Just a reminder that at 11am EST you can call into a live radio show to ask me questions and be entered to win a signed copy of TAKE THE REINS!
All of the deets are here: http://jessicaburkhart.blogspot.com/2010/06/radio-interview-where-you-ask-quetions.html
Can’t wait to talk to Team Canterwood!
Please welcome the supersparkly Lauren Barnholdt! Lauren’s here to dish all about her new book, DEVON DELANEY SHOULD TOTALLY KNOW BETTER, that comes out today. Happy release day, L!
Book summary:
Devon Delaney cannot believe she’s lying again. But the thing is, she couldn’t help it. Her new boyfriend, Luke, is talking to his (gorgeous) ex-girlfriend, Bailey Barelli (!!!), every single day in mock trial.
Devon couldn’t just stand by and let him find out that she’d never dated anyone else before. Could she? Oopsie. Too late now. To show how totally unaffected she is by Bailey’s obvious Luke hang-up, Devon invents a fake ex-boyfriend of her own: Greg. Fab! What could go wrong?
But it isn’t long before Devon finds herself in the middle of another supergigantic lie. Can Devon come clean in time to keep the guy? Or will she lose everything due to another lie?
Bio: Lauren Barnholdt is the author of many books for teens and tweens, including TWO-WAY STREET, FOUR TRUTHS AND A LIE, and THE SECRET IDENTITY OF DEVON DELANEY. She lives in Boston with her husband.
Okay, here we go!
Pitch Devon as a Tweet! (140 characters or less, people who are not familiar with the awesome that is Twitter)
Devon’s lies get her in trouble again – will she come clean in time to keep the guy? Complete with some kissing and a brand new cell phone!
How are you and Devon alike and different? Break it down.
Hmm, Devon is fun, and I like to think I’m fun. She also likes the same colors and things I do – like sparkly cell phones and pink.
She’s thirteen, so, you know, we’re different in that sense. At least, I hope we are, hmm.
She’s a lot more self-confident and more outgoing than I was at thirteen. But she’s dramatic the way I was at thirteen. (I’m totally not dramatic anymore, la la la.)
You’ve been writing at coffee shops more recently. Fellow coffee shop writers understand the shortage of outlets. (So wrong!) Tell the truth, LB. Have you ever wanted to unplug someone’s lap top when he/she got up to grab an order? Or (*gasp*) have you already done so??
Jessica!! I would never do something like that!!!
Okay, I’ve totally wanted to. I mean, some people are doing things in coffee shops that are just.. I don’t know. Like, what if someone is playing video games? And I am under deadline? Shouldn’t that be more important?
Lately I’ve also noticed some people with their laptops plugged in, and they are just chatting away to other people, not even using their computer! Mostly, though, it hasn’t been a problem—I try to only go to places where there are enough outlets to go around.
Devon invents a fake boyfriend, Greg. Would you have ever been able to pull that off at your school?
Um, well….full disclosure: The first Devon book is based on something I did in junior high. So I guess, um, yeah, kind of.
I know (because I have people) that you and Editor Kate don’t get along AT all. Do you just cry every time you get an edit letter from her? It’s okay. This is a safe space.
I don’t cry, because I’ve been in therapy to deal with it. Plus last time I went to visit her, she gave me tons of amazing books, to sort of buy me off and keep silent about her torturous techniques.
Obviously, the above question was a total joke. Lauren and I share Editor Kate and she nicknamed us “Barnhart.” She recognized that we only need to go by one name, ‘cause we’re awesome like that. When do you expect Team Barnhart to dominate the publishing biz? (And don’t give away any secrets to the enemy camp…)
Classified. Barnhart would never give away any secrets on a blog — there are spies everywhere!
There’s one tiny issue I have to bring up. The one that could one day cause a Barnhart-break up that would be splashed over every tabloid. You know where I’m going with this. Nick and Jess. You’re obsessed with them—totally fine—but I’ll still tell you that Robsten is better, la, la, la…Predict it for us, Lauren. Are Nick and Jess getting back together?
Sadly, no. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t!! They were so in love! Didn’t you see the episode of Newlyweds where Jess did laundry for Nick because SHE LOVED HIM SO MUCH? I just don’t see what went wrong.
Also, I don’t really get Robsten. Like, is that even happening? Or is he just obsessed with her? It’s so meta, like I totally picture him, like, watching over her on the set and stuff.. Crrreeeeepppppyyyy.
Favorite line from the book?
Can it be “favorite paragraph”? If so:
“Okay,” I say. “Point taken. But we’ve turned over a new leaf! I don’t have any secrets from you right now. You know everything that’s going on with me, and I want to know everything that’s going on with you. We’re BFF.” Mel doesn’t look convinced, so I rush on. “For example,” I say. “Last night at mock trial I made up a fake boyfriend, and now Luke wants to meet him.” I give her an encouraging smile. “Now you go.”
Knowing that you looove your iPhone, if we should see more of Devon, will she upgrade?
Hmm, I don’t think so. Devon’s parents hardly even let her get a flip phone, I don’t think she’s ready for such technology. It would probably get her into more trouble.
But if she did, it would be sparkly and pink.
Final question: Write your own question and answer it. Make it good. *pressure*
Would Devon from my book and Sasha from your book be friends? Totally! Except I think Devon might corrupt Sasha a little bit. Although I’ve heard that Sasha is totally ready to French kiss, and Devon isn’t quite there yet, so maybe they’d be bad influences on each other.
Book summary: Sometimes Fiona Finkelstein’s life seems to be a lot like a TV show — everywhere she goes, there’s a lot of drama. That’s what being nine in Ordinary, Maryland, is like when your dad is the chief meteorologist for the local TV station, your mom lives in California and stars in a soap opera, and your little brother thinks he’s a superhero.
But right now, life is even better than TV, because Fiona Finkelstein has a chance to become what she’s always dreamed of being: a big-time ballerina. There’s just one problem: In her last recital, Fiona starred as the unforgettable Fiona VOMITstein — all over the stage, and all over Benevolence Castles’s can-can costume.
Can Fiona overcome her fears so that she can finally be a big-time ballerina in the local holiday production of The Nutcracker? Or will she remain the only one in her family who has the flat-out worst case of stage fright ever?
Bio: SHAWN K. STOUT never made it to the big-time in ballet, despite 10 years of lessons. And she never got to wear a tutu either, which still sort of bothers her. But writing about a wannabe ballerina almost makes up for it. Almost. Fiona Finkelstein, Big-Time Ballerina!, is her debut middle grade novel and is the first in a new chapter book series from Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Shawn K. Stout has a M.F.A. in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College. She lives in Maryland in a very old house, with her husband and two dogs.
Links: www.shawnkstout.com
Okay, here we go!
Give us the Twitter-pitch for Fiona. (Meaning, sum up your book in 140 characters or less!)
Fiona wants to be a big-time ballerina—to dance on a real stage with a real curtain—and the only thing standing in her way is a flat out awful case of stage fright.
As a kid, you aspired to be a zoo keeper, dolphin trainer and a monkey. Do you think you’ll ever write a book about any of those things?
Do you think it’s weird that I didn’t want to own a monkey, I wanted to be a monkey? There’s a story in there somewhere, I think. About a kid who wants to be a monkey when she grows up? Or, maybe not.
What’s your background in ballet?
I took ballet lessons from the time I was about four years old until I was fourteen. I danced in a number of recitals, and yes, I even had a part in The Nutcracker as an angel. Unlike Fiona, I never got to wear a tutu, which still sort of bothers me. As an angel, though, I did have a golden trumpet that I danced with. (Actually, it was a cardboard tube wrapped in aluminum foil and spray painted gold.) So I guess that kind of makes up for it.
Poor Fiona threw up on mean girl Benevolence and was dubbed Fiona Vomitstein. Did you ever have a moment like this when you did ballet?
Thankfully, no. I did get terribly nervous when I was backstage before a recital, but I never had Fiona’s “Vomitstein” experience on stage. I was a nervous kind of kid and frequently had an upset stomach, so I do remember throwing up in public a couple of times (much to my older brother and sister’s horror and embarrassment). Does that count? But nobody called me Vomitgirl or anything like that. At least I don’t think they did.
Seeing your cover for the first time is such a big moment! What was your reaction when you saw the Fiona cover for the first time?
I was thrilled to see the cover! It was the first time my book seemed real to me. Until I saw the cover, there was a part of me that was convinced I’d made the whole thing up and there really was no book.
What was the most difficult part about writing Fiona?
I’d have to say the beginning, the middle, and the end.
Your Website says you love miniature horses, but haven’t been able to convince your husband to add one to the family yet. Do you think you’ll be able to use the release day of Fiona as a way to convince him? (I mean, I see it as leverage…)
Oooh, I like the way you think. The problem he has is that I would want the horse to live, or at least sleep, inside our house. Which may sound crazy, but they make rubber soled shoes for miniature horses so their hooves won’t scuff the floors. It’s true. I’ve seen them. Let me tell you, there is nothing cuter than a miniature horse in high top sneakers.
How will you celebrate release day?
We’re having a book launch party at the Barnes and Noble in Rockville, Maryland. It’s going to be loads of fun. Want to come?
Can we expect to see more of Fiona?
Yes, absolutely. Fiona will continue her dramatic adventures in at least two more books. The next one is coming out in the fall of 2010, and the third one in the fall of 2011.
Finally, to young girls who aspire to be something, whatever that is, what would Fiona tell them?
Fiona would say: “Flat out face your fears and try not to throw up.”
PS- HUGE apologies to Shawn. This interview was supposed to run a couple of weeks ago. I thought I set it up to auto post and I didn’t. *head desk*
PPS-Shawn is awesome enough to offer a signed copy of FIONA to 3 random commenters! Leave your comment here (or on LJ) and I’ll draw a winner on Friday. 🙂
Lucky me! Sarah MacLean, author of THE SEASON (out now), stopped by!
Here’s a bit about THE SEASON:
Seventeen-year-old Lady Alexandra Stafford doesn’t fit into the world of Regency London — she’s strong-willed, sharp-tongued, and she absolutely loathes dress fittings. Unfortunately, her mother has been waiting for years for Alex to be old enough to take part in the social whirlwind of a London Season so she can be married off to someone safe, respectable, wealthy, and almost certainly boring. But Alex is much more interested in adventure than romance.
Between sumptuous balls, lavish dinner parties and country weekends, Alex, along with her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, manages to get entangled in her biggest scrape yet. When the Earl of Blackmoor is killed in a puzzling accident, Alex decides to help his son, the brooding and devilishly handsome Gavin, uncover the truth. It’s a mystery brimming with espionage, murder, and suspicion. As she and Gavin grow closer, will Alex’s heart be stolen in the process?
Romance and danger fill the air, as this year’s Season begins!
I asked and Sarah answered…
Did you ever have one of those, “OMG, I just can’t do this!” moments while writing THE SEASON?
You live in Brooklyn with your husband. Does living in NYC inspire your writing? If so, how?
Recently, you signed a deal to write three adult romances for Avon. Is writing for adults different than writing for teens?
I read that you’re a huge fan of Jane Austen. What work of Jane’s most encouraged you to write THE SEASON?
What’s your writing process? Outline? No outline? Fast drafter?
Finally, THE most important question! Your bio says that you don’t leave the house without lip balm. From one lip gloss addict to another, what’s your favorite kind?
All right! Run out and get your copy of THE SEASON! Find it at Amazon or IndieBound. Also, check out Sarah’s blog for more. 🙂
Thank you, Sarah!
Sell us on SHADOWED SUMMER. Why should we rush out to grab a copy right now?
Because it’s February, it’s 15 degrees outside, and you would love nothing better than to nap beneath the sweltering shade of an oak tree so exhausted, so old, that there’s a good chance the S+W ’28 carved into a heart on its trunk was left there by your great granddaddy when he was courting somebody besides your great granny. Forget about winter- it’s time for summer to begin!
What’s your fave part about writing? Least fave?
I love the going-away time, when I actually leave my desk and slip into the world I’m writing. It feels like a physical leaving- but it also leads to my least favorite part, which is ending the book. That moment when I realize I can revisit the story, but I can never live *in* it again, that’s really hard.
You’re also a screenwriter, which fascinates me. What was the transition like from screenwriter to novelist? What are the benefits of being a screenwriter when you write a book?
I haven’t exactly transitioned; I’m doing them both! But the nice thing about switching between them is that they’re such different forms.
Screenwriting has a lot of arcane and exacting rules to follow. Weird margins, weird capitalizations, blinders and limitations on what you can and cannot include- but it also has some pretty exciting features, like a
BREAK OUT
Which is where you’re going along happily, setting the scene and then BAM, something really awesome happens. You get to capitalize it, and put it on its own line, and there’s no mistaking just how wicked sweet that moment is. It’s in a break out! POW!
And though I miss things like that when I’m working on a novel, novels let me talk about how people feel. I get to be the actors and decide how a scene plays out- whether this break up is furious, or rueful, or weary. I get to be the director- are we looking through a window, or looking at the main character’s hands? I get to decide!
What’s nice, though, is that even when I’m writing fiction, I can sometimes feel where the
BREAK OUT
Should be. I’m still learning the craft and reaching for the art of writing prose, but sometimes, the screenwriting tricks help me find the heart of a scene.
Explain your obsession with Chuck Bass ‘cause you seem to ignore the hotness that is Nate (
You know, Nate Archibald is cute. He’s a pretty good guy with a functional moral compass… and that’s why I’m obsessed with Chuck Bass. Chuck is every reprehensible lizard-brain impulse you could possibly have, walking around in mint-and-pink Bermuda shorts. He’s *awful*, he’s shameless, he’s so badly behaved! And I love that- as long as he’s safely contained on TV.
If they were real people, though, I’d spend my time with Nate, no question!
What are you reading now? Why did you choose it?
Right now I’m reading an advance copy of Deva Fagan’s “Fortune’s Folly”- I was super lucky, this book chose me! The author sent me my very own signed copy, and my daughter and I are enjoying it immensely.
I’m also reading Jonathan Carroll’s “The Ghost in Love.” I heard it was good, so I got it for my mother for Christmas. Unfortunately, something about it totally annoyed her, so now she’s making me read it to guess what that was.
You work with many young writers. What’s the biggest misconception editors or agents might have about young writers subbing to them?
Every single teen I’ve worked with in my screenwriting program- wow, you know, they’re talented just to be selected. But they’re so serious about their careers- it’s not playtime for them, they’re completely professional. They take critique like pros, and their solutions are inspired and fresh and so exciting.
They surprise me again and again, so my advice would be- if you’ve got a submission from a teen that’s so-so-so close and the only thing holding you back is their age- give them a chance. I think they’ll surprise you, too!
What are you working on now? Give us the scoop!
I’d love to say, but I can’t yet. Soon, I hope! Unless you meant extra-professionally, in which case, I’m working on talking all the awesome authors I know into working silly secret additions into their future books.
How do you feel about temporary horse tattoos, Jessica?
JB note: I’m *so* there! Wanna get one with me?
What’s something no interviewer has asked you that you’re like, “Ask me this already!”
“Hey, Saundra, how does it feel to win the lottery?”
I might have to win the lottery first, though. Hmm. No wonder no one asks me that.
Thank you, Saundra! For more, visit Saundra’s Website and check out her blog.
**Saundra’s got a giveaway!**
February 1, I will be taking entries for one of 3 Extremely Haunted Gift Bags at
And if your readers enter with the special code DRESSAGE after their name in the entry box, I will give them DOUBLE entries into the sweepstakes!
Go enter to win! 🙂 Good luck!
Jessica Burkhart 