2AMC: Amy Talkington, author of Liv, Forever

Today, we have the award-winning filmaker, screenwriter and now, debut author of Liv, Forever. Her novel was described by Kendare Blake as, "...that special kind of story that manages to be both morbid and sweet." Let us all welcome, Amy Talkington.

About Writing:

While you were in the process of writing this book, did you ever doubt yourself or second guess the reason why you are writing this story? If yes, how did you overcome those obstacles?

Initially I imagined LIV, FOREVER as a screenplay/movie (that's my day job, screenwriting). I spent a long time working out the story outline and, as I did, I realized I wanted to write it as a book. Because I was working off a very detailed outline, I never questioned or second guessed the story but I DID question AND second guess my ability to write it in novel form. I've written short stories, numerous screenplays and articles for magazines but LIV, FOREVER was my first novel so there was a lot of doubt about my ability to pull that off.

How did I push through? I had to! I was lucky enough to sell the book off the outline so I had a deadline. Looming deadlines always help!

About Getting Published:

As an aspiring author, hearing about how authors got published is always fascinating and inspiring for me. So can you tell us your journey to publication? And what was the first thing you did or said after you got the news about the book deal?

I had an unconventional path. Once I realized that I thought LIV, FOREVER would make a great book, . I reached out to the one single editor I know in the business, Daniel Ehrenhaft at Soho Teen, and… he wanted to publish the book! So my experience was pretty unique (and lucky!) in that way.

What's the first thing I did? Panicked!

About Being an Author:

Tell us what it's like to be a published author? What was your most favorite moment in this whole experience, aside from seeing and holding a physical copy of your book?

I got to do a small book tour and that was incredible -- to get to meet young people (and older people) who'd read and loved the book. Answering their questions, discussing it. I'd have to say the school visits were probably my very favorite!

About the Book:

Just like superheroes, I think it's safe to say that a book also has an origin story before they became what they are right now. It might have started out as a thought, an experience, a dialogue you heard, a conversation with a friend, or an idea that has been plaguing your brain for quite sometime. So tell us, what's your book's origin story? And what made you decide to write it?

The idea came from a bunch of things piling up in my brain at once. First, I just had this character I wanted to write: Liv. Secondly, I’ve been interested in ghosts for a long time so... I started to think about what kind of a ghost story Liv might be a part of. I got really excited about the metaphors a ghost story affords—the idea that she had to die in order to fully learn to live (and love). And, finally, when I was thinking about all this, the Occupy movement was happening and I was really struck by the great divide in our country—between the 99% and the 1%. I wanted to tap into that. I don’t want to give it away but I can say that divide—and the feeling so many people have that the 1% would do almost anything to stay on top—comes to play in the school’s mythology and conspiracy.

About the Author:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Amy Talkington is an award-winning screenwriter and director living in Los Angeles. Before all that she wrote about music for magazines like Spin, Ray gun, Interview, and Seventeen (mostly just as a way to get to hang out with rock stars). As a teenager in Dallas, Texas, Amy painted lots of angsty self-portraits, listened to the Velvet Underground and was difficult enough that her parents finally let her go to boarding school on the East Coast. Liv, Forever is her first novel.

Title: Liv, Forever
Genre/s: YA, Paranormal Mystery
Publisher: Soho Teen
Publication Date: March 11, 2014
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound | Book Depository

Summary:

When Liv Bloom lands an art scholarship at Wickham Hall, it’s her ticket out of the foster system. Liv isn’t sure what to make of the school’s weird traditions and rituals, but she couldn’t be happier. For the first time ever, she has her own studio, her own supply of paints. Everything she could want.

Then she meets Malcolm Astor, a legacy student, a fellow artist, and the one person who’s ever been able to melt her defenses. Liv’s only friend at Wickham, fellow scholarship kid Gabe Nichols, warns her not to get involved, but life is finally going Liv’s way, and all she wants to do is enjoy the ride.

But Liv’s bliss is doomed. Weeks after arriving, she is viciously murdered and, in death, she discovers that she’s the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that has claimed many lives. Cursed with the ability to see the many ghosts on Wickham’s campus, Gabe is now Liv’s only link to the world of the living. To Malcolm.

Together, Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm fight to expose the terrible truth that haunts the halls of Wickham. But Liv must fight alone to come to grips with the ultimate star-crossed love.

Book Trailer

2AMC: Stefanie Gaither, author of Falls the Shadow

Falls the Shadow received a starred review from VOYA which described it as "a very engaging read and hard to put down until the last page". I'm very happy to have the author here on my blog. Let us all welcome, Stefanie Gaither.

About Writing:

While you were in the process of writing this book, have you ever doubted yourself or second guess the reason why you are writing this story? If yes, how did you overcome those obstacles?

The majority of my time writing any book is spent ricocheting wildly between extreme confidence and passion for the story and thinking "this book is complete crap and even my mom isn't going to want to read it". So, yes? :) But the trick, for me at least, is to face the page every single day, no matter which state of mind I'm in. Even if I don't add any new words to a manuscript, I still sit down and stare at the manuscript, so it doesn't have a chance to leave my mind and become something I sweep under the bed and give up on. Besides, a lot of these stare-down sessions tend to turn into productive writing sessions, even if it takes the muse awhile to realize I'm serious and we're going to write whether we believe in this story at this particular moment or not.

About Getting Published:

As an aspiring author, hearing about how authors got published is always fascinating and inspiring for me. So can you tell us your journey to publication? And what was the first thing you did or said after you got the news about the book deal?

I first started thinking seriously about trying to make it onto bookstore shelves when I was a sophomore in college, I think; that's the year I completed my first novel. It involved werewolves, and it was pretty sucktastic. BUT it was an important step--because I finished it, and I queried it, and I got my first taste of acceptance from agents...followed by crushing rejection, haha. I survived it, though, and became determined to get more acceptance than rejection on the next one, and then the next one... and then finally I wrote FALLS THE SHADOW, which led to quite a few full requests, several agent offers, and the rest is history. Overall, it took about four years from the moment I said "I'm going to do this" to reach "I did this". And there was lots of rejoicing, weeping, and a really unhealthy level of stubbornness involved.

About Being an Author:

Tell us what it's like to be a published author? What was your most favorite moment in this whole experience, aside from seeing and holding a physical copy of your book?

Mostly it's weird--but in a really good way, of course. It's just strange when you've had a dream for a really long time, and then it comes true, and you walk into a bookstore and see your book on the shelf like you've envisioned so many times before. It's like, okay, that was a lot of work, now what? And of course then you remember the work's just getting started, and there are other books to write and contracts to hopefully land, and lovely interviews like this one to complete...the list goes on. And it's awesome because I tell people this is my job now when they ask what I do for a living--because it IS a lot of hard work-- but really I'm just living a strangely surreal dream. While hanging out in sweatpants. And drinking lots of coffee (yes, lots of those stereotypes are true for me).

As for my favorite moment? I loved getting to show my mom and my husband the dedication page for the first time and watching them tear up. I had their dedications written long before the book was done, and I was so thrilled to finally be able to show them to them.

About the Book:

Just like superheroes, I think it's safe to say that books also has an origin story before they became what they are right now. It might started out as a thought, an experience, a dialogue you heard, a conversation with a friend, or an idea that has been plaguing your brain for quite sometime. So tell us, what's your book's origin story? And what made you decide to write it?

I think the actual "spark" of an idea came from a quote I remember seeing on the internet-- something like "instead of creating new people, why doesn't God just keep the ones he has now?" And I've always been a sci-fi fan, so that quote made me think "clones". But I've also always loved stories about families, too, and, after losing family of my own at a young age, I felt like I understood the sentiment behind this quote. So all of those things sort of combined into this story that I wanted to tell: one that was full of cool sci-fi stuff, but decidedly human at heart and ultimately about people and relationships and how things like loss and grief complicate them.

About the Author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

After co-managing a coffee shop for several years while simultaneously earning her B.A. in English, Stefanie left the small-business world behind to focus on her author career instead. Now, in addition to writing YA novels, she also works part time as a copywriter for an advertising agency. She lives near Charlotte, NC with her artist husband, a ridiculously spoiled shih-tzu named Shakespeare, and a baby-to-be who will be making her debut in early December. You can find out more about Stefanie and her books at www.stefaniegaither.com.

Title: Falls the Shadow
Genre/s: YA, Science Fiction,
Publisher: Simon and Schuster BFYR
Publication Date: September 16, 2014
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository

Summary:

When Cate Benson was a kid, her sister, Violet, died. Two hours after the funeral, Cate’s family picked up Violet’s replacement. Like nothing had happened. Because Cate’s parents are among those who decided to give their children a sort of immortality—by cloning them at birth—which means this new Violet has the same smile. The same perfect face. Thanks to advancements in mind-uploading technology, she even has all of the same memories as the girl she replaced.

She also might have murdered the most popular girl in school.

At least, that’s what the paparazzi and the anti-cloning protestors want everyone to think: that clones are violent, unpredictable monsters. Cate is used to hearing all that. She’s used to defending her sister, too. But Violet has vanished, and when Cate sets out to find her, she ends up in the line of fire instead. Because Cate is getting dangerously close to secrets that will rock the foundation of everything she thought was true.

In a thrilling debut, Stefanie Gaither takes readers on a nail-biting ride through a future that looks frighteningly similar to our own time and asks: how far are you willing to go to keep your family together?

2AMC: Mary Elizabeth Summer, author of Trust Me, I'm Lying

We have the author of Trust Me, I'm Lying here, who's celebrating the release of her debut novel, today. HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY, Mary Elizabeth Summer!!!

About Writing:

While you were in the process of writing this book, have you ever doubt yourself or second guess the reason why you are writing this story? If yes, how did you overcome those obstacles?

Constantly! It's part of the writing process to second guess everything about your story from phrasing to characterization to plot reveals to what your protagonist has for breakfast. Just the other day I was agonizing over whether one of my characters should use contractions or not. Agonizing! I'm still on the fence, to be honest. But there are no absolutes in this business. You could do anything you want in your story. Which is great for variety and creativity, but also crazy-making because sometimes you just want someone to tell you what you should do to get it right. Just keep telling yourself there is no "should"; there is no "right." You're never going to please 100% of readers 100% of the time. It's not possible. So write what you want to read to the best of your ability, and you'll be right every time.

About Getting Published:

As an aspiring author, hearing about how authors got published is always fascinating and inspiring for me. So can you tell us your journey to publication? And what was the first thing you did or said after you got the news about the book deal?

My journey to publication is pretty typical, I think. I decided I was going to participate in NaNoWriMo one year (back in 2005--you do the math), and I actually managed to finish my first novel. It was a crappy novel and shall never see the light of day, but I proved to myself that I could do it. Plus, it was a ton of fun to write, so I also proved to myself that this is what I want to do for a living someday (note that I said 'someday'--I still have a day job despite being published). Fast forward three more novels and nearly seven years later. I had just finished the first draft of Trust Me, I'm Lying (which at the time was titled Catch My Grift), and I thought, "This is it. This novel is actually good enough to submit to agents." I was still kind of in the editing process, and I didn't quite want to get on the query bandwagon yet. But I did want to test my premise to see if it anyone was interested in the idea of the story at least, so I entered an online query contest on Cupid's Literary Connection blog. Not only did my story make it into the contest, I got lots of agent interest, including from my dream agent Laura Bradford. Long story short, she read TMIL and offered me representation and I nearly died of squee. She's my agent to this day, and I love her more than chocolate. So then I edited TMIL with Laura's help, and we sent it off on submission to publishing houses. Fast forward some more, and I ended up accepting Wendy Loggia's offer from Delacorte Press (an imprint of Penguin Random House) in December of 2012. And the whole debut author experience from the beginning of 2013 to nearly the end of 2014 has been crazy and awesome. And crazy. And awesome. ;-)

My first words to my agent when she told me I had an offer on my book: "I think I'm going to puke."

About Being an Author:

Tell us what it's like to be a published author? What was your most favorite moment in this whole experience, aside from seeing and holding a physical copy of your book?

I won't lie. Holding a copy of my actual book with my picture on it and everything made me cry (and I'm not a person that cries very often). Aside from that, I guess my favorite moment was...well, I can't actually say, because it's not official yet. LOL Let me try again. My third favorite moment was when TMIL made the Autumn 2014 Kid's Indie Next List. It was so amazing getting to read the bookseller's recommendation of my book. I think I actually hugged my laptop screen after I read it.

About the Book:

Just like superheroes, I think it's safe to say that books also have an origin story before they became what they are right now. It might have started out as a thought, an experience, a dialogue you heard, a conversation with a friend, or an idea that has been plaguing your brain for quite sometime. So tell us, what's your book's origin story? And what made you decide to write it?

One night back in 2010, I was mainlining episodes of White Collar and Leverage, and I thought, "Man, I wish I could read a book about teenage girl con artist, but I don't think there are any." When I woke up the next morning, I had Julep's voice in my head, fully formed and clamoring at me to write her story. So I did. (Incidentally, I found out later that there are actually several stories featuring teen grifters, but I didn't hear about them until after I finished writing TMIL. LOL)

Something I wholeheartedly believe in is that if you really want to read a book and you haven't seen anything like it on bookshelves (regardless of whether or not it actually does exist and you just don't know about it), then you have to write it. It's not just that you have to write it so you can read it. I mean you are duty-bound to write it. Wanting to read something and it being scarce enough that you haven't heard of it already means that somebody else out there really needs that story, too. And since you are a writer and you want to read it, it's up to you to write it. That is what it means to have a muse. The muse doesn't write your story for you. The muse just makes you want to read the story you're meant to write.

About the Author:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Mary Elizabeth Summer contributes to the delinquency of minors by writing books about unruly teenagers with criminal leanings. She has a BA in creative writing from Wells College, and her philosophy on life is “you can never go wrong with sriracha sauce.” She lives in Portland Oregon with her wife, their daughter, and their evil overlor—er, cat. TRUST ME, I’M LYING is her debut novel.

Title: Trust Me, I'm Lying
Genre/s: YA, Contemporary, Mystery
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: October 14, 2014
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository

Summary:

Fans of Ally Carter, especially her Heist Society readers, will love this teen mystery/thriller with sarcastic wit, a hint of romance, and Ocean’s Eleven–inspired action.

Julep Dupree tells lies. A lot of them. She’s a con artist, a master of disguise, and a sophomore at Chicago’s swanky St. Agatha High, where her father, an old-school grifter with a weakness for the ponies, sends her to so she can learn to mingle with the upper crust. For extra spending money Julep doesn’t rely on her dad—she runs petty scams for her classmates while dodging the dean of students and maintaining an A+ (okay, A-) average.

But when she comes home one day to a ransacked apartment and her father gone, Julep’s carefully laid plans for an expenses-paid golden ticket to Yale start to unravel. Even with help from St. Agatha’s resident Prince Charming, Tyler Richland, and her loyal hacker sidekick, Sam, Julep struggles to trace her dad’s trail of clues through a maze of creepy stalkers, hit attempts, family secrets, and worse, the threat of foster care. With everything she has at stake, Julep’s in way over her head . . . but that’s not going to stop her from using every trick in the book to find her dad before his mark finds her. Because that would be criminal.

2AMC: Bethany Crandell, author of Summer on the Short Bus

Summer on the Short Bus got a lot of positive reviews from bloggers and authors I admire and I'm very lucky to interview the author here today.  Let us all welcome, Bethany Crandell.

About Writing:

While you were in the process of writing this book, have you ever doubt yourself or second guess the reason why you are writing this story? If yes, how did you overcome those obstacles?

I didn’t have any doubts about this book until after I wrote it. And even then I didn’t doubt the work but whether or not it was a story people would want to read. The querying process (both in finding an agent and a publisher) is one of the most humbling, skin-thickening experiences I’ve ever faced, and when the rejections started piling up it definitely took a toll on my confidence. Still, I knew deep down I loved my story even if nobody else did--that was enough to keep me showing up for more the next day.

About Getting Published:

As an aspiring author, hearing about how authors got published is always fascinating and inspiring for me. So can you tell us your journey to publication? And what was the first thing you did or said after you got the news about the book deal? 

Like most authors I know, my journey involved a lot of crying, praying, threatening and drinking. (You’d be surprised what someone will agree to publish when you leave a ransom note for their cat. #kidding) I don’t remember the specifics of what went down right after I got the official “offer”, but I assure you there was a lot of squealing, ugly/happy crying, dancing celebrating involved.

About Being an Author:

Tell us what it's like to be a published author? What was your most favorite moment in this whole experience, aside from seeing and holding a physical copy of your book? 

It feels exactly like my pre-published life; except there are more dirty dishes sitting in the sink at the end of the day. Not sure what that’s about….

My favorite moment so far would have to be the night my ARCs arrived in the mail. My sister and I sat on my front porch stoop, each armed with a glass of champagne, and laughed at how awesome and ridiculous all of this was.

About the Book:

Just like superheroes, I think it's safe to say that books also has an origin story before they became what they are right now. It might started out as a thought, an experience, a dialogue you heard, a conversation with a friend, or an idea that has been plaguing your brain for quite sometime. So tell us, what's your book's origin story? And what made you decide to write it?

I have no idea where it came from, but my book evolved from a title I couldn’t seem to shake, THE SHORT BUS FOLLIES. I knew I had to write it when the voices in my head (the characters) became too loud to ignore.

About the Author:

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Bethany lives in San Diego with her husband, two kiddos, and a chocolate lab who has no regard for personal space. She’s slightly obsessed with John Hughes movies, avocados, and inappropriate laughter. She’s represented by Rachael Dugas at Talcott Notch Literary Services.

Title: Summer on the Short Bus
Genre/s: YA, Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Publication Date: April 1, 2014
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound | Book Depository

Summary:

Spoiled, Versace-clad Cricket Montgomery has seventeen years of pampering under her belt. So when her father decides to ship her off to a summer camp for disabled teens to help her learn some accountability, Cricket resigns herself to three weeks of handicapped hell.

Her sentence takes a bearable turn as she discovers the humor and likeability of the campers and grows close to fellow counselors. Now, if she can just convince a certain Zac Efron look-alike with amazing blue eyes that she finally realizes there's life after Gucci, this summer could turn out to be the best she's ever had.

Summer on the Short Bus is a very non-P.C., contemporary YA with a lot of attitude, tons of laughs, and a little life lesson along the way.

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2AMC: Elissa Sussman, author of Stray

Stray has just celebrated it's book birthday on October 7 and I'm excited because you know how I loved fairytales. This is one of my most anticipated Fall 2014 titles from Harper Collins and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to interview and feature its author here today. So without further ado, Elissa Sussman. 

About Writing:

While you were in the process of writing this book, have you ever doubt yourself or second guess the reason why you are writing this story? If yes, how did you overcome those obstacles?

I think every writer has those moments – I’m certainly no different. There’s always a point after getting really great, but intensive notes from someone, usually my editor, where I’m so daunted by the work that needs to be done that I just want to curl up on my couch and watch Star Trek TNG. With ice cream. Which is what I usually do. But then, once I’ve gotten it out of my system, I write lists. And I outline. I take my notebook and write down every question that needs to be answered. Then I go walking, or take a shower or lie down and pretend to take a nap, just allowing my brain to work through the problems that need solving. At some point during that process, I start to feel good about the project again and that’s when it’s time to work.

About Getting Published:

As an aspiring author, hearing about how authors got published is always fascinating and inspiring for me. So can you tell us your journey to publication? And what was the first thing you did or said after you got the news about the book deal?

My publishing story is pretty traditional. After I had a version of STRAY that I was confident with, I made a list (see the pattern?) and built a spreadsheet of all the agents I was interested in querying. And when I had a query letter I felt good about, I just starting emailing them. It took about five months and sixty queries to find my agent, the amazing Samantha Shea. We worked on STRAY together until Samantha felt it was ready to go out on submission. A few months later I got the call saying that Greenwillow wanted to publish it. There was a lot of jumping and crying and phone calls to my family. I think I said “oh my god” quite a few times.

About Being an Author:

Tell us what it's like to be a published author? What was your most favorite moment in this whole experience, aside from seeing and holding a physical copy of your book?

Hearing from readers absolutely makes my day. Knowing that you’ve created this world and these characters and now other people are experiencing it is the greatest thrill. I’m so happy when I learn that others are just as invested in the world of STRAY as I am.

About the Book:

Just like superheroes, I think it's safe to say that books also has an origin story before they became what they are right now. It might started out as a thought, an experience, a dialogue you heard, a conversation with a friend, or an idea that has been plaguing your brain for quite sometime. So tell us, what's your book's origin story? And what made you decide to write it?

My book was the child of a women’s history class and a re-watching of Disney’s CINDERELLA. I was writing a paper on the representation of women in animated films and for the first time really took notice of how Cinderella’s fairy godmother was portrayed. Initially STRAY was a book about a fairy godmother academy, but after “developing” it for five or so years, I finally decided that I had done enough thinking and it was time to actually do some writing.

About the Author:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr

Elissa Sussman is a writer, a reader and a pumpkin pie eater.

Her debut novel, STRAY (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins), is a YA fantasy aboutfairy godmothers, magic and food. She received her BA from Sarah Lawrence College and in a previous life managed animators and organized spreadsheets at some of the best animation studios in the world, including Nickelodeon, Disney, Dreamworks and Sony Imageworks. You can see her name in the credits of THE CROODS, HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG and TANGLED.

She currently lives in Los Angeles with her boyfriend and their rescue mutt, Basil

Title: Stray (Four Sisters #1)
Genre/s: YA Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling
Publisher: Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins
Publication Date: October 7, 2014
Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | Book Depository

Summary:

“I am grateful for my father, who keeps me good and sweet. I am grateful for my mother, who keeps her own heart guarded and safe. I am grateful for my adviser, who keeps me protected. I am grateful for the Path, which keeps me pure. Ever after.”

Princess Aislynn has long dreamed about attending her Introduction Ball, about dancing with the handsome suitors her adviser has chosen for her, about meeting her true love and starting her happily ever after.

When the night of the ball finally arrives and Nerine Academy is awash with roses and royalty, Aislynn wants nothing more than to dance the night away, dutifully following the Path that has been laid out for her. She does not intend to stray.

But try as she might, Aislynn has never quite managed to control the magic that burns within her-magic brought on by wicked, terrible desires that threaten the Path she has vowed to take.

After all, it is wrong to want what you do not need. Isn’t it?

STRAY is the first in a collection of intertwined stories, all set in a world where magic is a curse that only women bear and society is dictated by a strict doctrine called The Path. A cross between The Handmaid’s Tale and Wicked, with a dash of Grimm and Disney thrown in, this original fairy tale will be released October 7th, 2014 from Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins.