CHRISTINA FARLEY INTERVIEW AND GILDED GIVEAWAY

Happy Monday Everyone! Hope you're having a great start to your week.

FOLLOWER NEWS 

Stephen Tremp is releasing his new sci-fi book ESCALATION. ESCALATION: an epic clash where science and the supernatural take center stage for mankind’s destiny. The setting is global and the adrenaline-charged action is non-stop. Go HERE to find out more. Congrats, Stephen!

Jessie Humphries just revealed the cover of KILLING RUBY ROSE, her YA story about Ruby Rose who follows in her father's footsteps and tries to catch the bad guys. Go HERE to congratulate her and enter her contest.

And Martina Boone released the cover of her new YA story COMPULSION, set in the South about three

founding families of a town, one who is cursed and two who are granted magical powers that turn into compulsions. Go HERE to congratulate her and enter her contest.

Congrats to everyone on your fantastic news!

And the winner of my three book giveaway is Danielle H who chose PANIC.

Congrats! E-mail me your address so I can send you your book. Please e-mail me by the end of Wednesday or I'll have to pick another winner.

Today I’m thrilled to have debut author and follower Christina Farley to share about GILDED, her YA contemporary fantasy that released March 1st. Christina does an amazing job making you feel like you were in Korea where this is set and with the Korean mythology which the story is based on. And I love Jae Hwa, who not only has to adjust from American LA culture to living in Korea, but also finds herself the target of a Korean demi-god. This is really a fantastic story and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Jae Hwa Lee is a Korean-American girl with a black belt, a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows, and a chip on her shoulder the size of Korea itself. When her widowed dad uproots her to Seoul from her home in L.A., Jae thinks her biggest challenges will be fitting in to a new school and dealing with her dismissive Korean grandfather. Then she discovers that a Korean demi-god, Haemosu, has been stealing the soul of the oldest daughter of each generation in her family for centuries. And she's next.

But that’s not Jae’s only problem.

There's also Marc. Irresistible and charming, Marc threatens to break the barriers around Jae's heart. As the two grow closer, Jae must decide if she can trust him. But Marc has a secret of his own—one that could help Jae overturn the curse on her family for good. It turns out that Jae's been wrong about a lot of things: her grandfather is her greatest ally, even the tough girl can fall in love, and Korea might just be the home she's always been looking for.

Hi Christina. Thanks so much for joining us.

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

Thank you so much for having me on your blog! I didn’t actually set off to become a writer. It was more of I was compelled to write about my adventures living overseas. I’ve always had an overly active imagination, which is fun to use in my teaching. So when I began writing those down, the process became an outlet for me to get all those stories out that were flying through my mind. The more I wrote, the more I realized I was hooked.

2. Awesome that you started writing as a result of your life overseas. I can see how that could lead to some fascinating stories. Where did you get the idea for your story?

GILDED is based on the myth of Haemosu and Princess Yuhwa. You can watch my video here that goes into all the details: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL2Sn26fqrU

3. You did such a fantastic job in portraying Korean life. I really felt like I was there. And I read in your bio that you lived in Korea, so I’m guessing that helped. Do you think your ability to show us Korean culture came solely from living there or did you have to research it as well? And what tips do you have for the rest of us who want to write from a culture or country different than our own but can’t go live there?

Yes, I do believe that I couldn’t have written GILDED with the same mood and emotions without living there. There is something very real and vivid about sitting at a café and writing about the world moving right before your eyes.

I tend to be a more cinematic writer so I love to draw my readers into my stories using very specific details that they probably don’t even notice when they are reading the book, but those details bring a story to life. I’m sure atmosphere of GILDED could only have been captured from my standing on the streets of Seoul, smelling the air, listening to the sounds, and falling in love with the people.

Nearly every scene in all of the GILDED series books is set in places that I’ve actually been to. I think that’s what made it so fun to write.

4. I think it’s those little perfectly described details that made me love your setting so much.

Your story is based on the myth of Haemosu and Princess Yuhwa. And you also weave in other Korean mythology into your story. What research did you do into this and what were some of the sources you found helpful?

I did quite a bit of research for the Spirit World scenes. I lived not far from Gyeongbok Palace and that became the inspiration for the setting of Haemosu’s palace. I took tedious notes of all the palaces in the region as well as visited all the museums Seoul had to offer. My little notebook for GILDED is full of drawings, lists, designs, and notes from my outings.

While living in Seoul, I taught at Seoul Foreign School and was able to interview experts on Korean history and mythology. Then just down the path was the back entrance to Yonsei University, one of the most prestigious universities in Korea, which also had great resources for me to use.

5. Good thing you decided to write while you lived there and could really study it all. Jae Hwa is such a great character. She’s American at heart and her reaction at first to what she finds herself faced with seemed really realistic. And I loved watching how her relationships with her Korean family and friends changed through the story. Share about how she developed as a character as you wrote Gilded.

I’m so glad you love Jae Hwa. It’s been fun to write these books from her point of view. I would like to say I did a whole character sketch of her, but that would be a lie. Her voice rang out to me loud and clear, and always had from the get-go. One thing that did help me was creating a collage of images that I cut out from magazines. I glued them onto a piece of paper and then posted it next to my writing computer. Here’s a vlog where I show how I did this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3chpYaMLYxg

6. Wow! That’s a great idea. I read that you were involved in the cover design of your book, which is really unusual for an author. Share about how you got involved in this and your cover design.

I was involved in the cover design for GILDED. My editor has been great about bringing me into this whole process of creating GILDED. It’s allowed me see how much effort goes into each step along the way. Basically my editor asked for ideas I had for the cover. It was so interesting how her thoughts and mine were nearly identical. For the full process, you can check this post here on it: http://onefourkidlit.wordpress.com/2014/01/07/behind-the-cover-of-gilded/

7. Not many authors get the input you did on your cover. And I know you had the same attention to the Korean aspects of your story in designing it. Your agent is Jeff Ourvan. How did he become your agent and what was your road to publication like?

GILDED would never be in the hands of my readers if not for my agent. I had just finished a massive revision on GILDED and it was time to look for an agent. I queried a bunch of agents, looking for those who I thought would ‘get’ a story set in Korea. Then I read Jeff’s bio and an interview he did. As soon as I read it, I knew he’d be the perfect agent for me. He has traveled extensively overseas and lived in Japan. Plus he loves fast-paced stories with a thriller bent.

It was within a few weeks after he asked for a partial and full that he offered representation. At that point I emailed the other agents who also had the full. In the end I had other agents offer representation, but after talking to Jeff on the phone, I knew he would be the right fit. And I was right!

8. I can see why you felt he was the right agent for your book. You are a part of OneFour Kid Lit and a few other debut groups. Share about what groups you’ve decided to join and how it’s helped you as you went through your year leading up to your debut.

Yes, I’m a part of some amazing writing groups. I would be totally lost without them! Not only do they offer great advice, but they provide that support when dealing with debut insanity.  If you’re a debut author, I highly recommend either joining a group or forming one of your own. It has made this whole debut experience so much richer for me. I also think those relationships are the best part of all.

9. Yeah, I’d definitely want to join one. You’re also part of the YA Chicks Kickin’ Tour, where you have a tour planned in Central Florida with four other authors. Tell us about how that got organized and what you’re planning to do.

The tour was inspired during a lunch that Amy Christine Parker, author of GATED, and I had. She lives in Tampa and became a close friend since we were both going through all of this debuting stuff together. We’d meet for lunch and chat. We were talking about how much fun it would be to do a tour of our own and decided to go for it. We teamed up with three other author friends to visit schools, libraries and bookstores.

I could probably do a whole post just on planning the tour and how we put it together! My biggest advice to anyone who is considering this is team up with someone that is flexible and gets how you work. I am so thankful to be working with Amy because, seriously, she is a not only an amazing person, but she’s professional, talented, and innovative.

Here’s the link for our tour’s website: www.yachicks.blogspot.com

10. That’s great you’re friends with another author that lives close to you going through debuting too. What other marketing plans do you have that you think other debut authors should consider?

I love teaching and talking to people about books so I can’t wait to get into classrooms to teach teens and adults the craft of writing. Ultimately a debut author should make a list of their strengths and build their whole marketing strategy around that. You can’t do everything and you don’t want to do everything. Focus on what you love and build from there. Your passion for that will show through in what you do.

11. What are you working on now?

I’m revising a possible book 3 in the GILDED series. It hasn’t been bought yet, but I just had to write the book so I did! I also started another project early last fall, but had to put it aside for revisions. I’m anxious to get back to it and see where the story will take me.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Christina. You can find Christina at:

Website: ChristinaFarley.com
Twitter: @ChristinaFarley
YouTube: www.youtube.com/chocolateinspired
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChristinaFarleyAuthor
Tumblr: http://christinafarley.tumblr.com/
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/16173250-gilded
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Gilded-The-Series-Book-One/dp/1477847014/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391539820&sr=8-1&keywords=gilded+by+christina+farley

Christina has generously offered a signed copy of GILDED for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment through March 22nd. I’ll announce the winner on March 24th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, please leave it in the comments.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. You must be 13 or older to enter. International entries are welcome.

Here’s what’s coming up:

Next Monday I’m interviewing debut author Kristi Helvig and giving away an ARC of BURN OUT, her YA sci-fi story. It’s a great story set on Earth about Tora, who may be the only person on Earth, who really needs to leave and has to decide if she can trust the people who come knocking on her door.

Next Wednesday I’m interviewing Susan Quinn and giving away a copy of FAERY SWAP, her fantastic new MG fantasy I really enjoyed and THIRD DAUGHTER, her NA steampunk fantasy that sounds really good. Susan is a successful self-published author and she has lots of advice to share with you.

The Monday after that I’m interviewing debut author Elle Cosimano and giving away a copy of ELLE, her YA thriller that I’m really looking forward to reading.

Wednesday that week I’ve got a guest post by MG Buehrlen and giveaway of her YA novel THE 57 LIVES OF ALEX WAYFARE about a girl who has visions of living in times in history. It’s another one I’m hoping to read and MG blogs at YA Book Central, a fantastic blog that helps promote authors and their books.

And don’t forget Casey’s Agent Spotlights.

Hope to see you on Monday!

LUCKY IS READING GIVEAWAY HOP

Hi Everyone! Hope you're all hanging in there with all the winter weather and that you're seeing some glimmers of Spring where you live. I live in Ann Arbor and we've had record snow and cold weather this year. I'm dying for it to warm up so I can get back to walking my dog and listening to audio books while I walk.

Today I'm thrilled to participate in the Lucky is Reading Giveaway Hop hosted by StuckInBooks.  I love books and always feel grateful for all the good books I've read. And they always help get me through hard times.

I've got some great choices of both books I've read that I really enjoyed and books I'm dying to read. Click on the title to see a blurb about it from Goodreads.

 

 

 

ALIENATED
AVALON
THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN
CRESS
DEFY
GILDED
IGNITE ME
INTO THE STILL BLUE
LANDRY PARK
LET THE STORM BREAK
SPLIT SECOND
PRINCE OF SHADOWS

One winner will win the book of their choice. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment telling me which book you want through March 21st. I’ll announce the winner on March 24th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, please leave it in the comments.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. You must be 13 or older to enter. International entries are welcome as long as you live where The Book Depository ships for free.

Here’s what’s coming up:

On Monday I’m interviewing debut author Christina Farley and giving away a copy of GILDED, her fantastic YA contemporary fantasy set in Korea. You really felt like you were there and I really loved this page-turner.

The following Monday I’m interviewing debut author Kristi Helvig and giving away an ARC of BURN OUT, her YA sci-fi story. It’s a great story set on Earth about Tora, who may be the only person on Earth, who really needs to leave and has to decide if she can trust the people who come knocking on her door.

Wednesday that week I’m interviewing Susan Quinn and giving away a copy of FAERY SWAP, her fantastic new MG fantasy I really enjoyed and THIRD DAUGHTER, her NA steampunk fantasy that sounds really good. Susan is a successful self-published author and she has lots of advice to share with you.

The Monday after that I’m interviewing debut author Elle Cosimano and giving away a copy of ELLE, her YA thriller that I’m really looking forward to reading.

And don’t forget Casey’s Agent Spotlights.

Hope to see you on Monday!

And here's all the other blogs participating in this Blog Hop:

KELLY POLARK INTERVIEW AND ROCK 'N' ROLL PRINCESSES WEAR BLACK AND IT’S ALL ABOUT GRATITUDE BLOG HOP

Hi Everyone! I’ve got lots going on today. First I’m participating in Sheri Larsen’s IT’S ALL ABOUT GRATITUDE BLOG HOP. If you don’t follow Sheri’s blog, you can find her fantastic blog HERE. Sheri shared a video on how to be truly happy and asked that blog hop participants share how it affected them.

The video talks about one of the keys to being truly happy in this stressful world is to be grateful. And I think that is so true. I have a lot of challenges in life—my only sister died from cancer, my husband almost died in a strange town the same year, he has a chronic, life threatening disease that limits significantly what he can do, and I face a job loss this year—are a few. But over the years, I’ve been struck with there are always things to be grateful for and ways to look at our situations in a positive fashion. Like my husband’s health amazingly is getting a bit better and he’s still alive. And I’m hoping a great, less stressful job will open up once I get laid off this year.

We’ll always have hard challenges at various times in life. But being grateful for all the blessings we have can really make the difference in how we handle them and staying happy in general.

Today I’m excited to have follower and friend Kelly Polark here to share about her new MG contemporary story ROCK 'N' ROLL PRINCESSES WEAR BLACK that releases in a few weeks. Kelly is also the author of three picture books, ROCKABET, HOLD THE MUSTARD, and BIG SISTER, BABY BROTHER. Kelly’s new story sounds like a fantastic contemporary story that I think many of you would really enjoy. I’m looking forward to reading it too.

Here’s a blurb about ROCK ‘N’ ROLL PRINCESSES WEAR BLACK:

Music class and recess totally rock, but being teased in school and ignored at home totally stinks. Stefani Lucas is a rockin’ sixth grader who loves music and dresses like a mini hipster in all black, but there's one thing cramping her style - her lame baby brother who manages to hog all the attention from her parents.
When classmates tease her about her clothes and even double dare her to (gasp!) wear another color, Stef decides a minor makeover may be in order. Can Stef change for others and still stay true to herself?

Hi Kelly. Thanks so much for joining us.

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

Well, I’m a married mom of three. I used to teach third grade until I had my first child. I was a stay at home mom for 11 years and felt like I needed a creative outlet. I love books as a teacher, mom, and reader, so I decided to take some online writing classes. I also started attending local SCBWI meetings and went from there!

2. I bet being a teacher really helped you in your writing. Where did you get your idea for your story? And I know you love music. How did you combine that love with this story?

I love rock music, and I want people of all ages to become familiar with cool bands. So I came up with the idea of a middle grade with a rocker edge. Rock clothing is popular for kids. Music oriented TV shows are popular. I hope kids find this book a whole lot of fun, too.

3. So true that music plays a bit role in middle grade kids’ lives. Voice is so important in middle grade stories. Did Stefani’s voice come to you or did you have to work to get it right? Do you have any tips on nailing a middle grade voice?

Stefani’s voice did just come to me, but when I wrote this, my kids were watching Disney and

Nickelodeon with plenty of preteens on the shows. Being a teacher and a mom also help get an authentic voice as you are immersed in the language!

4. What was most challenging craft-wise in writing this story—setting, plot, character development, or voice—and what did you learn from working through your challenge?

I think plot might have been the hardest to work through. I had a few agents give me good advice on how to make the plot bigger and the story more fluid. I actually wrote this as a chapter book, and an agent suggested I change it into a middle grade. Her advice was spot on!

5. That’s awesome how agent advice helped you and that it resulted in your chapter book expanding to be a middle grade novel. Stefani sounds like a cool kid. And I’m sure kids will relate to her love of wearing one color. I remember when my own daughter would only wear blue. Share a bit about her as a character.

Stefani’s dad and cousin are in a local cover band so she is in on the rock ‘n’ roll scene a bit. Stef loves to wear black because of that rocker edge, but also because it’s easy to just wear one color. She likes school and feels a bit betrayed when some friends start badgering her about it.

6. She sounds really cool. Tell us about your path to publication and why you chose going that route.

I submitted this story to agents at first. Many agents requested fulls. One asked for revisions after the full, but the agent thing didn’t quite work out. I knew it was a good story, and I knew it was in a niche market that isn’t really represented, so I decided to publish with my new press to share the story.

7. Sorry getting an agent didn’t work out but it’s awesome how close you got. And glad you realized that your book needed to be published. You publish under your own press, Big Smile Press, LLC. Why did you decide to set up your own press versus publishing under your author name and what was the process like?

I guess you would call me a hybrid author as two of my picture books are through Meegenius. But this business is very subjective and publishers accept only so many books. With self publishing being so popular now (and profitable for some friends), I decided to go for it and put my publishing career in my own hands where I can be in more control. Having my own business is a lot of work, so I am still open to publishing some of my stories with traditional publishers and publishing others on my own. There’s only so much time in the day!

8. I know what you mean about only being able to squeeze so much into the day. I know you’ve gone back to work full-time and have a family. Share your tips on also being productive in your writing and publishing career.

I don’t stress myself about writing (unless there is a true deadline). I work all day in an early childhood classroom then I chauffeur my three kids to all their activities in the afternoon and evenings. I fit in writing and the business side of Big Smile Press when I can. Mostly after 9pm! Summers off help, too!

9. That’s a great attitude toward writing. I don’t stress about mine as much either. I just do what I can with working and the chauffeuring and volunteering duties that come with being a mom. What are you working on now?

Right now I am working on marketing ROCK ‘N’ ROLL PRINCESSES WEAR BLACK. Next, I want to work on another picture book that I am excited about. After that, I want to finish another middle grade novel that I started a few years ago but never finished. So many ideas, so little time.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Kelly. You can find Kelly at:

Her blog: Kelly Polark http://www.kpolark.blogspot.com
Her celebrity book recommendation site: BOOK RECS OF THE ROCK AND FAMOUS http://www.bookrecsthatrock.blogspot.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKellyPolark
Twitter https://twitter.com/kellypolark

Kelly has generously offered a signed copy of ROCK 'N' ROLL PRINCESSES WEAR BLACK for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment through March 15th. I’ll announce the winner on March 17th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, please leave it in the comments.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. You must be 13 or older to enter. International entries are welcome.

Here’s what’s coming up:

On Friday I’ll be participating in the Lucky is Reading Giveaway Hop. I’ll have lots of new YA releases to choose from.

Next Monday I’m interviewing debut author Christina Farley and giving away a copy of GILDED, her fantastic YA contemporary fantasy set in Korea. You really felt like you were there and I really loved this page-turner.

The following Monday I’m interviewing debut author Kristi Helvig and giving away an ARC of BURN OUT, her YA sci-fi story. It’s a great story set on Earth about Tora, who may be the only person on Earth, who really needs to leave and has to decide if she can trust the people who come knocking on her door.

Wednesday that week I’m interviewing Susan Quinn and giving away a copy of FAERY SWAP, her fantastic new MG fantasy I really enjoyed and THIRD DAUGHTER, her NA steampunk fantasy that sounds really good. Susan is a successful self-published author and she has lots of advice to share with us all.

And don’t forget Casey’s Agent Spotlights.

Hope to see you on Friday!

Q&A with Steven Malk of Writers House

Hi Everyone,

Steven Malk of Writers House is back on the blog for another fantastic Q&A.

Steven will answer as many questions as possible but will not be able to answer them all. To improve your question's chance of being chosen, please:

1) Refrain from asking situation-specific questions and instead opt for those that will benefit everyone.

2) Think outside the box but stay relevant; in cases of duplicate questions, only one will be answered. 

3) Limit yourself to one question, two at the most.

4) Include the name or screen name to which you'd like to be responded.

5) E-mail your question to me at agentspotlight@gmail.com.

And that's it! I'll take questions for a couple days, or until we're flooded [the Q&A is now closed to new questions - thank you!]. The answers will be posted some time next week after Steven has had time to pen his replies. 

For information on Steven Malk and a list of past interviews, check out his Agent Spotlight profile, which I'm in the process of updating. You can also find him on Twitter @stevenmalk.

Steven Malk is the third generation of his family to be involved in the children's book industry. The son and grandson of children's booksellers, he worked at his parents' bookstore all through high school and college and entered the world of agenting immediately after graduating from UCSD in 1995. He opened a west coast office for Writers House in 1998, where he represents a wide range of authors and illustrators, including Jon Klassen, Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith, Mac Barnett, Marla Frazee, Kadir Nelson, Ruta Sepetys, Colin Meloy, Carson Ellis, Jennifer Donnelly, Matt de la Pena, Cynthia Rylant, Adam Rex, Sara Pennypacker, Loren Long, Elise Primavera, Bob Shea, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Nikki McClure, Sonya Sones, and many others.

Have your question ready? E-mail me at agentspotlight@gmail.com.

~Casey

NATALIE LLOYD INTERVIEW AND A SNICKER OF MAGIC GIVEAWAY

Happy Monday Everyone! Hope you're somewhere warm. It's again frigid and sounds like it'll be like that for a few weeks. Yuck! And I've got another super, super busy month at work. Sorry I don't visit you at Twitter or Facebook much. But once I get to work, it's work, work, and more work with no lunch break. Hopefully it'll be better in April once I get the bankruptcies filed that must be filed in March.

But today's a great day because I have only one short appointment so I can get lots done. And I have a fantastic book and agent opportunity to share with you.

First, Steven Malk of Writers House is doing a Q&A with us tomorrow 3/4. His agent profile is HERE. Casey is in the process of updating it. So think up some great questions for Steven. Casey will compile the questions and do a post with Steven's answers in the next few weeks. Doesn't that sound fantastic?

I have two winners to announce.

The winner of ICE DOGS is Bish Denham!

And the winner of WHAT THE MOON SAID is Leslie Rose!

Congrats! E-mail me your address so your book can be sent to you. Please e-mail me by the end of Wednesday or I'll have to pick another winner.

Today I’m thrilled to have Natalie Lloyd here to share about her debut MG story A SNICKER OF MAGIC that released February 25, 2014. This is a magical realism story with a lot of contemporary in it that I loved. Felicity and her best friend Jonah and all the other characters in the story are so well developed and you can’t help loving them. And Midnight Gulge is a rich, vivid setting for the story. This is a story you and your middle grade kids will love. It's one of my favorite books this year.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

Introducing an extraordinary new voice---a magical debut that will make your skin tingle, your eyes glisten . . .and your heart sing.

Midnight Gulch used to be a magical place, a town where people could sing up thunderstorms and dance up sunflowers. But that was long ago, before a curse drove the magic away. Twelve-year-old Felicity knows all about things like that; her nomadic mother is cursed with a wandering heart.

But when she arrives in Midnight Gulch, Felicity thinks her luck's about to change. A "word collector," Felicity sees words everywhere---shining above strangers, tucked into church eves, and tangled up her dog's floppy ears---but Midnight Gulch is the first place she's ever seen the word "home." And then there's Jonah, a mysterious, spiky-haired do-gooder who shimmers with words Felicity's never seen before, words that make Felicity's heart beat a little faster.

Felicity wants to stay in Midnight Gulch more than anything, but first, she'll need to figure out how to bring back the magic, breaking the spell that's been cast over the town . . . and her mother's broken heart.

Hi Natalie. Thanks so much for joining us.

Thanks for inviting me, Natalie! I’m so grateful for the time you and Casey put into this site. It was a big help (and encouragement) when I started researching agents.

1. So glad you found it helpful. Most of the authors I interview have used the agent spotlights, which makes us feel good. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer. 

I’m a Tennessee girl, a dog-lover, and a chronic daydreamer. For as long as I’ve been able to daydream, I’ve wanted to be a writer. I fell in love with books as soon as I could read them, and I grew up surrounded by incredible storytellers. Like many booknerds I know, writing was a pretty seamless progression from my love for reading. Fiction has always been my first love, but I was too afraid to pursue publishing my fiction for way too long. I studied journalism in college and wrote freelance for several years. I’m grateful for those experiences, and enjoyed that work. But nothing makes my heart spin like fiction. A few years ago, I decided to get serious about finishing the novels I’d been trying to write. I knew actually pursuing publication would be heart-breaking at times. But I also believed that, long-term, I’d be much more heart-broken if I didn’t at least try.

2. That’s awesome how you fell in love with books when you could read. Me too. Where did you get the idea for your story?

One of the more pivotal events that inspired ASoM was a concert. I heard my favorite band, The Avett Brothers, play live a few years ago, and I was enchanted by the atmosphere of their show. People were dancing in the aisles and screaming out beautiful lyrics. I think I was most dazzled by the way their music connected people - people with different backgrounds, who believed different things. Music became this invisible thread that connected everybody, and gave us so much shared joy. It was more like a magic show than a concert. I think that concert (and their music, in general) helped me find my way to Midnight Gulch. But I didn’t start writing until several months later. During revisions, I realized I’d also written the book because I was homesick for people I love, and miss (my grandparents, in particular). Hearing the word “home” makes me think of my family, as much as any particular place. I think loving people, and being loved, is the best magic anybody can experience in a lifetime.

3. That’s a cool way to come up with an idea for your story. I love the characters in A SNICKER OF MAGIC. One of the reasons is that Felicity and Jonah (and the other characters) have such great voices. And voice is so important in middle grade stories. Share how you found the voices of Felicity and Jonah. Any tips for the rest of us?

Thank you! Voice is one of my most favorite elements of a story too. I loved writing from Felicity’s

perspective. I’m so new at this that I don’t think I have much advice worth sharing. But maybe it would be encouraging for someone to know that, for me, it always takes a few drafts to really know my characters, even if the voice comes fairly fully-formed. In early drafts, I feel like I’m still getting to know them, figuring out what they really want, understanding their personalities and motivations, and watching how they interact with each other. Instead of asking whether a kid would say this or that, I try to remember how I felt when I was that age; hopeful and vulnerable and wanting so much to be loved. (I still feel that way most of the time.) If the voice starts to feel flat or cliché, I sometimes open a new document and let the character “talk” for a while. To borrow a term from my theater friends, “staying in character” is one of the most fun parts of writing for me. It can take time to get to that place though, where the voice is genuine. It does for me, at least. So don’t be hard on yourself if it takes time to find your character’s voice.

4. Actually your advice to let the voice of the characters develop over the revision process is a good one. And it reassures me to know that I don’t have to get the voice perfect in my first draft. Midnight Gulch feels like a character too. It’s got such a unique, small town feel to it. Did you draw on a place you know or is it all fictional?

I grew up in a small town in east Tennessee, and I’m smitten with mountain towns in general. Midnight Gulch is based on lots of small, southern towns I know, and love. Franklin, Tennessee (a wonderfully funky town near Nashville) was one of my inspirations for Midnight Gulch. I think everybody has a few places that are magical in a way you can’t even describe. You don’t even understand it yourself. Maybe you’re just visiting a place you’ve never even been or didn’t even try to find, but suddenly you get this feeling like you’re home. Franklin is one of those places for me, even though I don’t live there and don’t get to visit often. I worked in Nashville one summer, and zoomed over to Franklin anytime I could, just because I loved it so much. Maybe because lots of musicians live there, or because of the proximity to Nashville, music always seemed to be tangled in the wind. People are so kind. The downtown is gorgeous. And Franklin has a sad, haunting connection to the Civil War. I liked that juxtaposition so much; being in a town that could be a little bit fanciful, but also steeped in history. I think that dynamic is part of what endears Midnight Gulch to Felicity, too. Felicity really wants to live in a town that values its history, a place where you can have roots that go way-down-deep.

5. I used to visit a small town in the mountains in Georgia and can relate to how you drew from small mountain town life in the South. What was the biggest challenge in writing A SNICKER OF MAGIC—plot, character development, voice, or setting—and how did you overcome it?

Balancing all of these aspects you mention is the hardest part for me. I’m working on a new novel now, and … it’s not any easier. But I’ve learned that a good story can spin up out of revisions. I heard Myra McEntire speak at an event a few years ago and she said, “I think of myself as a re-writer, not a writer.” That was such an encouragement for me, to know that even writers I admire so much, who write such engaging and lovely novels, have to revise. Getting the right feedback is crucial, too. My editor, Mallory Kass, is brilliant, and she helped me see more potential in the story than I realized it had. Somehow, she managed to do that without ever making me feel defeated. I think it was Richard Peck who said that a good editor holds a flashlight while you dig for buried treasure. That’s what working with Mallory feels like. I think revisions are tough even in the best of situations, but working with her is an incredible experience.

6. Ha! I love Myra’s quote because I’m definitely a re-writer, not a writer. I’ll remember that. Your agent is Suzie Townsend. Share how she became your agent and your road to publication.

I still can’t believe I get to work with Suzie. She’s wonderful! As far as how I began working with her; I sent a query letter and sample pages like she asks for in her guidelines. That’s probably not as interesting as many Agent/Author stories, but maybe it would encourage someone to know that it can happen that way.

A friend of mine, who is represented by Suzie, read an early draft of ASoM and encouraged me to query herBut I queried Suzie exactly the same way I would have without my friend’s thumbs-up. I’d used sites like Literary Rambles (*fist bump*), and QueryTracker, and the acknowledgement section of my favorite books to build a list of agents who might be interested in my work. I knew I wanted to work with someone editorial and who had great working relationship with a variety of childrens’ book editors. And I wanted to work with someone who could help me shape my career. Once I had a small list of agents, I researched how each one of them wanted a query.

(Suzie shared my query on her blog, if you’d like to see! Here’s the link: http://confessionsofawanderingheart.blogspot.com/2013/10/example-query-natalie-lloyd.html)

On the same day I queried Suzie, she asked for a full. When I got the next email from her, I could see that the note was short. Thus, I assumed she’d sent a polite rejection. I was surprised to open the email and see this sentence, which I have forever committed to memory: “I’ve been sitting at my desk reading this and I absolutely love it.”

On the day we talked on the phone, I was so nervous that I stress-ate my way through a giant bag of M&M’s. But within maybe two seconds of talking, I was just excited. Suzie is so kind and smart and easy to talk to. And she’s so professional; it’s obvious from the minute she starts talking that she knows what she’s doing. She answered questions I didn’t even think to ask, and her love for the book made my heart spin. I couldn’t believe she was talking to me about my characters. That was surreal.

Suzie suggested a few revisions, so we worked through those. Then she sent the story to a carefully curated list of editors she thought would be interested. I was in my hometown, at my aunt and uncle’s house, when she called to tell me we’d be working with Scholastic. I cried, of course. I remember hugging my arms tight around my chest because my heart was pounding so hard. I kept thinking - this is what it feels like when a dream comes true. It really feels like this! And it was an even better feeling than I ever imagined it would be. My editor, Mallory, called shortly after that to welcome me (and Felicity!) to Scholastic. I was so overwhelmed (and tearful … in a good way!) that I couldn’t answer. I let her call roll to voicemail. I think I’ve listened to that voicemail a billion times since then. Having a Scholastic tattoo on my book’s spine is a dream come true, and I’m so blessed to work with such incredible people.

I want to add this though: that’s a short(ish) version of a long story that includes LOTS of rejection, professional and personal. (I think the personal rejections factor in for writers, too; sometimes those can set you back even longer than a rejection letter.) I wrote a book a few years ago that I queried, and it never got a full request. I am so thankful now that it’s not my first book. Writing is wonderful. Publishing is hard, and often heart-breaking. In my less eloquent moments, I’ve described publishing as a dystopian version of the Oregon Trail game. You feel like you’re making strides and then BAM you get metaphorically snake-bit by rejection, or by self-doubt, or by circumstances beyond your control that crush your creative spirit … and you have to start all over again. So please accept my long distance hug (unless you don’t like hugs, then *high five*) and hear this: do not lose heart. And do NOT give up. If this story isn’t the one that gets published, there’s another story. There is always another story spinning up out of you. Write bravely. Query, when you’re ready. And then find the next story that makes your heart spin, and write that one. When the dream-come-true actually happens, it’s going to be even better than you’ve imagined.

7. It’s great knowing that old-fashioned researching agents and querying works. And I’ll remember to have a bag of candy on hand if I ever find out an agent wants to call me. I know you recently travelled to the Winter Institute in Seattle and ALA in Philadelphia. Share a bit about your experiences there. How did it work out for you to attend these events and how important is it for debut authors to try to attend big events like this?

Scholastic arranged those opportunities, and I’m so grateful! There’s no group I’d rather party with than librarians, teachers and booksellers. They’re an inspirational and fun bunch, and their passion for story is contagious. They have a packed schedule at those conferences, and had been in sessions all day, and yet they made time to chat with me about my book and encourage me. I’m so happy I got to meet so many kind people and thank them for what they do. If you’re able to attend events like that as a debut author, I think it’s an incredible experience. But sometimes, for a variety of reasons, it’s not possible. And it’s certainly not the only way to connect with other story-people. I think it definitely made me more conscious of connecting with librarians, booksellers and book-lovers in my area and thanking them for what they do.

8. That’s great that you got to connect with librarians, booksellers and book-lovers. It’s so important to do that. How are you planning to market A SNICKER OF MAGIC? Are you targeting any blogs that focus on middle grade books?

Scholastic has coordinated several fun opportunities, and I’m excited about them! I’ve been invited to several great blogs (like this one!) and a few events in the spring. I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to talk about Felicity.

9. It’s awesome how much Scholastic has helped you with promoting your book. What are you working on now?

I’m working on a new middle-grade novel. I can’t say much about it just yet, but I’m having fun getting to know a new set of characters. This is the most exciting phase of writing for me; early drafting. I know that’s nuts. So many writers I talk to prefer revisions, but I love the beginning when I can still get caught up in the spin of it all. When I can sort through ideas, memories, experiences, characters, and songs and just … write. In early drafting, writing always feels like a secret. Like a safe place, and an escape. That’s not to say I don’t get frustrated with it. I SO DO. But there’s so much I like about this part. So that’s where I am now; I’m picking up shiny pieces again, trying to see which ones catch the light. Or will catch the light, eventually, once I revise them a billion times. I’m back to trying to squash the self-doubt and write bravely. Again and again and again.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Natalie. You can find Natalie at:

Blog: http://natalielloyd.blogspot.com
Twitter: _natalielloyd

Natalie’s publisher, Scholastic, generously offered an ARC of A SNICKER OF MAGIC for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment through March 15th. I’ll announce the winner on March 17th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, please leave it in the comments.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. You must be 13 or older to enter. International entries are welcome but the winner would get an e-book or $5.00 Amazon gift card.

Here’s what’s coming up:

On Wednesday I’m interviewing follower Kelly Polak and giving away ROCK 'N' ROLL PRINCESSES WEAR BLACK, her new MG contemporary story that sounds really good.

On Friday I’ll be participating in the Lucky is Reading Giveaway Hop. I’ll have lots of new YA releases to choose from.

Next Monday I’m interviewing debut author Christina Farley and giving away a copy of GILDED, her fantastic YA contemporary fantasy set in Korea. You really felt like you were there and I really loved this page-turner.

The Monday after that I’m interviewing debut author Kristi Helvig and giving away an ARC of BURN OUT, her YA sci-fi story. It’s a great story set on Earth about Tora, who may be the only person on Earth, who really needs to leave and has to decide if she can trust the people who come knocking on her door.

And don’t forget Casey’s Agent Spotlights.

Hope to see you on Wednesday!