans for a sequel to SOLSTICE!

Thank you again for letting me be here!

1. How did you come up with the idea for your novel, Solstice?

Well, I adore mythology. And I always wanted to write a myth retelling. And so that is what I set out to do. But I surprised myself with the final result, because SOLSTICE is not really a retelling at all, but more a what happens after the myth. Kind of like a sequel to Mythology 101.

2. When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

I grew up reading and writing fantasy and science fiction. Not long after my second child, Lola, was born, I was deep in a Tolkien stage. I reread all the books and immersed myself into the world of Middle Earth. And then, one day, it occurred to me that rather than reading and learning so much about the worlds other people created, why not create my own world. I started writing that evening and never stopped.

3. Who was your favorite character to write about in Solstice?

Overall, I’ve determined writing evil characters is the most fun. The great thing about evil characters is the struggle they have within themselves. Take Tantalus, for example. He’s crazy because he can’t eat or drink, and this craziness drives all his actions. It’s so much fun to see what will come of that kind of mental state.

4. What was your first reaction to finding out that the Brazilian rights for Solstice had been sold?

Excitement that my words would actually be important enough to translate to another language. I think that’s just cool!

5. Which novels did you enjoy writing more: Solstice or The Forgotten Worlds
Trilogy? And Why?

As much as I loved writing Solstice, The Forgotten Worlds books were my first, and they hold a very special place in my heart. When I go back and read them, I find they have so many things I just adore tucked inside their pages. I love the characters, the interplay, the story, and the world.

1) I collect Smurfs, Bicentennial quarters, Star Trek Christmas ornaments, and antique bricks. If you find an old brick with words on it, please let me know!

2) Favorite consumables include Brie Cheese, Red Wine, and Strong Coffee. And of course chocolate, but that goes without saying, doesn’t it?

3) I can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under 2 minutes. And I have a black belt* in Kung Fu. The first took 2 weeks to achieve. The second took 2 years. Both make for good party tricks.

4) I plan to hike on the Great Wall of China someday. And of course drag the family on an archaeological dig.

5) Jobs I’ve had include Donut Seller, Car Assessor, Dorm Security Monitor, and of course, Chip Designer.

6) I got the inspiration for my first story, THE EMERALD TABLET, from two places (mainly): The Powers of Matthew Star, and the Star Trek episode Who Mourns For Adonis? You’ll have to read the book and watch the shows to figure out why.

7) I take pictures everywhere I go, and I go lots of cool places: sewage treatment plant, recycling plant, junkyard. Everywhere is “research” and there are always cool things to be discovered.

*Actually, now, I have a 2nd degree black belt in Kung Fu, but who’s keeping track?

P. J. Hoover first fell in love with Greek mythology in sixth grade thanks to the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton. After a fifteen year bout as an electrical engineer designing computer chips for a living, P. J. decided to take her own stab at mythology and started writing books for kids and teens. P. J. is also a member of THE TEXAS SWEETHEARTS & SCOUNDRELS. When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and two kids and enjoys practicing Kung Fu, solving Rubik’s cubes, and watching Star Trek. Her first novel for teens, Solstice, takes place in a Global Warming future and explores the parallel world of mythology beside our own. Her middle grade fantasy novels, The Emerald Tablet, The Navel of the World, and The Necropolis, chronicle the adventures of a boy who discovers he’s part of two feuding worlds hidden beneath the sea.

Where Mythology and Dystopia meet…

Piper’s world is dying. Global warming kills every living thing on Earth, and each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles which threaten to destroy humanity. Amid this Global Heating Crisis, Piper lives with her mother who suffocates her more than the chaotic climate. When her mother is called away to meet the father Piper has been running from her entire life, Piper seizes an opportunity for freedom. But when Piper discovers a world of mythology she never knew existed, she realizes, in P.J. Hoover (Featured Author of December 2011)’s, Solstice, that her world is not the only one in crisis.

Book Trailer

How to get a copy:

Amazon |Barnes and Noble

Website link: www.jenniferjabaley.com

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Jabaley/201373363218760

Twitter link: http://twitter.com/#!/JenniferJabaley

Contact link: mailto:Jennifer@JenniferJabaley.com

6. Between Crush Control and Lipstick Apology which was your favorite to write and why?
Well, they were different.  Writing Lipstick was like falling in love the first time…there’s such a high when you finish your first book and you see it all come to completion and you think, ‘I created this’.  But Crush Control was much easier.  I had the direction of my editor and for some reason the story blossomed easily.  I found myself laughing a lot while writing Crush Control.  And I had a ball doing all the research - hypnosis and voodoo and spiritual advisors - it was a riot.  

7. Both of your books, Crush Control and Lipstick Apology have interesting plots to them. How did you think of the plots for your books?  

Thank you.  My goal is to have a plot that moves quickly and in an interesting way. The ideas for both books each came in an isolated moment of inspiration.  Something my sister said sparked the idea for Lipstick Apology and the inspiration for Crush Control came in the middle of the night while I tried to rock my sleepless infant daughter back to sleep.  For more specific info, I detail each inspiration on my website www.jenniferjabaley.com

8. What are some of your favorite books?
Oh, that’s really really difficult to answer.  Some recent YA reads that I really enjoyed are Anna and The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, Honey Baby Sweetheart by Deb Caletti.  Some of my favorite women’s fiction authors are Emily Giffin, Sophie Kinsella, Laura Dave.  And one of my favorite books that doesn’t get a lot of recognition is The Center of Everything by Laura Moriarity. It’s an adult novel but it’s a coming of age story about a young girl.   9. For our aspiring writers, what is the easiest part of writing a book? The hardest?   I think the easiest part is when you get the initial idea and everything is exciting and promising.  The hardest part is making yourself sit down and finish and not jump onto the next exciting idea and start over.

10. What are you working on next? Any new releases in the future?
I’m working on my next project right now :)