Interview with Meagan Spooner, author of LARK ASCENDING

We are so excited here at the League that our own Meagan Spooner's final book in the Skylark trilogy just released! The book is called Lark Ascending, and it's AMAZING.

We're here today with Meagan to find out some more about her process and how she came about writing an end to a series with characters we've fallen in love with.

Peggy: You have an incredible ability to write compelling, complex, real characters that readers fall in love with. Tell us a little about your process-- do your characters come to you fully formed, or do they become who they're going to be as you are writing and editing?

Meagan: My main characters are usually greatly informed by the worlds they live in and what the story needs them to be. I had the setting of the Skylark trilogy before anything else, and thought about whose story would be most interesting to tell in this world where magic is a fuel source, and rapidly dwindling. The answer: a girl with the power to generate magic herself. Of course, for those who've read Skylark, the first book, they know that's not really the whole story on Lark and her abilities, but I won't spoil the twists for those who haven't! For side characters it's usually an archetype that first comes to me. Like "the teacher" or "the familiar." That allows me to see how the character will fit into the story, and lets me build him or her (or it, in Nix's case!) out from there into a more realistic person.

Those touches inevitably come from the characters' histories, most of which never show up in the books themselves. Kris, for example, has a lengthy origin story that will probably never see the light of day. Oren does as well--I wrote quite a bit of what happened to him in his childhood and what happened to his parents, and how he survived on his own. Sometimes you see side characters who only exist on the page, seemingly coming into existence for the first time when they're introduced in the manuscript. But real people have stories that span years or even decades, and for me, figuring out what brought each character to the place they enter my story makes them feel more real for me.

Peggy: You have been applauded by so many advance readers for writing a satisfying ending packed with action, tension, tough choices, romantic conflict, and reveals, with an incredible series arc and character arcs. Was the ending one you knew from the start, or did it surprise you?

Meagan: Let me tell you first what a relief that is to hear! Any series writer will tell you that there's nothing more terrifying than trying to end a series. If you can't please everyone with one book, you certainly can't please everyone with three! For me, the ending of Lark Ascending feels inevitable. I wasn't 100% certain exactly how it would end, but I knew the feeling I wanted to end with. For me, that's often where my plot structures and twists come from. I figure out how I want my reader to feel at any given point in the story arc, and then I figure out what would make them feel that way. So I knew exactly the note I wanted to strike with the ending, and by the time I got there, I knew how to do it.

The real trick was to keep that feeling of inevitability, like everything was always leading to that climax, that decision that Lark has to make in the end (no spoilers, don't worry!) from the very first words of the very first book—while also keeping it surprising. You don't ever want to feel like you can see what's coming--what you want is for readers to look back after finishing and think "Oh my god, I should have seen it!" That's what I aim for with every book—surprising yet inevitable.

That said... it surprised me, so I hope it surprises readers too!

Peggy: I think readers are going to LOVE it! Want to find out more about Megan and her books? Check out the links below.

Tumblr  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Pinterest  |  Email

Meagan Spooner grew up reading and writing every spare moment of the day, while dreaming about life as an archaeologist, a marine biologist, an astronaut. She graduated from Hamilton College in New York with a degree in playwriting, and has spent several years since then living in Australia. She’s traveled with her family all over the world to places like Egypt, South Africa, the Arctic, Greece, Antarctica, and the Galapagos, and there’s a bit of every trip in every story she writes.

She currently lives and writes in Asheville, North Carolina, but the siren call of travel is hard to resist, and there’s no telling how long she’ll stay there.

In her spare time she plays guitar, plays video games, plays with her cat, and reads.

 

Interview with THE FORBIDDEN FLATS author Peggy Eddleman

We are all excited for the release of the sequel to Sky Jumpers: SKY JUMPERS BOOK 2: THE FORBIDDEN FLATS which releases next Tuesday, September 23. If you missed my interview with Peggy for the release of book one, you can read it here.

Lissa: This cover has a timeless quality about it, almost classic. Tell us what it was like when you first saw the cover layout.

Peggy: I was so excited that Owen Richardson, the cover artist for Sky Jumpers, was available to create my second cover as well. He did such an incredible job with my first cover, and every single bit of his art is brilliant. I knew that whatever he came up with was going to be amazing. I had been keeping my fingers crossed that it would be a mostly orange cover, and was thrilled when I opened the email and saw that it was. I love the crack in the ground, and I love that we get to see one of the boys--- Brock-- a little more this time.

Lissa: How much time has passed since book one ended and this one begins?

Peggy: Four months.

Lissa: Since Sky Jumpers was your debut novel, (although not your first manuscript), how was your experience writing the sequel? Easier or harder?

Peggy: So. Much. Harder. I had heard that it was going to be more difficult, so I mentally prepared myself. I think I must've mostly figured that it would be tougher because of reviews, and knowing that people were going to be reading it, and neither of those things affected me much. But it is soooo much more than that. Sequels are a difficult beast all on their own, with nothing else entering into the mix. But it's not the only thing in the mix. After you've spent so many, many months making your first book all pretty and shiny and perfect, it's hard to remember that a first draft is every so.... ugly. It can make you feel like you've forgotten how to write! And when you add in the fact that your inner editor has become so much stronger in the process, and that you now have your editor's voice in your head, getting all the words on the page is like trudging uphill. Pushing a giant rock. Through tar. In a blizzard.

Lissa: For the journey across the Forbidden Flats, did you model the landscape on a particular area? Perhaps in Utah?

Peggy: Not Utah. It's actually the landscape between Cook, Nebraska, and somewhere around Fort Collins, Colorado. Even though technology was taken back quite a few years, the book actually takes place more than 50 years in the future. So I imagined how cities through that area would've been been built up before they were destroyed by the green bombs, and how the other parts of the landscape-- such as rivers-- would've changed. It was a lot of fun taking some artistic license and creating the cities they ran into along the way. My favorite was creating a city whose walls are made entirely of glass. The setting for the entire book was a blast to play in.

Lissa: You’ve worked as a tutor for fourth graders struggling with reading. Did any of your experience with them influence your writing style with this series?

Peggy: It did. For some kids, reading is SO HARD. And in order to get them to want to work hard at it, it really helps if they're reading something that they can relate to, and that they get excited about reading. I think those years really helped me to get a better grasp on the kinds of stories and the kinds of characters that make kids want to work hard to read.

Lissa: Any chance of another book in this series or too early to know? What’s next for author Peggy Eddleman?

For right now, this is the final book. The main conflict is addressed, and comes to a satisfying conclusion, and I am very happy with it. There are a lot of threads-- some very exciting ones-- that I left open, so that kids can dream about what goes on beyond the story. And who knows? One day I might decide to come back to it. But right now, I'm very excited to have the conclusion available! I've turned my focus to writing a new story-- another action / adventure, of course.

If you missed the first Sky Jumpers book, it is out in paperback the same day that The Forbidden Flats releases-- one week from today!

Want to connect with Peggy online? 

 Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Goodreads | Newsletter

Interview with LANDRY PARK author, Bethany Hagen

Okay, so I'm here today with Bethany Hagen, fellow League member and the author of LANDRY PARK! Her debut just came out on Tuesday, and you really need to read it! I devoured it in one day, anxiously turning the pages (or, uh, swiping the screen) to find out what would happen next!

About LANDRY PARK: Sixteen-year-old Madeline Landry is practically Gentry royalty. Her ancestor developed the nuclear energy that has replaced electricity, and her parents exemplify the glamour of the upper class. As for Madeline, she would much rather read a book than attend yet another debutante ball. But when she learns about the devastating impact the Gentry lifestyle—her lifestyle—is having on those less fortunate, her whole world is turned upside down. As Madeline begins to question everything she has been told, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana, who seems to be hiding secrets of his own. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty—her family and the estate she loves dearly—and desire.

Fans of Ally Condie, Kiera Cass, Veronica Roth, and even Jane Austen will be enthralled by this breathtaking read.

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I asked Bethany a few questions about the book, so let's start there.

1. So LANDRY PARK is set in the future, but it has a very old-fashioned feel. How did you come up with that concept?
The concept came from lots of bored hours working in a museum. Museums are great incubators--they're quiet and they're full of dusty forgotten things that have all these great stories. (I need to get to more museums, stat!) I loved giving tours of the futuristic 1950's All-Electric House and reading articles about bomb shelters and quirky radioactive gadgets, and I also loved sifting through pictures of Edwardian debutantes and people attending opera houses during the Gilded Age. Those ideas started to gel together--what if our future did embrace all these facets of the past? What if we took luxury and leisure back to the precedents set in earlier times? (I love the "what-if" game.)

2. The nuclear energy in LANDRY PARK is well-developed and such a fresh take in science fiction. Did you have to do a lot of research on nuclear energy and radiation poisoning?
When I first started writing the book, I had a very limited idea about how nuclear power worked--most of what I had learned about the energy came from watching the Fukushima news coverage and most of what I knew about radiation came from reading John Hersey's Hiroshima. So I quickly learned that I needed to beef up my knowledge; I read books and journal articles and watched DVDs rented from the library. (And actually, it was when I researched the topic more intensely that I discovered the Cherenkov radiation effect, which then went on to play a bigger part in the book.)

3. When did you write LANDRY PARK? What's one scene that you can still remember drafting for the first time?
I started Landry Park in 2011, using seeds from a different novel I was working on in 2010. I still remember this one scene, where the city's playboy--David Dana--helps a girl up after she falls. She's a member of the Rootless (the caste of people forced to handle the city's nuclear waste) and there's a huge stigma about having any sort of physical contact with them. And here's this guy, selfish and wealthy, helping her and touching her and being kind to her. (I LOVE that scene!) I was writing it next to my daughter's crib while she was jabbering to herself instead of going to sleep, and I had to stop halfway through to nurse her...*heavy sigh* and now she's gigantic and in preschool. (Wait until she's taller than you...)

4. Is LANDRY PARK your first novel?
Landry Park is the third novel I've written, but my first published one. I think the first two are destined to stay buried forever. We'll call them "practice novels."

5. Is LANDRY PARK the beginning of a series? Tell us all about everything!
Landry Park will have a sequel! I'm tentatively calling it Landry Park II: The Tulle Returns. I won't say much, since it's still being written, but there's lots of dresses and food and stoic soldier boys, for people who like that sort of thing. (And who doesn't like that sort of thing??! I mean, come on.)

6. Give us a glimpse of your writing and publishing journey that lead to LANDRY PARK being published.
After I finished Landry Park, I made a short list of my favorite agents. I sent it to the very very favorite one who read it and liked it, but saw room for the book to grow. She offered me a chance to revise it and then send it back to her. I did, and she loved it enough to represent me! I dropped my contract for her in the mail on Thursday, she submitted to editors on Friday and then we had an offer on Monday morning from my dream house. It was surreal.

About Bethany: Bethany Hagen was born and raised in Kansas City. She grew up reading Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, and all things King Arthur, and went on to become a librarian. Landry Park is her debut novel.

7. When you're looking to decompress by reading, what book do you reach for?
Jane Eyre or Lord of the Rings. And of course, my bible--Entertainment Weekly. (Nice! I really need to pay closer attention to pop culture.)

8. If you could be a contestant on Survivor, what's the one item you'd take with you?
Oh, this is hard, because the reasonable part of me says "toothbrush" but my heart says "a bottle of Macallan 12."

9. A guilty pleasure?
Sweatpants. Although my amount of guilt about wearing them drops every day I'm on a deadline. (Hey, at least you put on pants... just sayin'.)

10. Bacon or chocolate?
BACON. (Yes! *fistpump* A girl after my own heart.)

So there's the scoop. You really, really need to get a copy of LANDRY PARK. You will not be disappointed. Fans of romance, dystopian novels, intrigue, danger, and gorgeous writing will love it.

Interview with CONTROL author, Lydia Kang

CONTROL by Lydia Kang came out last week! I think it is one of the best science fiction reads of the year. I hope you've been able to get your hands on a copy, and if you haven't, do it now!

I'm here today with Lydia to get a little insight into CONTROL, her writing style, and just her as a real, live person! Let's get this party started.

About CONTROL: When their overprotective father is killed in a terrible accident, Zel and her younger sister, Dylia, are lost in grief. But it's not until strangers appear, using bizarre sensory weapons, that the life they had is truly eviscerated. Zel ends up in a safe house for teens that aren't like any she's ever seen -- teens who, by law, shouldn't even exist. One of them -- an angry tattooed boy haunted by tragedy -- can help Zel reunite with her sister.

But only if she is willing to lose him.

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1. So CONTROL has quite a bit of science in it. Did you draw on your professional experience, or perform copious amounts of research?
A little bit of both! I'd get ideas out of my own noggin about things like, let's make this character photosynthesize. But then would come research about whether she needed to use her lungs for oxygen or if her skin could make enough on its own. Amazingly, the answers are out there!

2. When did you write CONTROL? What's one scene that you can still remember drafting for the first time?
I wrote CONTROL over a six month period between 2010-11. (Wow, I'm always amazed at how slow the publishing industry is!) Three months to draft and three months to revise. I really remember the ending well. It was so stressful to get those end scenes just right! (Yes, yes it is. But you did a great job with it!)

3. Is CONTROL your first novel?
It's my first published novel. I have two novels before that sitting in my computer. One was an urban fantasy; the other, historical. Both YA. (My third book was my first published too! Soul-sisters!)

4. Is CONTROL the beginning of a series? Tell us all about everything!
There will be a sequel to Control! The title is still up in the air, probably CODE (Intriguing. Goodreads is calling is CATALYST). The characters are going to have to leave Carus House and Zelia will be on the run and there will be revelations galore. :)

About Lydia: Lydia Kang is an author of young adult fiction, poetry, and narrative non-fiction. She graduated from Columbia University and New York University School of Medicine, completing her residency and chief residency at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. She is a practicing physician who has gained a reputation for helping fellow writers achieve medical accuracy in fiction. Her poetry and non-fiction have been published in JAMA, The Annals of Internal Medicine, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Journal of General Internal Medicine, and Great Weather for Media. She believes in science and knocking on wood, and currently lives in Omaha with her husband, three children, and a terrarium full of stick bugs.


5. When you're looking to decompress by reading, what book do you reach for?
My old standbys. I'm a serial rereader of old friends, like Bronte and Austen and Wilder. (I really need to read some of these books...)

6. If you could be a contestant on Survivor, what's the one item you'd take with you?
Oh geez. A really good hunting knife. Forget the toothbrush! (Seriously. And if you've ever seen Survivor -- which I have -- I've never seen such white teeth. I think they use sand or something...)

7. A guilty pleasure?
80's pop music. (Booyah!)

8. Bacon or chocolate?
Bacon! It's salt, all the way! (Yes! Bacon FTW!)

So there you go! I hope you'll pick up CONTROL and read it. I absolutely loved it, and I know if you like YA or science fiction or romance or thrillers, you will too!

Interview with the authors of THESE BROKEN STARS

I'm so excited to have you meet Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman via this interview today. It's rare when authors collaborate on a YA book, but these two do it from across the universe (yes, League joke). I think you'll find their process as fascinating as I do. - Lissa



         Meagan Spooner                                                                                           Amie Kaufman


Whose idea was it to write as a team and who came up with the idea?

We'd been writing together, a series of collaborative story-telling games, for years before it ever occurred to us to write a novel together. The idea for THESE BROKEN STARS came when we were ready to start one such new game, and Amie wanted to make the setting a shipwreck, and Meg wanted to make the setting space. We came up with the idea of a shipwreck in space and intended to write a bunch of little vignettes to entertain each other, all about the little groups of survivors. But we got completely carried away by the very first such group we made: Lilac and Tarver. We never got to writing any other survivors, and ended up playing with the characters for over a year before we started to wonder if maybe other people might have fun reading about them too.

What is your writing process together?

We often play out conversations and events together via instant messenger long before we start drafting the book, just to make sure the characters are well-established, and we have a vague idea of the events to come. Once we feel we've got a good handle on our characters, we then alternate writing chapters; Amie writes the boys, and Meg writes the girls. In revision, however, all bets are off, and we both rewrite stuff from each other's chapters. There are actually significant chunks of THESE BROKEN STARS where we honestly can't remember who wrote what.

Is it faster or slower writing as a team?

It's usually faster to write together, because we can literally work around the clock--due to the time zone difference, Amie's going to sleep in Australia around the time Meg's waking up in America. We usually do a little hand-off, recapping what we did and where we're up to, and then the other one takes over. That said, it's much slower to revise as a team. With revision we're much more careful to discuss everything, and make sure we're not making unwanted changes. That requires us to find more time to be online at the same time, and a LOT more working around the time difference, so it often requires more time than it would if there was only one person making decisions.

Any advice to writers considering writing as teams?

Communicate! The number one thing we see that tears collaborations apart is a lack of communication ahead of time. You have to make sure your goals are the same (do you want to get published? are you just writing for fun?). You have to make sure your expectations are out in the open (how fast do you expect your partner to work? how much of the book does each person write?). You have to make sure you agree on where the story is going--and if you don't agree, you have to know exactly how to work out that dispute. We've known each other for so long that we already had that communication in place, but it can be frustrating to work with someone whose expectations don't match your own.

Anything else you'd like to tell the League readers?

Thanks so much for reading, guys! If you want to know more about THESE BROKEN STARS, we put up all our news, along with contests and sneak peeks of upcoming projects, on our newsletter. You can sign up for that here. You can also find Amie and Meg on Twitter at @amiekaufman and @meaganspooner. And finally, if you've got questions, we're both on Tumblr: meaganspooner.tumblr.com + amiekaufman.tumblr.com. Isn't social media awesome? Authors and readers, a click away from each other.

 

 

 

 

Interview with Peggy Eddleman

I have the pleasure of interviewing my delightful Random House publishing sister Peggy Eddleman, with her exciting debut, a middle grade novel called SKY JUMPERS.

Sky Jumpers was recently chosen by the ABA as one of the 2013 ABC Best Books For Children. Congratulations, Peggy! 

 

 

Peggy Eddleman lives at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Utah with her husband and their three kids. She enjoys painting, playing games with her family (especially laser tag), and of course, reading. You can visit Peggy online at peggyeddleman.com or on Twitter @peggyeddleman

 

Everyone is going to want to know, how did you get the idea for the concept?  Can you trace your steps back that far?

I can— that moment is still very clear. I was on an airplane, flying home from Disney World with my family, staring out the window at the wrong side of the clouds, thinking how much fun it would be to jump out of the plane and have the clouds slow my fall. The entire country was covered in clouds that day, so I seriously sat there for 3 ½ hours, dreaming about it. Over the next 9 months, I spent a lot of time developing the setting and world building, then creating my main character, then coming up with the plot. Once I started hearing my main character’s voice when I thought through the plot, I started writing.

 

Your book starts with a map. Did you suggest it or did that come from your publisher?

I suggested it. They jumped on the idea and made it happen.

 

Hope, your protagonist, is 12. How old were your own kids when you started writing Sky Jumpers and did their ages have an influence on your choice to write a MG novel?

My kids were 8, 10, and 13 when I first started writing Sky Jumpers. They did have a huge influence on it— I had been reading middle grade books to them every night for at least five years before that, and I loved it. Reading a story to them that I wrote was what made me want to be an author. But beyond that, I think my voice really lends itself to middle grade. It was a time in my life that I absolutely loved, and it’s fun to go back to it.

 

Before this book, had you written other manuscripts?

Yep! Sky Jumpers was my fifth manuscript.

 

You’ve gone to several conferences and also studied with Brandon Sanderson. Were you in a degree program at BYU or was that a summer session open to anyone?  That looks like a great class. Did you mention it in your query?

I learned a lot by going to conferences and Brandon Sanderson’s class. He’s an incredible teacher. I wasn’t in a degree program— he was just kind enough to offer to let me audit the class, and I’ll be forever grateful. His classes are online and free now, to anyone who wants to benefit from his teaching. I didn’t mention it in my query.

 

How did it come about that you were invited to view the shooting of your book trailer? Tell us about that.

I decided that I wanted a live action book trailer, and went about making it happen. I picked a bunch of kids who looked similar to my characters, held an audition, hired a videographer and his crew and a make-up person, and had tons of help from friends and family. We filmed at the school my kids went to, and we had a blast. (Probably because I didn’t have to worry about the actual filming or the editing myself.) It was a huge amount of work, but I’m really glad that we filmed it, and that I found someone willing to do a lot of special effects. There’s just not stock video out there of kids jumping into the Bomb’s Breath. ;) I am thrilled with how it turned out.

 

 

Your deal was for two books. Can you tell us whether Sky Jumpers 2 closes out the series or leaves it open for the possibility to continue?

 

It definitely leaves it open for the possibility to continue (while still feeling complete in itself).

Thanks so much for the interview, Pub sister!

Thank you so much for sharing the details of your debut journey, Peggy!

 

 

 

Elana lets Peggy test out the tech from ABANDON. And it is awesome.

From the moment I read Elana Johnson's POSSESSION to picking up the final book in the trilogy-- ABANDON, I have been in love with the tech in this series. So much so that when I discovered that Elana actually has the tech, I hopped in my own boring piece of traveling tech (my car) and begged her to let me play with it for an afternoon. Yes, it was every bit as awesome as it sounds. Check it out:

Peggy: Can we start with the hoverboards? I have been dying to ride one of these for two years. TWO YEARS, I tell you!

Elana: Let's do it! 

Peggy: Look what I can do! I'm almost as good as Jag! I can--- Oh, oh. I think I'm going to fall!

Elana: Dude, knock it off! You're nowhere near as good as Jag. He played ball with his brothers waaay more than we've practiced on these things! Now just put your arms out like this, and try to stand more straight.

Peggy: Check me out! I can do tricks!

Elana: Cut it out, Eddleman! You're going to knock me off!

Peggy: Okay, maybe it's time to go on to the next thing. Ooo! I know! Let's check out the transporter ring!

Elana: Oh, this old thing? [puts it on] It takes me anywhere I want.

 

Elana: Ba-bam! Once I went to England just for fish & chips! I bet Jag would've really loved that.  Ha!

Peggy: You wouldn't mind if I borrowed that for a week or two, right?

Elana: [slips ring into pocket] Hey! Check out this distraction!

Peggy: [in reverenced awe] Oooh, is that a food generator?! We can make anything we want with that, right? What should we make?

Elana: What Zenn would order -- toast! In SURRENDER and ABANDON, all Zenn eats is toast. He loves being on the traveling team simply so he can use the food generating cube.

Peggy: Dude, I would join the Resistance and be on the traveling team just so I could use this, too.

Elana and Peggy: Mmmm. Tooooast.

Peggy: After all that toast, I think I'm ready for a mission of my own.

Elana: Come on. I think it's right around this corner... Wait. Enforcement Officers ahead.

Peggy: Are you sure we're at the right Rise?

Elana: Yes, this is Twelve. The Resistance is expecting us.

Peggy: And after a mission, the Resistance always heads back to their cave, right?

Elana: Yep! But this cave is way better than the one the Resistance has to hole up in.

Peggy: Heck yeah it is! I think we should live here. Unless those stalactites stab us in the night... That wouldn't be so cool.

Elana: I can feel the energy in this just like Vi can! Just a little further... Peggy, a little further. Peggy?

Peggy: Zzzzhhhhttt!!

Peggy: I'm feeling a little dazed. I think I may have had enough tech for one day. I'm not quite sure I can make it home anymore. Oh, hey-- how about I borrow that transporter ring?

No? Sigh.

I'll take an awesome book that just hit shelves a week ago instead.

Think the tech in this post is awesome? The book is a million times more so. Elana has an incredible imagination, and she poured it into ABANDON. Trust me: you really want to read this. It's beyond awesome.

A special thanks to Erin Summerill Photography for the fun pictures and SamuraiCatJB (via photopin cc) for the cave image.

Interview with Susanne Winnacker, Author of IMPOSTER

Today, it’s my pleasure to interview Leaguer Susanne Winnacker about her new book IMPOSTER. Don’t miss her newest addition to the family at the end.

Susanne, I'm sure the League readers would love to know where you got the idea for Impostor?

My main character Tessa came first. I just knew I wanted to write about a girl who could absorb the DNA of other people and turn into them. And once that was settled, I very quickly decided that she’d go on an undercover mission. I watched the Miss Congeniality movies more times than I care to count – and what’s not to love about undercover missions?

So is Impostor a trilogy or a standalone?

Heh, that’s an interesting question. Right now, the plan is that Impostor has one sequel. J

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

Making sure the mystery worked. I needed to plant enough clues to suspects without giving away the real killer too soon. NOT easy.

Okay, gotta ask, what's your favorite scene?

My favorite scene is in the later chapters and involves the killer but of course it’s VERY spoilery, so…But I also love the scene that inspired the cover. It’s in the middle of the book, and shows Tessa’s inner turmoil. She’s feeling like she’s losing herself. I call it the mirror-scene (people who’ve read the book will know what I’m talking about).

Impostor was sold to Warners for TV! What's the status of that? Dream casting?

I was so excited when I found out about Warner Brothers optioning Impostor’s TV rights. Sadly, there is no news I can share right now. And I don’t have a real dream cast. I don’t want Alec (fellow FEA agent. Tessa has a crush on him) to be just a pretty face. He’s gone through a lot in his life and I think his face should reflect a certain kind of depth. Not very helpful, I guess?

Maybe the readers who have had a sneak peek will have some casting ideas in the comments. So what are you working on now?

I’m working on a middle grade, another unrelated YA horror, and I’m waiting on edits for the sequel to Impostor!

You’re branching out. Is there anything else you'd like to tell the League readers?

I’m at BEA today, so say hi if you see me walking around. I’ll be the woman with the terrified and lost expression on her face. And I’ll be handing out Impostor swag.

Susanne Winnacker studied law before she became a full-time writer. She lives with her husband, a dog and three bunnies in Germany. She loves coffee (in every shape and form), traveling and animals.

When she isn't writing, you can usually find her in the kitchen, experimenting with new vegan dishes.

Be sure to enter the raffle! If you love bunnies, or want to say anything to Susanne, leave a comment.

View Susanne on Facebook here and see Leaguer Lenore's interview with Susanne here.

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INTERVIEW WITH ELANA JOHNSON

To continue the celebration of original League member Elana Johnson’s launch week of her new book, SURRENDER, she’s graciously agreed to give us an exclusive interview. ONLY here will you find out what it is that she hates to do. And also discover the most disgusting thing she saw on reality TV.

What did you love the most about writing SURRENDER?

Writing SURRENDER was liking writing a new book. Since it’s a companion and not really a sequel, I got to explore a new city and new characters. And I loved doing that! Plus, the world-building was already done, so it felt like a lot less work with just as many rewards!

Who came up with the title of SURRENDER?

My publisher and I brainstormed a list of titles, and this is the one we both liked. I had originally named the drafts FUGITIVE. Totally different, yeah?

How did you feel when you saw the cover to SURRENDER?

I love the iconic images on my covers. I think I probably should’ve prepared myself a little better for the cover of SURRENDER though. Because POSSESSION is so perfect, I should’ve known nothing could compare to it. So I’ll admit to a bit of wailing, and then I got happy about it. It is still wonderful and beautiful and appropriate, so I can’t complain.

If a fairy granted you a bonus year and said you can write anything, just not another YA dystopian novel, what genre would it be?

I am a huge lover of what I call “light” fantasy (think GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS, but not THE WHEEL OF TIME), and I’ve been working on something in that genre. I also love YA contemporary (like Jessi Kirby’s MOONGLASS and Jessica Martinez’s VIRTUOSITY), and I want to write those kinds of novels.

What’s your favorite reality TV show? What’s the worst one you’ve ever watched an episode of?

I love reality TV! Survivor is my favorite, but I also love The Amazing Race, So You Think You Can Dance, Chopped, and Cupcake Wars. I think the worst episode I’ve watched was in Survivor when they had to drink cow’s blood. I am just so not into that kind of stuff.

You were so generous with your time and advice to me just before my book came out. Do you have any tricks for time management? You have a family and a busy life, but you manage to do so much.

Tricks for time management? Um, don’t sleep? Get a job where you can open gmail in the morning and see every email that comes in when it comes in? Ha!

I try hard to squeeze things in whenever I can. If I have 15 minutes, I’m doing something with it. Sometimes that’s email, or writing, or editing, or playing Words With Friends.

What is something about you or your writing that you’ve never revealed before in an interview?

This is much harder than people might think! I’ve done a lot of interviews, and I tweet my brains out most days. I think most people know I’m a pantser. They know I can vomit up novels in just a few days. They know I love bacon…

So how about: I hate shopping. Everything about it. Shocking for a woman, I know. Not even shoes excite me.

Is there anything else you’d like the readers to know?

Just a big thank you to all who’ve read POSSESSION and are looking forward to SURRENDER! Your emails and tweets always make me smile—and they motivate me to keep writing. So thank you!

CONNECT WITH ELANA:
Blog: http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/possessionthebook
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/elanaJ

BIO: Elana's work including POSSESSION, REGRET, and SURRENDER is available from Simon & Schuster wherever books are sold. She is the author of From the Query to the Call, an ebook that every writer needs to read before they query, which can be downloaded for free on her website. She runs a personal blog on publishing and is a founding author of the QueryTracker blog. She blogs regularly at The League of Extraordinary Writers, co-organizes WriteOnCon, and is a member of SCBWI, ANWA and LDStorymakers.

She wishes she could experience her first kiss again, tell the mean girl where to shove it, and have cool superpowers like reading minds and controlling fire. To fulfill her desires, she writes young adult science fiction and fantasy.

About SURRENDER: Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.

All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn.

Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque….

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