tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64269538075798554512024-03-09T03:42:03.711-05:00Sleuths, Spies, and AlibisSleuths, Spies & Alibis is the group blog of eight middle-grade and young adult authors whose debut novels will be published in 2012 and 2013.We aim to demystify the writing process, from tracking down ideas to publishing a book.W.H. Beckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06098532122691818369noreply@blogger.comBlogger309125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-27056625176601534362014-12-01T11:11:00.001-05:002014-12-01T11:14:49.375-05:00The End of Our Ride!Hello loyal readers, and newcomers!<br />
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This is normally the time of year when we start posting about gift ideas for the kidlit mystery/thriller lovers in your life, or about books we loved this year and books we're excited about next year.<br />
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However, instead we are saying goodbye.<br />
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We have had such a great time blogging here for over three years about the craft of writing mysteries and thrillers for young readers. We've gotten to know so many great authors through our Interrogation Room interview series, and we've been honored to host them here on our site and to help them promote their new books. We've also become friends, supporting each other through our own highs and lows of the publishing process -- not to mention the highs and lows of balancing the writing life with everyday life. Books have been born, babies have been born, and still, somehow, we've managed to blog.<br />
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We started out as debut authors, and we're now all busily writing our second and third and fourth books. We've found that juggling the demands of our careers, our families, and everything else has become too hard to balance with maintaining and promoting this blog. So we're sad to say goodbye to it, but it's been a great ride. If you'd like to follow or interact with us individually, a list of our websites is at the end of this post.<br />
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We will leave the site up indefinitely, and hope that you will haunt it. Please feel free to browse our archived posts and our (nearly 50!) <a href="http://sleuthsspiesandalibis.blogspot.com/search/label/Interrogation%20Room">Interrogation Room</a> interviews with emerging and established mystery/thriller authors. We hope our archives will help to demystify the writing and publishing process a little . . . but not too much, because, after all, we all love a good mystery.<br />
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Happy reading, happy writing, and thanks for being partners in crime!<br />
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<a href="http://www.dianarenn.net/">Diana Renn</a><br />
<a href="http://kristenkittscher.com/">Kristen Kittscher</a><br />
<a href="http://www.elisaludwig.com/">Elisa Ludwig</a><br />
<a href="http://www.lauraellenbooks.com/">Laura Ellen</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.ftbradley.com/">F.T. Bradley</a><br />
<a href="http://www.lrgiles.com/">Lamar Giles</a><br />
<a href="http://ellecosimano.com/">Elle Cosimano</a><br />
<a href="http://www.whbeck.com/">W.H. Beck</a><br />
<a href="http://ashleyelston.com/">Ashley Elston</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shakespearemysteries.com/">Deron Hicks</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sarahskilton.com/">Sarah Skilton</a><br />
<a href="http://mary-mccoy.com/">Mary McCoy</a> <br />
<a href="http://taliavance.com/">Talia Vance</a><br />
<br />Diana Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141038221046486655noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-34501381319745572362014-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:002014-10-28T09:00:00.891-04:00Haunted Halloween Bits from the SSA AuthorsWe're sharing our personal haunts this week. Feel free to share your own when you're finished reading -- if you dare. <br />
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<h2>
Scariest book I ever read.....</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkd0oBBgxyFYeYGpaH-TUmgG4xKI1N2rw9IdtVVriPocToFsikYl3dKfPaa_sqUokWwVyuyd5G5DLYRrk4bP1E-aDPCrDm7j0-VSz4Cgcp8BTvc1bxg_bmSBxDliQRI1XnZooyNQz8Bfy/s1600/SalemsLot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkd0oBBgxyFYeYGpaH-TUmgG4xKI1N2rw9IdtVVriPocToFsikYl3dKfPaa_sqUokWwVyuyd5G5DLYRrk4bP1E-aDPCrDm7j0-VSz4Cgcp8BTvc1bxg_bmSBxDliQRI1XnZooyNQz8Bfy/s1600/SalemsLot.jpg" height="200" width="120" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHRpsHQgJLvfwsA8kFsr9QdUUmY8hvlrTvr2_KqFRCIfhPuCqpn2Z2pZrMc4cR-fp-wXAlvnnwkvW7w-BsJbongqg-kEiOpWZDA3g5e5vyUFeOBTEYmM3MoWE1rDx8H_XrxKQDwkOu4FS/s1600/MarburyCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHRpsHQgJLvfwsA8kFsr9QdUUmY8hvlrTvr2_KqFRCIfhPuCqpn2Z2pZrMc4cR-fp-wXAlvnnwkvW7w-BsJbongqg-kEiOpWZDA3g5e5vyUFeOBTEYmM3MoWE1rDx8H_XrxKQDwkOu4FS/s1600/MarburyCover.jpg" height="200" width="135" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldPtGIhymxc3pV1nisRYaVHaVR_Le1LvQlL1PHWrmO-BU3lcLHBm0AQWxTU2VbJwb-DXaOKPUjcdXa7JQnTabDUlu-3TOq4C_BUtZ6N0TY37O1r_-hDBkyt9y2F5qwZZMJ-eFsu3Tu-op/s1600/TheHotZone.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldPtGIhymxc3pV1nisRYaVHaVR_Le1LvQlL1PHWrmO-BU3lcLHBm0AQWxTU2VbJwb-DXaOKPUjcdXa7JQnTabDUlu-3TOq4C_BUtZ6N0TY37O1r_-hDBkyt9y2F5qwZZMJ-eFsu3Tu-op/s1600/TheHotZone.gif" height="200" width="129" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AnInAbekg_pecUXSUrWjgjEoEvnSeNYQm4sBn9J6ZYyO4JYv80O0pMtdvMxZtFs9g6yzHI5gmYm1mRKZl-5NsEl5CV1R62-yLN4lJPI_mu5X9OHXU6f7nofmfvmy_GBuZq6I6p2Z6Srd/s1600/it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6AnInAbekg_pecUXSUrWjgjEoEvnSeNYQm4sBn9J6ZYyO4JYv80O0pMtdvMxZtFs9g6yzHI5gmYm1mRKZl-5NsEl5CV1R62-yLN4lJPI_mu5X9OHXU6f7nofmfvmy_GBuZq6I6p2Z6Srd/s1600/it.jpg" height="200" width="121" /></a><i>The Marbury Lens</i> by Andrew Smith, and its sequel <i>Passenger</i>. -- Elle Cosimano<br />
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<br />
<i>Salem's Lot </i>by Stephen King - "I read it while visiting my aunt over Christmas in sixth grade. She had this old radiator that hissed when it came on and it was right under the window. I didn't sleep the entire time -- but I didn't stop reading the book either!" -- Laura Ellen<br />
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<br />
<i> It </i>by Stephen King -- Deron Hicks<i> </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMT32jCqdAlrhsg6hKCnilVffNIEWJwyB4jaGfBkz7QH508Ap9eV-34SpKN4q3ILJVG17ZxpkIkTEYdReSJ_l8eIDgdbhk_KeMMQDu8BVzOGCeYXFmDPYzuuiG_O_P3hy_J03U8tSsEcY5/s1600/51E+ntUJfdL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMT32jCqdAlrhsg6hKCnilVffNIEWJwyB4jaGfBkz7QH508Ap9eV-34SpKN4q3ILJVG17ZxpkIkTEYdReSJ_l8eIDgdbhk_KeMMQDu8BVzOGCeYXFmDPYzuuiG_O_P3hy_J03U8tSsEcY5/s1600/51E+ntUJfdL.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7n3jqBdsDVP5mWpqV3cruGId85PsBSH60eMgsw0TI54Aet9AU48X1D6gSuHcVNdBVVTLNbU1xhnLiHG0i78S3w7AidVhy71TKwrd6bgtikoHRg10bv7RLm1OT-4utKVRckuwo4RJyzYu/s1600/TheSandman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7n3jqBdsDVP5mWpqV3cruGId85PsBSH60eMgsw0TI54Aet9AU48X1D6gSuHcVNdBVVTLNbU1xhnLiHG0i78S3w7AidVhy71TKwrd6bgtikoHRg10bv7RLm1OT-4utKVRckuwo4RJyzYu/s1600/TheSandman.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a><i>The Hot Zone </i>by Richard Preston<i> -- </i>Elisa Ludwig<i><br /></i><br />
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<i>The Sandman</i> by Neil Gaiman - "I know it's not really straight-up
horror, but some story arcs in that series are profoundly chilling and
disturbing." -- Mary McCoy<br />
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<i>A House in The Sky</i> by Amanda Lindhout - "Nonfiction, but reads like a novel. Captivity narratives in general freak me out, but this one packs a punch." -- Diana Renn <br />
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<h2>
</h2>
<h2>
Spookiest place I ever visited...</h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_kLHMncpW7iTB9q3rTdm3lhbtmhn9dRRe42iQEIhir-yCm-H-QuWs7NQhteb6IZzFVH-XjWQJ-eotYW2hJcD6km4ekK3HM0teroqqRQwWIz16n7BqavIOUOxNjwL-Y1Jt30gn_umes8_/s1600/StMarys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_kLHMncpW7iTB9q3rTdm3lhbtmhn9dRRe42iQEIhir-yCm-H-QuWs7NQhteb6IZzFVH-XjWQJ-eotYW2hJcD6km4ekK3HM0teroqqRQwWIz16n7BqavIOUOxNjwL-Y1Jt30gn_umes8_/s1600/StMarys.jpg" height="143" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Mary's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"I spent four nights in the St. Mary's Art Center in Virginia City, Nevada during the NV SCBWI Mentor Retreat. <a href="http://www.hauntedhouses.com/states/nv/saint_mary_louise_hospital.htm">http://www.hauntedhouses.com/states/nv/saint_mary_louise_hospital.htm</a>" -- Elle Cosimano<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYriW_Jb6HLeOjWXhHGLtKtY5CZVmJ93I6l7sWQ1xcAyhEFi4QfmxQvuHUtoWEkp7Dr6HFbIl7poJogJ3DJqQuCJBjd97ApyBDYY3ji1OcDViDlZ5iihihGBRorIOONrXmBzWY1DdW22UJ/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYriW_Jb6HLeOjWXhHGLtKtY5CZVmJ93I6l7sWQ1xcAyhEFi4QfmxQvuHUtoWEkp7Dr6HFbIl7poJogJ3DJqQuCJBjd97ApyBDYY3ji1OcDViDlZ5iihihGBRorIOONrXmBzWY1DdW22UJ/s1600/index.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holy Trinity Church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"In college I used to cut through a cemetery to get to work. I t freaked me out every time. I'd get jumpy and hear things -- I took to timing myself to see how quick I could get through." -- Laura Ellen<br />
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"Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. We were there on a cold, overcast day. The grounds surrounding the church are packed with ancient graves. If ghosts are real, that's the place you would find them." -- Deron Hicks<br />
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"The cemetery behind my college campus, when a few of us decided to visit at <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_119585541" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">midnight</span></span> with a Ouija board. " -- Elisa Ludwig<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqO0i6uzCLHUJTZLMozA2rQ1qIdPu2LZbnHiA3mz_2gcbljjVJXJ54gXR7LUTlBem_OgVrGlmT3Ne_zbyF6QAtSM0au4-G_ceTB3sjRQLuZBS_7GOdJa59XMU8TPb8BeZMOhH_JB8aaplv/s1600/The+Capuchin+Crypt+in+Rome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqO0i6uzCLHUJTZLMozA2rQ1qIdPu2LZbnHiA3mz_2gcbljjVJXJ54gXR7LUTlBem_OgVrGlmT3Ne_zbyF6QAtSM0au4-G_ceTB3sjRQLuZBS_7GOdJa59XMU8TPb8BeZMOhH_JB8aaplv/s1600/The+Capuchin+Crypt+in+Rome.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Capuchin Crypt from debbzie.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ATt-2PtXA4pN0zYj_adxpxztRujYN5g8wM87SFjjLyd_aazWmY_fX9dQDf7FSvMD3kRdqjrZIGbu87BmFLg4Se7S2vN8TWbuXr4KRT-eyY4AWt88qpbR0LaejqVRmimQTQ2IKufK94XB/s1600/parapedia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ATt-2PtXA4pN0zYj_adxpxztRujYN5g8wM87SFjjLyd_aazWmY_fX9dQDf7FSvMD3kRdqjrZIGbu87BmFLg4Se7S2vN8TWbuXr4KRT-eyY4AWt88qpbR0LaejqVRmimQTQ2IKufK94XB/s1600/parapedia.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ParaPedia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"The Capuchin Crypt in Rome - each room is decorated wall-to-wall with
the bones of friars. In one room, there's a plaque that reads 'What you
are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be.' In another room,
a woman's heart is entombed in the wall." -- Mary McCoy<br />
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"Zelve National Park in Turkey. Lunar landscape, centuries of buried civilizations, caves, isolated hikes, creepy guys following my husband and I around." -- Diana Renn <br />
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<h2>
The one thing that creeps me out the most. . . </h2>
<h2>
</h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgay6RkMSCFF_6VP3zyeK3YGBY3sFm13R0cBs-ZCHmp7LQiNf_8mfj-5MbcOUJDEN53cf_nz-sW9GQjX98v1HoXkF-H_4MRK-9u15Zrdl4jGysE2cvI9aQST9B89V2GHF0tKDBjR-QBGrqn/s1600/clown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgay6RkMSCFF_6VP3zyeK3YGBY3sFm13R0cBs-ZCHmp7LQiNf_8mfj-5MbcOUJDEN53cf_nz-sW9GQjX98v1HoXkF-H_4MRK-9u15Zrdl4jGysE2cvI9aQST9B89V2GHF0tKDBjR-QBGrqn/s1600/clown.jpg" /></a>"I really, REALLY dislike spiders and scary clowns." -- Elle Cosimano<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvm1Q4Dumua4ZoKhBbdighDQ-SE3kHtEUCg6XTtWJAKDDll58N8lv5rxAVOjiIr-1Fm4rnkeHC6fF1gn3H7Wok7ew9K-pxfp6e2kpLqNqtLs8BkvmQiMfTgPZ4j4Zle7DIk6859WL4EFE2/s1600/snake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvm1Q4Dumua4ZoKhBbdighDQ-SE3kHtEUCg6XTtWJAKDDll58N8lv5rxAVOjiIr-1Fm4rnkeHC6fF1gn3H7Wok7ew9K-pxfp6e2kpLqNqtLs8BkvmQiMfTgPZ4j4Zle7DIk6859WL4EFE2/s1600/snake.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>"I am with Elle on the clowns -- and dolls with porcelain faces. Just too creepy." -- Laura Ellen <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP40PVOXuVOEU91n1j3K3HE9xcPux7Pc02hHuEei_oZB7oKI4w0G9Ag8jvcKdwSEXarCuaSsM4K0UFBAV1vgplJ5aoaEmHBi_SjO_6af4E8Zc_fj4PjnhHt9UidKqR1YxFheUmePSGcgFP/s1600/rats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP40PVOXuVOEU91n1j3K3HE9xcPux7Pc02hHuEei_oZB7oKI4w0G9Ag8jvcKdwSEXarCuaSsM4K0UFBAV1vgplJ5aoaEmHBi_SjO_6af4E8Zc_fj4PjnhHt9UidKqR1YxFheUmePSGcgFP/s1600/rats.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a>"Snakes. Ugh." -- Deron Hicks<br />
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"Rats. And serial killers." -- Elisa Ludwig<br />
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"Anything having to do with demon possession I just cannot handle." -- Mary McCoy <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHj_aZJWOXCrdPx5cbD-D-n4PidOtJEcu8DHlDHIb7DRaGmWWEjEsYHrWhRhfMG2Dg8wA8OKnt_GdI9s0t3mDyH-mKzFC_1I-esdmDXRaOwrwcLRNfS17zlBuq5_HdAmoWT-3rGOpN8_9/s1600/free-photo-spider-336-m-300x199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHj_aZJWOXCrdPx5cbD-D-n4PidOtJEcu8DHlDHIb7DRaGmWWEjEsYHrWhRhfMG2Dg8wA8OKnt_GdI9s0t3mDyH-mKzFC_1I-esdmDXRaOwrwcLRNfS17zlBuq5_HdAmoWT-3rGOpN8_9/s1600/free-photo-spider-336-m-300x199.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a><br />
"Spiders! I grew up in a house by a lake, and we always got supersize spiders on all our windows. They would spawn more spiders, and eat their dinners right in front of us, and fight -- I am truly traumatized by this." -- Diana Renn <br />
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<h2>
The freakiest thing that ever happened to me . . </h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjff__DR20Ds6CG78PHSxLW-lTyLMmEeh5nryMaOK_MzINBQ7gnnv6Co5WiQLL33_GAsD3QP6YonN60fNRlA0M-T7KdHFf5A33AQG1ojbkYPd_IwoctDbFJ1RJYA7BrUr5xD8m4mcviGuLL/s1600/ECosimano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjff__DR20Ds6CG78PHSxLW-lTyLMmEeh5nryMaOK_MzINBQ7gnnv6Co5WiQLL33_GAsD3QP6YonN60fNRlA0M-T7KdHFf5A33AQG1ojbkYPd_IwoctDbFJ1RJYA7BrUr5xD8m4mcviGuLL/s1600/ECosimano.jpg" height="200" width="175" /></a>"I used to sell real estate. One day, I was
showing an historic property (an old farm house built in the 1800s on
the edge of a Civil War battlefield) to a lovely couple who were
considering a purchase. The house itself had some very strange features.
The upstairs bedrooms on both sides of a long, crooked hallway had
padlocks that locked from the outside, and the entire house had a very
creepy, cold feeling about it. In the dining room, there was a hidden
stair behind a door in the wall (an old servant staircase). While we
were discussing the property, the door unlatched and swung all the way
open, very, very slowly and all three of us felt we weren't alone.
Needless to say, we left post haste!" -- Elle Cosimano<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFi1dSvhyphenhyphena4AAVqgDM7ow3YtRM3HWB8SrhqfqvFy80ZbY662xYFxW6mv-E-o5Y4OBBJboJq9r6nx2Wo27POxfiv-XNaw1iVDryZ1dzwRyRQ9i7FQhlDq_KIf-aPM0qvHTwGXzgsQh2-A21/s1600/lauraVLC1full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFi1dSvhyphenhyphena4AAVqgDM7ow3YtRM3HWB8SrhqfqvFy80ZbY662xYFxW6mv-E-o5Y4OBBJboJq9r6nx2Wo27POxfiv-XNaw1iVDryZ1dzwRyRQ9i7FQhlDq_KIf-aPM0qvHTwGXzgsQh2-A21/s1600/lauraVLC1full.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>"I was staying with my sister in her rental house in Eugene, OR. Alone in the house and taking a shower, l I heard someone yell something outside the bathroom door. When I came out, no one was there, but the microwave was on and I heard a shuffling sound in the living room closet. To get out of the house, I would have had to pass the closet so instead I stood watch in the hall with a kitchen knife, scared out of my mind, until mys sister and brother-in-law got back a few minutes later. When we checked the closet, no one was in it." -- Laura Ellen<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cm0Y-rt7okSTW-p8fNW1Hc0mdbFUU4rWEychxi28YaYdS59CCPgFa0T-37DgkvqmmIs5cUp8n-DF8lAM4TNkR_0vu1JW8SE0abkUxHdl7Q64Wzxr1KPXCTbv_7b3VL-gSgkr8_Savlxt/s1600/DHicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cm0Y-rt7okSTW-p8fNW1Hc0mdbFUU4rWEychxi28YaYdS59CCPgFa0T-37DgkvqmmIs5cUp8n-DF8lAM4TNkR_0vu1JW8SE0abkUxHdl7Q64Wzxr1KPXCTbv_7b3VL-gSgkr8_Savlxt/s1600/DHicks.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><br />
"My grandmother had a large old photograph of some distant, stern looking relative that she hung in the extra bedroom in her home. The house was old and constantly creaked and groaned. When I was young, I had to sleep in that room. It always seemed that the moonlight would illuminate that photograph. My creepy relative would stare down at me in bed from his spot on the wall as the house creaked and groaned around me." -- Deron Hicks<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJenBTmyDTE5NPjtH8Yish5gb8kQ7EmSpx8AuipqbAeGDuh5gJth8aL96wmaNqE0k2HBmjsmPpXQ8DZMsKb7Sdnj7zSz_yJthPrzNJeK7DDI7Y7FmuQtTraKcyPDyTezKf_cnHVjUm3w5H/s1600/Elisa+Ludwig-1+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJenBTmyDTE5NPjtH8Yish5gb8kQ7EmSpx8AuipqbAeGDuh5gJth8aL96wmaNqE0k2HBmjsmPpXQ8DZMsKb7Sdnj7zSz_yJthPrzNJeK7DDI7Y7FmuQtTraKcyPDyTezKf_cnHVjUm3w5H/s1600/Elisa+Ludwig-1+(2).jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>"I was pretty sure at the time that I saw a UFO during a high school Astronomy Club visit to a field at night. Not sure I'd be as convinced now." -- Elisa Ludwig<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2UsgnbwrCHMMTdmyKaxan2YdkHy3uD-_Mb1_Oe4fvRF7jkKrQ-e5ua6qqmlddqfQhAGxAsgoxaViXdcp1u7x1KVkDGWiHTTvP58nVOqjIPAE62sPIf9gev2Rxnz1h28zCdCtkgiCbPd3/s1600/MMccoy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2UsgnbwrCHMMTdmyKaxan2YdkHy3uD-_Mb1_Oe4fvRF7jkKrQ-e5ua6qqmlddqfQhAGxAsgoxaViXdcp1u7x1KVkDGWiHTTvP58nVOqjIPAE62sPIf9gev2Rxnz1h28zCdCtkgiCbPd3/s1600/MMccoy.jpg" height="200" width="144" /></a><br />
"My dorm room sophomore year may have been a little bit haunted. More
than once, I saw a shadowy figure standing by the window that
disappeared the moment I reached out to touch it. I did some research
and found out that somebody had died in my room a few decades before. I
might add that I relate this story as a person who doesn't believe in
ghosts AT ALL." -- Mary McCoy<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtddcJRMUli5H5e9a6e3xnlM8_B-SPRwQN_quN5Ihipd_sTNfjHe7_-tiGRxCHN0DvBtqbfz5x-7urSa2DbCpUI0p5aJhKk4cEqQPwBh5i79-EVBiZRQ29WWjjvuoBj8zqDErdaBH2Msf/s1600/Renn_headshot_smaller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtddcJRMUli5H5e9a6e3xnlM8_B-SPRwQN_quN5Ihipd_sTNfjHe7_-tiGRxCHN0DvBtqbfz5x-7urSa2DbCpUI0p5aJhKk4cEqQPwBh5i79-EVBiZRQ29WWjjvuoBj8zqDErdaBH2Msf/s1600/Renn_headshot_smaller.jpg" height="200" width="141" /></a>"I can't think of one single freaky thing, but I've often felt that I have a vague psychic connection. I will think of someone, or dream something, and soon after find my thoughts or dreams are true, something really happened to that person (nothing horrific), or I will run into that person somewhere. Unfortunately I have not been able to channel this vague, intermittent psychic vibe into anything useful like predicting lottery numbers." -- Diana Renn
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-iwrNONVsWPc%2FVEbjXIRuhNI%2FAAAAAAAAA1o%2F2yMrbUdFr80%2Fs1600%2FMarburyCover.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHRpsHQgJLvfwsA8kFsr9QdUUmY8hvlrTvr2_KqFRCIfhPuCqpn2Z2pZrMc4cR-fp-wXAlvnnwkvW7w-BsJbongqg-kEiOpWZDA3g5e5vyUFeOBTEYmM3MoWE1rDx8H_XrxKQDwkOu4FS/s1600/MarburyCover.jpg" -->Laura Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11460109672104491370noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-56434444639155957822014-10-21T08:00:00.000-04:002014-10-21T08:00:05.968-04:00Calling All Junior Secret Agents: Resources for Budding Spies and Detectives
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF19_GiV-A9QSByR9aGDtp8ZYsFTCSy8wKCu2fQe5Vu54a8B4EabyAMfgErtkW-qrvKhldckrLc7Vk3Jnc4Ao4E4bnvGgHa3_qCA0oZB5XyuxpCrTo6SyNNp5Lk2Ufzxfm874bORPSsgs9/s1600/magnifying-glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF19_GiV-A9QSByR9aGDtp8ZYsFTCSy8wKCu2fQe5Vu54a8B4EabyAMfgErtkW-qrvKhldckrLc7Vk3Jnc4Ao4E4bnvGgHa3_qCA0oZB5XyuxpCrTo6SyNNp5Lk2Ufzxfm874bORPSsgs9/s1600/magnifying-glass.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">When I wrote the Double
Vision trilogy, I wanted to write thrillers for middle graders that resembled
the books I love as an adult. Turns out that it’s not that easy to bring that
kind of danger to a kid level…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">But the challenge was
fun. I researched codes and ciphers, spies in history, and stretched my
imagination to create kid spy Linc Baker. And I discovered some cool resources
for kids—budding spies and detectives who want to learn more about what it
takes to be an agent.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Here
are some stops to make:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://www.cia.gov/kids-page/index.html"><b><span style="color: #0563c1;">The CIA homepage for
kids. </span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Who would know more
about spy stuff than the CIA? This portion of the website tells you all about
what it’s really like to be a spy, and it even has some games you can play—so
check it out!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqlyOe_6INNLSq_nHODZYwKh78OvFvDyMYhqSZ7wGE6tcNxW0o6IGi3aDdVsSnsyXd7UxzIzZqg9X7HLaBNOvT3rJXJvA98KQg2ko7q8qwv7aRxPKrCN7m-zqMdZAp53_IAvWF9DodRoj/s1600/Double+Vision+The+Alias+Men+hi-res+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqlyOe_6INNLSq_nHODZYwKh78OvFvDyMYhqSZ7wGE6tcNxW0o6IGi3aDdVsSnsyXd7UxzIzZqg9X7HLaBNOvT3rJXJvA98KQg2ko7q8qwv7aRxPKrCN7m-zqMdZAp53_IAvWF9DodRoj/s1600/Double+Vision+The+Alias+Men+hi-res+cover.JPG" height="320" width="216" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.spymuseum.org/"><b><span style="color: #0563c1;">The International Spy Museum. </span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Who says museums are
boring? The International Spy Museum is a great place to visit and learn more
about spy gadgets, the history of spies and their tricks, and you can even sign
up for their cool Spy-In-Training program. In case you can’t make it to
Washington, D.C., check out their website for spy games, and brush up on your
spy lingo.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids"><b><span style="color: #0563c1;">
The FBI Kids Page. </span></b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">
The place to go if you want to know more about what an FBI agent does, how they
investigate, and how the FBI came about (this history stuff is really cool).
And there are games too—so go over there and get your spy disguise ready…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Code
Cracking Games Online<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Think you have what it
takes to crack a code? Check out these great games for code breakers:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.nsa.gov/kids/"><span style="color: #0563c1;"><strong>NSA Kid page </strong></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://www.cia.gov/kids-page/games/index.html"><span style="color: #0563c1;"><strong>CIA Games for Kids </strong></span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">If you’re a master code
cracker, try your hand at the <a href="https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/headquarters-tour/kryptos/"><span style="color: #0563c1;"><strong>CIA’s Kryptos
sculpture</strong></span></a>. No one has broken the code yet…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Your
spy training is now complete. </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Pass the invisible ink, everyone!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRx8qa2Kiiwf_Cfupv4Gb-OgVFAWzK_fS2YR7t0JBFm-ccwMExTorYWDmLjYcMeDDOTIhpA7SX_UVJDAbDAZSjKLG4NYJqtaJG8ElVzlF3x4n84T-X4c3USplxyC9_XNkFfmfHOs8nQjsf/s1600/Fleur+Bradley-photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRx8qa2Kiiwf_Cfupv4Gb-OgVFAWzK_fS2YR7t0JBFm-ccwMExTorYWDmLjYcMeDDOTIhpA7SX_UVJDAbDAZSjKLG4NYJqtaJG8ElVzlF3x4n84T-X4c3USplxyC9_XNkFfmfHOs8nQjsf/s1600/Fleur+Bradley-photo.JPG" height="200" width="149" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><strong>About F.T. Bradley</strong></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">F.T.
(Fleur) Bradley is the author of the Double Vision trilogy (Harper
Children’s), a series of fun spy mysteries for middle-grade readers
that School Library Journal calls "a must-read for mystery fans,
including reluctant readers." She lives in Colorado Springs with her
husband, two daughters and entirely too many cats. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">For more information on F.T.
and her books, visit <strong><a href="http://www.ftbradley.com/">www.ftbradley.com</a></strong></span></div>
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<o:p><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
To celebrate the <strong>Oct. 14th release of <em>Double Vision: The Alias Men</em></strong>, the third book in the trilogy featuring Linc Baker, <a href="http://yasleuth.blogspot.com/2014/10/announcing-alias-men-blog-tour.html"><strong>follow along with the blog tour</strong></a> (there are lots of giveaways...!).</div>
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YA Sleuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12371132883359264412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-5044558071821659612014-10-14T20:43:00.000-04:002014-10-14T20:43:11.287-04:00Power lines, Casseroles and Book Releases<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I had just enough time this morning to pour my cup of coffee before the storms raging outside my home dropped a tree on a nearby power line and, quite literally, left me in the dark. I rounded up enough flashlights and candles so that I could get my son and daughter up and ready for school. No hot, healthy breakfast this morning -- just a couple of fudge rounds. Nobody complained.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The road to work was blocked by the downed tree, and we were forced to take the long way to school. Everyone handled it just fine, and we arrived with less than a minute to spare. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">After a quick stop for a mocha, I headed on to work.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I arrived at work and promptly dropped my sports coat in a puddle in the parking lot. Oh well. It needed to go to the dry cleaners anyway.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTik_CVj72OJzpHIdAFoObcUjt3STsbaSX2bAE1vojU9clmi7ZhGtNSW_q4HvWJJsVQ1X6m5iH-4RQwHL0DPYxLFIvBzX7Nurx0j6SbEfby-NR930llLNXGB4vguXLK774-RQRBR3jCIfU/s1600/Towerof5orders_COVER_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTik_CVj72OJzpHIdAFoObcUjt3STsbaSX2bAE1vojU9clmi7ZhGtNSW_q4HvWJJsVQ1X6m5iH-4RQwHL0DPYxLFIvBzX7Nurx0j6SbEfby-NR930llLNXGB4vguXLK774-RQRBR3jCIfU/s1600/Towerof5orders_COVER_small.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I arrived home at six o'clock this evening to learn that the power had just been restored. The freezer in my garage now contained bags of cold, but thawed, chicken, meatballs and salmon. We ate the salmon, and I made casseroles with the rest. We'll be reheating casseroles for the next two months.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I cleaned the dishes, straightened up the kitchen and prepared to relax on the couch when it struck me.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Today is October 14.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The paperback version of my second book is being released today.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Oh.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I love this book, and I owe it a proper introduction.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The title of the book is TOWER OF THE FIVER ORDERS, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Children. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">It's a middle-grade mystery novel, the second book in the Shakespeare Mysteries series. The cover is gorgeous -- but what else would you expect from Gilbert Ford? And the interior illustrations bring life to every word -- but what else would you expect from Mark Edward Geyer? </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The main character in the series is a young lady by the name of Colophon Letterford. In Book 1 of the series, SECRETS OF SHAKESPEARE'S GRAVE, Colophon discovered a treasure trove of long-lost Shakespeare manuscripts. In Book 2, TOWER OF THE FIVE ORDERS, the authenticity of those manuscripts comes into question, and Colophon must delve even deeper into an ancient family secret to clear her family's name. Readers meet not only William Shakespeare, but one of his contemporaries: Christopher Marlowe, a scallywag if there ever was one. Marlowe, of course, was a real person -- and full of great secrets. The characters in the book travel to London, Oxford and into the ancient sewers of London in search of clues and treasure.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">As I said, I love this book. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Now you'll have to excuse me. I have clothes to iron.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Ah, the exciting life of an author.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVhoSoSGxDXqaglGAWKbMK8-Y2OuP_CFATqRRkaSUNjVdenymAIJBOwkvqUH2VPr7gxWIQtHnHS-UbJYGdDE-PCY-cBDfiJE15H3U2D35E3mjtmZqmRLsf68YTjvhbu8aLgx_MsLL253v/s1600/533640_3466990612902_195789862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVhoSoSGxDXqaglGAWKbMK8-Y2OuP_CFATqRRkaSUNjVdenymAIJBOwkvqUH2VPr7gxWIQtHnHS-UbJYGdDE-PCY-cBDfiJE15H3U2D35E3mjtmZqmRLsf68YTjvhbu8aLgx_MsLL253v/s1600/533640_3466990612902_195789862_n.jpg" height="200" width="172" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Deron Hicks lives in Warm Springs, Georgia with his wife Angela, daughter Meg and son Parker. His first book - SECRETS OF SHAKESPEARE'S GRAVE -- was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Children in September 2012. The second book in the series -- TOWER OF THE FIVE ORDERS -- was published in October 2013. You can follow Deron</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LetterfordMysteries?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/DeronHicks" target="_blank">Twitter</a> (or both).</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01129422454445627426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-60930247480373762202014-10-07T05:00:00.000-04:002014-10-07T05:00:04.557-04:00Spark on the Lam<div class="MsoNormal">
If writers are the stars in our own TV police procedurals,
then drafting a novel is like hunting down a fugitive in a back alley. Okay, we're probably not as tough as cops, but bear
with me as I try to flesh out the simile!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s always some inspiration (clue) that initially sparks
us: an image, a bit of dialogue, a character already talking in our heads, a
premise so irresistible that it tingles in our fingers as we type. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So we go after it. At the beginning of the chase it all
seems so clear and so doable—it’s right in front of us…. Almost grabbable…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course, that’s usually when the fugitive ducks around the
corner and disappears and we’re left holding onto his hoodie.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s the darkest before dawn moment, when the cop (writer)
wonders if they’ll ever solve the case. When we're so mired in the uncertainty
of the process nothing is obvious anymore and nothing seems to be working. It’s
even more difficult to keep up the pursuit when we no longer know what we’re
looking for. (If you really want to make my TV cop comparison complete, we’d
probably also be coping with in some personal problems, a failing marriage or
some other crisis here, because all the good characters have them…)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But here’s the thing. That spark we’re chasing turns out to
be a red herring. It’s what we thought we were looking for until we discover
something even better, something that’s right in front of our noses. When we
stop going after that elusive thing and we work with what we actually do have, the
cold hard evidence of what’s already on the page, the real story emerges. That's when we
get our man (story).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Elisa Ludwighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298056457578947358noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-43534167324924935132014-10-06T09:38:00.000-04:002014-10-06T09:38:41.573-04:00Writers' Police Academy 2014An unprecedented number of YA and MG authors attended this year's Writers' Police Academy at Guilford Technical Community College in High Point, NC!<br />
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What is the Writers' Police Academy, you ask?<br />
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WPA is an annual conference featuring hands-on workshops about law enforcement, forensic science, corrections, criminal investigation, and emergency first responders. The classes are designed for writers who want to get the details right!<br />
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Here are some photos from our 2014 WPA adventure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoaCqCZQ7kMWuPa00v6H3hyphenhyphenaQ6tz5o47bLVSnsXzNuz1c5m2rgRsLc8YD_GGXk0wtZ3iNDC1bkw-CzVOee99GoVEVhrPd2EXsh7_t083q3bv6bmxr0AMZpu7lntoMPGI_F2M5HZO6Q_lRK/s1600/WPA14Simulator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoaCqCZQ7kMWuPa00v6H3hyphenhyphenaQ6tz5o47bLVSnsXzNuz1c5m2rgRsLc8YD_GGXk0wtZ3iNDC1bkw-CzVOee99GoVEVhrPd2EXsh7_t083q3bv6bmxr0AMZpu7lntoMPGI_F2M5HZO6Q_lRK/s1600/WPA14Simulator.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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KC Held (left) rushes to the scene of a crash site in an emergency driving simulation.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqsW9scNEpXO0HUV0DOR1UwcHUiiKiOrLdGUZpyNEJtzD0qEDRYgZCRZ_1ogFEF8c_stGg0diuzdoANGrRY6UJJBP-ABTi9zAL0Tgce-Yti-VTv0uU2Ra8NSD8V1jaxhyphenhyphen7OfYJI1Qum3V/s1600/WPA14MeganFire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqsW9scNEpXO0HUV0DOR1UwcHUiiKiOrLdGUZpyNEJtzD0qEDRYgZCRZ_1ogFEF8c_stGg0diuzdoANGrRY6UJJBP-ABTi9zAL0Tgce-Yti-VTv0uU2Ra8NSD8V1jaxhyphenhyphen7OfYJI1Qum3V/s1600/WPA14MeganFire.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Megan Miranda assumes the role of firefighter with the help of veteran firefighter, Tim Fitts, during the 3rd Alarm Blaze class. Megan was conducting hands-on research for her new YA thriller, CONSUMED (Crown, 2016).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-flsPMH_EvrMH_EY-CQIYqFM-fMWnOTyncgjuHcZkrVnFxIXGL8o4wrvVQuYM7KxEZ9IdMMC7FyQRobAKoYTlLEtV144y9L-L8zqWu4WRhCCBoX5JO4Ka9L6Lhl4lGty3DnLmv7gwNgIL/s1600/WPA14BodyInTheWoods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-flsPMH_EvrMH_EY-CQIYqFM-fMWnOTyncgjuHcZkrVnFxIXGL8o4wrvVQuYM7KxEZ9IdMMC7FyQRobAKoYTlLEtV144y9L-L8zqWu4WRhCCBoX5JO4Ka9L6Lhl4lGty3DnLmv7gwNgIL/s1600/WPA14BodyInTheWoods.jpg" height="320" width="192" /></a></div>
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You never know what will turn up in the woods at the Writers' Police Academy.</div>
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A nighttime demonstration of various forms of Crime Scene Lighting revealed this poor guy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3DK4xyOQ77GSzoLf18FsQyf9q4-fatuJPCvSPdVz_lHAESiLcarACDnJ6I6pFKcc-6qmXdos3p-yOmF-aDhzOvfhWPE4odcveIer5FoSwHcayIRMnaiTZJ2rEWq4PtIoyCl0Sqg9BQie/s1600/WPA14Connelly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3DK4xyOQ77GSzoLf18FsQyf9q4-fatuJPCvSPdVz_lHAESiLcarACDnJ6I6pFKcc-6qmXdos3p-yOmF-aDhzOvfhWPE4odcveIer5FoSwHcayIRMnaiTZJ2rEWq4PtIoyCl0Sqg9BQie/s1600/WPA14Connelly.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The one and only Michael Connelly was our special guest speaker this year! </div>
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Our merry band of YA groupies converged on him during his signing.</div>
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From left: Megan Miranda, SR Johannes, Michael Connelly, Kim Derting, KC Held, and Veronica Rossi.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JNJqkwUP2zyR9pESoVBMOGsRncvQNII0nh-vd9_aZipSZdE3KdpbbmB0qCwGK6ebuYUTAQE1w-eNzXt2JZKwOGgzpBcDOPyD9X9gW9J34fX7Dlqav4a9CguCGPhRrTrAUuNtg2YVqT3z/s1600/WPA14DeepCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JNJqkwUP2zyR9pESoVBMOGsRncvQNII0nh-vd9_aZipSZdE3KdpbbmB0qCwGK6ebuYUTAQE1w-eNzXt2JZKwOGgzpBcDOPyD9X9gW9J34fX7Dlqav4a9CguCGPhRrTrAUuNtg2YVqT3z/s1600/WPA14DeepCover.jpg" height="320" width="192" /></a></div>
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I had the privilege of meeting retired undercover ATF agent Billy Queen, who shared his harrowing story during a special class on deep cover operations.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdui2wT79hOINotbBrRCPrSwoK6fBIVn0mAcdh__WSIeG1WzWu5UqBlk-SrUnj-AOC_bs3QEEt7wQ0DUHH0cxgGXCfgl0dwUMM8NkQZpY0yOEb5kIxv7K2z36vMapm1TDwX6Cs0dLk9RT/s1600/WPA14EMSresponse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdui2wT79hOINotbBrRCPrSwoK6fBIVn0mAcdh__WSIeG1WzWu5UqBlk-SrUnj-AOC_bs3QEEt7wQ0DUHH0cxgGXCfgl0dwUMM8NkQZpY0yOEb5kIxv7K2z36vMapm1TDwX6Cs0dLk9RT/s1600/WPA14EMSresponse.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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A live EMS demonstration featured two types of vehicle extractions, as well as EMS and police response to a mass casualty situation.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBg3VgXyyO0g2FTUoutxLswfUpHrCswp1Gyh8ePZOj0HKUtKOhK5K5ChasvMy8key9DQCF9wC5peitdiUyv6NsngEdI1TN_fCdzutEsV4Qq9oi1szB5hDWsAzM8W4RE_UrwPYUW64nFbEN/s1600/WPA14Explosion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBg3VgXyyO0g2FTUoutxLswfUpHrCswp1Gyh8ePZOj0HKUtKOhK5K5ChasvMy8key9DQCF9wC5peitdiUyv6NsngEdI1TN_fCdzutEsV4Qq9oi1szB5hDWsAzM8W4RE_UrwPYUW64nFbEN/s1600/WPA14Explosion.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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WPA starts off with a bang, featuring a live demonstration of explosive breaching methods by Captain Randy Shepherd of the Guilford County Sheriff's Office.</div>
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(Photo credit: Jamie Lee Scott)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJ3vORifDItDgllbXaaO0w8dQk6qs0PJQaHFUzeRH9qTga4t7cRxg0ths8IxDMIqFHN1n8xYI_P6KWn0MwHELPOyWcqvZCBDLixwVa_dAhuSTU2BJuTxuUDa7Lz2pYlPgm_0WIZOJuZge/s1600/WPA14Group2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJ3vORifDItDgllbXaaO0w8dQk6qs0PJQaHFUzeRH9qTga4t7cRxg0ths8IxDMIqFHN1n8xYI_P6KWn0MwHELPOyWcqvZCBDLixwVa_dAhuSTU2BJuTxuUDa7Lz2pYlPgm_0WIZOJuZge/s1600/WPA14Group2.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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Relaxing after a hard day at WPA.</div>
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From left: Lissa Price, Megan Miranda, Veronica Rossi, SR Johannes, and Kimberly Derting.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltCcx4LXNALM4xbixX99AcexCTfMIV2HRsfp2-LsP78bcIrA-OJbIC-XjdiLShoWRvRwmAtAb-UjYMZJzH1wNCIIGcAbW1LwX0AWn91uivPeiuD0YwOz3eXBYKVji_r570G3tHKBjfHv9/s1600/WPA14GroupPic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltCcx4LXNALM4xbixX99AcexCTfMIV2HRsfp2-LsP78bcIrA-OJbIC-XjdiLShoWRvRwmAtAb-UjYMZJzH1wNCIIGcAbW1LwX0AWn91uivPeiuD0YwOz3eXBYKVji_r570G3tHKBjfHv9/s1600/WPA14GroupPic.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The YA crew enjoyed meeting FBI trained forensic artist and author, Robin Burcell. </div>
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She taught a great class on Forensic Art and Witness Recall.</div>
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Here we are at the final banquet: Dinner with Michael Connelly.</div>
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From left: Alan Gratz, Kimberly Derting, Robin Burcell, Lissa Price, Mary Behre, and Elle Cosimano.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIz6cxG0Swqp7izQg_Ow2gGZf7KsPDB25AnPQIv6AOkiEVEEQx1I2ZcKyzdojvQduZFsHYI0GBtnK0OApJtO0KBiJ-krS1bMqCgNVen9svUl-gFo30VnSOLceM5nBRQj5k4PxztLDL95J/s1600/WPA14Lisa+gardner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIz6cxG0Swqp7izQg_Ow2gGZf7KsPDB25AnPQIv6AOkiEVEEQx1I2ZcKyzdojvQduZFsHYI0GBtnK0OApJtO0KBiJ-krS1bMqCgNVen9svUl-gFo30VnSOLceM5nBRQj5k4PxztLDL95J/s1600/WPA14Lisa+gardner.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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WPA never disappoints when it comes to guest speakers!</div>
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Lisa Gardner returned to WPA this year to tell us how she turns research into great fiction. Other 2014 guest speakers included authors John Gilstrap, Alafair Burke, and Robin Burcell.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-E3e5BMFFxGskKrk8ikD44eoFJzIfi3rsWnwXenNNhGG5aqsQRoXaN6BRsHalr61FkoE-A3_flW31T8DvbNIh3X7VdBIbLYrtgppW3mXRI146LZpMfnjo2QzK-twxsLdJyNyRpzavI3e/s1600/WPA14MEClass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-E3e5BMFFxGskKrk8ikD44eoFJzIfi3rsWnwXenNNhGG5aqsQRoXaN6BRsHalr61FkoE-A3_flW31T8DvbNIh3X7VdBIbLYrtgppW3mXRI146LZpMfnjo2QzK-twxsLdJyNyRpzavI3e/s1600/WPA14MEClass.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Just in case you thought it was all fun and games, we spent many hours in the classroom too!</div>
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Class photo: ABCs of Death Investigations instructed by nurse ME, Jacque Perkins.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6Nje2N44vf5OjdukVBI2we9jbMyUaAn7rZ8DbZo5nJPtmnVyVSP7GIG2o6wROBf6TvkVPE5wheAUOhCshqGvih9TIKtDq6Xhz-vQs1gIntVn0SQDUcpWv0avLJGAd5Wht-Pz0Z4lzQ2V/s1600/WPA15LissaFights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6Nje2N44vf5OjdukVBI2we9jbMyUaAn7rZ8DbZo5nJPtmnVyVSP7GIG2o6wROBf6TvkVPE5wheAUOhCshqGvih9TIKtDq6Xhz-vQs1gIntVn0SQDUcpWv0avLJGAd5Wht-Pz0Z4lzQ2V/s1600/WPA15LissaFights.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Lissa Price shows no mercy during a Self-Defense for Women class instructed by Master Corporal Dee Jackson of the Guilford County Sheriff's Office.</div>
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Want to learn more about the Writers' Police Academy?</div>
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Find out more <a href="http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
<br />Elle Cosimanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10204585292486700390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-73247910737721843742014-09-23T10:52:00.003-04:002014-09-23T10:54:44.928-04:00Interrogation Room #45: Julie Berry, author of THE SCANDALOUS SISTERHOOD OF PRICKWILLOW PLACE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have a repeat offender in the Interrogation Room today: acclaimed author <a href="http://www.julieberrybooks.com/">Julie Berry</a>! We hauled her in <a href="http://sleuthsspiesandalibis.blogspot.com/2013/09/interrogation-room-33-julie-berry.html">this time last year</a> to talk about her Edgar-nominated YA mystery <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Truth-Thats-Julie-Gardner-Berry/dp/0142427306/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=">ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME</a>. Julie just can't seem to stay out of trouble, and now she's surrounded by scandal, with the release of her new middle grade mystery, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scandalous-Sisterhood-Prickwillow-Place/dp/1596439564/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411480649&sr=1-1&keywords=the+scandalous+sisterhood+of+prickwillow+place">THE SCANDALOUS SISTERHOOD OF PRICKWILLOW PLACE</a> -- out <i>today </i>from Roaring Brook/Macmillan Kids! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Xqau-lRxkpDFU3o4rJcYjDrm17e5dD2MUwH-RHkioMXEVAk-P6YHvZHzPwxn-9B0G1EKyoHx8mgKogQKgUZyXBQ4KvHdthKl2m17R1M1eSshTLqf-q4i723jMtJFjrO8NLC1zbf9elE/s1600/SSPP+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Xqau-lRxkpDFU3o4rJcYjDrm17e5dD2MUwH-RHkioMXEVAk-P6YHvZHzPwxn-9B0G1EKyoHx8mgKogQKgUZyXBQ4KvHdthKl2m17R1M1eSshTLqf-q4i723jMtJFjrO8NLC1zbf9elE/s1600/SSPP+cover.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<b>We have lots of questions for Julie today, but here's a bit about the new book (whose title we'll abbreviate to SSPP, since we love abbreviations and acronyms here at SSA!):</b><br />
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<i><span id="freeText16585774852151990310">There's a murderer on
the loose—but that doesn't stop the girls of St. Etheldreda's from
attempting to hide the death of their headmistress in this rollicking
farce. <br /><br />The students of St. Etheldreda's School for Girls face a
bothersome dilemma. Their irascible headmistress, Mrs. Plackett, and her
surly brother, Mr. Godding, have been most inconveniently poisoned at
Sunday dinner. Now the school will almost certainly be closed and the
girls sent home—unless these seven very proper young ladies can hide the
murders and convince their neighbors that nothing is wrong. <br /><br />The
Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place is a smart, hilarious
Victorian romp, full of outrageous plot twists, mistaken identities, and
mysterious happenings.</span></i><br />
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<b><span id="freeText16585774852151990310">And now, here's the transcript of our second interrogation of Julie! (Plus, her mug shot!)</span></b><br />
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<span id="freeText16585774852151990310"><b>SSA: So here you are, a repeat offender . . . we last saw you in here one year ago, when we summoned you to answer questions about your YA historical mystery, ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME. </b></span><br />
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<span id="freeText16585774852151990310">JB: When do I get to call my lawyer?</span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText16585774852151990310">SSA: Not so fast. You're a slippery one, Ms. Berry, and we need answers. It seems you've been trespassing into different genres. In short succession, you've written TWO unconventional and historical mysteries -- one in experimental form, and now this new one, a farce. Can we see your poetic license?</span></b><br />
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<span id="freeText16585774852151990310">JB: Yes, right here.</span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText16585774852151990310">SSA: Ah. Okay. Well, we've noticed the two books couldn't be more different in tone as well as time periods. How did it feel to go from Puritan America in ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME to Victorian England in SSPP? And did you learn anything about mystery writing from writing ALL THE TRUTH that helped you with the new novel, despite the vastly different content?</span></b><br />
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<span id="freeText16585774852151990310">JB: It's kind of fun to go from promoting one novel with a very serious tone to peddling one this playful. I like to mix things up. Both stories have some darkness to them, I'd say, but the flavors are very different. I definitely do think that ALL THE TRUTH gave me invaluable craft practice. I learned how to be very disciplined about clues, details, mechanics, pacing, motive, and what to reveal when. I think these will be useful for any book I write in the future, whether overtly a mystery or not.</span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText16585774852151990310">SSA: What appeals to you about farce? And what's challenging about writing farce?</span></b><br />
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<span id="freeText16585774852151990310">JB: Comedies yield laughs, but farce done right threatens the audience with death by laughter. It's one big crescendo of crazy humor, and I love it. I grew up on writers like P.G. Wodehouse (and later, Terry Pratchett's <i>Discworld</i> novels), and on films like <i>Arsenic and Old Lace</i> and <i>His Girl Friday</i>. Nowadays, my family does a lot of community theater, and I've watched more British farces than you can shake a stick at. Over time, I began to deconstruct them to try to understand what makes a farce a farce. Slamming doors? Mistaken identities? Corpses? Or was it more than that?</span><br />
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<span id="freeText16585774852151990310">There's a lot more. Farces have a particular energy and pace. Timing is everything. Careful plotting is crucial. A sort of everyman (or everywoman, or everykid) protagonist is confronted with an unplanned, improbable, twist-of-fate dilemma, and a series of characters who represent extreme stereotypes until the protagonist is totally destabilized by dealing with such loonybirds--until he or she becomes, in essence, one of them. In the process, though, they become less flat-vanilla, and more human, more round, more likable. Miraculously, things work out, balance is restored, and everyone can go on about their lives, but old assumptions, old walls, have been broken down a bit. Cary Grant as Mortimer Brewster in <i>Arsenic and Old Lace</i> may flee from his insane relatives, once he learns he was adopted, shrieking, "I am not a Brewster!" but his bug-eyed stare proves he's become at least a bit of one.</span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText16585774852151990310">SSA: We understand you did quite a bit of research to bring this 19th-century British boarding school to life. (Not to mention other harrowing scenes, like burying a dead body!) What is one of the most deliciously fascinating facts that you uncovered?</span></b><br />
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<span id="freeText16585774852151990310">JB: I got to read some wonderfully gruesome accounts of crimes, poisonings, and medical investigations during the Victorian era. Since I've never personally poisoned anyone with cyanide (I swear, I haven't!), I needed to read lots about it. There were some wonderfully lurid poisonings going on, and some truly dastardly poisoners. The relatively recent innovation of life insurance, combined with easy-to-buy poisons and as-yet underdeveloped techniques for detecting them, turned, I regret to say, certain people's unpleasant relatives into solutions for their shopping addiction. Or opium addiction. Insert your addiction of choice.</span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText16585774852151990310">SSA: How did you get the voice in this novel so pitch perfect? Did you watch a lot of British period dramas on PBS? Read numerous Victorian novels? Or -- our suspicion -- are you actually a time traveler from Victorian England?</span></b><br />
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<span id="freeText16585774852151990310">JB: I'm the Doctor. Take a look. It's bigger on the inside.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The real Julie Berry!</span></td></tr>
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<span id="freeText16585774852151990310">Guilty on all counts. Who doesn't love Dickens, or the Brontes? I think I was born in the wrong century sometimes. Except that I would never want to have to wear what the Victorians wore <i>underneath</i> all those poufy-sleeve dresses, if you catch my drift, nor visit their doctors if I was ill, nor attend their finishing schools (except maybe this one), nor tolerate their prevailing views of the roles of girls and women. But we owe a great debt to a number of women during this era who made tremendous strides.</span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText16585774852151990310">SSA: What do you hope contemporary teens or tweens take away from this novel? Is it pure entertainment, or do you think there are bridges they can find to their modern lives?</span></b><br />
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<span id="freeText16585774852151990310">JB: Pure entertainment is always my goal. My job is to divert you. I wouldn't mind it at all if readers came away with a bit more of an affinity for these genres I've played with, and go hunting on their own for drawing-room mysteries and farces, past and present, to enjoy. If a little girl empowerment was sniffed around the edges, so much the better, but truly, I really just want you to laugh and keep the pages turning.</span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText16585774852151990310">SSA: Is there anything scandalous about your writing life that you'd care to confess?</span></b><br />
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<span id="freeText16585774852151990310">JB: Alas, I was scandalously late turning in my most recent manuscript. And I sometimes go scandalously long between showering. Working from home will do that to you. Other than that, my actual writing life is fairly boring. Anything colorful going on in my writing life, to quote the immortal Mr. Tweedy of the Aardman film <i>Chicken Run</i> (who, incidentally, makes a teensy cameo as a constable in my novel), is "all in me head." </span><br />
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<b><span id="freeText16585774852151990310">SSA: Thank you for answering our questions, Julie! We'll let you off the hook again. Stay out of trouble -- or rather, stay in trouble -- we love the creative risks you take, and we can't wait to see what you're cooking up next! </span></b><br />
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<span id="freeText16585774852151990310">You can track Julie down at <a href="http://www.julieberrybooks.com/">her website</a>, on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/julieberrybooks">@JulieBerryBooks</a>), and on her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/julieberrybookspage">Facebook fan page</a>. </span><br />
<span id="freeText16585774852151990310">You can buy THE SCANDALOUS SISTERHOOD OF PRICKWILLOW PLACE and Julie's other books on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scandalous-Sisterhood-Prickwillow-Place/dp/1596439564/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411480649&sr=1-1&keywords=the+scandalous+sisterhood+of+prickwillow+place">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-scandalous-sisterhood-of-prickwillow-place-julie-berry/1118064941?ean=9781596439566">Barnes & Noble</a>, or at <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781596439566">Independent bookstores</a> near you. </span><br />
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<span id="freeText16585774852151990310">Please enjoy this fabulous trailer for SCANDALOUS SISTERHOOD, and then . . . enter our giveaway! One lucky winner will get a signed hardcover of Julie's new book! </span><br />
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<span id="freeText16585774852151990310">Intrigued? Enter our giveaway on this Rafflecopter thingy below! This giveaway is open internationally. Must be 13+ to enter.</span><br />
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/698b3f2f18/" id="rc-698b3f2f18" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<span id="freeText16585774852151990310"><br /></span>Diana Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141038221046486655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-2074042744516715492014-09-16T05:00:00.000-04:002014-09-16T08:58:11.939-04:00Out of Hiding!In case you haven't noticed, we've been laying low here at Sleuths Spies & Alibis for these past few months! We took the summer off from blogging to devote more time to our own projects. The truth is, we all have double identities: we're not only kidlit mystery bloggers, we're actively publishing novelists. We're also wives, husbands, moms, dads, aunts, employees . . . and like just about everyone, we're all struggling to balance it all.<br />
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When we started this blog several years ago, we were debut authors, still months or years away from seeing our books on shelves. Through blogging here, we've learned a lot from each other, sharing ideas for writing mysteries for young people, and we've gotten more great reading recommendations from each other than we can keep up with! (We hope you have too!) We've also loved celebrating each other's publication dates here, and we've all become friends in the process -- even though some of us have never met in person!<br />
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But. As I was saying . . . we're busier than ever now. Deadlines loom. Many of us are writing our second, third, fourth books, and we're on a different schedule. Our families and friends in real life clamor for our attention. Our pets look at us with their sad eyes. <i>Don't blog. Feed me. </i><br />
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Yes, we're busy. But after a great deal of discussion and soul-searching among us, we've decided to return to the blog and keep it going. This fall marks our FOURTH (!) year of blogging about new kidlit mysteries (including our own), favorite mysteries, writing tips and challenges, and author interviews. The internet is full of dead blog carcasses, but we are still alive! <i>Muahahahaha.</i> To our knowledge, we're still the main go-to place online for kidlit mystery/thriller info. And we hated to think of shuttering the blog just because of this silly little technicality of none of us having any spare time to blog!<br />
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We are sad to lose three of our members: <a href="http://www.lrgiles.com/">Lamar Giles</a>, <a href="http://ashleyelston.com/">Ashley Elston</a>, and <a href="http://www.whbeck.com/">W.H. Beck</a>, are now sleuths-at-large. It has been a real joy to blog with these fine writers, and we wish them the best of luck with their new ventures--an MFA program for Lamar, and new book deals for all three! <br />
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The remaining ten of us will continue to blog here, adding new content once a week -- but Sleuths Spies & Alibis will now be more focused on author interviews (our popular Interrogation Room series), as well as highlighting more new and upcoming titles/authors in the mystery genre. We'll make our archives easier to navigate so if you're interested in our longer, thoughtful, essay-like posts about the craft of mystery writing, you'll be able to find those. We'll soon be updating our list of YA and MG mystery/thriller writers. And some of us may still occasionally write those longer, thoughtful, essay-like posts just to mix it up a little! But in general, we are streamlining, paring down, acting more as a resource center for kidlit mysteries.<br />
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We hope you'll stay with us and follow our blog through the change, and we hope you'll continue to interact with us on Twitter too (@kidlitmysteries). We'd love to hear what YOU'RE reading and what YOU'RE writing, because we are ALWAYS looking for more great mysteries!<br />
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Thanks, as always, for being our partners in crime!<br />
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[here are a few pics of our books spotted in the wild!] <br />
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<br />Diana Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141038221046486655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-51507004751029054492014-09-09T03:00:00.000-04:002014-09-09T11:41:34.450-04:00Interrogation Room #44: Edith Thornton Cohn, author of SPIRIT'S KEY<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;">
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">We've been lucky to nab a prime suspect for The Interrogation Room -- right on her release day! SPIRIT'S KEY by debut middle grade author Edith Thornton Cohn is an inventive, magical supernatural mystery with a rich setting -- and a GHOST DOG. What more could a kid ask for? This is a story that'll captivate kids of all ages. Think <i>Because of Winn Dixie </i>meets Ingrid Law's <i>Savvy.</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><b>A bit about the book:</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 22.400001525878906px;">By now, twelve-year-old Spirit Holden should have inherited the family gift: the ability to see the future. But when she holds a house key in her hand like her dad does to read its owner's destiny, she can’t see anything. Maybe it’s because she can't get over the loss of her beloved dog, Sky, who died mysteriously. Sky was Spirit’s loyal companion, one of the wild dogs that the local islanders believe possess dangerous spirits. As more dogs start dying and people become sick, too, almost everyone is convinced that these dogs and their spirits are to blame—except for Spirit. Then Sky's ghost appears, and Spirit is shaken. But his help may be the key to unlocking her new power and finding the cause of the mysterious illness before it's too late.</span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 22.400001525878906px;">Spirit's Key</i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 22.400001525878906px;"> is Edith Cohn's debut novel.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">The setting of Spirit's Key on fictional storm-swept Bald Island, with its suspicious (and superstitious!) residents, was so evocative! Can you tell us a little bit about your inspiration for it, and for Spirit's story?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;">A great deal of the inspiration for Bald Island comes from my love of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which has a rich and interesting history. I grew up going to the Banks. But I also read a lot about their hurricanes, their whaling and their unique language. The Outer Banks islands are so secluded they have words all their own like “dingbatters,” which means outsider, and this made its way into Spirit’s story. I even read about an islander who was a hermit and wore furs, which inspired the character Mrs. Borse. And it seems so unreal, but the islanders’ belief that yaupon tea can cure anger actually comes from something I read. Of course, I definitely took fictional liberties. I decided my island would have wild dogs instead of wild horses like the real Banks islands do. And the idea that keys can tell the future is one of the only things that didn’t come from something I read. That one came straight from the wilds of my imagination.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Spirit's Key is not a traditional mystery, but a deliciously supernatural one. I think kids' are going to love those magical elements, especially. Did any otherworldly encounters of your own inspire you? Or similar books from your own childhood? We'd love to hear more about the seed for your story and characters.</span></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2MvXp5oJeqDoS4fl_f9JZoILZ8J4CYYQFTxcGtzlZlNJAkcmRJWcyOPKUvDxT1nvjKKtfneC6mVn7JXF5Tl_XkcVprjL8ta4qAu6XjM-QB7l7CU1y07-n0n-ov9JTHSZMNN0C8bj-X_V/s1600/edith_cohn-9744-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2MvXp5oJeqDoS4fl_f9JZoILZ8J4CYYQFTxcGtzlZlNJAkcmRJWcyOPKUvDxT1nvjKKtfneC6mVn7JXF5Tl_XkcVprjL8ta4qAu6XjM-QB7l7CU1y07-n0n-ov9JTHSZMNN0C8bj-X_V/s1600/edith_cohn-9744-1.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;">When I was a kid, I loved to host slumber parties and tell ghost stories. I’d sit around with the flashlight under my chin and try my darndest to spin a tale scary enough to elicit a few screams.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Once I found a giant wooden key in the woods. It was probably a couple feet long and half a foot thick. I have no idea who carved it or where it came from, but this mysterious key begin to appear in my stories. I believed the key unlocked doors to ghost worlds.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;">I recalled this memory after Spirit’s Key was written, and it only recently dawned on me that the connection between keys and ghosts has existed in my mind since childhood.</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">What was the best part of writing Spirit's Key for you?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Definitely the most enjoyable part was creating the “fun and games” of having a ghost dog. Spirit gets to play fetch with her dog Sky again. They go swimming together, and she rides her bike with him running alongside. Her ghost dog finds magic clues to help her solve the mystery of what’s killing the island’s dogs.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Figuring out the mechanics of the magic was really fun, and just experiencing Spirit’s joy at having her dog back again was exhilarating. We all want our dogs to live forever. This was a way for me to have a taste of that.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">What do you love about writing for young people? What do you find the most challenging?</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;">I love how kids are still hopeful and open. They believe the world can be a better place, and they’re eagerly searching to figure out how they can help make it so. They haven’t yet formed all their opinions. This makes writing for them really fun. I can take something I’m still struggling with and explore it, and I feel they’ll come along with me for the journey. The challenge is thinking outside the box enough and stretching to write something really groundbreaking. I’m always hoping to write a story worthy of how open their minds are.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Will Spirit have more adventures? (We hope so! If not, what writing adventures lie in store for you?)</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;">I do have another story idea for Spirit, and it would answer the question of how the Hatterask family came to be cursed by hurricanes. I hope someday to write it! At the moment though, I am working on a couple of other books that are burning a hole in my brain pocket.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">What writing secret will you reveal only under the harsh lights of the Interrogation Room?</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a;"></span></div>
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Well, the truth is I don’t write everyday. Weeks will go by where I don’t write a word on my book. It’s not exactly that I wait for inspiration, but I have to wait for the story to tell me what happens next. I’m very particular about getting it the way I want it. Of course I try to force it to happen faster. I outline and outline again. I start the story usually at least three or four times from scratch, each time more different from the last, before I am able to really get on with where I need to go. This lasts months, sometimes years before I even have a first draft. It’s a process that resembles madness. Yet, I promise if you meet me, I seem perfectly sane. ;)</div>
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<b>Thank you so much for letting us wrangle you under our interrogation spotlight, Edith! We're honored -- and wishing you the very best on your release day. </b></div>
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<b>In honor of it, we're giving away a copy of SPIRIT'S KEY today. </b></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"><b><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4615972e9/" id="rc-4615972e9" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></b></span></span><br />
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Kristen Kittscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18443224922309438672noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-55245356256226816342014-07-03T05:00:00.000-04:002014-07-03T05:00:02.900-04:00Interrogation Room #43: Diana Renn, author of LATITUDE ZERO<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<b>We get pretty amped around here when one of our own sleuths comes out with a new title. Today, we're talking to Diana Renn about her wonderful second book, LATITUDE ZERO. This mystery about a teen who gets caught up in a questionable death during a cycling race is a heart-palpitating, hair-raising ride with wonderful characters and a vivid setting. Here's the synopsis:</b></div>
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<em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">“I have to run,” said Juan Carlos. “You will call? Please? It is very important.” </em><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">“Yes. I will call. Definitely. At two.”</em> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">That’s what Tessa promises. But by two o’clock, young Ecuadorian cycling superstar Juan Carlos is dead, and Tessa, one of the last people ever to speak to him, is left with nothing but questions. The media deems Juan Carlos’s death a tragic accident at a charity bike ride, but Tessa, a teen television host and an aspiring investigative journalist, knows that something more is going on. While she grapples with her own grief and guilt, she is being stalked by spies with an insidious connection to the dead cycling champion. Tessa’s pursuit of an explanation for Juan Carlos’s untimely death leads her from the quiet New England backwoods to bustling bike shops and ultimately to Ecuador, Juan Carlos’s homeland. As the ride grows bumpy, Tessa no longer knows who is a suspect and who is an ally. The only thing she knows for sure is that she must uncover the truth of why Juan Carlos has died and race to find the real villain—before the trail goes cold.</span></blockquote>
<b>And a little more about Diana:</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">I write contemporary YA novels featuring globetrotting teens, international intrigue, and more than a dash of mystery. My first novel, TOKYO HEIST (Viking/Penguin), came out in 2012, my next, LATITUDE ZERO, releases July 3, 2014. I am also the Fiction Editor at YARN (Young Adult Review Network), an award-winning online magazine dedicated to short form writing for teens.</span> </blockquote>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1. This is a highly original story—what sparked the idea,
and what personally attracted you to it?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Two ideas fused
together in this book, and for a long time I thought they might in fact be two
separate books! First, I had an idea that I wanted to write something about
Ecuador, because I once lived and worked there. In fact, the earliest seed of
this book was probably a short story I wrote called “Latitude Zero,” using a
washing machine for a desk, in the patio off of a room I rented. I was
interested in writing about a country that was perceived as corrupt, and writing
about a person who went there with an off-kilter moral compass, seeking freedom
and confronting her own limitations. The story was too big to be contained in a
short story, and never really worked, though I revisited the idea and
characters for many years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The second idea
I had was for a mystery set in bicycling culture, which, at the elite level, is
often seen as corrupt, tainted by doping and cover-ups, in the post-Lance
Armstrong world. I played with both ideas and realized they overlapped in a
fascinating way, with this issue of corruption. I’m also personally interested
in international bike racing, and thought that combining my bike book idea with
my Ecuador book idea would let me set this story on a larger stage and
significantly raise the stakes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. Tessa is a wonderful, relatable protagonist because she's
made some bad decisions, but she doesn't want to let these missteps define her,
and her quest to solve the mystery of el Cóndor's death is also the quest to
redeem herself. What surprised you most about this plucky character?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Thank you! She’s a girl whose moral compass has gone slightly askew, and that
can happen to any of us. She has to figure out for herself what it means to be a
good person, and to do good things in the world. I knew early on that her
personal quest – finding her values -- would be enmeshed in the quest to solve
the mystery. What I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">didn’t</i> realize
was how tough she really was. She became quite outspoken, able to advocate for
herself and for others, in a way that I had not planned. She also became aware
of the very real problems of other people in the world, not just her own
problems, and developed more empathy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3. With so many likely suspects for el Cóndor's death, Tessa
has quite a challenge on her hands, and readers are drawn into a head-spinning
number of possible explanations. Any tricks for fellow authors who might be
managing multiple red herrings in their story?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yes, there are
a lot of suspects. My books are sometimes called “complex mysteries,” and
that’s because they deal with more than one crime and quite a few suspects. In
LATITUDE ZERO, this happened partly because I wanted the reader to question –as
Tessa does—who is good or bad, or what that even means. As a result, many
characters end up looking suspicious. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mostly I have multiple
suspects because of the nature of the world in which my crime takes place. Pro
cyclists on a team just don’t operate in isolation, and there are people with
close access and financial interests in them—which means opportunities and
motives abound. In LATITUDE ZERO, an elite cyclist dies under unusual
circumstances. In real life, and in this book, many types of people have access
to elite cyclists, from managers to mechanics to masseuses. I made a list of
everyone who would potentially be involved or implicated, then gradually
narrowed it down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you have a
mystery that takes place in a certain “world” – a sports world, the art world,
whatever it is – you do have to think of the people who would have opportunity
and motive, list them all, and decide which ones you want to deal with in your
book. At least three, to keep the reader guessing, and probably not more than
six. And if you cannot make a list of potential suspects, then you may need to
widen your character’s world until you can come up with a list. For every
person on that list, you should be able to think of a motive and opportunity
for crime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4. You open up new worlds to your readers here, whether it's
Ecuadorian culture or competitive cycling. What sort of research did you do for
this book? In what ways did your settings inform your plot?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I thought both
cultures (Ecuador, cycling) would be relatively easy to portray. I am an
amateur cyclist, and I follow professional cycling to some extent – I have
passable knowledge of pro-cycling history and the current major players. I
lived and worked in Ecuador. However, I still had plenty of research to do. I
have never raced, and can barely change my tire – but I have pro cyclists and
bike mechanics in the book. I connected online and through local bike shops
with people who are in those worlds, and I had experts read my manuscript and
vet the details. I was on sturdier ground with Ecuador but still connected with
people from there or living there, and had readers check my details and
language, since many things have changed since my time there. My sister
traveled there for work when I was writing this, and she became my avatar,
taking pictures for me, finding resources, and even doing a bike ride! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With both
cycling and Ecuadorian culture, the settings gave me clear parameters I could
establish and then move around in. Like pins on a map. I could figure out the
types of bicycling events, venues, and people I wanted my teen sleuth to cross
paths with. Out of that came certain clues, suspects, tools for the crime, and
red herrings. In my Ecuadorian setting, I wanted to range all over the
country—show the jungle, the Galapagos Islands, everything – but I had to
remind myself I was writing a mystery novel, not a Frommer’s Guide. Tessa goes
there in the second part of the book, the pace didn’t lend itself to leisurely
sightseeing at that point, and I ended up restricting her movements to the
capital city, Quito, and immediate environs. I do kind of wish she’d seen more
along the way, but the story made certain demands on the setting at that point
in the book. That is a hazard of setting suspense fiction abroad. If a
character’s life is flashing before her very eyes, she’s probably not admiring
Mount Cotopaxi or some baroque building façade. Allowing places for the unique
setting to leak in, while keeping the tension high, is a fun challenge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5. I know that the resolution to this mystery changed
through your drafts. Can you talk about that process (without spoilers, of
course)? How important is it for a mystery writer to know the ending from the
very beginning and what tips would you offer to another writer who's rethinking
hers?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I thought I
knew the ending, but I was wrong. Then I was wrong again! I had my criminals all
mixed up, and I even changed a big part of the crime. I spent a lot of time
writing and then realizing things were not working, then deleting and starting
over. That wasn’t very efficient, but I got great character insights and fresh
ideas along the way. The main crime and the related crimes had to fit together.
I felt like I was building an intricate machine, or a motor, and something kept
rattling around and I’d have to take it apart again. And again. I think with
some books you just have to try writing ideas and see if they work, and this
was one of those. But what I’ve now just learned from my third book is this: if
you can write mini-outlines of where you are headed, and float those ideas by
trusted readers or critique partners before you do the actual writing, that can
really help. Figure out the logic “off the page” as much as you can, so you will
have fewer words to throw out if you find you’re heading in the wrong
direction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6. One of the things I love most about this book is the way
you handle the villains. They're believably wrong without ever getting too
mustache-twirly. Do you have any tips on conjuring up complex bad guys?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thank you! I
love mustache-twirlers, but those are stock characters and best avoided, so
everyone here got a clean shave. I think villains are intriguing when they have
complicated pasts, and when there are things about them that are relatable and
even likable. Or perhaps they have lost sight of their original goals, or made
a series of poor decisions, or made some horrible mistake, or told some lies,
or done the wrong things for the right reasons. They’re human. I think it also
helped me that my villains changed during the writing of this book, and so I
had already done a lot of character exploration and seen these people as
complex and multi-faceted before they got the villain label in my mind. Once I
made firm decisions, it was a matter of going back and teasing out the bad
behavior and thinking a lot about their pasts, who they were before the bad
stuff, and how that informed their motivations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">7. This is your second book. What were some of the
challenges in following up your debut novel? What was easier this time around?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">People say the
second novel is hard, and they’re right. You have less time to write it, and
more voices in your head, and, in this case, people with financial investments
in it. That’s a lot to carry around. New pressures. I did have to shake all
that off at some point and just write it for myself and have fun with the
writing. A big advantage I had this time around? Knowing that I was writing a
mystery, from the outset. With TOKYO HEIST, I had written a book with
“mysterious elements” that became a traditional mystery over the course of
multiple revisions. So I had better planning going into this. And I learned so
much from working with my fantastic editor, Leila Sales, that I had her voice
in my head coaching me along the way. Pacing and scene management were much,
much easier to execute. I had more tools in my writer’s toolbox. I knew what I
needed to do, structurally. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">8. At this point, I'd say you're the reigning
queen of the teen travel mystery! What excites you about this genre?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ooh – queen of
the teen travel mystery? How fun is that! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So I think the
teen mystery genre is just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">exploding</i>.
So many great mysteries have come out over the past several years, and keep
coming out . . . <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can barely keep up!
(For a partial list, check out the ongoing roster of all the YA mystery authors
listed on our blog!). And all these great teen mysteries just keep raising the
bar, making it harder for all of us! Especially when you get mind-blowing,
genre-crossing mysteries . .. mystery + sci fi, mystery + paranormal, mystery +
historical . . . I’m in awe every time I read about new publishing deals or
forthcoming books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I love the
challenge of writing a complex YA mystery plot while simultaneously focusing on
character development. Readers are demanding—they want fully realized
characters AND plot twists, clues, suspense, all that. I think that’s why a lot
of the YA mysteries on the market are quite long, compared to the classic Nancy
Drews. We’re spinning a lot of plates, resolving mystery plots and character
arcs and subplots all at once. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In terms of the
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">teen travel mystery</i>—I’m not sure if
that’s a full-fledged genre yet, but I hope it will be. We need <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">more</i> books with international settings
and diverse casts; why not mysteries? There are certainly lots of contemporary
teen novels out there already in which travel figures prominently. I love books
where teens travel partly because I had a huge case of wanderlust as a teen,
and never got to travel until I was older. And partly because so many teens
today <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are</i> really out there traveling
the world—volunteering, working, studying, visiting family, adventuring,
exploring. There are more opportunities than there used to be, and fiction
should reflect that. Teen travel mysteries present exciting opportunities for
teens to unravel mysteries, encounter something new and unfamiliar, get lost,
and find themselves in the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">9. What are you working on now?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m in the
editing phase of my third novel, BLUE VOYAGE. This one takes place in Turkey, and
it’s about a teen girl who gets entangled with an international gang of
antiquities smugglers. It’s coming out next summer. It’s been so much fun to
write, to take a virtual trip to Turkey, and kind of refreshing to have the
whole book take place there. And the main character is a real departure for me.
I’m having so much fun with her voice and her complex circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">10. IR Classic Question: Anything you'd care to reveal under
the pressure of interrogation?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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Here I am writing and talking about bikes and bicycle
advocacy and sports . . . yet I have not ridden my own bike in nearly a year! Both
the tires are flat and it’s literally gathering dust. My excuse? I was in a
chair for the past year, writing and editing this book! (And then the next
one!) But I will soon, very soon, be out on the road once more. If<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could bike and write simultaneously, that
would be ideal.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Learn more about Diana and LATITUDE ZERO:</div>
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Find her on <a href="http://www.dianarenn.net/" target="_blank">website</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/dianarenn" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DianaRenn" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</div>
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Elisa Ludwighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298056457578947358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-3035041973957236212014-06-12T06:00:00.000-04:002014-06-12T06:00:03.820-04:00I Pulled off a COIN HEIST...... in print at least. My third YA novel, COIN HEIST dropped on Tuesday. Here's the synopsis.<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The last place you’d expect to find a team of criminals is at a prestigious Philadelphia prep school. But on a class trip to the U.S. Mint—which prints a million new coins every 30 minutes—an overlooked security flaw becomes far too tempting for a small group of students to ignore.</span> </span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">United by dire circumstances, these unlikely allies – the slacker, the nerd, the athlete, and the "perfect" student – band together to attempt the impossible: rob the U.S. Mint. The diverse crew is forced to confront their true beliefs about each other and themselves as they do the wrong thing for the right reasons. </span></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Elisa Ludwig's Coin Heist is a fun, suspenseful, and compelling thriller, told from the revolving perspectives of four teens, each with their own motive for committing a crime that could change all of their lives for the better—if they can pull it off.</span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
In honor of this book, which was crazy-fun to write, I'm sharing a crazy-fun ’80s video for a song that is incredibly apt, with both a counterfeiting theme and prom-esque attire. (Don't trust anyone who only listens to "Love Shack" era B-52s, okay?)<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/mBRr_TqLDf4" width="560"></iframe>Elisa Ludwighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298056457578947358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-46720214280164069792014-06-10T08:00:00.000-04:002014-06-10T08:00:08.835-04:00BLIND SPOT Releases in paperback and giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
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Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
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Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
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Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
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Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
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</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->Today the paperback edition of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Spot-Laura-Ellen/dp/0544232844/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1402073588&sr=1-5&keywords=Blind+Spot" target="_blank"><i>Blind Spot</i></a> released!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
It has a
cool new cover. And I have to say, I was a bit surprised by that when first told it would be reprinting in paperback. I was in love with my original hardcover art. In a world where readers often <i>do</i> judge a book by its cover, I felt the original cover helped <i>Blind Spot</i> jump off the shelf. It was ‘eye-catching’ – pun intended! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirunK4zQHb25iendfqO2W3NLOvJuu3HoGHCfH714m4moBED4ZufzK3G1SyXq5W7x8nDX2P8ox6wE841ofO4EgEGllwxtkrH3t-DwAX1gfYoS1p_DCyzN8woe8eH-DzVfa0BPqaEa7JPjLx/s1600/blindspot+with+tagline3-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirunK4zQHb25iendfqO2W3NLOvJuu3HoGHCfH714m4moBED4ZufzK3G1SyXq5W7x8nDX2P8ox6wE841ofO4EgEGllwxtkrH3t-DwAX1gfYoS1p_DCyzN8woe8eH-DzVfa0BPqaEa7JPjLx/s1600/blindspot+with+tagline3-1.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original hardcover art</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Despite loving the original though, I did
fall in love with the paperback art too. The icy blue color scheme and the way the eye looks like it is peering through ice, fits the plot well. I was
excited to share it with friends, family, and readers. But as I began preparing for its release, I found myself
in a marketing dilemma – do I now totally ditch the original artwork for this new
cover art? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I had been so attached to my first cover, it seemed wrong somehow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Well I got over <i>that </i>as soon as I saw the cool new bookmarks Amber at <a href="http://www.memyshelfandi.com/p/designs.html" target="_blank">Me, My Shelf and I</a> designed for me</span> :) but it did get me thinking about what other authors have done when new editions were printed with new covers -- so many classic novels have had numerous cover changes over the years. So....for fun I thought I would post some of my favorite books and the different covers they have sported. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Nancy Drew</i> mysteries have spanned decades and have needed updating from time to time. Here are two popular covers for <i>The Clue in the Diary. </i>I believe the one on the left is the original.<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqclFU6ztwUNesTPcQ6ot8-IogoyhJHnnmx4YYNQr3Ed8u3H_FpUi-Y7jP64WbMis9bQTagwhlso_pUN1PHFBztvrwCk5_h0OiLKYy-9EG9f7x4oPd3rtTCyEWdsfjJCB7M5DzohCvE3Io/s1600/photo(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqclFU6ztwUNesTPcQ6ot8-IogoyhJHnnmx4YYNQr3Ed8u3H_FpUi-Y7jP64WbMis9bQTagwhlso_pUN1PHFBztvrwCk5_h0OiLKYy-9EG9f7x4oPd3rtTCyEWdsfjJCB7M5DzohCvE3Io/s1600/photo(4).JPG" height="200" width="126" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtMpMTntQ71EqcA3SQyNrnixUUVcSwjR-W1pHisW77YE2SYto_A2hT8KIcRP5y1cIZgOeMoHzTh_vP6YZk0X_fPbCyFWPSZsTGEH9gXILSZy-ZX7MdUCzUf0ac6e2dRqaDSS1zhuR9M7q/s1600/photo(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtMpMTntQ71EqcA3SQyNrnixUUVcSwjR-W1pHisW77YE2SYto_A2hT8KIcRP5y1cIZgOeMoHzTh_vP6YZk0X_fPbCyFWPSZsTGEH9gXILSZy-ZX7MdUCzUf0ac6e2dRqaDSS1zhuR9M7q/s1600/photo(3).JPG" height="200" width="138" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
One of my all-time favorite books is <i>Don't Look Behind You</i> by Lois Duncan. It has seen several covers over the years. Here are three. The one on the left is my copy from 1989. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRSVVx_73UGVcC-re3jx9ztLS3zE8nPB5Q-cRIS9REMfQCbdCjjmyRwodbujLe1NvciXqQPAP6TRP2VBp5FbbPnxm_ahYLh6JxpfbYdcMzNuWIefhGfPR8giySQp3S7c5pHTCWeHENtyQ/s1600/photo%25289%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRSVVx_73UGVcC-re3jx9ztLS3zE8nPB5Q-cRIS9REMfQCbdCjjmyRwodbujLe1NvciXqQPAP6TRP2VBp5FbbPnxm_ahYLh6JxpfbYdcMzNuWIefhGfPR8giySQp3S7c5pHTCWeHENtyQ/s1600/photo%25289%2529.JPG" height="200" width="121" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DLJfxL7WQPQAEoJrV-427jwJhsrLi6Bx9wJWxRcHwKwWMCEoj6Nce2LdED2i67jIRMs4zNsPPo_ghZpbrs9RDdzHXp5Cu02-VeOCBHVF-S1A7YWLXwP3DjlBHUG76XazmImJXqhttCzA/s1600/photo(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DLJfxL7WQPQAEoJrV-427jwJhsrLi6Bx9wJWxRcHwKwWMCEoj6Nce2LdED2i67jIRMs4zNsPPo_ghZpbrs9RDdzHXp5Cu02-VeOCBHVF-S1A7YWLXwP3DjlBHUG76XazmImJXqhttCzA/s1600/photo(5).JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzT3-5-MT4gK3bv4sL1Rk9w6TmYZ4OumPBPopcUyKAA2yrHIYIkrZ5E8_zLpSwNO0twSXbsQTD_FLqSpi6kMd7Qx33EXmsZqimhsFnlISckIf6qtoJ89TI0nZ2r5w6-C361dzC-okOtrFi/s1600/photo(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzT3-5-MT4gK3bv4sL1Rk9w6TmYZ4OumPBPopcUyKAA2yrHIYIkrZ5E8_zLpSwNO0twSXbsQTD_FLqSpi6kMd7Qx33EXmsZqimhsFnlISckIf6qtoJ89TI0nZ2r5w6-C361dzC-okOtrFi/s1600/photo(8).JPG" height="200" width="131" /></a></div>
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And how about <i>The Giver</i> by Lois Lowry? This left cover is the one I will forever identify with the book: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyBP4fRwvU-_AYV-zR06vIALeG4vM67Ysfo2wGzXb9dYDDdfQ_wfcvCt82DvzbbNtFLm-PhbkIcQ07qAHxCh0I8oe9AQaOKrAIteL1QiK8FvTU3iHAOY8TfdPMob9y2xDR964l1KGQi8L/s1600/photo%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyBP4fRwvU-_AYV-zR06vIALeG4vM67Ysfo2wGzXb9dYDDdfQ_wfcvCt82DvzbbNtFLm-PhbkIcQ07qAHxCh0I8oe9AQaOKrAIteL1QiK8FvTU3iHAOY8TfdPMob9y2xDR964l1KGQi8L/s1600/photo%25286%2529.JPG" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBo5cTIwGAlE6toCGu8HXXmKRNtYhX5lFFYPjMUeLUe57085NacXL6P9Xtdks88BgNZhqFGNbFNck_YwBZeW3pbnKv1ArAx50uA9XxqUt-nt6tQ7BeGVKDulDlJg-ZEw2abljX4uCyn3_/s1600/photo%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBo5cTIwGAlE6toCGu8HXXmKRNtYhX5lFFYPjMUeLUe57085NacXL6P9Xtdks88BgNZhqFGNbFNck_YwBZeW3pbnKv1ArAx50uA9XxqUt-nt6tQ7BeGVKDulDlJg-ZEw2abljX4uCyn3_/s1600/photo%25282%2529.JPG" /></a><br />
But the cover on the right I have seen often in classrooms and bookstores. It looks like a totally different book, doesn't it?<br />
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What are some of your favorite cover changes? Share them in the comments! :) <br />
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Book Nerd Tours is giving away a BLIND SPOT prize pack which includes signed copies of BLIND SPOT and DEAR TEEN ME as well
as BLIND SPOT swag. <a href="http://www.booknerdtours.com/2014/book-blast-blind-spot-by-laura-ellen-paperback-release-celebration.html" target="_blank">Click here</a> for details and to enter.<br />
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Laura Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11460109672104491370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-46606005640154322492014-05-20T11:21:00.003-04:002014-05-20T11:21:54.258-04:00Celebrating THE RULES FOR BREAKING release!I am so excited to announce THE RULES FOR BREAKING, the sequel to THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING, hits shelves today! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-lm-jgVaeLM59JpLXB1ty8PoVA3w2TSUuOw6DLKecO7iMmj2BCv3kkUXgsdjafULbS8tbGXnGqrpqmBx6j_wO_TReFwW7-PzkH57x3piCPxHyN_VS-Pc2XM5vzVcD_VW1RgLom0NjuXg/s1600/RULES2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-lm-jgVaeLM59JpLXB1ty8PoVA3w2TSUuOw6DLKecO7iMmj2BCv3kkUXgsdjafULbS8tbGXnGqrpqmBx6j_wO_TReFwW7-PzkH57x3piCPxHyN_VS-Pc2XM5vzVcD_VW1RgLom0NjuXg/s1600/RULES2.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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Truthfully, I am more proud of this book than the first for one simple reason - it was so much harder to write. When I wrote book one, I did so without an agent, without a publishing contract and without any expectations from readers. But writing Breaking was a totally different experience. Before the first word was written, I knew it would be published and that was super scary. And then when readers would tell me they were really looking forward to the sequel - that was super scary too. <br />
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And now it's here - out in the world - and I couldn't be more pleased with it. <br />
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Thank you to all the readers who love these characters and this world. I had a blast creating it.<br />
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Ashley<br />
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To learn more about me, visit <a href="http://www.ashleyelston.com/">www.ashleyelston.com</a> or follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/ashley_elston" target="_blank">twitter!</a><br />
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Today - THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING is only $0.99! <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rules-Disappearing-Ashley-Elston-ebook/dp/B00BNMAVD0/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1400599137&sr=8-1&keywords=the+rules+for+disappearing" target="_blank">Get it here!</a><br />
To check out THE RULES FOR BREAKING - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Rules-Breaking-Ashley-Elston/dp/1423168984/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400599193&sr=8-1&keywords=the+rules+for+breaking+by+ashley+elston" target="_blank">click here!</a> <br />
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Ashley Elstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16306935370259238052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-74049429473516599712014-05-06T10:58:00.000-04:002014-05-06T10:58:49.275-04:00A Little TwistIn an age of constant information sharing, twist endings still have the power to thrill and surprise us. Leaving your reader with a rug-pulling (yet always well earned) culmination can be the difference between a three-star rating and a review with an exclamation point. (I can't promise it will always be a positive review, but hey, the more punctuation the better, right?)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCsV0s1jz6uixXnRBfhmDdKSJAO6obReOFsTOwM4FDKL8K-DiHWkso1aqd3UvBoGtiYVw9PL1byijgnSBWlGdKfbYB3KTsxcdbvr6qAcra4SfTRKAmzAe1XF_x_FoFSMw6oswZDkR6IXaX/s1600/Plot_twist_by_Aranel_Nenharma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCsV0s1jz6uixXnRBfhmDdKSJAO6obReOFsTOwM4FDKL8K-DiHWkso1aqd3UvBoGtiYVw9PL1byijgnSBWlGdKfbYB3KTsxcdbvr6qAcra4SfTRKAmzAe1XF_x_FoFSMw6oswZDkR6IXaX/s1600/Plot_twist_by_Aranel_Nenharma.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm learning this now firsthand that PRETTY SLY has been out for almost two months. The main reaction I'm getting back from readers is "Wow! I never saw that ending coming!"<br />
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As the author, it feels good to know that I could take my readers on a true adventure with an unpredictable destination, no matter how they felt about the particulars.<br />
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So when considering where to take your mystery, don't be afraid to get it twisted. Go ahead and turn the whole thing upside down. You and your reader will be glad you did.<br />
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P.S. I previously wrote about the pressure around and considerations for writing a satisfying ending <a href="http://sleuthsspiesandalibis.blogspot.com/2013/10/spoiler-alert.html" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
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P.P.S. Cartoon courtesy of Aranel-Nenharma<br />
<br />Elisa Ludwighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298056457578947358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-88135055112143964512014-04-20T13:36:00.000-04:002014-04-20T13:36:58.279-04:00Words and Images<br />
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In 2011, when I learned that my first book -- SECRETS OF SHAKESPEARE’S GRAVE -- was to be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, I immediately wanted to know what the publisher had in mind for illustrating the novel. As a former art major, this mattered to me. I felt that a mystery novel set in such wonderful locations as New York City, Mont St. Michel, London and Stratford-upon-Avon deserved proper illustrations. My editor informed me that a gentleman by the name of Mark Edward Geyer would be providing the interior illustrations for the book. At the time, I was not familiar with Mark’s work, so I immediately Googled his name.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_b2AcA-hkKjOc6ZBx1dY5VFdQyHqpfnuLpt0kRRiXzE0LesIjsTMRPgAfMM0uN43T_SotigH0cim33PIGTburzf0PzMb-V8KCOYmgUFQWbnifjoxFqYD-UOkBVNW6aQzrZioN3NEzUnlM/s1600/IMG_3408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_b2AcA-hkKjOc6ZBx1dY5VFdQyHqpfnuLpt0kRRiXzE0LesIjsTMRPgAfMM0uN43T_SotigH0cim33PIGTburzf0PzMb-V8KCOYmgUFQWbnifjoxFqYD-UOkBVNW6aQzrZioN3NEzUnlM/s1600/IMG_3408.jpg" height="320" width="192" /></a><br />
The first thing I learned was that Mark had provided illustrations for two Stephen King novels -- ROSE MADDER and THE GREEN MILE.<br />
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My life, at that point, was complete. <br />
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I had grown up reading Stephen King. I adored Stephen King. His book -- ON WRITING -- is one of my most treasured resources as a writer.<br />
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Needless to say, I was a bit excited.<br />
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And then, to make things even better, I learned that Mark Edward Geyer lived in Atlanta -- just a short trip from my home in Warm Springs, Georgia.<br />
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I contacted him and set up lunch. We met at a small restaurant in Atlanta. I was instantly charmed. His passion for art, for illustration and for writing was clear. In the last three years I have come to know Mark not just as a colleague, but as a friend. Moreover, the illustrations he has provided for my books have brought them to life in a way I could not have expected. They are timeless renderings which capture the mood and whimsy that I so desperately wanted to express in my novels. <br />
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Illustration and art, as I learned, are in his blood.<br />
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Mark comes from a line of French Canadian artists. His mother, Joan Lavigueur Geyer, has exhibited at the Smithsonian and The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. His maternal grandfather, Roch Oliver Joseph Charles DeLage deLavigueur, was a landscape artist and architectural draftsman.<br />
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Mark received his B.A. in Studio Art from Florida State University in 1979, and then spent many years as an architectural renderer. Upon breaking into the publishing market, he started out illustrating horror novels and, as noted above, is best known as the illustrator of Stephen King’s ROSE MADDER and THE GREEN MILE. Fortunately for me, he is now illustrating for middle-grade novels. He has worked on two middle-grade series: THE INQUISITOR'S APPRENTICE and its sequels and THE SHAKESPEARE MYSTERIES. He is also providing illustrations for the “Who Was” series by Grosset & Dunlap, his work appearing first in the book WHO WAS ULYSSES S. GRANT? <br />
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Mark is a busy man with tight deadlines. As such, I was somewhat hesitant to ask him to answer a few questions about his craft. As usual, however, he was ever so gracious.<br />
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<b>What lead you to become an illustrator? </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OtmioGuREBnqJJU6a2js5dSff0iTJooZfyKJ7XZZwRiFnawNyVkvqXPpB5uX75MBwFJWlytA-M0Z6JbxALRLp1STpDO0NYyqV42-1v1vHuEUfe-nXhvesFmL_emVRhp38VoTzgAf5u7E/s1600/IMG_3406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OtmioGuREBnqJJU6a2js5dSff0iTJooZfyKJ7XZZwRiFnawNyVkvqXPpB5uX75MBwFJWlytA-M0Z6JbxALRLp1STpDO0NYyqV42-1v1vHuEUfe-nXhvesFmL_emVRhp38VoTzgAf5u7E/s1600/IMG_3406.jpg" height="320" width="204" /></a>A love of pen and ink and a love of drawing. I started out as a fine artist, doing landscapes in pen and ink. Then I got into editorial illustration, product illustration, architectural rendering, and finally, book illustration. I had always wanted to contribute to books because of how well interior illustrations are suited to ink and because of the permanence that your work has once it’s in print. <br />
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<b>How would you describe your style of illustration, and how did you develop your style? </b><br />
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I never set out to acquire or shape a particular style. A style emerged naturally for me. I’ve always just tried to make the most powerful and handsome images possible. This is a matter of heeding instincts in steering a piece so that it strikes the deepest possible chord in me once it’s finished. I guess I would describe my work as looking old-world or classical, and, although that’s a genre that I love, it’s not a genre that I set out to emulate. <br />
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<b>What illustrators/artists influenced you and why? </b><br />
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My earliest and strongest influence was my mother, her artwork, and her high standards. I wanted so badly to draw like her when I was a kid. I especially liked anything she did in pencil, charcoal, pen and ink or ink washes. My mother’s father was an artist and my mother had saved some of his work—sensitive landscapes in pencil and dry watercolor. The sensitivity of his work was a big influence on me. Also, when I first started showing my work in art galleries in 1978 in the little town of Orange Park, Florida, there was a local artist named Teddi Jo Ryan and I was in love with her pen and ink and pencil work. <br />
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<b>When you read a manuscript for the first time, what are you looking for as an illustrator?</b><br />
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I am looking for scenes and details and moods that light me up. I am wondering what I can do to enhance the work. This is a fun phase because I always reread the piece a second time as I daydream about what would make the best illustrations. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwKitIqEQn_sXaAWYHz6Y7cE7-iKAzHdtzszvnPlDqaqz3iMibQbKGRbxmp1WVX6Qth4dB0TYA0IDNZ9ZJMG8_g3d2cY0J5M99wTjFtmyEHv7pkLBfUx2cG2uLf3tAPsLFjHcvJQRVnavz/s1600/IMG_3407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwKitIqEQn_sXaAWYHz6Y7cE7-iKAzHdtzszvnPlDqaqz3iMibQbKGRbxmp1WVX6Qth4dB0TYA0IDNZ9ZJMG8_g3d2cY0J5M99wTjFtmyEHv7pkLBfUx2cG2uLf3tAPsLFjHcvJQRVnavz/s1600/IMG_3407.jpg" height="254" width="320" /></a><b>What's the biggest challenge in bringing a book to life in illustrations? </b><br />
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The biggest challenge comes when I am commissioned to do only one illustration for a novel: a title frontis or frontispiece. This one drawing has to be a counterpoint to the author’s words. Not being a fan of collages or montages (these to me always end up having a dated 1970s look), the challenge is to distill the book down to one scene that I feel strongly about and hope that the editor and author approve of my idea.<br />
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More information about Mark Edward Geyer can be found at his website: <a href="http://www.markedwardgeyer.com/" target="_blank">markedwardgeyer.com</a>. You can also follow Mark on Twitter at @mrkgyr.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimaH6a4olYosn0FU8-HZ7aQe8PWWpZYE0TSMPSooxkgd-koTZmMa66mc6rAuguu-KGxhI70DSC7Idb5cr1MQHcPzb7rtWwcmprX0wzyjI08ADWOWMNlQLOxuCFw8DsQsdJa_STvb1Ab-J3/s1600/533640_3466990612902_195789862_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimaH6a4olYosn0FU8-HZ7aQe8PWWpZYE0TSMPSooxkgd-koTZmMa66mc6rAuguu-KGxhI70DSC7Idb5cr1MQHcPzb7rtWwcmprX0wzyjI08ADWOWMNlQLOxuCFw8DsQsdJa_STvb1Ab-J3/s1600/533640_3466990612902_195789862_n.jpg" height="200" width="172" /></a><br />
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Deron Hicks lives in Warm Springs, Georgia with his wife Angela, daughter Meg and son Parker. His first book - SECRETS OF SHAKESPEARE'S GRAVE -- was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Children in September 2012. His second book in the series -- TOWER OF THE FIVE ORDERS -- was published in October 2013. You can follow Deron at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LetterfordMysteries?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/DeronHicks" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01129422454445627426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-45092704449178376172014-04-15T06:00:00.000-04:002014-04-15T06:00:05.081-04:00Easter Eggs from HIGH & DRY by Sarah SkiltonMy second YA book, a desert-set mystery called HIGH & DRY, comes out today, woo-hoo!<br />
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<b>What's it about?</b> Framed for a stranger's near-fatal overdose at a party, blackmailed into finding a mysterious flashdrive everyone in school seems anxious to suppress, and pressured by his shady best friend to throw an upcoming game, high school soccer player Charlie Dixon spends a frantic week trying to clear his name, win back the girl of his dreams, and escape a past that may be responsible for all his current problems.<br />
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"A dark, well-constructed mystery with a strong voice." - <a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sarah-skilton/high-dry/" target="_blank">Kirkus Reviews </a><br />
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To celebrate the book's release, I thought I'd share some behind-the-scenes Easter eggs with my fellow sleuths.<br />
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1) Lead character Charlie Dixon is named after Dixon Steele, Humphrey Bogart's character in the film <i>In a Lonely Place</i>.<br />
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2) Charlie's scheming ex-girlfriend, Bridget Flannery, is named after Brigid O'Shaughnessy in THE MALTESE FALCON by Dashiell Hammett.<br />
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3) Mr. Donovan is the name of a teacher at both Charlie's school in Palm Valley, California, and at Imogen's school in Glenview, Illinois (the setting of my first book, BRUISED). One of the Donovans teaches history, the other, statistics. This was simple human error on my part. OR WAS IT? Perhaps one of the Mr. Donovans is an imposter! Perhaps there are clues placed carefully throughout one or both books... You decide.<br />
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4) There are three possible references to <i>Breaking Bad</i> in the book. This is fairly bizarre considering I hadn't seen a single episode of the show when I wrote HIGH & DRY. Since then, I've become a big fan, which is why I noticed that...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7MtXN3f1HHFXFXaCBgpoBGm9GT0Cm0oRNPmoH6EKsEKNPu2LH0oDrJpnggy3cj6PQ8Vq2rz8cLo3ouqWCpAv7WOupYK1PKUdVyAeTTyqeKjloyzLv_Tw5l2cVE4ZdZDXxLpgY1nEmkg/s1600/brba.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7MtXN3f1HHFXFXaCBgpoBGm9GT0Cm0oRNPmoH6EKsEKNPu2LH0oDrJpnggy3cj6PQ8Vq2rz8cLo3ouqWCpAv7WOupYK1PKUdVyAeTTyqeKjloyzLv_Tw5l2cVE4ZdZDXxLpgY1nEmkg/s1600/brba.png" height="113" width="200" /></a> a) In <i>Breaking Bad</i>, Skyler White's maiden name (and Walter White's alias) is Lambert. In HIGH & DRY, Charlie's father teaches new media journalism at a local liberal arts college called Lambert College.<br />
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b) In <i>Breaking Bad</i>, Flynn is the name that Walter, Junior occasionally demands to be called. In HIGH & DRY, a Flynn Scientific baseball cap is evidence in a crime.<br />
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c) <i>Breaking Bad</i> was originally set in Riverside, CA. Palm Valley is based on locations near the same Inland Empire locale.<br />
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You can pick up HIGH & DRY at any of these fine retailers:<br />
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/high-and-dry-sarah-skilton/1116852547?ean=9781419709296" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781419709296" target="_blank">Indiebound</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/9781419709296" target="_blank">Powell's</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/High-Dry-Sarah-Skilton/dp/1419709291/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397247445&sr=8-1&keywords=high+and+dry" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzWAj3b2yygf4DhJ75flVb6dDgduuLwniEVWIuIenOwm7_wQO3-t9Rj05krZXxHoh1LojRP5A8aLiVe-z4m28H8CJgPNBXRicup-4wFbMhgdO_M8p7oiYdBlbVAiO_mgoWPI1RzLPnHI/s1600/skilton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzWAj3b2yygf4DhJ75flVb6dDgduuLwniEVWIuIenOwm7_wQO3-t9Rj05krZXxHoh1LojRP5A8aLiVe-z4m28H8CJgPNBXRicup-4wFbMhgdO_M8p7oiYdBlbVAiO_mgoWPI1RzLPnHI/s1600/skilton.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>Sarah Skilton is the author of BRUISED, which received a starred review from <i>Publishers Weekly</i>, and which the<i> Horn Book </i>called, "nuanced and honest." She lives in southern California with her magician husband and their young son. Sarah Skiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18242496273739569661noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-77668864149616067152014-04-08T03:09:00.000-04:002014-04-08T13:46:27.437-04:00Ghostly AdventuresGhosts have been on my mind lately. Just one ghost, really. The one I'm moving in with this summer. He (it?) haunts the halls of Thurber House, James Thurber's childhood home in Columbus, Ohio where I'm lucky enough to be spending the better part of June and July as their <a href="http://www.thurberhouse.org/2014-thurber-childrens-writer-in-residence.html">Children's Writer-in-Residence</a> this year.<br />
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He's a not a malevolent ghost, <a href="http://thurberhouse.org/the-thurber-house-ghost.html" target="_blank">it would seem from all reports</a>--the most famous (and hilarious) one coming from James Thurber himself. I should be able to handle some heavy running footsteps and creaky cabinets, right? After all, I'm a ghost story fan--and <a href="http://lisayee.livejournal.com/80520.html">Lisa Yee</a> assures me he's gentle (though can she be sure <a href="http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j63/emilyebers/prettyfacecolors.jpg">this</a> injury was really an accident?). Still, I find myself pausing before picking up any potentially creepy reads lately.</div>
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Maybe you'd like to pick up the slack for me? Ghosts haunt some of my very favorite middle grade reads. And ghost stories and mysteries are a match made in--well, I suppose I can't say heaven, exactly--but they certainly do go well together. </div>
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Since there are plenty of newer ghostly titles floating around the Twittersphere these days, I thought I'd share a list of some of my favorite bone-chilling reads from the past. (Click the images to see full synopses.)</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/265008.The_Figure_in_the_Shadows" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuERXaq3eGqteccn0TOHj9i-WacVcDNtOcV8tQZiyM07SOXUJuooyS8vjufrYmClx73_bBLBJRjJgjLAydZ_tMCaTt1-Pni4_MyPtKY0bO2HMEMhsJLeBa9L_HdXj0sTSvt1HjNIVp4YjD/s1600/bellairs.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a><span id="goog_2108711246"></span><span id="goog_2108711247"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39514.Gilda_Joyce?ac=1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROGS3EFXmId1Zn7364LOYE8uRIR5UsjU3R0UCt5Ek_gxNxC6jtIpSGuuD6X8075DMxEUsdqFRhBnJ1d1RuknmBNTukdl3VAp4Ray35GrUpKGxLXty-PSYOh1idqQavjQCYJWoHD2WbPfK/s1600/ghost+sonata.jpg" height="320" width="220" /></a><span id="goog_2108711254"></span><span id="goog_2108711255"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_2108711235"></span><span id="goog_2108711236"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/805601.Jane_Emily?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9YWApb2uGD3BvY_ApJWTsP-WMusMK33R3FxRsqf56Eks1B5GIsG0TPnCi_cpoCVkavqWDpPpx1ZbtG-BXeDpREqmyIcNQnWbISh77HgzhDK2S_jC5DJkTAPckZCIE-TaD8Dfc3b8CAQb/s1600/jame-emily.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a><span id="goog_2108711263"></span><span id="goog_2108711264"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1900124.Uncle_Montague_s_Tales_of_Terror?ac=1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgE67M1kVQNXQ0v7lH2v4M2C2c8SXjKq2hZe8wRaEd_zrkcStxTHfUCqSzyVi_3a7eAq-900PmrtLXX3u0LfXML2YZCx1WB7CyvKLqk8_JjkrG59K1o7O0BQzxC5FsBLHngW5YVCu7r9SW/s1600/montague.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a><span id="goog_2108711272"></span><span id="goog_2108711273"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/267972.Wait_Till_Helen_Comes?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbtiaiGoqYvziAH8ZLsp0ujGcOxOmrZkVQLMpPQDyr1-B5_vtThcOvdiUbH9iNNwH1XnxwT0EdFWq-aqmSbjWofgYIUncgyrpprbhqa6cbGPBGvwJme6piFNxpiQTyqxjx4D-kSfUBDBqO/s1600/waittill.jpg" height="320" width="218" /></a><span id="goog_2108711281"></span><span id="goog_2108711282"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6261399-the-stone-child?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKz9j9lQwYY6pIctBQJvQ-Hnjw5OurwwAT8KNPGoR9H7LEebkS2o7k8qOdt-ov-FJFcS7Ot94ddGCL7Fvv6e28KiRhCNtcYmouQ0me-7gYM7scyKtg6wOuIx6eqEKju93kobBvwNwSQ16/s1600/the+stone+child.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_2108711291"></span><span id="goog_2108711292"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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Hope you enjoy. Keep the lights on! Wish me luck in Ohio---and if you know any enthusiastic young writers in the Columbus, Ohio area, tell them all about Thurber House's fabulous <a href="http://thurberhouse.org/summer-camp1.html">summer writing camp</a> and <a href="http://thurberhouse.org/young-writers-studio.html">Young Writers' Studio</a>! I'll be dropping in to work with the fourth and fifth graders for several sessions. I can't wait.</div>
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Kristen Kittscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18443224922309438672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-4384119107553451962014-04-01T09:00:00.000-04:002014-04-01T09:00:06.497-04:00Interrogation Room #42: Marcia Wells, Author of EDDIE RED UNDERCOVER<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Here's some "uber"-exciting news to kick off April: EDDIE RED UNDERCOVER: MYSTERY ON MUSEUM MILE, a new middle grade mystery, is on sale in stores today! To mark the occasion, we've tracked down author Marcia Wells and taken her in for questioning in our notorious Interrogation Room. Set those lights to "blinding!" </b></div>
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<b>Here's a quick synopsis of EDDIE RED UNDERCOVER: </b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5yMfCzKSY_D8glDcU0Cb1E6zvUdiWNkkdVEZREzs8falyRSKA-32XlsCkmJWtNQAMWSOiKLBJxrZM4eQtYXWCZ4uOD_dEJ4IsTgYRjRA2PcyqdL9aia_KzgRNe4A3HjsASfjlJPtTm7S/s1600/Marcia-Wells-Headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5yMfCzKSY_D8glDcU0Cb1E6zvUdiWNkkdVEZREzs8falyRSKA-32XlsCkmJWtNQAMWSOiKLBJxrZM4eQtYXWCZ4uOD_dEJ4IsTgYRjRA2PcyqdL9aia_KzgRNe4A3HjsASfjlJPtTm7S/s1600/Marcia-Wells-Headshot.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Sixth-grader Edmund Xavier Lonnrot code-name “Eddie Red,” has a photographic memory and a prodigious talent for drawing anything he sees. When the NYPD is stumped by a mastermind art thief, Eddie becomes their secret weapon to solve the case, drawing Eddie deeper into New York’s famous Museum Mile and closer to a dangerous criminal group known as the Picasso Gang. Can Eddie help catch the thieves in time, or will his first big case be his last?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 150%;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And here's a little about Marcia: </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Marcia
Wells taught middle school students for more than a decade before becoming
a full-time writer. She lives with her husband and two kids in Vermont, where
she knows entirely too much about chickens, pigs, and sword fighting. Eddie Red
Undercover is her debut novel, winner of the Indies Introduce New Voices award,
Spring 2014.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 25px;"><b>Now for the interrogation! And Marcia, in case you're having any thoughts of making a run for it, be informed that we have a highly trained sketch artist with a photographic memory on staff. (We also have your photograph... but the point is, we'll find you!) </b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>1) What is EDDIE RED's genesis story? Where did
you find your inspiration to write this story?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">During the summer of 2010, I was preparing to
teach an AP Spanish high school class in the fall, so I was reading some short
crime mysteries by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. He had one mystery in
particular where the detective and the bad guy chased each other using
alphabets and geometric patterns. I had also just finished writing my first
manuscript (a very mediocre YA story) and was wondering what to write next. I
read some industry articles about the need for more boy mysteries. I visited
relatives from New York City. After mixing all of that together in my brain, I
woke up one morning and Eddie was there!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>2) Eddie and Jonah aren't exactly your typical
middle-grade heroes, but they are "uber" unique, charming, and
likeable. What kind of process went into their development? How have they
changed, if at all, throughout your revisions? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The two boys came to me very clearly. I had
just taught a Spanish class of all seventh grade boys, who were equally unique
and charming </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">–</span> they provided great inspiration. Eddie originally was shyer and
less proactive in solving the case. But his humor has remained constant. Jonah
has always been the same <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">– </span>very hyper and funny. He’s the character I have the
most difficulty with. He’s such a force on the page that he’s constantly
hijacking the story. I have to make a real effort to tone him down, and in the
end, I always have to knock him out at the climax so that the spotlight remains
on Eddie. The three of us have a lot of fun together.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>3) What kind of research was necessary to write
EDDIE RED? Did it involve any trips to New York or skulking around in museums? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I did A LOT of internet research, and pestered
my NYC relatives about what it’s like to be a New York kid. After the story
took shape, I visited Museum Mile and Central Park. I also took drawing lessons
and chess lessons from my fellow teachers. Details are so important, especially
in a mystery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>4) If you could have one super-sleuthing
ability (such as Eddie's photographic memory and drawing skills), what would it
be? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I would love to have a photographic memory </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">–</span> it
would be so nice to remember things as a picture, to know all the details.
Instead I rattle around my house with a bad case of Mommy brain most of the
time…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>5) What is your personal background as a
writer? What led you to writing? What was the first story you ever wrote? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6gVP1zZRlZwqUUASrNcIMBFgQykbgjBuj186Dbk0VOsWEVIG8RBv7cLijAf7-MaqNeFZUNOUEdP9cfuSZAssm8-1GwFWAczbesevJ8hWRiWj-cEbXYzOOvaDm5kaeQuh1YgBn0SrUkgh/s1600/marcia-eddie-book-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6gVP1zZRlZwqUUASrNcIMBFgQykbgjBuj186Dbk0VOsWEVIG8RBv7cLijAf7-MaqNeFZUNOUEdP9cfuSZAssm8-1GwFWAczbesevJ8hWRiWj-cEbXYzOOvaDm5kaeQuh1YgBn0SrUkgh/s1600/marcia-eddie-book-cover.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">All of my writing classes in college and grad
school were in Spanish. I love studying literature, but it was always Spanish
literature. When I turned 35, I was teaching middle school kids and decided to
just start writing for fun. I discovered a whole new wonderful world of YA and
MG lit. My first manuscript was terrible! But a great learning experience. I
then attended conferences and took online writing classes </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">– </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I really dedicated
myself to the craft. And I read hundreds of books </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">–</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>reading is such an important part of the process! Eddie was
my second manuscript </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">–</span> after I wrote the story, it took two years of editing and
revising to land an agent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>6) What is the most rewarding aspect of writing
mystery for kids? The most challenging part?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">The most rewarding part is the characters </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px;">–</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> they
come to life and direct the action. They make me laugh! There are two
challenging parts for me with this series </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">– </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">one is knowing how and when to
reveal information (and having that reveal be natural) and the second is being
funny. When I wrote the second book, it was hard to sit down and force the
silly 11-year-old humor to come. It’s a process that takes months.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>7) Did you learn anything about yourself as a
writer while penning EDDIE RED? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I learned that plotting a mystery is an amazing
writing exercise. I think if you can plot a mystery, you can plot anything! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>8) Have you ever solved a
"real-life" mystery?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Ever since I became a mom, my life has become a
series of real-life mysteries! Questions like, “Why is the baby crying again?”
or “Where is the sponge? Oh…I put it in the freezer.” I think parents have to
be the most creative sleuths of all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>9) Can you share a fun fact that your readers
may not know about you?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I know how to tap dance :)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>10) Can you tell your readers anything about
Eddie's next adventure? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Eddie and Jonah go to Mexico on a two-week
family trip. When Edmund’s father is accused of stealing a priceless artifact
from the hotel, Eddie Red must save the day. The boys get tangled up with a
Mayan god, a teenage street gang, and a 30 year old unsolved mystery. Tagline:
Never underestimate the power of projectile vomit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 21.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>11) What one writing secret will you reveal
only under the harsh lights of this Interrogation Room? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Never, ever,
ever give up. I almost gave up on Eddie </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">–</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> I was so tired of rejection and I had
moved onto other projects. I told myself I’d query one more agent </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">–</span> she was the
agent who said yes, thank goodness, but what if it had taken five more agents?
Or ten? I never would have gotten him published. Believe in yourself and your
work, and don’t get discouraged!</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span></div>
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<b>Thanks, Marcia, and congratulations! </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>Want to learn more about Marcia and EDDIE RED UNDERCOVER? </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="http://www.marciawellsauthor.com/" target="_blank">Visit Marcia's website!</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/marciawellsauthor" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Find her on Facebook</span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Follow her on Twitter @WellsMarcia</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eddie-Red-Undercover-Mystery-Museum/dp/0544238338" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Order your copy of EDDIE RED here!</span></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07750645193583487773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-59887392846925125372014-03-31T05:00:00.000-04:002014-03-31T23:13:58.780-04:00Interrogation Room #41: Janie Chodosh, author of DEATH SPIRAL<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJaHdRby1TMuS05eqLpBkoWis-hRm5xzGYpooLbFSKnfcWI_6HP86pZPp0VnElWT83iyoucV3ei6XaFxJx1zUh2SDaGT47q86D7MfiV-rySKfslMC0_TXU6d-CLyq8l0yzoi5lP5LOeI/s1600/Janie+Chodosh+author.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJaHdRby1TMuS05eqLpBkoWis-hRm5xzGYpooLbFSKnfcWI_6HP86pZPp0VnElWT83iyoucV3ei6XaFxJx1zUh2SDaGT47q86D7MfiV-rySKfslMC0_TXU6d-CLyq8l0yzoi5lP5LOeI/s1600/Janie+Chodosh+author.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Janie Chodosh, YA mystery author</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">We have an exciting <b>double debut</b> here at the Sleuths, Spies & Alibis Interrogation Room today! A new author, and a new YA publishing imprint!</span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.janiechodosh.com/">Janie Chodosh</a> is the author of the YA mystery <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Spiral-Flores-Science-Mystery/dp/1929345003">DEATH SPIRAL: A FAITH FLORES SCIENCE MYSTERY</a>, which releases tomorrow, April 1. (Yes, we know it's April Fool's Day, but we're serious!) This is Janie's debut novel, and will be the first in a three-part series. <i> </i> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">DEATH SPIRAL also kicks off a new YA publishing imprint, <a href="http://thepoisonedpencil.com/">The Poisoned Pencil</a>, which is dedicated to YA mystery. (woo hoo!) You can find out about other forthcoming Poisoned Pencil books <a href="http://thepoisonedpencil.com/our-books-2/">here</a> and follow them on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/PoisonedPencil">@PoisonedPencil</a>.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i>Publisher's Weekly</i> has this to say about DEATH SPIRAL: </span>"Sharp characterization and deft descriptions make this a solid addition to the amateur detective shelf." High praise! Intrigued? We were! Here's a bit more about the first book in this exciting new series:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpKImBlLfvtruNYgzAsCnj1Qd1AziJ2tfda_gYRYzvBTVaa-MF5OxxxdDiVDf85NAD5D-dWXzI2pMChgj64BYjkvzYMeichEKQwFQPRKdY50AkiTk6ny_EcQRZWSlOhECxjvPoFj2ao0/s1600/Death+Spiral+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpKImBlLfvtruNYgzAsCnj1Qd1AziJ2tfda_gYRYzvBTVaa-MF5OxxxdDiVDf85NAD5D-dWXzI2pMChgj64BYjkvzYMeichEKQwFQPRKdY50AkiTk6ny_EcQRZWSlOhECxjvPoFj2ao0/s1600/Death+Spiral+cover.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><span id="freeText12330249836615366981"><i>Life is tough when you
have a junkie for a mom. But when sixteen-year-old Faith
Flores—scientist wannabe, loner, new girl in town—finds her mom dead on
the bathroom floor, she refuses to believe her mom really OD'd. But the
cops have closed the case and her Aunt T, with whom she now lives in the
Philly ‘burbs, wants Faith to let go and move on.<br /><br />But a note
from Melinda, her mom's junkie friend, leads Faith to a seedy downtown
methadone clinic. Were her mom and Melinda trying to get clean?</i><br /><br /><i>When
Melinda dies of an overdose, Faith tracks down the scientists behind
the trial running at the methadone clinic. Soon she's cutting school and
lying to everyone—her aunt, her best friend, even the cops. Everyone,
that is, except the strangely alluring Jesse, who believes the “real”
education's on the street and whose in-your-face honesty threatens to
invade Faith's self-imposed “no-dating” rule. A drug-dealer named
Rat-Catcher warns Faith to back off, but it doesn't stop Faith from
confronting a genetics professor with a guilty conscience. When the
medical examiner's body winds up in the Schuylkill River, Faith realizes
if she doesn't act fast, she may be the next body in the morgue. Can
Faith stop this deal gone bad from taking a sharp turn for the worse?</i><br /><br />And now, Janie Chodosh faces our panel! (We'll go a bit easy on her today, since she's new!)</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What was the original
seed of the novel? Did you know from the outset that you were going to be
writing a mystery?</b></span></div>
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The original seed for DEATH SPIRAL came from watching a
documentary about the human genome project and about the decoding of our DNA—three
billion pairs of A’s, C’s, T’s and G’s, and some thirty thousand genes. The
knowledge of our inner biological workings seemed to me a Pandora’s box of
medical and ethical questions perfect for fiction. When I watched the
documentary, scientists were able to patent genes they discovered. (The Supreme
Court has since ruled against this patenting of genes). My sinister (though I
prefer to say imaginative) mind went crazy. I sat down right away and started
brainstorming. If scientists could patent genes could they not hide
information? Take advantage of a captive population? Science and medicine for
profit, holding scientific information captive. All of these ideas intrigued
me.</div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">As young adult
mysteries go, you’re a long way from Nancy Drew! Can you describe the process
of writing about such topics for teens? Do you consciously tone down for your
intended audience? Why or why not?</b></span></div>
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Teens, especially the upper teenage audience, are completely
on board for real life topics and real life debates. I see the mystery of DEATH
SPIRAL as one involving justice and ethics, and justice and ethics are topics
that teenagers are very interested in. In this regard, I do not tone anything
down. Today’s teens have so much to deal with, so much information, and they
are exposed to so much. While I don’t write anything that I would consider
graphic, be it sex or violence, I stay true to what I imagine Faith, my
protagonist, an urban, 16-year-old who was raised by a junkie mother and no father,
would experience. If that means swearing, then she swears. I always ask myself
if what I am writing is authentic. If not, I delete. One topic I have thought a
lot about is sex in a young adult novel. Should it be there or not?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the myriad YA novels I’ve read, intimate
relationships are almost always explored. This does not mean characters are
sexually active, but sexuality and intimacy play a part of their growing
identity. Since <a href="http://thepoisonedpencil.com/">The Poisoned Pencil Press</a> is geared to the older YA reader, I
really felt that sex needed to be addressed. Whether they are sexually active
or not, teenagers are curious and exploring this aspect of their lives. </div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What do you find to
be the hardest part about writing mystery novels for a younger audience? Did
you face any particular challenges, and if so, how did you overcome it?</b></span></div>
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Many of today’s teen readers want to be entertained, but
they also want to be challenged and engaged. How do you accomplish this as a
writer? Teens are smart readers, so how do you write a mystery that will hook,
engage, entertain, not condescend, not be solvable by page ten, and make them
read to the end? These things, for me, are all part of the joy and the
challenge or writing a YA mystery. As I write, I’m not conscious of each of
these things. I’m conscious of telling a good story with authentic characters.
If I stay true to Faith and Jesse (Faith’s love interest) and their quirks and
insecurities, and if I imagine my own quirks and insecurities as a teenager
(and there were many) then I know I’m doing my job. </div>
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As far as the mystery of DEATH SPIRAL is concerned, writing
about a teenage sleuth in a scientific mystery, where understanding the science
is critical to understanding the book, I had to be careful to explain the
science in a way that was not “boring” or didactic. One way I address this is
to have Faith and Jesse learn the science together and talk about what they’re
learning. This way I can use their voices, their language, and their way of
processing, to make the concepts clear. Another challenge in a YA mystery is
thinking about what tools teens have available to them. For example, can they
drive? Do they have a curfew? Do they have to skip school to investigate a clue?
These are things we as adults don’t have to think about.</div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">We understand you
have a strong interest in science. How did that interest influence your writing
of the book?</b></span></div>
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To begin with I love natural history. I am an avid bird
watcher, which even to me sounds geeky when it’s written down! But I love the
outdoors and nature, so that interest always appears in my writing. Even if a
character is squeamish in the outdoors; I always acknowledge the presence of
the natural world. In terms of a mystery, my husband is a PhD geneticist. Some
of the things happening today in what is called personal genomic medicine seem
like fiction, maybe even science fiction. I love talking to him about the
projects he is working on, and I know from my years as a middle school biology
teacher, that genetics has a strong pull for teens. They are very interested in
self-discovery, and what topic could address self-discovery better than
learning about your own genetic code? I always felt it would be interesting and
fun to bridge the gap between my love of literature and my love of science. So
coming up with a mystery that revolves around genetics was very exciting. And
then to be asked to make the book into a series, really blew me away!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Are you an avid
mystery reader yourself? What have been some of your favorite mysteries, real
life or fiction?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have to admit that before I started writing DEATH SPIRAL I
was not an avid mystery reader. I am, and was, an avid reader of young adult
fiction, but I mostly read realistic fiction. Having said that, I believe most
YA, and most books, have an element of mystery. I mean the story has to unfold
and if there is enough tension and drama, there is mystery. Now, however, I read
many traditional mysteries and I love doing so. I love to do what<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a> every good mystery reader does, and try to figure out who
the bad guy is and to look for clues. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of my favorite middle grade mysteries is THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION Recently I read CODE NAME VERITY, which was a
fabulous page-turner. I loved the ultimate reveal because it was so not what I
was expecting!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">DEATH SPIRAL is the
first in a series. Did you have an entire series in mind when you started
writing?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I definitely did not have a series in mind when I started
writing. When my editor suggested a series my first reaction was, “Um. Nope.
Don’t think so.” And then, “Why not?” Initially I think I was confusing series
with sequels, so when I understood that a series was the same character with a different
mystery, I fell in love with the idea because I love Faith and Jesse. Both as
individuals and as a unit, they did not feel “done” to me. Having a chance to
carry their arc through several books is very exciting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">We don’t see many
mystery <i>series </i>for older teens -- they're often stand-alones. What makes the idea of writing a mystery series
with a teen sleuth so appealing to you? And are there any challenges in
featuring the same teen sleuth across several books?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To be honest, I was worried at first about writing a series
with a teen sleuth, or a series at all for that matter. How do you keep each
book fresh? I did not want Faith to just happen to fall into another mystery,
like OMG! There’s a dead guy, better investigate. I wanted whatever sleuthing
she would be doing to be authentic and related to her life circumstances. So
what I love about writing book two and thinking about book three is the overall
arc of Faith’s story. Where does she need to go for her own healing growth
process and journey? I don’t just mean where does she have to go emotionally,
but physically. So book two takes Faith to New Mexico. It is in the authentic
experience in New Mexico where she finds herself involved with not just one,
but two mysteries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(As if writing one
isn’t hard enough). I also like to broaden the “whodunnit” aspect of mystery to
personal mystery, in this case the mystery of Faith and her identity. I think
teens can really relate to this idea of one’s identity being a mystery. <i>Who am
I?</i> In Faith’s case, she does not know who her father is or even what her
ethnicity is, so there is a lot of personal mystery for her to figure out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What writing secret
will you reveal only under the harsh lights of the interrogation room?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It takes me a good hour of puttering before I can get
writing. I am not a putterer (is that a word?) or a procrastinator by nature,
but when it comes to writing, I must, literally MUST, clean something before I
sit down to write.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><b>Janie, you can come clean our houses anytime! </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><b>Seriously, thank you for coming in today, and we hope to have you back in here as a "repeat offender" when the next book in the series comes out! </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here's where to track down Janie Chodosh:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://www.janiechodosh.com/">Her website</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/janie.chodosh">Facebook</a><br />
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/jmegchod">@jmegchod</a></div>
Diana Rennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141038221046486655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-59813185925546742782014-03-25T01:00:00.000-04:002014-03-25T01:00:08.287-04:00Interrogation Room #40: Elle Cosimano, author of NEARLY GONEToday marks the release of a book that I've been dying to read since I first met Elle at a conference in the summer of 2011. A YA thriller with page-turning tension, a mind-bending mystery and a melty romance? I'll take two!<br />
<br />
Kirkus Reviews calls NEARLY GONE "Tense and engaging." Publishers Weekly says that "<span class="userContent">Cosimano weaves together math riddles,
science-based clues, an edgy romance, and psychological terror to create
an unpredictable page-turner." And, in a starred review, School Library Journal said, "</span><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">Eloquently
written and packed full of suspense, debut author Cosimano strikes gold
with this page-turning thriller that will have teens chomping at the
bit to get to the end."</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAQ_SiHIsWY7NLfwJ8FAc7rdjOOx3N9mylsmlWUn40l5YU1sT3y267NryT5qJTP92t_pjxsvtwf1xhVINsQqJVpbG9sprf_dIUWh2dK2kr3F7rYfLRApXzDJzgWuwIK8RVTfm64uKONA/s1600/nearly+gone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAQ_SiHIsWY7NLfwJ8FAc7rdjOOx3N9mylsmlWUn40l5YU1sT3y267NryT5qJTP92t_pjxsvtwf1xhVINsQqJVpbG9sprf_dIUWh2dK2kr3F7rYfLRApXzDJzgWuwIK8RVTfm64uKONA/s1600/nearly+gone.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><i><b>Bones meets Fringe in a big, dark, scary, brilliantly-plotted urban thriller that will leave you guessing until the very end</b><br /> <br />
Nearly Boswell knows how to keep secrets. Living in a DC trailer
park, she knows better than to share anything that would make her a
target with her classmates. Like her mother's job as an exotic dancer,
her obsession with the personal ads, and especially the emotions she can
taste when she brushes against someone's skin. But when a serial killer
goes on a killing spree and starts attacking students, leaving cryptic
ads in the newspaper that only Nearly can decipher, she confides in the
one person she shouldn't trust: the new guy at school--a reformed bad
boy working undercover for the police, doing surveillance. . . on her.<br /> <br /> Nearly might be the one person who can put all the clues together, and if she doesn't figure it all out soon--she'll be next.</i> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">Elle agreed to sit in the interrogation room to allow us to help celebrate the launch of her debut novel, and to learn more about the book that has readers staying up into the wee hours of the morning.</span><br />
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<b>1) I know you are an alumni of the <a href="http://sleuthsspiesandalibis.blogspot.com/2012/10/special-report-writers-police-academy_8.html" target="_blank">Writer's Police Academy</a>. How did your experiences there influence NEARLY GONE?</b><br />
<br />
Every
class I take at WPA is an opportunity. The experiences and lessons ad
authenticity and a richness to my settings, plots, and characters. But a
few in particular stand out as being exceptionally helpful with this
book. First were the classes I took about serial killers -- the various
kinds, what defines them as such, and perhaps most importantly for me,
what motivates them. My killer needed a motive. There had to be a
compelling reason for the murders. And these classes helped take me
inside my killer's head.<br />
<br />
<div>
The other was a ride-along with a
deputy sheriff. During our ride, he took me through a trailer park very
much like the one my character lives in. We talked at length about the
challenges residents face there, and the types of crimes they often see,
and how the teens in this neighborhood adapt to the challenges of
poverty, drugs, and unsafe living conditions. It was an eye-opening
first-hand look into Nearly's life, and I felt the experience brought me
much closer to her story. During the same ride-along, I learned that
the deputy had a lot of previous experience working with confidential
informants. I had the opportunity to ask a lot of questions about CI's
(what motivates them and how they work) that helped me to better
understand Reece's character.</div>
<br />
<b>2) I love that your main
character, Nearly Boswell, is obsessed with the personal ads, and that
the killer uses the personal ads to leave clues to the upcoming
murders. Where did this aspect of the story come from? Did you read a
lot of personal ads to prepare?</b><br />
<br />
<div>
The inspiration for Nearly's
character came from watching one of my co-workers read the Missed
Connections during her lunch break at work. She read them obsessively,
making fun of the people who wrote them, but when she thought she was
alone, she looked so lonely reading them. As if maybe she secretly hoped
one of the ads had been written for her. I did read a lot of Missed
Connection ads when preparing to write certain scenes of the story. Some
of them did make me laugh. But a lot of them were heartbreaking too. It
was a fascinating look into Nearly's world, and it really got me
thinking about what she might be looking for in those ads.</div>
<div>
<br class="webkit-block-placeholder" /></div>
<b>3) I
find that writing a mystery presents its own set of challenges. What
was your process for constructing the mystery? Did you plot it out in
advance? Were their suprises along the way?</b><br />
<br />
<div>
I created a
loose plot and an outline, but tried to give myself the freedom to
recognize opportunities along the way. This left the door open for some
really fun surprises. Of course, it also leaves openings in the floor
for some big, fat plot holes. Once the guts of the mystery and plot were
in place, it took me several passes to tie up all the loose ends. </div>
<div>
<br class="webkit-block-placeholder" /></div>
<b>4) What was the most challenging aspect of writing a thriller for a young adult audience?</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YKHQfNc2HXcDxwuVHBanfXZTspNv47lK8cx4KRH8qTNdrVvdhUVPmB6nhbFklhmAB0IA-ldeBXtmJCRatoPqZBfog9msPk0agckMToA1CYfpy_UOOcc-XhmiL-zUSpx_mmTkgIcF4sU/s1600/Elle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YKHQfNc2HXcDxwuVHBanfXZTspNv47lK8cx4KRH8qTNdrVvdhUVPmB6nhbFklhmAB0IA-ldeBXtmJCRatoPqZBfog9msPk0agckMToA1CYfpy_UOOcc-XhmiL-zUSpx_mmTkgIcF4sU/s1600/Elle.jpg" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div>
The
things I love about YA lit are also the elements that make it so
challenging to write. Within the scope of YA, genres can be bent and
blended any which way. It's not unusual to see books that fall into
three or four different categories, as is the case with NEARLY GONE.
It's a thriller, and a mystery. It has a pinch of paranormal, but could
be described as contemporary, and it has a strong romantic thread. It's
definitely YA, but it has a lot of cross-over appeal for adult readers.
And the trick with a book that crosses so many boundaries is that it has
to commit to do all of these things well. NEARLY GONE couldn't be just a
great thriller. It had to have a solid mystery that's difficult to
solve. It had to have a compelling romance. And the paranormal elements
had to be woven in very carefully. </div>
<div>
<br class="webkit-block-placeholder" /></div>
<b>5) Rumor
has it that NEARLY GONE has an amazing romantic element. How did you
balance the romantic aspects of the story with the thriller aspect?
Were you influenced by any particular authors or genres?</b><br />
<br />
<div>
The
romance between Nearly and Reece was the spoke in my wheel while I was
building the story. It's the part of the story that remained the same
from draft to shelf, the part I held tight to when the rest all fell
away through three major revisions. In Nearly and Reece's case, the
balance has always come from the tension between them -- tension that
helped keep the plot tight and magnify the other conflicts in the story.
For the romance to stand out, the tension had to be strong enough to
stand up to the tension of a rising body count. If the romance wasn't as
tense as the mystery or the thriller elements, then it would fall even
flatter by comparison to the rest of the story. Nearly and Reece had to
be strong. There had to be fire between them. And their romance had to
be tested at every turn.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>6) NEARLY GONE is your debut novel. What has been the most satisfying part of the publication journey for you so far?</b><br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
It's
a strange and lonely thing, to have all these characters living inside
your head, and then on the page. They almost don't seem real until I
share them with someone else -- a crit partner, my agent, my editor. And
suddenly, lots of people are getting to meet Nearly. Her story is out
in the world, and so is the piece of my heart where she lived for the
three years it took to bring her into the world. It's a beautiful and
terrifying thing, to finally be able to share her with so many people. </div>
<div>
<br class="webkit-block-placeholder" /></div>
<b>7) Now that NEARLY GONE is out in the world, what's next for Nearly? For Elle?</b><br />
</div>
<div>
A
sequel, NEARLY LOST, is planned for release in 2015, in which Nearly
takes an internship at a local forensics lab, and the crimes start
hitting a little too close to home. As for me, I'm looking forward to
attending RT Convention in New Orleans in May, and another round at the
Writers Police Academy in September.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ellecosimano" target="_blank">Visit Elle on Facebook</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/ElleCosimano" target="_blank">Visit Elle on Twitter</a><br />
<br />
___________________________________________________________________________________<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Elle
Cosimano is the daughter of a prison warden and an elementary school
teacher who rides a Harley. As a teen, she spent summers working on a
fishing boat, baiting hooks and lugging buckets of bait. She majored in
Psychology at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and set aside a successful
real-estate career to pursue writing. She lives with her husband and
two young sons, and divides her time between her home near Washington,
DC and a jungle tree house in the Mayan Riviera.</span></span><br />
</div>
Talia Vancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03029105840248690575noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-62375281589663014832014-03-18T05:00:00.000-04:002014-03-18T11:29:35.070-04:00Interrogation Room #39: Elisa Ludwig, author of PRETTY SLY<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today marks the release of our very own Elisa Ludwig's PRETTY SLY, the sequel to her heart-pounding debut, PRETTY CROOKED, about teenage thief Willa Fox.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PRETTY SLY, called a "crackling-good adventure" by Kirkus, asks the question, "What would you do if your mom disappeared and forbade you to come after her?"</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>
<b>In between celebrations for her launch, Elisa bravely agreed to an interrogation about her writing process.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>
<b>1) Something I'm dying to know: How did you research the terrific scene where Tre teaches Willa how to pick-pocket in PRETTY CROOKED?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24k-0pLFnikEcYSM712zOm07dLjA8KLWsi1oQYNhK_3ogr-Eo4WwYcWd0dOxHAbp4TyRJySGqb4mgK1alPTVBZcPTqxc_GugY3FkRDy9ta1LkD9aGz_If-UgavmadUHoRLmj3Ej5pvjU/s1600/sly2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24k-0pLFnikEcYSM712zOm07dLjA8KLWsi1oQYNhK_3ogr-Eo4WwYcWd0dOxHAbp4TyRJySGqb4mgK1alPTVBZcPTqxc_GugY3FkRDy9ta1LkD9aGz_If-UgavmadUHoRLmj3Ej5pvjU/s1600/sly2.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Heh heh. I used a combination of my own real life experience as a pickpocket victim, some shady websites and some very cool YouTube videos—there's a great BBC series called The Real Hustle, which gave me some interesting ideas for mixing up the thieving scenes. The reality is there's a lot of criminal how-to out there for the reading, but that could be a good thing, if people use it to avoid being victimized.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>
<b>2) Can readers expect to see some familiar faces in PRETTY SLY (besides Willa and Aidan)? Did you pluck any smaller roles from the first book and give them a larger presence in the second book?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, the principle characters are all there, though the Glitterati only have a bit part, which turns the catty quotient in this sequel way down from the first book! I don't know that anyone has a larger presence but even the main characters in the first book are pretty mysterious and secretive, so the second book deepens our understanding of them—but also raises many new questions ...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3) How much downtime did you have between books? Was it easy or difficult to return to characters from the first book? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think I finished PRETTY CROOKED in February and started PRETTY SLY in May or June. Not too much time had elapsed, and I was working on copyedits and things while drafting the sequel so that helped keep everything fresh. I loved coming back to the same characters. It was so much easier to start a book in a place where I already understood my characters and their motivations. Sometimes that process alone will take a few drafts. It allowed me to focus on the increasingly more complicated plot!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>
<b>4) Was your high school experience anything like the experiences of your characters? Was there a clear-cut line between the haves and have-nots?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My high school experience was only similar in that I went to a private school and, as a middle class student, was very aware of class distinctions and how students communicated their status through clothing, cars, etc. While the mean girl behavior in my high school was much more subtle, there was certainly a sense that some (but not all) of the most privileged kids "ruled the school" socially. But I was definitely more of a fringe-y character than Willa. Like the Say Anything dudes say, "by choice, man." Or so I told myself!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>
<b>5) What challenges did you face in writing SLY that were different from writing CROOKED? Was anything easier the second time around?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think the challenge with SLY was to make Willa's experience more difficult and keep turning those screws. This book has much higher stakes: she's in greater danger and she's also facing some really difficult emotional truths. The tone here shifts as a result, and keeping that in balance with Willa's bubbly personality and the lighter feel of the first book was at times tricky. On the other hand, I felt really lucky that SLY sends things in such a different direction that it truly felt like a whole new adventure to write. As I said, the characters were much easier the second time around, and I think I had a much better handle on the structure of the story from the very beginning. Also, it certainly didn't hurt that I was working with the same brilliant editors, so I always had their voice in my head when I was drafting, keeping me on course.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0j241-VIPPinBa1AYJ-N1t8NbvyVPyoG16mMUEF49gQxI5Ca_HrBb1cMiwirmYxA4G6Jd5_2otPmMDB-8MbnV-R17G0l8Iy2QzvvmfzoQyQ2YO9bvyROTel01Xu-48-j9s-AhJX8yYm0/s1600/ELudwigLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0j241-VIPPinBa1AYJ-N1t8NbvyVPyoG16mMUEF49gQxI5Ca_HrBb1cMiwirmYxA4G6Jd5_2otPmMDB-8MbnV-R17G0l8Iy2QzvvmfzoQyQ2YO9bvyROTel01Xu-48-j9s-AhJX8yYm0/s1600/ELudwigLarge.jpg" /></span></a><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6) When you wrote PRETTY CROOKED, did you always know it would have a sequel, or did you envision it as a stand-alone? If you did map out the sequel early on, how much did the finished product of PRETTY SLY compare to your original plan?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I always knew it would be a trilogy. Parts of PRETTY SLY were imagined originally as part of PRETTY CROOKED (through the first leg of their road trip, basically), but as time went on it became clear that Willa's time at Valley Prep really deserved its own book. That being said, all of the key clues except maybe a couple we added in copy edits were already in the first book when it came time to write the second. The third book was much more vaguely conceived going into it, and it probably changed the most dramatically in revisions—down to the actual answer to the mystery!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7) Besides Willa's vicariously satisfying Robin Hood-esque scheme of "spreading the wealth around" at her school, there is a second, overarching mystery about Willa's mother. When you have two (or three!) separate mysteries going on, how do you keep track of each person's head space at different points of their respective time lines? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh, man. That's only the tip of the iceberg with this series! It can be tough, that's for sure. I wish I was one of those people who used Post-Its or a big magic marker or something, but truthfully, I just used a lot of Kanye West all-caps-esque notes to myself in the text as I wrote. Stuff like "REMEMBER: SHE ONLY KNOWS X,Y and Z, HERE!!!" and "HOW THE HECK IS SHE GOING TO COME TO THIS CONCLUSION?!!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9) PRETTY CROOKED resolves certain plot elements perfectly, while still serving as a cliffhanger. Did you get any angry letters about the ending? Was it difficult to write a conclusion that leads directly into a new adventure?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes! Maybe not super-angry, but a lot of teasing and frustrating ones. My editors and I went back and forth about where to leave things, and ultimately decided on the cliffhanger, which has its old-fashioned charms. I wouldn't say it was difficult to write that ending but I maybe felt a bit guilty to do that to readers. I hope PRETTY SLY will satisfy them!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10) I love Aidan and Willa's banter, as well as Willa's friendship-chemistry with Cherise and Tre. Do you have particular techniques you draw on to keep your dialogue so sharp? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you so much! I like to read dialogue out loud (if no one else is in the house!) to get a feel for how someone might really say something. And it's definitely something I fine-tune in revision, stripping it back more and more, because most people speak much more efficiently than I actually write.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">11) When is book #3 coming out?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">March 2015!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Check out the trailer for PRETTY SLY, below, and then enter to win a free copy of BOTH BOOKS!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RpaOeNN0sCs" width="560"></iframe>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/fd14f810/" id="rc-fd14f810" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Sarah Skiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18242496273739569661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-4682491313133983932014-03-17T04:56:00.000-04:002014-03-17T11:49:10.498-04:00Interrogation Room #38: Laura Marx Fitzgerald (UNDER THE EGG)<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>When we sleuths picked up chatter about a fantastic new debut novel in the vein of CHASING VERMEER and FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER, we had to track down its author, Laura Marx Fitzgerald. Today -- on the eve of the release of her much-anticipated UNDER THE EGG, we've managed to haul Laura into the Interrogation Room.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>When Theodora Tenpenny spills a bottle of rubbing alcohol on
her late grandfather’s painting, she discovers what seems to be an old
Renaissance masterpiece underneath. That’s great news for Theo, who’s
struggling to hang onto her family’s two-hundred-year-old townhouse and support
her unstable mother on her grandfather’s legacy of $463. There’s just one
problem: Theo’s grandfather was a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of
Art, and she worries the painting may be stolen.<br />
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With the help of some unusual new friends, Theo's search for answers takes her
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grandfather—that she never knew. To solve the mystery, she'll have to abandon
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTL0MEOH_kUMpj3JLg1BEC5U1KOPo4527Dgu94zAgclHOTqJIPwue-7EpyXrMMlTpCBqGQa76E1otdt4OPQHzXpBsozi817H4druyMtsVMQbC3vV5DEm1iMI3X0Pa7g0zhi29ZIio7vOd/s1600/lauramarxfitzgerald.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTL0MEOH_kUMpj3JLg1BEC5U1KOPo4527Dgu94zAgclHOTqJIPwue-7EpyXrMMlTpCBqGQa76E1otdt4OPQHzXpBsozi817H4druyMtsVMQbC3vV5DEm1iMI3X0Pa7g0zhi29ZIio7vOd/s1600/lauramarxfitzgerald.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b><b>And here's a bit about Laura: </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #262626;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #262626;">Laura moved around a lot as a child, living everywhere from Norman, Oklahoma to Pensacola, Florida. A Harvard graduate and former copyeditor, Laura never imagined she'd write a novel until she had an idea about a girl who discovers a stolen painting in her attic. That novel is UNDER THE EGG. Laura lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two kids.</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>UNDER THE EGG is an Indie Next pick and has been selected as one of Amazon's top spring titles. It releases on March 18th (tomorrow!). We feel lucky we managed to nab Laura first....</b></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 12pt;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />1. What inspired you to write UNDER THE EGG? Do you have any unique experiences or interests that drove you to develop the story?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I studied art history in school and, honestly, found it a disappointing experience. I realized that what interested me was the stories art inspired, not the specifics of brushwork or provenance. Twenty years later I was watching Antiques Roadshow, and I was struck by how it captured what makes art interesting for most people. Where did the piece come from? Who made it? Why? What story is it telling? How did it get here?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Around that time, I was reading a fantastic book by Edward Dolnick called </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Forger’s Spell, when</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">these three lines jumped out at me:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The easiest test of an old master—and the one test almost certain to be carried out—is to dab the surface with rubbing alcohol. In a genuinely old painting, the surface will be hard, and the alcohol will have no effect. If the painting is new, the alcohol will dissolve a bit of paint, and the tester’s cotton swab will come up smudged with color.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">That gave me the idea that someone might intentionally paint over a more valuable painting, with the plan to later remove the top layer. All those Antiques Roadshow questions came back to me—who made it, and how did it get here?—and Under the Egg was born.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 12pt;">2. What is the most challenging thing about writing a mystery for young readers?</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 12pt;"> <b>What's the most rewarding part?</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7dFrcoujXvWvEtYbqfExR6tSnUqsqoEJS5nulni7POW_KXbBdaQqxWbls7s8r7uK72DqOPtq2lUBbkdfd7qb4E1Mbr-BBacpjLPiE9BLF8kGji2TfjJczSS2YVzcy7ULegwx0PT5rSHk/s1600/westing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7dFrcoujXvWvEtYbqfExR6tSnUqsqoEJS5nulni7POW_KXbBdaQqxWbls7s8r7uK72DqOPtq2lUBbkdfd7qb4E1Mbr-BBacpjLPiE9BLF8kGji2TfjJczSS2YVzcy7ULegwx0PT5rSHk/s1600/westing.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 12pt;">I was absolutely blown away by The Westing Game as a kid. I started re-reading it as soon as I finished to see how all the pieces fit together. When I decided to write a mystery, I wanted it to do the same thing for the same audience.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 12pt;">What I admired about The Westing Game too is that the book doesn’t shy away from adult topics.</span><span style="color: #434343; font-size: 12pt;">Bombs, bookies, religious extremism, and degenerative disease all make an appearance in the book. I find the subjects that interest me lie squarely in the adult world, while my ideal audience is much younger. That means I have to work hard to find ways to make these concepts understandable and digestible for middle grade readers.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #434343; font-size: 12pt;">After all, what are the middle grade years for if not to uncover all the secrets adults have been hiding from you?</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 12pt;">3. What is your writing process like?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 12pt;">I always start off with lots of reading and research. I love discovering the impossible-but-true stories that have been lost to history, so I follow the stories from one book to the next. For example, my reading for Under the Egg led me from The Forger’s Spell to a book about the widescale Nazi looting during World War II to The Monuments Men (the source for the recent George Clooney movie). Elements of each book made it into Under the Egg.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 12pt;">Once I’m ready to outline—and I live and die by a meticulously detailed outline—there’s an enormous amount of procrastination, punctuated by fluctuating spells of crushing self-doubt and manic creative energy. But once the outline is finished, then I get down to business: 9:00a.m.-12:00p.m. Monday through Friday, at my computer until I have a draft.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 12pt;">4. What have been some of your favorite mysteries, real-life or fictional?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 12pt;">The Name of the Rose. Possession. The aforementioned Westing Game. And Encyclopedia Brown, of course.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 12pt;">5. What is something that no one knows about you?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 12pt;">I've never read A Wrinkle in Time.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 12pt;">6. What writing secret will you reveal only under the harsh glare of the interrogation room lights?</span></b><b><span style="color: #37103e; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #37103e; font-size: 12pt;">As long as you’re wearing gym clothes, the people at the YMCA Childwatch will think you’re dropping off your kids to work out and not to revise your draft in the hallway.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Leave it to a mystery author to have a sneaky trick up her sleeve. Congratulations on your debut, Laura. We were thrilled you took the time </b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Want to learn more about Laura?</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><a href="http://www.lauramarxfitzgerald.com/" target="_blank">Click here to visit her website!</a></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Follow her on Twitter @MarxFitzy</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780803740013" target="_blank">Click here to order your copy of UNDER THE EGG now! </a></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780803740013" target="_blank"><br /></a></b></span></div>
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Kristen Kittscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18443224922309438672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-15259931060290794852014-03-03T08:00:00.000-05:002014-03-03T08:00:11.356-05:00Interrogation Room #37: Leah Cypess, Author of DEATH SWORN<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Today we're packing up the Interrogation Room lights and moving off-site to interview author Leah Cypess in a mysterious network of caves, similar to those in which her new YA fantasy-mystery novel DEATH SWORN takes place. Here's a quick summary: </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1b1d19; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Ileni is losing her magic.
And that means she’s losing everything: her position as the rising star of her
people, her purpose in life, and even the young man she loves. Sent to the
assassins’ cave, hidden deep within the mountains, she expects no one will ever
hear from her again. The last two sorcerers sent died within weeks of each
other. Accidents? Or something more sinister? As Ileni navigates the
dangers—both natural and human—of the caves, she’ll discover secrets that have
been kept for decades. And she’ll find an ally in Sorin, the deadly young man
who could be the assassins’ next leader. With Sorin determined to protect her,
sparks—magical and romantic—will fly. But will even he understand the choice
she must make in the end?</i></span></div>
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<b>And here's a bit about Leah Cypess: </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #262626;">Leah Cypess wrote her first story in
first grade. The narrator was an ice-cream cone in the process of being eaten.
In fourth grade, she wrote her first book, about a girl who was shipwrecked on
a desert island with her faithful and heroic dog (a rip-off of both The Black
Stallion and all the Lassie movies).</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262626;">After selling her first story while
in high school, she gave in to her mother's importuning to be practical and
majored in biology at Brooklyn College. She then went to Columbia Law School and
practiced law for almost two years. She kept writing and submitting in her
spare time, and finally, a mere 15 years after her first short story
acceptance, she sold her first novel. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262626; line-height: 18px;">Leah currently lives in Brookline, Massachusetts with her
husband and children.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4akst09p9d1raMvJY492-admVZ5SJFRBSxd0u-_CSTQm8J180CD1HMSEOKwb2_86wRBWKxzrEITPN05CE1X7CD6FU53XYx7dkmBlwaPpZuXPrp8CaI_w-OnIPlmDVOmobL1woZofGWdiH/s1600/Leah+Cypess+author+photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4akst09p9d1raMvJY492-admVZ5SJFRBSxd0u-_CSTQm8J180CD1HMSEOKwb2_86wRBWKxzrEITPN05CE1X7CD6FU53XYx7dkmBlwaPpZuXPrp8CaI_w-OnIPlmDVOmobL1woZofGWdiH/s1600/Leah+Cypess+author+photo+1.JPG" height="320" width="249" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>DEATH SWORN releases on March 4th (tomorrow!), so we're detaining Leah with a few questions. Leah, you'd better hope your answers satisfy our readers' curiosity...that is, if you ever want to see the light of day again... </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">1) DEATH SWORN was an interesting
angle on the traditional fantasy featuring magic. What inspired you to write
this story?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222;">I got the basic idea for Death Sworn while reading The
Elenium by<span class="apple-converted-space"> David Eddings</span>, which
featured a sorceress who served as tutor to a military order. I started
wondering what would happen if the sorceress and the knights didn't get along
as well as they did in Edding's book, and several twists or turns later,</span><span style="color: #222222;"> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">I had
the basic idea for Death Sworn.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">2) Ileni was such a strong and
realistic character. Her fatalistic attitude and philosophy in general were
very interesting. Can you talk a little about how she came together as a
character for you? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;">Ileni was one of those rare
characters who came almost fully-formed as I was writing the first scene of the
first draft (though that scene does not actually appear in the current book)!
It was very easy for me to get into her head and know how she would react to
events. My character-building is mostly intuitive, but I usually have to put a
lot more work into getting deeper into a character during revision. Not with
Ileni.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) Many events in DEATH SWORN
were linked to (or could only happen because of) incidents long in the past,
pivotal moments carefully planned out by the Master and others. What is your
process of puzzling together a mystery that is dependent on a complicated
history involving many different players?</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLU6hQt098oPieF9FivgcNJr2XMhiYbgmfvem-hF4lfsXveLXzEM8LGRFF-MlRVqf_GXK4rOvPqBW1ptcNAa8AZCtK7UK8iE2qJ7R6OJ_O9t84DuaUkJLBTtdW6QvjaNoUmKw-EOy3W5_1/s1600/DeathSworn+HC+C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Process" might be too kind
a term. I don't have one set way, but it usually involves a lot of revisions, a
lot of charts, a lot of outlines that I then discard in favor of new outlines,
and a lot of oaktags and colored post-its. At some point in the process, I
swear that with my next book, I will plan everything out in advance and be
super-organized and efficient. But so far I haven't managed that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4) If you could meet one of your
characters in real life, who would you choose, what would you take them to do
(out to dinner? mini-golfing?), and what one question would you ask? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, I think it would be kind of
cool to talk to the master, assuming we had some sort of
you-promise-not-to-have-me-killed agreement. Since he never leaves the Caves, I
guess I would have to meet him there, and I would ask him to tell me the most
valuable secret he knows. I suspect it would be very valuable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5) Dare we ask...? Are there sequels
planned for Ileni and co.? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes! There is a sequel scheduled for
publication a year after Death Sworn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLU6hQt098oPieF9FivgcNJr2XMhiYbgmfvem-hF4lfsXveLXzEM8LGRFF-MlRVqf_GXK4rOvPqBW1ptcNAa8AZCtK7UK8iE2qJ7R6OJ_O9t84DuaUkJLBTtdW6QvjaNoUmKw-EOy3W5_1/s1600/DeathSworn+HC+C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLU6hQt098oPieF9FivgcNJr2XMhiYbgmfvem-hF4lfsXveLXzEM8LGRFF-MlRVqf_GXK4rOvPqBW1ptcNAa8AZCtK7UK8iE2qJ7R6OJ_O9t84DuaUkJLBTtdW6QvjaNoUmKw-EOy3W5_1/s1600/DeathSworn+HC+C.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></span></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6) What did you learn from the
process of writing DEATH SWORN? How do you think you've grown as a (mystery)
writer? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All my books are fantasy-mystery
blends, but Death Sworn is the first where a straight-up murder mystery plays a
central role, so I did some reading to help me plot it out. One book I read,
How To Write Killer Fiction by Carolyn Wheat, was especially helpful, as was
this blog post by Lisa Harris: http://keepmeinsuspense.blogspot.com/2006/07/plotting-your-cozy-mystery.html.
Both these books continue to inform my writing, even for those books where a
mystery is a secondary element of the plot instead of the primary one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>7) What is the hardest part of
writing mystery for a YA audience? What's the most rewarding part?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've never written for another
audience! And to be honest, when I started Death Sworn, I thought of it as an
adult fantasy novel. By the time I finished it, I had published two YA books
and realized how vast and rewarding the YA field is -- and also realized that
my books seem to naturally finish at around 70,000 words ;). So there was no
question in my mind that Death Sworn would be YA. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The great thing about YA is that it's
such a warm, helpful, enthusiastic community, both among fans and among other
writers.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>8) What is something no one knows
about you?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">Earlier today, I was at my sister's
home, and when she went out to take care of an errand, I ate the last of her
zucchini sticks. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;">(Hey. If it was important, I would
hardly be spilling it on a blog.)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>9) Do you have any writing quirks,
superstitions, or customs that get the job done?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think I do my best writing
outdoors. In an ideal writing world, I would wake up every morning, eat
breakfast, take a brisk walk to someplace scenic, and then write for two hours.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>10) What do you hope readers will
take away from DEATH SWORN? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't hope they will take anything
specific -- but whatever aspect of the character or the story resonates with
them (even if it's "oh, cool, twisty solution to the mystery"), I
hope it makes them close the book feeling satisfied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>11) What writing secret will you
reveal only under the harsh lights of this Interrogation Room? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">My list of overused words that
I have to go through and delete in every manuscript. It's over a page long. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Oh, you want the complete list?
You're going to need some harsher lights.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Rats, I <i>knew</i> we should have replaced those! Thanks, Leah, and congratulations on DEATH SWORN's debut!</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Want to learn more about Leah?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><a href="http://www.leahcypess.com/" target="_blank">Click here to visit her website!</a></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Follow her on Twitter @LeahCypess</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Sworn-Leah-Cypess/dp/0062221213" target="_blank">Click here to order your copy of DEATH SWORN now! </a></b></span></div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-63Ii_BcpLVY%2FUxPgdqwOlSI%2FAAAAAAAAAKo%2FNb2plGuHQQI%2Fs1600%2FDeathSworn%2BHC%2BC.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLU6hQt098oPieF9FivgcNJr2XMhiYbgmfvem-hF4lfsXveLXzEM8LGRFF-MlRVqf_GXK4rOvPqBW1ptcNAa8AZCtK7UK8iE2qJ7R6OJ_O9t84DuaUkJLBTtdW6QvjaNoUmKw-EOy3W5_1/s1600/DeathSworn+HC+C.jpg" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07750645193583487773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-18522174440255886672014-02-25T05:00:00.000-05:002014-02-25T05:00:07.976-05:00To Be Read...Confession (and what better place to confess than here with the Sleuths): I haven't been reading much lately! I know, it's a crime!<br />
<br />
I'm not a particularly fast reader to begin with, but can usually average 3-4 books a month. Now that my debut novel <a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Fake-Id-Lamar-Giles/?isbn=9780062121844" target="_blank">FAKE ID</a> is out in the world, and I'm busy drafting my next mystery/thriller, ENDANGERED, I find my reading time has decreased significantly. Here's the problem, though. Less time doesn't mean less books. I'm still keeping track of what's debuting, still buying obsessively (I'm so bad, I bought a book I already had a copy of last week). The book stacks in my office are, literally, climbing the walls.<br />
<br />
So, I'm here to share my pain and bare my soul. Here's what I have waiting for me when I get some downtime:<br />
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<a href="http://www.jenniferlynnbarnes.com/naturals.html" target="_blank">The Naturals</a> by Jennifer Lynn Barnes<br />
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It's been billed as Criminal Minds for teens. Well, okay then.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhKl0aCGY5uxsPOVQDYs-sWOA4SM7kqfOb2C7fG5Af1S688UC1nnCg8ll6vwRKVuSDZ_AZ7dy4Z0C9tCSkok44BXDUH4D2Rbp3p1v9mDk8qhtV3k0pR5IJZsnJwEaEfyCGTnI3aFLU18N/s1600/Naturals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhKl0aCGY5uxsPOVQDYs-sWOA4SM7kqfOb2C7fG5Af1S688UC1nnCg8ll6vwRKVuSDZ_AZ7dy4Z0C9tCSkok44BXDUH4D2Rbp3p1v9mDk8qhtV3k0pR5IJZsnJwEaEfyCGTnI3aFLU18N/s1600/Naturals.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://nearlygonebooks.com/" target="_blank">Nearly Gone</a> by Elle Cosimano<br />
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Technically it's on pre-order, but it's <i>Fringe</i> meets <i>Bones</i>, y'all! You know this is going in the stack. (NOTE: I'm not just plugging this because Elle's a Sleuth...this book is getting serious buzz, and I can't wait to read it.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cquwgN7kqjNCei0jTGWwpY3z-oNdh6vVbBzA7p0igHQqaDzpCpomqI61QWSTBy9OBZVS0_uwtWGjm862ekRQGOaamMLA2ydqg4b7aBqwr6PVCqiLr9hQStfRrTdCYbNuLRvitoSfA4YC/s1600/Nearly+Gone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cquwgN7kqjNCei0jTGWwpY3z-oNdh6vVbBzA7p0igHQqaDzpCpomqI61QWSTBy9OBZVS0_uwtWGjm862ekRQGOaamMLA2ydqg4b7aBqwr6PVCqiLr9hQStfRrTdCYbNuLRvitoSfA4YC/s1600/Nearly+Gone.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.jessicabrody.com/books/teen-fiction/unremembered-series/unremembered/about/?doing_wp_cron=1393278185.9813599586486816406250" target="_blank">Unremembered</a> by Jessica Brody<br />
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Plane crash. Lone survivor. Manipulated memories. Sold. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHC89_vEolGT-XCldr7geqMoj-U5HZdwxkWwgR6iI5TEJB8e5JSN03b3v5Ppx5_LbFnaDtSGuGEXZFms7to5z9f5LV8EYAhSGAsQMB5VvnNXtVBl_g4v-0Sw3Clus8S4JzaNQy_pwIQZn/s1600/Unremembered.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimHC89_vEolGT-XCldr7geqMoj-U5HZdwxkWwgR6iI5TEJB8e5JSN03b3v5Ppx5_LbFnaDtSGuGEXZFms7to5z9f5LV8EYAhSGAsQMB5VvnNXtVBl_g4v-0Sw3Clus8S4JzaNQy_pwIQZn/s1600/Unremembered.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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I could go on. But, with all these great books to choose from, the toughest mystery to solve will be which one I get to first!<br />
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What say you out there in Sleuthland? Anything extra enticing in your stacks?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi36ZOsDMuPBxLLdFl23NotXXbyDuuEpIBTEseRcktpf1y9_yKxDeatbmQsYTm013Ws5GceAqydmWBQfe1D-xeZBqBS0SxdWUHDEaXMklsNpdrVIVXwUnV6iLFdl1Yvbj4uen-v3efTHrE/s1600/LRGiles_Fake+ID_Headshot_Color_med.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi36ZOsDMuPBxLLdFl23NotXXbyDuuEpIBTEseRcktpf1y9_yKxDeatbmQsYTm013Ws5GceAqydmWBQfe1D-xeZBqBS0SxdWUHDEaXMklsNpdrVIVXwUnV6iLFdl1Yvbj4uen-v3efTHrE/s1600/LRGiles_Fake+ID_Headshot_Color_med.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Lamar
"L. R." Giles is the author of FAKE ID, In Store Now. He resides in Virginia
with his wife and is represented by Jamie Weiss Chilton of the Andrea
Brown Literary Agency</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">. Find out more on his <a href="http://www.lrgiles.com/">website</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lamar-LR-Giles/143027289089715">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/LRGiles">Twitter</a>, and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3726679-lr-giles">Goodreads</a>.</span> </span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12326523969728730362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426953807579855451.post-11692199025592350342014-02-18T05:00:00.000-05:002014-02-18T05:00:06.990-05:00On the Trail of....Middle Grade Mysteries! There's a wealth of exciting middle grade mystery titles releasing in the next few months. I thought I'd highlight a few that caught my eye -- as well as one that I've already been lucky enough to read an early copy of: Indie New Voices pick <i>Eddie Red Undercover </i>by Marcia Wells, who we'll be hauling into the Interrogation Room very soon!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbO43Ta02VX0ecZ14Ezenqb1vq7vx_zqDsqtU46ZAEfsJ-hChKoCVxLZfdiSwexwOs8VMwMeD_HB8SzGeyTp7XyTWvcU_Fc60P23AI7udO3AW_fwrN5lWJTp-WwGi_0rUEw9BCsI3snf5/s1600/pinkerton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbO43Ta02VX0ecZ14Ezenqb1vq7vx_zqDsqtU46ZAEfsJ-hChKoCVxLZfdiSwexwOs8VMwMeD_HB8SzGeyTp7XyTWvcU_Fc60P23AI7udO3AW_fwrN5lWJTp-WwGi_0rUEw9BCsI3snf5/s1600/pinkerton.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
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I picked up a copy of Caroline Lawrence's first P.K. Pinkerton mystery, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9391978-the-case-of-the-deadly-desperados?bf=1000&from_search=true" target="_blank">The Case of the Deadly Desperadoes</a></i>, at <a href="http://www.oblongbooks.com/" target="_blank">Oblong Books</a> last summer and was immediately riveted. It was so wonderfully written and rich with accurate historical detail but also packed with high-stakes adventure. It's an especially great addition to school reading lists. Kids hardly notice all they're learning! The second in the series, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17734935-p-k-pinkerton-and-the-petrified-man?bf=1000&from_search=true" target="_blank">P.K. Pinkerton and the Petrified Man</a></i>, was just nominated for an Edgar. I'm looking forward to reading both soon. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18222848-eddie-red-undercover?bf=1000&from_search=true" target="_blank">P.K. Pinkerton and the Pistol-Packing Widows</a></i> comes out March 6.<br />
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I discovered <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18060008-under-the-egg?bf=1000&from_search=true" target="_blank">this debut</a> when <a href="http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2014/01/11/review-of-the-day-under-the-egg-by-laura-marx-fitzgerald/" target="_blank">librarian Betsy Bird was gushing about it at Fuse News</a>. A modern <i>Mixed Up Files</i>? I'm in! Theodora Tenpenny discovers a Renaissance masterpiece among her late grandfather's things--yet fears it might be stolen. Her search for the truth takes her all over Manhattan, introducing her both to new friends and a new side of her own city. It sounds like my ideal book--a mix of heart, friendship, and intrigue. (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18060008-under-the-egg?bf=1000&from_search=true" target="_blank">Releases March 18</a>)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuiMOQaWpC-TbIMDOzLbJKkLpfhON51-o94dauHc8Dw9Nk-CS7r51J1Ciig7_-pUmbqhpafEqVVy6n6Rso_gpe7ohYxqQnfPZQP4cx5AM0vgsbQcR50Rz7Ct2E9pWwgVCMHzhAn51xH18/s1600/Spycatchers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuiMOQaWpC-TbIMDOzLbJKkLpfhON51-o94dauHc8Dw9Nk-CS7r51J1Ciig7_-pUmbqhpafEqVVy6n6Rso_gpe7ohYxqQnfPZQP4cx5AM0vgsbQcR50Rz7Ct2E9pWwgVCMHzhAn51xH18/s1600/Spycatchers.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
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During the peak of the Red Scare, rumors swirl that a suspected Russian spy has infiltrated a sleepy Vermont town. Two enterprising kids seek the truth--and discover some surprises about their town along the way! I can't think of any middle grade mysteries set in the McCarthy era, and the exploration of the mob mentality of the time seems like it would provide some great fodder for class discussion. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18594432-the-spy-catchers-of-maple-hill" target="_blank">I'm very curious about this one!</a> (Out<br />
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Last but not least, there's Indie <i>New Voices</i> pick <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18222848-eddie-red-undercover?bf=1000&from_search=true" target="_blank">E</a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18222848-eddie-red-undercover?bf=1000&from_search=true" target="_blank">ddie Red Undercover: Mystery on the Museum Mile</a>, </i>coming April 1st. <a href="http://shoponceuponatime.com/" target="_blank">Once Upon A Time Bookstore</a> bookseller Kris Vreeland handed me an early copy of this one, and I was immediately charmed by Wells' humor and authentic middle grade voice. When ace artist and sixth grader Eddie Red witnesses a crime, his suspect sketches attract the police's attention. Soon he's a critical tool in capturing a nefarious group of art thieves called The Picasso Gang. It's a fast-paced, fun read perfect for younger middle grade readers. I haven't gotten a chance to see all the illustrations, but I'm especially excited about them: I'm a big fan of illustrator Marcos Calo, who also did the cover of my debut, <i>The Wig in the Window.</i><br />
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Stay tuned, as Marcia Wells will be joining us soon for an interview in The Interrogation Room!<br />
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<br />Kristen Kittscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18443224922309438672noreply@blogger.com0