Author Interview Linda Joy Singleton

Welcome, Linda Joy. Thank you for taking the time to let me interview you. Q. What inspired you to be a writer? A. As soon as I started reading on my own, I started writing. No one told me to do it. Words and stories just sprang out of me and onto paper. As young as eight, I wrote because I loved stories. I submitted short stories in my teens, gaining experience with rejections. And when I was thirty, I sold my first juvenile novel. Since then I'm sold over thirty books. Q. Can you tell us about your latest book release? A. The 4th title in THE SEER series, SWORD PLAY, came out in 2006. I took fencing lessons for research and watched a joust that resulted in a serious injury to one rider. The book opens with a ghost and ends with a battle of swords. In August 07 the 5th title in THE SEER series, FATAL CHARM, will be published by Flux. Q. What prompted you to write your books? A. Are they based on true life or are they completely fiction? My books are all fiction. I love to write about magical, strange and mysterious things that fascinate me. I've written about clones, psychics, ghosts, aliens, mermaids and cheerleaders. Whenever I've writing about a topic excites me. I do most research online but love to go places and meet people who help make even the most fantastical plot seem real. There are little bits of people I know, emotions I've felt and places I've been in every book I write. Q. Would you take us through your typical writing day? A. You're gonna hate me (g)…but when it's cold I don't even get up in the morning. I put my laptop on my bed, prop myself upright, check my email then bring up my latest manuscript. I spend a few hours rewriting what I've already written, then if I'm a good girl, I add new pages. Sometimes I edit over and over without adding any new pages, but the rewriting makes it so much better. So I write slower than I used to but I like to think the work shines a little brighter for the extra work. Q. Do you think about your readers when you write a book? A. No. I become my character and feel her story. We're experiencing the plot together. Q. What sort of things do you do when you're not writing? A. Watch reality TV shows. Take walks. Go to the movies. I bowl (badly) on a league with my hubby. In the summer we boat & camp. I also spend a lot of time surfing the web. Oh, and lots of reading. Books rock. Q. What are some of your favorite things? A. My family, cats, my dog Lacey, the color pink, my series book collection, trees, lakes, the ocean and sunshine. Q. Many writers speak about writer's block. Do you ever have that, and if so what are some things you do to get over it? A. I don't get writer's block. I get writer's procrastination and disappointment, but I never run out of ideas. There are too many books to write and not enough years to write them all. Q. If you could say one thing to a new writer what would it be? A. Read. Yup, you've heard that before, but reading is the key to learning the flow and music of words. Read all kinds of books and soak in a multitude of voices. Then read some more. Q. If you could say one thing to the children reading your books what would that be? A. I hope you love my books. Q. When it comes to writing what's next for you? A. I'm working on a series about a girl who feels like an alien in high school for good reason. It's turning out soooo good. I love my ugly-girl character and am having a ball writing all the weird things that happen to her. I am being sooo mean to her, but nice, too, because she's going to find love and magic in the end. Q. Are you available for signings, school visits and writing workshops? A. Yup. That was me you saw on the side of the road with the sign: Will Give Talks For Honorarium. www.LindaJoySingleton.com

Linda Joy Singleton & Deborah Lynn Jacobs

Author Interview Deborah Lynn Jacobs DEBORAH LYNN JACOBS is the author of POWERS, Roaring Brook Press, 2006. It was nominated as an ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Kirkus Reviews called it, "…a bewitchingly pulpy and enjoyable fast read." School Library Journal said it was, "A traditional story of teenage angst with a refreshing twist." And VOYA said: "Told in the alternating voices of Gwen and Adrian, this novel is more than a typical fantasy/science fiction exploration of psychic powers." Deborah's newest book, CHOICES, a young adult novel, will be available in September, 2007, from Roaring Brook Press. She is currently working on a new novel. Previously, Deborah wrote feature articles for regional newspapers and magazines. Deborah has ten years experience developing curriculum and teaching adult learners. She is an active member of Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and has presented at local writers' conferences. Most people call her Deborah, then Debbie, and then Deb…all within the space of, oh, about ten seconds. She likes Deb the best, but thinks Deborah is a much more sophisticated name for a YA novelist. I mean, really-Deb Jacobs on the cover of a book? Nah…. Welcome, Deborah. Thank you for joining me here for an interview . AF - What inspired you to be a writer? DLJ - I'm not sure. I loved reading from the start, and used to stay in at lunch hour to help the school librarian shelve books. I wrote my first book at age eight, but got stuck in the middle. It's a problem I still have! AF - Can you tell us about your latest book release? DLJ - POWERS is about two teens who develop psychic powers and nearly destroy each other before they learn to work together. It's a story about power on many levels, personal, relationship, physical, sexual. I'd rate it for 13-and-up. CHOICES will be out in fall 2007. Here's the blurb: Overcome with guilt over her brother's death, Kathleen slips through multiple universes in an attempt to find one in which he is still alive. Both are written in more than one voice, which makes revision a total pain! AF - What prompted you to write your books? Are they based on true life or are they completely fiction? DLJ- They're pure fiction. I grew up on science fiction, and most of what I write starts with the question, "what if?" What if psychic powers were real? What if the multiple universe theory is real? AF - Would you take us through your typical writing day? DLJ - Alarm clock rings. Nudge husband. Repeat six times. Try to fall back asleep. Most times succeed. Get up later, make coffee, answer emails, do promotion stuff like setting up library/school visits, answer messages on MySpace and LiveJournal. Eat, shower, go for my walk and then write for the afternoon. At some point, it occurs to me to make dinner. My husband arrives, we eat and watch an hour or two of TV. Then, write for another few hours. Go to bed at midnight or so. AF - Do you think about your readers when you write a book? DLJ - Not so much at first. Writing, to me, is organized daydreaming. I think the story in my head, hear the dialogue, see the characters. As I get further along, I pay attention to my themes. I wonder, "what am I saying here?" For example, CHARLOTTE'S WEB was a great story, but it was also about friendship, loyalty and the circle of life. POWERS is a fun, quick read, but it explores the themes of corruption, friendship and getting past the public mask a person wears. In the end, POWERS is about being totally honest with yourself, and facing your inner demons. CHOICES (Sept. 2007) has the themes of "there's more than one kind of love" and "each choice you make in life takes you down a different path." It's not that I write "messagey" books. Not AT ALL! But I think every book says something about the way we see the world. In writing for teens, I want to be aware of what my stories say on a deeper level. AF - What sort of things do you do when you're not writing? DLJ: Read, watch movies, cook (I love unusual or ethnic foods), garden (mostly perennials-I start them from seed, collect wild seeds, try to grow stuff native to this area) AF - What are some of your favorite things? DLJ - Hearing the red-winged blackbirds return in the spring. They have such a party when they all arrive. Hearing the frogs wake up from their winter sleep and call to each other. Watching the house finches build a nest in my hanging Impatiens pot. Loons. Eagles. Dobermans. The robins that raise their young in my backyard. The little vole that steals seeds from the base of my bird feeder. My kids, my kids, my kids. Dark chocolate. Hot tubbing on a cold winter night. Canoeing. Lakes, rivers, oceans, streams, creeks. Campfires. Being the first person to leave footprints in a pristine field of snow. AF - Many writers speak about writer's block. Do you ever have that, and if so what are some things you do to get over it? DLJ - Oh, I do. Mostly it's because of fear that my story will be of interest to no one, or because I'm trying to force the plot or characters. I take long walks, ask my characters questions, try to outline, and complain to my writer buds. One thing that helps me is to set an alarm for one hour and allow myself to JUST WRITE. After an hour, I usually get into it and then spend several more hours writing. AF - If you could say one thing to a new writer what would it be? DLJ - Persevere. Join a critique group. Join writing related lists on the Internet and learn from those who have gone before. AF - If you could say one thing to the children reading your books what would that be? DLJ - I'm writing for teens, and I know it's not the easiest time of life. I remember…oh, boy, do I remember! So, I guess I'd say: "Be the person YOU want to be. It's okay to be different, whatever 'different' may be for you. It's okay to have only one or two good friends in high school. Not everyone belongs to a group. It's okay to follow your dreams, however unrealistic others tell you they are. You only live once. Live without regret." Oh, and just to be really self-serving, I'd say, "If you like my stuff, tell your friends! Blog about me! Spread the word! AF - When it comes to writing what's next for you? DLJ - A novel that's part dystopia, part contemporary. It's written in two voices, with roughly parallel but very different story lines. I'd tell you the premise, but then…uh…you know… AF - Are you available for signings, school visits and writing workshops? DLJ - In a heartbeat. My website is: www.deborahlynnjacobs.com Click on Presentations, or Contact Me.