Fabulous New Fiction: 2k10 Debut Author Kitty Keswick

Kitty Keswick's debut novel, FREAKSVILLE, is an enticing mixture of romance and suspense. The cover is to die for! I'm so pleased to bring you this interview with Kitty.

Congratulations on the publication of your novel, FREAKSVILLE! Can you tell us a bit about the story and what inspired it?

A group of teenagers, trapped in a haunted theater on the night of a full moon, find out that ghosts are the least of their worries…

"Every woman in the Maxwell family has the gift of sight. A talent sixteen-year-old Kasey would gladly give up. All she wants is a normal life. Shopping and talking about boys with her best friend and long-time sidekick, Gillie Godshall, consume her days. Until Kasey has a vision about Josh Johnstone, the foreign exchange student from England. The vision leads her into new realms, a lead in a play, a haunted theater...and into the arms of Josh. Yet, both Kasey and Josh have secrets lurking in dark corners. Can Kasey’s new romance survive FREAKSVILLE?"

You’re supposed to write what you know, and working on FREAKSVILLE was no different. I studied theater in college so I based some parts of the story on my experiences. Every theater I worked in seemed to be haunted, so it fit the plot of the novel nicely. I added a paranormal twist. I’m also a huge Anglophile so, naturally, Kasey my heroine shared my passion; she got lucky and landed herself a British hottie.

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

I’ve been writing since I was in high school. Back then my stories were written in notebooks. Come to think of it, that hasn’t changed. I still keep notebooks full of ideas and other goodies. If I have writer’s block while I’m on the computer, sometimes writing the scene out longhand will help.

I wrote FREAKSVILLE in 2000-2001 and sold it in 2007. FREAKSVILLE is my debut YA novel, so I’m lucky enough to be part of a wonderful group of debut MG and YA authors, the Class of 2K10.

Yes - the Class of 2k10, of which I'm a member, and whose other books I'll be featuring all year. Can you describe your path to the publication of FREAKSVILLE?

The first place I sent FREAKSVILLE to rejected it. They had closed their Young Adult line. I didn’t know it at the time. The manuscript was filed under my bed hanging with the dust bunnies in Rejectland. A few years later, I revamped it and sent it out again. I got a request for a full and about fell over. I had gotten really close with a few other stories. Editors had liked my voice but said the premise wasn’t right…

So the moral is, keep sending the submissions out. You won’t sell any manuscripts if they’re living in your sock drawer or under the bed.

Oh, that is so true! Editors do not come knocking. Do you have any other advice for beginning writers?

Read, Write, Read. And keep at it. Everyone gets rejections. Learn to plot stories with strong conflict—the lifeblood of a story. Don’t be afraid to stretch yourself. Write what you love, what you are passionate about. Let your emotions bleed into your words.

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

I plan to keep writing and maybe someday open up a bookstore.

A bookstore - good for you. So, do you have any new writing ventures underway?

I’m editing book two, FURRY & FREAKED, in the FREAKSVILLE series and working on a joint YA project with author Judith Graves (another 2k10 author.)

Do you have a website where readers can learn more about FREAKSVILLE?

www.kittykeswick.com, www.leapbks.com, www.classof2k10.com

Thanks, Kitty!

FREAKSVILLE, by Kitty Keswick
ISBN-13 978-1-61603-001-8, ISBN-10 1-61603-001-1, Release Date: January 8, 2010

Book Launch: The Secret Year

I'm excited to be able to introduce Jennifer Hubbard, whose January debut novel, THE SECRET YEAR, is attracting much attention.

Congratulations on the publication of your novel, THE SECRET YEAR. I can't wait to read it! Can you tell us a bit about the story and what inspired it?

The synopsis is: After his secret girlfriend's death, seventeen-year-old Colt finds the notebook she left behind, but he is unprepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship.
To me, the book is largely about the consequences of a secret relationship: what it gave to the participants, and what it cost them.

It sounds like a wonderful premise. How long have you been writing for children/teens? Have you written other books or is this your first effort?

I wrote and published literary short stories for years, but I kept reading YA novels. Finally, I had the bright idea that I should try to write YA novels! I did sell a short story for children, “The Skateboard War,” to POCKETS magazine. That was my first publication in the children’s market. But I really love the YA novel and hope to stay with this form for quite a while.

Can you describe your path to the publication of THE SECRET YEAR?

I worked on it for a couple of years, along with other projects. Some very positive feedback from a critiquer at a conference led me to do one more revision and then seek an agent. I signed with Nathan Bransford of Curtis Brown, who responded very strongly to the manuscript and has been a joy to work with. He brought the manuscript to Viking, and the people at Viking have been great as well. Along the way, I also joined forces with groups of other debut writers (first Debut2009 and the Class of 2k9; then, when my publication date was moved to 2010, the Tenners and Class of 2k10); they’ve helped me navigate my debut year.

So the support of writing colleagues is crucial. That's certainly my experience. Do you have any other advice for beginning writers?

Read a lot, and write a lot. Take classes, go to conferences. Keep reading and writing.

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

I always want to value the writing for its own sake, never to let the external rewards overshadow the internal rewards.

That's a lovely bit of advice! Do you have any new writing ventures underway?

Yes, but I don’t like to talk about projects until they’re finished. It drains the momentum!

(I agree!) Do you have a website where readers can learn more about THE SECRET YEAR?

http://www.jenniferhubbard.com/

I also blog at http://writerjenn.livejournal.com/ and I’m on Twitter as @JennRHubbard.

Thanks, Jenn!

With Apologies...New Interviews Coming Soon!

Thanks for your patience, readers - I've been enjoying a busy Vermont College residency for the past two weeks, and I will be resurfacing later this week.

We are hearing stellar lectures and awesome readings up here in the land of snow, and were able to share the excitement of the ALA awards ceremony yesterday where a number of friends and colleagues received awards (more later.)

More soon...

Fabulous New Fiction: 2k10 Debut Author Bonnie Doerr

January is jam-packed with terrific debut novels, and among these is Bonnie Doerr's ISLAND STING. I'm excited to feature an interview with Bonnie as today's post.

Congratulations on the publication of your novel, ISLAND STING! I understand it's an "environmental mystery." Intriguing! Can you tell us a bit about the story and what inspired it?

Thank you, Janet. I’m very excited about ISLAND STING. It was a long time in the making. I can’t point to any single experience that inspired it, so I’ll share pieces that contributed to the whole.

From the time I was a small child nature was my place of worship, inspiration, and refuge. In grad school I majored in reading education, but briefly taught middle school science and loved doing so. I searched for fun, fast-paced novels to incorporate into the ecology curriculum and found very few. Fast forward a few years to my move to the Florida Keys. It’s impossible to ignore the human impact on these fragile islands and the water surrounding them. There I taught reading and study skills to college students, skills that can’t be taught independent of writing. My past and present collided, producing a revelation: I could write what I’d wished for years before.

The Florida Keys! What an exotic, beautiful place to set a story. Hundreds of acres of wildlife refuge surrounded me. The adorable endangered Key deer would be delightful subjects. There was a rich human success story in their survival. Wonderful science behind it. What mystery could surround them? How could teens get involved? Add a little danger, unique characters, a taste of the wild on land and sea. Shake it up and write it down.

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

I’ve been writing stories and poems for use in my lessons ever since I began teaching. (Thank you for not asking how long ago that was.) But I didn’t submit pieces to publishers until about twelve years ago. I’ve had a short story published and a novel for middle grades which was the predecessor to Island Sting, but was not marketed outside of the Florida Keys. So the publication of ISLAND STING is a dream come true for me.

Can you describe your path to the publication of ISLAND STING?

Long, painful, persistent, and finally lucky. Initially, a small, regional publisher believed in me, providing just enough confidence to last until I found a national one.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

Study, study, study—every aspect of the craft. Develop a thick skin. Celebrate your rejection letters because each one brings you that much closer the one that says YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

Inside I am still the little girl inspired by nature. A personal goal of mine involves travel. I’ve seen a great deal of the United States, and now I want to explore Ireland, Italy, and France. Then on to adventures in other foreign lands. Major goals are to inspire readers to become environmentally active like the Keys Teens Care members in ISLAND STING and to appreciate and experience nature whenever and wherever they can.

Do you have any new writing ventures underway?

I do. I’m polishing a second eco-mystery, STAKEOUT, set in the Florida Keys. This mystery involves endangered sea turtles. It’s scheduled for release in 2011. I am also working on a new manuscript set in Key West, Florida, but this one is not heavily eco-oriented.

Do you have a website where readers can learn more about ISLAND STING?

Yes, please visit http://www.BonnieDoerrBooks.com where you can view videos of wildlife in the Keys, read an excerpt of ISLAND STING, and find other interesting tidbits. There readers can also contact me about their green activities so I can share them on http://www.bonnieblogsgreen.blogspot.com/

Bonnie also has a book trailer for ISLAND STING at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L54xiWa8IDc