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KIT GRINDSTAFF INTERVIEW AND THE FLAME IN THE MIST GIVEAWAY AND MY NEW PUPPY

Hi Everyone! Before we get to the interview today, I want to share a few pictures of my new puppy, Ellie Mae. She's almost three months old and is a real sweetie. She's a mutt--part lab and part golden retriever. We've only had her since last Tuesday. And already I'm in love. My parents were not pet people so I never had a dog or cat growing up. This is my first dog.

This week we've been spending lots of time outside working on potty training. We're not quite there yet, but we're doing pretty good. My daughter was on spring break last week, so it made it easier. Starting this week, both my husband and I will have to come home from work to let her out of crate and take her outside until she can hold it in for longer. Luckily, he comes home from work early afternoon. So if I don't visit your blogs quite as much for a bit, I hope you'll understand. Ellie Mae's taking a lot of my time. But it's so worth it!

So here she is!









And I have a winner to announce.

The winner of PLASTIC POLLY is Sara Bowers!

Congrats! E-mail me your address so I can send you your book.

Today I’m excited to have debut author Kit Grindstaff with us to talk about her book, THE FLAME IN THE MIST, that releases tomorrow. I loved the slightly creepy, fantasy world Kit created and Jemma is such a great, determined kid who you can’t help cheering on as she discovers who she really is.

Here’s a description from Goodreads:

Set in an imagined past, this dark fantasy-adventure is for fans of Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass. Features Jemma, a fiery-headed heroine held captive in Agromond Castle, yet destined to save mist-shrouded Anglavia.

Fiery-headed Jemma Agromond is not who she thinks she is, and when the secrets and lies behind her life at mist-shrouded Agromond Castle begin to unravel, she finds herself in a chilling race for her life. Ghosts and misfits, a stone and crystals, a mysterious book, an ancient prophecy—all these reveal the truth about Jemma's past and a destiny far greater and more dangerous than she could have imagined in her wildest fantasies. With her telepathic golden rats, Noodle and Pie, and her trusted friend, Digby, Jemma navigates increasingly dark forces, as helpers both seen and unseen, gather. But in the end, it is her own powers that she must bring to light, for only she has the key to defeating the evil ones and fulfilling the prophecy that will bring back the sun and restore peace in Anglavia.

Hi Kit. Thanks so much for joining us.

Hi, Natalie! Thanks so much for inviting me.

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

I’ve always loved reading and making up stories. I still have a couple of school books from when I was 8 or 9 with early tales scrawled in them. They’re carefully hidden away, though…
As an angst-ridden teen I began writing poetry. Music being another major passion, I wrote my first (pretty tortured) song at 16. I never looked back, and after school and college, during which time I was always in some band or other, I ended up in the music business. I’ve been a professional songwriter for years.

With my love of rhyme, when I was in my early 20s I wrote a rhyming picture book illustrated by my artist sister. We tried to get it published, with no luck—I can see now what its (serious) flaws were! Around that time, I became captivated by Maurice Sendak’s work, and eventually the bug to write for children nibbled harder, then gnawed, then bit, until I couldn’t ignore it any longer. You can see the teeth scars right here. (*Points to ankles…*)

2. Awesome that you write songs and that you’ve been able to pursue that professionally too. I’ve read that you grew up in England. Did that influence your world building, like Agromond Castle and the mist filled woods surrounding it, which I loved, and if so, how? 

It absolutely influenced me! England has thatch and cobbles a-plenty, and the literary air I breathed as a kid was full of the atmosphere of Olden Tymes. Great Expectations was a favorite (I read the abridged version when I was 8), with all the misty mystery of the swamps where Pip first meets Magwitch. Oliver Twist was another, with London’s Victorian streets blanketed by fog and teeming with seediness. Mist…fog…yes, definitely an influence!

To add to that, I’ve been fascinated by spooky places for as long as I can remember. Damp churchyards, with their moss-and-lichen covered graves. Castles. The Tower of London. The evidence of England’s dark history is everywhere. Even the glamorous veneer of Henry VIII’s court, for example, had its murderous underbelly, he being a king that women literally lost their heads over. Those kinds of grisly tales grow into your bones, ready to seep onto the page in another guise.

But although I enjoy immersing my imagination in this chilly past, I am not a fan of British weather! Give me sunshine, any day. That might be partly why I need that light at the end of the tunnel, whatever I write. I don’t want to leave my readers shrouded in doom and gloom any more than I want to be shrouded in it myself!

3. I’d so love to visit England and all those castles. What inspired the central conflict between the Agromonds and the Solvays?

I started with the idea of a girl trapped in a castle, who’s never, as far as she knows, been beyond its
walls. She longs to see the rest of the country and to experience life outside of the mist, which is all she can see from her window.

So there had to be a rationale for her being there, held virtual prisoner, as well as for the mist. I loved the “misfit in evil family” idea, and working backwards, came up with the basic back story of how Jemma—now named—got there, and where she’d come from.

The rest grew organically from tracing the back story to its origins. The must-have high concept ingredient of Good vs Evil emerged as a centuries-old vendetta between the two families, one craving power and dominion over all and aiming to clinch it with this magical child, the other wanting to bring healing and light to their beleaguered country. That back story comes to a head with Jemma, and is played out through her adventures.

4. I love hearing about your process. And it’s a great way for the rest of us to take our seed of an idea and really develop it. There are a lot of plot twists and revelations in THE FLAME IN THE MIST. What did you learn about plotting out your story from writing it? Do you have any tips for the rest of us?

The plot by no means arrived fully formed. I knew that Jemma had to get from A to Z, and roughly what would happen at each stage, including the ending. But beyond that basic skeleton, most of the twists, turns, sub-plots and revelations came as I was writing.

I think being prepared to ask, at any stage, “What’s the worst that could happen here?” and then answer by throwing a ton of adversity at your main character (and/or others) is one way to keep plotting fresh. It took me to places I wasn’t expecting. The whole Blackwater episode came that way, for example—A total surprise to me! Just as Jemma and Digby are about to rest for the night…well, I couldn’t let it be that easy for them.

Once there, that episode gave me a tremendous opportunity to up the ante against Jemma, to ramp up the ticking clock element, and also allow her to hone her healing powers. Plus, it added a new character who I enjoy a lot—and who, as it turns out, plays a far more prominent role in book 2.

The unexpected doesn’t have to be in the form of conflict, though. I’m thinking of a couple of revelations I don’t want to give away—a certain character’s identity, for example. (I think you’ll know who I mean!) I had no idea about that when I started writing the book. The only down side is needing to go back and work any such changes/revelations into previous pages, but that’s a small price to pay for how they deepen the story.

Another way to layer plot is to allow the characters similar leeway. There were times when, in mid-scene, I’d realize that someone was doing or saying something I hadn’t anticipated at all! Following their lead often shaped the story line in a different way. And I think if the author is surprised at what’s pouring on to the page, then the reader will be, as well.

There’s one caveat, though, which is to remember that such detours do occasionally need reining in. Otherwise, they can have the opposite effect and tangle the plot too much. For me, having some idea of the over all shape of where I’m going helps with that, as well as asking, “Is this ultimately serving the over all story?”

So these are a few guidelines I use—hopefully helpful ones—but there are no hard and fast rules, no right or wrong way. Some authors write totally to an outline; others are total pantsers. It’s a matter of preference and what works best for you. Either way, don’t worry at the outset about the layering. That’ll come once you get rolling.

5. I write like you and am just starting a draft of my new project. So this is really helpful. I loved the parts of the story where Jemma and Digby journeyed together. Share a bit about them as characters and who was the most challenging one to write. Why?

Having Digby keep Jemma company lightened things up considerably—for me and for her! His down-to-earth dry wit and directness was really fun to write, and gives Jemma something to rub against. I love that about him. He’s pretty uncomplicated, and as loyal as they come, but by no means boring. I think of him, along with the rats, as being Jemma’s voices of reason. He has a stability that comes from his roots, like an unshakeable oak.

Jemma, on the contrary, has led a much more complicated life, fraught with constant conflict. She’s had to face tremendous dangers on her own, forcing her to be quick-thinking and resourceful. She’s the more complex and contradictory of the two—smart, plucky, volatile and headstrong, which often leads her into trouble.

On the surface, that might suggest that Jemma was the more difficult one to write. But each had their challenges. For Digby, it was to have him be a grounding influence without making him predictable; and for Jemma, to have her flaws get in her way while also giving her consistency and focus. Their interplay helps define each of them: Jemma gives Digby the chance to exercise his wry humor, and he, by being her life raft in very dark waters, gives her the chance to step up and shine.

6. I read about your road to publication and it’s a little different than most I’ve heard. Tell us about it. Have you found it difficult not having an agent? 

Once I (thought I’d) finished the manuscript, I started querying agents, the general rule being that without one, getting published by one of the (then) “Big 6” houses was a virtual impossibility. While fielding rejections, I kept honing the first chapter. Just as I was ready to bite the next batch of query bullets I heard about the NJ SCBWI conference with its amazing number of attending editors and agents, and the opportunity to sign up for critique sessions: an editor, agent and/or author would critique your first 15 pages, for an added fee. I decided to go for broke, and signed up for the max.

At that time, participants didn’t get to choose who they were paired with (now, I believe, they do), so based on my genre and the pages I’d sent, Kathy (Temean, then-RA of the NJ SCBWI) paired me with Michelle Poploff, VP and Executive editor from Delacorte. I liked her immediately, and at the end of our session she asked me to send the full ms. Yay!

I polished up the ms some more and sent it off, expecting a 3-6 month wait. 4 weeks later, I received an email, the gist of which was, “Love the world, the Mist, and Jemma; needs some changes”, quickly followed by my ms, completely marked up, and an editorial letter from Michelle. My middle suffered from major sag, which I’d known, but had no clue how to fix it. Michelle’s letter gave me fabulous guidelines. Months later, I sent her the much re-written ms. Within weeks, she responded with the offer of a contract. One of the best days of my life!

I’m still un-agented, and can’t say I’ve missed having one. Michelle has pitched the book to all the right places, including Listening Libraries, who picked it up as an audiobook. (Another Yay!) She’s a fantastically responsive editor, and always replies to emails within a day, if not an hour. If it weren’t for that, though, I daresay there would have been times I’d have wished I had an agent. And hearing from other soon-to-be-published authors how their agents help in different ways, I do feel it’s time to look again. For example, seeing their book onscreen is probably on every author’s wish list, and is certainly on mine! Very few make it, but one can dream, right?

7. That’s an awesome story. It’s a good reminder of what can happen at those SCBWI critiques. They’re so well worth it. You’re part of The Lucky 13’s (http://thelucky13s.blogspot.com), a group of debut authors whose books are releasing in 2013. That’s where I found out about you and a lot of the authors I’m interviewing this year. How did you find out about this group? How has it helped you through your debut year?

I’d been dipping into Twitter for a couple of months when I got a tweet from Alison Cherry, one of the
Luckies. She’d read my Twitter profile (one good reason to make sure your profiles are informative, folks) and invited me to head to the Lucky 13s blog to sign up.

That was a huge turning point. Having fellow debut authors to navigate the pre-publication waters with has been invaluable. We share tips, marketing advice, support, lend shoulders to cry on, throw virtual confetti at triumphs. It really is true that there’s strength in numbers.

Opportunities have come through them, too: joint signings, requests for interviews from bloggers, etc. The kidlit world at large is tremendously helpful and supportive, and having the very specific community of Luckies, of which a good quarter of us are very actively involved, is a massive bonus. With our proboards, I have an immediate place to go to give and receive support. I’d recommend any author with an upcoming release to join a group if they can.

8. Yeah, I definitely want to join one of those. Marketing a middle grade book can be harder than marketing a YA book because there seems like there are less book review blogs with lots of exposure that spotlight middle grade books. What are your plans for marketing your book? Have you and any of the other middle grade authors from The Lucky 13’s shared tips or banded together? What advice do you have for us aspiring middle grade authors?

Though many YA blogs also have a middle grade section, and I have the sense that interest in mg is growing, it’s true that at the moment there are far fewer blogs spotlighting middle grade. Just as there are far fewer mg titles. We middle grade Luckies prove that: there are only 20 of us, compared with 100+ in the YA camp.

Those 20 of us do have our own group under the Lucky 13s umbrella. We do a monthly “Meanwhile, Middle Grade” post on the Lucky 13s blog, and we’ve also paired up to do interviews with one another which will be posted on release day. Down the line, we hope to set up group signings. Anything to get our presence felt as much as we can!

As for my plans, the promo I’ve done so far for The Flame in the Mist has been entirely online, mainly connecting with bloggers via Twitter and Goodreads. I’m currently doing a blog tour, including a few stops on YA blogs. I also have several more interviews lined up through May.

My other online tool is the trailer, which was blasted a couple of weeks ago. If you didn’t see it yet, you can check it out on YouTube—a search for it under the book title should reveal it. I’m thrilled with it, and hopefully it’ll draw people’s attention to the book. Nobody really knows if trailers help with sales, but to my mind any exposure is good.

Once the book is out, it’ll be time to get my physical presence out there too. Yep, marketing is about to take to the material world! I have a few signings lined up in PA for later this month, and am working to set up school visits here and in NJ. I’m also planning a mini-tour of stores wherever I have friends I can visit; so far NH is on the cards for mid-May. Then there’s conferences—in June, for example, I’ll be co-presenting a couple of workshops at the NJ SCBWI conference—and book fairs.

So, to condense the main points into simple advice: Get out there and connect! Online, and in person. Network. You really never know what will come of a chance meeting at a conference, or a chance Tweet. I’ve met people who are now some of my closest friends, as well as others who turned out to be bloggers or book reviewers. And as you pointed out, my being one of the Luckies is how I met you. That wouldn’t have happened without Twitter.

And while you’re out there, promote others. You’ll find them rallying around you, too. And don’t forget those editor/agent critiques at conferences! That’s how I got here.

9. That’s awesome advice and you sound really organized. What are you working on now?

I’m writing a sequel to THE FLAME IN THE MIST. It starts about fifteen months after the end of FLAME. Jemma is now 14, and…well, that’s all I’m going to say for now!

I can’t wait to read it. Thanks Kit for sharing all your advice.You've really given me a lot to think about.

You’re very welcome, Natalie. Thanks so much again for hosting me. It’s been fun!

You can find Kit at

Her website 
on Facebook
and on Twitter @kitgrindstaff.
She’s also on Goodreads

Kit and her publisher, Delacorte, have generously offered an ARC of THE FLAME IN THE MIST 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 by midnight on April 20th. I’ll announce the winner on April 23rd.

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.

Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays was started by Shannon Messenger. You can find the links to all the Marvelous Middle Grade Monday bloggers here .

Here’s what’s coming up:

On Wednesday I’m interviewing debut author Erin Bowman about her new YA dystopian TAKEN and giving away an ARC. It’s about a world where boys are heisted away to some mysterious future on their 18th birthday. This was so well plotted that I could not put it down.

Next Monday I have an ASK THE EXPERT Interview with a 7th grader and a giveaway of BLACK CITY, a YA dystopian/paranormal story, THE COLOSSUS RISES, a middle grade fantasy Percy Jackson fans will enjoy, MILO 2.0, a YA Sci fi story, and a cute backpack with goodies for one of your kids.

Next Tuesday I have a Tuesday tip by Stephanie Keyes and a giveaway of THE FALLEN STARS, a YA paranormal romance.

Next Wednesday I’m interviewing agent Jill Corcoran about her new A Path to Publishing workshops and of course I asked her what submissions she’s looking for right now. There’s a giveaway too!

And don't forget our Tuesday Tips and Casey's Thursday agent spotlights.

Hope to see you on Wednesday!

64 comments:

Kim Van Sickler said...

Love your new dog!!! I hope he inspires, comforts, and entertains you for years to come. You had me when you compared Kit's book to one of my all time faves: Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass. Please sign me up for the ARC! I tweeted about it!

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Your puppy is so cute, and I love the name!! Congratulations. I don't know what we'd do without our dog.

It was great meeting Kit. Love the sound of this book!

Suzanne Furness said...

What a cute pup! Congrats to Kit.

Kristin Lenz said...

Natalie, your puppy is so sweet!

Congrats to Kit - her experience working with her editor is a dream come true.

Rachel Ballard said...

I'm new here, first time commenting. The possibility of winning an ARC was too good to pass up!

Fantastic interview, with lots of new info to consider. I'm excited for this book to come out - and hoping that since the 2nd book is 14 months after the 1st ends, that means it won't be as much of a cliff-hanger! Waiting for those is excruciating!

I'll comment again when I put something on my blog about the contest! Thanks!

Sara @ Forever 17 Books said...

Your puppy is adorable!! I love dogs, which is probably why I have 3. Sometimes it's too much though. lol Thank you for sharing the interview too. :)

Lydia Kang said...

Kit's a lovely gal and I'm glad to know her! I can't wait to read her book.

And your puppy! OMG, I'm having a cuteness heart attack.

Linda Gray said...

Kit's book sounds great. Her early attachment to poetry stood out for me--so often a sign of good writing!
That puppy is SO sweet. Congrats, Natalie!

Reader said...

The book sounds wonderful. Thanks for the good interview.

Nice puppy too :)

Jill
andrewsjill3@gmail.com

Crystal Collier said...

TBR list... So much AWESOME coming up, how can one truly appreciate it all? =)

Matthew MacNish said...

Your dog! So cute.

cleemckenzie said...

Ahhhhh for the new puppy! And congratulations to Kit!

Unknown said...

You wrote: "There were times when, in mid-scene, I’d realize that someone was doing or saying something I hadn’t anticipated at all! Following their lead often shaped the story line in a different way. "

This is perhaps my favorite part about writing. One of my beta readers asked me how I came up with a scene, and my response was similar to your statement. I didn't come up with this scene; my characters did. It makes writing as fun as reading.

Old Kitty said...

Ellie Mae is beautiful!! Awwwww!

Thank you for sharing your writerly processes here Kit!! Love the idea of throwing the worst case scenarios at your characters and finding the answers! All the best with The Flame!! Take care
x

Vivien said...

I loved His Dark Materials!! Definitely one of my favorites :D This book caught my eye a few months ago. It sounds fabulous!! Plus Kit is a sweetie!
GFC: Vivien
tweet:
https://twitter.com/deadtossedwaves/status/321269910556798976

deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com

Rosi said...

We have a new dog too. Congratulations. It's so fun. I love the cover of this book! The interview was fantastic. Thanks for that and the chance to win the book. I tweeted: https://twitter.com/rosihollinbeck/status/321275290510827523

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh...congrats on your new addition. I can tell you right now she loves you too. Look at those eyes and the way she is gazing up! I swear it brought tears to my eyes, lol. Such a sweetie.

Great interview! I love love the story on the road to publication. What a way to connect. Thanks for the chance to win a copy but if I do not ya know I will be buying one!

Amy Jarecki said...

Ellie May is adorable! I'm blogging about dog breeds for the A-Z Challenge. Also, I wanted to let you know that I'll be posting an interview for my agent, MacKenzie Fraser-Bub from Trident Media on May 1st (after the challenge). Hope you can come over for a visit!

Michael Di Gesu said...

HI, Natalie.

LOVE THAT PUPPY! I always had pups in the house until I made the BIG mistake of buying a condo after my last had past. I hadn't expected to live there THIS long, so now I am dying for another friend or two and CAN'T have them. I plan to put my condo on the market as soon as I get back to Chicago. I REALLY need a change of scenery. I hope to be back in Florida permanently by the end of this year or beginning of next.

ENJOY ELLIE MAY .... SUCH A CUTE NAME!!!!

Terrific interview. It's always great to read other's writer's journeys to publication!

Barbara Watson said...

YAY!! You and your family have a puppy! Love, LOVE that. I'm sure she's part of your hearts already.

And this book sounds so, so good! Thanks for word about it and offering the ARC.

Joanne R. Fritz said...

Adorable puppy, Natalie!

Congrats to Kit on THE FLAME IN THE MIST. How cool is it that she got a contract through a NJ SCBWI critique? I've signed up for Kit's workshop at that conference this June! So exciting.

Oh, and I tweeted about the giveaway: https://twitter.com/JoanneRFritz/status/321290906261155840

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

What a sweet face that puppy has. I can see why you are already hooked.

Kit's book sounds really fascinating. I love the idea of an evil family's misfit. And I love ghosts and mist. Please throw my name in the hat.

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

BTW: I shared this on both Facebook and Twitter.

S.P. Bowers said...

Hi Kit, that's wonderful you were able to find an editor to work with. I'm glad you found your path.

Natalie, my son wants a dog so bad. Which is hilarious because he's always been afraid of dogs. This morning he put a stick on the driveway and told me not to step on it or move it because he needed it to play fetch with his dog when he got one. I don't want to break his poor little heart, but we're not getting a dog.

PK HREZO said...

Love Kit's story of how she got pubbed! SO great! And the book sounds awesome.

Natalie, Ellie Mae is so adorable. My neighbor just got a puppy too and it's been so fun remembering that stage. Just like having a real baby. Once she's older, you will so relish the faithful friend you raised. And you can never give a puppy too much love!

Brenda said...

Wonderful advice about throwing the worst at your characters. Great interview and The Flame in the Mist sounds fascinating.
Natalie, congratulations on the adorable new puppy. What a wonderful new addition and certainly will bring lots of enjoyment.

kathrynjankowski said...

Love your puppy! Thanks for the interview. Sounds interesting.

Jessa said...

This book sounds fantastic. And that's an interesting publication story, Kit!

Unknown said...

Aw, such a cute puppy! Congratulations!

Charlie N. Holmberg said...

That puppy. Is. Adorable.

And great interview :)

Beth said...

The setting sounds great.
And congratulations on your new dog!

Cherie Reich said...

Aww! Ellie Mae is adorable!

And I love the cover for The Flame in the Mist! Congrats, Kit!

Kit Grindstaff said...

Thank you all for your comments! And thank you Natalie for such amazing and thought-provoking questions. It was fun to dig so deep, and it makes me happy to think that my experience could be helpful to others in any way.

All the best to you all - and Ellie Mae!

Llehn said...

Awww ... what a lovely puppy :D

lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com

Stina said...

The puppy is adorable!!!

I love hearing the different agent stories. I've heard of a few writers landing contracts this way, but most of the time you wait months for a reply when you pitch at a conference (or when you do a critique).

Congrats, Kit, on your book.

CG @ Paper Fury said...

I'm a follower!
Great interview. I love Maurice Sendak too, although I've never attempted picture books, I completely adore his Where The Wild Things Are (my 2yr old nephew gives me an excuse to read it).

Gwen Gardner said...

The Flame in the Mist sounds right up my alley, Kit! I, too, am entranced with the English fog and history of England. Spending a year there is on my bucket list.

Hi Natalie! Luurve your new doggie! She is the cutest thing ever.

Heather said...

The new puppy is adorable! And congrats to Kit on her book! I'm on my way to check it out right now...

Anonymous said...

The setting sounds awesome. Happy release day to Kit.

What an adorable puppy.

~Sia McKye~ said...

Those are some great questions to ask yourself as you're writing. I like the concept of the story. Who doesn't love a captive princess type with mission? It would be a story I would have loved as a kid!

Rachel Ballard said...

Just published my blog post about the book, interview, and ARC contest.

Happy release day tomorrow, Kit! You must be ecstatic - I hope it is everything you've dreamed.

Thanks again, Natalie, for introducing us to this exciting new read.

Holly Bryan said...

Aww, your new pup is so stinkin' cute!! Best part -- those EARS! I bet she's a good smuggler too :) It sure is a lot of work having a dog, but so worth it. I wish your family lots of love and fun times with little Ellie Mae!

Okay, on to Kit and her wonderful book. I'm so excited to have this chance to win an ARC! I really want to read it myself, but I also am eager to share it with my niece, who is 11. She is a voracious reader like her auntie, and I regularly gift books to her. I know she enjoys contemporaries, but I am always passing on fantasy and historical fiction to her - mostly because I love those genres so much and want her to as well! So far, she's loved them all, so I'd love to be able to share Kit's book with her. I actually commented about that on Twitter recently and Kit wrote me back and really is just such a sweet, genuine person. I wish her all the best!! (And to you, in your own quest to write a MG book!)

I loved this interview and actually read every word :) Not everyone will share so much of the advice that Kit does, so it's great to see. I think women in all walks of life and all professions should reach out and help push and pull other women with them on their upward journeys, and I have been so happy to see a real sisterhood among the women YA and MG authors that I follow. I just love it!

Finally, I just wanted to say that your blog is truly one of my new favorites. I love how meaty and serious you are about reading and writing, while at the same time having a playful, warm, and welcoming environment for readers like me. So THANKS for all y'all do here, I'm a big fan!

Oh, one more thing, and this is truly the last ;) I tweeted about the fabulous interview and ARC giveaway. Here's the link: https://mobile.twitter.com/hmbryan/status/321453454428094466

Fingers crossed!

Candace said...

First of all, your doggie is so cute! Yay for your first dog!

This book sounds great and yay for accomplishing a contract without an agent! That's pretty amazing!

And when my kids are older I'm SO going on a writing retreat in England. Well, actually all of Europe would work. I'd have to make sure to do a good tour of it all first though since I've never been. :)

Thanks for the giveaway too!

Danielle H. said...

I love puppies (not the tiny bladder part though)! I've always had a dog and love my golden retriever very much. Enjoy your new parenthood! Great interview! Thank you. Hope to win the ARC!

Wendy said...

Puppy breath is a great muse. Love Kit and hope to win the ARC!

Joni said...

Great interview. I love the look into the author's writing process- some helpful tips! Thanks for the giveaway! ^.^

Julie R said...

Thanks for the great interview. Book sounds wonderful, would love to win.

Kimberly Gabriel said...

I love that Kit draws on her upbringing in England for setting!

Natalie - your dog is adorable! No wonder you're in love. I think I just fell in love with your dog. Good luck with the potty training. ;)

Unknown said...

That dog is so cute! I just want to cuddle it!

I have been stalking all of the giveaways for this book, it is on top of my "to read" pile. Would be great to win. Kit is super nice, gotta love her! :3

Shinyxoxmuffins at yahoo dot com

Following - Jessica Noreault

Natalie Aguirre said...

So glad you like my puppy. And awesome you have a niece to share this book with. Thanks so much about your kind words about our blog. I'm glad you like it.

Jocelyn Rish said...

Ellie Mae is too adorable - if I could reach through the screen and steal her, I totally would.

Another great interview. I especially like hearing about Kit's unusual road to publication. I always wonder if those conference pitches really work, so it's great to hear a success story from one of them.

Unknown said...

Congrats on your new puppy - she's so cute!
I enjoyed Kit's interview. Congrats to Kit on her release - are those really rats coming out of the cloak on the cover? Eek! lol

Anonymous said...

This amazing middle grade is on my tbr list and I can't wait. :)
I had no idea she got published without an agent. What an original and inspiring story.
Thank you for the ARC giveaway.

~Akoss

Steve MC said...

What a great-looking dog, and a really cool mix, too!

I wish you both lots of fun and snuggles and tussles.

Carina Olsen said...

Aww, Ellie looks amazing :D So cute. <3 Congrats sweetie :) And ohh. Amazing interview :D Thank you for sharing. <3 The Flame in the Mist sounds amazing, and I would love to win a copy :)
Love, Carina

Reading Mind / The Loyal Book said...

wow, what an incredible road to publication! Congrats! And what a fascinating world building!

Charlotte said...

Thanks for the great interview, and for the cute puppy pics!

Shell said...

What a wonderful interview. I'm glad to know there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I like knowing I can trust the author to get us out of the mess she put us in!

Have fun with your puppy. Our 'puppy' is going to be eight this summer and we love him to pieces.

Rachna Chhabria said...

Love your new puppy.

Nice to meet Kit and read about her publishing journey.

Unknown said...

Cute puppy! This book sounds good!

GFC: Darith L.

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Email me at: Darith8ly(at)yahoo(dot)com

Silverlight said...

Ellie is so cute!! I hope your having a great time with her. They can be a handful, but the love they have for you will outweigh the work involved with having a pet. Someday soon, I hope to add a pet to my brew. I have 4 kiddos all close in age so for right now, they are a handful enough. But as they are getting older, I think they maybe ready for a pet soon.
The Flame in the Mist sounds like something I just might enjoy, and your interview was fantastic. Thanks for sharing!

Kit Grindstaff said...

Oh WOW! I haven't checked back here since the day Natalie posted this interview. I'm amazed and awed by how many people commented. Thank you all so much for coming by and for your kind remarks! I hope all of you who read The Flame in the Mist enjoy it.

Now, I can't wait to hear who won the ARC...*runs off to email Natalie*

Unknown said...

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Dragon said...

YES, YES, YES! This blog saved me. I read flame in the mist and instantly fell in love. I was really hoping she was righting a sequel to it but I couldn't find any information. I'm so happy she writing a sequel. Also cute puppy.