Q&A with Joanne Levy

Happy book birthday to you, happy book birthday to you, happy book birthday dear Joanne, happy book birthday to youuuuuuuu!

How cute of a name is Small Medium at Large? So frigging CUTE. And today it’s officially out in the wild, so run to your nearest bookstore and grab a copy (I’m lacing my sneakers as I type).

Here’s a bit about the book:

After she’s hit by lightning at a wedding, twelve-year-old Lilah Bloom develops a new talent: she can hear dead people. Among them, there’s her over-opinionated Bubby Dora; a prissy fashion designer; and an approval-seeking clown who livens up a séance. With Bubby Dora leading the way, these and other sweetly imperfect ghosts haunt Lilah through seventh grade, and help her face her one big fear: talking to—and possibly going to the seventh-grade dance with—her crush, Andrew Finkel.

Joanne was nice enough to stop by and answer a few question.
Lavender Lines: First off, thanks so much for stopping by the blog, Joanne! And don’t worry, my questions aren’t very heavy hitting.
Joanne: Thanks so much, Colleen! I’m happy to be here—As you know, I’m Canadian, so I LOVE hanging out with my fellow Canucks!

LL: What was the inspiration for Small Medium at Large?
J: I actually woke up with the title in my head one morning. I know, not that exciting of a story. But I recognized that it was a pretty cool title, and about a year later (I was working on other projects when I came up with it) I figured it was time to write the book.

LL: Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what kind?
J: I don’t. I can have a bit of background noise—like my husband watching hockey in another room (as long as it’s not the playoffs, because then he yells a lot and it gets a bit distracting)—but I can’t have music on when I write. That said, I’ve been known to make playlists for books and use music to get in the mood for writing specific scenes.

LL: Tea or coffee?
J: Depends on the time of day. First thing, I NEED my coffee, but after that one big mug, I’m a jasmine tea drinker for the rest of the day.

LL: Yoga pants or jammie bottoms?
J: Jammies!

LL: If you could get every kid in the world to read one book, what would that book be (besides yours, of course!)?
J: Ha! That’s a hard one, because there are so many great books out there and every kid is different in what they will enjoy. But, that said, I’ve been thinking about my favourite books a lot lately and which ones I want my niece to read most, and keep coming back to ANNE OF GREEN GABLES (and someday I WILL get to PEI and when I do, let’s have lunch). I re-read it recently because of an essay I was writing, and was reminded how much I love it. It is a lovely, well-rounded book with amazing characters that has obviously stood the test of time and continues to delight new generations of kids. AND it stands up when read as an adult, too—there were several times when I laughed out loud and wanted to hug Anne. And the Matthew part, well, you can imagine what happened to me when I got to that. Yep, I do love that book so.

Thanks for taking the time to chat, Joanne!

If you’re looking for Joanne online you can find her at her website or Twitter.

Q & A with author Jen Wylie

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: one of my favorite things about Twitter is discovering new to me authors. Such is the case with Jen Wylie.  We chat on Twitter regularly and I was so happy she was up for a little Q & A here on the blog. I also had the chance to read her YA short Ring Around the Rosie, which I will be reviewing tomorrow. (It was delish!) So a big thanks you and welcome to Jen.

Lavender Lines: What is the attraction, for you, to writing primarily short stories?
Jen: I actually started out writing novels, quite a few over the years actually. Short stories and novellas rather came as a surprise. For me stories come like movies into my head. My first short stories I published were like this… just the movies in my head weren’t very long. I was lucky enough to get them published and later also asked to write a YA short story series (which I kind of did- it turned out to be more of a novella series LOL)

My favorite thing about writing shorts is that the whole process is a LOT quicker than writing a novel, from the actual writing, to the edits, the final proofs and so on. It’s great to see everything come to completion and get out into the world so quickly.

LL: Are there any challenges to writing short stories for teens?
J: Everyone once and a while I have to watch myself trying to stray into more adult themes. I’m rather a kid at heart though so I don’t find it too difficult and rather enjoy it.

LL: When you wrote your novel, did you find the process very different from writing your short stories?
J: I organize more when I write novels. I’m not an outliner, but I take extensive notes as I write, everything from character descriptions to common phrases to maps. I do this for my shorts as well, but to a much smaller degree. Novel writing of course takes a lot longer, and the edits exponentially so. Shorts I can finish up a round of edits in a few days, a week at the most. With a novel it’s closer to 3-4 weeks. There are a number of rounds of editing, and my editor will take just as long, if not longer, to over a work as well so getting a short ready to go to publication is certainly much quicker, and a lot less daunting at times.
Thanks so much for having me today!
~hugs and rainbows~
Jen

LL: Aw, thanks so much for popping in, Jen! And you guys should come back tomorrow and check out my review of Ring Around the Rosie.

And if you want to find Jen on the Interwebs, here’s where she hangs:

Jen’s website: www.jenniferwylie.ca

Twitter: @jen_wylie

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4499919.Jen_Wylie

Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Wylie/151266004895266

Smashwords author page: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jenwylie

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Jen-Wylie/e/B004HQ9XD8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/jen-wylie?keyword=jen+wylie&store=allproducts

Jen’s blog: http://jlwylie.wordpress.com/

Q&A with author Kathleen Peacock – Hemlock Blog Tour

I first “met” Kathleen about a year or so ago on Twitter. Besides being one of my favorite authors (yes, Kathleen, you have made it on my polite stalking list!) she’s one of my favorite all around people. So I’m tickled pink to have her on the blog today for a little Q&A. And make sure to pop back in tomorrow for what is sure to be an incohesive and babbling review of Kathleen’s debut novel, Hemlock. (So much LOVE for this book. SO. MUCH.)

Lavender Lines: Heya! Thanks so much for popping by the blog and chatting. I promise I won’t make the questions too intrusive.

Kathleen: No problem! I… hey… wait a sec… why do you want my social insurance number? Who told you I had mono when I was in college? WHERE DID QUESTION NUMBER SEVEN COME FROM?! Number ten is just… inappropriate. The truth? YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!

*ahem*

LL: How close did the finished version of Hemlock look to what you had envisioned when you set out to write it?

K: There were some fairly substantial changes. Hemlock was, quite literally, my first book, and there was a huge learning curve and more than one revision. Some plotlines, characters, and settings from my original draft were moved to book two and the characters were all aged down a year (the original story took place the summer/fall after graduation).

LL: Writing or editing: which do you find harder?

K: Option C: Plotting. Followed by Option D: Pacing (which probably comes under editing).

LL: Coffee or tea?

K: Neither. Roll up the Rim won’t ensnare me!

LL:  What books are currently on your nightstand?

K: Right now? I was trying to read Paradise Lost by John Milton (one of my New Year’s resolutions), but I got distracted by revisions. The last two books I read were The Guardians by Andrew Pyper (which was deliciously creepy) and Incarnate by Jodi Meadows (which was even more amazing than the pre-ARC/edited version I had read). Some books in my TBR pile/on my Kobo are: Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst, Slatwater Vampires by Kirsty Eagar, and Bossypants by Tina Fey. I’ve also got an audio book of The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How it Changed America by David Hajdu on my iPod.

LL: So, I found Hemlock totally, absolutely squee-worthy. What’s the last squee-worthy book you read?

K: Awww. *blush*

Since it was a re-read, it’s probably cheating for me to say Incarnate, right? Incarnate out of the equation, I’d say Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. I finally got around to reading it a few months ago, and it totally swept me off my feet and enchanted me.

LL: Merci Kathleen, for answering these hard-hitting questions.

K: Bienvenue!

Happy US launch of Spin Q & A

Yay!!! Today is the official US launch of Catherine McKenzie‘s Spin, one of my favorite books. I was part of the Canadian launch two years ago and I am so happy to be part of this launch, also. Tomorrow I’ll be re-reviewing Spin, but today I want to welcome Catherine to the blog again for another Q & A.

Lavender Lines: First, let me just say I am beyond excited to be taking part in this blog tour! Okay, now for the hard-hitting questions……..Can you tell us what you’re working on now?

Catherine: My next novel is called FORGOTTEN. It’s about a woman who inherits a trip to Africa when her mother dies. She’s supposed to be gone for a month, but gets stuck in a remote village when an earthquake hits the country. When she finally returns after six months, she discovers that everyone thinks that she has been dead, and her life is – obviously – a little chaotic. It’s coming out in May in Canada and August in the US.

Lavender Lines: Spin was released a couple of years ago in Canada to rave reviews (It was one of my fave books of 2010). Is this US release more nerve-wracking or are you an old pro at it now?

Catherine: Thank you again, for that! Made my week!

It’s funny, I have been thinking about this. In some ways I am an “old pro” in the sense that I’m used to the fact that not everyone is going to love my book and that’s life. On the other hand, the US is such a big market that it is pretty nerve-wracking to be honest. Harper US has put a lot of faith in me in deciding to publish all three of my books in one year and I hope that faith pays off!

Lavender Lines: Coffee or tea?

Catherine: Tea definitely. In fact, I don’t drink coffee! I know, weird right?

Lavender Lines: How much research went into Spin?

Catherine: There was definitely some, but I didn’t attend rehab or anything to do it. Mostly I researched rehab programs to find a structure that would work. I did research into AA to figure out what the steps we always hear about are supposed to mean. I had read some memoirs from people who had been to rehab before I wrote the book. I abstained while writing it, but then read a few more afterwards as a sort of “feel” check. I also discussed certain things about therapy with psychologists I know. Essentially, what I was going for was that it would be realistic enough to be a background for the story, but not the main focus of the story.

Lavender Lines: Where did the idea to write Spin come from?

Catherine: Years ago – and of course this is still going on – there were a lot of celebrities going in and out of rehab. The Paparazzi and regular press were going nuts, and stories were coming out about behaviour in rehab from fellow patients. I believe I was watching some news show – TMZ probably – and it was a scene of just all these journalists with their lenses trained on a rehab facility trying to get a shot. I remember being a little disgusted that it was going on & asking myself sarcastically “I wonder why they don’t just follow a celebrity into rehab?” My next thought was: What a great idea for a book! And so it goes

Lavender Lines: Thanks so much for stopping by and answering a few questions Catherine. Always appreciated.

Catherine: Thank you, Colleen! You’ve been such a super supporter over the years, and I really appreciate you having me back for my US launch.

Plague & Pestilence Blog Tour

I am all kinds of tickled to be part of the Plague & Pestilence Blog Tour. No, this isn’t a a tour where you have to guess the disease by looking at a really gross picture. It’s a celebration of all things Ashes, Ashes, Jo Treggiari’s AMAZING post-apocolyptic, post-plague, post- pretty-much-your-worst-nightmare YA book.

For my blubbering review of Ashes, Ashes (I HEART this book so much!) and the chance to win a copy (Canadians only) pop back on Friday. But for now get comfortable in your home with heat and food and no super bugs ANYWHERE and enjoy my Q&A with Jo.

Lavender Lines: Thanks so much for taking the time to answer some questions, Jo! What made you decide to write a post-apocalyptic YA dystopia?

Jo: It was really just the idea that came to me. I wanted to write an adventure story with a teen girl heroine, and I knew I wanted her to be pro-active and challenged, so basically I had to come up with a scenario that would be fraught with difficulties. A survivalist, apocalyptic setting just worked really well with that. It’s also enticing to a writer to re-imagine the future and what the world would look like. Combined with my concerns about our dwindling resources, disease and the terrifying storms, earthquakes and climactic aberrations which have devastated so many countries, a post-apocalypse, post global pandemic world seemed all too probable.

LL: How much research went into writing Ashes, Ashes?

Jo: I tend to read a variety of non-fiction sometimes directly linked to an idea I might have, sometimes just because I’m interested in the subject. For Ashes, Ashes I read a lot of different books and scientific articles on global warming, some articles on epidemic disease, histories of plague, survivalist manuals, wilderness foraging books. I also studied maps ofNew York City and various locations. It doesn’t feel like work though ‘cause it’s fun. All that information swirls around in my head and I’m never sure exactly how it’s going to come out. It is important to me though, that however fictional I make my world, it still rings true. It must be plausible.

LL: Were there particular songs or artists that you listened to when writing Ashes, Ashes?

Jo:  I listened to a lot of punk and a lot of atmospheric artists. That would include Arcade Fire, American Steel, Jets to Brazil, Bjork, Neko Case, and Gogol Bordello to name a few.

LL: What’s next on your writing agenda?

Jo: I’m finishing up a 2^nd draft of an urban fantasy, coming-of-age tale with great white sharks. And I also have a punk rock road-trip-without-a-car book set in 1983California about two teen girls searching for beauty in an ugly world. And of course, I have a fleshed-out plot for another book based in the Ashes, Ashes world.

LL: What are some of your favorite dystopian books?

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Giver by Lois Lowry

1984 by George Orwell

The Hunger Games  by Suzanne Collins

The Postman by David Brin

LL: Let’s say that Nova Scotia is hit with a plague that takes away everyone’s sense of humour and only a small portion of the population (including yourself) is immune. Would you move, not being able to handle a humourless Nova Scotia? Or would you stay and try to make the province funny again?

Jo: Hmm, you know, this province already does not carry orange cheddar cheezits (the ultimate snack food) and if there was also no humour it might tip the scales in favour of me moving back toNew York. However, we will not speak of cheezits.

Of course I would stay and battle the forces of humourlessness with a lethal combination of the Trailer Park Boys and my 4 year old daughter who is hilarious and guaranteed to crack the stoniest facade. She’s sort of like the Bart Simpson of girls. Her puppy impression with toilet paper tail is priceless.

LL: Thanks so much for stopping by Jo!

Jo: You’re very welcome!

If you want to stalk Jo online (not that I online stalk authors that I adore or anything, nope, not me) then here are some places you can find her:

www.jotreggiari.com

Jo Treggiari on Facebook

Jo Treggiari on Twitter

Q & A with author Jo Ann Yhard

I love when I read a book that I know I’ll like but then end up loving. What I love even better is when I get to meet the author and she’s well, she’s just lovely. Such was the case with The Fossil Hunter of Sydney Mines and author Jo Ann Yhard.  Jo Ann has a new YA, Lost on Brier Island, coming out on Monday and it’s one of my top “OMG I HAVE to read it” books of the spring. So I was very happy and honoured to get the chance to pick at  Jo Ann’s brain and ask her some questions.

Lavender Lines: Hiya Jo Ann! Thanks so much for stopping by and answering a few questions. You always hear from musicians that the hardest album to write and record is the sophomore offering. Do you think it’s the same for writers?

Jo Ann Yhard: I think it could be, for the second in a series. While Lost on Brier Island is my second published book, it’s very different from my first one, The Fossil Hunter of Sydney Mines. It has a few similarities – heavy on dialogue and action, but it’s not a mystery and there are different characters. I actually found Lost easier to write. I was learning a lot with Fossil Hunter, since it was my first novel attempt, and it went through many changes. Not that you ever stop learning, but everything flowed much better from the beginning in Lost.

LL: What was it in particular that made you want to write Lost on Brier Island?

JY: The main character, Alex, was one that stayed with me from an earlier unpublished project. She wouldn’t go away. So I finally had to listen to what she had to say. The setting came later. I love the ocean, and I fell in love with Brier Island when James and I went there whale watching. It’s a magical place.

LL: Do you have certain music or artists that get you in the writing mood?

JY: I think it’s more my mood in general, rather than a writing mood specifically. I love listening to Norah Jones and Tracy Chapman some days, and other times I could be cranking up The Doors.

LL: Which do you find more challenging: getting out that first draft or editing?

JY: Hands down, the editing. It feels more like work to me. The first draft is an adventure! I don’t know what’s going to happen, so I am on the discovering journey along with my characters.

LL: Your writer’s beverage of choice: tea or coffee?

JY: I was always a coffee drinker, but was never much of a coffee lover – it was a habit. I’ve switched to teas now, the decaffeinated kind. I can’t believe I’m saying that out loud – on paper. I used to be exactly like one of the characters in Lost on Brier Island, crusty old fisherman Gus, who likes his tea “leaded, none of that herb crap!” All time favourite? Chai latte at Starbucks!

LL: What’s next on your writing agenda?

JY: I’m about halfway through the first draft of Buried Secrets at Louisbourg, another book with The Fossil Hunter of Sydney Mines characters. It’s from Fred’s point of view this time, and takes place during a grand encampment at The Fortress of Louisbourg. It’s another Atlantic Canada setting. That seems to be a bit of a trademark for me so far. I love showcasing all the amazing places we have here. I was at the Fortress many times, and was excited at having the characters camp there over a weekend. The readers get to explore the Fortress along with them. And yes, it’s a mystery, of course!

Thanks so much Jo Ann! Always great chatting with you.

Q & A with author Rachna Gilmore

I’m tickled pink that I had the chance to do a Q&A with Rachna. I loved her MG book That Boy Red (review coming tomorrow) and as an Islander it was awesome to get to pick her brain about her book.

Was there a particular reason that you made the main character of That Boy Red

Thank you so much – I’m delighted that you loved him. It’s always wonderful to know that the children of your imagination find their way into others’ hearts. Red is a boy because I was inspired to write this novel by my father-in-law’s anecdotes about growing up in P.E.I. during the Depression, so it felt natural to have a boy as the main character. The book is dedicated to his memory. It’s the first time, by the way, that I’ve written from the point of view of a boy – I loved it, and found it easier than I thought I would.

What was your inspiration for writing the book?

My father-in-law’s anecdotes about his childhood growing up on a farm in P.E.I. during the 1930s. But I guess, too, I’ve always loved L.M. Montgomery’s Anne books, so it was partly a desire to spend time on the Island, and to create a wonderful family – the kind of family I’d want to spend time with – that made me want to write this book. Oddly enough, sometimes, in order to read the books you want to read you have to write them! So perhaps this book is a homage to my love of Anne of Green Gables as well as to my father-in-law and his family.

How much research went into writing That Boy Red?

Tons and tons! I kept a notebook for research and another one for my fictional ideas. I tend to do research in a spiral alongside or parallel to the successive drafts of my novels. I never do all my research to start off, because I don’t want the facts to interfere with my instinctive leap and inner connection with my characters and their emotions. For this book, though, because I didn’t have a ready understanding or knowledge about the everyday sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures of Red’s world, I did a fair bit of research first, and when I felt I had enough, I wrote my first draft. With each successive draft, I was able to see where the gaps were, and I did the necessary research to fill those gaps. Sometimes, it took hours to unearth one small detail that might only be mentioned peripherally, in half a sentence – but it was still completely necessary to do that research to get the background details right. For instance, I had to know about the ins and outs of farm life so I could describe in a brief sentence what a crop might look like in a certain month, or describe what Red did as part of his morning or evening routine during a particular time of the year. But the most exciting part of my research was going up in a biplane, much like the one on the cover of the book, so I could write about that experience with authenticity. It was wonderful. Exhilarating. I think my grin was probably every bit as wide as Red’s in the novel!

That Boy Red is very reminiscent in tone and style of Anne of Green Gables. Which of the Anne books is your favourite?

I am honoured and thrilled that you find THAT BOY RED reminiscent of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. I honestly can’t say any one of the Anne books is my favourite, because I love them all. Each has a particular charm, I think. I love that Montgomery was able to introduce wonderful and unique characters – prickles and all – in each of those books. And I love her dry sense of humour. I think that’s an aspect of her writing that is often overlooked.

Do you visit Prince Edward Island (the setting for That Boy Red) very often? What is your favorite thing about PEI?

Yes, I visit P.E.I. annually. I actually lived there for fourteen years. Since my husband’s family is still on the Island, we go back every year. It’s wonderful to be there. My favourite thing, apart from seeing family and friends, is being by the ocean. I love the ocean. It’s the thing I miss the most about not living on the Island. The beaches are wonderful. There’s nowhere else that I feel so much at home. So grounded and free. The ocean is my landscape. In a perfect world, I’d live by the ocean and bookend all my writing time with walks on the beach. I also love the saner pace of the Island and the friendliness of Islanders.

Do you have any particular artists or music that you listen to when writing?

I don’t actually. I would find it distracting, because I’m listening so intently to the music of the words I’m writing. I want the cadence of the characters voices to ring true and to accurately echo the voices of that period in time.

Are there any plans for more Red books?

Oh, I have ideas galore for more Red stories. I could easily write more Red books. I don’t have plans to start one immediately, though, because I’m brewing and incubating another novel that must be written. But writing about Red, well, it’s like going home. It’s a wonderful way to spend virtual time on the Island and with characters that I love.

Thanks muchly to Rachna for stopping by!

Q & A with Erin Bow and a Plain Kate giveaway!

Okay, so how much did I love Erin Bow’s Plain Kate? OMG, so , so much. In fact, if you come back tomorrrow you can see me blather on about it in my review, which promises to be gushy and most likely over the top.

But today I get to share with you a little Q & A with Erin. And I also have one copy of Plain Kate for a lucky Canadian book lover.

Lavender Lines: On your blog you describe Plain Kate as “Written under the spell of Russian fairy tales”. What are some of your favorite fairy tales?

Erin: From the Russian, I think my favourite might be “The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship.”  I like fool tales, in general, and Plain Kate owes something to them:  Taggle, with his naiveté about human convention and his scathing ability to tell the truth, is a classic fool.   For sheer lushness and scope, I like “Ruslin and Ludmilla.”  And there’s no better baddie in all fairy-tale land that Baba Yaga.

Outside of the Russian, I like the North African “The Country Where There Were No Graves” for spoke factor, and for the title alone.  North African tales in general are great.  I want sort of want to throw an Alzabo, which Borges claims is a hyena-inspired creature that speaks your name in the voice of the dead, into my work in progress, because they are So Creepy and Cool.

From the Grimm tales, I like “Dr. Urssenbeck Spins the Bed,” about the adopted godson of death, who grows up to be a physician.  I’m going to do something with that one, someday.  I love the Japanese tale “A Fox Wife.”  The Haida tale  “Raven Steals the Sun.”  I really could go on.  I’m no scholar — I really don’t have a clue what, say, morphology is — but I love these old stories.

L.L.: Music is a very intrical part of the magic in Plain Kate. When you were writing and revising your book, was there any music that was “magical” for you and the process?

Erin: Oh yes!  Bukkene Bruse’s album The Stone Chair was the magic key to Plain Kate.  It never failed to transport me to the fog and the forest, the magic and the sadness.  I must have listened to that album hundreds of times.  Of course, this means the book’s “playlist”  is dominated by a fiddle-driven folk band wailing sadly in Norwegian, which … well, line up for that album release, teen readers!

I also played Bethany and Rufus’s “No More Songs” a lot as I wrote the book.  This is a little odd because it’s not the hero’s song, it’s the villain’s, it’s Linay’s.  But it was useful to have a touchstone song for him, to help me get into his mindset.

“Once I loved a girl.  She was a flower in the flame.
I loved her as the world sings sadly.
Now a ghost without a name stands ragged in the rain
And it seems that there are no songs.”

I think it’s important for a writer to keep compassion even for villains, and this song helped me keep in sympathy with Linay as he did some (ahem) unsympathetic things.  I can almost imagine him playing the strings part as I listen to it now.

L.L.: The last few chapters of Plain Kate are quite emotional. Did you have a hard time writing those scenes? Were you worried that they may be a bit too emotional for younger readers?

Erin: I put off writing the climax for weeks, fussing and ducking and generally working my way toward a nervous breakdown.  I knew it was going to be hard on the characters, and that at least one of them that I loved very much (and I loved them all, even Linay) was probably going to die.  I just didn’t want to do it.  I think — this sounds so over the top — I was even grieving.  But finally, I found myself in a donut shop at the back end of a bus route, with an hour to kill before an appointment.  I had nothing with me but my notebook.  So I wrote, shaking and muttering and generally making the donut shop people think about calling the Men with the Nets.  After that I felt better.  But if I had had a book with me that day, Plain Kate might still be unfinished.

I didn’t really think about readers in the first draft of the climax, but I was very mindful of them when thinking about how to end the book.  I worked hard to get exactly the right tone in the denouement, so that the book, while it doesn’t exactly have a happy ending, would leave them with a feeling of completeness, healing, hope.

Who was it that said:  “it’s okay to take young readers to dark places — just don’t abandon them there”?  I thought about that, and tried to stick to it.

L.L: I’m always curious to know what books authors are excited about. Are there any fall releases that you can’t wait to get your hands on?

Erin: I need to get my hands on Elizabeth Bunce’s Starcrossed.  I liked Curse as Dark as Gold a lot, and this one — a sneak-thief heroine!  hidden magic! a snowbound castle!– sounds right up my alley.   I want to read The Replacement, too; one of the rare instances where I might be sold by cover art alone.  But, secrets that everyone knows and no one talks about?  I’m there for that.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Erin! And can I just say how jealous I am of peeps who are going to Word on the Street in Kitchener on the 26th? Erin will be there so head on out and meet her for me, kk?

And now, on to the contest. As usual, I’m going to make it easy-peasy and a bit fun. No need to follow me (but feel free if you want). You don’t have to tweet me up, blog me up or Facebook me up (once again, unless you want to). What you do have to do is tell me in the comments below what your favorite Fairytale is and why. On Sept. 30th I’ll randomly pick a winner. This is for Canadian folks only and please leave me an email address, k? And enter! This was one of my favorite reads so far this year.

Q & A with Maggie Stiefvater AND a Linger giveaway!!!!

So, so excited right now for you guys! I was lucky enough to not only get a chance to ask new fave author Maggie Stiefvater some questions about her Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, but I also have one copy of Linger to giveaway to a lucky Canadian reader! I know, the awesomeness is just oozing around here today.

First up the Q & A:

LL: First of all, thank you so much for taking the time out to answer a few questions. I’m a new fan, but a big one. In your Wolves of Mercy Falls series, you take a very different approach to the mythos of the werewolf. Were you nervous before Shiver was published that fans of werewolf fiction might scoff at/not approve of your take on werewolves?

MS: There was a brief moment after I’d finished it where I thought I HAVE KILLED THE WEREWOLF MYTHOS ENTIRELY, THEY WILL KILL ME WITH PITCHFORKS. But then I thought, you know what? I’m not really into werewolves myself (yes, this surprises everyone) and surely there must be others out there the same way. The thing about paranormal creatures is that they ought to represent a metaphor for something in our culture, and the old werewolf myth doesn’t really reflect current fears. I wanted mine to stand for the fear of losing your personal identity, something that I think’s really relevent in our homogenized, suburban society.

LL: Sam is constantly composing song lyrics in his head.  Do you have any lyrics in particualr that you love?

MS: Of his? Or in general? He has a very emo-angsty set of lyrics in Linger about saying good-bye that I’m fond of. But of other people’s lyrics, I have to say I love The Shins. Songs like their absolutely beautiful “A Comet Appears” are both musically lovely and lyrically incredible:

“We can blow on our thumbs and posture,

But the lonely are such delicate things,

The wind from a wasp could blow them,

Into the sea,

With stones on their feet,

Lost to the light and the loving we need,”

LL: For Sam, winter and summer appear as too very polar opposites, with winter representing cold, isolation(despite having his pack) and longing while summer embodies warmth, familiartiy and belonging. Do you prefer one season over the other?

MS: I do indeed. But it’s neither summer nor winter. I’m a fall person, through and through. Possibly this is because I was born in November and I just spent so much of my childhood selfishly looking forward to my birthday that I can’t get over it. But fall — I feel more creative in fall. Plus, it’s an edge. There’s something about edges of things — fall as an edge at the end of the year, evening as an edge at the end of the day . . . *dreamy*

LL: Linger is one of the most aniticipated releases of the summer. Are there any books that are on your must-read list for the upcoming summer/fall season?

MS: Hmmm. I just picked up an advanced copy of THE MARBURY LENS at ALA and I’m really, really hoping to love it. But really my answer is the same as everyone’s, isn’t it? I WANT MOCKINGJAY.

LL: Once again, thanks so much for answering my questions. I hope that not all of them were repeats!

MS: They were great questions. Thank you.

I’m such a fan-girl that I still can’t believe that I actually got the chance to have Maggie over to my little corner of the blogosphere! *takes moment to once again do her happy fan-girl dance*

OK, I’m back. And now for the giveaway!

As usual I’m going to make this short and sweet and fun. Just comment below and tell me besides Linger (duh!) what other books are you most looking forward to reading in the next few months. That’s it. Easy-peasy. I’ll run the contest until the 5th of August. And, yeah, you have to be in Canada.

If you feel like following me, cool, but you don’t have to. What you should do, though, is follow Maggie. She’s is one of my favorite twitter peeps. And she’s on Facebook. And – ah heck, you know what? Here’s a list of places you can find Maggie online. A list is much easier than me rambling on, eh?

Maggie Stiefvater’s website:
http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/

SHIVER series site:
http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/shiver/

Maggie Stiefvater’s blog:
http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/

Author Twitter:
http://twitter.com/mstiefvater

Author Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Maggie-Stiefvater-Really-its-me/412830324465?v=wall

Scholastic.com official Shiver page
http://www.scholastic.com/shiver/

Oh, before I go, have you had a chance to see Maggie’s Linger book trailer? It’s good. Actually it’s more than that. It’s simply beautiful and the best book trailer I’ve seen. I still tear up when I watch it. Stunning.

Make sure to pop back in tomorrow for my gushing fangirl review of Linger.

A blog post about a blog post

I know, I know, sounds kinda weird, right? But I am so, so freaking excited about what’s coming up on Lavender Lines tomorrow that I had to give you guys a heads up. Okay, here it goes:

I’M GIVING AWAY A COPY OF LINGER!!!!!!

Yes, you heard right. Thanks to the folks at Scholastic Canada, one lucky Canadian reader will win a copy of Maggie Steifvater’s amazing Linger. Maggie’s also stopping by tomorrow to answer a few of my questions about her Wolves of Mercy Falls series.

So check back tomorrow for your chance to win and see what Maggie has to say about wolf mythology, music and seasons.