Bad Taste In Boys & Supernaturally

There are a couple books that I’m ecstatic to read, and they’re coming out within the next couple months. The books are...

Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris (July 12)

& Supernaturally by Kiersten White (July 26).

Carrie Harris’s beautiful, quirky, and fun writing style has drawn me in. I can’t wait to read more of her dynamic voice through the words of her book. BTIB is about zombies in high school. How cool is that? Way supercool on an awesomesauce scale. I’ve been waiting well over six months for this book and the clock is ticking—it will be out soon. I feel pretty special because Carrie was the first person to follow me on Twitter. Back then, I appreciated her confidence in me as a beginner in the tweeting arena and as an aspiring author. Ok, I’m bragging.

Last summer, Kiersten White’s book Paranormalcy was recommended to me by her dad. Now that’s a cool claim to fame. I’ve really got to stop bragging now. Anyway, within days I finished it and fell in love with the characters and the story. Then I had the fabulous opportunity to interview Kiersten. She was so welcoming and a delight to get to know in person. Since then I’ve been itching to get my greedy little fingers on Supernaturally. It makes me giddy thinking in just over two months I will be feasting upon the second part of the series. However, it kills me to think I have to wait even longer for the final book in the trilogy to be released. They should just release them both at the same time. Seriously! And I’m anxious to find out what the third book is going to be named. I have some ideas, but I’m probably way off the mark.

So, which soon-to-be-released books are you dying to read and why?

Interview with Kiersten White – New York Times Bestselling Author of “Paranormalcy” - Part 2

Oral Interview with the charming Kiersten White continued . . .

Julia: How long have you been writing?
Kiersten: I have been writing seriously now for, I would say, since the summer of 2008 was when I got really obsessive about it, but I’ve been writing books since 2004. I was at home and my husband was in law school, and I had a very fussy baby, so I started writing just to entertain myself. My first book was a middle grade novel. And then in the summer of 2008, I started writing YA and that first book I wrote in a month. And then I wrote another book that December. And “Paranormalcy” I wrote the next January.

J: Now that you’re published, how does it feel?
K: Most of the time, it doesn’t feel any different. Honestly, it’s still quite surprising when I get an email from someone I don’t know who read my book. It is a little more intimidating to write than it was before. Writing under contract is a different experience because there’s a lot of pressure. You essentially are writing something you already sold. But it’s a little more exciting to create things because there’s not that question of will this ever have an audience. I know it will have an audience.
J: You’ll have me, for sure.
K: I know Julia will read this. (J & K laugh)

J: How did you make getting published happen?
K: I did all the research I could. I learned everything I could about the industry . . . The first book I wrote, I really had no idea what I was doing. I would send out one query letter a month, which I hadn’t really edited the book, hadn’t workshopped it, and didn’t have any critique partners. But once I started writing YA novels, I said, “I’m gonna make this happen.” I sent out fifty query letters before I got my agent. It was over the course of about three months and then once I signed with her I kept writing. I always say persistence, know what you’re doing, how the system works, keep writing, and always moving on to the next thing. Start writing the next project while you are querying.

J: What advice would you give aspiring writers?
K: Don’t write because you want to be an author. Write because you love it. Learn how to edit. You can have the best ideas in the world, but if you don’t know how to self-edit and streamline your story, and make that initial draft into a book, you’re not going to go anywhere with it. Be prepared to work because it is a lot of work at every stage. If you want to be successful as a writer, you have got to know there’s gonna be a lot of rejection and it’s gonna be a long process. And like I said, I’ve been writing since 2004. I have other friends who have been agented and on submission for a year, a year and a half, and they still don’t have any sales. Most of my author friends did not sell their first book—even the book they got an agent for. And most of them that got an agent, it was not on the first book that they wrote. It isn’t to say that it can’t happen because it does happen. It happens a lot, but you know there’s a learning curve, as there is with anything. Be informed and be persistent.

The End.

If you haven’t read “Paranormalcy” yet, you are definitely missing out. Buy it now. I promise you’ll never regret the investment. Plus, it’s a series, so you’ll have two more books to devour after this one.

Interview with Kiersten White – New York Times Bestselling Author of “Paranormalcy” - Part 1

Kiersten White graciously met with me the night before Thanksgiving to do the following oral interview that I transcribed thereafter.

Julia: What was your inspiration for writing “Paranormalcy”?
Kiersten: My inspiration for writing “Paranormalcy” was I was bored. That’s how most things in my life start whether they turn out good or bad. The previous books I had written had elements like the girls were psychic as the basic premise, but I wanted to do something with more fantasy elements in a real world setting. So I came up with the idea of the “International Paranormal Containment Agency,” which I thought was a clever idea, but I didn’t know what I would do with it. And then I got Evie’s voice in my head, and once I got her voice in my head it really just spun out because her voice was so engaging and so fun to write in, and her world view was so good for telling a story.

J: What is your favorite part of “Paranormalcy” and why?
K: I really like the flirting scenes. I really, really enjoy writing dialogue. Dialogue for me is always the funnest part. I enjoy flirtation. I enjoy the back and forth and the cuteness factor, and the cleverness factor is always very fun for me to write.

J: Were you surprised at the number of people who bought your book? Or did the numbers meet your expectations?
K: I definitely was surprised. I was not expected to hit the New York Times Bestseller's list. They weren’t anticipating me hitting it, but I did have a lot of support in people who were excited about it. I have 3500 followers on Twitter. I’ve got at least a couple thousand people who read my blog, and so I knew I had the ground support. I was obviously shocked but very gratified by it, and I felt very grateful that all of these people who were interested in it actually went out and bought it. That’s the thing . . . all these people read my blog, but are they going to go out and buy the book. So it was surprising but very gratifying.

J: What supernatural being would you love to be and why?
K: I wouldn’t want to be a vampire. I wouldn’t want to be a werewolf. I wouldn’t want to be a hag, although sometimes I resemble one (J & K laugh). I think it would be the most fun to be a faerie even though they are amoral, bordering on evil. But to be able to go anywhere, anytime you wanted would be pretty fun.

J: Do you have other book ideas in store after the “Paranormalcy” series is finished?

K: I actually have a ghost story that I just finished another round of edits and rewrites on that I really love. I have another trilogy that I don’t say anything about at all because I am very protective of that idea. And then I have a historical fantasy set in Romania that I would like to write someday.

Now that you are intrigued, catch the rest of the interview tomorrow here on my blog to see how Kiersten White made it all happen and get some great advice from this lovely author!

Julia's Pick of the Day - "Paranormalcy"

If you want to read a deliciously scrumptious book then this is the book for you...

"Paranormalcy" by Kiersten White

Well developed characters, brilliant plot, and a refreshing writing style. You will not want to put the book down for anything. And the best thing is that it is a triology so there is more to come!

Buy it, read it, and you will be in love!

Check out this link: http://www.kierstenwhite.com/paranormalcy