(Blogoversary Celebration) Author Interview: Jill Hathaway

Hi everyone. I hope you all enjoyed Treasured Tales for Young Adults‘ blogoversary celebration. A huge thank you to all the authors who participated. To close the celebration, Jill Hathaway, author of Slide, has stopped by the blog with an interview. Thank you for the interview Jill.

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Hi Jill, Thank you for visiting Treasured Tales for Young Adults, to help celebrate its one year blogoversary.

Would you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a high school English teacher, mother, and recovering World of Warcraft addict.

Do you have a favourite time of day when you prefer to write?

Mornings are good for me. I usually go to the library and crank out a few thousand words before lunch.

Who are some of your favourite authors, and have you had the opportunity to meet any of them?

A couple of my favorite authors are Stephen King and Donna Tartt. I’ve never met either of them.

What was your favourite novel as a child, and has it inspired or influenced the way your write?

I remember really liking Remember Me by Christopher Pike. Maybe it did influence me because people have compared SLIDE to Pike’s stories.

If you could choose any author to collaborate on a novel with, who would you choose and why?

Megan Miranda, because she’s my brain twin.

What do you find to be the hardest and most rewarding parts of being an author?

Revision is both the hardest and most rewarding part of writing. Oh, but you said being an author. I’d say finding time for social networking on top of writing is difficult. But it’s so rewarding to hear from someone who has read and enjoyed SLIDE.

When writing a novel, do you outline the entire plot first, or do you like to let the characters guide you?

I used to be a pantser, but I’m slooooowly becoming a bit of an outliner.

When you think of your novel, Slide, what is the first word that comes to mind?

Twisty-turny

How would you describe Vee (the main character in Slide) in five words or less?

Cynical, pink, protective, strong, smart

What are you working on at the moment, and is there anything about it that you can share with us?

I just finished revising IMPOSTOR, SLIDE’s sequel, which will be out next spring! Vee is freaked out when she realizes someone else has been sliding into her and possibly trying to frame her for a serious crime.

Thank you for the interview Jill.

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Doesn’t Imposter, the sequel to Slide, sound intriguing? Have you read Slide?

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More information about Slide and author Jill Hathaway:

goodreads ~ website ~ blog 

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Author bio (from Goodreads) -

Jill Hathaway lives in the Des Moines area with her husband and young daughter. Having earned her BA in English Education from the University of Northern Iowa and her MA in Literature from Iowa State University, she teaches high school English and dual credit courses for Des Moines Area Community College.

(Blogoversary Celebration) Author Interview: Joann I. Martin Sowles

Hi everyone. Today, Joann I. Martin Sowles, author of The Brookehaven Vampires series, has stopped by the blog with an interview. Welcome to Treasured Tales Joann; and thank you for the interview.

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Hi Joann, Thank you for visiting Treasured Tales for Young Adults, to help celebrate its one year blogoversary.

Would you tell us a little about yourself?

I am married and a stay at home, homeschooling mom of two and I am also the author of the Brookehaven Vampires series. Some of my favorite things include vampires, Mickey Mouse, the color purple, and Dragons.

Do you have a favourite place where you like to write?

Well, we recently moved and I now have my own office. I love it in there! It is so nice to finally have a private space to write and call my own. Before that I would hide out in the corner of my bedroom in a recliner and try to get some writing done. Now I can actually sit at my desk to write and I can leave notes all over the room. I am way more productive.

If you were given the ability to step inside the world of any novel for an entire day, which novel would you choose and why?

I think I’d choose Harry Potter. I’d love to see and be a part of Hogwarts, wander Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade and see all the wonderful people and creatures of the Harry Potter world.

Which supernatural creature and/or myth do you find the most intriguing?

Oh, there are just so many that fascinate me! I’d have to say my number one is Dragons, followed closely by vampires.

How would you finish this sentence: Writing a novel…is a lot of work but one of the most rewarding things I have ever accomplished.

Joann, I have some Brookehaven Vampires related questions for you:

How would you describe Laney in one sentence?

Laney, as a character: Laney is strong and independent, looking for her place in the world.

Laney, the book: A glimpse of the beginning of what is to be an amazing love story.

What would you say are Laney and Oliver’s strengths and weaknesses?

I think that they are each other’s strength and weakness.

When you think of Julz, what is the first word that comes to mind?

Broken.

How many books will there be in The Brookehaven Vampires series?

I do not have a set number of books for the series or to tell Laney’s story. I have found that the more I write the longer Laney & Oliver’s story gets. I also plan to write Oliver’s version of the story along with several of the other Characters’ stories as well.

One final question:

What are you working on at the moment, and is there anything about it you can share with us?

At the moment I am working on book 3. Unfortunately, there is not much I can share at this time. I can tell you that we will get to see the Brookehaven world from the eyes of another character and that book 3 will be released sometime this year (2012).

Thank you for the interview Joann.

Thank you & Happy Blogoversary!

I’d also like to thank all who have stopped by and taken the time read this interview. I invite all of you to visit my website where you can read the first 3 chapters of both Laney & Darkness.

Much Love,
Joann I. Martin Sowles www.brookehavenvampires.com

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I can’t wait for book 3 in The Brookehaven Vampires series. I wonder which other character we are going to see the Brookehaven world through? Any ideas? Really excited about seeing the story from Oliver’s pov too.

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More information about The Brookehaven Vampires and Joann I. Martin Sowles:

goodreads ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ website

 

(Blogoversary Celebration) Author Guest Post: Kirsty Eagar

Hi Treasured Tales followers. Today, Kirsty Eagar, author of the newly released novel, Night Beach, has stopped by with a guest post introducing readers to one of the characters from Night Beach – Abbie. Welcome to Treasured Tales, Kirsty and thank you for the lovely guest post.

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Happy Birthday Treasured Tales for Young Adults!

Night Beach, my third book, has just been published, and Alishia asked me if I’d introduce you guys to either Abbie or Kane, who are characters in the story. I’ve gone with Abbie, partly because I believe Kane’s the sort of guy you should form your own opinion of without any heads-up from me. And partly because when I’m writing, the starting point of any story is the main character, so it’s Abbie who’s been there from the beginning. I should say, too, that the beginning was back in 2008, so Abbie’s been with me for a while now.

So, way back then, there were a couple of things I knew about Abbie. And all of them ended up feeding the story.

1.   Abbie’s parents divorced when she was young, and she and her sister, Anna, have spent most of their lives moving between the two of them. Abbie’s had to deal with a lot of change, and feels like she’s straddling two worlds – her father’s world, and her mother’s world. It’s not necessarily bad, but it is different. The other thing is, Abbie’s seventeen, moving from being a child to an adult. So in that way also, she’s split.

2.   She loves art. Creating it, viewing it, and hearing what other artists have to say about what they’re trying to do. What I was really interested in, though, is that thing that happens when you’re immersed in what you’re painting, when you’re in the zone, so to speak, and it feels like it’s coming from somewhere outside of you; sort of like you’re channelling something. Part of Abbie’s journey is to do with that thing – which in her case might be her subconscious, or perhaps something more supernatural.

3.   The ocean is equally important to her. It’s been the one constant in her life.

4.   She has an attraction for Kane, her step-cousin, that’s bordering on obsession. When your feelings are that intense, what happens isn’t necessarily rational. It meant that I didn’t always know what choices Abbie would make.

Well, I hope that gives you some feel for Abbie and her world.

Thanks for having me Alishia!

Kirsty

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Wasn’t that an amazing guest post? Have you read Night Beach?

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More information about Kirsty Eagar and her novels:

goodreads ~ website ~ blog

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Author bio (from author’s website) -

Kirsty Eagar grew up on a central Queensland cattle property and spent her school holidays at the beach. After studying economics, she worked on trading desks in Sydney and London before changing careers, wanting a life where she could surf every day. She travelled around Australia for a couple of years, living out of a car, worked a variety of jobs and began writing fiction. Her debut novel, Raw Blue, was published by Penguin in 2009, and won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Young Adult fiction. Her second novel, Saltwater Vampires, was shortlisted for the 2011 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Kirsty lives with her husband and two daughters on Sydney’s northern beaches.

(Blogoversary Celebration) Author Interview: Aimee Agresti

Hi everyone. *waves hello* There are only a few days of the blogoversary celebration left to go. I hope you have enjoyed celebrating Treasured Tales for Young Adults‘ one year blogoversary. Today, Aimee Agresti, author of Illuminate (Gilded Wings #1) has stopped by Treasured Tales for an interview. Thank you Aimee.

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Hi Aimee, Thank you for visiting Treasured Tales for Young Adults, to help celebrate its one year blogoversary.

Would you tell us a little about yourself?

Happy Blogoversary! Thanks so much for having me! Let’s see, where to begin? Well, ILLUMINATE is my first novel but I’ve been an entertainment magazine writer for years. Most recently I was a staff writer at Us Weekly, which was tons of fun! I’ll always be a celebrity gossip junkie at heart!

Do you have a favourite place where you like to write?

I live in DC where museum-hopping is my favorite pastime so I absolutely love writing at the Portrait Gallery. There’s a gorgeous courtyard there where I’ve been known to spend hours on end writing, sipping mochas and people-watching! I wrote a lot of ILLUMINATE there.

What was your favourite novel as a child, and has it inspired or influenced the way you write?

That’s such a great question! I had so many favorites: “Little Women,” “Alice in Wonderland,” the entire “Nancy Drew” series—I read all of those over and over. I always loved stories with strong heroines and adventurous girls. (I basically wanted to grow up to be a mix of Jo March and Nancy Drew!) When I sat down to write ILLUMINATE, it was important to me to create the kind of heroine I would have loved when I was a teen.

When writing a novel, do you outline the entire plot before beginning, or do you like to let the characters guide you?

I’m an outlining fiend! I need to have a clear map of where the story is going before I sit down to write, so I spend an incredible amount of time outlining. But there are definitely moments when I’m writing and a great idea occurs to me and I need to veer off from my plan a bit. Sometimes the best twists come out of the blue like that!

Which of your characters in Illuminate, intrigues you the most?

I love them all, they’re all my babies! But if I had to choose, I would say Haven because the book is really about her evolution. She may start out a little unsure of herself but she becomes a force to be reckoned with, which I love.

What do you love the most about the main character, Haven?

I love that she’s so analytical and introspective and she can’t seem to turn that off, even though she’d sometimes like to. She’s always thinking, thinking, thinking, taking note of everything going on around her, but it’s that kind of focus that helps her unlock the secrets of what’s really going on at the Lexington Hotel!

How would you describe Lance and Dante, each in five words or less?

Five words or less, wow! Well, Dante is the ultimate best friend. And Lance is that guy who surprises you.

When you think of Lucian, what is the first word that comes to mind?

Oooh, how about: smokeshow!

Are there any particular songs that you feel suit or express a certain scene in your novel, Illuminate?

I like to think of Ellie Goulding’s “Lights” as the book’s theme song. I didn’t discover that song until long after I’d finished writing, but her voice is so ethereal and the lyrics are just perfect. I love it! But I actually cooked up a whole soundtrack for the book, you can check it out here! http://c.itunes.apple.com/us/imix/aimee-agrestis-illuminate/id501117956

What are you currently working on, and is there anything about it you can share with us?

I’ve been busy polishing up the sequel to ILLUMINATE! In Book Two of the Gilded Wings trilogy, the gang heads to New Orleans to battle a new pack of devils. But I’ll tell you this much: you haven’t seen the last of Lucian!

Thank you for the interview Aimee.

Thank YOU so much!

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Doesn’t the Portrait Gallery, where Aimee wrote a lot of Illuminate, sound lovely?

Have you read Illuminate? Are you looking forward to the sequel?

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Check out Aimee’s guest post about Lucian.

More information about the Gilded Wings Trilogy and Aimee Agresti:

goodreads ~ website ~ twitter ~ blog ~ facebook
 

Competition Update #2

Competition Update

Hello everyone. With less than a week to go until the blogoversary competitions close, I thought I would write a competition update post. There are many prizes to be won including:

A Hunger Games Prize Pack

An Evernight series by Claudia Gray Pack (including a signed copy of Evernight)

A copy of Winter’s Light by M.J. Hearle (Winter’s Shadow #2)

And lots of Swag Packs.

For details about these competitions, just click here.

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Win a copy of Pandemonuim

Treasured Tales for Young Adults and BookPics are running a joint competition to celebrate our blogoversaries (as they are both in May). One lucky winner will receive a copy of Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (Delirium #2).

Just click here for all the details.

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Win e-books by Willow Cross

Four winners will receive one e-book each. For more details, just click here.

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Win e-books by Ella James

Two winners will each receive an e-book copy of Here (Here #1) and Stained (Stained #1). For all the details, click here.

Win a copy of The Shapeshifter’s Secret

One winner will receive a 1x copy of The Shapeshifter’s Secret (paperback copy if the winner resides in North America; e-book copy if the winner lives outside of North America). For all the competition details just click here.