Awesomesauce Authors: An Interview with Dan Koboldt!

In case you missed it, this has pretty much been me for the last few days....

Why??

BECAUSE MY AMAZING, ILLUSTRIOUS, BRILLIANT, FANTASTIC ALPHA CP IS HAVING HIS VERY FIRST BOOK BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahem.

Here's a little more about Dan and his brand spanking new book baby!

Sleight of hand…in another land.

Stage magician Quinn Bradley has one dream: to headline his own show on the Vegas Strip. And with talent scouts in the audience wowed by his latest performance, he knows he’s about to make the big-time. What he doesn’t expect is an offer to go on a quest to a place where magic is all too real.

That's how he finds himself in Alissia, a world connected to ours by a secret portal owned by a powerful corporation. He’s after an employee who has gone rogue, and that’s the least of his problems. Alissia has true magicians…and the penalty for impersonating one is death. In a world where even a twelve-year-old could beat Quinn in a swordfight, it's only a matter of time until the tricks up his sleeves run out.

Scientist and blogger Dan Koboldt weaves wonder, humor, and heart into his debut novel, The Rogue Retrieval. Fans of Terry Brooks and Terry Pratchett will find this a thrilling read.

HarperCollins  Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Goodreads   iBooks 

Tell us a little about your writer's journey so far:

I've been writing just over eight years, starting with short fiction and soon moving into novels. By the time I started writing The Rogue Retrieval in 2012, I had two other novels written. But ROGUE was the first I queried. It took me about four months to land a literary agent, the fabulous Jennie Goloboy of Red Sofa Literary agency. Then another fourteen months of revisions and submissions before we got our offer.

Okay, let's hear your Twitter Pitch! (140 characters or less.)

A Vegas magician uses high-tech illusions of magic to save his bacon in a medieval world where they have the real thing (magic, not bacon).

What inspired you to write this book? How is it a book only you could write?

My book is a so-called portal fantasy, in which events unfold both on Earth and in a secondary fantasy world. I've been reading epic fantasy for over two decades, but I've also been a working scientist (a genetics researcher) for the last ten years. I challenge you to find another author with that background!

What's your favorite thing about writing?

Oddly enough, I think it's the challenge. Writing fiction is not an inborn skill. For most of us, it takes years of practice to reach the point where we can write publication-quality prose. At the same time, there's no barrier to entry. Anyone can become a bestselling author.

What's your least favorite thing?

That's easy: rejection. I don't like having my work rejected, and I don't like seeing it happen to friends. I understand on an intellectual that any industry with such a huge supply-to-demand ratio will have high rejection rates, but I hate the side effects: the form rejections, the long wait times, the countless good books that don't find a home.

Now it's time to brag a little--What do you love most about your book?

I love the hero, Quinn Bradley. He's an up-and-coming stage magician – a career I sometimes wish that I'd tried to pursue – and he's got the wits and charm to make it happen. I won't say that he's based on me. He's more like the person I wish that I could be.

Who was your favorite character to write? Why?

After Quinn, my favorite is Veena Chaudri, the Alissian cultural expert who joins the retrieval team. I think it's because when I wrote the first draft of the book, she was a man. An editor who'd shown interest in the book wanted to see more well-rounded female characters, so Dr. Eric Templeton became Dr. Veena Chaudri. I spent a lot of time developing her persona and backstory in my head, and I think she's a complex character as a result.

  

What has surprised you most about publishing post-agent?

I think it would surprise many just how much time gets sucked up by marketing and promotion activities. Unless you're Stephen King, most of the effort in that arena will come from you. Being published by a big 5 imprint certainly helps open some doors, but a new author coming in still has to bring a lot of energy to the campaigns.

Okay, now a little about you. (And yes, I stole these questions from In the Actor's Studio with James Lipton.)

 

What is your favorite word?

Nevertheless.

What is your least favorite word? 

No

What turns you on?

Clever wordplay.

What turns you off?

Physical injury.

What sound or noise do you love?

The deep thrum of a turkey gobble, in the woods at sunrise.

What sound or noise do you hate?

The sound of a mosquito near my ear.

What profession, other than your own, would you most like to attempt?

I used to daydream about becoming a professional fisherman. I love to fish, and I'm pretty good at it. I'm not a fan of getting up super early in the morning, though. That's probably the only thing holding me back.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear G-d say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

Come on in!

Finally, what's the one question you've always wanted to answer in an interview? (And of course, you have to answer it!)

I love it when interviewers think to ask, 'how can our readers buy your book?' The answer is that you can buy it on Amazon, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, or directly from HarperCollins. On March 1^st, you can buy the print version at your local bookstore. If they don't stock it, they'll be happy to order it for you.

About the Author

Dan Koboldt is a genetics researcher who’s co-authored more than 60 publications in Nature, Science, The New England Journal of Medicine, and other journals. Every fall, he disappears into Missouri’s dense hardwood forests to pursue whitetail deer with bow and arrow. He lives with his wife and three children in St. Louis, where the deer take their revenge by eating all of the plants in his backyard.

Author Links:   Website   Twitter   Mailing List   Facebook

To celebrate Dan's debut, I'm giving away an e-book copy of THE ROGUE RETRIEVAL to a randomly selected commenter using random.org. (Open internationally!) Share your congrats and kudos below for a chance to win!

Awesomesauce Authors: Kelly Siskind

Happiest of Happy Book Birthdays to the fabulous Kelly Siskind! I'm thrilled to have her hop by the blog today for an interview. Here's a little bit about Kelly and her debut book baby.

About the author:

A small-town girl at heart, Kelly moved from the city to open a cheese shop with her husband in Northern Ontario. When she's not neck deep in cheese or out hiking, you can find her, notepad in hand, scribbling down one of the many plot bunnies bouncing around in her head. She laughs at her own jokes and has been known to eat her feelings-Gummy Bears heal all. She's also an incurable romantic, devouring romance novels into the wee hours of the morning.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Tell us a little about your writer's journey so far:

My journey began four years ago when I put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard, and wrote THE BIG HOT MESS THAT SHALL NOT BE NAMED. That fine piece of literature is hidden in a dark corner to be revisited at a later date. Then book two happened.

*insert rejection here*

There were lots of NOs during this time. No, I didn’t connect with the characters. No, this book isn’t for me. No, this doesn’t fit my current wish list. No. No. No. I made toilet paper from the sheets and decorated my house.

It was my third novel, CHASING CRAZY, that took me the next step. I entered the manuscript into Pitch Wars, an online writing contest, and spent two months tightening and polishing the story. Soon afterward, I signed with my agent, Stacey Donaghy. I then signed two book deals with Grand Central’s Forever Yours. The first was for CHASING CRAZY, and the second was a three-book adult contemporary romance series that has been a blast to write. The novels will each release a few months apart, the first set to go live April 5^th, 2016.

Okay, let's hear your Twitter Pitch! (140 characters or less.)

A mayhem-inducing guy with a secret.

A disaster-magnet girl desperate to shed her past.

An unforgettable trip to New Zealand.

What inspired you to write this book? How is it a book only you could write?

I spent two months backpacking through New Zealand, and writing CHASING CRAZY was an opportunity to relive the experience I had in that beautiful country. It was the perfect backdrop to develop Sam & Nina’s relationship and push them outside their boundaries. Rediscover themselves somewhere new.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

EVERYTHING. Creating worlds and characters. Falling in love. Breaking hearts. Making people laugh. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world…except maybe a bag of gummy bears.

What's your least favorite thing?

Looking at the words CHAPTER ONE. There’s nothing scarier than a blank page. That’s when the nerves kick in, the doubt and fear that you’ve exhausted your creativity and won’t be able to pull it off again. But the words always flow.

Now it's time to brag a little--What do you love most about your book?

I love how awkward Nina is with her crazy stories and busy mind, always on the verge of her next disaster. She was a blast to write, as were the smexy scenes. And I, of course, love everything Sam.

Who was your favorite character to write? Why?

Writing Leigh was a ton of fun. She’s perfectly honest and blunt, and I envy people who speak their minds.

What has surprised you most about publishing post-agent?

The process is never easy. There are good days and bad days. Things move slowly, then really fast. It’s a constant rollercoaster, but one I’m happy to ride.

Okay, now a little about you. (And yes, I stole these questions from In the Actor's Studio with James Lipton.)

What is your favorite word?

Chardonnay

What is your least favorite word?

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

What turns you on?

Football pants

What turns you off?

Lack of football pants

What sound or noise do you love?

Laughter

What sound or noise do you hate?

My dog retching in the middle of the night.

What profession, other than your own, would you most like to attempt?

Professional break dancer.

  

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear G-d say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

You can eat whatever you want, and you’ll never gain a pound.

Finally, what's the one question you've always wanted to answer in an interview? (And of course, you have to answer it!)

Why do you write? Because I love to read.

CHASING CRAZY by Kelly Siskind (February 2, 2016; Forever Yours E-Book)

"With an endearingly awkward female protagonist, a swoon-worthy male love interest, and Siskind's superb storytelling, this is one of the best New Adult contemporary romances I've read to date." -- USA Today bestselling author K.A. Tucker

Dear Mom & Dad, I dropped out of school. I'm going backpacking. Sorry. Love you both.At nineteen, Nina has endured two lifetimes' worth of humiliation. Tired of waiting for it to get better, she decides to get going-across the globe to New Zealand. There she soon faces what she most fears: a super sexy guy ready to be Nina's next mistake.

Once Sam's life was all about having fun. That was before the accident. Now his friends have bailed and his world is broken. But when a gorgeous girl on his flight looks at him with passion instead of pity, Sam feels his old self coming back to life.

Now traveling together, Nina and Sam know this isn't just a fling. They're falling fast, hard, and deep. More than anything, Sam wants Nina to forget her fears. But to help her do that he must reveal his own painful secret-and risk Nina never seeing him the same way again.

Buy the Book!

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | GooglePlay | Kobo | BAM

Awesomesauce Authors: Interview and Giveaway from S.P. Sipal

Southern Fried Wiccan

by S.P. Sipal

Release Date: March 2015

Cilla Swaney is thrilled to return stateside, where she can hang up her military-brat boots for good. Finally, she’ll be free to explore her own interests—magick and Wicca. But when she arrives at her grandma’s farm, Cilla discovers that life in the South isn’t quite what she expected. At least while country hopping, she never had to drink G-ma’s crazy fermented concoctions, attend church youth group, make co-op deliveries...or share her locker with a snake-loving, fire-lighting, grimoire-stealing Goth girl...

...Who later invites her to a coven that Cilla’s not sure she has the guts to attend. But then Emilio, the dark-haired hottie from her charter school, shows up and awakens her inner goddess. Finally, Cilla starts believing in her ability to conjure magick. Until...

...All Hades breaks loose. A prank goes wrong during their high school production of Macbeth, and although it seems Emilio is to blame, Cilla and Goth pay the price. Will Cilla be able to keep the boy, her coven, and the trust of her family? Or will this Southern Wiccan get battered and fried?



Q: Where did you get the idea for Southern Fried Wiccan?
Southern Fried Wiccan came to me in a dream about a young girl exploring Wicca and coming into conflict with her Southern Baptist Grandma. It was this concept of whether a Wiccan and a Baptist could find any common ground that intrigued me the most.

One of my primary author themes is religious tolerance, and I wondered if it would be possible to find such a thing between these two, apparently opposing, belief systems. The characters and plot came together as I started exploring the concept. I hope it works!


Q: What kind of research did you do for the book?
I was a Religious Studies major in college and then did a semester at Duke Divinity School before going to work for Habitat for Humanity, so I've always had an interest in religious beliefs. Since school, I've delved quite a bit into ancient spiritual concepts, especially those involving the goddess. Besides drawing on this background, for Southern Fried Wiccan I talked to several practicing Wiccans and also found a local coven to attend. I wanted to make sure that the story was an honest reflection of Wiccan beliefs, while giving Mother Faith's coven its own particular tone based on her unique outlook.


Q: What character do you relate most to?

I put a bit of myself into almost every character I write. Like Cilla, my heroine, I love to ask questions and explore other cultures. But perhaps I put more of myself into one aspect of her grandmother (though I'm not that age yet!). G-ma's love of fermenting cultures, like kefir and kombucha and beet kvass, comes directly from me. I always have something brewing or bubbling away on the counter.


Q: If you could meet one character from your story in real life, who would you most want to meet?
Mother Faith, the high priestess of the coven Cilla attends. Mother Faith has a broad knowledge of goddesses and spiritual beliefs as well as a deep empathy for the young people who attend her coven. I think she would be fascinating to talk with.


Q: What is your favorite scene in Southern Fried Wiccan?

I think there are actually two, and they are related and close together. Both of them come toward the end but before the climax. One is a scene between Cilla and her grandmother where Cilla learns some family secrets that helps her understand better where G-ma's opposition is coming from. The other scene is when Mother Faith helps Cilla make her wand while explaining some of the deeper meaning behind the connection of the witch to the wand, of all life forms to each other. It was a difficult but special scene to write.

Q: How did you get your start writing?

My best friend got me into this! We'd always read the same books, passing them back and forth in college and afterwards. And quite often would comment on how we should write something together. One day, she finally emailed me the first line to a story and said, "Now you write the next line." We went back and forth like this, first passing back just sentences, then writing paragraphs at the time, and finally progressing to whole scenes. Before long, we figured out we were actually going to do this thing and decided we'd better learn what we were doing, so joined a local writers group. A year and a half later, and our first book, a western historical romance, got published! We're still best friends, but we write individually now.


Q: Which books/authors most influenced your writing?

As a child, the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder had a profound effect on me. To be able to so fully immerse myself in a world and time period so different from the one I lived in was amazing. Then, starting in college and beyond, I was greatly influenced by a wide variety of nonfiction I read exploring ancient spiritual concepts. Finally, I discovered JK Rowling's Harry Potter series. Rowling didn't influence me to start writing as I was already doing that, but the shift in how I was writing, incorporating my love of myth and mystery, was a result of my fascination with her series.


Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?

I'm totally stealing this from someone else, I just don't know who – having written. Actually, to be honest, I love the initial inspiration and the zeal that comes with fleshing it out. However, all the stuff that comes between the initial brainstorm and the final, polished product is difficult and painful. With each book, I keep thinking it will get easier, but it doesn't. Still those two rushes at the beginning and end make it all worthwhile.


Q: What advice do you give to aspiring writers?

Give up writing if you can. It's a long and difficult road that doesn't pay much. If you can't give up, if it's simply too much a part of you, then do it right. Do the work. Read the craft books, attend the workshops, join a writers group, give and get critiques, read inside and outside the genre you write, write something new, and constantly improve your craft. Because, for most of us, writing for publication is not going to happen easily.



Q: What are you working on now?

Many stories. I always have too many books going on at one time. The one I'm hoping to share with readers the soonest is a YA contemporary fantasy involving the Jinn based on a Turkish understanding of these tricky beings. It involves an all-Jinn symphonic rock band, a houseboat-living half-Jinn girl, and the fantastic fairy chimneys of Cappadocia. I've had so much fun writing it!

About the Author

Born and raised in North Carolina, Susan Sipal had to travel halfway across the world and return home to embrace her father and grandfather's penchant for telling a tall tale. After having lived with her husband in his homeland of Turkey for many years, she suddenly saw the world with new eyes and had to write about it.

Perhaps it was the emptiness of the Library of Celsus at Ephesus that cried out to be refilled, or the myths surrounding the ancient Temple of Artemis, but she's been writing stories filled with myth and mystery ever since. She can't wait to share Southern Fried Wiccan with readers in March 2015.

Author Links:

  

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Awesomesauce Authors: An Interview with KidLit Author Mary Amato

Hi everyone! Today, as a part of the Last List Blog Hop hosted by Kat Kennedy at Cuddlebuggery, I'm thrilled to have author Mary Amato here on the blog to talk about her latest release in the GOOD CROOKS series! Without further ado, here's a little about Mary and her soon-to-be born book baby!

Good Crooks #3: Sniff a Skunk! - 4/21/2015

Twins Billy and Jillian want to be good, and that’s a big problem. Why? Because their parents are crooks! In the third book of this hilarious series (for ages 7-10), the infamous parents, the Crooks, expect the kids to find a new place to rob. Instead, the twins discover a lonely little orphan skunk in need of help. Will they be able to rescue the skunk and keep their parents from pulling off the next heist? Will their new furry friend help by raising a stink? How can a good deed smell so bad? 

What inspired you to write this book?

I often get ideas because characters talk to me. I simply hear a voice in my head. The Good Crooks series began because I was hearing a boy’s voice, talking about his extraordinary circumstances: he’s the son of crooks, yet he wants only to do good deeds.

What do you love most about your book?

As a child, I always enjoyed those “upside-down” moments in a book when the kids seemed to know more or be wiser than the adults. That’s the fun of the Good Crooks.

Who was your favorite character to write? Why?

In this third book in the series, the twins run into a baby skunk. Again, I like to play with the unexpected. So, it’s a skunk who is scared and doesn’t know that it has this amazing defense mechanism: the superpower of stink. I loved writing this new character. Because she doesn’t really speak, I had to show her personality and her thoughts through her actions. This was a challenge and a delight.

What has surprised you most about being a published author?

Before I became published, I thought writers and illustrators would work very closely together. I was amazed to find out that publishers typically keep authors and illustrators as far apart as possible. I know now that it’s because the artist needs to have the psychological and creative space to do what she or he does best.

Okay, now a little about you. (And yes, I stole these questions from In the Actor's Studio with James Lipton.)

What is your favorite word?

I can’t imagine really having a favorite word. I love words that are more grandiose than normal and play around a lot with this in my novels for older readers. In Get Happy, my latest YA, the main character and her best friend get addicted to the words: Vigor and Vim. Love those words.

What is your least favorite word?

I can’t stand the overuse of “like” as in, like, she said, like, “OMG, that Big Gulp is, like, so big.”

What sound or noise do you love?

I play music a lot when I write. And I write music to play. Did you know that there’s a song in each of the Good Crooks Books?

What sound or noise do you hate?

I know bees are good for the planet, but I still get scared when I hear one buzzing too close to my ear.

What profession, other than your own, would you most like to attempt?

I’d love to teach people stuck in hospitals to learn how to play the ukulele.

Mary Amato is an award-winning children’s book author, poet, playwright, and songwriter. Her MANY books have been translated into foreign languages, optioned for television, produced onstage, and have won the children’s choice awards in several states.

WEBSITE

http://www.maryamato.com/

OTHER WAYS TO CONNECT

My YA Website

Awesomesauce Authors: An Interview with Jamie Rae

Today I'm thrilled to welcome to the blog New Adult author Jamie Rae whose book baby CALL SIGN KARMA is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble (links below.) Here's a little bit about Jamie and her sizzling new read!

About the Book

Love in the no-fly zone…

Distraught over the loss of her brother in a fighter jet accident, Tinklee Pinkerton decides to follow in his footsteps and prove the tragedy wasn’t his fault. But when she’s chosen as the first woman to fly the Air Force’s F-35, her plan for a life that revolves around work is thrown off course by a handsome, mysterious stranger…

Thanks to Locke’s seductive British accent, sweet nature, and one too many beers, Tink is soon inspired to throw caution to the wind and herself into his arms. She thinks maybe love can heal after all—until she discovers Locke is her superior officer. Tink has no problem risking her life in the air, but with everything on the line, is she brave enough to risk her heart on the ground?

Buy Links:

  

Tell us a little about your writer's journey so far:

I searched for an agent during a time when paranormal romance was a tough sell, and she took a chance on me. The submission process was/is grueling and one that made me second-guess if I had what it took. I started thinking about what I could do while I was waiting for the trend to come back around. I was already following a lot of New Adult authors and reading their novels. I loved the risks they took, trying something new and writing about an age group underrepresented in publishing. My own “new adult” years were exciting and challenging, and I was eager to explore writing in the genre.

An idea came to me, about a female fighter pilot who was in flight school, sort of a modern day Top Gun with a unique twist. I went on submission and received a lot of feedback from editors and their acquisition teams that the setting of the story was unique but there was a concern about marketing the story to the New Adult audience. The stories they were having success with were traditional college and bad boys and this was something very different. Thankfully, not everyone felt that way and my story did find a home.

It has been a roller coaster ride of emotions during this journey, but one that has made me stronger and more determined as an author. I really hope readers will love this story and believe in it as much as I do.

Okay, let's hear your Twitter Pitch! (140 characters or less.)

If you like Maverick, then you’ll love Tink, a feisty female fighter pilot. She is taking danger and love to a whole new level. NA Romance. 

What inspired you to write this book? How is it a book only you could write?

They say to write what you know and as an Air Force veteran and military spouse, I know the military. I also love and respect strong woman, especially women in the military and in jobs that are primarily male dominated.  As for why I was best equipped to write this story…Tink has a lot of my own voice––my inside voice, her outside voice.  Also, I’m married to a fighter pilot so it was awesome to able to consult with him to make sure the flying parts of the story were authentic. A lot of the flying scenarios in the book are loosely based off of real experiences.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

It’s an escape for me. I love playing around with new stories and new characters and seeing where they will take me.

What's your least favorite thing?

When the voices stop talking

Now it's time to brag a little--What do you love most about your book?

I love the strength and vulnerability of my main character. I think she is very real. She’s a total badass chick who is willing to take chances and stand up for what she believes in. She’s also just a girl, who has unexpectedly fallen in love while dealing with the heartache of losing her brother.

  

Who was your favorite character to write? Why?

I spent so much time with Tink, that of course, I love her. So I’m going to disqualify her from the running and say Ash. I really had fun writing his character. He has a boyish charm, quick-wit and he’s an all-around stand-up guy. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s super hot and Special Forces.

What has surprised you most about publishing post-agent?

For me the toughest part was not having a say in matters that were important to me, like cover design, blurbs, etc. As authors, our stories are very personal and it’s tough when our vision is taken in a different direction. At the end of the day, I had to trust that my book was in the hands of the professionals and they want my book to succeed.

One of the greatest parts was the editing process and the experience that I had with my editor Jenn. She was amazing and challenged me to raise the bar. I’m so very thankful for the opportunity to work with her. If there is one piece of advice that I can give, whether self or traditional publishing, is the importance of working with a professional editor.

Okay, now a little about you. (And yes, I stole these questions from In the Actor's Studio with James Lipton.)

What is your favorite word? Determination.

What is your least favorite word? No.

What turns you on? People who are honorable and courageous and willing to stand up for what they believe in.

What turns you off? Negativity and dishonesty.

What sound or noise do you love?  My children’s giggles.

What sound or noise do you hate? Ambulance sirens.

What profession, other than your own, would you most like to attempt? I am in a really good place career wise at the moment. I love what I am doing. The only thing I’d possibly like to add in to the mix would be to own a quaint little coffee shop. Maybe…someday.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear G-d say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

You’ve made mistakes along the way, but you’ve learned from them and I’m proud of you.

Finally, what's the one question you've always wanted to answer in an interview?

If money weren’t an issue where would you like to go to work on your next novel? I would love to take a sabbatical to France where I could live in a tiny cottage, in the middle of a lavender field, and write to my heart's content.

About the Author

   

JAMIE RAE is a New Adult and Young Adult author. She writes with one goal in mind--to create stories with a positive message that will stay with the reader long after they've finished reading.

Jamie is an avid reader and loves discovering stories with a great hook, though she will not eat, sleep, or speak until she reaches the end. The Harry Potter years weren't pretty!! Convinced that her Hogwarts letter was lost in the mail, she keeps a watchful eye for owls hoping her children will have better luck!

In her other life, Jamie Rae enjoys creating smiles that will last a lifetime as an orthodontist and keeps her heart overflowing with love as a mother of three. She has perfected the art of nomadic living as a military spouse and Air Force veteran. Jamie has a passion for critters of all shapes and sizes and you can often find her sneaking them into her own home or volunteering for rescues.

Awesomesauce Authors: An Interview with Fellow PitchWars Mentor Jaye Robin Brown!

Today I'm thrilled to welcome to the blog fellow PitchWars Mentor and SCBWI Carolinas comrade Jaye Robin Brown, or as the cool kids call her Jro! Her debut novel NO PLACE TO FALL is coming to bookstores near you from Harper Teen on December 9, 2014 and I cannot wait to get my grabby hands on it! Here's a little more about Jro and her soon-but-not-soon-enough-to-be-born book baby!

Amber Vaughn is a good girl. She sings solos at church, babysits her nephew after school, and spends every Friday night hanging out at her best friend Devon’s house. It’s only when Amber goes exploring in the woods near her home, singing camp songs with the hikers she meets on the Appalachian Trail, that she feels free—and when the bigger world feels just a little bit more in reach.

When Amber learns about an audition at the North Carolina School of the Arts, she decides that her dream—to sing on bigger stages—could also be her ticket to a new life. Devon’s older (and unavailable) brother, Will, helps Amber prepare for her one chance to try out for the hypercompetitive arts school. But the more time Will and Amber spend together, the more complicated their relationship becomes . . . and Amber starts to wonder if she’s such a good girl, after all.

Then, in an afternoon, the bottom drops out of her family’s world—and Amber is faced with an impossible choice between her promise as an artist and the people she loves. Amber always thought she knew what a good girl would do. But between “right” and “wrong,” there’s a whole world of possibilities.

Tell us a little about your writer's journey so far:

Hmmm. Condensed version. Write. Write poetry. Write journal entries. Stop writing. Start writing. Write a MG novel. Stop writing. Start writing. Take some classes. Join SCBWI. Make writer friends. Write. Query. Get rejected. Query. Again. Query. Get an agent. Lose an agent. Query. Get a new agent. Get a book deal! Write. Write. Write. Write.

My story is as typical and atypical as everyone else’s I think, but the biggest three things that have helped me have been finding a community of writers online (I live rurally), taking classes with Joy Neaves of the Great Smokies Writing Program through UNC-Asheville, and the discipline to always be working on something. Writing and community keep me sane.

Love it! I don't live in a rural community but I still prefer online writing groups because it fits in better with my life. Worth investigating for any writer! Okay, let's hear your Twitter Pitch! 

Amber Vaughn dreams of leaving her small NC town & singing on bigger stages but her dysfunctional family keeps getting in her way.

What inspired you to write this book? How is it a book only you could write?

This book was a collision of ideas and inspiration. Amber’s voice ringing in my head on a drive into work, an overheard story about a party cabin near the Appalachian Trail, a chance encounter with a young band of bluegrass pickers and the movie, Songcatcher. I knew I wanted to write a story about this place in a way that showed all of its sides, but also showed how teenagers are kind of universal, no matter where you’re from. I think because I’m from outside the area, I was able to look at things a bit subjectively and write the story without judgment. It would be hard for me to write about my own small community in Alabama, but I could write about my adopted town with ease (though the town in No Place To Fall is fictional, it’s definitely an amalgamation of all the nearby communities.) Something about knowing the characters’ emotions, but having some emotional distance from the place helped to make a setting both nuanced and fair.

See, as a NC transplant myself, this just makes me want to read it even more! What's your favorite thing about writing?

The best part is the moment you really find the heart of your story and suddenly you’re waking up bright eyed at 5 am because you want to get back into the world you’ve created. That’s magic.

  

What's your least favorite thing?

The murky middles of first drafts. I’m primarily a pantser working within a very loose framework of a plot. First drafts are about discovery for me, so the middles tend to be these loose what-the-hell sort of things. Thank goodness for revision.

I’m both mystified by and deeply admiring of pantsers for this exact reason. Now it's time to brag a little--What do you love most about your book?

I love my characters. They’re why I write. Some people are about mood or theme or plot, for me it’s always the people. And I love these people.  I also love the richness of the setting. The Appalachian mountains are my adopted home and like so many people who’ve moved in before me, they have a way of getting in to your bones. I hope NO PLACE TO FALL conveys that power.

Who was your favorite character to write? Why?

I really loved writing Sammy Crowder (and yes, his last name is a nod to Boyd in the spectacular television show, Justified), Amber’s brother-in-law. He’s such a self-righteous, egomaniacal, delusional prick. I had to work so hard NOT to make him a caricature of every villain through the history of time. But he’s just a kind of guy I’ve known and despised my whole life. So it was fun to skewer him on the page. He deserved everything he got, let me tell you.

Hehe, what’s that saying about writers exacting revenge by putting you in their novels? What has surprised you most about publishing post-agent?

I don’t mean this to sound ungrateful because I know how shiny this side looks when you’re standing on the pre-pub’d side of the fence, but it’s still hard. You still get rejected, even after a book deal. It’s taken me three tries to find the right story for the second book in my contract. In some ways the self-doubt is bigger than it was before I had a contract because now my stakes seem higher. That surprised me. I thought it was going to be cake once I had that contract!

I’m glad you brought that up because I think it’s something we don’t talk enough about—it’s tough to talk about for a lot of reasons, but it’s something new writers definitely need to know!

Okay, now a little about you. (And yes, I stole these questions from In the Actor's Studio with James Lipton.)

What is your favorite word?

Indubitably (you have to say it in a Mary Poppins sort of accent)

Yes! What is your least favorite word?

Moist. Because every time I say it my students give me grief.

*shudder* it’s my least favorite, too. What turns you on?

Laughter, Honesty, Fantastic storytelling.

What turns you off?

Stupidity, Bigotry, Snakes.

What sound or noise do you love?

Horses sneezing and my dogs snoring

What sound or noise do you hate?

Sirens

What profession, other than your own, would you most like to attempt?

I wish I could honestly say attorney, brain surgeon, rocket scientist, something that has the bank to go with it. But I’m going to say pastry chef. Because I love to bake and I love sweets and I think it would be amazing to be the person who provides the desserts. That or barista, as long as someone else was actually taking the drink orders. I’d like to draw cool things in the foam.

I was a barista in college and it’s still one of my favorite jobs ever. Great writer job, too! If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear G-d say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

“Took you long enough.”

Finally, what's the one question you've always wanted to answer in an interview? (And of course, you have to answer it!)

Is there a woman you strive to emulate?

Why yes, Jaye Robin Brown, I’m so glad you asked this question. Because you see, I often ask the question WWBD?

WWBD?

Yes, WWBD. What would Beato do? Beatrice Wood, American potter? You know her?

Hmmm, yes perhaps.

Anyway, she was this remarkable woman. Marcel Duchamp’s lover. A Dada-ist in her own right. An artist, a dancer, a writer, and she had an excellent life philosophy. Work hard and be happy. Chocolates and young men were her self-proclaimed secret to longevity. And she lived to be over a hundred, beautiful and gracious until the end. She is my role model in how to be. And if you out there don’t know Beato, I recommend her biography titled “I Shock Myself.”

Thanks so much for hosting me, Dannie!

My pleasure, Jro! Wishing you all the booksales come December! Speaking of which, have you guys added NO PLACE TO FALL to Goodreads yet? What are you waiting for?? Preorder links are below!

Jaye Robin Brown, or Jro to her friends, lives and writes in the mountains north of Asheville, North Carolina. She is fond of horses, dogs, the absurd and the ironic. When not writing, you can find her in the art room of the high school. NO PLACE TO FALL is her debut novel.