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THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER
Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
September 2011
About the book:
Mara Dyer believes life can’t get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed. There is.
She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love. She’s wrong.
About me:
www.michellehodkin.com
www.twitter.com/MichelleHodkin
What made you decide to be a writer?
I didn’t, exactly. I was struck by inspiration lightning on May 15, 2009 and started writing that night. The next day I had 5,000 words. The next week I had 15,000. I never wrote as a kid or a teenager, though I did study English and American Literature in college, and did a ton of writing in law school and as an attorney. But fiction? Never. This was, quite literally, the book that I HAD to write. So finding out how much I loved it was an incredible and awesome surprise.
Favorite books/authors?
This list would be longer than the entire human DNA strand if I included YA authors, so I’ll just list some adult favorites: The Magicians by Lev Grossman, Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, Geek Love by Katherine Dunn, Portnoy’s Complaint and Operation Shylock by Philip Roth, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, The Passage by Justin Cronin, On Gold Mountain by Lisa See, The Decameron by Giovanni Bocaccio, The Shining by Stephen King, anything by Carl Hiaasen, anything by Daniel Handler, and The Hot Zone by Richard Preston.
Morning person or a night owl?
I am so nocturnal that I am borderline vampiric. Left to my own devices, I’ll sleep during the day and be up all night.
PC or mac?
A Mac convert since 2010. I bought it for $1200 so that I could use Scrivener, which costs $40.00. And Scrivener was worth it.
What did you have for dinner today?
It's 3PM and I haven't eaten breakfast or lunch, yet. See? Nocturnal.
Quick! Share 11 random things about yourself.
1. I speak Hebrew. Not well, but still.
2. I am allergic to color
3. I’ve been to Turkey, but not Mexico.
4. I can sleep for over fourteen hours if I have no place to be and no one to wake me.
5. I rescued an injured sparrow from a liquor store when I was 19 (don’t ask). No shelters or veterinary hospitals or sanctuaries would take her, so I brought her home to my 400 sq. ft. studio apartment. She lived with me for two months, during which I had to keep mealworms in my refrigerator, and feed them to her with tweezers. It was gross.
6. When I was in middle school, I wanted to be an epidemiologist. Then I realized I’d have to spend the next 20,000 years learning math. I became a lawyer instead.
7. I love the smell of gasoline. What?
8. Once upon a time, I may or may not have had a crush on Michaelangelo. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. The animated one. Yep.
9. The best tomato soup I've ever tasted was in Germany.
10. I own over 700 books and can’t bear to part with them. #hoarder
11. The person who was most surprised at my becoming an author was me.
Name : Guadalupe Garcia McCall
2011 Book Title: Under the Mesquite
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Release Date: Spring 2011
Your book's synopsis: When Lupita sees Mami crying over a pesky mesquite growing in her rose garden, she knows something is wrong. Through the kitchen window, she overhears that Mami has cancer. After an operation, things seem to return to normal for Lupita and her family, and they go on with their lives, going back and forth between attending school, working, and living in the United States and visiting family and friends in Mexico. However, when Mami's cancer returns, Papi doesn't know whether he should accompany Mami during her long convalescence at an out of town cancer clinic or stay home to care for Lupita and her seven brothers and sisters. Suddenly, being a high school student, dealing with difficult friends, starring in the school play, even writing become less important to Lupita than doing whatever it takes to save Mami's life.
Your website address: www.guadalupegarciamccall.com
Your Twitter handle: ggmccall
Facebook address: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?&new
What made you decide to be a writer? I really never had a choice. I started writing short stories and poems the minute I learned how to pick up a pencil. My father always encouraged it. He made me believe it. Then, in the third grade, my teacher, Mr. Hernandez, said, "You're going to be a writer someday," and suddenly it all made sense to me. This was something I could do. It was my passion, my gift. I told stories: good ones, bad ones, silly ones, exciting ones, boring ones, it didn't matter. They were my stories, and I loved them all. I've been writing narrative poetry and telling stories ever since, thanks to Mr. Hernandez.
Favorite books/authors? Oh, gosh, there are soooo many! I love the classics, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Pearl, Fahrenheit 451, The Old Man and the Sea, The Odyssey, anything mythology, anything poetry, anything written.
Morning person or a night owl? I love the moonlight streaming through my window as I unravel a tale in my head and stare at the glow of my computer. It's the best time to write. Quiet, mystical, full of possibilities.
PC or mac? PC all the way!
What did you have for dinner today? Tacos, two for a buck. I love Jack!
11 Random things about me...
1. I love caldo. I'd be happy to eat it every day if I had to.
2. I love lipsticks. Can't buy enough of them. It's the only thing I love more than gel pens (you can write with them too).
3. I've been teaching 8th grade for 22 years, and I still LOVE IT! School is my home away from home.
4. This year, I have 3 sons in college...so I'm still shaking off the empty nest syndrome...I get cold sweats every time I think about them being gone.
5. Mexican sweet bread is my poison! I can't have just one empanada.
6. I'm technologically challenged... computer-talk is Greek to me.
7. I'm a big time bargain shopper. I love coupons, 1/2 priced bookstores, and thrift shops. Show me a huge savings, and I'm there!
8. I'm a terrible, no-good, very bad driver! Just ask Tenner, Jennifer Cervantes. Better yet, don't ask her. Take my word for it.
9. I love fashionable clothes, purses, and shoes. But it's not my fault; I'm a girl!
10. I have a BA in Theatre Arts...so, I guess that makes me a Drama Queen.
11. I'm a Scorpio in the Western Horoscope and a Snake in the Chinese Calendar.
- Location:Somerset, Texas
- Mood:
pensive
Clete Barrett Smith
2011 Book Title, Publisher, Release Date (if known)
Aliens on Vacation
Disney-Hyperion Books for Children. May 3rd.
Your book's synopsis.
When 12-year-old Scrub Elliott goes to work for his grandma in rural Washington state for the summer, he learns that her bed-and-breakfast is actually an undercover operation that aliens use to vacation on Earth.
Your website address
www.cletebarrettsmith.com
Your Twitter handle and Facebook address, if you have one
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/clet
What made you decide to be a writer?
As a kid, I never wanted my favorite books to end.
Favorite books/authors?
My favorite author as a kid was Roald Dahl. His stories felt so subversive at the time (probably because the adult characters were all such terrible people. And morons, to boot.) Currently I really like Nancy Farmer, M.T. Anderson and Pete Hautman for kidlit. When I'm reading comics, I like Robert Kirkman, Grant Morrison and Rick Geary.
Morning person or a night owl?
Both! (I don't sleep much.)
PC or mac?
Mac.
What did you have for dinner today?
Creamy potato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.
Quick! Share 11 random things about yourself.
My 4-year-old daughter told me this morning that she loved me more than she loved our dog. (She immediately took it back five minutes later when our dog woke up and wanted to cuddle.)
I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest.
I have taught high school English, Drama and Speech for 12 years.
I got married in the Cayman Islands.
My middle-school-aged daughter wants to be Kristen Wiig when she grows up. (Does the fact that I'm so proud make me a terrible father?)
I recently graduated from the MFA program in writing for kids at the Vermont College of Fine Arts.
I am not afraid of the dark (however, I am quite afraid of all the creepy things that are very likely lurking about in the dark).
I shoplifted a pack of Mentos one time in middle school and still feel terrible about it.
Bookworm credentials: When a family friend gave me the Chronicles of Narnia, I faked a major illness so I could stay home from second grade for a week and read the entire series.
I like to play the guitar and sing, but I'm pretty terrible at both.
I'm pretty excited for 2011 to get here so I can read all of these great books!
Breath of Angel, WaterBrook (Random House), June 2011
Breath of Angel is a YA fantasy.
Melaia, a young priestess, is drawn into a longstanding feud between two immortal brothers who destroyed the stairway to heaven, stranding angels in the world of humans. To restore the stairway, an ancient debt must be paid, and the payment, Melaia discovers, involves her destiny.
Website, karynhenleyfiction is under construction, but will be up sometime in October.
Facebook address: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Karyn-Henl
Blog: http://maybeso.wordpress.com
What made you decide to be a writer?
I've always loved to read. In elementary school, I often read while I walked home. One of my favorite homework assignments was to write a story using all the words of the week's spelling list. But I never thought about becoming a real writer until I grew up and became a teacher. I discovered one of my favorite times of the day was when I read aloud to the kids. Then one day it dawned on me that I could try to write. I started with picture books and easy readers and curricula and parent/teacher books, but writing a novel always seemed to be a totally foreign and magical gift. Then I discovered the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in writing for children and young adults. Hungry to learn the magic, I signed up and began to learn from wonderful published authors as well as from the VCFA student community.
Favorite authors: Ursula LeGuin, Orson Scott Card, Megan Whalen Turner, Cornelia Funke, Kristin Cashore, Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson, Kathi Appelt, Susan Fletcher, . . . and I'm always discovering more.
I'm definitely a night owl.
PC or mac? Started on a PC, but moved to mac because the rest of my family works on macs, which makes it easier for me to get technical help when I need it. (I'm technologically challenged – takes me awhile to figure things out – I'm new at blogging and Facebook and this site – and I'll be tweeting soon – it can get overwhelming!)
Made dinner in the slow-cooker today. Pork chops. Mmm.
Quick! Share 11 random things about yourself.
I like the color blue,
I like flowers of all kinds, especially if they smell nice
I've been to every state in the U.S. and seen all the state capitol buildings.
I'm a beginning harp player.
I love fresh baked bread and often bake it myself.
I like watching birds.
I love listening to thunder and a nice, steady rain.
I like wind.
I like treetops.
I like treetops swaying in the wind.
I like sunsets in a big sky.
- Location:sunroom at home
- Mood:
hopeful - Music:silence
Veronica Roth
DIVERGENT
Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011
In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris, and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together, they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes-fascinating, sometimes-exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret: one she’s kept hidden from everyone, because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly-perfect society, she also learns that her secret might be what helps her save those she loves . . . or it might be what destroys her.
http://veronicarothbooks.com, twitter
What made you decide to be a writer?
I don’t really remember deciding, but I do remember feeling like I needed to or my brain would explode, which would not be pretty. I’ve been writing since I was in sixth grade, but I’ve been doing it seriously since high school, when I realized I wouldn’t enjoy doing anything else nearly as much.
Favorite books/authors?
“Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson is quiet, slow, and subtle—it took me a summer to read, but when I finished, I was glad that I let it ruminate so much. I learned a lot from that book. I had to acquire a taste for Alice Munro’s short stories, but now I love them. Roald Dahl, for creepy whimsy. “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card for its sheer intenseness and great world-building. “The Giver” by Lois Lowry, “A Wrinkle In Time” by Madeleine L’Engle, “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins…I’m going to stop myself now before this question takes over my life.
Morning person or a night owl?
Night owl by nature, morning person by preference.
PC or mac?
PC! Acer for the win.
What did you have for dinner today?
Coconut curry.
11 Random Things
1. I am the opposite of ambidextrous. My left hand is essentially useless. I can barely hold a cup with it, and even then, I sometimes drop the cup.
2. I’m getting married in March to my high school sweetheart. Only neither of us likes that phrase.
3. I’m 6 feet tall.
4. I love squares.
5. I have recurring dreams about killing spiders and beetles. I’m not sure why.
6. My power went out last week, and when it came on, it was at exactly 12:00, so I didn’t reset my clock. It’s still blinking, but it’s blinking the right time.
7. I’m very organized, but I can’t bring myself to keep a day planner.
8. My favorite ‘nsync member when I was twelve was Joey. You know, the kind of unattractive one.
9. I am a Midwest enthusiast. I love it here.
10. I’m very concerned about my daily water intake.
11. The eleventh item on this list was the hardest one for me to come up with.
- Location:Chicago Suburbs, Illinois
This is me. My profile picture is Ted Bundy. Definitely not me.Kendare Blake
ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD
Tor, September 2011
Theseus Cassio Lowood, (called "Cas", because who would want to be called "Theseus"), has inherited a strange vocation. He kills the dead. So did his father before him, until he was murdered by a ghost in Baton Rouge. Now, armed with his father's mystical athame, Cas travels the country with his small, pale caravan: just him, his kitchen-witch mother, and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow the legends, the local lore, aided by tips from others in the know, trying to keep up with the murderous dead, and putting pesky things like the future, and friends, on hold.
When they arrive in Thunder Bay, Ontario, in search of the ghost they call "Anna Dressed in Blood", Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. And she, for whatever reason, spares his life. So what's a ghost killer to do? To complicate matters, the civilians of Thunder Bay just won't stay out of his business. And something else has followed him too. Something with a taste for the living.
www.kendareblake.com , livejournal, Facebook
What made you decide to be a writer?
Well it was either that or be a huge a-hole basketcase. I tried the whole "Not Writing" thing, got a non-writing related degree, worked in middle management. Then I shucked it all to go to London and get a writerly MA. Writing has always been a compulsion. It didn't feel like a conscious decision, and I'm grateful every day to be able to do it.
Favorite books/authors?
Bret Easton Ellis. He's just so moral and in your face. Milan Kundera, the brain that can't be stopped by time or war-crime tribunals. Joe Hill, better than his papa, or at least just as good, in a different way. Caitlin R Kiernan, creator of the weird and beautiful. I love the His Dark Materials trilogy. I love The Mists of Avalon. Andre Dubus and Raymond Carver rock my socks when it comes to simplicity and transforming the mundane. Damn I love this question.
Morning person or a night owl?
Rip me out of bed and I will adapt.
PC or mac?
PC. Justin Long or John Hodgeman? Why not both?
What did you have for dinner today?
Chinese takeout. Sweet and sour chicken with beef fried rice. Some very odd wontons.
Quick! Share 11 random things about yourself.
1. One of my best friends is a criminal justice prof. specializing in serial killers. Hence the Ted Bundy profile pic.
2. Nobody beats me in Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Nobody, damn you!
3. I support animals and the environment.
4. Once when I was horseback riding in Ireland, my horse slipped and fell while climbing up the foot of a mountain. No more mountains, thank you.
5. I've been known to randomly silly string pedestrians while riding in a car. If you are one of those I have hit, Dude, I'm sorry. Hope you got a weird story to tell out of it.
6. I have a very old cell phone, and no desire to upgrade. Try dropping your iPhone down a toilet and having it work perfectly afterward. Hah! Wait, that story is kind of gross...
7. I "adopted" my brother when we were fifteen, and the rest of my family just went with it. His took longer to convince.
8. I love mayonnaise and use it in everything.
9. Purses are from the devil. Backpacks or messenger bags only.
10. I firmly believe that Gargoyles is the best cartoon to come out of Disney in the 1990's.
11. Wine tasting is the most fun you can have with friends, a DD, and a minivan.
- Location:Washington State
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Name : Jessi Kirby
Book Title: MOONGLASS
Publisher/Season: Simon & Schuster, Summer 2011
Synopsis: A contemporary YA novel about a girl who, years after her mother's death, gets a fresh start in a new seaside town. She seems to be outrunning the past, but discovers that the sea glass she wears around her neck is not just a token of her mother's memory but a connection to the very stretch of water she now calls home.
Website: www.jessikirby.com
What made you decide to be a writer?
I turned 30. Really! I've wanted to be a writer my entire life, which led me into an English major in college, which then led me into teaching. The spring before my thirtieth birthday, I was doing this big Carpe Diem--themed unit with my 8th graders, and it got me thinking I should put into practice what I was preaching, and go after my own big dream. So the day after my birthday, I started writing the story that had been tumbling around in my brain for years. And that story was MOONGLASS!
Favorite books/authors?
Books: THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd, THE MERMAIDS SINGING by Lisa Carey, LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green, THIS LULLABY & THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER by Sarah Dessen, SIX RULES OF MAYBE by Deb CAletti, SEA by Heidi Kling, SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson, TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler, SHUG by Jenny Han...keep going? I could forever, but in the interest of space, I'll quit for now. :)
Morning person or a night owl?
Morning. I like the stillness of the house, a cup of coffee, and the company of my own thoughts before my little people wake up.
PC or mac? PC. Just got a slim little new one that can come with me anywhere.
What did you have for dinner today?
Dinner was pork tenderloin w/mango chutney, green beans, and rosemary sweet potato fries.
Quick! Share 11 random things about yourself.
2. Close runner-up is the fact that I now get to call myself a writer.
3. I try to run every day--for clarity, to think out stories, and to breathe in the outdoors.
4. I grew up in the mountains but am now lucky enough to wake up to the ocean every morning.
5. My house is actually a 1930's beach cottage, complete with crystal doorknobs, creaky doors, and a window that literally blew off the house in a storm last winter.
6. All time favorite TV show: Friday NIght Lights--mainly because of Tim Riggins.
7. I just bought a 1966 Dodge Dart, which I am madly in love with, to drive to the library in to write.
8. The Newport Beach Public Library is my current office and my favorite spot there is the Teen Center because of the ocean view and comfy couches. Unfortunately I get kicked out every day at 2pm. Guess they can tell I'm not a teen anymore.
9. I have two major vices: coffee and red wine.
10. I'm obsessed with sea glass and found the best birthday present ever a few months ago--a red one. Really and truly, I ran over it on the beach.
11. My four year old daughter turned me on to Taylor Swift, and I think I may be her biggest fan now. Am I too old for that?
Tags:
- Location:United States, California, Newport Beach
- Mood: content
2011 Book Title: GIRL WONDER
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: May 3, 2011
Synopsis:
Desperate to escape the mediocrity of her third-rate classes, seventeen-year-old Charlotte Locke joins her new school's elite debate team, where her heart is quickly captivated by Neal Fitzpatrick, the team's captain extraordinaire. Even better than being in Neal's orbit, however, is Charlotte's debate partnership with Amanda Munger--aka Girl Wonder. Bold and sophisticated, as whip-smart as she is wild, Amanda pulls Charlotte out of her mundane existence into a more daring and glamorous world. Unfortunately, no amount of charm can mask the heart of a viper, and on the night when Charlotte needs her new best friend the most, the real Amanda strikes. Fighting her way through the fallout, Charlotte has no one to turn to except an obnoxious neighbor, a quirky boy with a passion for hunting wild mushrooms and a talent for pushing her buttons.
Website address: coming soon! www.alexamartin.com
Facebook address:http://www.facebook.com/alexa.m
What made you decide to be a writer?
A professor in college once told our creative writing class that we would only become writers if there was absolutely nothing else we could do. For a long time I didn't want to be a writer. Writers were tortured souls, right? I had bigger plans. I wanted to be a mountain guide. But when my climbing dreams were dashed by a knee injury, I realized that maybe writing wasn't something I had a choice about. Other than climbing mountains (and now long-distance trail running) writing is the one thing that seems to still my inner restlessness.
Favorite books/authors?
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks--E. Lockhart, How I Live Now--Meg Rosoff, Skellig--David Almond, The Truth About Forever--Sarah Dessen, Tell Me a Secret--Holly Cupala, Speak--Laurie Halse Anderson, Dairy Queen--Catherine Murdock, A Solitary Blue--Cynthia Voigt, A Separate Peace--John Knowles, Story of a Girl--Sara Zarr, Nine Stories--J.D. Salinger, Watership Down--Richard Adams, Into the Wild--Jon Krakaur, The Boys of My Youth--Jo Ann Beard, Jane Eyre--Charlotte Bronte, David Copperfield--Charles Dickens, This Boy's Life--Tobias Wolff, The Lost Legends of New Jersey--Frederick Reiken, Dracula--Bram Stoker, The Magus--John Fowles... and the list goes on and on.
Morning person or a night owl?
I SO want to be a morning person. It seems like such a noble thing to be. And really, I do love the mornings...I just hate waking up early. However I've always felt a connection to the night, especially if I'm outside. There's something very "liquid" about the darkness.
PC or mac?
Mac, baby! With cheese.
What did you have for dinner today?
My lunch consisted of a piece of pound cake my mother made, mixed with almond-flavored buttercream icing, and a bunch of raspberries... all of this mashed together five-year-old style! I'm usually pretty healthy but c'mon... cake rocks!
Quick! Share 11 random things about yourself.
1) I am the daughter of a psychiatrist which means I grew up discussing mental illness at the dinner table.
2) I'm terrified of lightning though I love watching storms.
3) I once caught an alligator with a crab net.
4) I am most happy when running long distances on mountain trails in the Pacific Northwest.
5) Reading the book A DAY NO PIGS WOULD DIE was one of the precursors to my becoming a vegetarian at the age of 13. I was NOT going to eat my cat or dog (though come to think of it the dog was named "Cheerio")
6) I'm really good at turning non-runners into runners. You think you can resist me but...
7) One of the things on my life list is that I want to sing publicly sometime... and sound good.
8) When I was a teenager one of our family friends said about me "Alexa likes to throw out little bombs just to see what will happen." Maybe that's what writing is all about for me.
9) I have a terrible sense of my personal limits which means that I'm constantly getting bruised and injured because I'm not as tough as I think.
10) Writing is really torturous for me, and I am deeply suspicious (and jealous) of anyone who says they "love to write." I love "having written," which is an entirely different matter. I can't write in public places because if you actually saw the way I look while writing (rocking back and forth, biting my nails and lips, jouncing my legs, crying) you would want me locked away forever.
11) I think it's important to have dreams and goals but "who you are" matters way more to me than "what you do."
Title: The Circle Cast: The Lost Years of Morgan le Fay
Publisher: Tradewinds
Pub date: October 1, 2011
Morgan Le Fay -- seducer of King Arthur, sorceress, destroyer of Britain -- was a girl once.
How does an exiled girl become a king’s nemesis? When Uter Penndragon uses Merlin’s magic to seduce her mother and murder her father, eight-year-old Morgan has to flee to Ireland to avoid being killed herself. But Ireland is no refuge. She’s captured in a slave raid and sold to a village witch. As Morgan comes of age, she discovers her own primal magic, fueled by vengeful rage. She escapes and finds passion with a young Irish chieftain. But will her drive for revenge destroy her one
chance for love and happiness?
Websites
Hmm, well, there are a few. I blog a great deal about screenwriting; and there’s a website promoting my screenwriting books, CRAFTY SCREENWRITING: WRITING MOVIES THAT GET MADE and CRAFTY TV WRITING: THINKING INSIDE THE BOX.
Theoretically I have a blog to promote this book, but I haven’t found myself posting there. I shall have to do that more.
What made you decide to be a writer?
I don’t think I ever decided to be a writer. I just wrote. Eventually they started being nice enough to pay me for it.
I wrote stories and poems in high school, then more stories in college. People kept telling me I had a visual imagination, so at a certain point it seemed like a good idea to write screenplays. For one thing, you can make a living writing screenplays. THE CIRCLE CAST is a labor of love; I couldn’t not write it. But most of my writing is for the screen.
Favorite books/authors?
Neil Gaiman’s SANDMAN series, AMERICAN GODS and NEVERWHERE. Neil Stephenson’s SNOW CRASH, CRYPTONOMICON and the Baroque cycle.
Morning person or a night owl?
Parent of a six year old. Heh.
PC or Mac?
Evangelically Mac. Long ago when I was a computer science major, I had to use PCs, back in the dark days of DOS. I have never understood why people put up with the abuse.
What did you have for dinner today?
I'm just about to go to dinner. Good questions. Let's hope for pan-seared scallops.
Quick! Share 11 random things about yourself.
1) I can remember almost nothing from before I was 13. I don’t know why. I don’t think I had an acute trauma or anything.
2) When I was a teenager, I used to spend hours playing war games. With paper maps, and cardboard units, and dice. West Point tried to recruit me. I think I would have loved the Army. I’d be in Afghanistan right now. It’s a road not taken.
3) When I lived in California, I did a lot of spiritual searching. I went to Quaker meeting for a while. I was in a Wiccan circle for a while, but the rituals I imagined were always better than the rituals we did, and I almost never felt any power being raised. I had fun writing the rituals, though. Now I don’t do anything very spiritual at all, unless you count putting my daughter to bed, which I kind of do.
4) I met my wife when we were 16. Then we went off and married the wrong people. We got it right the second time around.
5) When I was younger, I was extremely poor at guessing what other people were feeling. I believe I probably had undiagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome. It still sometimes bites me in the ass. Sometimes, at a party, I run out of mana to talk to people, and I have to go and hide for ten minutes. Happens at my own parties, too.
6) In high school, I really wanted to be part of the in crowd. Many years later, I realize I probably was.
7) I used to be afraid of dying without having done anything important. Now I’m only afraid of dying before my kids can take care of themselves.
8) I believe in God, but there are a lot of compelling arguments that She doesn’t exist.
9) I find it hard to write with music on. I find it impossible to write with the TV on.
10) I have pursued a high risk life in a steadfast, kind of stolid way. I take very few risks, except for the really huge ones that could have been major disasters if they hadn't worked out. I would not advise anyone else to become a screenwriter, or insist on the first girl you fell in love with. Amazingly, it worked out.
11) I consider myself blessed.
- Location:Montreal, QC
- Mood: pensive
- Music:Shhhhh.
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2011debuts- The Elevensies
a mid-morning snack
with coffee or tea
WHO WE ARE
A group of YA and MG authors whose first books debut in 2011
COVERS UNCOVERED
Syndicate
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.2){kind=small}
chasethestars