Angela Cerrito

Today I'm excited to be hosting YA author Angela Cerrito. I had the pleasure of meeting Angela--an American currently living in Europe--last spring when she was in Toronto on business, and we hit it off right away.

I got my hands on her debut YA novel THE END OF THE LINE soon after her visit and loved it. A very moving story.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

ISBN 978-0-8234-2287-6 Published by Holiday House

Robbie is locked in a room with nothing but a desk, a chair, a stack of paper and pencil. No belt, no shoes, no socks. He’s starving, but all they give him is water. Robbie has reached The End of the Line, AKA Great Oaks School, and at Great Oaks there’s no time off for good behavior.
All good behavior will get you are points. Enough points and you get something to eat, a bed, bathroom privileges. Thirteen-year-old Robbie’s first-person account of his struggles at the school—at times horrifying, at times hilarious—alternates with flashbacks to the events that led to his incarceration. If Robbie is to survive The End of the Line, he must confront the truth: He is a murderer.

"A thought-provoking look at culpability and grief," Kirkus Reviews

"Robbie's story has the potential to make young people think, care, and possibly change." VOYA

ABOUT ANGELA CERRITO:

Angela Cerrito is...

1. a wife & mother
2. a daughter & granddaughter
3. a sister, aunt, niece, and cousin
4. a graduate of Dearborn High School (Michigan)
5. a graduate of Pacific University (Oregon)
6. an animal lover
7. a world traveler
8. a US citizen living in Europe
9. a physical therapist
10. the author of THE END OF THE LINE

Isn't that a great bio? And the format relates to her book. To find out more, visit her website. You will earn extra entries in her giveaway (see below) if you go to her site and make your own list. :)


GET TO KNOW ANGELA:

**Not satisfied with her list, Maureen probes deeper.**  ;)

MAUREEN: What’s your favorite holiday?
ANGELA:  Halloween

MAUREEN: Just around the corner! Who was your favorite teacher in grade school? Why?
ANGELA:  I have to name my middle school math teacher, Mr. Nastase, because he cared about all of us personally, not just about our grades. He actually noticed when me and my BFF didn’t sit next to each other and asked to see me after class. He didn’t take any crap from me. He said, “Don’t tell me you don’t care. The reason the two of you are ignoring each other is because you got your feelings hurt. If you don’t care about someone, they can’t hurt your feelings.” He was right, of course. I’m sure we would have mended our hurt feelings eventually, but because of Mr. Nastase we did it sooner. And we’re still BFF today! (Many MANY years after middle school!).

MAUREEN: What an insightful and caring man. Where in the world would you most like to visit?
ANGELA:  I’d love to visit Harbin, China for the ice lantern festival and see the island of Crete.

MAUREEN: What was the first story you remember writing?
ANGELA:  When I was about ten, I wrote a story called Candy bars and Carrot Juice about a girl who was trying to come to terms with her family’s sudden interest in eating healthy. Also she won a huge sum of money in the story – a hundred dollars a week for the rest of her life.

MAUREEN: Salsa or guacamole?
ANGELA:  How can you have one without the other?

MAUREEN: Good point. :) Which of your characters would you most/least to invite to dinner, and why?
ANGELA:  From THE END OF THE LINE I would want to invite Ryan because, even though he has no table manners, he is desperately in need of a good meal. I’d also like to invite Robbie’s Grandma to a party sometime.

MAUREEN:  Did you belong to a clique in high school? Which one of the standard high school stereotypes did you best fit in to?
ANGELA:  I think I fit in best with my friends from orchestra. Is orchestra geek a category?

MAUREEN: Definitely counts as a category. :) What color would you make the sky if it wasn’t going to be blue anymore and why?
ANGELA:  I won’t be annoying and say that the sky isn’t blue ---wait…did I just say that? You know how sunrise and sunset is so indescribably subtle and powerful and beautiful at the same time but only in THAT part of the sky where the sun is rising or setting and the rest of the sky is just waiting around being clear and greyish and water color? Well, if it were in my power I would amplify those color changes to include the entire sky during sunrise and sunset. During the day I think we should keep the color-weather connection but maybe jazz it up a little…so the sky could be pale yellow with orange glitteriness at sunny times and before a storm could turn purple with silver and red glitteriness. And…obviously, I’m going to have to give this question a lot more thought.

MAUREEN: I want to live in a world where you're in charge of the sky!

MAUREEN'S GOTTA ASK -- ANGELA'S GOTTA ANSWER ☺

MAUREEN: I love that The End of the Line is told with two timelines. Was that your plan from the start?

ANGELA:  Yes, the story began that way with the very first two chapters. I didn’t know exactly where the story was going at first, but I trusted Robbie and Ryan to tell me and kept alternating chapters through the first draft.

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

International Contest!  Win a signed copy of THE END OF THE LINE.

How to enter: You must leave a comment below. For extra entries –add a list at www.angelacerrito.com or post about the contest on your blog, FB, twitter, tumblr or anywhere else on the web. Special note –if you already have a list at angelacerrito.com it still counts.
If you take advantage of the extra entries options, please send me an email with your links and I will write back and confirm the number of entries.
Contest closes at midnight on 3 November, 2011.
Winner will be selected at random and announced on 5 November.

KEEP TRACK OF WHAT ANGELA'S UP TO:

Email: AngelaCerrito AT yahoo DOT com
Website: www.angelacerrito.com
FB: www.facebook.com/angelacerrito
Twitter: www.twitter.com/angelacerrito
LJ: http://angelacerrito.livejournal.com
Tumblr: http://angelacerrito.tumblr.com
Google+: http://tinyurl.com/62sgawd
Blog: www.angelacerrito.blogspot.com

TEACHERS can find a curriculum guide here: http://www.angelacerrito.com/teachers-guide.html

Kady Cross

Welcome YA Steampunk author Kady Cross!!!

Get Lost in This Story…

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.

I am thrilled to host YA Steampunk author, Kady Cross, on the blog today (who just happens to also be my lovely friend, Kathryn Smith). Her debut with Harlequin Teen is getting rave reviews calling it a perfect blend of steampunk, mystery, paranormal and romance all wrapped up in coming-of-age emotions…I can’t wait! I am currently reading The Strange Case of Finley Jayne, Kady’s exclusive e-prequel to her Steampunk Chronicles and can’t WAIT to delve into Finley’s story in The Girl in the Steel Corset!

Kady Cross is a pseudonym for USA Today bestselling author Kathryn Smith. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and a pride of cats. She likes singing with Rock Band on the 360, British guys, Vietnamese food, and makeup (she’s hopelessly addicted to YouTube makeup tutorials!). When she’s not writing Kady likes to catch up on her favorite TV shows, read a good book or make her own cosmetics.

Let’s get right to The Get Lost Interview…

Heather: What’s your favorite movie of all time?

Kady: It changes. Right now I love Despicable Me and Penelope.

Heather: How often do you get lost in a story?

Kady: As often as I possibly can. J I get lost in the story I’m reading, and the one I’m writing.

Heather: What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?

Kady: Anything with some fantasy or paranormal elements, with some adventure and romance.

Heather: What’s your favorite cartoon character?

Kady: Pepe Le Peu, of course! The greatest romantic of all time!

Heather: What sound or noise do you love?

Kady: I love the sound of heels clicking on tile or pavement. Horse hooves too.

Heather: Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?

Kady: A lot of the time, yes. I listen to whatever suits the story. Sometimes it’s heavy, other times orchestral, and sometimes power ballads!

Heather: What was the first story you remember writing?

Kady: Oh, dear. I was 9? It was a story about a girl whose father gave away her horse and years later she found it – and love on a ranch.

Heather: If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up?

Kady: I’d probably be a makeup artist. Or a silversmith. I like to play with makeup, and I’m teaching myself to make jewelry now.

Heather: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?

Kady: Laugh maniacally.

Heather: Which of your characters would you most/least to invite to dinner, and why?

Kady: I’d like to dine with Jack Dandy. I think he’d have good table manners, but he’d also gossip with me.

Heather: What soundtrack or playlist do you recommend for your current release?

Kady: Watered Down, Blood on My Hands by The Used, All I Need by Within Temptation, Black Bullet by Kidney Thieves, Asleep, Misery Loves Company, I Want My Innocence Back by Emilie Autumn

Heather: Have you ever written a character who wasn’t meant to be a hero/heroine but he/she wouldn’t go away?

Kady: Yes. Jack Dandy.

Heather: What is your favorite cheese?

Kady: Jalepeno Jack.

Heather: What would you do if you had a time machine?

Kady: I’d go back to the late 1800’s and hang out with Oscar Wilde. What wit! I’d also warn him that the whole Marquess of Queensbury thing was NOT going to be worth the suffering it would cause him.

Heather: What is your favorite thing about you? J

Kady: That people seem to feel that I’m nice. I try to be a good person. I don’t always succeed. ;-)

Heather’s GOTTA ASK – Kady’s GOTTA ANSWER J

Heather: So, I noticed on your website that you love to sing with Rock Band on your 360. Any particular songs that you totally nail? And if you could rock out with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?

Kady: Okay, I nail Let Me Roll It by Paul McCartney and Wings, Underneath it all by No Doubt, Bad Romance by Lady Gaga, More Than a Feeling by Boston, Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey, We Belong by Pat Benatar, Imagine by John Lennon, Radar Love by Golden Earring… There are a few more, but I don’t want to brag. LOL! I would love to rock out with Freddie Mercury, because he was freaking amazing. And I’d like to hang/rock out with Emilie Autumn, because I love her music and I think she would dye my hair for me, and we’d drink tea.

GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?

Kady: Who would YOU most like to rock out with? J

WILL YOU HAVE A DRAWING FROM THOSE LEAVING COMMENTS?**

Kady: Sure! How about an eyeshadow palette inspired by the book, The Girl in the Steel Corset.

Thanks so much for being with us today, Kady! Where can your fans learn more about you on the web?

KadyCross.com

FB = Kady Cross – Author

Twitter = @KadyCross

**Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North American addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Join us Monday when I host historical author, Debra Mullins!!!

Parker Blue

YA Urban Fantasy Author Parker Blue writes the Demon Underground Series, brought to you by Bell Bridge Books. The first book in the series, BITE ME was a #1 Bestseller in Young Adult in Fictionwise.com and on Amazon! Then of course, there's TRY ME and out just this month ... FANG ME!

Please welcome the award-winning, prolific and extraordinary....Parker Blue!

Excerpt:

Weird. Definitely weird. I stood outside the wrought-iron gates of the Alamo Heights mansion at a quarter to midnight and gawked. Sure, the dark spooky brick mansion housed the biggest vein of vampires in San Antonio--I knew that. But the fact that said creepy mansion was lit up by cheery red and green Christmas lights? Too surreal.

Okay, it was the season with Thanksgiving over and done with a week ago, but after all the mayhem and violence that had happened here, it seemed totally bizarre.

Fang snorted. YOU WERE PART OF MOST OF THAT MAYHEM AND VIOLENCE, he said on a private channel in my mind. Here I am Val Shapiro, the mighty Slayer, feared by vampires, demons and humans . . .yet somehow totally disrespected by my own dog.

SOMEONE HAS TO KEEP YOU FROM GETTING A FAT HEAD, Fang retorted. AND WHO BETTER THAN YOUR BEST FRIEND?

It was my turn to snort. Fat head, me? Fat chance.

Shade bumped my shoulder with his. "You okay?"

Ah, Shade, my new boyfriend. How did I get so lucky? The shadow demon and I tried to date like a normal couple, but our relationship wasn't exactly ordinary. I kept the shadow demon within Shade grounded in this reality so he didn't let the big bad demons through into our world, and he fed the lust demon within me.

Not like that. I was still untouched, cherry, a total "V". I'd just found out recently that giving that up would be a way bigger choice than I'd ever dreamed. Lose my virginity, lose my powers. Yep, those very things that made me the Slayer--enhanced senses, fast reflexes, and rapid healing--would be forever lost to me if I ever did the deed. So, I remained a frustrated slayer.

As Fang put it, sucks to be me.

Readers, don't know about you, but I couldn't but the book down at this point. Without further ado, let's learn about Parker as she answers the GLIAS crew's Get to Know You questions.

DONNELL: Hi, Parker. Thanks for joining us here today. Which of your characters would you most want to invite to dinner and why?

PARKER: Oh, definitely my part-hellhound, part terrier mix Fang. He's telepathic, snarktastic, and uber interesting. Plus, he satisfied with pizza or burgers. My kind of friend.

DONNELL: Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

PARKER: Yes, I read them. Sometimes I even pay attention to them, if the reviewer made sense. Or if there's a trend. But it's just one person's opinion, positive or negative, so...not so much.

DONNELL: Have you ever written a character who wasn't meant to be a hero but he wouldn't go away?

PARKER: Oh, yeah--Shade, Val's latest squeeze. He was just supposed to be a walk-on but he was so fascinating, he wouldn't go away and is becoming a hero. When no one's touching him, all you can see are these whirling swirls of interdimensional energy occupying the outline of his body. But ground him by touching another living being, and you can see a total hottie. Val touches him a lot. Go figure.

DONNELL: What's in your refrigerator right now?

PARKER: Mostly healthy stuff Fang wouldn't like. And lots of Diet Coke.

DONNELL: What color would you make the sky if it weren't going to be blue anymore?

PARKER: Peach. It's a really flattering color for me. It would look great against the green trees, too.

DONNELL: What do you do to unwind and relax?

PARKER: Read, bead and take bubble baths. I only do the first and third at the same time.

DONNELL: (Good to know ;) What dreams have you realized as a result of your writing?

PARKER: Uh...getting published.

DONNELL: What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

PARKER: They tell me it's my voice. Plus, I'm not sure this is interesting exactly, but I have to write out the idea in longhand the night before. Then I write the first draft on the computer the next morning. I write until I finish the scene. Sometimes it's an hour or two...sometimes it takes all day. I can do revisions at any time of the day.

DONNELL: Dog or cat person?

PARKER: Dog, obviously. Have you met Fang?

DONNELL: (I've met his alter ego ) What would you do if you had a time machine?

PARKER: What a fantastic opportunity to do some real historical research!

DONNELL: What question are you never asked in interviews, but wish you were?

PARKER: Would you like to accept this six-figure contract?

DONNELL: (LOL). If you couldn't be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up?

PARKER: A world famous-jewelry artist.

DONNELL: What's the first thing you do when you finish a book?

PARKER: Celebrate! And sleep in.

DONNELL: If you could interview one person (and it doesn't have to be a writer) who would it be?

PARKER: Nathan Fillion! Can you arrange it?

DONNELL: Er...no.

Well, there you have it, Readers. And now Parker Blue has a question for you...

PARKER BLUE: Are you tired of reading about vampires and demons yet?

Parker, thanks for joining us here today. I wish you the ultimate success with FANG ME, and your wonderful relationship with BELL BRIDGE BOOKS, http://bellbridgebooks.com/. GLIAS Blog Readers, leave a question or comment for Parker with your e-mail address, and you'll be registered in a drawing to win BITE ME, the book that started it all.

Readers, to learn more about Parker Blue, check out her web page at http://parkerblue.net/

Tune in tomorrow when GLIAS crew member Jillian Stone hosts Author Jill Sorenson.

Cheryl Rainfield

GET LOST IN AN EDGY YA

Today I’m thrilled to be hosting Cheryl Rainfield whom I met through a wonderful group of Toronto-based childrens writers: The Toronto MG/YA Writers Group. (Follow our #torkidlit hashtag on twitter. ☺)

What impressed me most about Cheryl’s book SCARS, beyond the utter bravery of it, was that although the novel’s subject matter is very serious, the story unfolds like a suspense or mystery with a romance subplot. Gripping, page-turning stuff!

First, a bit about Cheryl:

Cheryl Rainfield is a writer of realistic, edgy teen fiction, as well as fantasy. She is the author of Scars (WestSide Books, 2010) and Dragon Speaker: The Last Dragon (HIP Books, 2009). She describes herself as a book-a-holic, who edits and critiques teen and children’s fiction. Cheryl is also an accomplished artist who lives in Toronto with her dog, Willow, and her cat, Amazon.

SCARS
Westside Books, 2010
ISBN: 978-1934813324

Kendra, fifteen, hasn't felt safe since she began to recall devastating memories of childhood sexual abuse, especially because she still can't remember the most important detail-- her abuser's identity. Frightened, Kendra believes someone is always watching and following her, leaving menacing messages only she understands. If she lets her guard down even for a minute, it could cost Kendra her life. To relieve the pressure, Kendra cuts; aside from her brilliantly expressive artwork, it's her only way of coping. Since her own mother is too self-absorbed to hear her cries for help, Kendra finds support in others instead: from her therapist and her art teacher, from Sandy, the close family friend who encourages her artwork, and from Meghan, the classmate who's becoming a friend and maybe more. But the truth about Kendra's abuse is just waiting to explode, with startling unforeseen consequences. Scars is the unforgettable story of one girl's frightening path to the truth.

MAUREEN: What’s the first book you remember reading?
CHERYL: The Lorax, Babar, Green Eggs and Ham, Are You My Mother?, Madeline. I don’t know which one first, but those are the ones that came to mind.

MAUREEN: Are You My Mother? really stuck with me as a kid, too. What turns you off like nothing else?
CHERYL: People being arrogant or superior; people enjoying violence; people abusing others; people using their power to hurt.

MAUREEN: Where do you read and how often?
CHERYL: I read most often sitting on my couch in my living room, but also in bed—every day. I can’t not read!

MAUREEN: What sound or noise do you love?
CHERYL: The loud pigeon-like purr of my 20-year-old cat, Amazon, and the sound of my little dog’s (Willow’s) nails clicking on the floor as she whirls around in circles when I come home.

MAUREEN: What is something you’d like to tell your fans?
CHERYL: No matter what anyone tells you, it’s important to love yourself; to treat yourself the way you would treat someone you love (with gentleness and compassion); to listen to and to trust your gut reactions or instincts; and to find out what makes YOU happy, what makes you feel good.

MAUREEN: Oh, that is such good advice. If you couldn’t be a writer anymore, what profession would you take up?
CHERYL: An artist. But I need to write like I need to breathe. It’s just in me.

MAUREEN: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?
CHERYL: Let my agent and editor and good friends know. Then put it away for a while. Then come back to it to edit it.

MAUREEN: What do you like on your burger? (and do you like your burgers veggie or beefy?)
CHERYL: I’m strongly vegetarian. So it’d be a veggie burger, with lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheese on it. I never learned to like condiments (or coffee).

MAUREEN: No ketchup? No coffee? How do you survive? ☺ What do you do to unwind and relax?
CHERYL: Read in a comfortable chair, or in my hammock. Play (blow bubbles, play with my dog and cat). Sometimes writing or drawing does that, too.

MAUREEN: Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?
CHERYL: Yes, I read all the reviews of my books. I try to remember that each review is subjective—each reviewer is coming from their own experiences and emotions that color their experience, as it does for us all—but I also try to notice when things are repeated. If many people say the same thing, then likely there’s a lot of merit to it.

Because of the abuse I endured for so much of my life, it’s harder for me to take in positives, and so easy for a small negative to wipe out all the positives for me. I’m working on that. I’m also lucky to have a fantastic editor, and some good friends, who I can check out a negative portion of a review with.

MAUREEN: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?
CHERYL: Being published! That was my big dream, the thing that’s in my blood. Being published, and reaching people with my writing, my voice. Putting good and truth out into the world, but in a way that can be heard. (I think we can hear it best through fiction.)

I also hope to be able to make a living from my writing. That’s another big dream.

MAUREEN'S GOTTA ASK -- CHERYL'S GOTTA ANSWER

MAUREEN: SCARS centers on very serious and difficult topics. Did you always plan to write this story as a novel for young adult readers?

CHERYL: Hm. Well, I wrote, edited, and rewrote Scars for at least ten years. It was a story that was very important to me to get out there. A story I felt I had to write. I *know* what it’s like to feel alone and in pain. I know what it’s like to be sexually abused, and to use self-harm to survive. I know what it’s like to be queer. And for all those things—I felt there was too much silence. Silence makes wounds fester. I wanted to break the silence about those things, *and* to bring more compassion about all those things, help people really understand—self-harm is NOT about getting attention. It’s about finding ways to escape the emotional pain, finding ways to just get through when things are too hard. Sexual abuse can happen by someone you trust, and you can repress memories. I did. And being queer doesn’t make you abnormal. It makes you a person who loves someone else.

I’d read very few books on those subjects, especially self-harm, and the ones I’d read—most of them didn’t seem to really get it, or come from an insider perspective, or to be written with compassion. That was missing for me in many of the books I read.

I also needed to be heard. That’s another reason I needed to write Scars. But most of all, I wanted to reach people. Help people know they’re not alone. Help others who don’t have that experience to be a bit kinder, a bit more understanding. And I think Scars is doing that.

A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS

What do you feel alone about?
Have books helped you?

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Cheryl has generously offered to give away a signed copy of Scars, with bookmarks to a randomly selected commenter!

Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

YOU CAN FIND CHERYL ON THE WEB HERE:

Website: http://www.CherylRainfield.com
Blog: http://www.CherylRainfield.com/blog
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CherylRainfield

Remember to stop by tomorrow when Simone hosts Amish suspense writer Marta Perry!