Monthly Archives: April 2010

Forgetful

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Today is Operation Teen Book Drop day! Yay! Last year I participated as a librarian, hiding books around my school. This year I did it again, as a librarian, but also as an author! That was super cool. I did not actually get to hide the books at my school, because I was at Reading Roundup, a conference for Maine librarians about books and reading. My plan had been to hide Secrets at the conference, but then I forgot about it, and then when I remembered, it was almost too late. So then I went home, and was thinking, “Man, I totally messed up my first TBD. Also, I need some spinach and tomatoes.” Which led me to the perfect solution: I would go to the brand new natural food store in my town and drop it there. With all the emphasis on local, organic food in the book, it was actually the perfect spot. So I put it on top of some natural peanut butters. Mmmm. And of course forgot to take a picture.

I also forgot to take pictures at the conference. I did a panel with Ellen Booraem, Deva Fagan, Carrie Jones (who apparently almost died on the way there), and Kelly McClymer. Kevin Hawkes was the keynote speaker. He was funny, charming, and really insightful. I loved seeing his work step by step. He also said something that I wrote down in paraphrase: in illustration, everything needs to add to the emotion of the picture; otherwise it should be cut out. And I kind of want to write it out and frame it as a reminder to myself, because the same could be said of writing, of course. Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of it.

O

Stacey Jay is Awesome

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And she is releasing more zombies on the world! In her latest, My So-Called Death, is the story of freshman Karen Vera. One second, Karen’s  on top of the most fabulous cheer pyramid ever. The next, she’s lying on the pavement with seriously unflattering cranial damage. Freakishly alive without a pulse, Karen learns that she’s a genetically undead zombie. Suddenly, Karen’s non-life is an epic disaster. She’s forced to attend a boarding school for the “death-challenged,” her roommate is a hateful wannabe-Goth weirdo, and she’s chowing down on animal brains every day to prevent rot (um, ew?). Even worse, someone is attacking students and harvesting their brains for a forbidden dark ritual. And it might be the hottest guy at DEAD High, the one who makes Karen’s non-beating heart flutter! Armed with a perky smile and killer fashion sense, it’s up to Karen to track down the brain snatcher and save her fellow students from certain zombie death.

To get to know more about what inspires her and and her characters, I asked what her main character’s theme song would be. Here’s what Stacey had to say:

Karen Vera’s theme song would probably be something like “Because I’m Awesome” by the Dollyrots. Karen has a very high opinion of her talents and abilities, but is also able to poke fun at herself, which I think makes her a character who’s fun to laugh “at” and “with”.

You can get My So-Called Death from Amazon, your local indie book store (Stacey recommends Lemuria Books in Jackson, Mississippi), or your library.

Debs Pageant: Kimberly Derting

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So in publishing, nothing is certain. When a book is sold, a release date is set, but that date doesn’t always stick. For reasons big and small, things get published earlier and later. Such was the case with Kimberly Derting’s debut The Body Finder. And so, quite fabulously, I get to host another contestant in the Debs Pageant!

Character name: Violet Ambrose
Age: 17
Biography:
Just your typical teenager…except for my unusual talent (listed below).

What is your talent?
I can find murder victims by the echo they leave behind. To make things worse, that specific echo also attaches to the killer responsible for their death. Other than that, I’m perfectly normal! :)

What will you wear for the evening dress competition?
Something super-hot. I really want Jay to notice me!

Who is your escort?
Jay Heaton, my best friend since the first-grade.

And now for the interview portion . . . What’s the biggest challenge facing today’s youth?
Technology has created a lot of really great venues for kids to connect, to study, to entertain themselves, but it’s also created a generation of impatience. With everything accessible at their fingertips, attention spans seem to be getting shorter. Sometimes it’s nice to slow down and un-plug!

What color best represents you and why?
Probably yellow, because it’s cheery and fun. (Yes, even I know how lame that sounds!) But it’s true, I try to see the humor in situations whenever possible, it’s way harder to be negative than to laugh!

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
More vacation time! For everyone!!! Don’t we all need a good vacation now and then???

Thank you Violet and Kimberly!

I keep hearing great reviews of The Body Finder so you all should go out and read it. It’s available from Amazon. Or support a local independent bookstore. Kim recommends Third Place Books in Seattle. You could also look for it at your local library.