The winner of a signed paperback copy of The Cinderella Society, along with a special Cinderella Society glass slipper bookmark is Christi the Teen Librarian! I’ll be emailing you shortly with instructions on how to claim your book.
Thanks for entering! We’ll have more giveaways soon.
Yesterday, we brought you a review of Melissa Walker’s forthcoming book, Small Town Sinners, and today, we’re excited to have Melissa here to talk a bit about her book, her career, and more. Read the Twitterview, then enter to win a copy of Small Town Sinners for yourself.
Without further ado!
Pitch SMALL TOWN SINNERS in 140 characters.
Lacey is excited to star in Hell House, her church’s annual haunted house of sin, until unexpected events make her question her faith.
What inspired SMALL TOWN SINNERS?
I wrote a story about a Hell House for ELLEgirl, and was captivated by the teenagers I met who were committed to this religious outreach.
SMALL TOWN SINNERS presents a story about faith without being preachy or one-sided. Why go objective?
It’s easy to insert your own beliefs into a story, but giving the narrative over to the characters and their voices is more real, I think.
What was the most surprising part of writing SMALL TOWN SINNERS for you?
It was oddly easy to get back into church-girl mode, though, honestly, I haven’t been to church in years.
What should readers walk away with from SMALL TOWN SINNERS?
I hope readers walk away with a little more understanding of a certain belief system, and a whole boatload of questions to explore.
Prior to STS, you wrote a series about a model and a romantic comedy. Why the change to hard contemporary?
I always write the story that interests me the most in a certain moment, and those evangelical teens I’d met would not leave my mind.
What was the biggest obstacle to overcome in writing something so different from your prior novels?
The characters in this one are very unlike me, which is different from my other books, where I identified a lot more with the protagonists.
What’s been challenging to you in writing something that contains controversial and edgy topics?
Writing religion is scary. It turns people off, and I’m nervous that my personal beliefs will matter too much to the reader. We’ll see.
What should we expect from your future writing?
A return to lighter stuff for sure, but still peppered with serious stories. I hope I can always keep it new. Next up: An emotional affair!
Who or what do you write for?
Is it self-involved to say that I write for my 16-year-old self? Probably. But it’s also the truest answer I have.
Why do you choose write for a teen audience? Is it intentional or led by the story itself?
Teenagers care more than adults, in general. They’re more involved and excited and angry and invested. I’m into passion.
Who are your top three writing influences?
Judy Blume, Anne M. Martin, VC Andrews. They all got to me young — even VC.
Who do you believe is breaking ground in YA right now?
Everyone who sticks to writing the stories they long to tell rather than the trends they see flashing by. A favorite: Blake Nelson.
You keep yourself extremely busy. What other projects do you have a hand in now?
I write for magazines and here’s the website list: iheartdaily.com, beforeyouwerehot.com, readergirlz.com & The Newbie @ blog.zulily.com
What’s the best writing advice you ever received?
An editor once handed a going-nowhere story I’d written back to me with one note: “Someone has to change.” Best edit ever.
One of my favorite under-the-radar releases of 2010 was Kay Cassidy’s The Cinderella Society. When sixteen-year-old Jess Parker is invited to join the Cindys, a secret society dedicated to defeating the Wickeds, the mean girls of the world, she is swept into a world of secrets, makeovers, and self-improvement. But when the Wickeds strike back, Jess finds out a bit more about the powers that be behind the Cindys and the other girls who are falling to the wayside in this confrontation, ultimately having to decide whether she herself is meant to be a Cindy. The Cinderella Society is a total girl-power tale that encourages girls, as their tagline says, “to celebrate your strength, embrace your future, be extraordinary.”
June 28th marks the paperback release of The Cinderella Society, and Kay has generously offered a signed copy of The Cinderella Society to one lucky reader (US only), along with a special Cinderella Society glass slipper bookmark!
Thanks again to Kay Cassidy for the fantastic giveaway!
The two winners of The Dark City giveaway are Michelle (of Hooked to Books) and Thomas. I’ll be emailing you shortly with instructions on how to claim your book.
Thanks for entering! We’ll have more giveaways soon.
Welcome to another installment of the Twitterview here at STACKED. This month, we bring you Nova Ren Suma, author of the upcoming Imaginary Girls, due out June 14 from Penguin. We brought you a review of this one yesterday — it’s a book that impressed both myself (who has a bent to the contemporary) and Kimberly (who has a bent toward fantasy/dystopian/science fiction). Check out what Nova had to say about the book, writing, and her love of chocolate. Bonus: you can enter to win a copy of her book at the end!
Pitch IMAGINARY GIRLS in 140 characters.
Two sisters, their strong bond, and the dead body that threatens to break it. A story about love, sacrifice, and questionable magic.
I think it’s more magical realism than paranormal. I’ve been calling it contemporary realistic with a fantastical, even supernatural, twist.
Why a sister story?
When I was nine, my life changed for the better. I was gifted with a baby sister. My love for her knows no bounds.
Olive, a submerged town, plays a huge role in the lore of both the story and in Ruby’s character. Is this based on anything in our world?
At 16 I stole swims in the local reservoir. Years later, I learned its history, the towns it drowned. From this, a glimmer of Olive emerged.
I wrote the story through Chloe’s eyes, so those are the eyes I see through, even now. Chloe wholly believes in Ruby’s power, and so do I.
That’s up to the reader. Maybe they’d find themselves taken up by the world of the town, and by Ruby, forgetting all else for a while.
How exciting it is to stray from reality, explore the surreal. Once the dams open and the impossible becomes possible—there’s no stopping.
I write for the girl I was, but mostly for the girl I longed to be.
DANI NOIR wasn’t written first; it pubbed first. I wrote two adult novels and started IG before DANI. After, I was itching to return to YA.
A big transition for me was more from writing for adults to writing for young readers. It felt exhilarating. It felt right. I won’t go back.
Jean Rhys showed me a voice. Aimee Bender introduced me to the surreal alive in the everyday. And Laura Kasischke inspired me to write YA.
I find myself especially taken with dystopians, so I’d have to say those writers reimagining our worlds and foretelling our futures.
“Why don’t you write a YA novel?” The editorial director at my former day job said this to me. Unfortunately it took me years to listen.
Don’t be afraid to give up. Yes. Give up on what’s not working and start something new. Abandoning novels and starting over brought me here.
I’m deep into writing my next novel with Dutton, also YA, a fantastical, ghostly story I’m holding close. I hope it will be out in 2012.
Writing every day. When I can’t—too busy, too distracted—a terrible guilt descends. Writing every day is the routine I aspire to anyway.
Music and mochas. Mochas come first thing in the morning. Music loops from my novel’s carefully cultivated playlist all throughout the day.
Chocolate chocolate chip, with chocolate sauce on top. Did I mention I like chocolate?