Character Interview: Rocky

Character interview: Roxanne “Rocky” Miccuci

1. What is it like being Kate's best friend?

It’s funny, because people think we’re like, total opposites. We’re not. I’m into music the way Kate’s into science. We both get really obsessive about things, and it’s nice to have somebody who understands that kind of commitment. So she doesn’t flip out if I say I can’t do something because I’ve got voice lessons, but she’ll force me to get out and have fun if I start getting too obsessive, and I do the same thing for her.

I think the one thing we don’t agree on is parties. I love them, but they make her hyperventilate. I don’t suppose the zombie thing really helped with that either, darn it.

2. How did you and Kate become friends?

We were in the same third grade class, and we both really sucked at sports. And when I say sucked, I really mean it. I tried to learn to do headers in soccer and ended up taking a ball to the face. So we always got stuck way in the outfield during kickball and stuff, and we bonded over it. We might have sucked, but we sucked TOGETHER. And we’ve been friends ever since.

3. What was it like being in the middle of a zombie outbreak?

Honestly? I didn’t really believe in the whole zombie thing until I saw them with my own eyes, and by then, it was pretty much all over. I thought Kate was playing one of her jokes. She has a really twisted sense of humor. One time, she convinced her younger brother that he’d contracted elephantiasis and was going to need a wheelbarrow to carry around his…uh…boy bits. I’m still laughing about that one.

But anyway, back to the question. I was really just humoring her until the zombie attack in the gym. And then I was in shock. I totally flipped out afterwards, and it wasn’t pretty.

4. What is your favorite holiday and why?

This might sound kind of weird, but I like the Fourth of July. My family always goes to the beach, and we have a big cookout on the beach and blow things up. I have some secret pyromaniacal tendencies. I like to blow things up.

I guess they’re not all that secret any more, are they?

5. If you could be any person living or dead for a day, who would it be and why?

I’d be Britney Spears. Please don’t hate me.

Here’s the thing—if I was Britney, then I could be as cracked out crazy as I wanted, and no one would bat an eye. I could go run around a fountain in my underwear and start belting out show tunes, and people would be all, “Oh, it’s just Britney in the fountain again.” Don’t you think that would be fun? And after I was done, I’d get to go lay down a track with some of the best producers in the business. I’d probably have to change out of the wet clothes first, though.

Thanks for interviewing me! XOXO - Rocky

Hailey Kendrick from The Education of Hailey Kendrick: This or That

Hi everyone! I would like to welcome Hailey Kendrick from The Education of Hailey Kendrick. Today, she is going to answer a few this or that questions. Enjoy!

Soup or Salad:  Soup.  My boarding school is in Vermont and it’s freezing here most of the year so soup is great. Plus, the freshman often sneeze on the items on the salad bar which is totally disgusting and the downside of living with a huge group of people.

Cats or Dogs:  Either! I would love a pet, but I live in a dorm so I’m not allowed to have one.

Rain or Sunshine: Sunshine! Last time there was a huge rain storm I got into trouble. Big trouble. The kind of trouble where you sort of accidently might kiss someone that you didn’t mean to. Can we not talk about this?

Cake or Ice Cream: Cupcakes.

Dancing or Singing: I really wish I could sing, but I’m not great at it. Come to think of it I’m not a great dancer either. Does it count that I’m on student council?

Night or Day: Day so I can hang out with my friends.

Vanilla or Chocolate: Chocolate. My best friend’s dad works for a candy company. I have a serious Twix addiction.

Coffee or Tea:  Latte with tons of milk and sugar.

Run or Walk: Walk. It’s not that I’m obsessed with safety, but I do tend to think about it a lot.  It’s a lot easier to get hurt running. I tend to be a bit risk adverse, unless you count the time I climbed out of the second story of our headmaster’s office, but I didn’t really have a choice.

Hot or Cold: I recently went sledding with this guy on old cookie trays that we took from a Denny’s restaurant. It sounds weird, but we had the most amazing time.  I’m going with sledding.

Thanks, Hailey! If you want to know more about Hailey, make sure you check out The Education of Hailey Kendrick. 

If you want to know more about Eileen Cook and her books, you can start by reading my review of her fun story, Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood.

Swords are for fighting!

Two Moon Princess Tour Post and Giveaway!

Hi everyone! Today I have Andrea from Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban! She is here today to answer some this or that questions. Enjoy!

1. Blue or Pink
Blue

2. Dresses/ Skirts or Pants/ Shorts
Pants

3. Dogs or Cats
Dogs

4. Up or Down
Up

5. Summer or Winter
Summer

6. Light or Dark
Light

7. Chocolate or Candy
Chocolate

8. Socks or Slippers
Socks

9. Milk or Juice
Juice

10. Sunshine or Rain
Sunshine

If you comment on this post (with your email address), you can win your very own copy of Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban! Don't pass up the opportunity to read this book! Contest will end April 27th.

Swords are for fighting,

Overprotected: Into the Past

Hi readers! Today I have author Jennifer Laurens here to promote her book, Overprotected by telling us about her favorite books as a child.

Favorite Past Books:

Since I was an only child, my mom started collections for me: dolls, dollhouses, miniatures, tea cups, books, were among the few. Dolls were a favorite. Naturally, Dare Wright’s series The Lonely Doll became an obsession for me. A lonely doll living in a fantastic penthouse in New York City? Candy for this child. I loved the black and white photos, the setting of New York even at that age, and have been to NYC and written about it in two of my novels. I’d live there if I could.

At 12 I had pretty much devoured every Nancy Drew mystery and had the whole set. Mysteries were a favorite of mine at the time, but no book rated on my shelf like Time at the Top by Edward Ormandryod. Again, about a girl living in the city who sees a crazy lady on the street ( dressed in old fashioned clothes) who tells her, “I’ll give you three.” The girl has no idea what “three” the old lady is talking about, but when she presses the elevator button to go to the top floor of her building and finds herself back in time, she quickly realizes she has three trips back. It’s a fascinating story and I still have my original hardback.

Girls my age hid romances in lunch bag wrapping paper when we were in high school. My friend introduced me to my first in class one day: Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss. As a sheltered, only child, the lusty romance was an eye opener for me and I devoured a bunch of those during my high school years, along with classics I read in school that I loved: The Good Earth, Lord of the Flies and selected SciFi. It wasn’t until much later that I fell in love with romances again via Nora Roberts’ work. I also read Endless Love by Scott Spencer for the first time. I never forgot the book, but, at 16 hardly appreciated his literary genius. It was only when I picked up the book again and re-read it 10 years ago that I was, once again, BLOWN away by his text. His book is one of the few on my NOOK now. A Keeper. I was working hard in the film industry at age 21 – no time to read. I wrote screenplays. I didn’t pick up reading heavily again until I’d been married and had a few children and found the escape an inexpensive, wonderful time for me to “get away” from it all – even if only temporarily. My favs: Nora Roberts’ Quinn Brothers series, selected Lisa Kleypas novels and the occasional suspense thriller by Sandra Brown and Penn Williamson.

I don’t think I would have appreciated the books I love now, if I’d had them back then. Like I said with Endless Love, it was the book everyone was reading, so I read it –but I didn’t see the beauty in his story, the structure of his sentences, etc, that I see now as a writer. So, there aren’t any books that I can say I would have LOVED to have had in my hands. I don’t spend much time looking back, I never have. I look forward.

Jennifer

Thanks, Jennifer! Make sure to check out her book, Overprotected. You can read my review of it here.

Then I Met My Sister Cover Post

Today, we have Christine Hurley Deriso here talking about the cover of her new book, Then I Met My Sister:

Love, love, love the cover. I think it captures the eeriness, transcendence and mystery of the book. I'm so grateful to my wonderful publisher, Flux, for treating my book with such TLC, including coming up with such a great cover. Coincidentally, the girl on the cover of the book (Shannon) looks a lot like my daughter, who portrays Shannon in the book trailer. (Check it out either on my website, www.christinehurleyderiso.com) or my publisher's, www.fluxnow.com.) 

Thanks, Christine! Here is the trailer for those of you that want to see it:

Don't forget to check out Then I Met My Sister, which comes out April 8, 2011!

Swords are for fighting,

Guest Post: Savita Kalhan (and a Giveaway!)

Today, I have a special guest for all of you. Savita Kalhan, author of The Long Weekend, is here! She is going to share some young adult book recommendations, so enjoy and give a warm welcome to Savita Kalhan!

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YA Books that I recommend as must-reads for Elizabeth

I love reading and I read a lot, but where to find the time to read more can be a problem. I’m sure you all know what I mean! I try to read as many teen and YA books as I can, but I do get left behind and end up stockpiling books for holidays and even then I don’t get through half as many as I want to.
I don’t read YA when I’m writing. I’m not really sure why, but I think it’s to preserve the integrity of the voices of my characters, or not to be influenced by other styles within teen and YA writing.
So this is by no means a definitive list, but very much a work in progress! I’ve enjoyed all the books on this list and would highly recommend them.


1. Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
I love everything this man writes, but if I was forced to pick one it would be Revolver, which I’ve just read!
2. The Noughts and Crosses series by Malorie Blackman
I love everything this woman writes, but again I was forced to pick one, so I picked her compelling trilogy, which is utterly brilliant!
3. Before I Die by Jenny Downham
I hadn’t read anything quite like this before. I cried buckets all the way through it, but it’s much more than a simple sentimental read.
4. Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy
A brilliant novel by a talented writer for teens. It is both thought-provoking and moving, and tells the story of neglected child and how she tries to move forward with her life after committing a terrible crime.
5. I’m Not Scared by Niccolo Ammaniti
This book was published a few years ago, but recently re-published as a YA book. It’s a gripping portrait of a nine year old boy who uncovers a terrible secret, and with that knowledge his life begins to fall apart.
6. The Survival Game by Tim-Wynne-Jones
This story stayed with me long after I had put the book down. It is a tense, vividly-drawn portrayal of a boy’s struggle to escape his bullying father by running away, knowing that no matter how far he runs, he will be tracked down.
7. The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
I love fantasy epics and this is one I really enjoyed recently. The characters are brilliant, the djinni is inspired, and the story hooks you instantly and you fly with it.
8. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Who doesn’t love Katniss and the many trials and tribulations of the dystopian world she defies death in? The series is easy to read and great fun, thrilling and quite brilliant. I wish there was a fourth!
9. The Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly
I read this a couple of years ago, but it made an impression on me. Beautifully written, multi-layered and completely absorbing. I loved it.
10. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
A very important book for any teenager and young adult to read. The isolation and pain of the central character and her inability to deal with the crime that has been done to her is poignant. You really want her to speak.


When this blog is posted, I’ll probably kick myself as several other books will have come to mind! I think I might try to do this list every three months so I don’t forget anything important...

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Thank you, Savita for your recommendations! I am definitely going to have to some of those out.

Savita Kalhan is also offering one of Swords for Fighting's readers to win a copy of The Long Weekend! If you would like a chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment. Oh, and make sure to leave your email adress, so I have a way to contact you. This contest is international, and it ends on March 1st.

Swords are for fighting,