About the Author: Liz Fichera writes stories about ordinary teens who do extraordinary things.  Originally from the Midwest, Liz now lives in the American Southwest among cactus and people who’ve never seen snow.  To learn more, visit www.LizFichera.com.

About Hooked: Sparks fly when a Native American girl with a killer swing joins the boys’ varsity golf team and takes on the boy with the killer smile.

We bring you an abbreviated Twitterview with Liz, though we let her cheat on character count since she had more to say than 140 characters allowed. 

Pitch your book:
Hooked is a contemporary young adult story about a Native American girl with a killer golf swing who joins the all boys’ golf team and goes after the boy with the killer smile.  It’s Catching Jordan meets Perfect Chemistry with a dash of West Side Story and has already earned a Kirkus starred review.

Who will this book appeal to:
Anyone who loves fast-paced, emotional and realistic fiction.  Ages 12 and above.

Favorite moment or character in your book:
I love the scene where Fred (short for Fredricka) shows up for golf practice for her high school boys’ golf team and blows away everyone’s low expectations with her flawless swing.  I also love her first kiss with Ryan.

What’s your writing routine:
I write every day, mostly in the afternoon and early evening.  I’ll keep going to the wee hours if I get on a roll.

What’s your best piece of writing advice:
Even if you finish a book and start the query process, always be writing your next book.

What’s been the most surprising part of the publishing journey:
The book blogging community.  I had no idea there were so many world-wide book bloggers!

What did you do when you learned your book would be published:
I screamed, then I cried, then I called my husband, sister and parents.  Then my husband and I celebrated at our favorite Italian restaurant.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve received:
When my first book didn’t sell right away, my agent said, “Keep writing.”

What are your top three favorite books:
Such a tough question.  I have tons of favorites, depending on my mood.  However, books that I’ve read over and over include Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner, and The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

What’s next for you:
My next book with HarlequinTEEN is called Played and will publish in 2014.  This past summer, I finished another YA contemporary that is currently with my agent.  I’m currently writing another YA contemporary, this time about an adopted Hopi girl.  I’m always writing something.

Find out more about Liz Fichera’s Hooked on Goodreads.