Super Girls' Giveaway!

After a trip to Walmart and the local used book store, Gottwals (love that place!), I have some goodies for you!  Just like last year, I have three wonderful, girly prize packs for three lucky winners in the final giveaway of this year's party.  Here they are...

Planets & Stars
Stardust DVD
Two autographed Saving Mars/Defying Mars Cidney Swanson bookmarks
Notes: To keep the photo-quality bookmarks safe, I removed the plastic from the DVD case and put the bookmarks in the case.

Fairy Tale Fancy
Sunlight and Shadow by Cameron Dokey, paperback
Beauty by Robin McKinley, hardcover
Notes: Beauty's dust jacket may be a little ripped/worn.

Secrets & Sleuths
The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew #1)
The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell (Trixie Belden #1)
Notes: The Trixie book has a bit of price-sticker residue.

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Author Interview: Jill Williamson of Replication

Remember earlier this month when Stephanie Morril came for an interview?  Today a friend and co-blogger of Stephanie's, also from Go Teen Writers, has joined us!  Her name is Jill Williamson, and she is a Christy-award winning author of various young adult speculative novels.  (I only mentioned Replication in the title because it's the one book of hers I've read.  I have a hardback, autographed copy that I'm in love with!)

Click the cover to read the first two chapters

Hi Jill!  It's nice to have you here.  I'll be asking several of the same questions I asked Stephanie, since every writer is different; therefore, naturally, your routines and experiences will mean different answers.  Let's get started!


How long have you been writing? 
I started writing books in 2004.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Nope. When I was younger, I wanted to be a fashion designer. I went to college in Manhattan to finish my fashion degree, then my husband and I moved to Los Angeles so I could work in fashion and he could work in movies. After about three and a half years in our “dream jobs,” we’d both had it. It was The Devil Wears Prada for me, and Brad’s experience wasn’t much better. We had a talk one night and decided that it was okay to pursue other things. Brad went back to school to become a youth pastor, and I started my own wedding gown manufacturing business. The gowns were beautiful—and I still have two in my closet—but I discovered that fashion was not my calling.


Wow.  That's a very different story than Stephanie's.  I will say I'm now very interested in your dress business... might you share a photo of those dresses sometimes?  I'm a girl; I just like to look at them. :)
Anyway.  Moving on!
Why did you start writing? 
As I thought more and more about what I was supposed to “be” when I grew up, I knew I wanted to speak to teens. I wanted to encourage them in some way. I discovered that sometimes, people hire speakers based on articles written by the speaker. So I looked into writing articles. Then the new Harry Potter book came out, and a new barrage of debates within the church community flared up as to whether or not the books were bad for Christians to read. The debate inspired me to write my own teen novel that all Christians would love. Yes, I was a bit naive. I have since learned that no one likes every book. But that’s how I got started. I was inspired to try and write blockbuster-style stories for teens that glorified God.

Who or what has had the most influence on you as a writer?
I’d say that movies have had the most impact on me as a writer. I love the idea of trying to write fast-paced books that read like movies.

Click the cover to read the first chapter

How much research do you usually put into your books?
It depends on the book. And I usually do very little research until I need it. Then I have to stop writing and look up what kinds of poisonous mushrooms grow in Colorado, police procedures when there is a gunman and a fire on the scene, or how to take out the power in an entire city. Thankfully I have a few go to guys who help me out with some of the gun and fire stuff. And the internet is very useful too.

Haha, that's how I used to be - but always stopping for research drove me nuts, so now I scrutinize and micro-examine everything before I actually start writing.
Do you base events or people in your books off of your life, or your friends' and family's lives?
Not really. I did at first. And every once in a while someone says something that I love, and I write down the phrase and stick in in one of my book folders. But I’ve found that when you try and base characters off real-life people, they end up being forced characters. When you write a book, your characters come alive, and that real-life friend of yours isn’t the same person as the one in your book. And forcing that can sometimes ruin a story—in my experience anyway.

What do you do when you're not writing?
I spend time marketing? I also read to my kids, watch movies with my husband, hand out with our youth group, place guitar, mess around on Photoshop.

What was your favorite book or author as a teen? What's your favorite now?
As a teen I was obsessed with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. It’s what my mom got me reading and there were so many that they kept me busy through junior high. In high school, I didn’t read much. I played basketball and listened to music. Now, I have way too many favorite authors to name. Some of the books that I’m super excited about are Travis Thrasher’s Solitary Tales and Shannon Dittemore’s Angel Eyes trilogy.

Ooh, I loved Angel Eyes - can't wait for the next book!  I actually reviewed the first one here.
What was the biggest obstacle to getting published for the first time, and how did you overcome it?
The biggest obstacle is getting your story just right. And that simply takes time and patience. Another big obstacle is finding a publisher to take a chance on a new author. It’s a very small market out there.

What is your writing process? Do you write regularly at certain times or just when inspiration hits?
I spend several weeks brainstorming a new story. I outline it a little using a brainstorming worksheet like the one on my website. Then I take the next month or two to write out the first draft. I try and write 2000-3000 words a day, starting in the morning. Once I get my rough draft done, I go back in and decide if I need to rearrange things, cut or add characters or scenes. Then I start rewriting. And I tend to rewrite as much as possible right up to my deadline.

What keeps you motivated?
Deadlines! Ha ha. I’ve signed a few contracts, so the fact that I have deadlines when books are due to be turned in is a huge motivation. If I didn’t have a deadline, I’d move at a much slower pace.

Sounds like me... and I still have no deadlines. :S  Except during NaNo!  Gotta love NaNo. :)
Are there any books you wish you'd written? 
Sure, I often think, “Man! Why didn’t I think of that?” But even if I had, I would have written it differently. I often think of the book The Lovely Bones. That book drove me crazy! It was such a brilliant idea, and so many things went wrong, in my opinion. I’d love to have written that book in a different way.

What is The New Recruit, your latest book, about?
Forced to choose between military school and a Christian spy organization, skeptic Spencer Garmond signs on with the Bible geeks. But before he even boards the plane for Moscow, Spencer realizes this is no Bible club.

These guys mean business.

Stumbling onto a case involving a gang of homeless boys, a chilling tattoo, and the always beautiful Anya Vseveloda, Spencer struggles to find the faith needed to save the Mission League from enemy infiltration.

What inspired this book?
This was the very first book I ever wrote. I pieced it together in a very backwards way. I was trying to write a story about teens going out into the world like missionaries, but since teen fiction books about missionaries weren't getting the attention of agents and editors, I thought, let's tweak the story and turn them into undercover agents.

Do you have any advice for aspiring teen authors like myself - or any age, for that matter?
Just write a lot! And don’t worry about getting published until you’ve written several books and polished them. Be patient and enjoy the process of creating and learning. If you rush things, you’ll regret it.

Thanks so much for coming, Jill!  I had fun :)

Jill is an Alaska-raised Christian and Christy-award-winning author.  Recently she wrote a novella, now available on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo, which takes place between The Mission League series book one and book two.  The agent, editor, cover artist, and publisher involved with this series have all agreed to let Jill sell this novella for $2.99 and send 100% of the money to friends who need $40,000 to bring home a little girl they're adopting from Europe.  You can read about little Sydney, Jill's novella, and the places to buy it at this link: http://www.jillwilliamson.com/2012/12/a-special-charity-project-for-an-adoption/

Interrupted Giveaway Winner

I know you're all anxious to hear who won their own copy of Interrupted by Rachel Coker.  So I probably shouldn't take up your time with a great big, long introduction.

The winner is...

*Drumroll!*

Rachel Harrison!

Congratulations Rachel!  To everyone else that entered, don't dispair - Cidney Swanson's ebook giveaway is still open, and I can personally say that her Mars books are amazing.  Plus I may have a few last goodies up my sleeve...

Book Review: Interrupted

Interrupted by Rachel Coker

Click the cover to buy

Can love really heal all things?

From Amazon:


Can love really heal all things? If Sam Carroll hadn't shown up, she might have been able to get to her mother in time. Instead, Allie Everly finds herself at a funeral, mourning the loss of her beloved mother. She is dealt another blow when, a few hours later, she is sent from Tennessee to Maine to become the daughter of Miss Beatrice Lovell, a prim woman with a faith Allie cannot accept. Poetry and letters written to her mother become the only things keeping Allie's heart from hardening completely. But then Sam arrives for the summer, and with him comes many confusing emotions, both toward him and the people around her. As World War II looms, Allie will be forced to decide whether hanging on to the past is worth losing her chance to be loved.

First of all, I have to admit the main reason I bought this book - and paid full price - was because Rachel Coker was a teen author, and you all know what that means to me.  However, as a Christian writer published with Zondervan, I knew her book had to be pretty good and definitely my taste.

I enjoyed the story and the characters, and it was a good read.  It wasn't the huge, heavy, deep read some might expect from a book involving death.  Neither was it a light, easy breeze-through-it-during-summer-vacation kind of book.  Really, it was a simply story about faith and love and not letting bitterness or fear take over your life.

This is one book where, honestly, while I liked the story, I didn't really care for the main character.  Allie is harsh and critical of others and can have a very narrow point of view sometimes.  I'm a subscriber to Rachel's blog, so I know Allie was written that way on purpose, but those kind of characters just don't win my heart.

Sam, on the other hand... oh, Sam. :)  Sam was so amazing and awesome and perfect.  Loyal, sweet, gentle, undemanding, Sam knew when to push Allie and when to step back.  He knew when she needed space or time and when was the right time to talk to her.  And he was so patient.  Did I mention loyal?  Because I really don't want anyone to miss that bit.

I loved the ending.  I won't spoil anything, but let's say the World War II setting definitely allows for a beautiful, sweet ending to a beautiful, sweet book.

Other than Allie, there was really just two things I didn't like, and they're little things.  I felt like the book was a little too short or undeveloped somehow.  The problem is, I can't really put my finger on when, or why, or how.  It's just a gut feeling that kept skittering back while I was reading.

My third and final problem with the book is not with the book itself - it's with the back cover copy.  After reading the book description (see above, first paragraph, "From Amazon"), I was expecting the kind of book where either (a) You open on the girl when she's young, see the mother's death in one chapter, and then the story really gets going when you fast-forward to her grown-up (or mostly) self; or (b) You open on the (almost, in this case) adult main character and learn, through flashbacks or memories or other little bits and pieces what happened in her past.  With either beginning, you then spend the rest of the book watching boy and girl interact until they finally get over what happened in the past and live happily ever after.  Regular readers of romance know what I'm talking about.  While there's nothing wrong with the more evenly paced, autobiographical style of Interrupted, the story and the back cover copy don't quite match up.

Cidney Swanson Ebook Giveaway!

Good morning, my lovely readers!  As you all know by now, indie author Cidney Swanson has quite a presence here on my blog.  You can read this year's interview with her, and see links to previous posts she's been involved with, here.  Today, she's agreed to sponsor another giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive their choice of the Saving Mars or Defying Mars ebook!  Best of luck to you all!

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Maple Syrup Candy Fail + Candy Kick Caramel Recipe

Has anyone here read the Little House on the Prairie books?  Or seen the show?  I've never read through/watched through them, but I've read excerpts in literature classes and my family has several DVDs from the show.

One thing I've always wanted to try is making maple syrup candy.  That was from one of the early books, which I read an excerpt of in elementary school.  The whole Ingalls family got together during the maple-sap season and made syrup and maple candy.  Basically, they boiled the sap into syrup and then poured some hot, "waxing" syrup onto a pan of snow.

After breakfast out one Saturday, I took home three little glass bottles of Cracker Barrel syrup and decided to spend my last morning in Indiana, with all its winter snow, testing out this candy-making.

My first attempt involved microwaving a bottle of syrup and pouring it onto a plate of snow.  Which did not work at all.  Also, I forgot to photograph that one.

Take two!  This time I decided to pour some syrup into a bowl, add powdered sugar to thicken it, and then microwaved and poured onto snow.

I really thought it was going to work.

It came really close, but it didn't quite work the way I wanted.

So then I asked my Mom and Grams if there was anything else I could add.  Eventually that landed me on an internet search for pure maple syrup alternatives, since we discovered that my little Cracker Barrel bottles were half cane syrup.  After a good bit of research, I came back prepared.

Take three!  Without Cracker Barrel bottles this time.

Part one:

Part two:

And the result?  Well, it came out like really soft, not quite sticky taffy.  However, I wrapped most of it in plastic wrap and refrigerated it until my brothers came home.  At that point, it was more like a thick fruit and veggie dip.  So I decided to combine and rewrite the two recipes I used to create my own Homemade Candy Caramel Dip recipe!  You can read the recipe below.

Candy Kick Caramel Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup water
1/4 cup salted butter
1 teaspoon maple extract or vanilla extract

Instructions:

Pour granulated sugar in a heavy skillet. Heat on high until the sugar melts and turns brown. 

Meanwhile, pour brown sugar into a heavy saucepan. Pour water over brown sugar and bring to a boil without stirring.

Carefully add caramelized white sugar to the melted brown sugar in the saucepan. Simmer, stirring often, until syrup is thickened.

Whisk in butter and extract.  Keep on medium-high heat, stirring to prevent boiling over, until the mixture stiffens when dropped onto a plate.

As a dip: Remove from heat and let cool before pouring into seal-able container and storing at room temperature.  Stir before serving with carrots, celery, apple slices, or other dipping foods.

As a syrup: Remove from heat and let cool before pouring into seal-able container and storing at room temperature.  Warm on stove or microwave and stir before serving with pancakes, waffles, etc.

As a candy: Remove from heat and let cool before pouring into seal-able container and storing in the refrigerator.  Scoop small pieces to serve.

Sources used:

http://homecooking.about.com/od/condimentrecipes/r/blcon119.htm

http://www.charmofthecarolines.com/charm-of-the-carolines/2011/01/maple-snow-candy.html

Author Interview: Stephanie Morril of Go Teen Writers

Today's interview is a bit unique - a first for me.  I've never actually read any of this author's books!  However, I am a subscriber to and follower of her blog Go Teen Writers, as well as a member of its Facebook community.  Being the face of a large part of the teen writing community, I felt like I ought to invite her to the party.  I do plan to read her books eventually... meanwhile, her blog is above inspiring and awesome.

Hi Stephanie!  Welcome to my blog!  Let's start off with some generic questions.


How long have you been writing? 
I started writing stories in 1st grade as part of my school curriculum and fell in love with it. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be a writer. As I grew up, I was always writing stories and pursued it as a profession. Sometimes I wanted to be a writer and a teacher or a writer and a veterinarian, but writing was always going to be in the picture.

Who or what has had the most influence on you as a writer?
Oh gosh, it’s tough to pick just one thing. My parents are both readers, and they really encouraged me to pursue it. And then I married a man who believed in me as well and who was willing to do things like support me financially while I wrote full time for 2 years before we had kids. There’s no way I’d be where I am now if I hadn’t had parents and a husband who helped me to prioritize and respect my dream.


How much research do you usually put into your books?
It depends on the book. Because I write contemporaries, I don’t have to do the insane amount of research that my historical writer friends do, but it’s still important that I get my facts straight. Like in my book that’s releasing this spring, The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet, my main character lives in Visalia, California. I lived there as a little girl, but I was never a high school student there. I spent a lot of time on Google Streetview and exchanging emails with my childhood best friend who graduated from Redwood High School.

Ooo, I love Google Maps.  I don't know where a lot of writers today would be without it.
Do you base events or people in your books off of your life, or your friends' and family's lives?
Sometimes I do, though typically I use it as a springboard to something “better.” I’ve found that when I rip something out of my life and plunk it down in fiction, I don’t go nearly as deep with it as I do the other scenes. I don’t think through what the other characters are motivated by nearly as well as I do when I’m writing other completely made-up scenes.

I just recently saw your blog post about that, ironically.
What do you do when you're not writing?
I’m home with my two kids. McKenna is 5 and Connor is 2½. They keep me humble and give me a great excuse to dress up like a princess or play car crash. It’s great.

What was the biggest obstacle to getting published for the first time, and how did you overcome it?
Well … that’s a tough one to answer. The first time, it honestly happened very quickly for me. Practically as soon as my writing became close to publishable, an agent signed me, and a few months later I had a contract for the Skylar Hoyt series.

Honestly, it still kinda baffles me how that all came about. While I had worked hard for several years to improve my craft, the getting published part wasn’t too tricky. I don’t know why. I know lots of amazing authors who can’t seem to find an agent, and I know lots of amazing writers with agents who can’t seem to find a home with a publishing house.

In light of all that, I think going to writers’ conferences was what made the biggest difference for me. I never got anywhere with query letters, but when I attended conferences I not only learned a ton, but I was able to meet face-to-face with writers and industry professionals. It made a big difference for me.

What is your writing process? Do you write regularly at certain times or just when inspiration hits?
I write regularly at certain times … but mostly because if I didn’t schedule it, it wouldn’t happen. My time would get eaten up with laundry or putting away lunch dishes or something.

When my kids are napping, I write or work on writing related stuff (like marketing or Go Teen Writers). And the grandparents come over and hang out with the kids a couple mornings a week so I can have a chunk of time to get stuff done.


What keeps you motivated?
That I love it so much. I mean, these days I get reader mail, which is super encouraging and which I appreciate greatly. But it’s never taken much to motivate me to write. Even if I never had another book published, I would keep writing stories.

Are there any books you wish you'd written?
Well, aside from the obvious like Hunger Games or Harry Potter or something? There are definitely book ideas that I’m jealous of. I adore the concepts of both The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares and The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot. So simple and relatable, yet so easy to pitch in one sentences! And I have title envy everytime I look at my copy of Carolyn Mackler’s The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things.

Haha, honestly I've read the first two and wasn't a big fan.  Well, okay, the first Pants book or two was really good; I just didn't like the later ones.  Everyone has a different opinion, though.  To each her own!
What inspired the Go Teen Writers website?  How did it all start?
Practically the day my debut, Me, Just Different, hit shelves, I was receiving emails from teen writers, asking for advice. I’ve never thought of myself as a teacher, but I really enjoyed talking to them about writing. When I created the blog, I did it with my teen writer self in mind, and I did it in hopes of passing on knowledge that I know would have helped me.

What was your favorite book or author as a teen? What's your favorite now?
I went to a college prep high school and was in a rather demanding AP English class, so I honestly didn’t read a ton of non-assigned stuff in high school. (I spent free time writing instead.) We read a ton of great books though. My favorites were The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. My senior year we read the classic writing book Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. It was a life changing experience for me.

If you could only share one piece of advice from GTW with aspiring teen authors, what would it be?
I think everything on Go Teen Writers really boils down to if you love writing and want to be published, respect your dream and your stories enough to do it WELL. Avoid the temptation to take shortcuts with your writing, or with getting your books out there. Being successful requires patience and endurance. And good writing friends!

Thanks for stopping by, Stephanie!

Stephanie Morrill is a twenty-something living in Overland Park, Kansas with her husband and two kids. Her only talents are reading, writing, and drinking coffee, so career options were somewhat limited. Fortunately she discovered a passion for young adult novels and has been writing them ever since.

Stephanie is the author of The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series and is currently working on other young adult projects. She enjoys encouraging and teaching teen writers on her blog, www.GoTeenWriters.com. To connect with Stephanie and read samples of her books, check out www.StephanieMorrill.com.