ARC GIVEAWAY of HUNTLEY FITZPATRICK's WHAT I THOUGHT WAS TRUE

Huntley Fitzpatrick's new book, WHAT I THOUGH WAS TRUE, will hit your local bookstore in April. Meanwhile, we have an interview with Huntley and an ARC GIVEAWAY of WHAT I THOUGHT WAS TRUE!! HOW COOL IS THAT? Read on for all the details!

HERE'S THE SCOOP ON THE BOOK: Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is.

AND NOW FOR THE INTERVIEW:
Please tell us a little about your everyday life.

Like most writers I know, I lead a double life. I have this wild and crazy family, with a lot of characters and personalities in it—and then I write about other families with lots of characters and personalities. My children tend to get up at the crack of dawn, despite years of bribery to talk them out of this habit. So by the time the youngest ones climb onto the school bus, I feel as though I’ve already lived half the day. I race home with the dog (literally run) and to my computer, with a brief pause for coffee. Then I do my best to stay right there until the first school bus pulls back up in front of the house. Except for when I need to block out a scene, or talk one out aloud. When I get stuck, I drive to the beach and walk, pausing to scribble down ideas. Switching gears from whatever is happening in the story to the real world is always hard. I need to come up with some ritual for this—ruby slippers or the like. When everyone is home it’s wall to wall dinner and homework and listening and talking until about nine p.m. when the house gets still once again. I try to get in another hour or so of work then, unless I’d rather just take a bubble bath, hang out with my husband or read.

What I Thought Was True is the follow up to the very popular My Life Next Door. Please tell us a bit about how the two books are connected.

They aren’t actually very connected. WITWT does take place in the same area, and there are a few very small sightings of characters from MLND, but the cast of characters is different but, I hope, compelling in their own way. My third book to be published, The Boy Most Likely To IS going to be a companion book to My Life Next Door, although with a different hero and heroine.

Besides your main character, who is your favorite character in this book and why?

The hero, definitely. Much of the book is about who you are as opposed to who people think you are. Cass looks like the classic cool calm and collected, blond beautiful rich boy. Like someone who had everything fall into his lap. But he’s nothing like that at all. And from the start, he sees the heroine for who she is and cares about THAT girl, not her ‘reputation’ or even what she believes about her self. He knows her. I found that really romantic.

Do you have a favorite scene in this book?

Oh yes. There’s a scene where Gwen and Cass, the heroine and hero, find themselves caught in a sudden thunderstorm and take refuge in a boathouse on the beach. It’s pouring, there are no lights, they are both soaking wet…and there’s an awful lot of unspoken words and unfinished business between them, a lot of conflicting emotion. Hardest scene in the book to write…and now my favorite.

Did you always know how this book would end, or did it change as you wrote it?

I knew the big brushstrokes of the ending, but the central drama of the story changed, so I rewrote the final scenes about fifteen times.

Can you tell us a little about your path to publication?

It really does feel as though I followed the yellow brick road. I’d wanted to be a writer since I was five, but wound up becoming (and loving being) an editor for years. When we started having kids, I left my job and we moved from NYC to coastal Massachusetts. Then, a few years ago, I suddenly woke up and HAD to write a book. So I did—carrying the manuscript everywhere, writing on the beach and at playgrounds and school parking lots. I found an agent willing to look at what I turned out, and wrote two manuscripts that didn’t work. Then My Life Next Door, which was totally different than those two but somehow clicked with the agent, then with my publisher, Penguin-Dial for Young Readers. I am honestly still pinching myself that that happened…let alone that I’ve been able to keep writing since then. I don’t think I’ll get over the shock of having a lifelong dream come true, ever.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on the third book, THE BOY MOST LIKELY TO, right now (currently pre-dawn at a hotel in Boston where the kids and I went for vacation). This book means a lot to me—a departure in a lot of ways (dual point of view, returning to a previous world) and I worry a lot about “getting it right”…but luckily, that’s what the main characters struggle with, too. So we’re all in this together. I have a fourth book to do after that, which currently exists mostly in my imagination and in notes in four of those black and white composition notebooks you use in school. Every once in a while, I take a break from Tim and scribble down notes about Wilder (the hero of book four).

Do you have any marketing advice for other writers?

Marketing is like math for me…I know it’s incredibly important, but my brain struggles to process how to DO it. The only advice I have is to be grateful to anyone who offers to talk about your book, to blog about it or review it. Readers and bloggers and fellow writers are what it’s all about in the end.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE DYING TO GET YOUR HANDS ON A COPY OF THIS ARC! TO ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY, PLEASE USE THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW! (if you have problems with the Rafflecopter please tell us in the comments or send me a message through my contact page ).AND GOOD LUCK!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

QUERY CRITIQUE GIVEAWAY FROM MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE SERVICES

Recently I sat down to chat with some pretty amazing traditionally published YA authors who have set up a freelance editing service, Manuscript Critique Services. They offer a wide range of services, from query critiques to partial and full manuscript critiques. Now, they only work with Middle Grade, Young Adult, and New Adult manuscripts, but if that describes your manuscript, be sure to read on for a chance to win a FREE QUERY CRITIQUE. And as if that isn't enough, you'll also find out how you can win some awesome YA books (and maybe even a Kindle).

 But before we get to all that, let me introduce the Manuscript Critique Services team: Jessica Spotswood (Born Wicked), Paula Stokes (Venom), Tara Kelly (Harmonic Feedback), and Elizabeth Richards (Black City). Here's what these ladies had to say:



What brought you all together?

Paula: I guess that was me, which is funny because I'm usually the girl who dreams huge but never quite finds the time to put her plans in motion. Actually, that's kind of how it happened. I know Tara because we are agent-sisters and I know Jess and Liz from the Breathless Reads tour (where I toured as Fiona Paul). I had talked about freelance editing with all of them individually and then after I had two books out I said something like "Hey, maybe we should all get together and do this sometime." And before I knew it, Tara was offering up advice on terms and services, Liz was building a website, and Jess was networking with industry contacts. Me, I was flailing to stay caught up! We really fit well together because we each bring our own editing-related experiences to the table, and we all read widely while gravitating toward different types of stories.






What was your vision behind forming MCS?

Jessica: I am so grateful to writers ahead of me on the publication path who reached back with advice every step of the way. It's really important to me to give back. All four of us feel that way. Yes, MCS charges a fee, but we're not in this for the money. We know what it feels like to strive and struggle to reach that dream of getting a book published. We know how hard it can be to look at a manuscript with objective eyes when you've been slaving over it for months or even years. We want to take the knowledge we've gained ourselves over many years and books and pay it forward.





Paula: I know there are authors out there who think we have no business trying to help other writers get published until we've put out five or ten or whatever number of books, and I understand why they feel like that. But for me, MCS isn't just about "helping people get published." If it was, we'd be "book doctors" doing heavy edits and rewrites of our clients' work. That's not usually a very rewarding experience for either party. Like Jess, I view freelance editing as a chance to give back to the writing community. I go into every editing project thinking "How can I help this person elevate his or her craft?" Whether you go from fair to good or from great to publishable, if you walk away from MCS feeling like you're a better writer, then that's one for the win column.

Please share a writing tip.

 

Tara: Read your writing out loud. If you trip over your words, it's likely that readers will too. Consider rewriting any lines that don't flow right off the tongue. Reading a scene out loud is also a great way to check your dialogue. Does it flow? Does it sound natural? If not, you'll notice right away!




Elizabeth: Have a cliffhanger or reveal on page five of your manuscript, because agents will often ask you to submit the first five pages of your MS along with your query letter. So it’s a great way to encourage them to request the rest of the manuscript, to find out what happens next! Speaking of writing tips, we’ve actually started a new blog series, MCS Minute Masterclass, where each Friday we share a quick writing or editing tip, to help you improve your writing in 60 seconds. So do pop along and check it out, when you next get a spare minute! Also, if there's anything in particular you want help with, just tweet your question to @MS_Critiques and we'll answer it.

Please share a piece of marketing advice.

Jessica: Social media is a conversation, not a microphone. It's fine to share your own news, but - just like in real life, presumably - don't make it all about you! Celebrate friends' good news, commiserate about the ups and downs of writing, share helpful or funny links, chat about your favorite TV show or that cute thing your cat (or kid) did or what you're reading. Respond to @ messages as much as you can. Social media is one way to promote your work, but it's also - and maybe more importantly - a way to make friends and share pieces of yourself with potential readers.

Paula: Figure out which marketing activities you truly enjoy and focus your efforts around those. It's better to have only an active and engaging twitter account than to have blogger, tumbr, twitter, facebook, pinterest, and instragram accounts that you never update. A bad social media presence is worse than no presence at all. This works for offline things too. I have terrible stage fright so if I were to do solo events I would be miserable and anyone watching me would be bored to death. Instead of letting my fear keep me from promoting, I do special things online like twitter parties or epic blog contests, and then try to put together multi-author bookstore events that are more fun and less scary for me. Never forget that other authors are your allies, not your competition.

What is a common mistake you see in queries/manuscripts?

Tara: Opening the story with a meaningless action scene. You know, some random character is running away from someone or something. There's a lot of breathing, gasping, and heart racing going on. But we don't know who this person is or why they're running like a MOFO. So, why should we care? That's the tricky part. Readers have to connect with your characters, on some level, to be invested in what is happening. So, even if your MC is being chased by a 9-foot demonic chipmunk, their personality should be shining through from that first line. Don't waste your first paragraph telling us about the effects of adrenaline. Tell us what they're thinking in that moment. Maybe it's about getting away…or maybe it's about how they wished they'd remembered to brush their teeth that morning. Because who wants to die with smelly breath? Use your imagination here--but give us something to react to or connect to.

Elizabeth: A common mistake we often see in queries are pitch paragraphs that are too vague and don’t specify what the main conflicts are in the story. So before writing your query letter, make a list stating what your character’s action goal is; what their emotional goal is; and what conflicts stand in their way to prevent these things from happening. This is what your story boils down to and what you should base your pitch paragraphs on.

What has been one of your favorite moments in your writing journey?

Jessica: Going on the Breathless Reads tours! It was amazing to meet readers. And I made some incredible friends. Andrea, Marie, Beth, and I really bonded on my first tour and now we go on annual writing retreats. Paula and Liz and I email all the time about the ups and downs of the writing process - plus we started MCS! I feel so lucky to have been part of that campaign.

Elizabeth: Going on the Breathless Reads tour with Paula and Jess! It was so much fun.

AND THAT'S A WRAP! NOW FOR THE CONTEST! You can enter for a chance to win the QUERY CRITIQUE GIVEAWAY (Middle grade, young adult, new adult only; must be used by June 21, 2014) graciously provided by Manuscript Critique Services by commenting below (being sure to leave a way for us to contact you if you win!) or by sending an e-mail to me via my contact page. DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: Friday, December 27 at midnight! One randomly selected commenter will win!
 

You may remember at the beginning of this post that I also hinted at a chance to win some great YA books (Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen, Send me a sign by Tiffany Schmidt, What She Left Behind by yours truly) and maybe even a Kindle...well, to find out how, visit A.C. Gaughen's blog!


 

Gratitude

We’ve been focused on crafting useful posts, and the weeks keep flying by, but I’m taking a minute to push the pause button to reflect on where we’ve been.  Katie McGarry started the YA Fusion group blog in the spring of 2011 as a debut author.  Fast forward to today, and Katie’s debut novel, Pushing the Limits, was just selected as a YALSA 2013 Teens' Top Ten, her second novel, Dare You To, has been nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award, and her third novel, Crash Into You, is about to be released!

Congrats, Katie, and thank you for pulling all of us together into this supportive blog team!  

Over the past two years, we’ve grown to a team of 13 and celebrated more book birthdays and good news.  Some members have needed to pull back as they juggle work and family responsibilities, and we’re excited to welcome two new contributors, Shari Becker and Amber Hart.

Shari's YA debut, The Stellow Project, is scheduled for spring 2015 from Skyscape (Amazon's YA imprint).  Amber's YA novel, Before You, will be published by Kensington in spring 2014.  Shari and Amber will start with guest posts and join our regular schedule as they find a balance with all of their author responsibilities. 

Halloween fun is behind us, and I’m looking forward to the winter holidays.  It’s easy to get swept along in the rush of the season, but I’m going to try to slow down and make time to express gratitude.  My yoga teacher ends each class by asking us to think of something we are grateful for.  I love the website www.dailygood.org for their articles such as, The Neuroscience of Why Gratitude Makes Us Healthier.  You can sign up for inspiration and a 21 Day Gratitude challenge here: http://www.kindspring.org/21day/

To express our gratitude to our readers, YA Fusion will have a December giveaway of some of our favorite books and new releases.  Until then, here's a sneak peak:

Have a great week and good luck to everyone participating in NaNoWriMo!

Namaste,
Kristin Lenz

YA Fusion Welcomes Back Ruta Sepetys--and a Giveaway!

We’re having a banner week at YA Fusion—best-selling author Ruta Sepetys is back to answer questions and give away of copy of her newest offering, Out of the Easy.

When YA Fusion last talked to Ruta, her award-winning debut, Between Shades of Gray, was racing up the charts.  

Since then, Ruta has had her nose to the promotional and writing grindstones.  I’m not sure if there were actual nasal sparks flying, but knowing Ruta I wouldn't be surprised.  She’s made multiple trips to Europe for book signings and lectures, appeared at conferences, and written Out of the Easy.  Here’s the new book’s scoop, straight off the jacket:

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.

To that I would add that this is a well written and delightfully paced character-driven adventure with a splash of mystery and romance in a fun historical setting.  Let's get Ruta's take on the book.

Ruta, thanks for hanging out with YA Fusion, we really appreciate your time.  Start at the beginning, please.  Was there a light bulb moment for Out of the Easy's story and setting?

RS – There was definitely a “light bulb moment!” My introduction to New Orleans came through a vintage pair of opera glasses I received for my birthday. The glasses were still in their original case from the jeweler in New Orleans and they were engraved and dated as a gift from someone named Willie. I’m nuts about history, so I hired a researcher to trace the origin of the glasses. I learned that Willie was a woman from a brothel in the French Quarter. And the jeweler who sold Willie the glasses was poisoned. He ate a dozen oysters in the Quarter and kicked the bucket. You can’t make that stuff up. My fascination with New Orleans was born!

So... the brothels of New Orleans.  Research must have been interesting.  Got a good conversation starter you can share?

RS – Oh my gosh, there were so many incredible research moments. But the most exciting part of the research process involved visiting the former brothel of New Orleans madam Norma Wallace. Willie’s house in the book is based on Norma’s. I was able to go into the house and see exactly where everything took place. It was both fascinating and unsettling.

Out of the Easy has some similarities with Between Shade of Gray—they both have a first person, past-tense female lead who starts off unusually young for a YA, and they both have a strong historical context—but the books are very different.  For one thing, the historical element of Between Shades of Gray is more central to the story.  In some ways, it is the story.  With Out of the Easy, though, the characters are central and the history is context.  Did the process feel different to you while you were doing it?

RS – The process of writing the two books was extremely different – especially on an emotional level. Writing Between Shades of Gray was very difficult because I knew that what I was describing had actually happened but was kept secret for over fifty years. The pain and suffering was very real. Writing Out of the Easy was full of joy. The characters made me laugh and cry but it was a celebration of identity in a very positive way.

Josie, the heroine of Out of the Easy, is very together and capable, yet she still has strong needs and vulnerabilities.  How conscious were you of balancing her strengths and weaknesses?

RS – I’ve met women like Josie Moraine so the character is very real to me. I wanted her surroundings to be a major hurdle that challenged both her strengths and weaknesses. I definitely evaluated that balance as I read my drafts.

The character Jesse builds nicely as the story progresses.  He’s a lot of fun, and I get the feeling you enjoyed writing his scenes.  As he would say, you like him.

RS – I stole Jesse's lines straights from my husband. Yes, I am mad bonkers in love with the hubs.

Please tell us a bit about your writing process.  How much do you outline, and how defined are the plot and characters before you start writing?

RS – I wish I had a specific process. For me it starts with the characters, what they are striving for, and what sort of moral decision I can push them to. I don’t create a detailed outline but I make notes on the specific characters and a loose breakdown of action.

You had a career in music management before becoming a full time writer.  You’re still involved in music education, yes?  Is there a crossover in the work experience?

RS – My experience in the music industry absolutely feeds my writing. I was fortunate to be around so many creative people. After twenty years, the artists encouraged me to leave the business side of the industry and pursue my own creativity. Yes, I’m still involved in music education, mentoring, and am on the board at one of the universities here in Nashville.

What’s next for you, Ruta?  Touring?  New book?

RS – Earlier this year I did an amazing ten-week international tour. I’m now taking the summer to work on my third book. I’ll be touring again September – November 2013 and then on the road again February – May of 2014. I’m really excited because I’ll be hitting Berlin, Krakow, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Tokyo, Bangkok, Budapest, Warsaw, as well as many US cities. It’s a dream and I am so grateful to my publishers and the readers! The full itinerary is listed on my website at:

http://rutasepetys.com/events/

Thank you for having me here at YA Fusion!!

Thanks again to Ruta for sharing her time and a copy of, Out of the Easy.  Readers, if you don’t win this copy, visit a bookstore soon, you won’t be disappointed.

Please comment below to be considered for the drawing. Extra points offered for posting about the contest on Facebook or Twitter (please include mention of this in your comment). Email MUST be included in the comment to be considered. Open to US and Canadian entries only - apologies. Contest closes at midnight EST on 6/16/13.

The Waiting Sky: author interview + GIVEAWAY!

Tornados – deadly, heartbreaking, and yet hauntingly beautiful. This summer I was at an event with author Lara Zielin where she told us about the tornado chase that inspired her latest book, The Waiting Sky. After hearing her account, I knew I had to read the book! It was amazing, and so is Lara’s offer (plus three other opportunities) at the end of this post!!

Here's the cover copy from The Waiting Sky:

Seventeen-year-old Jane McAllister, fleeing a troubled relationship with her alcoholic mom, spends a summer in the plains chasing — of all things — tornados. Somehow the chaos of tornados seems a lot more manageable than her very messy life back home. But, whether Jane returns home to a life of caring for her mother, or whether she strikes out in a different direction becomes the big question. And everyone — her brother, her best friend, and especially the handsome Max — has an opinion on what Jane should do.
But when her mother shows up in Tornado Alley drunk, insisting she come home, Jane fears she may have run out of options. The thought of a new life feels very far away, but not as far away as the last tornado Jane may ever chase, putting not only her life in danger, but the lives of the very people who may care about her most.

 

Lara was gracious enough to answer a few questions for us:

Please tell us a little about your everyday life.
It’s super exciting! I put on a cape and fly around, and then I fight
zombies using nothing but old bedposts. Then I eat cheese and
crackers. Okay, everything I just wrote is a lie – except for the
cheese and crackers part. I LOVE cheese and crackers.

The truth is, I have a full-time day job. So I do that, which is fun,
and then I go home and spend time with my husband, dogs, books, and
manuscripts. It’s a good, good life.

Tell us about the tornado chase that you took. Was it what you
expected? Any close encounters? And how did it inspire The Waiting
Sky?

In 2004, I went on a tornado chase all across tornado alley. It was
like those tours where you pay to go see whales in the ocean, only we
were paying to get up close to crazy weather! I didn't see any
tornadoes, but I saw some funnel clouds and some seriously bad storms.

One of the most surprising things about the tornado chase I was on was
that there was also lots of time on the road to just think, and more
than the bad weather, that’s where a lot of where my inspiration for
The Waiting Sky came from. Because here we were, expecting constant
adrenaline rushes, and instead what we got was hours and hours trapped
in a van with strangers, driving miles and miles. My main character,
Jane, has a similar situation in the book. She leaves a chaotic
situation at her home in Minnesota, and expects to find more chaos in
Tornado Alley, but instead she just has tons and tons of time to think
about how she might be able to change her life.

Besides your main character, who is your favorite character in The
Waiting Sky and why?

I love Ethan, Jane’s brother. First, I pictured him being waaaaay
cute! And secondly, he wants so badly to do the right thing for
himself and his sister, but he really struggles. Sometimes doing the
right thing is really hard. Sometimes it hurts people. Ethan
intellectually realizes this, but it’s still very challenging for him.

Do you have a favorite scene in The Waiting Sky?
I’m a sucker for a romantic moment, so I love it when Jane and her new
love interest, Max, climb into the unfinished barn at night. I’m not
going to say exactly whether any kissing happens, but, um … okay,
kissing TOTALLY HAPPENS.

Did you always know how The Waiting Sky would end, or did it change as you wrote it?
I don’t always know how my novels will end when I start them. So, I
just wrote the ending as it came to me!

You did a terrific job with the tension of the flashbacks...were they
a part of your first draft or did you add them in a later draft?

They were always part of the story, because everything takes place in
Tornado Alley and we have to get a sense of what Jane’s running from.
But omg, my editor helped me make them sooooo much better!

Is there anything you can tell us about how your cover was designed?

The amazing design fairies at Putnam emailed me and were like, “Look!
We threw glitter on some paper and this happened!” and I was like,
“Zomg, I freaking LOVE it!”

Which, okay, that’s not how it went down. But I’m not a designer so I
don’t know the first thing about how these amazing people do this kind
of amazing work. It’s just … well, amazing.

Can you tell us a little about the path to publication of your first
book, Donut Days?

Donut Days was a mess for so long! A big, fat, hot mess. It started
out as chick-lit, which sort of went by the wayside as a genre while I
was writing it. So then I turned it into YA, but the book still wasn’t
very good. With the help of some writing conferences and some writerly
friends, I was able to edit it to a place that an agent accepted it.
But it took a long time. From the time I started the novel to the time
I held the published book in my hands, it was eight years!

What’s next for you?

I am working on a book about a girl who suffers from panic attacks.
It’s called The Sum of Small Things. I hope it will be out in early
2014! Yay!!

If you would like a chance to win a (hardcover!) signed copy of The Waiting Sky (courtesy of Lara!), just leave your e-mail address in the comments section of this post. It’s not required for entry, but we’d also love to hear about what inspired you to write your latest novel! The giveaway (for U.S. residents) is open until Friday, October 12, 2012 at midnight eastern time.

In other giveaway news, you still have until Friday to enter last week’s YAFusion giveaway, Getting Somewhere by Beth Neff. To enter, please leave a comment under last week’s post.

Also, there are giveaways for my own book, What She Left Behind at YA Book Queen (ends Tuesday!) and at Goodreads (ends October 20).

Interview with Tom Ryan + giveaway!!

Tom Ryan's debut YA Contemporary, WAY TO GO is getting lots of great advance buzz, and ARCs (advance reviewer copies) have been snapped up quickly, but there's still one left! What does that mean for you? It means that you have a chance to win an autographed ARC of WAY TO GO!! Plus a bookmark! You can find details at the end of this post. But first, Tom was kind enough to answer a few questions!

 Please tell us about yourself.

I'm a proud Canadian, currently living in Victoria, British Columbia. I grew up on the east coast, in a small town on Cape Breton Island, and although I really love the west coast, I'm an easterner at heart and I can't wait to get back! I've been writing full time for almost two years, but prior to that I had all kinds of cool and crazy jobs. I've done everything from giving career exploration workshops to high schoolers, to building and painting props and sets for children's television shows. It's also probably worth pointing out that I have an awesome, unbelievably supportive partner and the coolest, most adorable dog in the world. Life is pretty good.

What inspired you to write this book?

WAY TO GO was heavily influenced by my teenage memories of summertime in a small seaside town. At heart, WTG is a story about friendship, and the people you lean on when you're young and still trying to figure out who you are.

More specifically, WTG is a teen coming-out story that in some ways reflects my own experiences. Growing up as a gay kid in the 90s wasn't always easy, especially in a remote little town where I often felt as if I was the only person in the world who felt the way I did. I was a voracious reader, and I could have really benefited from reading about other kids like me, but LGBT fiction for teens was almost unheard of at that time. When I began to notice, a few years ago, that books for gay teens were being published more frequently and that they were being positively received, it made me really happy and got my wheels spinning. I wanted to be part of it.

It's easy to forget that it wasn't very long ago when there were very few gay role models in the media, and although we've made leaps and bounds in that regard, being a gay teenager, even in relatively progressive parts of the world, can still be a scary and isolating experience. The spate of gay teen suicides in recent years tells us that there's still a whole lot to be done to put a stop to anti-gay bullying. The "It Gets Better" campaign was an incredibly powerful and important response to that awful trend, and I wholeheartedly believe that books in which LGBT teens see themselves reflected can have a similarly positive impact.

Tell us a bit about your main character.

Danny is 17 and trying to come to terms with who he is while navigating the expectations of his friends and family. He's spent his whole life in a really small town, but now the future is looming and he has no idea where he's going to end up. When he gets into some trouble and has to find a summer job to make up for it, he discovers a passion for cooking and becomes friends with Lisa, a girl from NYC with some problems of her own.

Do you have a favorite scene?

I really like the scene where Lisa invites Danny to a party at her aunt's summer house. Danny gets a glimpse of a world that he'd love to inhabit, but knows he'll never be part of - I think most of us have had that kind of experience at one time or another.

Can you tell us about your path to publication?

I moved to BC when my partner, who is in the navy, was posted across country. For several reasons, it was the perfect opportunity to attempt writing full-time. In one of those fortuitous moments that you hear about happening to other people but never expect to happen to you, I met my editor, Sarah Harvey with Orca Book Publishers, at a writing class she was teaching. I'd been working on another project - an adult novel - that I was going to use to query agents, but the contact was too great to ignore, so I re-focused my energies onto another idea that became WTG. I submitted it to Sarah and she liked it and agreed to take it on. Working with Sarah was great - she's written several great YA novels of her own and she's a fantastic editor. During the editing process I woke up every day feeling as if I was getting a free Master's level education. It was a great experience and I've just signed a contract with Orca for my second book.

Are there any writing courses or books that you would recommend?

There are lots of great books about writing and writers. I'd definitely recommend ON WRITING by Stephen King - it's part memoir and part advice manual and well worth the read, even for non-fans. Last year for Christmas, my partner gave me a four volume collection of Paris Review interviews which is just incredible - Hemingway, Toni Morrison, Alice Munro... dozens of amazing writers going into detail about their writing lives and histories.

What marketing advice do you have for other authors?

Even authors who have massive marketing budgets backing them up (which most of us don't!) should expect to do some work to market their books. How much effort is really up to the author, but I think a web presence is essential. There's no question that the internet is the greatest book marketing tool in history - most importantly, it gives readers a chance to directly connect with writers, which is amazing. I've made lots of great connections and friendships online - via the Apocalypsies, Twitter, Youtube, etc... and the enthusiasm and information that gets shared is priceless. It can be really daunting to tackle online marketing, so it's important to realize going in that it's impossible to be active on all available platforms, so focus instead on the ones that you enjoy and that you'll actually use! Eventually it stops feeling forced and becomes a genuine and enjoyable process. I recently posted a (tongue in cheek!) vlog about book marketing to the Apocalypsies YouTube channel - I'd love to hear what people think! http://youtu.be/JSMru4iaMqs

Tell us about your upcoming second novel.

I'm so excited about it! TAG ALONG (working title - it'll probably change) is in so many ways a total departure from WAY TO GO. It's a four voice story set over the course of one night. I wanted to bring four very different characters together and see what happened. Chapters are narrated by each of the characters, in sequence, which was a really fun challenge to take on. It's scheduled for a fall 2013 release.

TAG ALONG - SYNOPSIS : Andrea, Paul, Candace and Roemi aren’t friends – they barely even know each other – but they do have one thing in common: it’s prom night, and for very different reasons, none of them is at the big event. Over the course of one crazy night, paths are crossed, plans are changed, messages are mixed, and things definitely do not end the way they began.

Interviewer's note: I love this back cover excerpt of WAY TO GO:

Maybe Lisa had appeared out of nowhere for a reason. I was kind of like a frog in a fairy tale who needed a kiss from a princess so he could turn into a prince. Only, instead of a frog, I was a might-be-gay kid who needed straightening out, and instead of a princess, she was a cigarette-smoking, tattooed city girl with a bag full of mix tapes. I figured that was close enough.

FOR A CHANCE TO WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED ARC (advance reviewer copy) of WAY TO GO plus a bookmark, please include an e-mail address in the comments to this post by Friday March 23, 2012 at midnight. (writing out AT and DOT). One person will be randomly selected from all the entries. U.S. and Canadian entrants only please.

BONUS: CLICK here to read the first chapter of WAY TO GO!!!! Also, be sure to check out Tom's webpage and follow him on Twitter

A NEW BOOK FOR A NEW YEAR

On January 3, K.M. Walton's CRACKED will be released!!

Here’s the synopsis of CRACKED from Goodreads:

Sometimes there's no easy way out.

Victor hates his life. He has no friends, gets beaten up at school, and his parents are always criticizing him. Tired of feeling miserable, Victor takes a bottle of his mother's sleeping pills—only to wake up in the hospital.

Bull is angry, and takes all of his rage out on Victor. That makes him feel better, at least a little. But it doesn't stop Bull's grandfather from getting drunk and hitting him. So Bull tries to defend himself with a loaded gun.

When Victor and Bull end up as roommates in the same psych ward, there's no way to escape each other or their problems. Which means things are going to get worse—much worse—before they get better

 (picture of K. M. Walton, author of Cracked)

I read the opening chapters of CRACKED (as can you, at K.M. Walton’s website) and was immediately drawn in by the voices of these two main characters. I can’t wait to read the rest of the story on Tuesday! I asked Kate a few questions about CRACKED …here is what she had to say:

Tracy: Was the first draft of this book in two voices, or is this something that developed along the way?

Kate: While attending one of the SCBWI Winter Conferences, one of the speakers talked about how interesting books are from alternating perspectives. It struck a chord with me. I went back to my hotel room and made a T-chart—one side said “Bully”and the other side said “Victim” and I began bullet pointing a list of character and plot points. Cracked was born!

Tracy:  Did you know all along how the story would end?

Kate: No, I’m a pantser through and through. I never know the endings of my books. I typically start writing with nearly formed characters and some major plot points and see where the characters take it.

Tracy: What inspired you to write this story?

Kate: Anti-bullying was the core principal of my teaching career. I believed it was my job, as the adult, to discuss and address bullying – every single time it reared its hideous head. I wanted my students to see each other for the human beings they were, not the labels or assumptions they attached to each other. CRACKED was a natural write for me because of my passion for the subject.

Tracy: Do we find out what city/state this story takes place in?

Kate: It’s my home town, West Chester , PA. I made up the name of the high school and the hospital – but they’re actually real places.

Tracy: Can you tell us about the inclusion of Cracked in No Name Calling Week?

Kate: I was blown-away-excited when Cracked was chosen to be a part of No Name Calling Week. NNCW is an annual week of educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities. The week was inspired by a young adult novel entitled "The Misfits" by popular author, James Howe (nonamecallingweek.org).

For all of the filmmakers out there, Kate is sponsoring a fantastic BOOK TRAILER CONTEST, which you can read about on her website. The deadline is January 17, and the top prize is $500 CASH and a FILM CRITIQUE by some top industry professionals.

In addition, Kate is offering a chance to win a $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD if you e-mail her a picture of Cracked on the shelf of a bookstore. Details here: