If you’re reading this blog, your probably know that Michelle and I are writing a YA novel together. (Yeah?) She’s writing the scenes that are from the girl’s perspective (Cloudy) and I’m writing those from the boy’s (Kyle).
So, this is an introduction to my character, which should give you some insight into why “Poor Kyle!” is one of Michelle’s and my catchphrases. 😉
Author Myra McEntire stopped by this week to answer my Very Important Questions.  She also let me know that she has a contest on her site – http://myramcentire.com – that will run from June 18th to June 25th. She’ll be giving away signed copies of HOURGLASS and TIMEPIECE, signed posters of the covers, a goodie basket inspired by her characters, and signed books from other authors!
And now for the questions!
At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?
Myra McEntire: Age 8 = Writer
Age 18 = College English professor
Age 28 = Writer and college English professor!
Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self?Â
ME: I hung out with the princesses, but I was a basket case at heart.
Without giving away too much from your newest book, which character or scene from it are you the most pleased to have created, and why?
ME: I love Kaleb. His faults are many, but his virtues are strong.
Which are your favorite movies to watch again and again?
ME: TANGLED. It’s like some kind of drug. And Home Alone one and two. My boys watch that one with me.
And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. 😉
Elvis. I’m from Tennessee! (And part of Timepiece is set in Memphis!)
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ABOUT TIMEPIECE:
Kaleb Ballard was never supposed to be able to see ripples—cracks in time. Are Kaleb’s powers expanding, or is something very wrong? Before Kaleb can find out, Jonathan Landers, the man who tried to murder his father, reappears. Why is he back, and what, or whom, does he want?
In the wake of Landers’s return, the Hourglass organization is offered an ultimatum by a mysterious man. Either they find Landers and the research he has stolen on people who might carry the time gene, or time will be altered—with devastating results for the people Kaleb loves most.
Now Kaleb, Emerson, Michael, and the other Hourglass recruits have no choice but to use their extraordinary powers to find Landers. But where do they even start? And when? Even if they succeed, just finding him may not be enough. . . .
The follow-up to Hourglass, Timepiece blends the paranormal, science-fiction, mystery, and suspense genres into a nonstop thrill ride where every second counts.
ABOUT MYRA McENTIRE:
Myra McEntire knows the words to every R&B hit of the last decade, but since she lives in Nashville, the country music capital of America, her lyrical talents go sadly unappreciated. She’s chosen, instead, to channel her “mad word skills” into creating stories. She’s an avid Doctor Who fan and will argue passionately about which incarnation is the best.
You can find her at:
Photo by Jeremy Vandel
The other day, I was texting with Michelle about a book that we’ve both read. I told her that while I was reading a certain scene in said book, my thought process was approximately this:
So she’s going to have sex with this guy. Or . . . he’s about to go down on her?
Wait. No. I guess neither. They’re just holding each other.
And now some time has passed and they’re . . . putting their clothes back on? What? When did they take them off? Why did they take them off?
Unless . . . hmm. They must have done more than just cuddle. But WHAT DID THEY DO?
Now, I know that there are some readers out there who would appreciate this kind of subtlety, who would find it “classy” that the author didn’t “go there.”
I am not one of those readers.
This isn’t to say that I want every detail every time. (In fact, please, no. I’m looking at you, Jason Myers. ;-)) I guess I just feel like if I’m spending time in a character’s head and they are confiding all sorts of things in me, if sex was had in a chapter that I’m reading (or even in between chapters), I should know about it. Right?
I’ve actually come across this a number of times over the years, though. I’ll be reading along and find myself uncertain of whether I’m interpreting a scene correctly. I once discovered, like, 30 pages after the fact, that the very sensitive narrator I was chilling with had lost his virginity. It was kind of a big deal, and he didn’t bother to clue me in at the time. Dude! Why not?
Another thing Michelle and I discussed is those situations when a narrator has a crush on/is in love with someone. S/he wants that other person so badly and tells readers all about it for pages and pages, but then they finally get it on, and the narrator goes silent about it. FOR THE REST OF THE BOOK. Â I don’t necessarily need to witness or find out how everyone’s performance was or the mechanics of it, but I am certainly thinking: You just got what you wanted, but was it really what you wanted? Regrets? No regrets? Confusion about whether you have regrets? Give me something!
In some cases, I never get to find out.
Luckily for me, Michelle also is of the opinion that knowing how characters feel about sex and whether or not sex has actually occurred is important!
Garrett Hedlund gives a thumbs up to NOT wondering about sex scenes! (Ignore the cigarette. I’m sure it’s just, you know, for a role or something. :-P)
The way we’ve outlined the story we’re writing together, we’ve left plenty of room to surprise each other and ourselves with what is going to happen. At this point, we don’t know the specifics of  when or how or if any characters will be hooking up onscreen. But  whatever way it ends up going, readers will not have to wonder whether it happened or not. We promise!
Amanda Ashby has a new middle-grade series called Mixed-Up Magic, which sounds very fun! The first two books were released simultaneously on May 30th, and today Amanda answered some Very Important Questions for me about herself and her series!
Book One: Wishful Thinking (May 31st Puffin)
Be careful what you wish for…
After eleven year old Sophie accidentally gets herself turned into a djinn, she starts to think that it might not be so bad after all. (Of course, that’s after she gets the whole orange skin problem sorted out.) Who wouldn’t enjoy having the power to grant wishes! But when Sophie develops RWD (Random Wish Disorder) and can’t STOP granting wishes, things get more than a little mixed-up!
Book Two: Under a Spell (May 31st Puffin)
And that spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E…
As Sophie gets used to her magic, her relationship with the adorable Jonathan Tait is blossoming. There’s only one problem: Jonathan’s twin sister, Melissa. She’s a total mean girl who seems intent on making Sophie’s life miserable. On top of that, Melissa somehow seems to sense that Sophie has powers–and manages to bind Sophie to her in a totally self-serving way. Can Sophie figure out a way out of this–without ruining her chances with Jonathan?
Watch out for book three in October…
About the author: Amanda Ashby was born in Australia and after spending the last sixteen years dividing her time between England and New Zealand, she’s finally moved back and now lives on the Sunshine Coast. When she’s not moving country, she likes to write books (okay, she also likes to eat chocolate, watch television and sit around doing not much, but let’s just keep that amongst ourselves, shall we?)
She has a degree in English and Journalism from the University of Queensland and is married with two children. Her debut book, You Had Me at Halo was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice award, and her first young adult book Zombie Queen of Newbury High was listed by the New York Public Library’s Stuff for the Teen Age 2010. Her latest release, Fairy Bad Day, has been selected by Voya as one of their Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers 2012 and is a SCBWI Crystal Kite Award finalist for the Australia/NZ region. To find out more, please go to http://www.amandaashby.com
I’ve always been a little envious of writers like Jaclyn Dolomore who are able to sketch their characters. If I were to attempt such a thing, it would come out something like this:
(Except, not really. I’ve never written a character with curly red hair.)
In the past, I’ve always relied upon the Candybar Doll Maker site to create customized cartoons of my characters so that I can “see” them better. It’s very fun because you have hundreds of eyes, noses, mouths, hair, clothes, backgrounds,  etc. to choose from.
Here are just a few of the (many, many) “dolls” that I’ve made over the years:
From left to right: Seth McCoy from Freefall all dressed up–by his standards (ignore his hair. I’ve never been happy with it); Rosetta Vaughn, also from Freefall; and Coley Sterling from Live Through This (dressed for a dance performance).
Aren’t they cute?????
But for this story that Michelle and I are writing, I decided that it might benefit both of us if, instead of cartoons, I found an actual person who resembles my main character. That way, I can be sure that we’re both seeing Kyle the way he’d look in, you know, a non-animated world.
I Googled images of  “blond teen boys.” After a quick glance at the, er, revealing results, I turned on “safe search” and tried again.
It wasn’t long before I learned that my plan was very seriously flawed; it was tough to find a real person who looks the way I see Kyle in my head.
After a while, though, I found this photo:
This is a grown-up man (actor Garrett Hedlund*, I eventually learned) and Kyle is only seventeen. But if I picture this guy younger and blonder, it’s close to how I see Kyle.
For a few months, it seemed as close as I was ever going to get. (Which was good enough for Michelle and me to be able to see the same Kyle, of course.) But the other day, Michelle found this and sent it to me:
It’s Garrett Hedlund again (a.k.a. “Kyle-Guy” as Michelle and I sometimes call him), but this time he’s younger and blonder and so very much the way I picture Kyle! The uniform is wrong because Kyle plays baseball, not football. But still! It’s Kyle! Looking much better than a cartoon.
Oh, what the heck! We can have both, right? 😉
*Michelle or I really need to tell you about the Garrett Hedlund LUNACY that’s been going on with both of us  lately. But that will be another post on another day!
At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?
Elana Johnson: At both age eight and eighteen, I wanted to be a teacher. At age twenty-eight, as a teacher, I had no plans to do anything else. It wasn’t until age thirty that I started writing and looking to become an author.
Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self?
EJ: Marching band geek? That would fit. I was pretty brainy too.
Without giving away too much from your newest book, which character or scene from it are you the most pleased to have created, and why?
EJ: I love Raine Hightower. She has a wicked power that her dad exploits. I love (love!) the scenes where she’s using that power, mostly because it’s painful for her and helps her grow in ways she didn’t think possible.
Which are your favorite movies to watch again and again?
EJ: Two Weeks Notice, X-Men, and Mission Impossible. Oh, I also like The Bourne Identity movies.
And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. 😉
EJ: The Beatles, of course! Elvis’s stuff just sounds the same over and over. But the Beatles have TRUE MUSIC.
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About Elana: Elana’s work including POSSESSION, REGRET, and SURRENDER is available from Simon & Schuster wherever books are sold. She is the author of From the Query to the Call, an ebook that every writer needs to read before they query, which can be downloaded for free on her website. She runs a personal blog on publishing and is a founding author of the QueryTracker blog. She blogs regularly at The League of Extraordinary Writers, co-organizes WriteOnCon, and can be found on Twitter and Facebook.
She wishes she could experience her first kiss again, tell the mean girl where to shove it, and have cool superpowers like reading minds and controlling fire. To fulfill her desires, she writes young adult science fiction and fantasy.
About SURRENDER: Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.
All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn.
Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque….
I’ve gone to Shakespeare in the Park at least once every summer for the past ten years or so, but I wouldn’t say that I have a ton ‘o Shakespeare knowledge. My high school sort of glossed over the whole literature thing. (Or maybe I was too busy not doing my homework to have learned All the Stuff?)
In any case, Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray, a modern retelling of Hamlet from Ophelia’s point of view, was completely off my radar, and would have stayed that way if a  friend hadn’t recommended it.
I sure am glad that she did. Because you guys! I fell for Michelle Ray’s version of the character Hamlet! I fell hard. For about the first third of the book, I was in love with him. Desperately. In. Love. I wanted to kiss him and marry him and run away with him forever and ever. I understood why Ophelia was so wrapped up in him because SO WAS I. I stayed up late reading, fell asleep with the book beside me, and dreamed about Hamlet all night.
It isn’t like me to get like this. If I were to come across a wax figure of a certain actor who plays a sparkly vampire, I’d be more likely to make faces at him than embrace him. (And Michelle still speaks to me! Or maybe she didn’t know until now . . . ;-))
But there was something about this Hamlet. He was intense. He was silly. He was needy. He was romantic-ish. For some reason, that combination won me over and I was so very into him.
The next morning, I dove back into the book immediately when I woke up. That’s when horrible things started happening and Hamlet started to scare me. By the end of the story, after seeing how much Ophelia had lost because of her love for Hamlet and her involvement in his family, I was relieved that it all happened to her and not to me.
Phew! I’m lucky to have averted all that, right? But I also feel lucky because I will always have the memory of those hours that I was able to spend with him before he was driven mad and started killing everyone. Oh, Hamlet! xoxo
Michelle and I thought it would be fun to include interviews here at our blog. So we’ll be doing that sometimes!
As it happens, author Melissa Walker recently answered a few Very Important Questions for me about herself and her newest book, Unbreak My Heart, so she gets to be the first here. Hooray! 🙂
First, I want to tell you, there’s a fun contest going on where you can make a breakup playlist on Spotify for a chance to win an iPod loaded with the soundtrack to Unbreak My Heart (and the book!). You can find out more about that here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/bloomsbury-teens/announcing-the-unbreak-your-heart-playlist-contest-on-spotify/391423114232968
And now for the Very Important Questions!
1. At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?
Melissa Walker: I think I wanted to be a vet until I saw some blood. Then at 18, I wanted to be a magazine editor. I did that. And at 28, actually, I got my first book contract, so I changed tracks again–YA writer! Yay!
2. Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self?
MW: Of the original Breakfast Club labels, I suppose “princess” would fit best, or maybe “brain.” Princess brain? I remember once my dad told me his college girlfriend was a “Party Girl Genius.” I LOVED that description. I wanted to be THAT. I still try to be, sometimes.
3. Without giving away too much from your newest book, which character or scene from it are you the most pleased to have created, and why?
MW: I love the little sister, Olive. She ran away with her scenes and I had so much fun hearing what came out of her mouth!
4. Which are your favorite movies to watch again and again?
MW: Gone With the Wind, Point Break, Top Gun, Boogie Nights, Goonies… if these are on TV, I’m not going anywhere.
5. And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. 😉
MW: Ack! As a kid I loved Elvis SO MUCH. I even went to Graceland when I was 18! But now I adore The Beatles. I listened to them while in the hospital giving birth to my daughter, so they win.
Thank you for stopping by, Melissa, and best of luck with your newest book!Â
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About Unbreak My Heart:
The year that broke her heart. The summer that healed it. A dual love story.
Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams’ heart. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and long story short: he’s excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life. Enter her parents’ plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now. Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he’s just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem’s walls and heal her broken heart? Told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clem’s heart and the summer that healed it, Unbreak My Heart is a wonderful dual love story that fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti will flock to.
About the author: MELISSA WALKER is the author of Small Town Sinners, the Violet on the Runway series and Lovestruck Summer. She has worked as ELLEgirl Features Editor and Seventeen Prom Editor. Melissa manages I Heart Daily, an e-newsletter and blogs for ReaderGirlz, an online community for teens. A Chapel Hill, NC native, Melissa now lives in Brooklyn, NY. http://www.melissacwalker.com
Stephanie Perkins & me in Seattle, April 2012. Photo by Sarah S. Moon
I have always had a thing for men’s cologne. In my teen years, I’d spray myself with samples at the men’s fragrance counter instead of the women’s so that I could take sniffs of Sexy Man Smell on my wrist all day long.
Weird, right?
So, when someone tweeted a few weeks ago that author Stephanie Perkins uses fragrance as part of her writing process*, I became inspired to try it for myself. Because mmmm! Cologne!
Since I’m not picky, I bought a sporty Adidas scent (Dynamic Pulse!) for, like, eight dollars. My husband took a whiff and said, “Yup. Smells like high school.”
Exactly what I’m going for!
Whether or not my narrator, Kyle, would actually wear this brand (I’m kind of thinking not), I have to say that I’m very glad that I 
borrowed this idea from Stephanie. I’ve only been using the fragrance idea for about a week, but I find it to be a very cool technique for connecting with my character. I’m hoping that as I continue learning his voice, inhaling this scent during writing sessions will trigger Kyle-ness in my brain make me more productive and effective at writing him. Â (Ha! Do I have high hopes or what?)
At the tippy-top of this blog, a question in tiny print appears: Who needs action when you have words?
You might read that and believe that we came up with it all on our own. (We didn’t.) Or you might think that the line sounds  familiar, but you can’t quite place it. Or maybe you know exactly where it came from, and you’re wondering why, oh why, did we misquote “Plateau” by the Meat Puppets on our blog?
Lemmee ‘splain.
I have an occasional habit–a bad one, in my husband’s opinion–of deliberately changing songs when I sing along. Sometimes it’s because the lyricist’s grammar or usage doesn’t work for me. Other times, I simply use different words that, for whatever reason, I prefer. Here are a few examples:
Sonny & Cher’s most famous song can change from, “I Got You, Babe” to  “I Have You, Babe.”
Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away” can become, “The One Who Got Away.”
The line in Death Cab’s “What Sarah Said,” can change from “I looked around at all the eyes on the ground” to “I looked around at all the eyes toward the ground.” (Because yuck! The original line makes me envision literal eyes rolling on the literal ground. Which makes me figuratively shudder.)
And so it happens that in “Plateau” by the Meat Puppets (which Nirvana helped make famous by performing it with the Meat Puppets on MTV Unplugged), the line “Who needs action when you got words?” can become “Who needs action when you have words?”
I wanted to use the line for our blog when Michelle and I were naming it because it’s cynical (by my interpretation), but also because it’s so very fitting for two girls who love reading and writing. We don’t need action! 😉
But two writers announcing to the world: “WE GOT WORDS”? Maybe we could have pulled it off, but . . . Â I like my version better. Forgive me, Meat Puppets!
Michelle Andreani and Mindi Scott 