Book Launch: Give Up The Ghost

I'd like to introduce Megan Crewe, and her fun debut novel GIVE UP THE GHOST.

Congratulations on the publication of your novel, GIVE UP THE GHOST. It’s an intriguing reality-based fantasy! Can you tell us a bit about the story and what inspired it?

GIVE UP THE GHOST is about a girl named Cass who became an outcast when her former best friend turned on her in junior high, and since then has made friends with a number of ghosts. The ghosts are honest and loyal, and they dig up the dirty secrets of Cass's classmates, so that she can expose their true colors. But when the popular student council vice president comes to Cass for help, she starts to question all her assumptions.

The main inspiration for the story was an image that just popped into my head, of a girl hanging out with her ghostly sister. I wanted to figure out why this girl would be so comfortable with the dead, and what might become of her friendship with them.

How long have you been writing for children/teens? Have you written other books or is this your first effort?

It's hard to say--I started writing seriously in my teens, and then I wrote about teenagers because I didn't know what it was like to be an adult. But when I got into my twenties, I found that I still enjoyed writing about and for teens. So I guess I've always been writing for them!

I wrote a number of "practice novels" before GHOST, most of which are firmly shelved.

Can you describe your path to the publication of GIVE UP THE GHOST?

It was pretty straight-forward, actually. Once the manuscript was revised and polished, I started querying agents, and got an offer of representation. The book went out to editors, we had a few close calls (editors who loved the book but got a "no" from someone higher up), I did a revision, and then we got two offers!

Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

Keep at it. Perseverance is so important in this business. Getting your writing to a publishable level, and then finding someone who loves it enough to publish it, can take a long time. Focus on writing stories that excite you, not what the market looks like--it'll have changed by the time you could get a book out there anyway. And don't be afraid to learn. Take advice, read up on strategies, get critiques--consider all of it, and then find what works for you. Your stories can always get stronger.

Can you tell us something about your personal life – inspirations, plans for the future, goals, etc.?

Well, my main goal is to keep writing, and hopefully getting to share those stories with readers. I'd also like to do more traveling--we're planning to go to Japan next year, and there are many other parts of the world I'd like to see.
And then there's the domestic stuff, of course, like buying a house, which my husband and I hope to do in the next few years.

Do you have any new writing ventures underway?

Always! I've got a few different YA projects at different stages in the process, all paranormal or fantasy.

Do you have a website where readers can learn more about GIVE UP THE GHOST?

http://www.megancrewe.com You're all welcome to stop by!