Category: Author Interview

Cristin Terrill | 2017 Apollycon Author Spotlight Tour

Posted November 7, 2016 by Jana in Author Interview, Blog Tour, Book Spotlight / 2 Comments

Woohoo! Today I get to spotlight the amazing Cristin Terrill, who will be joining us at Apollycon in Orlando next year! Cristin’s book, All Our Yesterdays, is one of my FAVORITE books ever (so sad about no sequels!). I reviewed it on my blog many moons ago, and here’s some of the highlights of that review:

“Your mind will be blown, and your eyes will get huge, and your brain will try to comprehend it but it’s really wacky. And amazing.”

“I loved the sweet relationships between Marina and James. To me, it kind of felt like Corey and Topanga from Boy Meets World.”

“Romance blooms, romance fades, new feelings grow, old feelings are explored. People flip flop. Lots happens. In the midst of all of it, the characters learn a lot about themselves.”

Yeah. I loved this book. So I’m super excited to feature Cristin today!

The Fast Five Q&A with Cristin

Thing you’re most excited about for Apollycon 2017:
Getting to hang out with all the other authors and readers!

Last book you read:
The Sisters Who Would Be Queen by Leanda de Lisle. Just a bit of research for something I’m toying with at the moment (and an interesting examination of Jane Grey’s less famous sisters).

Best moment as an author:
Probably my first real book signing at BEA a couple of months before ALL OUR YESTERDAYS released. It’s all a bit of a haze but I think that was when I really realized that my book was going to be published and people were going to read it and my life was going to change.

Last thing you treated yourself to:
A chocolate frozen custard for surviving a miserable day without hurting anyone.

Last thing that made you laugh:
While typing my previous answer, my cat jumped for a bookcase and totally missed and I evil cackled. Maybe not very nice, but true.

Cristin Terrill is a young adult author and aspiring grown-up. She grew up semi-nomadic and graduated from Vassar College with a degree in drama. After getting her masters in Shakespeare Studies from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, she lived in London, Austin, Boston, and Washington, DC while working as a theatrical stage manager. Now she writes and leads creative writing workshops for DC-area kids and teens. All Our Yesterdays is her first novel.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

All Our Yesterdays

What would you change?

Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend, James, since they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it… at least, not as the girl she once was. Em and Marina are in a race against time that only one of them can win.

All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

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All 2017 Apollycon attendees are eligible to win one of these awesome prizes! Gift Cards will be distributed to the winners at Apollycon 2017 to be used within the Apollycon bookstore. The passes will allow you to skip to the front of one author’s signing line (your choice).

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Q&A with Author Kathy Parks | The Lifeboat Clique Blog Tour (+ Giveaway)

Posted March 1, 2016 by Jana in Author Interview, Blog Tour, Giveaway / 5 Comments

Happy book birthday to The Lifeboat Clique!

Welcome to my spot on the blog tour for Kathy Parks’s The Lifeboat Clique, hosted by The Irish Banana Review! I really enjoyed The Lifeboat Clique, and am so happy to have Kathy here today to answer a few of my questions!

1. The geography of the lunchroom is a very big deal, and was discussed in The Lifeboat Clique. Which table would your high school self have sat at?

I think I would have sat at one of the Uncategorized tables. I wasn’t an outcast but not terribly popular though I remember being friendly with most people. Of course I may be remembering wrong, and ate lunch in a closet.

2. What are the top 5 things you would have wanted with you if you were stranded on that lifeboat?

Great question!

Okay:
1. A pony keg full of water. And if no water is available, then tequila. Might as well enjoy myself.
2. A laptop, so I can write about various perceived injustices from the others.
3. A wide brimmed hat. I hate the feeling of getting sunburned.
4. A very long and absorbing novel to pass the time while I’m waiting to be rescued. Maybe Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy.
5. Mrs. Field’s Chocolate chip cookies. I just know when I start hallucinating I’m going to think there are cookies in the boat. Might as well have some of those on hand.

3. What advice would you like to give the kids in the lifeboat? They are all going through physical, emotional, and mental challenges. What would you like to tell them as they are floating around in the ocean?

I’d tell them that this whole popularity thing, this important person versus unimportant person, is all an illusion, and that catastrophe should bring out your best self, because if in fact you do die, it’s better to die as a good person. I’d also encourage them not to drink seawater.

4. YA mash-up! In The Hunger Games, sponsors could send items to help the tributes survive. Let’s pretend the lifeboat clique’s journey to survival was televised, for entertainment and sponsors could help them. What item would you have sent to the lifeboat, and who would it have been for? Why?

I think I would have sent a Ronco Pocket Fisherman so Denver wouldn’t have had to use the wire holding together her bra to make a fishhook. I know that when a girl is on a lifeboat and her bra is uncomfortable, that makes for a very long ordeal.

Thanks for the questions!

Find Kathy on Twitter and Tumblr.

As my review states, I highly recommend The Lifeboat Clique! Denver is the Veronica Mars of survival, and I’m pretty sure you will love her. Read a little about the book, and make sure you enter the giveaway below!

The Lifeboat Clique by Kathy Parks
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on March 1, 2016
Genres: Contemporary, survival
My Review
Add to Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | The Book Depository

Some people might say that Denver had a death wish. Why else would she have dared to sneak into a Malibu beach party where she’d be surrounded by enemies, namely including her ex-BFF Abigail?

Oh yeah. Croix. Denver never thought in a million years he’d ask her out, but who was she to question this miracle of fate? Well, that wasn’t the only surprise fate had in store.

During the party a tsunami hit the coast of California, wiping out everything in its path. Denver and a handful of others escaped death by holding onto the roof of the house and were swept out to sea. Of course, one of her fellow castaways was none other than Abigail, who could barely stand the sight of her.

Now that she’s floating in the ocean, stuck on a small boat with the most popular kids in school and waiting to be rescued, Denver wonders what might kill her first-dehydration, sunstroke, or the girl she used to think of as a sister?

A hilariously dark and twisted story that sparkles with a remarkably fresh voice, The Lifeboat Clique is Kathy Park’s irreverent yet insightful novel about how to survive in the most unthinkable circumstances.

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Tour Schedule

2/29: The Irish Banana Review – Review
3/1: That Artsy Reader Girl – Guest Post
3/2: Bookiemoji – Review
3/3: Andi’s ABCs – ABC Post
3/4: Novel Ink – Review
3/7: A Book & A Latte – How I Write
3/8: Reads All the Books – Review
3/9: Actin’ Up With Books – Q&A
3/10: Paperback Princess – Review
3/11: Life According to a Bibliophile – Guest Post

Exclusive Interview with Author Kristan Higgins

Posted January 6, 2016 by Jana in Author Interview / 0 Comments

I’m so happy to have Kristan on the blog today in celebration of the recent release of Anything for You (12/29/15), the final book in Blue Heron series! Read a little bit about the book, and then scroll down to learn more about Kristan! I had some fun questions to ask her.

Blue Heron Series: The Best Man, The Perfect Match, Waiting On You, In Your Dreams, Anything for You

Anything for You by Kristan Higgins
Published by HQN Books on December 29, 2015
Genres: Adult – Contemporary Romance
Amazon • Add to Goodreads

Before you get down on bended knee…

…you should be pretty darn sure the answer will be yes. For ten years, Connor O’Rourke has been waiting for Jessica Dunn to take their on-again, off-again relationship public, and he thinks the time has come. His restaurant is thriving, she’s got her dream job at Blue Heron Vineyard—it’s the perfect time to get married.

When he pops the question, however, her answer is a fond but firm no. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? Jess has her hands full with her younger brother, who’s now living with her full-time, and a great career after years of waitressing. What she and Connor have is perfect: friends with an excellent benefits package. Besides, with her difficult past (and reputation), she’s positive married life isn’t for her.

But this time, Connor says it’s all or nothing. If she doesn’t want to marry him, he’ll find someone who does. Easier said than done, given that he’s never loved anyone but her. And maybe Jessica isn’t quite as sure as she thinks…

Interview with Kristan Higgins

Jana: Hi Kristan! It’s so nice to have you on the blog today. Where were you when you found out you were being published for the very first time? Tell us about that moment.

Kristan: I was alone in the house when my agent called with the news. I gasped and jumped around and cried a little, and then when I hung up the phone, I thought of my dad, who’d died many years before. And I told him, and for a second, it felt like he was there. Then my daughter got off the school bus, and I said, “Guess what? Mommy wrote a book, and it’s going to be in bookstores.” And she said, “That’s nice! What’s for snack?”

Jana: Aw, that’s really sweet! When you think about all of your books, what is the one scene you found the most fun to write?

Kristan: There’s a scene in ANYTHING FOR YOU when Connor oversleeps on the morning of his mother’s wedding. He’s a wee bit hung over, and his sister has absolutely no sympathy for him. I love that scene.

Jana: Which character in the Blue Heron series do you see yourself in the most?

Kristan: Oh, that’s a great question! I think I’m most like Emmaline Neal from IN YOUR DREAMS. She’s a very capable woman, but she’s got an Achilles heel, too. She’s straightforward and fun and goodhearted, and I hope I’m all those things, too. But there’s a goodly chunk of my heart in every character, except the really mean ones, of course.

Jana: I love that there’s a part of you in every character! That’s so nice! Now that the Blue Heron series is over, what are you going to miss most about it?

Kristan: Well, never say never, you know? There’s a chance I’ll write another Blue Heron book, but this did feel like a good stopping point. If it’s truly the end, I think I’ll miss the town the most, because the people who make it what it is were the best part of writing the series.

Jana: Oh, interesting. I’d love it if you went black to Blue Heron again someday! When you’re not writing, what else do you like to do?

Kristan: I like to annoy my kids by lying on their beds and making them talk to me; I love going to the movies and eating out; I love to travel, ride bikes on flat surfaces and window-shop. Mostly, though, I’m a homebody who’s just happy doing everyday things.

Jana: Haha. I like that you stipulate that bikes must be ridden on flat surfaces. I couldn’t agree more! Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Kristan!

Kristan: Thank you so much for having me!

I don’t know about you, but I loved getting to know Kristan a little better! Her books are so much fun, and I love the characters. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

Have you read any of Kristan’s books? Which one is your favorite?

Dove Arising Blog Tour | Q&A with Karen Bao

Posted March 3, 2015 by Jana in Author Interview, Blog Tour / 5 Comments

Welcome to my spot along the blog tour for Dove Arising by Karen Bao, hosted by Penguin Teen! Karen is a 2015 debut author of a pretty exciting book about a girl living on the moon (and a whole lot more). I know you’ve already seen here on The Debut Dish, but today we get to learn even more about her!

When did you first come up with the idea for Dove Arising, and how old were you? Did it come out of a particular experience?

I came up with the idea for Dove Arising when I was seventeen and a senior in high school. I’d just submitted college applications and had many doubts about my future: where would I be next year? What direction would my career take me? Was I ready to leave home?

When Phaet joins Militia, she faces these same questions, but she also deals with many more restrictions on her freedom. Many of these were inspired by my mom’s childhood. At the time, she started telling me about her own experiences in Communist China. Food rationing was a part of life for most people, but Party members still got everything they needed. (Spoiler alert: my mom’s parents weren’t Party members.)

The government banned classical Chinese texts, denied much of recent history, and closed China off from outside influences. My mother’s father, a university professor, was sent to labor camp in the countryside for a decade, and he was absent for most of her childhood. The government needed more scientists for “progress’s sake,” and essentially forced my mom, a straight-A student, to major in chemistry. In many ways, Phaet’s life resembles my mother’s: she also has a missing father and she studies science like crazy, knowing that academic success is the only way out of poverty.

I guess I wrote Dove Arising as an “escape” from real life, but it made me realize how lucky I was to live in a liberal democracy. I could choose which college I wanted to attend, and I could choose what I wanted to study. Also, I could write a book portraying government oppression without fearing for my life.

What are your thoughts on being a female writing science-fiction/fantasy in an often male-dominated genre or category with male main characters?

I feel like I’m writing in a great genre with great company. Authors like Tamora Pierce, Ursula Le Guin, and Octavia Butler sort of paved the way for later female writers in sci-fi/fantasy – and there are a lot of us! Moreover, there’s a growing interest in portraying women, as well as diversity in general. I know male authors who are writing female main characters, and they say it’s easy, just like writing any other person. POC and LGBT characters are also gaining ground. All in all, 2015 is a great time to be a writer!

What’s one of the funniest things that has happened to you during the publication process?

It’s a real challenge to pick the funniest thing that has happened to me in the publication process. I have seen hilarious costumes at Comic Con, had my name spelled “BOA” (like the constrictor) by travel companies, bonded with booksellers about the advantages of wearing leggings instead of real pants, and modeled Dove Arising T-shirts by waving them around like a bullfighter. But perhaps the most laughable incident was when I found out that my book would really take off. Picture this: I’d just taken a shower, so my hair was a wet beehive, and I lunged to pick up my phone (my ringtone sounds like a singing robot). After hearing that Penguin wanted to publish Dove Arising, I was silent. Then I said, “Nawww.” Another pause. Then I squealed and rolled around on the carpet like a happy puppy. I’m glad no one videotaped the scene and shared the footage; I’d lose all professional credibility.

Find Karen at her website, Twitter, and Facebook.
Add Dove Arising to Goodreads.

So, how does Dove Arising sound to you? What do you think about Karen’s discussion on how she came up with the idea?

Q&A with Marie Rutkoski | The Winner’s Crime Blog Tour (+ giveaway)

Posted February 28, 2015 by Jana in Author Interview, Blog Tour, Giveaway / 14 Comments

Welcome to my stop along the The Winner’s Crime blog tour! I love this trilogy, and am so excited to have Marie on the blog today for a little Q&A! Make sure you enter the giveaway for a hardcover copy of The Winner’s Crime as well!

TARG: If you wrote yourself into the Winner’s trilogy, what kind of character would you be?

MR: I’d probably be Sarsine. I’d be the one telling Arin, “Get your head on straight, will you? I love you, but you’re a mess.”

But I also feel close to Kestrel in several ways—or at least closer than I’ve felt with any of my other main characters.

TARG: If you were to give The Winner’s Crime a theme song, what would it be?

MR: U2’s “With or Without You.”

TARG: What already released book do you wish you had written? (Not because it was badly written or anything like that… but because you loved it so much!)

MR: I’m going to choose my favorite recent release: I’ll Give You the Sun, by Jandy Nelson.

TARG: Tell us about your most relaxing day ever.

MR: I wake up to the sound of the ocean somewhere warm, preferably in Positano, and lay in bed reading while someone brings me tea and a French apricot pastry. I know that my parents or in-laws are taking great care of my children and they are having a blast. I go down to the beach, swim, read and lie in the sun. When the day gets too hot, I go into the cool interior to write. I take the longest shower ever. I practice the violin for a bit. I go out to dinner with my family and then for drinks down by the dark sea with my best friends. The stars are bright. I can see the Milky Way.

There should be a massage scheduled in there, too.

TARG: Tell us the most unique and/or random thing about yourself.

MR: My spine is slightly crooked. I like to drink plain hot water in winter (I call it “silver tea”). I sometimes have incredibly detailed dreams.

Don’t you just love Marie? Her perfect day sounds AMAZING, and what great taste in music she has!

So. Time to get excited about The Winner’s Crime! If you’re brand new to the series, read about the first book, The Winner’s Curse. If you feel like tweeting about how excited you are, or how much you love Marie, use #TheWinnersCrime so everyone knows! (Oh, and tweet @marierutkoski and let her know, too!)

The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski
Series: The Winner’s Trilogy #2
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Buy the Book • Add to Goodreads

Book two of the dazzling Winner’s Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

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