(There is an international giveaway at the end of this interview. I am just saying.)

Internet, I have been looking forward to this book:

I think Mindi Scott is awesome and I’ve loved following her publication journey. This book released in October, but I was smack in the middle of 80 million (no exaggeration!) different things and I couldn’t sit down and read it until this month and I would not wish a similar fate upon anyone. It was hard. Anyways, it’s always a dangerous thing when I have to wait to read something. I’ll either lose interest in the novel or put it on such a high pedastal, it’s doomed to fail. Not fair, I know, but life isn’t fair and if anyone knows that it is SETH MCCOY.

Freefall follows the life and times of Seth McCoy (or maybe call him Dick), after the death of his best friend, Isaac. Seth and Isaac were part of the same band–The Real McCoys–and they both partied hard. One night, Isaac drinks way too much… and ends up choking to death on his own vomit.

Needless to say, Seth spirals hard. He can’t shake the feeling he’s responsible for Isaac’s death. He’s bored of helping his egocentric friend Daniel supply booze for the rich kids at school who think they’re both trailer trash wastes of space. He often binge drinks before playing gigs to cope with stage fright as well as the general pressure his bandmates pile on him. After bender # whatever, he winds up waking up to dead Isaac’s on-and-off again girlfriend, Kendall.

Oops.

Clearly, things need to change, and that’s when this book begins, with Seth making two positive choices: to stop drinking and commit himself to an intense class schedule so he can graduate. Both of these decisions are the beginning of the rest of his life. In one of the elective classes he attends to boost his grade point average–Interpersonal Communications–he comes face to face with Rosetta, a beautiful girl he may or may not have nearly run over with his car. Thankfully, she gets over it and what follows is a really tender and sharp debut about two similarly wounded people coming together to bring out the best in themselves.

I am happy to report that there was not a trace of fail in the pages of Freefall. It was funny, engaging and romantic and I adored the voice; Seth’s quick wit–spot on and cleverly timed–made me chuckle repeatedly and laughing out loud with a book is always a special thing. Rosetta was a sweet and slightly mysterious love interest and the gradual build of Seth’s relationship with her felt natural. The way she coped with her own tragic past gave Seth new insights on how he could cope with his own, and in both of them, I got the sense of two people who needed each other and were good for each other. Kendall is quite possibly one of my most favourite secondary characters EVER. She stole every scene she was in. I was pretty much rooting for every single one of these people. I wanted them all to be happy.

I loved watching Seth try to discern the best course of action for himself and the people he cared about and his stumbles along the way were so genuine. I adored the sincerity in his screw-ups and his attempts to fix them. That’s another good word for Seth and his story as a whole: it’s sincere. It’s sincere and it’s hopeful, despite the heavy subject matter. Overall, Freefall to me, is the epitome of a feel good novel. I felt good when I read it. I felt good after I finished it. And if you read it–and you should–I think you will too.

Which is why I am giving a copy away! YOU MUST HAVE THIS BOOK, INTERNET. But first, I’m thrilled to say that Mindi Scott totally agreed to let me interview her about its development and being a writer and I hope you enjoy what she had to say as much as I did.

Thank you so much, Courtney!

My journey to publication went like this: I tried NaNoWriMo in 2003, wrote around 20,000 words, and quit. I decided that I wanted to make writing novels a part of my regular life; not just a thing that took over completely the month of November. The following spring, I quit my full-time job and started working part-time so I could write more. Fall 2004, I enrolled in a novel-writing program at the University of Washington where I completed my first manuscript, for which I went on to collect 75 agent rejections. I then wrote the book that become Freefall from August 2006 to February 2008. I spent all of 2008 collecting agent rejections (over 75 this time), and signed with my agent in January 2009. He sold it to Simon Pulse that May and it came out in October 2010.

So, yeah, that’s a pretty passionless paragraph right there. My journey wasn’t quick and it wasn’t easy, but I can be sappy about it now and say that I’m grateful for suffering. I’m a better writer as a result, I adore my agent and editor, and I’m happy, happy, happy that everything turned out this way!

That is not a passionless paragraph at all. As a reader and fan, I’m happy it turned out this way too. :) How does it feel to have your book out there and read and if you could go back in time and tell pre-pub Mindi one thing, what would it be?

It feels exciting, gratifying, overwhelming, terrifying, surreal. Now that the book has been out for three months, sometimes it almost feels kind of . . . normal now. I imagine all the emotions will be out again in full force for a book 2, though.

As far as going back in time, oh man. Time travel gets me all flummoxed. Like, if I went back and gave pre-pub Mindi some encouragement that it will happen eventually, would her misery cease, and thus her hard work? If I gave her friendly suggestions about how to better manage her time (for example), would she be stubborn? I just don’t know what she would do! And if I went back in time to meet her at all, what would that do to the space-time continuum? I mean, I’ve seen Back to the Future! That stuff is tricky.

Hah! Good point. Seth is a wonderful character. I loved him. He’s totally sincere and a total riot–his quips had me laughing out loud. You wrote a wonderful guest blog on what it was like to write a guy POV over at Me On Books and I’d like to touch on that topic further, so this question comes in two parts: A. what was the most surprising thing about writing Seth? And B. Who are some of your favourite YA male protagonists written by women?

I’m glad you loved him! Me too! I think the most surprising thing about writing Seth was realizing that I really loved this kid, but that I would not have liked him at all in high school. In a weird way, that realization increased my empathy toward people, in general. For reals! Because, sure, some people out there really are dicks, but many are just going through stuff, you know? Seth showed me that. That’s how swell he is.

Some of my favorite YA male protagonists written by women are Robin from What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones, Blake from Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan, Tyler from Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Nick from I Know It’s Over by C.K. Kelly Martin.

Great choices! I love C.K. Kelly Martin’s stuff. The secondary characters in Freefall are very vividly drawn. Kendall is my favourite–she is AWESOME–so I have to know: did her character evolve much from the first to final draft? And if so, how so?

Kendall was pretty much always Kendall, but in the earliest draft, she was Extreme Kendall and Seth’s main antagonist. She was very brash and every single scene in which she appeared was a snark fest. She also despised dead Isaac and didn’t care that Seth knew it. Fire cracker, that girl.

One of my critique partners during that time (author John C. Ford), suggested that Kendall would be better utilized if she actually had her own tie to Isaac. I fought that suggestion at first because I liked Kendall hating on Isaac. But then I decided to make her Isaac’s long-time-girlfriend. When I reworked all her scenes to reflect this very major change, everything fell into place. She was still Kendall, but she went from being this girl who turned up periodically to annoy Seth to someone who turned up to maybe not always annoy him, who was experiencing the same loss as he. It changed everything between them and made Kendall (in my opinion) the most important character in helping Seth come to terms with what happened to Isaac.

I didn’t really have conscious thoughts about balancing these things; I simply included whatever I felt was realistic for my characters. It was important to me that my approach was always honest. Sometimes characters don’t do the honorable thing, but that’s part of what makes them real.

The advice I would give to a writer who wants to explore darker, edgier topics is to go for it and to be real. Don’t force “lessons.” I beg of you! Don’t force anything, actually. It never really works, right?

You’ll get no argument from me. What I liked about Rosetta was that she was quirky and interesting without ever veering into the realm of The Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Was there anything you were conscious of NOT wanting to do/steer clear of while you were developing her?

Aww! Thank you for saying that! One thing that not everyone knows is that Rosetta was originally going to be the star of this novel. Which would have made Seth the love interest. He could have been Rosetta’s Depressed Pixie Dream Boy. Or whatever. :-D

When I made the switch very early on, I realized that Rosetta’s phobia and goals were driving (ha) everything even though I’d given this story to Seth to tell. I decide that I had to stop it. I had to be fair to the narrator I’d chosen and put the major focus on his arc.

So I guess I would say that the things I became most conscious of were not letting Rosetta take over the novel and not making solving her issues the true focus. As much as I might have liked to, putting Rosetta on Seth’s timeline would not have been realistic for her experiences; some problems take more time to solve than others.

I agree with you. I loved the way you handled Rosetta’s arc. What was your favourite scene to write? What was the hardest?

It’s difficult to pick, but one of my favorites to write was actually two shorts scenes (pages 40-45) when Seth walks into Daniel’s place and misinterprets what he’s seeing. I think it’s really the first time we get a sense of the trauma Seth experienced from Isaac’s death and it’s his first major turning point. Obviously, it isn’t a pleasant thing for him to go through, but I’ve always liked it because it’s like you can pin-point that this is where he starts to change. Plus, I love to write intense scenes where characters experience their strongest emotions.

The hardest scenes for me to write were the ones where Seth is hanging out with his band(s). It wasn’t that what was happening was so difficult to put into words; it’s just that I find it a bit torturous to have to maneuver four characters through a scene.

Seth plays in two bands, THE REAL MCCOYS and SCRATCHING AT THE 8-BALL. What do these guys sound like? Can you give us some musical points of reference?

The Real McCoys are rockabilly, whose original roots are the likes of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. I picture their band sounding a little like Rattled Roosters, Reverend Horton Heat, or Season of Nightmares. The latter two are actually psychobilly, not rockabilly, so clearly you shouldn’t listen to me!

In the book, Xander tells Seth that Scratching at the 8-Ball has “a pop-punk sound–heavier on the punk” and Seth tells readers that they have “loud, fast guitars and drums” and were “obviously inspired by old Green Day or the Offspring.” I, personally, picture their music like My Chemical Romance with the vocals of The Graduate (not a pop-punk band). Again, you should probably trust Seth and Xander, though!

Either way–I get new music to check out. :) What five books have influenced you most as a writer, YA or otherwise?

MERMAIDS by Patty Dann
HOMECOMING by Cynthia Voigt
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by JD Salinger
LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green
Roget’s 21st Century Thesaurus

Right now I’m working on a dark YA about an almost-sixteen-year-old girl who can’t tell the truth out of fear of what it will cost her. As it happens, she is a member of a 21-member dance team and lives with her family of seven. Remember what I said for question #7 about maneuvering lots of people in a scene? Yeah. Wow.

You can find me at MindiScott.com, Twitter, and The Contemps!

Yay! Sounds exciting! Anything else you want to add?

Thank you so much for having me, Courtney, and for asking such thoughtful questions. And for reading my book and getting it and telling others. I’m always gushing because your writing truly inspires me, so this has been an honor. An honor, I say!

The honor is all mine, Mindi! I loved Freefall and I’m excited to be following your career. Thank you so much for your time and for indulging my questions!

What more can I say, people? READ THIS BOOK.

In case you couldn’t tell, it’s great.

Oh, but wait. Wait even more! Before I announce the winners, I may have something of interest to you if this is the kind of thing you are interested in. I posted about it in various online places last week but no news is ever official until I blog about it 500 years later, amirite? The first five chapters of Fall For Anything are online. If you’re so inclined to read them, you can do so by clicking here. ALSO, I did an interview with Miss Remmers’ students on her blog. They asked me some fantastic, thoughtful questions and you can check it out here. Thank you for having me, Miss Remmers!

And NOW onto the Fall For Anything giveaway winners!

But wait!

Yeah, I’m awful. But before I tell you who won what, I really want to thank everyone who entered. I was completely bowled over by the response and enthusiasm for Eddie and her mysterious dying hands. Thank you. Ok. So. The winner of the Fall For Anything ARC (for reals this time) is…

Lara!

And the winner of two preordered finished copies are…

Sommer and Ginny!

So that’s that! If you’re still interested in snagging a Fall For Anything ARC, I guess we should talk about this new contest that I am holding? It is open to International entries! It is also a Facebook exclusive. I know, I know. If it’s not one thing it’s the other. If you would like a chance to win a Fall For Anything ARC, here is what you have to do:

1) Go to my Facebook page. This one –> http://www.facebook.com/pages/Courtney-Summers/145262370138
2) Like me! Really like me!
3) On the Facebook wall write, “I want Fall for Anything!” or whatever. Just let me know you want to be entered in this glorious contest.
4) I’ll like the comment (so you know I’ve seen it) and put you into the draw. I’ll announce the winner October 25th.
5) One entry per person. Winner will be announced on the Facebook page (I’ll reply to their comment, post it on the wall and if it’s possible message them). They’ll have 48 hours to claim their prize before a redraw.

If you don’t have a Facebook account and you hate liking people, there will probably be another giveaway in the near future. Who knows!

In other news (I say this a lot–is there a better way to segue into other news because I’m tired of saying it), two YA author friends of mine are celebrating some good news this week and I want to celebrate with them!

Victoria Schwab, author of The Near Witch (hey, crazy–turns out that link is a pre-order link!) got to reveal the cover of her book yesterday. I was lucky enough to get an early read on The Near Witch and though I am primarily a contemporary YA reader, this book had me from start to finish. Fully expect it to take your breath away when it comes out in August 2011. Check out Victoria’s qt vlog below and then go to her blog for further deets!

In other other news (?), I am still making October as full of scary movies as I can. On the to-be-watched pile: Kwaidan (so excited about this one!), Disney’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow (an oldie, but a goodie–like Hocus Pocus WHICH I HOPE YOU ARE GOING TO BE WATCHING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON), Trick ‘r Treat (totally fast-forwarding through the werewolf bits for obvious reasons) and The Black Belly of the Tarantula which was recommended to me by Emily Hainsworth! And is anyone watching Dead Set on Space? It is about zombies and reality television and it is AWESOME.

And that is all! Go forth and enter my Facebook Exclusive, Open to International Entries ARC giveaway! Or watch horror movies! Because uhm, I can’t remember the focal point of this blog entry anymore. Probably it was the contest. But I really love horror movies too, so…

5 Books I’ve Read Recently
1. Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
2. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
3. Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams
4. Flyaway by Lucy Christopher
5. Tell Me What You See by Zoran Drvenkar

5 Books I’m Planning to Read (in the near future)
1. Freefall by Mindi Scott
2. Losing Faith by Denise Jaden
3. The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston
4. Rosebush by Michele Jaffe
5. The Bad Seed by William March

5 of My Favorite Books
1. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
2. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
3. In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami
4. One Lonely Degree by C.K. Kelly Martin
5. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

5 of My Least Favorite Books
1 – 5. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

5 of My Favorite Book-to-Film Adaptations
1. Battle Royale
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
3. The Last Unicorn
4. Forrest Gump
5. Psycho


YES, I know, I know, I know. Someone out there is really offended that I don’t like the story about a boy who takes everything he can from a tree before he sits on her face but hey, I like Love You Forever and you should see what people say about THAT. Fiction is so subjective isn’t it!

Anyways, Internet, now that’s out of the way I just thought you should know I am disappearing for a coupla weeks. I need some uninterrupted stretches of Courtney time (maybe I will get some WRITING done!) and I gots to take them while I can because the next few months are going to be crazy.

Things you might need to know:

I won’t be blogging (what’s new, right?) during this time. I’ll be reading blogs but I’ll probably be quiet on the comment front. There will be minimal, if any, tweeting (I’ll check in for @ replies) and facebooking but if something earth-shatteringly awesome or terrible happens that demands telling RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT, you’ll hear about it in either of those places first. Emails will be low priority for me in general, though I don’t expect to let my inbox get out of control. If you have a time sensitive query, please make note of it in your email to me and I won’t leave you hanging.

I think that’s about it. I can’t believe how much preparation being semi-absent for like 14 days requires but there you go.

IF any of you want to keep me relevant on the Internet while I’m “away,” I would appreciate that! Here are some suggestions: blog about how much you miss me/love me/hate me, turn my name into a hashtag on Twitter and Facebook flattering things about me. Easy!

JUST JOKING.

Actually I was thinking we should all go on our own individual vacations, Internet. You look like you need one too. And if you don’t go on vacation every now and then, bad things happen. I mean, we all know what happen to that overachiever Jessie Spano who didn’t go on a vacation and took up with those crazy caffeine pills instead…

I will give you a moment to be shocked at the fact that there has only been four days between this post and the last one.

WELL. The Contemps went live yesterday!!!!

The Contemps is a stellar group of 21 YA authors (including Brent Crawford, Lisa Schroeder, Elizabeth Scott, Kirsten Hubbard, Kody Keplinger, Hannah Harrington, Jo Knowles, Mindi Scott, Melissa Walker, Daisy Whitney and Michael Northrop to name just a few) with contemporary novels releasing over the course of the year. We are COMPLETELY dedicated to spreading the word about and spotlighting realistic YA fiction. And not only spotlighting those stories, but sharing our own. So you definitely want to keep your eye on us. But where to look? WELL, just so you know:

And did I mention The Contemps Challenge? If you accept The Contemps Challenge and promise to read at least 18 of the 21 upcoming Contemps books, you will have a chance to WIN ALL 21 OF OUR BOOKS. Pretty sweet, huh? Go here for deets.

So CHECK IT, people. Just check it. I don’t even know how you got this far down in my blog entry because you should’ve clicked away to The Contemps website by now.

But if you stuck around, well.

First pass pages for Fall for Anything came in the mail! I took some pictures to tease you with. Look at this sexy title page!

Now get thee to The Contemps’ website!

Want to know how you can win The Sky Always Hears Me and the Hills Don’t Mind (Kirstin Cronn-Mills), Harmonic Feedback (Tara Kelly) AND The Lighter Side of Life and Death (C.K. Kelly Martin)? Find out at the bottom of this interview with CK Kelly Martin!


I’ve been lucky enough to have C.K. Kelly Martin stop by my blog for interviews twice before. The first time was when I Know It’s Over was released and the second, when One Lonely Degree hit shelves. I’m absolutely thrilled to have her back a third time to wind up Awesome Books Week by spotlighting her latest release, The Lighter Side of Life and Death.

The Lighter Side of Life and Death is about a sixteen-year-old boy named Mason. He and his best friend, Kat, have sex after a party (first time for both of them) and it’s undeniably awesome… in the moment.

After, Mason, who has long crushed on Kat, wants to take it to the next level. Kat–when she can look Mason in the eye–is adamant about not jeopardizing their friendship. Too bad having sex with your best friend isn’t exactly a moment you can go back from! The only thing Mason can do is wave goodbye to the relationship they might’ve had and watch what’s left of the one they do have deteroriate and deal with the fall out. To make matters worse, he has to contend with a whole new family dynamic: his dad’s fiance has moved in with her cranky 13-year-old daughter and adorable handful of a six-year-old. And a PSYCHO CAT. A distraction is definitely in order.

Luckily (?), distraction comes in the form of Colette, a twenty-three year old woman, and the chemistry between her and Mason is undeniable…

I loved this book. I love all of C.K.’s books. They are so important, I feel everyone should read them. EVERYONE! She touches on so many emotional truths, I feel safe in making the assumption that there’s something in her books all people of the planet earth need and can connect with. She has such respect for her readers and characters. Anyone who wants to write YA definitely needs to read CK’s stuff before they even ATTEMPT it. She is one of the most realistic writers on the scene right now. Nothing is sensationalized, but everything is beautiful and honest and raw, relateable and wonderful. As with all of her books, The Lighter Side of Life and Death is chock full of her trademark honesty and intelligence. This is an absorbing read and you need it in your life. Read my full review here.

(Also: no one ask me what my favourite C.K. Kelly Martin book is or I will just curl up in a ball and cry because I won’t be able to pick and the idea of being forced to choose is very upsetting. I guess if you HATE ME, you could ask, but.)

And now, presenting…

Thank you! It’s weird because I get so obsessed with writing the books but once they’re out in public for awhile they begin to feel distant from me. Maybe because I’m very much an introvert and not into the idea of doing readings and stuff (I would seriously rather to go to the dentist than ever have a launch party!) the whole publishing thing still doesn’t seem very real to me. So I don’t think I’ve gotten used to it but I have realized that I need to keep the idea of being a writer away from my writing, otherwise I just don’t feel like writing, it becomes a negative thing. So, yeah, it’s strange, it’s like I don’t actually know that I have three books out.

That is seriously a fantastic answer. What I love most about all of your novels (I Know It’s Over, One Lonely Degree, The Lighter Side of Life and Death) is that they are all resoundingly sex and girl-positive. From your blog and knowing you alone, it’s clear these topics are very important to you. What are some stale stereotypes relating to this topic that you’d be happy NEVER to see in young adult fiction again?

I’m very happy to hear this because it’s important to me to be girl-positive–and also boy-positive. We’ve internalized some really negative and restrictive messages about gender in this culture. Even as gender expectations are lifting, there’s a heavy backlash–a desire to push people back into boxes. There’s an unrelenting sexualization of girls and women by popular media and advertising which limits them as people, unhealthy ideas of what it is to be male–that you have to be unemotional, dominant, aggressive–and ridiculous double standards in what society’s expectations of people are.

One of the things I have a problem with in some YA fiction, and in our culture generally, is that it’s considered normal (or at least not a big issue) for a teenage guy to have sex or want to but girls are expected to treat it more gravely and wait for love and/or a serious relationship, otherwise the sex often takes on some cautionary tale aspects. I had a review for One Lonely Degree where the reviewer wrote, “Relationships and romance form a large part of the book’s plot as Finn seems to fall in love with one person after another.” But I thought it was pretty clear that most of that was lust and not love and that at fifteen (and single) there’s nothing wrong with a girl lusting after various people–not even necessarily wanting to sleep with those people in reality but enjoying fantasizing about it. Girls have sexual appetites too; they’re not just romantics.

Another thing I really take issue with is a dynamic that sometimes appears in books with a strong romantic element. Basically it’s when a male character is continually openly hostile to the main female character (sometimes to the point where she fears for safety–or would if she were smart) and this disdain and disrespect the male character shows for the female character is presented as being sexy because the male character is supposed to be hot. It’s pretty disingenuous because if the male character shows contempt for the female main character and wants her anyway in reality that’s not a dynamic that would lead to some great romance; it’s more like a dynamic that would lead to a one night stand or an emotionally or physically abusive relationship.

So when I see this kind of thing and see readers react to it as though this toxicity is indeed romantic it makes me think that we have pretty screwed up ideas about love–and that’s not the kind of thing I want to pass down to a generation of young people.

Here, here! I agree with you on all counts. So well said. Mason marks your second time writing from a guy’s POV. The first time was with Nick from I Know It’s Over. As I read Lighter Side, I never once thought of Nick. Not just because each character is going through markedly different situations, but because they’re such two distinct voices. Did you worry about that? How easy or difficult was it finding Mason’s voice?

This is something that did concern me–Nick and Mason are both sixteen with middle class upbringings (and they’ve even both gone through the breakup of their parents) but Mason is much more easy going. I sort of think of him as being more like Nathan (from I Know It’s Over) than he is like Nick.

But there was really only one occasion when I was working on The Lighter Side of Life and Death that I found myself about to type out something that was in Nick’s voice. I can’t remember which scene it was, just that it was a thought Mason was having rather than an action or a piece of dialogue. It was pretty early in and I caught myself and reminded myself that Mason was a very different person to Nick and never would’ve had that thought. It never happened again.

Overall Mason’s voice came very naturally. Especially in the final three-quarters of the book it felt like second nature.

I’m so glad, I loved the Psycho Cat too! I can’t remember why I gave Brianna and Burke (the future step-siblings that move in with Mason) a cat. I guess I just thought they had one. The showdown between Mason and the cat wasn’t something that I had in mind initially; it just sort of developed over the course of the story. If I think about it now, I suppose the cat serves to reflect Brianna’s feelings of hostility towards Mason. I’m sure she would’ve gotten a good laugh from seeing her cat have a go at Mason!

I can just picture her cackling madly in the background. You are definitely not known for shying away from the issues you write about. Did you have any reservations about how people would respond to or perceive Mason’s relationship with Colette, given the age difference? Or how they would receive Colette, specifically? It would be so easy to characterize her as a dangerous predator type, and you just didn’t go there, which I really appreciated. She was nuanced and human and a little lost.

When I wrote The Lighter Side of Life and Death in 2005 I hadn’t sold any books yet and there’s a certain freedom in that. I don’t think I really considered how other people might react (the idea of having a book published seemed pretty unreal) and I try not to think too much about that now I either because I wouldn’t want those worries to get in way of whatever story I’m telling.

The seven and a half year age difference between Mason and Colette does seem like a big one but in Canada and in a majority of states this wouldn’t be illegal. I remember in high school having teachers that were 23 or 24 and it was obvious that they weren’t all that different to the students; it was much easier to relate to them than it was to the older teachers. So I think it’s not so strange that there can be an attraction between someone of 16 and someone of 23. I never really thought of Colette as a predator–having more experience and maturity she should’ve known better, but she got swept up in things like Mason did.

The Lighter Side really demonstrates your versatility as a writer. It’s a departure in tone for you, but it carries all the hallmarks of a C.K. Kelly Martin book. It’s thoughtful, beautifully written and respects its characters as well as its readers. Was the writing process different compared to I Know It’s Over and One Lonely Degree?

Thank you! I’m glad to hear that. After writing two emotionally tough books in a row I really wanted to tackle something lighter but that wish aside the process wasn’t any different. I wanted to be true to Mason’s reality, which just doesn’t happen to be quite as troubled as Nick’s or Finn’s.

What was your favourite scene to write?

Mason was on such a high for the entire first chapter that it was pure fun to write. But there’s a scene near the end of the book, where Mason and Kat have a conversation on the school bleachers and get real with each other, which I enjoyed just as much. It was kind of painful and awkward to write but also a relief to be able to get things out that you know they’ve been thinking and feeling.

I loved both of those scenes. Name a book, movie or song that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of YA for you.

It’s hard to come up with just one because there are so many different aspects of YA but overall for the kind of stuff I like to write I’d choose the song Lazy Eye by Silversun Pickups from a few years ago.

Ooh, thank you for the introduction to the Silverspun Pickups! Name three websites that you can’t go a day without checking.

BBC News is my homepage so that’s where I start out every day. I also check out The Toronto Star website (I subscribe to the hard copy of the paper but they update stories online all day long), on a daily basis and Feministing.com to have a look at political and social news from a Feminist slant.

Tell us about what’s next for you!

I just finished a rough draft of my first non-YA book. It’s about a twenty-year-old woman who goes into a state of collapse after the boyfriend she’s been living with dies suddenly. After closing herself off for months she suddenly sleeps with someone else and that sends shockwaves, which may or may not be a good thing, into the rest of her life.

I’m not sure what will become of that novel yet but my editor says a revision letter for My Beating Teenage Heart (my fourth book) will be arriving soon so once that happens I’ll be occupied with revisions until my summer holiday in Dublin. And then I plan to take a bit of a break for awhile and not write much of anything! I need to get reacquainted with my Wii – it’s been way to long.

I LOVE hearing that there are more C.K. Kelly Martin books in the works! I’ll be first in line to get them when they hit shelves. Thank you for stopping by and talking about your books, C.K.!

Thank you so much for having me back, Courtney! I always love to talk to you.

* An Interview with Kirstin Cronn-Mills
* An Interview with Tara Kelly
* An Interview with C.K. Kelly Martin

If you comment on one interview, you will be entered once. If you comment on two of them, twice. All three interviews? Three times! *NOTE: All entrants are limited to three entries each.

Increase your chances at winning by commenting on them all when they go up (just be consistent in entering your name and email address so I can count the entries accordingly).

Please note this contest is open to residents of the US and Canada only (sorry International readers). A random winner will be selected August 1st, 2010 and contacted via email for their shipping deets. They winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize or there will be a redraw.




Dear FTC, The Lighter Side of Life and Death was bought by me and I was not compensated for this review or interview. I just love talking about the books I love. xo, Courtney

Want to know how you can win The Sky Always Hears Me and the Hills Don’t Mind (Kirstin Cronn-Mills), Harmonic Feedback (Tara Kelly) AND The Lighter Side of Life and Death (C.K. Kelly Martin)? Find out at the bottom of this interview with Tara Kelly!


My favourite part of my Publishers Marketplace subscription is the deal listings. Whenever a contemporary realistic YA is acquired, my ears perk up. I have been looking forward to Harmonic Feedback since it was announced. Here’s the pitch line from the deal announcement in 2008:

“… about a 16-year old music obsessed, smart-mouthed girl with Asperger’s syndrome who starts a band, falls in lust and learns to question what “normal” really means…”

Dude, try to keep me from reading this book. JUST TRY IT! Yeah, see that? You can’t. Mostly because I have already read it. But if you had tried to keep me from it, YOU WOULD HAVE FAILED.

The gist: Sixteen-year-old Drea is the new kid in town. She’s always the new kid in town. Getting acclimated to new places and new faces is never fun, but is always made more complicated by Drea’s ADHD and Asperger’s. Drea struggles with other people’s perceptions of her–family and peers alike–and does not want to be defined by her diagnoses. She sees her latest move to Bellingham, Washington as a chance to really start over. And it really is. Naomi, the wild girl next door, takes Drea under her wings immediately. Drea’s also befriended by Justin, the squeaky clean good guy (or is he?) who pushes Drea’s buttons and challenges her own set of perceptions. The three start a band together but, as the jacket flap says, “… just when she’s found not one but two true friends, can [Drea] stand to lose one of them?”

I loved Harmonic Feedback. This is a wonderfully solid debut that I didn’t want to put it down. Yes, Drea has ADHD and Asperger’s but the book and Drea are not DEFINED by her having them. The way Drea processes and navigates a new (and sometimes frightening) social landscape is incredibly well done. At its core, this book isa coming of age tale about a girl whose desires and longings, from the simple to the not-so-simple, are pretty much EVERYONE’s. There are universal themes of friendship and love and fitting in that I think lots of teen readers will be able to identify with. I got quite emotional while I read this. Tara Kelly’s writing is sharp and to the point, quick moving, heartfelt and unafraid to be raw. Check out my full review of the book here.

(PS Harmonic Feedback also features one of the most healthy, sexy, swoon-worthy, equal relationships I’ve seen in YA for a long time.)

Tara graciously gave me her time for an interview and I’m thrilled to share it with you here.

Thank you! Harmonic Feedback was the third book I queried, but technically the second book I wrote–or in my world, the second book I finished! It’s unfortunate, but true that I’ve written most of my life, but I never managed to write an actual book until around 2007 (and my first book didn’t even have a good/real ending). I won’t even go into how I tried to find an agent for the first book I ever wrote *bangs head* Let’s just say I got lots of rejections at the query stage. Anyway, the second book I queried got LOTS of requests (I’d say over half) and what I’d call positive rejections and requests for my next book (which was HF). I only sent HF to 10 agents or so because I wanted to do it ‘right’ this time and take it slow. Seemed the third time was the charm. I got a couple offers and ended up with Jennifer Laughran for a couple reasons 1) She totally GOT Drea and the book (this was a biggie for me as some agents thought Drea needed to act like Rainman to be believable as a character on the autistic spectrum) and 2) She was an enthusiastic, new agent with ABLA (my dream agency). It just seemed right!

My book went out about a week after I signed the contracts with Jenn. And two weeks later, I had interest from a couple publishers. Holt came in with a very enthusiastic offer and my agent thought they’d be the best fit. Insane fast, right? Yeah, I’ve learned that it doesn’t always happen like this. Most people will wait FAR longer for that first offer or even for an editor response. And I expect to as well with future books *grin*

It’s nice to see variety in publication journeys! Drea has an incredible voice. I loved spending time with it. In the back of Harmonic Feedback, you have an author’s note about how you didn’t want Drea to be defined by her ADHD/Asperger’s and I really felt that as I read. What was it like to develop her as a character? What did you know immediately that you DID and DIDN’T want to do in terms of her characterization?

Drea was a tough character to write in that we’re total opposites in some ways. She sees things so literally and she processes things in such a logical/technical way. My main concern was people wouldn’t connect with her or understand her. I wanted to present her as a real person who happens to fall on the autistic spectrum rather than make the book about her Asperger’s. Because, really, everyone on the spectrum is different. They aren’t walking textbooks of symptoms and–like NTs–they are all individuals with different personalities, strengths, and weaknesses.

All and all I wanted to put a socially awkward teen into real situations with other confused/socially awkward teens and see what happened. I essentially set Drea free and watched her do her thing.

She was incredibly relateable, in my opinion. I have to say it: Justin. Is. Awesome. He’s one of the greatest love interests I’ve seen in a young adult novel to date. Unhealthy relationships have been the basis of a lot of discussion in the YA community recently and I was so thrilled his interest in and interactions with Drea were healthy, intense and very natural. Given all that aforementioned discussion within the community, what is most important to you when you settle down to write a romantic relationship in a YA novel?

Yay, I’m so glad you liked Justin! He was a joy to write. As someone who LOVES writing romance (probably my favorite thing), I tend to read a lot of romance. And like the current discussions, I do come across some YA relationships that I think are unhealthy. I think it can be said that almost every fictional romance is slightly unrealistic…I mean that’s part of the fun, right? People like hope. They like to believe in true love. Some like to believe that true love can be found in high school. And there’s nothing wrong with that! But I do think some books cross the line from slightly unrealistic (but swoon-worthy and satisfying) to unrealistic AND unhealthy. Typically it involves a guy who is too controlling/possessive under the guise of being ‘protective’ or a girl who has no hobbies/passions of her own outside of a boy.

So one of my top goals in ANY romance I write is to make sure both characters have their own lives and own goals. If their goals and beliefs conflict, even better! I also tend to develop my YA relationships slowly. I want both characters to EARN each others admiration rather than meet and go–”Oooh, you’re perty. I love you!”

Awesome. A few times in the book, Drea points out the way people needlessly complicate their lives by not saying what they mean and questioning the pointlessness of certain day-to-day rituals we all have (like asking people how they are when the asker doesn’t care at all). I thought she had some great points. In the spirit of that, what is one thing you think people could do to make life easier on themselves and the people around them?

Like Drea, I’d like to see more honesty in the world. Mainly, I wish more people felt comfortable being themselves and confronting each other when there is an issue. I don’t mean walking up to someone and punching them or saying–’you’re ugly or you’re dumb’. But I think, as a whole, society is too passive-aggressive. We let things fester and whisper behind closed doors rather than actually dealing with a problem. For example, if a friend did something that ticked you off, what is the issue with telling them? You don’t need to call names or be nasty. Just say, hey, you did this and it hurt my feelings/ticked me off/whatever. If the friend freaks out and goes ballistic…well, is this someone you want in your life? If they’re really your friend, the last thing they want is to hurt you. So they’d WANT to work it out. I think being direct and honest with your friends would save a LOT of friendships. Talking behind someone’s back or pretending to like someone is only going to cause MORE confrontation.

So well said. A lot of people confuse honesty with cruelty and I don’t think that’s always the case. You’re a musician and music plays a big part in Harmonic Feedback. The lyrics to Naomi’s song were gorgeous and I adored how Drea described what music was to her–how she produced music and brought it all together. I loved the Boesendorfer mention! Can you recommend: one song you think everyone should hear before they die, one instrument they should attempt to play, and one band they should see live if they see ANY band live?

Wow, this is hard because I only get to pick ONE for each category—eek! There are MANY songs I think people should hear before they die (just let that be known), but I’ll pick the first that comes to mind. “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush. I fell in love with it as a tot and love it just as much today. Kate Bush is kind of my musical idol.

One band people should see live is Placebo (although they should see MANY bands live). I love Placebo’s music, but their live performance took me completely by surprise. I was blown AWAY by their energy. As good at their recorded music is, it doesn’t come close to the power they have together on stage. Simply hypnotizing. Also, they do this cover of “Running Up That Hill” that is jaw-dropping incredible.

Hardest scene–definitely when they find Naomi in the abandoned house and trying to get across the array of emotion Drea feels. My favorite scenes involved Justin and Drea’s interactions and banter. LOVED those two together.

Your cover is absolutely GORGEOUS. It looks great online, but it’s really something else in person. Beautiful. And even better–it’s a scene in the novel (a wonderful scene, too)! What was your reaction when you first saw it? Did you have any input on the design?

My first reaction was….whoa. If I were to pick any scene for them to feature, the rain scene is it. I was very impressed that the art director was able to pick that up. I had no input on the design…and as a designer myself that was very hard! I was very relieved that it turned out okay *grin*

What are your favourite YA novels?

Well, this author Courtney Summers writes some of the BEST books ever. And no I’m not just saying that. CRACKED UP TO BE and SOME GIRLS ARE are among my all-time favorite YA books and I’m mad picky. You know how to do tension like NO other. And your mean girls? Whoa. They knock the wind out of a person. [editor's note: AWWW... the cheque's in the mail. ;) But seriously, thank you so much, Tara! That means a lot.] Other YA books I love: BALLADS OF SUBURBIA by Stephanie Kuehnert, A CERTAIN SLANT OF LIGHT by Laura Whitcomb, NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green, FLASH BURNOUT by LK Madigan.

And I should probably stop..but there are MORE!

What inspires you?

Music, nature, dancing, roadtrips, observing people (in a non-creepy way, of course) copious amounts of caffeine! Really just living life.

Can you tell us where we can find you on the web and what’s next for you book-wise?

You can find my author website at http://thetaratracks.com and more about Harmonic Feedback at http://harmonicfeedback.com

Up next is C-SIDE TALES about a 17-year-old girl trying to make it as the lead guitarist of an industrial rock band. Only she has terrible stage fright. It will be out…..some time next year. No date yet, though!

I can’t WAIT to read C-Side Tales. Thanks, Tara!

Thank YOU :)

* An Interview with Kirstin Cronn-Mills
* An Interview with Tara Kelly
* An Interview with C.K. Kelly Martin

If you comment on one interview, you will be entered once. If you comment on two of them, twice. All three interviews? Three times! *NOTE: All entrants are limited to three entries each.

Increase your chances at winning by commenting on them all when they go up (just be consistent in entering your name and email address so I can count the entries accordingly).

Please note this contest is open to residents of the US and Canada only (sorry International readers). A random winner will be selected August 1st, 2010 and contacted via email for their shipping deets. They winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize or there will be a redraw.




Dear FTC, Harmonic Feedback was bought by me and I was not compensated for this review or interview. I just love talking about the books I love. xo, Courtney

Want to know how you can win The Sky Always Hears Me and the Hills Don’t Mind (Kirstin Cronn-Mills), Harmonic Feedback (Tara Kelly) AND The Lighter Side of Life and Death (C.K. Kelly Martin)? Find out at the bottom of this interview with Kirstin Cronn-Mills!


Every so often a book comes along at it just slays you with its candor and I absolutely LOVE when that happens. For me, the book that came along and slayed me but good with its complete and utter honesty was this one:

The Sky Doesn’t Hear Me and the Hills Don’t Mind isn’t just a great book, it’s a fantastic one. Simply fantastic. Fantastic. Wonderful, awesome, best. There needs to be more protagonists like Morgan in YA novels. She is achingly real, quirky and a powerhouse of emotions looking for an outlet, navigating high school and relationships honestly and sometimes, explosively. She is also hilarious.

Kirstin Cronn-Mills has written a brave book, in my opinion. Morgan’s complicated family dynamics, friendships and relationships were handled very thoughtfully and with a tremendous amount of nuance. Everything played out just how it would play out in life–sometimes it’s fireworks, sometimes it’s not. Those quiet moments of reconciliation, those big ones–bawling your eyes out one moment and then moving onto the next moment like it never happened–are so honest and true and it’s refreshing to see them in fiction. This book understands the shifts that can happen in the space of a breath and doesn’t pander in any way shape or form. I adored it and I adore Morgan. She is a truly memorable character.

Read my full review of the novel here.

I’m so thrilled to have Kirstin here on this blog to talk about Sky and her writing process, and I hope you enjoy what she had to say as much as I did!

SKY’S journey was rather unique–I submitted a different book to Andrew Karre (now of Carolrhoda Lab, then of Flux), but he didn’t think it was right and asked what else I had. So I sent him a rougher (much rougher) version of SKY, and we shaped it for publication.

Did you always know you wanted to write YA fiction?

I had no clue. : ) I was a poet from the time I was ten, and wrote poetry all through my first two college degrees (I know–two). Then, when I was doing my third (crazy, right?), I didn’t do anything but write a dissertation and academic papers. Then my son was born, and nothing happened for a looooong time, poetry or otherwise. Then, in 2001 or 2, a high school classmate called me (I hadn’t talked to her since graduation day) and proceeded to tell me the reason she was so mean to me in jr high/high school: she had a crush on me. My first two thoughts: “Wow, that explains a ton!” and “Wow, that would make a great YA novel.” I’d never even *thought* of writing a novel. I wrote about 10 pages in 2002, and started to make progress on it in 2003. And now it lives on bookshelves, amazingly enough.

It DID make a great YA novel! Morgan has such a raw and edgy voice. On one page, she’d make me laugh. On another, she’d have me sniffling. She also had some extremely interesting habits–from writing fortunes to going up on the hill to shout her feelings at the top of her lungs. Did these habits come with her character from the get-go or were they something you discovered about her as you wrote?

Both the fortune-writing and the shouting were things that came into Morgan as the drafts progressed. The book always had fortunes as chapter heads–I have a poem in my master’s thesis that’s composed only of fortunes strung together, and I always wanted to do more with that idea. When I started SKY, I used the fortunes as something to keep me going, but Morgan didn’t write them until mid-to-late revisions. The shouting came in at the very end, and it’s one of my favorite things about her. I consider that character quirk a gift from the Universe, because there’s no way I could have thought of it! It just . . . appeared one day. Weird, but true.

The best stories are weird but true! I loved how on one side, we have Morgan, who is desperate to get out of town, and then you have Rob–a love interest and pretty good guy–who DID leave and came back. Morgan insists her only option is escape. Rob suggests that Central Nowhere and places like it are worth coming back to. If you could give your 0.02 on the matter to both of them, what would you say?

I would tell them that home is where you decide home should be. Home is inside you. Escape is also an internal job–you can escape in the middle of a crowded room, and the crowd can still be there. At the same time, the landscape you grew up in is *also* inside you, and as much as Morgan thinks she’d like NYC, she might discover there’s not enough sky there, and that she can’t find north very easily in Manhattan. Or maybe that’s just me. : \ I have trouble in northern Minnesota, too–WAY too many trees for me up there! I need my sky. :)

Nicely said. As I said in my review, Sky was so realistic. The family dynamics and the relationships were neither underplayed nor overplayed. The felt very honest and on-the-mark, which is what I look for in realistic YA novels. What do you look for in realistic YA?

I look for an absence of times where I say “No parent would do that!” or “No kid would do that!” I also tend to believe in complication–the more complicated a family/a life is, the more it seems real to me. Life is so rarely easy. If the complication is over the top, it turns me off, but I appreciate characters with nutso lives.

I LOVE the title. It is so fantastic. And! It’s also a line in the book. I loved coming across it; it gave me chills. So what came first, the line or the title?

Funny you should ask–the line came first, but when I wrote it, I thought, “Oh hell, they’ll make me throw it out. It’s sooooo cheesy.” I was SHOCKED when Brian said “hey, guess what the title of your book is?” It also used to appear on page 3 or 4, so I had to move it way back in the book so it wouldn’t seem so obvious.

Hah! Awesome. What has been your unlikeliest source of inspiration?

Almost everything inspires me–I’m easy that way. Let’s see–probably an all-start wrestling match that was my son’s eleventh birthday gift (WWE’s Summer Slam). It gave me great ideas for my 3rd novel’s male protagonist, who used to have WWE dreams, but now has high school wrestling dreams. And no judging for letting my kid go to a WWE match, OK? I know–gross–but it was his birthday.

Totally not judging! I think that gets you cool points, personally. :) Who was your favourite character to write and what was your favourite scene to write?

Morgan, hands down. She’s everything I wasn’t in high school–mouthy, bitchy, snarky. Her insecurity and her word nerdiness–those things she shares with me. But all the rest of it is all her, so I loved being someone I never was. Favorite scene–hmmm. I like a lot of them. When I was first drafting the book, I got to about March in their school year and went, “Oh, shit, they have to go to prom, don’t they? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Don’t make me write about prom! NOOOOOOOOOO!” But I knew I had to, and I really do like the scene where Morgan and Tessa are dancing. I wish that scene could have happened at my high school–I wish the real Tessa had come out to me during high school. I would have let her know she was safe with me, though maybe she knows that now that she’s read the book (she liked it, too, a HUGE relief). Back to the character question for a second–I did love letting Elsie be a concert pianist. My real grandma had enough talent to do that (she could do all the things Elsie can do), but she stayed home, got married, and raised kids. It was fun to fulfill my grandma’s wishes, even on the page.

Aw. (I loved the Prom scene so much too–one of my faves.) If there was one book out there that you would urge every aspiring writer out there to read–fiction of non-fiction–what book would that be and why?

You ask hard questions, don’t you? Let’s go with non-fiction: I’d recommend BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott and ON WRITING by Stephen King. The writing advice in both (nuts and bolts stuff, but also philosophical stuff) is fantastic. I still go back to them, and I use them with my creative writing classes. If you don’t know what KFKD is, go find out! (hint–it’s in BIRD BY BIRD)

Can you tell us what you’re working on next and where can we find you online?

At the moment I’m polishing my second novel–guy wants to be a radio DJ, falls in love with best friend, but wait, there’s a huge obstacle, or is there?–and drafting my third, a dual-narrator novel set in the Black Hills, and it includes GHOSTS, of all things. Readers can find me at kirstincronn-mills.blogspot.com (look here first) or kirstincronn-mills.com (I desperately need a new web site!).

Sounds very, very intriguing! Thanks for stopping by, Kirstin!

* An Interview with Kirstin Cronn-Mills
* An Interview with Tara Kelly
* An Interview with C.K. Kelly Martin

If you comment on one interview, you will be entered once. If you comment on two of them, twice. All three interviews? Three times! *NOTE: All entrants are limited to three entries each.

Increase your chances at winning by commenting on them all when they go up (just be consistent in entering your name and email address so I can count the entries accordingly).

Please note this contest is open to residents of the US and Canada only (sorry International readers). A random winner will be selected August 1st, 2010 and contacted via email for their shipping deets. They winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize or there will be a redraw.




Dear FTC, The Sky Always Hears Me and the Hills Don’t Mind was bought by me and I was not compensated for this review or interview. I just love talking about the books I love. xo, Courtney

The book stars Allie Jo, a fun and fiery tween who works (ie helps out) at the Meriweather hotel in Florida, which is managed by her parents. She’s often teased for living at the hotel and is about to face the entire summer without her best friend and she is NOT happy about it. She’s not alone for long, though! Enter three guests: Sophie, a nice girl with a penchant for knitting, Chase, a thirteen-year-old boy who arrives on the scene with a BANG and, consequently, a broken arm, anddddd Tara… who is not really a guest at all. The ethereal sixteen-year-old may be A LOT more than she seems…

I’ll stop there because I don’t want to spoil it. There’s so much about it that should be left to the reader to discover, so I will just let you know I ADORED this book from start to finish. There is so much blueberry goodness in it. And, like Violet Raines, this read is so great to curl up with. But the thing I treasured about this book most was that it really sparkles with possibility. Allie Jo and Chase get a taste of the impossible, the magic beneath the surface, and that carries through to the reader. A book that makes you feel that as you read it is a real treat, in my opinion.

And now, without further ado…

Thank you, Courtney! I have to say it’s wonderful having that second book out there because you prove to yourself the first one wasn’t a fluke AND that you can do it again.

I find I’m more relaxed about this release than I was with Violet Raines. With Violet being my first novel out, I didn’t know what to expect–what happens when the bookstore up from your house has copies of your book on the shelves? Will the neighbors see it? Will schools suddenly be calling? Or *shudder* will NO ONE notice?

I worried about book promotion. At intersections, I’d see those guys twirling signs: 2 Large Pizzas $9.99. I could picture myself on the next corner slinging my own sign: Violet Raines! Get yer Violet Raines right here! I carried bookmarks in my purse and passed them out everywhere I went, dentist, doctor, grocery store. (Oh, wait–I still do that!)

With The Summer of Moonlight Secrets, I had my first book signing the day after it was released and I had a good time talking with people, some who bought my book and some who didn’t. When it was over, I went home and watched one of my favorite TV shows. I’m able to think about other things and not worry over my book. I’m enjoying this release, and when I have an interview (like this one!) or blog review, it’s the fun part of the post-release.

I’m proud of my books and I know how blessed I am to work with Stacy Cantor and all the people at Walker, and my agent Ted, who really believed in my third book, Me and Jack (2011). I’m enthralled with the cover for SOMS, illustrated by Brandon Dorman. All in all, I’d say the second release has been treating me most excellently!

I’m glad to hear that! What inspired The Summer of Moonlight Secrets?

Both the setting and the story for SOMS were inspired by the hidden gems of Central Florida: Blue Springs, DeLeon Springs, historic towns with brick-lined streets, and old houses and hotels that bear the suggestion of their former glory.

Blue Springs looks to me like the Garden of Eden. It’s beautiful and unsullied. The water looks emerald green in sunshine and hauntingly blue in dusk. Each winter, this spring is home to sometimes more than two hundred manatees, which go there to escape the chilly waters of the rivers and coastal areas. DeLeon Springs is an inland springs, the grounds on which an old sugar mill still stands, except instead of sugar, you can go inside and get snacks, gator jerky, and blueberry pancakes.

It was Blue Springs’s manatees that first got me thinking about the mystery girl. Manatees are graceful, hypnotizing creatures, thought to be the source for the legend of mermaids. I started with a certain idea and ended up with something very different. (I will stop talking here lest I give away any moonlight secrets!)

BRB, booking my flight to Florida right now! Allie Jo, Chase and (less frequently) Tara take turns narrating the novel. Their voices are very distinct. Did you find it challenging or easy to switch voices?

Each voice was fun to write, and I found I needed to take breaks between chapters in order to put on the new character. Acting out my scenes while writing helps me a great deal–What does her voice sound like when she says this? She’s mad–no! She’s surprised, and a little bit scared. Physically playing out a scene helps me connect to the true emotions and expressions and helps me ferret out false notes. This goes for all my writing, whether the book is told from one POV or several.

I’ve always wanted to write a novel with multiple leads. Whether you write for one narrator or several, you still have to be in tune with the voices of the surrounding characters. You still have to know them and be familiar with their back stories. Writing in multiple POVs allows you to reveal more of that information, and you get the chance to provide internal dialogue for all your speakers. This creates a kind of tension not available from one perspective in that the reader is privy to the differing emotions and reactions of the narrators and even events that other characters may not know about or understand the impact of.

The challenge is to braid these threads together, loosely at first, then tighter and tighter so that all the threads explode together in one magnificent climax, satisfying each character’s story. Two middle-grade novels I recommend for multiple POVs (beside SOMS, of course!) are Greetings from Nowhere by Barbara O’ Connor, and Bird Lake Moon by Kevin Henkes. GFN has four narrators, and Barbara creates four full, rich stories in which you understand every character’s worries and motivations. Each narrator’s story is satisfied by one unified climactic event. Bird Lake Moon is a wonderful book, narrated by two boys who don’t, at first, know each other. What Kevin has done so marvelously in BLM is to create a cause-and-effect tension with the alternating chapters. It’s a beautiful story, well-crafted.

I’ll definitely check them out. One thing that surprised me–in a good way!–was that The Summer of Moonlight Secrets takes place in 1980s. I loved that. It suited the story perfectly. Why did you choose to set it in the 80s?

As long as I’ve known her, my mother has always loved to explore old or abandoned properties, entering them legally or, ahem, otherwise. Not only was I her sidekick in these adventures, I was also an excellent pupil.

My mother and a friend of hers took my sister and me to a huge, old hotel in the late 80s. It wasn’t the first place like that I’d ever been, and it definitely wasn’t the last. But the reason it stuck with me was that so much of the structure was collapsed or rotting. My sister and I left my mom and her friend with their coffee and started walking around. And up the stairs. And up again. We discovered abandoned floors with stripped down rooms, castoff furniture, and broken windows. It was awesome! We knew we weren’t supposed to be there, but there was nothing to stop us, not even a sign. We walked all over where we weren’t supposed to be, even after a seagull flew through a window and flapped over our heads, nearly giving us both heart attacks! We thought our self-tour was over when a security guard found us. Instead, he showed us even more passages and tunnels that we never would’ve discovered on our own.

I’ve explored many old buildings with tunnels and secret passageways and rooms, but I’ll never forget the feeling of lost majesty as my sister and I explored that once grand hotel. When I started writing SOMS, it seemed only natural to place the story in that same decade.

So cool. The cover is absolutely stunning. So stunning that Bloomsbury/Walker even featured it on their Spring 2010 catalog. Did you have any input on it? What was your reaction when you saw it?

Oh, my gosh. I love the cover–it’s absolutely beautiful, and I can say that because I’m not the artist! Brandon Dorman captured the essence of the book with the cover illustration. Stacy Cantor, my editor, asked me if I had any thoughts on the cover. My main concern was that nothing appear in the artwork that would blatantly reveal the mystery. I also told her I loved the cover of Savvy and thought something like that would fit the story.

When The Summer of Moonlight secrets was acquired by Walker, it was originally titled The Hotel of Blueberry Goodness. Having read the book, I can attest to the fact it is full of both moonlight secrets AND blueberry goodness. Can you tell us about the retitling process?

Walker loved the original title, but as the book took shape, it took on a slant different from the proposal. The main elements and characters from the proposal were there, and, for the most part, they were very close to their original descriptions. But it was somehow a different story; the original title didn’t fit anymore.

Stacy and I emailed back and forth, each of us hammering out keywords or phrases we thought depicted the book. We made long lists, commented on each other’s suggestions, explaining why we thought certain words worked and why other words didn’t. The title has a big burden–it has to convey the attitude and nature of the story in just a few words. We agreed we wanted it to whisper with mystery; it had to be summery, and it couldn’t sound ominous or supernatural. After a flurry of exchanges between Stacy and me, and a meeting at Walker, the new title emerged: The Summer of Moonlight Secrets.

Changing the title was an emotional and intense process. I was pretty much married to The Hotel of Blueberry Goodness, and lots of other people involved loved it, too. I mourned the loss of it even though I knew it was the right move. Brainstorming the new title took over all my thoughts. It was like I was two people: the outside me performed all my chores and interacted with my family; the inside me raced around looking for good words. Nearly the only time I was one was when I spoke with a family member about the title. Even after we finalized the title, I still lamented over Blueberry Goodness. But the more I thought about the new title, the more I began to love it. Now I think it’s absolutely perfect!

Titles are so, so hard! Sometimes even harder than writing the book! In both of your novels, location plays a key role. You have this incredible knack for making Florida seem so alive on the page. The Meriwether was a character in itself. Why did you choose to set your novels in Florida and did you do much research into hotels etc. to perfect your vision of The Meriwether?

Thank you! As far as being set in Florida, Violet Raines came to me intact, complete with her looks, her accent, the first paragraph of the book, and a bunch of trees behind her, which I recognized as the woods surrounding the Econlockhatchee River in Orlando.

With The Summer of Moonlight Secrets, it was a manatee that set off the whole idea. The manatee, the springs, the blueberry pancakes—it had to be Florida!

Winter Park is a small town near Orlando I love to visit. When I was single, I used to ride my bike over the brick roads and gawk at the beautiful old homes. There was one house–a two-story home, green, with iron scrollwork, very stately–whenever I passed this house, I’d think, A novel could take place in there.

I’ve visited several of Florida’s historic hotels, including the Lakeside Inn of Mount Dora, where, as part of my research, I dined for lunch and later sat on the veranda in a rocking chair, watching the sun set. In between these events, I hit the boutiques like mad, all part of my master plan to get the atmosphere right for my novel.

Violet Raines was, to me, a gift. I’ve always said I often felt as if I were watching Violet rather than creating her. Even as I sat at my keyboard chronicling her activities, she did things I didn’t expect and said things I never thought of. She made me laugh then, and she makes me laugh now.

I do feel the way you described above—I see things in Violet that I didn’t before. I think when you’re in the fray, you don’t realize how immersed in the world of the novel you are. It’s only later that you discover recurring imagery or word choices that embody layers of meaning or give off just the right note. That’s not to say you’re not in control of your craft, it’s just when you’ve given yourself over to the story, you consciously and unconsciously make writing decisions that play off each other and ultimately lead to a satisfying climax and resolution.

Well said. What’s next for you?

I’ve just finished revisions for Me and Jack, a middle-grade novel featuring twelve-year-old Joshua Reed, the unusual dog he adopts, and Joshua’s father, who is an Air Force recruiter during the Vietnam War. I’m excited to see this project come to fruition because it existed in draft form before I wrote Violet. Another very emotional experience for me!


I cannot WAIT to read it! Thank you for stopping by, Danette!

Thank you for the wonderful things you said about SOMS and for the thoughtful questions, Courtney. It’s a pleasure to be a guest on your blog!

Danette Haworth’s novels just have an undeniable sweetness about them that makes them impossible not to love. They are also the perfect read-alouds. Need I say more? Check them out now and visit her online at danettehaworth.com!

Dear FTC, The Summer of Moonlight Secrets was bought by me and I was not compensated for this review or interview. I just love talking about the books I love. xo, Courtney

HAR HAR HAR!

So guess what Internet! Most of you know this because I can’t shut up about it everywhere, but last Wednesday there was an EARTHQUAKE in CANADA and I FELT IT.

Here is my story:

I woke up and I was in my bed and then my bed started shaking–like little vibratey shakes–and I thought two stupid things 1) that a big truck had gone by outside or 2) it was me that was shaking (I DON’T KNOW) and then it stopped and then I went on Twitter and everyone was talking about this earthquake in Ontario and I was like oh how interesting and then I got up and then I was like

OH MY GOD THAT WAS IT!

And then I told my dad about it but because he was on the road when it happened and it hadn’t hit the news yet HE DID NOT BELIEVE ME but then my brother-in-law also experienced the same thing at the exact same time AND IT WAS TRUE THAT I FELT THE EARTH QUAKE and I have always wanted to experience an incredibly mild, non-destructive earthquake so there you have it. That is my story and I think it is a pretty great story, personally.

In other news, Fall For Anything is available most places online for pre-order! Active pre-order links are on the book’s page if you’re into that sort of thing. I will be getting copyedits for it sometime next week. I have bought myself a pack of these for the task:

While I wait for copyedits, I have been writing (while listening to a lot of Fiona Apple–God, she is so great) and reading this book:

I actually bought this book and started it last year, but for some reason couldn’t get into it. I think I tried reading it outside of a reading binge (I am a binge-reader) and that is why. So I decided to give it a go again because I am dying to see the movie–and refuse to until I have read the book–and OH MY GOD YOU GUYS IT IS SO GOOD! I am only about 250 pages in (it’s like 600 pages) and it is just deliciously thrilling and hard to put down and SO VIOLENT and what can I say, I am enjoying the violence very much! There is a girl character in the Program with a SICKLE and she is A RUTHLESS KILLING MACHINE and she is awesome and she would totally kill me ASAP if we were in the program together but oh well.

In other news I watched Doppelganger, another Kiyoshi Kurosawa film and I LOVED IT. I think it displaced Retribution as my second favourite of his (Pulse is always in first place), but I’m not sure. I just can’t say enough good things about Kurosawa’s films. I want to write books like he makes movies. JUST LIKE THIS:

I look for that in books too; books that just say it! No hiding behind prose, those ~twenty dollar words~. Just saying it. JUST SAY IT! That’s what I like. And that’s what I like about his movies. He just says it. Anyway, all that’s left for me to see is Charisma and that’s on its way to me in the mail now. Dear Internet, tell someone to distribute Loft so I can watch that too. I am so sad Charisma will be my last Kurosawa film until more are released in North America. I guess I’ll watch the ones I have over and over again until this situation changes. Sigh.

ANYWAY.

Now I am going to get back to reading Battle Royale. I hope everyone is having an amazing weekend! As you can see, I am having quite an amazing weekend myself, what with the reading and the movie-watching and the earthquake that led up to both. My weekend is WAY more amazing and exciting than the weekend everyone at the ALA conference is having, I AM SURE.

ALSO did I tell you there was an earthquake in Canada and I felt it.

I DID.

But not as much leisure time as I would like, sob.

But still.

Leisure time for me is spent reading books and watching movies and trying not to move around too much while I do either.

I’ve been pretty fortunate in all of my selections recently, so I thought I’d share ‘em with you. Here’s what I am surrounding myself with as of late:

1. The films of Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Lots of J-horror here. Kairo (Pulse) is my favourite of all his films. It’s about ghosts and the internet! Avoid the terrible remake. I could watch Kairo over and over again. It’s incredibly slowly paced, but that’s a huge part of its charm and when it really gets going it’s like someone has their hand inside your stomach and is squeezing your guts, which is exactly how you should feel when you’re watch a good movie, in my humble opinion. IN PAIN. Kairo also has parallel storylines, which always makes me want to experiment with the ways I write my own novels. Retribution is my next favourite Kurosawa film, then Cure and Seance. Tokyo Sonata just came in the mail and I have heard incredible things about it. I’m going to watch it TONIGHT! Also on my To-Watch list: Charisma, Doppelganger and Bright Future.

2. PONTYPOOL.

3. Good books!

I’m on a roll!

The Lighter Side of Life and Death: This book was WOW. This book is WOW. C.K. Kelly Martin is one of my favourite YA authors. Her novels are so significant and important and everyone–EVERYONE–should be reading them. The way her characters experience all of these firsts is so thoughtfully and sensitively handled. As an author, she shows respect for her readers and her books are so incredibly realistic. The way she pinpoints emotional truths makes her narratives so universal and so special. What she is doing is not something you see in YA novels every day and anyone who wants to write a YA should read one of her books before they even attempt it.

One Bloody Things After Another: This is AMAAZING and it is so worth your time. Joey Comeau’s writing so understands, well–people! He gets the way they have secrets and that gets me right in my ol’ ticker. And then he sets his novels in these fantastical, strange, unsettling and practically impossible situations and presents them in a way that makes them seem possible! This is a zombie/ghost/coming of age novel that feels POSSIBLE. IT FEELS LIKE MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOURS! Also one of my favourite things about his work is the way his characters are violent and the way they internalize and process violence. I’ve said this of his work before and I will say it again: he doesn’t waste a word.

Stolen: This book blew me away. It is absolutely stunning. What a beautifully intense book. Incredibly vivid setting, but not overwritten. This novel is brilliant. Like I said–STUNNING. That’s about all I can say. Every mind-blowing and positive adjective that is out there applies to this book. That is how I feel about it.

Shit My Dad Says: I like the twitter but I loved the book. The relationship Justin Halpern has with his father is clearly a loving one–not that anyone is debating that because if they are, they’re stupid. Heartwarming and hilarious.

Dirty Little Secrets: What a sad, good book. This is a very consuming, intense read with what I think is a very fitting, perfect ending. And the pacing was just spot on. Omololu frames the story over the course of twenty-four hours and it doesn’t drag at all. It’s just fantastically done. I am sometimes disappointed with novels that have incredibly heavy subject matters–the ones that only want to skim the surface and not really delve right into it but can still claim the edge and importance of the subject they’re writing about; books that don’t look directly at the very thing they’re about! This was not the case here. Dirty Little Secrets looks directly at the topic of compulsive hoarding and forces you to do it too.

Books I am in the process of reading: Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly and Making the Run by Heather Henson, both of which I’m early into but am having difficulty leaving alone for extended periods of time.

Movies I’m spending my Friday night with: Tokyo Sonata (eee!) and Splinter. And probably Pontypool again because DID I MENTION IT IS AWESOME.

Have you watched or read anything worthwhile THAT I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?

For my leisuring, I mean.