For the past two years, Colleen from Chasing Ray has organized series upon series of author interviews. These blog tours, hosted and posted at various blogs, have been dubbed the Summer Blog Blast Tour (SBBT for short) and Winter Blog Blast Tour (aka WBBT). Each event is one week long and involves a multitude of authors, bloggers, and readers.

( Click here for the full archive for the 2009 SBBT. )

Another Colleen-led project is the group blog GuysLitWire. Learn more about the GuysLitWire Book Fair for Boys.

View all Bildungsroman posts tagged as SBBT.
View all Bildungsroman posts tagged as WBBT.

Check out the SBBT 2008 archive.
Check out the SBBT 2007 archive.

Lauren Myracle cracks me up. Considering the title of her newest book, Peace, Love & Baby Ducks, perhaps I should say she quacks me up. Last year, after we finally met face-to-face, she dubbed me "Li'l Dub." (Note: She is the only person permitted to call me this.) We get along famously - or at least I'd like to think so! - and, due to her writing versatility, I recommend her vast variety of books to various audiences and ages.

Rub a dub dub, three ducks in a tub - rather, two ducks, many books, and a whole lot of questions.

You've said that it took a good ten years from the time you really focused on writing to the time your first novel was published.

Yes, but not by choice. Just sayin'...

What do you know now about the publishing industry that you wish you knew then?

That editors really *are* just people. That they don't always wear black, a la hip and intimidating New Yorkers, but that some of them should break out the pastels more than they do. That wishing and hoping won't make it so, but it's not a bad strategy in terms of keeping yourself focused. That yes, books are products (blech, hate "products"!), but that the fab editors -- meaning the ones I'm lucky enough to work with -- do what they do because books are made not for money, but for love.

What do you know now about your own writing style that you wish you knew then?

That "parents" are easier to write once you become one. That setting still sucks. That my brain has gotten more nimble, which I say that not to be braggy, but as a way of rejoicing in the fact that using the same circuits again and again and firing the same set of neurons again and again does strengthen all of those passage ways. I mean, that's so cool, right? That you do something and do it and do it some more...and you do get better? I guess what I'm saying is that writing, at least for me, is NOT about the gift from the sky of plain raw talent. It's about work. And oddly, that makes me so happy! It's lovely to be a human and to have the potential to GET BETTER at whatever it is you do, that's all.

You have written for various audiences and genres, ranging from elementary and middle school readers to teens, from realistic fiction to horror, from story stories to collaborative novels. What, if anything, do you think all of your stories have in common?

I know exactly what they have in common: a focus on friendship. I didn't set out to have friendship be my thing, but whaddaya know? It is.

Have you experienced any resistance to publication or attempts at censorship when you've dared to have girls kiss girls (Kissing Kate) or talk frankly about their bodies and lives (the Winnie series for kids, the TTYL series for teens) or commit horrible acts (Bliss)?

"Commit horrible acts." Oh, you slay me. (Heh heh heh, little jokey there, eh? You slay me?)

But as for resistance and censorship, that would be a big fat (and often slitty-eyed) YES. In 2007, my ttyl series ranked #7 on the American Library Association's top 10 list of most frequently challenged books. This past year, they jumped to #3. Uh...wh-hoo? I cannot think of one single book I've written that hasn't made some grown-up or other upset/uncomfortable/afraid. It kind of sucks, but I'm not going to let that resistance push me down. The thing is? Really? The characters in my books (well, not counting the ones that, ya know, commit horrible acts) have strong moral compasses; it's just that the situations they put themselves in are "real" and un-prettied-up by fake adult perspective. The girls I write about make bad decisions sometimes, sure, but for the most part, they learn from them.

( Read more... )

You're welcome, and thank you, mighty Myracle!

Visit Lauren's website.
Drop by her blog.
Check out the Peace, Love, & Baby Ducks Ning network.

Related Posts at Bildungsroman:
Book Review: Peace, Love & Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle
Book Reviews: The Winnie Books (Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen) by Lauren Myracle
Book Review: How to Be Bad by Lauren Myracle, E. Lockhart, and Sarah Mlynowski
Author Interview: Lauren Myracle, E. Lockhart, and Sarah Mlynowski

Today's Schedule
Jenny Davidson at Chasing Ray
Rebecca Stead at Fuse #8
Ryan Mecum at Writing and Ruminating
Lauren Myracle at Bildungsroman
Kristin Cashore at HipWriterMama
Rachel Caine at The YA YA YAs

Help get books into the hands of teen boys who really need them. Learn more about the GuysLitWire Book Fair for Boys.

In Thalia Chaltas' debut novel, Because I Am Furniture, a girl named Anke's father verbally (and otherwise) abuses her mother, older brother, and older sister - but not her. Instead, he simply ignores her, as if she were a piece of furniture. Anke enters high school and finds herself (in more ways that one) on the volleyball court. Expressed in verse, her story is powerful and moving. I highly recommend it.

I was fortunate enough to speak with Thalia Chaltas at length about her life, her characters, and her poetry, lost and found.

Your dedication in Because I Am Furniture hints that some elements of the book may be based on your own family experiences. How did you handle writing about something so close to home? Was it more fiction than non-fiction?

There are many incidents in the book that are based in my childhood, especially around the home life of Anke. This was definitely "write what you know!" I, too, had an abusive parent and felt like a piece of furniture. However, life is very convoluted and ragged, and I pasted a lot of fiction in between and over and under to make the story cohesive. I can easily say at this point that a good 90% of the book is fiction. It was not intended as an autobiography, by any means. When I was in high school, for instance, I lived just with my mom - my brother and sister are much older and were in college and grad school, and my father and mother got divorced before that. So Anke's world is created from pieces of my younger childhood with family and pieces of my teen life in school and volleyball. In the beginning, writing the poems was very raw, very truthful, and very difficult to read aloud. As I created a story it became more relaxing and I enjoyed the process.

How did Anke get her name? Do you find your characters' personalities and stories first, then their names, or do characters tend to come out of names you like?

Names of characters are fascinating to me. And they always come first for me, before I know exactly who the characters are and what's going on. When I am writing, a name just comes and it sticks. I very rarely change a name once I start it. Anke's name was simply there as I started writing. Yaicha (the sister) really did come from a song by the Pousette-Dart Band. Darren was the only name in the whole book that I changed part way through - I think his name was first Aaron, but that was too close to Anke for my liking.

You, like Anke, play volleyball. What do you love most about the sport?

Teammates! I love love love team sports. I ran track in high school and just felt alone the whole time, because even running a sprint relay you aren't exactly all skipping along together as a team, you run your tail off against other runners! In volleyball you can be the most amazing athlete all by yourself, but it means didley without the entire team communicating and working together. You congratulate each other, give a side-five when someone screws up, and celebrate and cry together. Invaluable lessons there.

Do you play any other sports?

Honestly, ever since 8th grade the only sport I crave is volleyball: indoor, beach, grass, anything. I have played it pretty darn consistently since 8th grade and I'm proud of that. I still play in tournaments.

Other sports...I love to ride my road bike, but again, that's kind of lonely for me. I hula hoop with my 5 year old - is that a sport? It should be.

Shouting "MY BALL!" on the court really helps Anke find her voice there and in other arenas. Can you recall a moment in your own life when you found and used your voice, loud and clear - or, looking back, wish you had?

For me the voice was never a problem - I'm an outgoing person and always have been. BUT, in my home life? Nope. And that is the 'normal' thing in a family of pain like that. You are raised into that atmosphere and it's hard to speak up. Too scared. I didn't really speak up about any of what my life was like till I was in college. I do wish I could have spoken up like Anke does, but I was much younger when my father was still in the house and didn't know my own power. Volleyball helped me find power in myself, but I didn't use it the way Anke does. Anke is a quieter character than I am, but she found it in herself to do what she had to.

Did you always intend to write young adult fiction?

I'm laughing! No! I never intended to write young adult fiction! I first wanted to write an adult novel. But... ( Read more... )

Visit Thalia's website.

Related Booklists
For more stories like Anke's, consult the following booklists:
Verse Novels
Tough Issues for Teens
Hey There, Sports Fan

Today's SBBT Schedule
Siobhan Vivian at Miss Erin
Alma Alexander at Finding Wonderland
Laurel Snyder at Shaken & Stirred
Cindy Pon at The YA YA YAs
Thalia Chaltas at Bildungsroman

Help get books into the hands of teen boys who really need them. Learn more about the GuysLitWire Book Fair for Boys.

Rosemary Clement-Moore and I appreciate a lot of the same things: Cary Grant. Word play. The high school years of Buffy Summers. A well-told story, no matter what the form: a novel, a play, a musical, a ballet.

To date, Rosemary has written three novels about Maggie Quinn, a modern-day Nancy Drew who defeats demons while tossing off witty retorts - in other words, a young woman who is quite possibly the offspring of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Veronica Mars. We spoke at length about this series as well as Rosemary's forthcoming stand-alone novel The Splendor Falls.

I had a great deal of fun conducting this interview. How often do chupacabras, Annie Sullivan, and Doctor Who all come up within the same conversation? Not often enough, my friends. Not often enough.

What prompted your first YA novel, Prom Dates From Hell? (Oh, I just said "prompted" out loud - PROM-ted - and realized it was an unintentional pun.) Did you have one of your own in high school? I didn't go to prom. I watched Buffy's instead.

You know what Samuel Johnson said: He who would pun would pick a pocket.

This is why the prom features in so many books and movies: It a single event that focuses all the social aspects -- good, bad and hellish -- of the rest of the school year: the social hierarchy, the fashion police, the kids that drink, the boy/girl drama, the money angst, the putting up a front pressure... all those things that are going on all year sort of get distilled to this one night.

PDFH -- all my books in some ways -- are about power. Do you get yours from inside yourself, from the person you are and the things you believe in? Or do you steal your power by putting down or bullying others. The story started with the question: what if this power struggle had supernatural weapons. (In that way, I guess it is very much a Buffy/Joss Whedon sort of story question.)

I love that your books are infused with humor and supernatural elements. Maggie is both an intrepid girl reporter and a demon slayer - in other words, part Nancy Drew, part Buffy Summers. Which parts of Maggie resemble you?

Maggie gets to say the things I thought -- still think! -- but was too polite to say. I was a quiet girl (which surprises people, I'm sure), but in my head I was very droll, with a strong sense of the ridiculous. Not a surprise, she likes the same books and movies I do. Other than that, I'm afraid that Maggie is most like me in her flaws: she's stubborn and awkward and quick tempered. We're both very loyal to our friends and family, though.

How did Maggie get her name?

Maggie was named long before I had a story for her. She sort of developed over time in my head, and when I came up with the premise for PDFH, I knew she'd be the perfect protagonist. Only I had to take the character back in her own timeline a bit. (Which, yes, means that I know Maggie's future, though events of the books may alter it, like Marty McFly going back in time.)

( Read more... )

Visit Rosemary's website and blog.

Make sure that you read the Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil books in order:
- Prom Dates From Hell
- Hell Week
- Highway to Hell

For similar stories, check out my Funny Fantasy Novels for Kids and Teens Booklist.

Today's SBBT Schedule
Barbara O'Connor at MotherReader
James Kennedy at Fuse #8
Maggie Stiefvater at Writing & Ruminating
Rosemary Clement-Moore at Bildungsroman
Jo Knowles at lectitans
Melissa Wyatt at Chasing Ray

Help get books into the hands of teen boys who really need them. Learn more about the GuysLitWire Book Fair for Boys.

Carolyn Hennesy's books for kids reimagine Pandora as a young teenager who's really super sorry about what happened with the box. The gods on Mount Olympus order her to retrieve the evils she accidentally unleashed, causing Pandy and her best friends to go on a memorable trip around the world. There are three books in the series so far: Pandora Gets Jealous, Pandora Gets Vain, and Pandora Gets Lazy. They are light and fun picks for the elementary school crowd. For similar titles, check out my It's All Greek to Me booklist.

Now, onto the interview - with thanks to Anna at Bloomsbury for making it possible.

Have you always been fascinated by Greek myths? I enjoy them a great deal, perhaps second in the line, as Ancient Egypt has always been my favorite Ancient civilization. What drew you to Pandora's story?

I have been entranced by Greek mythology since I was about 11 years old. I started studying it in a summer school program taught by a big, blowsy, blonde goddess of a teacher who read straight out of Edith Hamilton . . . nothing sugar-coated. I was blown away not only by the heroics, magic and grandeur but also the pettiness and triviality of their personalities and of what the gods considered a punishable slight or offence. I also loved the fact that the ancient Greeks used mythology to explain their world; one of those stories being the release of all evil and setting that hideous gaffe squarely on the shoulders of one woman . . . Pandora. Ridiculous and unfair.

How much liberty do you allow yourself to take with the original myths?

In my books, one of things I endeavor to do is, in my own way, set the record straight i.e. just as it could have happened that way, it could have happened this way. As far as liberties go, I tend to stick pretty closely to the "acknowledged" traits and trappings of the gods, heroes, and other known characters, but I have as much freedom as I want to place them in any situation. I'm not writing historical fiction, but fantasy.

Though the story takes place in ancient times, the main characters (Homer especially) sometimes have, like, totally contemporary speech. How do you tap into tween talk?

I roam the aisles of H&M with a tape recorder. And I think back to the way my brother's girlfriend used to talk back in 1985 (my ears used to bleed) . . . then I realize that it hasn't changed that much at all.

( Read more... )

Visit Carolyn's website.

Today's SBBT Schedule
Maya Ganesan at Miss Erin
Amber Benson at lectitans
Carolyn Hennesy at Bildungsroman
Jo Knowles at Hip Writer Mama
Sherri Winston at Finding Wonderland

Learn more about the GuysLitWire Book Fair for Boys.

I'm kicking this year's Summer Blog Blast Tour with my friend, the multi-talented Miss Amber Benson.

Once upon a time, I introduced you to author Christopher Golden, and the rest is history. When collaborating with Chris, how do you split up the writing duties?

I like to say that I went to Christopher Golden University and got my degree in creative writing. Literally, all that I know about writing prose, I learned from Chris. When we were working on the Ghosts of Albion book, we would get on the phone and sort of break the story by going back and forth, throwing out ideas, saying yes to some, no to others. Once we'd kind of hammered down the basic storyline and the scene breakdown then one of us would write the first pass at the outline and then that would go back and forth via email until it was to everyone's liking. Finally, we would break the outline down into chapters for each of us to do. For example, I'd do Chapter one and two, send 'em to Chris and he'd do a pass on them then do Chapters three and four. He would send everything back to me, I'd do a pass on three and four and then write five and six. It would go like that until the whole book was done.

Your newest book, Death's Daughter, is your first solo novel. You've said that the main character, Calliope, popped into your brain fully-formed and ready to go. Did she tell you her plans for all three books in the series at once, or did the story arc unfold as you wrote the first book?

I had originally planned one book for Callie. It was actually Ginjer who read the outline and the first ten chapters and said that there was a whole lot more Callie to write about, so we'd better do a trilogy. I was a bit scared by the enormity of writing three books, but I loved the idea. In the end, I decided that it would be kind of cool to model the trilogy on Dante's "Divine Comedy" - not that what I'm writing is literature, per se. It's really more of a fun, fast read. So, the first book takes place in Hell, the second in Purgatory and the third in Heaven.

Though the Calliope books are for adults and your next book, The New Newbridge Academy, is for kids, they loosely tie together: Calliope went to that school! Is this a stand-alone book or a series? Will this be for a YA audience or for the younger crowd, ages 8-12?

Yes, The New Newbridge Academy is loosely connected to the Calliope Reaper-Jones novels. The series takes place where Callie attended boarding school, but the story in this book actually centers around her best friend, Noh, and her first summer at the school. ( Read more... )

Learn more about Amber Benson at The Essence of Amber website

Visit Calliope Reaper-Jones at http://www.deathsdaughter.com

Read my 2005 interview with Amber Benson and Christopher Golden.

Today's SBBT Schedule
Andrew Mueller at Chasing Ray
Kekla Magoon at Fuse #8
Carrie Jones at Writing & Ruminating
Amber Benson at Bildungsroman
Greg van Eekhout at Shaken & Stirred

Learn more about the GuysLitWire Book Fair for Boys.

Writing a novel then trying to get published can be somewhat like taking a road trip: you can be improved or hindered by impulses, distractions, breaks, false starts, and the input of others.

For author Jennifer Bradbury, traveling down the road to publication has proved interesting. Her debut novel Shift was partially inspired by a trip she took years ago. Though the circumstances and plot of Shift - a mystery about a college boy gone missing - are fictional, the novel was born out of that special trip and the anecdotes it provided.

What made you and your spouse choose to take a two-month trek via bicycle to celebrate your honeymoon?

One of the things I fell for in my husband was how adventurous he is. And when we met, I soon learned that he'd done quite a bit of bike touring - including a cross-country trip when he graduated from high school. I thought it sounded like fun, and he was thrilled that I was willing to try. I didn't even own a bike at the time - a friend ended up buying me one at a yard sale down the road from where we got married, and that's the one I've ridden since. And the trip itself turned out to be a great way to start our marriage. A couple of months of intense adventure, fun, and challenge proved a great foundation.

( Read more... )

Visit Jennifer's website and blog.

Related Posts: Book Review: Shift by Jennifer Bradbury, Class of 2k8

Today's SBBT Stops
Elisha Cooper at Chasing Ray
Dar Williams at Fuse #8
Jennifer Bradbury at Bildungsroman
E. Lockhart at The YA YA YAs
Mary Hooper at Miss Erin
Charles R. Smith, Jr. at Writing & Ruminating
Mary E. Pearson at A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy

View the entire SBBT calendar.

Visit my archive of author interviews at Bildungsroman.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Sometimes, life takes a detour.

Shortly after graduating from high school, Chris and his best friend Win set out on their bicycles, determined to travel across the country before college. Like all good road trip, this trek is bumpy, memorable, and metaphoric. Towards the end of their journey, Win unexpectedly takes off by himself. Feeling abandoned and upset, Chris finishes the trip alone. When Chris comes home without Win, he has to answer to his parents, Win's parents, and the police. Where did his best friend go? Why? What really happened between Point A and B?

As close as he thought they were after ten years of friendship, Chris found himself surprised by some of the things his best friend did during their trip. He learns even more as he unravels the mystery of Win's disappearance. In the summertime sequences, their dialogue is always comfortable, sometimes teasing, sometimes competitive. They are friends who almost act like brothers, but they aren't one in the same. Chris comes from a working class family while Win, whose parents are well-off, obviously has difficulty getting along with his father. Growing up, the boys didn't really think about going their separate ways, but now that they have, Chris must figure out what his friend wanted and what he must do.

Readers will easily navigate through this story. Like a good film noir, Shift unfolds using both the past and the present: the chapters alternate between the here-and-now, with Chris starting his freshman year of college, and the summer, as Chris and Win make their way across the country. Their friendship and the investigation are accompanied by bicycles, patches, jackets, one glove, small towns, campgrounds, diners, and postcards. Though the element of mystery is always there, Shift is not a whodunnit. Instead, it asks: Why did Win leave? Who is he, really? How well do we really know anyone?

Shifting Into Gear

My favorite line from the book reads as follows:

Reality had a disappointing habit of not measuring up to my memories.

I also really enjoyed Chris' assessment of his situation:

[E]veryone kept telling me how much fun I was going to have in college, how much freedom I'd have. I was starting to believe that I'd used up my lifetime quota of both on the trip this summer.

Further Reading

Read my exclusive interview with author Jennifer Bradbury.

TLC can refer to many different things and people, including (but not limited to):

• The expression Tender Loving Care
• The Learning Channel
• The female R&B trio TLC
  
• Author Tera Lynn Childs

If you're looking for a contemporary twist on classic Greek tales, you simply must check out Tera's debut novel, Oh. My. Gods.  If Percy Jackson and the Olympians went to private school instead of summer camp, this would be their story. (Read my full-length book review.)

Tera and I share a love for certain books, such as The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, and The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin. We also share interests in theatre, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Greek myths.

While heaping TLC with praise for OMG, I managed to ask her some VIQs (Very Important Questions). The following interview was brought to you in part by sneakers, myth-takes, and parentheses.

Which Greek god or goddess would you like to have as a relative?

Athena. She’s wicked smart and also knows how to kick a little Trojan booty. (Although, if we’re talking Troy the movie, it would be a serious toss-up between Achilles and Hector. Hmm, Brad Pitt or Eric Bana. Brad Pitt or Eric -- Uh, where were we?)

Your protagonist, Phoebe, is a cross-country athlete. What godly power would you run a marathon to earn?

In the sequel, I develop more specific definitions for the various powers -- twelve in all. My favorite would have to be visiomutation, which is the ability to change the appearance of an object. That way I could try out infinite hair cuts and colors without shelling out at the salon!

What is your Achilles' heel?

Bookstores. I can’t go in one without buying a book or three. I try to justify it as market research, but really I just love holding and reading and possessing them. Like maybe John Green, E. Lockhart, or Jaclyn Moriarty’s genius will rub off on me. Next thing you know I’ll sleeping with The Year of Secret Assignments under my pillow.  

Have you ever been to Greece?

Sadly, no. I’ve never been to Greece , but it’s definitely on the long term travel list.

How did this story come to mind?

The inspiration for Oh. My. Gods. was a combination of the original title (Growing Up Godly) and my life-long passion for all things ancient (especially Greek myth).

How many titles did you go through before settling on Oh. My. Gods.?

Personally, I only considered two: Growing Up Godly (the working title) and Oh. My. Gods. My editor suggested a few others, but none of them clicked. As soon as she said Oh. My. Gods. I knew it was the one!

Between the first draft and the final draft, did anything (event) or anyone (character) drastically change?

So much changed! The most significant things would have to be the beginning and the ending. Originally, the book opened with Phoebe having just learned she has to relocate to Greece for her senior year. My editor thought (and I agree) that we should first meet her in the world she has to leave behind.  The ending was a slightly more elaborate change. Without giving any spoilers, I’ll just say I had to rearrange the last three chapters.

When is the sequel coming out? Has it been titled yet?

The sequel is scheduled to release next summer and is still officially title-less. I’ll share my working title, Goddess Bootcamp, and my front-runner idea, Goddess In Motion.

I like both titles, especially Goddess In Motion. Is it also from Phoebe's POV?

Yes, it’s from Phoebe’s POV. It takes place during the summer after Oh. My. Gods. with the same fun cast of characters (and a couple of new additions).

What are your ten favorite books of all time?

Choosing number one is easy, but after that it gets harder. I’m just going to list them in the order in which I discovered them.

The Westing Game by  Ellen Raskin (my first favorite!)
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (so began my love of hieroglyphs)
The Baby-Sitters Club: Logan Likes Mary Anne by Ann M. Martin (my first romance!)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (unquestionably #1)
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (had to stop halfway through to check my doors and closets)
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (toss-up between that and King Lear)
The Magic of You by Johanna Lindsay (gotta love the older man)
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (my second favorite hero after Mr. Darcy)
The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty (clever, brilliant, fun)
Fly On the Wall by E. Lockhart (everyone on the planet should read this)

You have some special publishing connections to The Westing Game, you lucky girl. Tell me about those.

Omigosh, I could still faint over this. Not only am I published by the same house that published The Westing Game, but I’m represented by the same literary agency! It’s like a childhood dream come true. I never could have imagined following in Ellen Raskin’s footsteps (far, far behind her, of course).

Who was your favorite member of the BSC?

I never had a favorite favorite. Kristy was probably the most like me. I so envied Dawn’s beautiful long blonde hair and identified with her because I lived in California at the time. I wanted to be cool like Stacey and artsy like Claudia. And I wanted Mary Anne’s Logan for myself.

And finally: Phoebe often wears shirts with empowering or otherwise direct sayings related to running and endurance. If you wore such a shirt (with either an inspirational saying or a "warning label") while writing, what would it say? (For example, I want one that says, "Don't Bother Me - I'm Reading," and another that says, "I'd Rather Be On Stage Right Now.")

"Daydreaming = Work"

I do almost all my writing in coffee shops (shout out to Starbucks!) and spend a lot of my time daydreaming, staring out the window, or observing the rainbow parade of customers. It may not look like I’m working, but really I am. Really!

Fellow daydreamers and fans of myths are invited to Tera's website and blog.

Related Posts: It's All Greek to Me booklist and Oh. My. Gods. book review

Today's SBBT Stops
Delia Sherman at Chasing Ray 
Ingrid Law at Fuse #8 
Polly Dunbar at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast 
Tera Lynn Childs at Bildungsroman 
Siena Cherson Siegel at Miss Erin 
Barry Lyga at A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy

View the entire SBBT calendar.

Visit my archive of author interviews at Bildungsroman.

 

Communication is incredibly important to me.

Thanks to the wonders of the internet, readers and bloggers may communicate with authors without ever meeting or speaking in person. Susane Colasanti and I have been chatting back and forth in email for the past few months, and I was delighted when she joined the Summer Blog Blast Tour. The SBBT is all about connecting authors with readers, and Susane's books are all about connecting readers with characters. She employs two narrators in her first novel, When It Happens, and three in her new release, Take Me There. Her narrators speak in first person and the stories often show the same scenes and events from different points of view.  As a kid, Susane regarded books as her best friends. Now, perhaps her books and characters will become friends of yours.

Welcome to our conversation.

Little Willow: Hey Susane!

Susane: Hey, Little Willow! I'm stoked to be here.

For the viewers at home that are reading along . . . Care to sound out (type out!) your name phonetically?

Yes, that C with a lot of Italian after it can be complicated! My first name looks tricky, but it's actually pronounced "Suzanne." When pronouncing my last name, you have two choices. The Italian way (which you can bust out with loudly while making a good pesto sauce) is "cole-uh-SAHN-tee." However, I use the less interesting pronunciation, which is "kahl-uh-SAN-tee."

Hmm. After reading this over, I completely understand if you still don't know how to say my last name. That's cool.

What are the benefits of writing from multiple perspectives and both genders? The difficulties?

When I was a teen, I mostly read adult novels. I discovered Stephen King when I was thirteen and became a fan. At that time, the selection of young adult novels was very different from what it is now. I wish I had all of the incredible teen novels to choose from that teens have now! When I did read teen novels, they were almost always told from the girl's perspective. I was dying to know what the boy was thinking, what he talked about with his friends, and what he was doing during scenes that didn't include him. I promised myself that if I ever wrote a young adult novel, I would write it from both of the main characters' perspectives.

Thank you again for dropping by!

Of course! Your blog is amazing and I'm honored to be a part of the fun.

Visit Susane's website and her blog, where you may enter a contest to win copies of her books.

Related Booklist: Multiple Narrators

Today's SBBT Stops
Ben Towle at Chasing Ray
Sean Qualls at Fuse #8
Susane Colasanti at Bildungsroman
Robin Brande at HipWriterMama
Susan Beth Pfeffer at The YA YA YAs
Debby Garfinkle at A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy
Jennifer Lynn Barnes at Writing & Ruminating

View the entire SBBT 2008 calendar.

Visit my archive of author interviews at Bildungsroman.