Interview with Pat Lowery Collins

www.patlowerycollins.com

Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I come from a family of writers and storytellers. My sisters and I were even encouraged to dictate our stories before we actually knew how to write. So I always thought of myself as a writer.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

I was the only one in the family that painted, so I began exhibiting my fine art before trying to get published. At the time I was writing poetry and when my first children’s book, “My Friend Andrew”, was purchased pretty much right off the bat, I thought anything I wrote would be snapped up. Very soon, in fact, I did sell another picture book and I had some poems published in literary magazines, but this was followed by a long fallow period in my book world of about five years. For many years after that my sales of picture books were few and far between. It wasn’t until I began writing young adult novels that it appeared I had found my niche.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

My latest novel is “Hidden Voices, The Orphan Musicians of Venice”. (Candlewick Press, 2009). This novel weaves the history of Antonio Vivaldi’s musical career into the lives of three amazing young women who find that the love they each seek is not where they expect to find it. and that the sheltered life of the orphanage has not prepared them for what lies outside its doors.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

I would have to say it’s strong young women, or ones who become strong within the context of the story. In the case of “The Fattening Hut” I was intrigued by the tribal practice of sequestering a marriageable girl in a hut for some weeks in order to fatten her up. With “Hidden Voices” what peaked my imagination was the thought of all those orphan girls being trained as classical musicians and the kind of life a girl in such a situation might lead.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

I live with my husband, Wally, in the house that was our beach cottage for twenty-five years. Our five children spent all their summers there, even though we moved from Massachusetts to New Jersey to New Hampshire during that time and lived in those places during the school year. At one point we remodeled the house and added a studio, and, now that the children are grown, we live there all year long. It’s on a river estuary and bay on the coast of New England, and the setting has inspired many of my books and paintings.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Hmmm. Unfortunately there are quite a few of them. For starters – tortilla chips, chile rellenos, caramel flan, and carrot cake. And, oh yes, really good soup.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Stretch like a cat, bring in the paper, put water on for tea. Boring, huh?

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

In the attic there’s a very large stuffed, floppy witch that we put out on Halloween (If we remember she’s up there.) I hate to think of what her life is like the rest of the year.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Probably blue –cerulean blue – because it has such a serene quality. My kids used to say my color was boring beige, because that’s the color I often wore. But, as I told them repeatedly, that was never the inner me.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Holly in “Stone Soup.” She’s having such a difficult (and hysterical) time growing up.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Probably Ellie in “For Better or For Worse”. (Though I’d rather be Heart in “Heart of the City.”)

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

I wouldn’t want to go to a time and place I’ve written about for fear I might find out I’d gotten some of the facts wrong. And I’d like to have flush toilets available. So maybe it would be the Roaring Twenties, right before the Great Depression, and the place would be Hollywood, the town I grew up in. Some of the original movie stars like Charlie Chaplin and Jean Harlowe once lived in our neighborhood, and I’d love to meet them and see the old movie lots and other aspects of the early entertainment industry up close.

What’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

Oh, now I really am going to sound boring. But in the interest of truth, I don’t listen to music when I’m writing because it destroys my rhythm, but I do have it on when I’m painting and it helps to energize me. I love very early music and the baroque period. I also love some later music such as the Faure Requiem and Poulenc’s Gloria. And I often listen to “Eric in the Evening” which plays contemporary jazz.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

I like “the Big Bang Theory” a lot. But my absolutely favorite TV show is “So You Think You Can Dance”. I’ve been a fan since the show began. I’m always thrilled and amazed by the talent of those young dancers, and, since I’m a figurative painter, I’m fascinated by the human form in action. The last movie I saw at a theater was “The Proposal”. The last movie I saw that I liked was “Slumdog Millionaire”. I can watch anything with Spencer Tracy and/or Katherine Hepburn over and over again. (And I have to confess to watching re-runs of “Keeping Up Appearances.”)

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Read widely across the spectrum of genres and with an open mind. If you’re an aspiring writer, remember that you will learn more from the authors of the books you read, than from any teacher you’re ever apt to meet.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

My next historical novel is Feather and Shell. It’s set in Essex, MA, in 1849, and will be published by Candlewick Press in 2010. My next picture book is The Deer Watch, also with Candlewick. As I write this, the illustrator has not been chosen, and I don’t know the pub date. I’m also working on a ghost story and on a memoir, long in the works, of my growing up years as a child actress in Hollywood.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!

Interview with Sneed B. Collard III

Mr. Collard's Website
Mr. Collard on Facebook

Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

Actually, not until I graduated from college. I studied marine biology at U.C. Berkeley and landed a job with the California Department of Fish & Game afterward. I was living in my van at the time and one evening, I was sitting there when it occurred to me: “I don’t want to be a biologist. I want to write!” I’ve never looked back on that decision.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

I tried all kinds of writing at first: adult novels, screenplays, articles on how to catch fish, everything. I knew that I needed to make a living, however, so I went back to school to get a master’s in scientific instrumentation and got a job as a computer consultant for scientists at U.C. Santa Barbara. After working with scientists for a year or so, I decided to try writing a science article for Highlights for Children. It took me two years to sell that first article, but I learned a lot from the experience, and for the next four or five years I focused on articles and stories for children’s magazines.

By this time, I was itching to write full-time so I began sending out book proposals. Within a year, Kent Brown at Boyds Mills Press bought my first book, Sea Snakes, which was published in 1993. Since then, I’ve worked with at least a dozen publishers and have had about fifty nonfiction books published. About ten years ago, I began focusing much of my attention on young adult fiction. My first novel, Dog Sense, was published in 2005, followed a year later by Flash Point, winner of the Green Earth Book Award for Environmental Literature.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

One of the great mysteries of the Civil War is what happened to the millions of dollars worth of Confederate gold that went missing during and after the war. My newest novel and first thriller, Double Eagle, seizes upon this mystery.

Double Eagle was inspired by a summer I spent in Alabama, where my biologist father was teaching summer school at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. During that time, I made a good friend who taught me how to sneak into an old Civil War fort right next to the marine lab. Ever since I began writing, I’ve wanted to set a story there, but it took me 25 years to come up with a plot.

About three years ago, however, I started collecting State Quarters with my young son, and began reading up on Civil War coins. I learned that the Confederacy had plans to mint their own gold coins, but never got around to it. I also learned about the missing Confederate gold. “What if,” I thought, “two boys sneaked into this fort and one of them accidentally uncovered a twenty dollar gold piece, or double eagle, minted by the Confederacy?” If such a coin existed today it would be almost priceless and as soon as I thought of it, I realized I had the driving force for an exciting story. In Double Eagle, the boys continue to search for the rest of the Confederate gold. Meanwhile, a professional salvage hunter working on a sunken shipwreck offshore gets wind that the boys may have found exactly what he is looking for. Other disreputable parties get involved and the story becomes a race for who can find the gold first.

For an objective evaluation, check out Michael Cart’s Booklist review.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

The natural world has without question inspired many of my stories, but so have history, travel, and books. When I became a serious reader, very few writers were writing for young adults, so my inspirations came from adult books by authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Leon Uris, Mario Puzo, and Ernest Hemmingway. Later, I grew to love Steinbeck and Mark Twain. One of my favorite book of all times is Steinbeck: A Life in Letters because it shows how this great author struggled and grew during the course of his life and career. Today, there are so many good authors for young adults that it’s hard to even begin to list them. Some of my favorite books—both fiction and nonfiction—I’ve read recently are by Larry Dane Brimner, Adrian Fogelin, Sally Walker, Roland Smith, Padma Venkatraman, Donna Jo Napoli, and Dorothy Hinshaw Patent.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

I tell people that instead of having children, I had books for most of my adult life. That changed dramatically after I married my wonderful wife Amy eight years ago, and I am now blessed to have two dynamic, curious youngsters, ages 2 and 6, filling my life. And let’s not forget the fifth member of my family, my Border collie Mattie, who inspired my first novel, Dog Sense.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Cheese enchiladas with guacamole.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

1) Stretch for exactly 53 seconds.
2) Let Mattie outside.
3) Pour myself a glass of juice.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

Hobo spiders—an unwelcome invasive species that has colonized much of the West! Invasive species are a huge interest of mine and the subject of my most recent science book Science Warriors—The Battle Against Invasive Species.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

I would be GREEN for sure. Then I could just sit and photosynthesize all day and even let a grasshopper or caterpillar munch on me a bit.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Opus in Bloom County, followed closely by Cartman in South Park.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Probably Doonesbury, but you will have to ask my wife.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

I’d love to go to Africa about 1,000 years ago to see the amazing cultures and wildlife.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I’m a dedicated hard rock and blues man with a strong interest in R&B. Favorite groups: Neil Young & Crazy Horse; the Rolling Stones; Midnight Oil; the Allman Brothers; Led Zeppelin; The Who; Pink Floyd; Stevie Wonder; John Lee Hooker; and the man who started it all, Robert Johnson. Unfortunately, I can’t listen to music and write at the same time, but at this very moment I am listening to Beatles Radio.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

We only get three T.V. stations so rely on Netflix for our T.V. fixes. Our favorites: The Wire; Battlestar Gallactica (the new one!); Mad Men; Entourage; the Amazing Race; South Park; the Flight of the Conchords.

Movies I watch over and over: The Shawshank Redemption; This is Spinal Tap; The Godfather; Once Upon a Time in the West; any James Bond movie.

Last movie in a theater: the new Terminator movie (totally forgettable)

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Take emotional risks (as opposed to stupid physical risks) and follow your own compass. The experience you collect now is the psychological gold that will help you make good decisions about the rest of your life.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

I have two novels that are almost ready to send off to publishers. One is a fun dog story for middle-grade readers. The other is a futuristic thriller that I am not quite ready to ‘spill’ on. But if I had to guess, I will most likely divide my future writing time between realistic current stories and futuristic novels—while continuing to tackle worthy science and other nonfiction topics that crop up.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!

Interview with Angela Morrison

Angela Morrison's Website

Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

First grade. My first book was called, "Henry the Bookworm." He conveniently ate all my spelling words.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

[I’ve been playing Beatles Rock Band this past week, so we need a soundtrack for this question. Cue: “The Long and Winding Road”]

When my youngest son went to school full-time, I knew it was finally time to devote myself to writing. I soon realized I needed to qualify myself for this career. I had an English degree. Not enough. I applied to Vermont College’s Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults. That changed my life. I was taught and mentored by legends.

[Cue: “Paperback Writer”]

But three and a half years post-graduation, I was still knocking against the publishing glass ceiling. I had mounds of rejections. I kept marketing and revising—finally created the collage format of poems, chats, and journal-type dive log entries.

Meanwhile, the wondrous Stephanie Meyers made YA hot and abstinence—of all things—even hotter. (Ah, Edward.)

[Cue: “Here Comes the Sun!”]

In the November of 2007, I met my editor at a SCBWI retreat north of Paris and a couple months later I had a two-book contract with Penguin! Taken by Storm is out and will be released in paperback in February 2010, and Sing Me to Sleep is on its way. My hands ache, and my head is still spinning. I’m living my dream, and that’s an amazing gift.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

My upcoming release, Sing Me to Sleep (Penguin/Razorbill, March 4, 2010), is a miracle. There’s a power in it way beyond me that came from an amazing young man, a courageous mother, and an entire choir of guys in tuxedos from London, Ontario (see www.amabile.org) who allowed me to blend their reality with my fiction to create a novel I am still in awe of every time I look at the cover. Get a sneak peak of the first chapter on my website, www.angela-morrison.com.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

My mom. She told the greatest bedtime stories about a magical merry-go-round. She even made old stories about long dead relatives exciting. She acted out my 5th great grandmother walking the Great American Plains to Utah with her granddaughter. Mom did a great Scots brogue and even added howling wolves. That’s the first story I ever published. I’ve written a historical coming of age romance about that same family’s journey from the old world to the new called, My Only Love. I hope to bring it to readers soon.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

I have a wonderful husband and four mostly grown up kids (three sons and one daughter), a beautiful daughter-in-law and the most amazing baby grandson in the entire universe.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Beef pot pie

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

1. Drink a giant glass of orange juice—it’s so dry in Arizona.
2. Pick up my Zebra gel ink pen, lap desk, and a few sheets of pale pink paper and write my morning pages. (Yep, I’m an Artist’s Way devotee.)
3. Pray.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

All the costumes. I can outfit an entire nativity and a pioneer pageant with loads to spare. I love teaching with dress ups and make my whole family act out the Christmas story every year.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Ballet pink because it’s pale, calm, hard to find, and something about it makes me smile. (Okay. I have major ballerina fantasies.)

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Bart

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Lisa

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1828. I’ve tried to recreate this world in my fiction through research, Bobby Burns ballads and travel. I would love to be there and journey with my forefathers and mothers to a new world.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I love romantic ballads that you can sing along with—bluesy pop, Broadway, choral music.

As for artists, I could listen to Josh Grobin’s “Awake” CD all day, every day. I also love Leona Lewis. We lived in Switzerland and got UK TV there so we watched when she won “The X Factor,” and got to witness a star born. And, of course, the Amabile family of choirs.

I write in silence, but I need music as inspiration as I ponder what to do with a character, where to go with a plot, how to portray them. Kelly Clarkson’s “Beautiful Disaster,” helped me focus how Leesie feels about Michael. When I was writing Michael’s stuff, I played Chris Daughtry all the time. (Can you tell I’m a huge Idol fan?)

Sing Me to Sleep has lyrics sprinkled through it. To write that, I studied and dissected everything from gospel spirituals to diva songs to music from “The Phantom of the Opera.”

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

TV – Dancing with the Stars (I have ballroom delusions, too), Idol, 24, Lost, Prison Break, The Office, and I have to admit that I’m a huge Fox news junkie.

Movies I watch over and over? Anything made from a Jane Austen novel and old stuff on TCM. I just watched “Casablanca,” again. Now that’s romance.

Last movie I saw in a theater? The new Harry Potter movie. Eagerly awaiting “New Moon!”

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Take care of yourselves. You are amazing and precious. Don’t let anyone damage that.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

I have two more novels planned for Michael and Leesie, Unbroken Connection and Cayman Summer. I’m writing Unbroken Connection this fall.

I also hope to bring out My Only Love, and its companion books, and some of my fantasy work. I’ve got more contemporary YA stories haunting me, so you’ll likely see more of that, too.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!

Interview with Christine & Ethan Rose

www.rowanofthewood.com

Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I can’t even remember. It was probably in High School. I think it has been an underlying desire for many, many years. I had a professor in undergrad tell me that I didn’t write well, and that sapped what little confidence I had in my writing ability. It wasn’t until I was 35 that I really regained enough confidence to even try to write a novel. Now I feel quite validated with “Rowan of the Wood” winning two national awards.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

It was a rocky one. We were picked up by an independent publisher for our first book, and we were thrilled! However, we were so aggressively promoting the book that they were unable to keep up with the print demand. It was unavailable twice within the first 5 months of release, the second time during a major promotional campaign. We switched publishers to another indie who works with a POD printer, thereby guaranteeing our book will always be available.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

WITCH ON THE WATER is the sequel to the award-winning ROWAN OF THE WOOD. It will be released on October 12th.

You should buy it because, under all of the action and agony and crazy human behavior that makes smart folks do stupid things, it's a love story. And love stories are cool, especially intense and tragic, tug-at-your-heart-strings love stories like the one between Rowan and Fiana.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

Celtic Mythology and my love for all things British! Also magical stories like the Arthurian Legend, The Hobbit, and Harry Potter. The person who has been the greatest inspiration is master storyteller Joss Whedon.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

Both of our families are very proud of us. We’re fortunate to have such a supportive group around us, as the road to a bestseller is very, very, very long. My mother always told me I could do anything I put my mind to. I took that quite literally and truly believe in the powers of positive thinking and manifestation.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Dark chocolate & popcorn. Definitely.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Check my email. Make coffee, Tweet.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

Not sure if it would surprise you, but they’re totally badass: a pair of leather flame boots with a stainless steel 4” heel that I bought in Pigalle, Paris. :-D They’re lots of fun.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Green. It’s the color of life.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Pepe LePew ... or perhaps Pinky.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

The Brain. Always planning something.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

Elizabethan England - to see a Shakespearean play in The Globe Theatre.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

Celtic/Scottish. I think the bagpipes are about the sweetest sound on earth. Celtic Fiddle plays a very close second. I adore the Old Blind Dogs. I dream of having them do the soundtrack for the ROWAN OF THE WOOD movie one day. I also love Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Erasure, Retro and Classic Rock. When I write and when I need to relax or concentrate, I listed to Beethoven.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Hands down. Then Angel & Firefly, of course. I also love Bones. Grey’s Anatomy, Supernatural, and so many more.

Movies: Shakespeare in Love, Love Actually, Pleasantville, Scotland PA, Moulin Rouge, Fight Club, anything and everything by the Cohen Brothers and Tim Burton... too many to mention, really.

The last movie I saw at the theatre was Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on opening night. I don’t get out much.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Life can get pretty complicated at any age. Never lose the simply joy of reading. Always make time for it. Also... the best is yet to come. Seriously, life just keeps getting better.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

You can look forward to three more books in the ROWAN OF THE WOOD series! Look for the next one, FIRE OF THE FEY, in October 2010.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!

Thanks so much for having us!

Interview with Jo Knowles

www.joknowles.com

First off, thanks so much for joining us for an up-close and personal interview for TeensReadToo.com! My name is Jen, and I’ll be your server toda…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time out of your writing schedule—which I’m sure is busy!—and answering a few questions for your readers and fans.

Thanks for having me, Jen!

Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I loved to write even as a little kid, making up terrible poems about my pony, Smoky, and various other oddly inspirational pets and family members. But I never thought of myself as a writer and certainly never thought of writing as a possible career choice. Then when I was in graduate school studying children’s literature, I took a class called “Writing for Children” and I loved it. It was all I wanted to do. I even got permission to write a novel for my masters thesis. After I graduated, I just kept writing.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

Long and winding. :-) On the road to publication, there are all kinds of things that can slow you down, including yourself. In my case, I am truly glad I took the long road. I don’t think when I started submitting my work I was anywhere near ready to sell a book. I didn’t know enough. Maybe I still don’t! But while I was waiting to hear from various publishers, I was always writing and going to conferences and meeting people and basically learning a TON. Most importantly, I was lucky enough to form a really wonderful support network so that when I did finally sell my first book, I felt like I was celebrating with a whole community of caring writers. I wouldn’t have had that if I’d sold my first novel right off the bat.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

I think that is probably the hardest interview question I’ve ever been asked! My next book, PEARL, will hopefully be out Spring 2011. Only one thing? Lets see, how about: “The book involves a very unfortunate mishap with the ashes of the main character’s grandfather.” Hmm. No. I’m not sure that will have them lining up at the door.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

Robert Cormier

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

My sister is a K-8 school librarian so she’s still waiting for me to write a book she can have in her school. :-) My mom’s a children’s librarian, too. Luckily she’s in charge of purchasing for the YA collection. She also tells me when my books are checked out, which always makes me smile.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

My mom’s mashed potatoes.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Curse the clock. Feed my cats. Try to go back to sleep and fail.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

That one home could actually contain that much dust.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

I think I would like to be green because I think of all the colors, green seems to be the most hopeful.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Appa from The Avatar

Which cartoon character is most like you?

I’ve been told I resemble Max, from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I cannot even begin to tell you how much this depresses me.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

I would like to hear Martin Luther King’s I Have A Dream Speech. I think we could all use some inspiration to do our part to help make this world a more peaceful and fair place to live.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I love all kinds of music but for writing, I like jazz. Specifically John Coltrane.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

I don’t really watch T.V., though sometimes I catch The Daily Show online. I do love movies. The last movie I saw at the Theater was Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. The directors were there and gave this incredible talk beforehand. They described their journey to success and they were so honest about the level of luck that was involved. They were very humble, and I thought that was incredibly refreshing.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Don’t be afraid to be yourself.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

Well, there’s PEARL, the book I mentioned above. And hopefully I will finish the novel I’m working on, though I’m afraid it is slowly sucking the creative life out of me. Chocolate would help if you have any interest in saving me. ;-)

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!

It was my pleasure. Thanks for having me!

Interview with Bhabika Joshi

http://bhabikajoshi.wordpress.com

Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I was six or seven, there was a pencil and paper lying nearby, I had nothing to do, and thus began my career.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

I started writing my book at age ten, finishing it at thirteen. I wanted my book to be published by a big ol’ publishing company and have it made into a movie by the very next year. Then, the reality hit.

When I sought out to find an agent, I got rejected numerous times. There were answers of, “You’re plot sounds exciting, but it’s not the project we’re looking for right now” or maybe the typical automated response, “Dear Author, Your letter has been rejected.” I was quickly getting disappointed, knowing there was no way I was going to give up when a very helpful article came my way.

A list of authors who had self-published before, it was, including writers like Christopher Paolini, author of Eragon, and Edgar Alan Poe. I decided, maybe this was just telling me that there was nothing wrong with self-publishing, especially with the growing demand. I contacted an associate at iUniverse, my publishing house, in late March at age thirteen, and six months later, at fourteen, I had Mortals: Hayden Roux Chronicles in my hands.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

Mortals is a saga about a day-to-day average eleven year old girl who gets her world tipped over when she finds out that she has a family she never knew about, a history about herself she needs to discover, and most importantly, a national heirloom that Hayden, the girl, must rescue to defeat Pandora, a misanthrope existing right here on Earth.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

My greatest inspiration for publishing has been my grandfathers. They are both published authors and have involuntarily helped me in every path possible.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

I was born in Nepal, where most of my family still lives. My dad, Harihar Joshi, is doing what he loves to do best, flying helicopters. My mother, Deepika Joshi, has always been here, supporting me to publish and just go on with life.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

I love Chinese food and cookies, preferably at different times in the day.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Brush, pop in my contacts, and do a quick prayer.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

All my hangers in my closet are color coded. I am an absolute neat freak about organization.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Hot pink, because there needs to be a child in everyone.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Spongebob!

Which cartoon character is most like you?

I’m not sure if she’s considered a cartoon, but Hermione Granger. Except for the buck-toothed and not-looking-anything-like-me part, she’s like my fictional twin!

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

Right here. It’s better to experience the now than the then.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

Pop! Miley, Taylor, Jonas – you get the idea. (Note to readers who are confused about my musical preferences: I’m a fourteen year old girl, someone who just turned into a teenager!) I do not listen to music if I’m writing, reading, or studying. I plain can’t concentrate.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

I love watching Full House, Saved by the Bell, Friends, etc. Bring me comedy, and I’ll be happy. I would watch Harry Potter twenty-five hours everyday if I could. Last movie I saw…Land of the Lost. Will Ferrel is comedy God.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Never, ever, stop trying. It doesn’t matter if you’re a great artist, a wonderful dancer, or born to be a neurosurgeon. Go for it and never think it’s too early to start anything. You can achieve any goal; you can fulfill any wish, and you can do that at every age possible.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

I’m currently writing a realistic fiction novel about an autistic boy that struggles inner and outer battles and stories from the points of view from both his mother and normal twin brother. I hope to have it published by the time I start my sophomore year in high school.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!

Interview with Petru Popescu

www.petrupopescu.com

Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

At fifteen. I lost a twin brother, during a polio epidemic, in Communist Romania. I started to write short stories so as not to think about losing my brother – stories in which he and I met in extra-terrestrial dimensions. I never stopped writing since.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

First, I published in Communist Romania, which was no mean feat, because the censorship was fierce. In my 20's, I managed to write in a kind of code, stories that contained anti-Communist themes. The young readers liked them.

This lasted for about ten years. In my thirties, I'd had too many fights with the censorship, and decided to defect to the US. My next battle was how to make my English good enough to write literature in it. It took until 1990, when I published my first big American book, Amazon Beaming, an adventure about discovering the source of the Amazon river.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

GIRL MARY is a historic novel. It is also a fabulous adventure story, in which the fate of the mighty empire of Rome comes to rest in the hands of a humble girl from Nazareth, Judea. That girl is the mother of Jesus, and her story is the beginning of Christianity.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

History, and the strife and hardship that my family had to endure, to escape Communism and gain freedom.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

Alas, my parents passed on. I am one of the few born Romanians who write novels in English, I wish my father had witnessed that, because he too was a writer. As for my relatives still alive, cousins, nephews, nieces, they are very excited that I write in English, a language spoken in the whole world. The Romanian language is known about to twenty million people only.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Steak and French fries.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Shower, make my bed, turn on my computer.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

How many computer frames and other computer parts you'd find. I write my books entirely on the computer.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Red, because it is the warmest color in the spectrum, and is synonymous in many cultures with life.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Snoopy.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

I'd say Snoopy. He is very candid and innocent.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

Ancient Rome, for sure. Also, the earth three thousand years from now.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists?

Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Beatles.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

Yes, many, mostly the smart adventure stuff, like "Lost." A movie I saw over and over was Terminator. I myself wrote one of the Friday the 13th, the third one, which was shot in 3D.

The last movie I saw in a theater and liked most of it, though not all, was Superbad.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Keep reading, anything that's good enough to read should be worth your time. It will serve you well in life.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

I will definitely continue the historic cycle about the Roman Empire.

I have published one Y.A. book, called Weregirls (published by Tor/Forge), about four teenage girls from Pasadena who discover that they have magical (meaning supernatural) powers. I love stories of underprivileged kids who get into the supernatural, I wanted to be such a kid myself.

I also wrote an adventure book called Footprints in Time, about an American boy lost in the African savanna. I hope I'll get to continue the Weregirls and the Footprints in Time series.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!

My pleasure. If any readers want to get in touch, I await them at Petrupopescu.com.

Interview with Barbara Dana

www.barbaradana.com

Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

When I was 8. I wrote a series of stories about an elephant (Fatso), a mouse (I can’t remember his name) and a cat (Happy the Tearless Cat). They were close friends and had adventures. The series ran in the school newspaper. It was called “Fatso and His Friends”.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

I am a writer and an actor. When I was 22 I was on the road for a year in a play. During the days when there was no matinees I started writing a children’s book. I sent the first several chapters to the agent of my fiancé. The agent submitted the chapters to Atheneum and they gave me a small advance to finish the book. I was lucky!

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

My latest release is A VOICE OF HER OWN: BECOMING EMILY DICKINSON, published by HarperCoillins. It came out a few months ago, It’s a historical novel based on the childhood and adolescence of Emily Dickinson. What would be my favorite thing to tell you about it? Her story inspires me. She wanted to be a writer in a time when women rarely did things other than housework. She was true to herself even through she felt different from “normal people” . She followed her dream and became one of the greatest poets that ever lived.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

I have many inspirations, including the daring of Emily Dickinson. There are several writers who made me think, I want to do that! It started with A.A. Milne who wrote “Winnie-the-Pooh”, then E,B. White who wrote “Charlotte’s Web, “Stuart Little” and “Trumpet of the Swan”. After that came James Thurber, who wrote funny short stories based on life with his family and relatives. When I was a teenager it was J.D. Salinger. I tried to write like all of them! Also, my father was a writer. This inspired me too.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

I have three sons and four grandchildren. Two of my sons are writers. It’s great to have writing in common. My granddaughter, Molly, Is a gifted writer and so is my grandson, Sam. My youngest grandchild is four. His name is Emmet. I just gave him my first children’s book, the one I wrote when I was 22. His mother is reading it to him now and he likes it. That’s a thrill.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Peanut butter.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Hug my dog, get a cup of coffee, check my email.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

My basement is clean and organized! My kids and I just cleaned it!

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Blue. I love it and it’s the color of the sky, which is infinite.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Mighty Mouse. My youngest son wanted to be Mighty Mouse when he was two. He wore a cape made out of his yellow blanket and I painted whiskers on his face and a black circle nose.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Charlie Brown. When I don’t get a letter for a few days I feel forgotten.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

I would like to see and experience the world at different times in history, but with all the problems I think I would pick now, where I live in New York. Maybe that’s because it’s familiar, but certainly because women can do more of what they love now then they could in other times in history that I know of. We are getting more and more rights to be ourselves and have our own voices. There are a lot of artistic possibilities in New York.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I love jazz and classical best. I usually listen to music while I write. Something that goes with the time and spirit of what I’m working on.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

I don’t have a favorite TV show. My sons are actors. One is currently on “Sons of Anarchy”. Another is often on David Letterman, but the main reason I watch those shows is because of my sons. Two movies I especially love and watch over again are “Local Hero”, “Waiting for Guffman”. The last movie I saw in a theatre was “A Serious Man”. It’s the new film by the Coen brothers and my oldest son is in it.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Be true to yourself.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

My next book is about a girl and her service dog, a yellow lab, who becomes her friend and helps her get her life back after she is in an automobile accident.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!