NOVL

2.24.2013

Waffles, Fitted Sheets, and Photography: 22 Questions with Jennifer Rush, author of Altered
1) If you weren’t an author you would be a ______?Photographer. I love taking pictures!
2) What (or who) inspired you to start writing?I loved Christopher Pike’s The Last Vampire series. I hadn’t ever read a book with such a strong female character before.
3) The first book you loved was _____?Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
4) Bookmarks, necessity or accessory?Both. I’m often interrupted while reading, so I need something quick to stick into a book. For that reason, I like simple bookmarks, but I also like them to be pretty! I’m a fan of quotes and images on simple cardstock.
5) Pancakes or waffles?Waffles
6) To write well you have to _______?Read a lot. And then be willing to write a lot of crappy books. It takes practice to write well.
7) The best thing about my job is _______?Do I have to pick just one thing? Impossible! I like that I can escape from the real world whenever I want. I like researching hot guys. I like writing kissing scenes! I like seeing a book grow from first draft to final hard copy and then seeing it on the shelf. I like hearing from readers!
8) The top three cities on planet earth are: _________?This is a hard one. I love New York City, obviously! I love Ludington, my hometown. And…Virginia. That’s a total cop-out but I can’t pick just one city in Virginia, because there are so many to love!
9) Time travel or flight?Time travel, for sure.
10) I can’t live without my ________?iPhone. Sad but true. It is my lifeline to the world and to friends and to family.
11) The perfect day in 10 words or less.Beach. Sun. Shirtless hot guy. Beach chair. Cold drink. Book.
12) The last book you read was ______?Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo. The book is awesome. Leigh is awesome. I can’t wait until people read this book.
13) Hidden talents?I can fold a fitted sheet like nobody’s business.
14) Guilty pleasure?Trashy reality TV
15) Favorite comfort food?Mashed potatoes and gravy
16) What advice would you give your seventeen-year-old self?Stop giving your mom such a hard time
17) You’re stranded on a desert island. What did you pack?A few pens. A notebook. A hammock. A picture of my kids. Lots of matches.
18) Do you finish every book you start?Reading-wise, no. I find I’m a lot pickier about the books I spend my time reading. Because I have so few hours to read as it is. I want to be sure I’m going to absolutely love the book.
Writing-wise, these days, yes! Mostly because the books I’m starting are contracted, so I have to finish them, otherwise I’d be in trouble!
19) In the Jennifer Rush movie who would play the leading role?I’m a huge fan of Emma Stone, both as a woman and as an actress, but she’s far, far prettier than I am!
20) What’s your favorite word?Champion. It can mean you are the victor, which is awesome, obviously! But it also means to fight for something you believe in.
21) What’s your least favorite word?No
22) You’re forced to get a face tattoo, what’s it of?A feather, maybe? I honestly have no idea! All ideas seem like bad ideas when it comes to face tattoos. — **Waffles, Fitted Sheets, and Photography: 22 Questions with Jennifer Rush, author of Altered**

**1) If you weren’t an author you would be a ______?**
Photographer. I love taking pictures!

**2) What (or who) inspired you to start writing?**
I loved Christopher Pike’s The Last Vampire series. I hadn’t ever read a book with such a strong female character before.

**3) The first book you loved was _____?**
*Companions of the Night* by Vivian Vande Velde

**4) Bookmarks, necessity or accessory?**
Both. I’m often interrupted while reading, so I need something quick to stick into a book. For that reason, I like simple bookmarks, but I also like them to be pretty! I’m a fan of quotes and images on simple cardstock.

**5) Pancakes or waffles?**
Waffles

**6) To write well you have to _______?**
Read a lot. And then be willing to write a lot of crappy books. It takes practice to write well.

**7) The best thing about my job is _______?**
Do I have to pick just one thing? Impossible! I like that I can escape from the real world whenever I want. I like researching hot guys. I like writing kissing scenes! I like seeing a book grow from first draft to final hard copy and then seeing it on the shelf. I like hearing from readers!

**8) The top three cities on planet earth are: _________?**
This is a hard one. I love New York City, obviously! I love Ludington, my hometown. And…Virginia. That’s a total cop-out but I can’t pick just one city in Virginia, because there are so many to love!

**9) Time travel or flight?**
Time travel, for sure.

**10) I can’t live without my ________?**
iPhone. Sad but true. It is my lifeline to the world and to friends and to family.

**11) The perfect day in 10 words or less.**
Beach. Sun. Shirtless hot guy. Beach chair. Cold drink. Book.

**12) The last book you read was ______?**
*Siege and Storm* by Leigh Bardugo. The book is awesome. Leigh is awesome. I can’t wait until people read this book.

**13) Hidden talents?**
I can fold a fitted sheet like nobody’s business.

**14) Guilty pleasure?**
Trashy reality TV

**15) Favorite comfort food?**
Mashed potatoes and gravy

**16) What advice would you give your seventeen-year-old self?**
Stop giving your mom such a hard time

**17) You’re stranded on a desert island. What did you pack?**
A few pens. A notebook. A hammock. A picture of my kids. Lots of matches.

**18) Do you finish every book you start?**
Reading-wise, no. I find I’m a lot pickier about the books I spend my time reading. Because I have so few hours to read as it is. I want to be sure I’m going to absolutely love the book.

Writing-wise, these days, yes! Mostly because the books I’m starting are contracted, so I have to finish them, otherwise I’d be in trouble!

**19) In the Jennifer Rush movie who would play the leading role?**
I’m a huge fan of Emma Stone, both as a woman and as an actress, but she’s far, far prettier than I am!

**20) What’s your favorite word?**
Champion. It can mean you are the victor, which is awesome, obviously! But it also means to fight for something you believe in.

**21) What’s your least favorite word?**
No

**22) You’re forced to get a face tattoo, what’s it of?**
A feather, maybe? I honestly have no idea! All ideas seem like bad ideas when it comes to face tattoos.

15

2.23.2013

Justina Chen, author of Return to Me, backed away from the magazines long enough to send us this snap of her vision boarding process for her new novel.
Who needs Pinterest when you have scissors, glue, and a kitchen table? — Justina Chen, author of *Return to Me*, backed away from the magazines long enough to send us this snap of her vision boarding process for her new novel.

Who needs Pinterest when you have scissors, glue, and a kitchen table?

7

2.13.2013

Gail Carriger (tea-drinker, writer of goodness greatness and Victorian fashion enthusiast) dropped by the Little, Brown Lounge last night to talk shop on her YA series, Finishing School.
You were otherwise engaged last night? Exhale. It’s okay! We’ve archived the whole thing for you. — Gail Carriger (tea-drinker, writer of ~~goodness~~ greatness and Victorian fashion enthusiast) dropped by the Little, Brown Lounge last night to talk shop on her YA series, Finishing School.

You were otherwise engaged last night? Exhale. It’s okay! We’ve archived the whole thing for you.

15

2.01.2013

Be aware that if you get a nosebleed, it probably means you’ve been abducted by aliens…and 9 other things Malinda Lo learned from The X-Files

Anybody who’s read my novel Adaptation shouldn’t be surprised that I used to be an X-phile — that is, an X-Files fan — because that book is inspired in many ways by the TV series about two FBI agents investigating UFOs and the paranormal. In fact, I learned a lot of things from The X-Files, and some of those lessons may have found their way into Adaptation and its sequel (coming this fall!).

Here are 10 things I learned from The X-Files.

1. Conspiracy theories are everywhere…including the real world. On The X-Files, Agents Mulder and Scully investigate a shadowy organization called “The Syndicate” that involves leaders from many different governments and government agencies working together to cover up the existence of extraterrestrials. Sound like a tall tale? Let me introduce you to the Bilderberg Group, an annual meeting of world leaders who get together in closed meetings to…well, we don’t really know what they do. (Cue X-Files theme song.)

A photo of the so-called Syndicate, from “Paper Clip”

Face Tattoos, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Time Travel: 14 Questions with Darren Shan

We posed a few questions to Darren Shan, writer of 60+ books who manages to churn out terrifying tales at a rapid pace.

See below for the gory details.

1. If you weren’t an author you would be a ______?

Struggling author! If I wasn’t getting paid to write, I would write anyway. To support myself, I’d probably just do temporary office work, as I wouldn’t want a career to distract me.

2. The first book you loved?

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. You can find echoes of it in Lord Loss, the first book of my demon series.