Q & A with Skyler Samuels

Skyler Samuels plays Chloe King on ABC Families new show The Nine Lives of Chloe King. I recently had the chance to be in on an interview with her. Here is some of what she had to say!

Moderator Can you tell us what we can expect this season?

Skyler Well, this first season of The Nine Lives of Chloe King is filled with adventures, thrills, romance, comedy and drama, and a lot of heartfelt relationships. There is nothing predictable about this first season. It’s filled with a lot of unexpected twists and turns, and it will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Moderator How did you become involved in the project?

Skyler I had an audition for this show back in the fall of 2010, and I went in and I just fell in love. I loved the pilot before, and I was just, I was just in love with the script. Chloe and I have so much in common. I could hear my own voice in the things she said and did.

And a super-embarrassing story—when I walked in on the audition, I introduced myself as Chloe. I was totally embarrassed because I accidently said Chloe instead of my own name, but sure enough, they agreed, because here I am playing Chloe King, and I’m having the time of my life.

Moderator I’m curious if you read the books to sort of prepare for your role.

Skyler I have read the books. I read them before we started the pilot to get a little bit of a background about the show. But in all honesty, we’ve taken a lot of creative liberties with the books and our adaptations of the TV show. We kind of have a lot of the same basic ideas as the books—some of the mythology, a lot of the main characters are still the same. But we’ve taken a lot of liberties in making it more exciting, and more action-oriented, and really spicing it up. So I think that the fans of the book will really appreciate what we’ve done with the show.

Moderator Has it been a challenge for you playing sort of an element of the supernatural?

Skyler Playing a supernatural is more realistic than I thought it would be. It’s a lot of fun, absolutely, because having super hearing and super vision and super speed and all of the super things you can have is certainly not normal, and it’s a lot of fun. But on this show, it always comes back to something very realistic that I can relate to from my own life. So it’s been not as difficult as I thought it would be to play the supernatural. It’s been quite fun and easy.

Moderator Would you share with us your guilty pleasure TV show?

Skyler Oh, my goodness. My guilty pleasure TV show would have to be Glee. I’m weirdly addicted to the show, and I couldn’t explain it to you if I tried. I’ve never been a big musical buff, or anything, but I find myself week after week, no matter what, tuning into Glee. So that’s definitely my TV go-see pleasure.

Moderator Did you ever watch any supernatural/paranormal shows growing up?

Skyler Oh, there were supernatural movies, like the Hocus Pocus and Luck of Witches and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. So I had a little bit of supernatural influence when I was growing up and watching TV. But I never thought anything different of it, compared to the rest of the shows I might watch. The supernatural never struck me as something that I really wanted to do; I just kind of fell into it by accident.

Moderator Can you describe Chloe?

Skyler Sure. Well, Chloe is definitely more of a superhero than a supernatural creature. On her 16th birthday when she discovered that she’s got these heightened abilities—the super speed, super hearing, and these claws, and she’s got, you know, the ability to read peoples’ feelings. This incredible combination kind of leads Chloe to want to help people who are in trouble.

So even though Chloe finds herself running from bad guys and the ones who are trying to kill her because I’m this special girl who can die nine times and people are trying to see if it’s true, and they’re trying to get rid of me and the rest of our feline race, the Mai. Chloe still finds herself trying to help people and save peoples’ lives using her heightened abilities. So she’s constantly torn between the chase and having to save the day.

Moderator What character traits of Chloe King that mimics your own?

Skyler Chloe and I are both kind of quirky, odd balls out that don’t exactly go with the status quo. We’re both juniors in high school full time, and we’ve got quirky best friends and awesome relationships with our moms. But I think the biggest difference and the thing I admire most about Chloe is her willingness to just be adventurous, and take a risk, and do these incredible things. So, Chloe’s like Skyler, but amplified and I kind of love it.

Moderator Is there any characteristic of Chloe that is complex that you had to take time to adjust to it?

Skyler I think Chloe definitely has challenged me as far as the situations that she goes through. Chloe is always involved in situations where it’s life and death, and I think having to put myself in the fear factor mode is definitely a challenge. But it’s been really interesting trying to adapt to that and trying to get into Chloe’s head and be like, “What does it feel like to be in this life and death situation? What would I do? How would I handle it?” So that’s definitely been a challenge; but a fun one.

Moderator What would be kind of your ultimate dream role? Other than this show, if you could pick anything.

Skyler I think I would love to do a role where I completely transformed myself and I looked completely different, acted completely different, and I did some kind of crazy, cool, action drama where I was like undercover saving the world. I guess it’s got a hint of Chloe King, but maybe a little more spiced up.

Moderator If you had someone that doesn’t necessarily watch the supernatural, and doesn’t necessarily believe in it, or it’s not really their thing, how would you describe the show to get them to tune into it?

Skyler Well, I think that the really cool thing about The Nine Lives of Chloe King is that while it has a lot of supernatural elements and Chloe is kind of a superhero, herself, it is not all about the supernatural. I mean, this show, week-to-week, deals with the struggles of Chloe trying to manage her relationship with her mom. Her mom’s a single mom trying to raise a teenage girl, and so that presents a lot of difficulties, as in what that brings when her mom starts dating, and how does Chloe feel about getting a new dad, and how can she maintain relationships with her friends in high school as they go through all these changes?

And how can you maintain a relationship with a boy you really like if you can’t really be with him. There’s a lot of realistic, really grounded, heartfelt relationships and dynamics on this show to the point where the supernatural elements don’t even strike you. It’s like it all just seems to blend in and make sense.

Moderator What was it about Chloe that when you first read the script or got the sides for her that really made you want to play her?

Skyler When I read the pilot I sat down and I don’t think I’ve ever read anything so fast in my entire life. I was completely just eyes glued to the page, and I just kept turning and turning, and it got more and more exciting. When I finished it, all I could think was, Chloe King is the girl I would fantasize about and I would dream to be. She’s fearless, she’s fun, she’s funny, and she’s quirky, and she’s honest, and she’s cool.

Just everything about her I was like, I want to look up to her and she’s totally a role model in my mind. I’ve got to be this girl, you know, she’s incredible. I’m a lot more cautious than Chloe is, and Chloe’s kind of taught me how it can be fun to take a risk. The things I’ve done playing Chloe King have been some of the most incredible experiences of my entire life. So I’m just so thrilled to be Chloe.

Moderator What’s been your favorite either moment, or favorite scene you filmed?

Skyler Well, there’s been a lot of really cool favorite moments, but I think one of the most incredible scenes that we’ve done was in our third episode we shot underwater, and I was chained up underwater for part of the episode. That was probably the most exciting and frightening thing I’ve ever done, but it was absolutely incredible.

Every week we’ve got all these big fight sequences, and that one happened to involve an underwater element, which I thought was so fun. And it was absolutely incredible to film.

Moderator So Chloe King debuts with Pretty Little Liars next week. How do you feel that the show sort of fits in to the ABC Family Network?

Skyler Well, ABC Family has an absolutely incredible job in producing these hit shows. The ABC Family is where the good stuff’s at. I’m so excited to be a part of this network because they’ve really done a great job introducing shows that are heartfelt, that are exciting, that are kind of everything you’d want; everyday there’s something new and there’s something great to watch.

But being paired with Pretty Little Liars is a high honor, in my opinion. I’m so excited, and I think it’s going to be really great, because I feel like the ABC Family audience, while they’ve gotten a lot of really great shows like Pretty Little Liars and now Switched at Birth, they’ve never had a genre show before. They’ve never had action in the way that Chloe King has action, and excitement, and thrills. So I think Chloe King will only add to the excitement of being great shows on ABC Family.

Moderator What have you learned about yourself from this experience so far?

Skyler That’s such a wonderful and complex question. Being a part of The Nine Lives of Chloe King has absolutely changed my life. In so many ways, Chloe has really opened up this new courageous, brave side of me that I didn’t know I was capable of.

I couldn’t say that I had a fear of heights, because never before was I running on top of buildings and doing the things that Chloe does. But sure enough, being there, sometimes I would think, “Gee, I’m 15 stories above ground level, and now I’m going to jump across a roof. This is a little frightening.”

But every episode I do it, and to think that I’ve been able to accomplish all of these magnificent things is really incredible. But Chloe, also, throughout her emotional transformation on the show; the things she has gone through and experienced, she’s just kind of taught me a lot about myself and life, and to enjoy and take risks. I mean, Chloe teaches me things every day. It’s a never-ending list.

Moderator Now that you’ve only done part of the season so far, what’s something that they haven’t done yet on the show that maybe you would really like to see happen to your character?

Skyler It’s hard to say. Chloe is definitely becoming a very interesting and complex young lady throughout this transformation. But I would be very curious to see if maybe Chloe falls into a bit more trouble in Season 2. Maybe Chloe will kind of team up with a villain, or goes undercover, or does something maybe a little grittier than her daily routine.

Moderator How many episodes are there for this season?

Skyler We have ten for this season—nine additional to the pilot.

Pretty Little Liars Interview

Emily Fields' life is picture-perfect. It should be. After all, her mom makes sure everything in their world is just so. So why does Emily dream of getting out of Rosewood? She's a star athlete with a popular boyfriend, but Emily feels like an outsider. Maybe that's why she's drawn to Maya, the new girl in town. They become fast friends, but Emily's feelings are a little more complicated than simple friendship. Question is how far will she dare take them? Or will she have to hide them, too? As "A" points out, it's not the only secret Emily is hiding.

Shay Mitchell stars as Emily Fields, an athletic girl who is struggling with her sexuality and the loss of her best friend.
Mitchell, born Shannon to a Filipino mother and Irish/Scottish father, is a native of Toronto, Canada. Even as a young child, she was interested in the performing arts, declaring to her parents that she would pursue such a career. Mitchell began dance lessons at the age of 5, and she and several of her classmates toured the city to compete with a variety of other dance schools.
At the age of 10, Mitchell's family moved west to Vancouver, British Columbia. Within a year of their arrival, an international modeling agency had an open casting call for teen and pre-teen girls who were vying for representation. Mitchell was one of the girls selected.
By her late teens, Mitchell had successfully modeled for a variety of companies in cities as varied as Bangkok, Hong Kong and Barcelona. Wanting to focus on her true passion, Mitchell returned to Toronto and began to study acting with great focus and determination. Her hard work paid off and, after signing with her first theatrical agency, she appeared in the hit series "DeGrassi: The Next Generation" and booked several national commercials. She also landed a recurring role in the Disney series "Aaron Stone," is featured in the music video for international recording artist Sean Paul's hit song "Hold My Hand" and will appear in the upcoming ABC series "Rookie Blue."

---Thanks to ABC Family for this information

I had the chance to get in on a recent interview with her and wanted to share a few pieces.

Moderator How important are social networking sites to the promotion of shows like Pretty Little Liars, that's still kind of new?

S. Mitchell They are getting increasingly more important and more important. I mean with Twitter and with Facebook and MySpace, it plays a very big part of the whole marketing strategy. And I think the reason is because you can reach so many more people from across the world. Twitter, I don’t even know how many fan pages and everything we have, and it’s in Brazil and Australia and everywhere. I don’t know, it's bringing the world a little bit closer.

Moderator What draws people to keep tuning in to watch Pretty Little Liars?

S. Mitchell I think the fact that each character is so relatable, and if you don’t feel that you connect completely or totally understand one character, you kind of find yourself in each of them. And I think because a lot of the issues that we deal with quite possibly happen on a day-to-day basis, but you either have it happen to you or you know someone that it has happened to, it makes the show not so dreamy and farfetched.


Tune in to PLL at 8 pm on Mondays

Interview: Kate Cann

Today Kate Cann, who has written novels such as California Holiday, Diving In, Possessed and many more, is here to chat.

1. Where did your ideas for Possessed come from? I know this is a common question but the answers each author gives always blows me away. Strange how stories come from so many places!

Like all my books, Possessed came from several unconnected things colliding. I was intrigued by the whole idea of manipulation between people and the power friends can hold over each other … a friendship group can behave a bit like a cult. I moved out to the countryside and felt my link with nature deepening. I went to the autumn fire festivals in Sussex and was blown away by the time-honoured (sp), half-forgotten traditions - they still have such resonance. (Check out the photos on my website!) And then I spent a night at the 1000 year old haunted mansion that I’ve based Morton’s Keep on ….. one of the most frightening nights of my life ….

2. Do you believe is the ideas of Ghosts and Possession?

I don’t really think that a dead person can come back looking just as they did in life – and walk through walls. But you only have to go to a place where something tragic happened to know that energies can linger. I think people leave some kind of trace behind them. The air at the old mansion house really did seem clotted with its past. As for the idea of possession …again, it’s all about energies and influences. In my book LEAVING POPPY, the twisted old ghoul in the attic could be possessing Poppy …or maybe Poppy’s just affected by what she finds out about the old lady …it all works as a kind of metaphor.

3. Were you ever so wrapped up in the story while writing that you got creeped out?

Great question! I did wonder where all the ideas for the hideous past of the Keep were coming from …I was a little concerned I had a nasty mind …

4. The sequel, Consumed, is coming to the US February 2011. What do you want fans of Possessed to know about Consumed?

That they have to read it! The two books are really two halves of a whole; when I wrote the sequel, in some ways it felt not so much a progression as going deeper into the first book – uncovering deeper, darker layers. It was almost spooky the way it all unravelled (sp), as though I’d planned it subconsciously. It was very exciting to write. Oh – and Ethan takes a far bigger role ….

5. Were you involved with picking the cover? How do you feel about the cover?

No, not at all. I like it, although I’m not sure how much it reflects what’s going on in the book.

6. When writing what are your must haves? (A mocha, a song, etc?)

A long walk, a big breakfast, then silence for three hours.

7. Have you been faced with rejection over a book you have written? How did you handle it, if so?

I’ve been very lucky. After my first book DIVING IN was taken up, I’ve always had a contract for the book I’ve been writing. But things are getting tougher and I’ve just had an idea for a new book called WITCH CRAG turned down, so I’m not sure what’s happening now. It’s hard!

8. Any last thoughts you wish to share with my readers?

Just to say thank you again, Ashley, for such a great review and an interesting interview! And to encourage them to give Possessed a go …mini synopsis coming up …Rayne flees from inner city hell and a possessive boyfriend to work in at Morton’s Keep, deep in the English countryside, where she gradually learns about its bloodstained past and dark secrets. She meets a glamorous new group of friends in the nearby town – they’re very seductive but are they interested in her - or the house – and if it’s the house - why? The woods draw her, but frighten her too. She’s not sure who she can trust – evil’s coming but she’s not sure where from - and she’s going to need all her courage to get through.

9. Would you direct us to your website, please?

www.katecann.com. And I always reply personally to any email I get!

Thanks so much for coming Kate! I encourage my readers to try Possessed. It was amazing!

Interview

Interview with Jo Knowles, Jumping Off Swings

1. Did you have any teen pregnancy knowledge before the book?

I knew the statistics, particularly in the area I live, and was shocked by them. I also knew many girls who got pregnant while I was in high school, and saw how powerfully it affected them and the people who cared about them.

2. What surprised you about teen pregnancy while writing?

I didn't really have any surprises about pregnancy, but I was surprised sometimes by what I learned about the characters as I got deeper into the story. My favorite part about writing is getting to know each character's story and being surprised to discover why they act the way that they do—just like in real life when you meet someone and make those quick snap assumptions, then realize as you get to know them that you were totally wrong, hopefully in a good way.

3. Did you know how it would end from the start?

No, I had no idea.

4. Why was the issue of "finding love" with sex important to the story?

I'm not really sure that it was so much important to the story as it was simply a part of it. I certainly didn't set out to preach anything or to make any judgment. I think a lot of people often confuse love with sex or try to use one to get the other. This rarely ends well.

5. Complete these sentences: Teens should know ________ before they have sex.

themselves—who they are, what they want, and why—and their partners (same thing)

6. If I was the mom of a pregnant teen I would tell her __________

I love her.

7. Readers should read my book because...

Ashley told them to. :-)

Interview

Interview with Scott Nicholson of The Skull Ring

1. Give my readers a synopsis in ten words or less.

A fragile woman is targeted by a sinister cult.

2. What did you learn while writing this book?

You can’t trust psychologists or Satanists.

3. Was getting published a hard task?

I had more than 400 rejections before my first novel sold. It’s still just as difficult!

4. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Write the novel you don’t want your parents to read but you hope your kids will read someday.

5. Complete the sentence: My favorite writer is William Goldman because he writes well in a variety of genres.

6. If I could only reread 2 books over and over they would be Huckleberry Finn and This Perfect Day.

7. If I was a teacher I would have students read Dr. Seuss.

Loretta Elssworth

What was the best part when writing this book?
Research. I tend to really get into the research aspect of writing, maybe because I started out writing historical fiction, which always requires a great deal of it, and because it’s something I enjoy. Of course, it also takes away from the actual writing time and you can easily get off track.

Did you learn anything while writing it?
This was the first book in which I used alternating voices and I learned about consistency and character development in writing in that form. I also learned a great deal about heart transplants, about how much is involved and how far they’ve come. A friend of my daughter had a heart transplant and was only in the hospital for one week! I learned about cellular memory, the theory that memory may be stored at the cellular level. I read more than I wanted to about the connection between the heart and the brain and how they communicate via nerve fibers, and about the heart’s nervous system. (None of that ended up in the book, but I think it was important for me to learn.)

Was it hard to write a book that involved death so young?
It was hard because death isn’t something we want to think about when we’re young – we want to think about the bright future awaiting us. Unfortunately, it’s something that happens – we’ve all known someone who died young and our hearts ache for a lost future and for the family.
Did you have knowledge of heart transplants before writing or was there lots of research?
I didn’t know much about it beforehand, so it did involve a great deal of research. While I was writing this book, though, my daughter’s friend ended up getting a heart transplant.

Do you have any writing must haves? (I.E. a certain song or coffee?)
When I first started writing I had four very active children and I was teaching middle school. I wrote wherever and whenever I could find a few moments alone, whether it was on the bleachers at a soccer practice or early in the morning before everyone else was awake. So I guess my only writing must have is time to myself, which I have more of now, but I’m still pretty busy. Of course, coffee is really nice!

How long was the process to get In a Heartbeat published?
I spent two and a half years working on it before my agent sent it out – I was a student in the MFA in Writing for Children Program at Hamline University and it was my creative thesis, so I worked on it with several of my advisors as well. It sold quickly and I did several revisions with my editor over the next year before it was released.

What would you tell aspiring writers?
Learn your craft and read. Also, keep writing and don’t worry about the market or any of those things you don’t have control over except the page in front of you. Lose yourself in your writing, and most importantly, don’t lose faith in yourself.

Describe your book in 8 words or less: Two girls sharing one heart.

People should buy your book because… They’re intrigued by those 5 words in #8.

Blogger interview

Michelle from http://www.galleysmith.com/ is here for an interview. To be interviewed comment with your email or email me at princessashley9@ gmail.com

Q: Who is your favorite author and why?
A: I’m enjoying Suzanne Collins. I though Hunger Games and Catching Fire were phenomenally written books and I’m looking forward to the third and final in the trilogy. I also find Jennifer Brown’s writing to be very deep and compelling, I’ll read anything she writes now that I’ve read Hate List. If you’re into chicklit Kristin Harmel is my absolute favorite author in that genre. She’s got a new YA title releasing soon as well so I’ll definitely be picking that up.

Q: What bloggers inspire you?
A: This will sound corny but honestly all bloggers inspire me. It takes so much dedication of time and resources that the fact that a person cares it out of their regularly scheduled life (ie: family, work, etc) amazes me. Book bloggers in particular seem to be an extremely tight knit group, it’s quite impressive.

Q: What book is most like your life?
A: It would be hard to say since I read primarily YA at this point and I’m **well** beyond the target age of the characters. I will say that most can relate to overcoming some sort of adversity, making difficult decisions about life, romantic entanglements and issues related to communication. I believe that all of us can likely relate any book to our lives if we really looked hard enough.

Q: What has been your favorite school assigned book? Why?
A: I wasn’t much of a reader in school honestly. I barely remember the reading list, it’s so different now anyway. I imagine that I enjoyed Catcher in the Rye, Grapes of Wrath and other classics.

Q: What is your goal with your blog?
A: I hope to provide readers with insight into books I’ve read. Help the select what they themselves may want to purchase. I also enjoy connecting with other bloggers and readers. Creating that community is extremely important to me.

Q: As a child what book did you love?
A: I loved the Pokey Little Puppy books. We actually had a dog named Pokey that looked just like the main character so I was just so smitten with them imagining that what was written was done so about **my** Pokey.

Q: Do you want to write a book? If so what’s it about?
A: I’ve actually written quite a lot over the past several years but it would likely be classified more as women’s fiction. I’d love to do a YA novel but my inspiration is in short demand at the moment. I’d have to give it a great deal of thought before I jumped in. It’s a competitive field and growing all the time so any idea would have to be particularly outstanding to even get a toe in.

Q: What book should be assigned in High School?
A: Hate List. Fabulous book. All about school violence and acceptance and family relationships. It was superbly written and just a great read for people of all ages

Blogger Interview

Interview with Morgan from http://booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com/. If you want to be interviewed please email me at princessashley9 AT gmail.com or comment here with an email address.

1. When and why did you start blogging?
I started blogging in February of 2009 (8 months ago). I started book blogging because I thought it would be fun if people could read my reviews, but more importantly, I wanted to recommend good books to teens. The rest is history...

2. Who inspires you when it comes to blogging?
The person or rather people who inspire me the most to blog is my followers. Without them BLT wouldn't really exist.

3. What is your favorite genre? Favorite books in that genre?
My favorite genre is-here is comes-historical fiction and not many people know this. I do like contemporary fiction, but I tend to get more excited about a new historical fiction book.

My favorite books in this genre would probably be: A Sweet Disorder by Jacqueline Kolosov, anything by Kathryn Laskyor Carolyn Meyer, Jack Mitchell's short roman history books, and Suzanne Dunlap is a pretty good HF writer as well.

4. What book should be a movie?
Well, for the longest time I thought Redwall by Brian Jacques would make a good movie. I've heard rumors......

5. What book do you think should be assigned to students in high school?
I'm not quite sure what books should be assigned in school. I think that we should read classics as well as some more modern fiction (i.e. something we can learn from maybe?)

6. The great debate: Harry Potter or Twilight?
I haven't touched Harry Potter. Yeah I know-I don't like wizards or witches. I've read the Twilight books, but they're not the best books in the world. I guess I'll have to go with vampires, but really, I try to remain neutral on this.

7. Who would you like to be if you could be any fictional character?
I always wanted to be Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia. Although she was ignored by her older siblings, she was the first to believe in Narnia!

8. Any crushes on made up guys?:)
Cruhes on fictional guys? [blush] Hmm, I don't think so, but I did like Anthony from Lipstick Apology.
EEP me too Morgan!

Blogger Interviews

Today Choco from http://inwhichagirl.blogspot.com/ is here for a chat. Want to be interviewed? Leave me a comment with your email.

1. Secret fictional crush?
Haha. I quite like Mr. Darcy. And Jace from City of Bones, or Patch from Hush, Hush. What can I say? Being snarky is a plus in fictional characters. Not so much in real life though.

2. What book should be a movie? TV Show?
Ooh. I've always wanted to see Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones or Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce as a movie, especially with so many children's fantasy movies being made nowadays. Same goes for a TV show.

3. Have you ever met any authors face to face? Who?
Nope, never. I have yet to meet one of those geniuses. Although, I did get excited earlier this week because I'd received my first signed book. I mean, a REAL LIVE author actually had to go through the trouble of writing my name on an envelope. So exciting. Hopefully my first of many brushes with godliness.

4. What author would you want to write a collaborative book with? Why?
Diana Wynne Jones. I sort of worship her books. As in, reread them everyday. I still haven't worked up the courage to send her a fan letter. I'd probably die and go to heaven if I was even in close proximity to her, let alone writing with her.

5. What has been your favorite school assigned book? Why?
As a rule of thumb, I hate every book I've had to read for school. It just happens. Once I have to do a project on it or agonize over the symbolic meaning of the weather in a particular scene, I begin to loathe it--Dear Mr. Henshaw never stood a chance. But I did like The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood a lot. She's a wonderful writer.

6. What is your goal with your blog?
Just to continue blogging and writing book reviews. I'm fairly new to blogging, but it's so much fun!

7. As a child what book did you love?
I still love the vast majority of the books I've read as a child--I make frequent trips to the children's section in the bookstore. I think the book that really got me to start reading in third grade was The Witches by Roald Dahl. Ooh, and Half Magic by Edward Eager. And of course Harry Potter. Towards the end of elementary school, I became obsessed with books by Diana Wynne Jones.

8. Do you want to write a book? If so what’s it about?
I'm starting on my second book--first one was a middle grade fantasy that took me three years and as I've found, is complete and utter crap. Still writing horribly, but at least I'm giving it my best. I'd like to say I'm being dastardly secretive about my WIP by not telling you much about the plot, but in truth I'm a skittish, all-over-the-place writer so I have no idea. I mean, I'm nearly 20k into this thing, and I haven't an idea of what it's about. I'm writing very oddly with this one--snippets of a hundred or so words, from the middle then the end, then the beginning; and writing backwards and all manner of strange writing habits. It's going to be a horror to piece together if I ever finish.

It's a YA fantasy and involves: a nearly dead body, a maybe-love triangle, a case of very bad plague, lots of beautiful fall trees, much angst, more blood than I can stomach, a girl with an affinity for switchblades, a sadly empty refrigerator, rather too much politics, killer snow, and a smattering of magic.

I really would like to publish a book someday. My writing's nowhere near passable as of now, but this is good practice!

Blogger Interview

Interview with Bianca from http://wickedgoodbooks.blogspot.com/. If you would like an interview email me at princessashley9ATgmail.com or comment with your email here.

1. Do you like supernatural books? If so what creature do you prefer? (Vamps, werewolfs, etc.)
I haven't read a ton of supernatural books, but I have found myself getting more into them. I probably prefer reading about wizards/wizards!

2. Do you prefer single title or series books?
I prefer single titles, because sometimes waiting for the next book in a series can be horrible, if I really like them! At the same time, I do enjoy reading a series with 3 or 4 books, because if it's really good, I always want to know what happens next!

3. Who is your favorite male character in any book? Female?
It's kinda hard for me to pick. I love Charlie from the Perks of Being A Wallflower and Dexter from This Lullaby. I love Hermione Granger from Harry Potter, because I think she is the epitome of a brave, smart girl!

4. Tell us three unique things about you
I am one of the techies for the shows at my school! I absolutely LOATHE math, like it's ridiculous how much I hate it. It is my dream to go to Boston University, once I graduate high school!

5. What book can you not wait for it to be released?
I absolutely can not wait for The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott. *squee*

6. Do you like romance novels? Whats your favorite one?
I love romance novels. Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott is AMAZING and This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen was great, too!

7. Do you listen to music well you blog? If so what do you listen to?
I am ALWAYS listening to music. It's pretty much anything from the RENT soundtrack to John Mayer.

8. Do you snack well you read ocassionally? If so what do you eat? Are you a carrot girl or a candy bar girl? :)
Sometimes I do. If I'm not chewing gum, I'll probably be eating something like cheez-its or some kind of sweets! XD

Thanks for letting me interview you!!

Blogger Interview

Interview with Carol from http://www.bookluver-carol.blogspot.com/. If you would like to be interviewed please email me at princessashley9ATgmail.com or comment with your email here.

When and why did you start blogging?
I started blogging about a year and a half ago. I don't know why I started blogging. I just saw it as a fun thing to do, so I started my blog.

Who is your favorite author and why?
I don't have one favorite author; I have many. Among them are Cassandra Clare, Kristin Cashore, Courtney Summers, Mahbod Seraji, Lisa Mantchev and Christine Fletcher.

What bloggers inspire you?
Many bloggers inspire me. The list would just go on and on. But I won't include any bloggers here because I don't want anyone to feel left out. (And yes, this is a cop-out :D)

What book is most like your life?
I've yet to read a book that is most like my life, but most books have small aspects that are similar to my life, or have aspects that I wished were in my life.

As a child what book did you love?
When I was a child I loved the Dr. Seuss books, Arthur series, and Where the Wild Things Are. There are many more but I have forgotten them. Even when I was a young tot I read tons of books. So many that I used to have my dad take me to the library every other day. I was so glad that the library was only two blocks away otherwise I wouldn't have gone as much as I did.

Do you want to write a book? If so what’s it about?
Yes, I would like to write a book but I find it hard to keep my butt on my chair and let the words flow out. My book would be about different things, I guess. A YA contemporary with an urban fantasy twist. Or a dystopian novel that focuses on contemporary issues. There are many genres that I would like to write about.

Anything unique about you or your blog?
I think that the only thing unique about my blog is my voice. Other than that, my blog has a lot of things that other blogs have: reviews, interviews, waiting-on-Wednesday, and giveaways.

Do you prefer single title or series books?
Both. I like series' because I have more time to spend with the characters and the world that the author created. I like stand-alones because I don't have to anxiously wait for the sequel to come out.

Thanks for interviewing me!
No problem Carol. Thanks for allowing me to interview you!

Blogger Interview

Interview with Jordan from http://insidethemindjm.blogspot.com/ today. If you want an interview here please email me at Princessashley9 (at) gmail.com and include your blog link.

1. What two authors should write a book together? What kind of book?
Hmm, that is kind of a hard one. I think it would be really cool if Kelley Armstrong and The Cast's (P.C. & Kristin) got together and wrote a really awesome supernatural book. They are probably my favortire author as of right now so I think it would be really cool to combine the two.

2. Favorite picture book? YA Book? Adult book?
Well, Im not too sure if I have a favorite picture book, but YA (as of right now) would be The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong. And adult, another I'm not too sure. I have read half way through, The Host by Stephenie Meyer and that was good, though I haven't finsihed it, but I really haven't read many Adult books though I do plan to.

3. What is unique to your blog?
Hmm, again that is a kind of tough one. I think maybe the way thatI do my reviews. They aren't very formal. I just kind of write what is on my mind and what I am thinking. I know that some people may read books and then write the reviews later but I have to write the review as soon as I am done. That way my thoughts are fresh and I write just what comes along.

4. What is the goal behind your blog?
I think my goal is to help others get opinions about books and open peoples eyes to all the books that are out there. I know when I first started I had never heard of most of the books that I now love and if I hadnt have started blogging I probably still wouldn't know about them.

5. What do you like about blogging?
What I like about blogging is meeting other people and reading their reviews and having people read what I thought about books. It makes me feel kind of special to know that people are interested in what I have to think and sometimes base whether they want to read the book on what I, and other bloggers, thought about the books.

6. Do you plan on attending a book convention?
Eventually, I would love to go to a convention. Unfortunately where I live there are many author events, and I dont have a job so I cant really afford to travel for them. But one day I will be going! lol

7. Do you tell all your friends you blog and review? What do they think?
I have told some of my friends that I blog and review books. Some think its cool, others dont really say anything. My dad gets annoyed becasue he says that I have more books than I can read but what he doesnt realize is that my stack of TBR books is nothing campared to some out there. :) My brother on the other hand, loves it and is thinking about starting one himself, but for video games and books. He has actually done two for my blog.
The Demon King - Cinda Williams Chima
The Alchemyst - Michael Scott

8. Opinion on banned books?
Ok, so this one I am going to try and keep short because, well I think it is just plain STUPID!!!!! I understand that some parents find things in books to be offensive, but why should everyone be punished. If they dont want their kids reading something than they should monitor them in the library or at schools, they should send home forms. I think there are more parents out there that don't care what their kids read versus parents that do care. I just think that there are other ways of going about keeping kids from reading certain books than banning them from everyone else.

Thanks for having me on your blog.

Blogger Interview

Today Christina from http://www.flipthepagebookreview.blogspot.com/ is here to chat. If you would like to be interviewed please comment with your email address.

1.Do you have any must haves for blogging? Snacks? Music?
A: Well i LOVE to have my ipod on while I'm blogging! I have a habit of making playlists for everything so I'm constantly listening to music 24/7! Snacks are an absolute no no when it comes to the computer! While im on the computer i have these little flashes of me spilling juice or something all over the keyboard and the modem! I'm getting anxious just thinking about it!

2. What book did you struggle to get into but end up loving?
A: The Pace by Shelena Shorts was a little lifeless in the beginning but as i read more and more into it i started getting the feel of the characters and i ended up falling in love with it! It's a relief when the books endings are well worth the wait! Another book that was kind of like that was the first of the combined volumes of The Vampire Diaries (The Awakening and The Struggle)! At first i was really disinterested in the characters but by the end of The Struggle i was just begging for more!

3.What is your favorite book you’ve read this past month?
A: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick was BEYOND amazing! Also, How It Ends by Laura Weiss! Patch is such a hottie and the plot was crazy awesome! How It Ends seriously had me bawling crying, laughing hysterically and gasping in horror all within the same book! Both of those books are forever on my Favorites list now!

4. What does your review system look like?
A: I have a simple review system- Total Bomb, So So, Great and Incredible. Right now I'm working on breaking it down a little bit like including character, plot, cover and ending ratings, so followers should definitely be looking out for that soon. I'm a real sucker when it comes to rating books because i've never had a Total Bomb and i barely have any So So's. I try to find the good in every novel so i don't think I'll ever be like "Oh My God this book freaking sucked!" But in my reviews i always try to be as honest as possible!

5. Do you like looking at the marketing plans on the back of ARC’s? Why or why not?
A: I just started getting ARC's so everything about them fascinates me! I feel like if i open them there is gonna be like a million bucks in there or something! I'm a real business minded person so i try to suck in as much stuff about marketing, trades and publicity as possible.

6. Do you like reading or writing more?
A: That is a super hard one! My ultimate dream in life is to be a YA writer! I'm currently working on a couple of projects right now so of course i'd love to be published on day. However, being an author, a successful author at that is extremely hard to do! You have to be really artistictly gifted to dedicate all your time and effort into something that will really sell and get the public's attention and i'm really not sure if i have that or not! Reading is more of a hobby then a job to me so it really doesn't take a lot to do. With writing you have to give your all and at this point in my life i really don't have that much to give!

7. Complete this sentence: Reading is…
A: Essential to our lives. A passion, a love and an escape. You can go anywhere or do anything just with the will to read.

8. Would you prefer sappy books or gory books? Why?
A: I love books with lessons. Reading is a way for me to kind of learn not to make some kinds of mistakes without really making them myself! I guess those kinds of books are usually more sappy! Gory boks are great too but i'm into the romance and the life lessons and the heartbreak more then the mystery and suspense! Of course if you know a book that has all that please let me know because it would be a dream!

Blogger Interview

Today Kelsey from http://thebookscout.blogspot.com/ is here to chat. Want to be interviewed? Leave me a comment with your email addy.

What is your favorite fairytale? Why?
Hmmm I love so many of them but probably Snow White. I love animals as well and the dwarfs have always had a special place in my heart(:

Do you like to write as well as read? Anything you’re working on?
I love writing. I've begun so many stories, I can't even count, but for some reason I can never stick with them... I really should be working on something at the moment (cough cough English paper cough cough)

Complete this sentence: My life can be seen in the book…
Harry Potter! Not the wizard part, but in Harry Potter friendship and family are really important and that's how it is for me.

What book character would you like to hang out with? Why?
Jacky from the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer. I just love her spunk and sense of adventure.

Where do you like to read?
I read in this comfortable bean bag in my room, as well as in bed, on the couch, in stores, outside... pretty much anywhere I can sit with a book!

Why did you begin blogging?
I felt like I was reading so many books and that was great, but I wanted to do something more with these books. I wanted to tell people about the books I loved (and didn't love) and thought writing reviews would be a great way to share my love of reading. I really liked the idea of talking with other people about books and having other people read books because of something I said.

Who inspires you? Why?
My parents do, because both of them love reading. Authors everywhere inspire me as well. It's amazing how talented all of you are! Keep on writing!

Blogger Interview

Today Mandy from http://www.edgeoseventeen.blogspot.com/ is here to chat. If you want interviewed please leave a comment with your email address.

When and why did you start blogging?
I was a longtime fan of YA book blogs Bookshelves of Doom and The Story Siren. I was a lurker and hardly ever left comments or really got into any of the blogging community. I was working at an independent bookstore (I'm still there) and reading a lot, rekindling my love for Teen Lit, when a cool blog called a book a week run by Kiirstin gave me an idea. It wasn't that phenomenal of an idea, it basically said "Hey, I could probably do that too". I think my blog is like 2 or 3 months old. But I basically started Edge of Seventeen because I wanted a space to claim my love of books.

Who is your favorite author and why?
Favorites are hard to call. I can say, though, that my favorite genre is Dystopian Teen. I love the mystery to be solved in most dystopian books, like where do these people live, how did it get this bad, and how can it be fixed? One book that rocked my world is How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. Genesis by Bernard Beckett is also a great read.

What bloggers inspire you?
The bloggers who inspire me are the ones I stumble on when I'm blog-hopping who baby their blogs. They write reviews and do interviews and whatever everyone else does, but they do it with unmistakable heart and verve. I love stumbling on an extra-specially-crafted blog entry that makes me proud to be a reader and a blogger.

What book is most like your life?
Hmm, this is a hard one. My life isn't like this but I would love to live in the setting of Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy; turn-of-the-century boarding school with a witchy twist.

Secret fictional crush?
Not so secret as I'll tell anyone who listens: the Weasley twins. Although I have a past with Valmont from Dangerous Liaisons. And even Richard III, from the play. Maybe I should keep this last one a secret :)

What book should be a movie? TV Show?
I would love to see a Pretty Little Liars TV series. It would totally translate to live action. Also, I've been reading The Maze Runner by James Dashner and it is amazing. This book would be an awesome movie!

Have you ever met any authors face to face? Who?
We have a lot of author events at the bookstore I work at, so I've met a lot of different authors like Joseph Boyden and even David Suzuki. But my favorite contact with authors has been interviewing them. You get to ask them in-depth questions about their books and I always get some great, insightful answers. There is something SO COOL about asking an author questions about a book they've written. Some interviews and correspondence with authors I've truly loved happened with Meg Rosoff, Bernard Beckett, Shannon Hale, Becca Fitzpatrick, Robin Brande...actually, you know, I've loved all the interviews I've had with teen authors. They've all been a great experience.

What author would you want to write a collaborative book with? Why?
Probably Libba Bray. The woman is hilarious. I'm not sure we'd get a lot of work done, but it would be comedic gold. My role would maybe just be contributing the title, or writing up the jacket blurb.

Interview

Today Kaylynn is here for an interview. Her blog is: http://darlingreviews.blogspot.com/.
If you would like to be interviewed please comment with your email.


1. Who is your favorite author and why?
This is a terribly hard question to answer, but I'll go on a limb. All authors who write paranormal are my absolutely favorite. Kind of mean, but hey favorite genre equals a favorite authors, eh?

2. What has been your favorite school assigned book? Why?
Actually, just last year I read a book for school that I just loved. The Awakening by Kate Chopin, it's a classic! Which is really unusual for me.

3. Are there any bloggers that really inspire you?
All bloggers, (: Through each and every one I see, it shows me what I can add to my blog and just how to love books. And sometimes that's a whole array of things.

4. What is your goal with your blog?
My goal for my blog would be just having more people see my reviews and just my blog. It sounds silly, but I want people to see what I think about books and such. It's really just for fun anyways.

5. As a child what book did you love?
Hm, I'm guessing it had to be The Amelia Bedlia series. I read every book in my elementary school's library so many times. Do you remember those? I do! I use to borrow my friends all the time!!! :)

6. Where did your love of reading come from?
I'm not sure, actually. If you would get this, I've always loved reading but my friends sort of found it lame so I stopped loving it. Ah, the peer pressure those days. But now I could care less now and my love for books and reading is totally visible (:

7. Do you want to write a book? If so whats it about?
Ooh, I love writing. I have written so many beginnings of books, I have a whole folder filled. But I decided to settle down, ha, with just working on one. It's about this girl, named Harley, who has horrible nightmares. One day this "ghost" (she doesn't know it) pops up after the worse dream she had yet and she finds out she's something totally un-realistic. The thing is she has to deal with being a teenager all the while. Not as confusing as it sounds, I should have said what she is, but nah (: Aw holding back on us??? :)

8. Anything unique about you or your blog?
There is just one thing that makes my blog unique, or at least I like to think. Every once and awhile I post about songs that I love right then and there. It's always posted at night so it's called Nighttime's Darling Songs. It's not really a meme, but it's a definite feature with my blog. Other than that, I'm normal when it comes to blogging (:

Interview with a blogger, or 3

Today the women of http://stackedbooks.blogspot.com/ are here to chat. See what they all said. Want to be interviewed? Comment with your email please.

Kelly
1. When and why did you start blogging?
I have been blogging since Livejournal started, actually. Yep, I'm that "old." But most of what I blogged was personal stuff. I started this blog with Jen and Kim in late April.

Why? Well, we thought it would be a fun experiment to blog as three different voices, backgrounds, and experiences. We had all finished library school and were starting jobs, so it was a good way to sort of share our thoughts and ideas with a wider audience.

2. What is your favorite book?
For our first intro posts on the blog, we shared our favorites. My post is: http://stackedbooks.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-i-dig.html.

3. What book should have never been made to a movie but has been?
I'm going to be honest and say I'm worried about "The Hunger Games" and "If I Stay" becoming films. They're cerebral and it's going to be hard to make them as powerful on screen as they are on paper.

4. Where should a line be drawn between YA and Adult books?
I don't believe there has to be. I recently wrote about David Small's book "Stitches" which has gotten a lot of talk about this particular issue. I think we do it for convenience, the line drawing. In a library, we do want to make sure we have the line so it's easy to direct people one place or another. But generally, I think it's up to the reader to decide what they want to read with the guidance of those who know the literature and their knowledge of interests, ability, etc.

5. What book is your favorite that is currently banned?
I'm not sure there are any really "banned" books anymore. I think there are many books challenged, but fortunately, we live in a country where we can read anything we want whenever we want. Even if a particular place challenges or removes a title from the shelf, you can still get it pretty readily. I'll be honest in saying that while I'd read a couple of Ellen Hopkins's titles before the challenges in Oklahoma, after hearing her talk about it passionately at the Anderson's YA Literature conference, I picked up and am working through 3 more of her books. Not sure they're favorites but they're definitely important reads.

6. Have you met any authors? Who?
Tons! It all began with Ann M. Martin -- you know, of Babysitter's Club fame. I met her when I was in second grade. I got to leave school early for it and everything. More recently, I met Ellen Hopkins, Claire Zulkey, Libba Bray, and ate lunch with Michelle Zink. I met Bill Clinton when he released his most recent title. Oh, and my favorite? Mark Doty. I not only got to meet him, but I got to eat lunch with him and interview him briefly. That is one funny and inspiring writer.

7. Do you want to attend BEA this year? Do you think you will?
Kim and I are planning on it.

8. What is unique to your writing style?
I believe that even if I hate a book -- something I'm not afraid to share if I do! -- someone will like it. Every book has a reader, and I think that my style and the style of my collaborators reflects our knowledge and understanding of that. We try to get to the heart of who would dig the book. We don't do ratings because that defeats the idea. Rather, we reflect on what made it a successful or unsuccessful book for us personally, then we like to think further about who it works for. This is so evident in our round robin reviews for "Genesis" by Bernard Beckett and "Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly. Three minds, three opinions, but three ways to "sell" the book to the right readers.


Kim:
1. When and why did you start blogging?
Kelly floated the idea for a collaborative blog, and I jumped on it. Since I left school (I was an English major), I’ve missed talking and writing about books with people on a daily basis. This has been a great solution. We started blogging in April of this year.

2. What is your favorite book?
I can’t pick one, but I can pick a series – His Dark Materials trilogy, by Philip Pullman. These books are beautifully written, tell an exciting and unique story, and communicate such a valuable and important message for readers of all ages. They hold very strong personal meaning for me. Incidentally, the first posts on our blog are about our favorite books (we could only narrow it down to three each)!

3. What book should have never been made to a movie but has been?
That is a tough one. I can’t think of one right off the bat, but a bad book is probably going to make a bad movie too. Ella Enchanted is a wonderful book that could have been turned into a wonderful movie, but it wasn’t. Too bad.

4. Where should a line be drawn between YA and Adult books?
I don’t think a whole lot of people will agree with me, but I don’t really think there should be much of a line. If a book appeals to young adults, it’s young adult. I grew up reading whatever I liked, and it included books with tons of swearing, graphic sex and violence, and very “adult” themes. It didn’t adversely affect me – it challenged me and helped me grow. It contributed to me having a mind of my own. I think adults who are so worried about kids reading “up” or about the graphic nature of some YA books need to relax. Some books are going to be too difficult for teens to read, but many teens read at an adult level, so who’s to say what is YA and what isn’t?

5. What book is your favorite that is currently banned?
Pullman’s books are constantly being challenged. It’s increased his book sales.

6. Have you met any authors? Who?
I have, but I doubt they would remember me! I’ve met quite a few at the Texas Book Festival, including Joan Lowery Nixon, TA Barron, and Shannon Hale. Ms. Hale was so wonderful in person, it made me love her books even more. She told me that I looked familiar, and therefore we must have known each other in a past life. Clearly, she is the most awesome author I’ve ever spoken to for two minutes straight, even if she does say that to everyone who asks her to sign a book.

7. Do you want to attend BEA this year? Do you think you will?
I always want to, but I never do.

8. What is unique to your writing style?
I don’t know if my blogging style is particularly unique. I try to keep it pretty conversational, because that’s what I like in blogs I read. Sometimes I try to inject some humor, but I don’t know if that always works! (I’m also an aspiring novelist – who isn’t? – and my narrative writing style is, of course, absolutely stunningly amazing. So amazing that I don’t allow it to be seen by others, it would knock them out.)


Jen:
1. I started blogging in November of 2001. I was a freshman in college, and all of my friends were bandying around this strange word "blog." Always attracted to the latest technology trends, I read a few blogs of my friends regularly. After a couple of months, I decided to start my first - a personal site that I kept updating until 2007. I've added entries to many other blogs over time - some for classes and others for smaller personal projects. Stacked would be my first professional collaborative website where I've been able to contribute on a regular basis.

2. Most frequently used book would be the more appropriate description - my copy of the Barefoot Contessa Parties! is splotched with stains, battered, and well-loved. This is the book that I've reached for the most out of any of my collection. I think that qualifies it as my favorite.

3. I don't believe there is a book that can't be made into a movie. There are terrible film adaptations, definitely. But is there a book that is inherently unfilmable? I can't think of one.

4. Why draw lines?
Adults reach for YA books just as often as young adults reach for adult fiction. I suppose the only reason to have any differentiation would deal with physical placement in a space. I'm more of a believer in gray areas and cross-promotion. The same goes for the distinctions between children's/tween/teen books.

5. I don't know about currently banned. But as for books that have been frequently challenged? I'm partial to Atticus and Scout Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird.

6. I have, but not very many. I prefer to read the work of authors rather than hear them speak. Most memorable was Geraldine Brooks; I was so impressed that I went out and read every single one of her historical fiction novels.

7. I will not be attending BEA this year, even though I would be interested. My system gives very little time or incentive for attending professional conferences, so it would all be on my own dime.

8. Very little is unique about my writing style! I never claimed to be a writer - I'm an enthusiastic reader who attempts to communicate at a basic level. Hopefully people can connect.