Chocolates, First Loves, Book Crushes: Laura Tims (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Laura Tims is the author of PLEASE DON'T TELL, coming Fall 2015 from HarperCollins.

She's a mental health advocate, a cancer, and a reasonably cute organism. She likes Tumblr, anime, Neko Atsume, Homestuck, Steven Universe, and Undertale. She likes you even more.

She writes books about strange relationships, pain, and people who are scared but good.

FIND LAURA: Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Melanie Conklin (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Melanie Conklin is a writer, reader, and life-long lover of books and those who create them. She lives in South Orange, New Jersey with her husband and two small maniacs, who are thankfully booklovers, too. Melanie spent a decade as a product designer and approaches her writing with the same three-dimensional thinking and fastidious attention to detail. Counting Thyme is her debut middle grade novel, coming from G.P. Putnam’s Sons on April 12, 2016.

FIND MELANIE : Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Brooks Benjamin (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

In sixth grade, Brooks Benjamin formed a New Kids on the Block tribute dance crew called the New Kidz. He wasn’t that good at dancing back then. But now he’s got a new crew—his wife and their dog. They live in Tennessee, where he teaches reading and writing and occasionally busts out a few dance moves. He’s still not that good at it. His first novel, MY SEVENTH-GRADE LIFE IN TIGHTS will be released by Delacorte/Random House (April 12, 2016).

FIND : Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Dana Elmendorf (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Born and raised in small town in Tennessee, Dana now lives in southern California with her husband, two boys and her tiny dog. When she isn't exercising, she can be found geeking out with Mother Nature or scouring the internet for foreign indie bands. After her family’s needs are met, you can find her dreaming up contemporary YA romances with plenty of kissing. Rep'd by Lauren MacLeod with The Strothman Agency.

FIND DANA : Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Ami Allen-Vath (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Ami Allen-Vath was born and mostly raised in Minnesota.

Since college, (SCSU, Hunter College, City College) Ami has performed with Just The Funny improv troupe in Miami, FL. She's also performed in two productions of The Vagina Monologues in Atlanta, GA, the state she met her husband.

She now lives with her family, including their dog Yoda, in New Jersey.

Ami loves great and terrible TV, ice cream, books, and vacations. She loathes cilantro, live birds, and when guys do cartoon impressions.

FIND AMI: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Brittany Cavallaro (Interview)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Brittany Cavallaro is a poet, fiction writer, and old school Sherlockian. She is the author of the poetry collection Girl-King (University of Akron) and is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She earned her BA in literature from Middlebury College and her MFA in poetry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, she's a PhD candidate in English literature at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she teaches creative writing, detective fiction, and lots of other things. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, cat, and collection of deerstalker caps.

FIND BRITTANY: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Shannon M. Parker (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Shannon Parker lives on the Atlantic coast in a house full of boys. She’s traveled to over three dozen countries and has a few dozen more to go. She works in education and can usually be found rescuing dogs, chickens, old houses and wooden boats. Shannon has a weakness for chocolate chip cookies and ridiculous laughter—ideally, at the same time. The Girl Who Fell is her first novel.

FIND SHANNON: Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes: Elise Kova (Interview + Giveaway)

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes is a blog event featuring debut authors answering questions that I have sent them as they talk  about their Valentine's day routines, love, book crushes and more. For a list of all the participating authors, check it out here.

Elise Kova has always had a passion for storytelling. She wrote her first novella, a high-fantasy, in sixth grade. Over the years she's honed her love of literature with everything from fantasy to romance, science fiction to mystery, and whatever else catches her eye.

Elise lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida, where she's currently working on the next installment in her debut YA fantasy series: Air Awakens. She enjoys video games, anime, table-top role playing games, and many other forms of "geekdom."

Find Elise: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Chocolates, First Loves and Book Crushes (A February Book Blog Event)

Hey there Misfit booknerds!!! It's that month again where we all see couples hugging and kissing it out, climbing up to bed and binge watching Netflix with a bowl of popcorn, salted by tears and promises that nobody intends to keep. That's right! It's the apocalypse. No! I mean, it's February!

{BLOG TOUR} The Misfit Interviews: Catherine Doyle

Hello there Misfit Booknerds! For a blog tour, I got to interview the amazing Catherine Doyle, author of Vendetta! Check it out!

What's inspired you to write Vendetta?

• I’ve always been really interested in movies about the criminal underworld. Some of my favorites are about the mafia: The Godfather, Goodfellas, The Departed, Casino. But, I’m also a die-hard fan of everything Disney, and epic romance in general. I wanted to marry the two ideas in a new way for a teenage audience. I just wasn’t sure how. Then one night as I was trying to fall asleep, an image popped into my head. It was five boys doused in shadow, standing side-by-side in front of an old crumbling mansion. I was looking at them through the eyes of someone else – a girl, who was wondering who they were and where they had come from. They were the exact characters I needed, I realized, and they were ready to tell their story. I started writing Vendetta that night. 

How does it feel to finally see your hard work in print?

It is the strangest, most amazing feeling. It really is a dream come true.

How much of Sophie's character is like/unlike you?

The Misfit Interviews: Jasmine Warga

Hello there Misfit Booknerds! It is indeed my pleasure to interview the amazingly talented Jasmine Warga and talk to her about her quirks and most especially her debut novel My Heart and Other Black Holes! Alright! Let's get it started!

SOME DEETS

If you can be stuck in another country or any city in the US besides your hometown, where would you like to be?

• Right now I’m going to say St. Lucia because it is freezing here and I’m desperate for some sunshine and warm weather.

Who is your fictional crush?

• Most recent fictional crush? Maven from Victoria Aveyard’s RED QUEEN. All-time? Pacey from Dawson’s Creek.

What is your guilty pleasure?

• I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. I’m not embarassed of any of the media I enjoy, but I probably watch too much TV so I’ll go with binge-watching TV.

If you have a TV show you’d like to come back on the telly (not Netflix of course) then what will it be?

• Dawson’s Creek! I don’t know how that would work, but I want it. Also, I want a Sons of Anarchy prequel.

How was the #EpicReadsTour in the Harry Potter World? 

• MAGICAL. AMAZING. It was seriously the best. 

Who is the author you wish to work with if you are given the opportunity?

• Victoria Schwab or Nova Ren Suma. Both are brilliant and they write such genre-bending stories and I’d love the opportunity to get a glimpse into how their genius works.

AUTHOR Q'S

Again, congratulations! My Heart and Other Black Holes is a literary success and my friends are starting to go crazy for it. As always, I want to ask, what initially made you write this story?

• Oh, I’m so glad to hear your friends are enjoying it! I initially started to write the book after the unexpected death of one of my closest friends and I woke up with Aysel’s voice in my head. But while my grief served as a chief inspiration, I think the book is ultimately about love (in all its forms, self-love, friendship, etc) and the true saving power of human connection.

Aysel is such an amazing but distraught character. And she has such an unusually honest voice. What would you say makes her different from YA characters that go through these stages of depression?

The Misfit Interviews: Fun Facts with Alex London

So before Alex London heads to the Philippines for his book signing, I decided to ask him a bit about himself! And he cracks me up...most of the time! Here are some things you might want to know about Alex London! :)

1. Do you play any kind of sport?

• I played soccer in elementary school, ran track in middle school, and briefly played lacrosse in high school. I was terrible at all of them.

2. Do you type your manuscripts or write them on paper?

• I type them, using a program called Scrivener

3. Favorite kind of pet?

• DOG!

4. Breakfast combos?

• Coffee and...anything!

5. Pet peeves?

• I can't stand the sound of nail files. For some reason, it's torture to me. 

6. Inspirations for writing novels?

• That question is too big for this answer.

7. Coffee or tea?

• See above.

8. Favorite place to read in?

• Anywhere except the shower. That would not work out well.

9. Favorite TV show binge?

• I always like discovering a new show, but I can always binge on 30 Rock.

10. I really do think you look a bit like John Green, what do you say about that?

• I suppose that means we're both terrible handsome, eh, but I'd love for my book sales to look like his too.

11. What types of music do you listen to?

• Pretty typical nerdy white guy rock-Arcade Fire, Neutral Milk Hotel, Spoon. Also I like the show tunes from Broadway.

12. Odd or weird habits?

• Oh so many...

13. Do you like exercise?

• Like it? I dunno. I do it and feel good afterwards but it does take some effort to get up and run or work out.

14. What's the first thing you bought when you received your first pay check (please say books.LOL)

• Well, one of my first jobs was in a bookstore, and yes, my first paycheck went largely to books, especially because I got a discount for working there!

15. What are you working on right now?

• Writing more books!

So that's it! But PS! I have one question from a friend! :) Her name is Eriele! (Shout out to Eriele! WOO!)

1. Do you get to hang out with David Levithan? Check out DavidLevithanPH on Twitter, coz we die for him and we want him to know how much we love him. :) 

• Ha! Yes, he's an old and dear friend! He'll actually be at my wedding 3 days before I visit the Philippines. I'll tell him y'all said hi. :)

EEEEP! That last one tho! HE'S GETTING MARRIED!!! WHAT THE!? WHAT SHOULD I GIVE HIM!? Anyway, he's gonna have a book signing at SM Aura on August 30th! It's a Saturday, so I'm hoping I can see some of you there! :) Do leave comments below if you are! For more information, check out this post...

See you there! And Alex, thank you to the moon (where we can have coffee for like, 30 minutes?) and  back! :)

The Misfit Interviews with Cammie McGovern

Hi there Misfit Booknerds! So it's another awesome time to raise the spotlight to an amazing author! I interviewed Cammie McGovern, author of the newly released novel, Say What You Will! Get to know her more and how she is as an author! *book shimmy*

BASIC DEETS

What breakfast staple do you usually eat?  

• Smoothies!  I’m trying to get healthier!

As per tradition, what is your favorite color?  

• Green

What TV show are you currently addicted to?  

• Parks and Rec and Modern Family are long-time staples in my life.

Who would you like to do a collaboration with if you were given the chance?   

• I have MANY fellow writers I absolutely adore, but it’s hard for me to imagine collaborating on a long project like a novel (I feel like my first drafts are so horrible that I would never want to show them to anyone—I’d be gripped by self-conciousness and then would quickly become moody and hard to work with…) I could see doing something like a collection of essays or stories featuring kids with disabilities or something like that, maybe! There’s an idea!

AUTHOR STUFF

You started your author career with your first novel Art of Seeing but it was really Eye Contact that made you a breakout star! What would you say inspires you to write these fantastic stories?

• You’re right—EYE CONTACT has been my best selling book so far. I suspect this is because it’s the one that’s closest to my own life. It’s about an autistic boy who witnesses a murder after he’s wandered away from the school playground and into the woods. He’s pretty traumatized and can’t tell anyone what he’s seen so it’s up to his mom to figure out his clues and try to solve the murder. As the mom of an autistic boy, I can say your whole life sometimes feels like you’re trying to figure out clues for what your kid is trying to say.

Say What You Will is your current novel and has been compared to bestsellers like The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. What made you write this story about a girl with cerebral palsy and a neurotic?

• I helped start an organization called WHOLE CHILDREN that runs programs for kids and teens with disabilities which means I’ve gotten to know a LOT of these kids and I want more people to hear some of their stories.  One of the surprising things about teens with disabilities is how much they want the same things as their typically-developing peers—like friendships, love, independence, all of that.  I never would have thought my son was interested in girls and romance and then, bam, he became a teenager and started talking about it!  I was really surprised (and touched.)

When you do research for certain stories, how do you condition yourself for them? Does it take you a while to gather data?

• I read a ton.  Memoirs are fantastic, but you have to make sure you read a few different ones to make sure you aren't copying one person’s story too closely.  I read a lot of books written by people with OCD or some form of anxiety disorder.   It’s fascinating and much more common than you would think!

If you had chance to do a side story of Say What You Will, which of the characters would you wish you can extend the stories of? (Sanjay's story seems great in a way even if he is a jerk)

• What an interesting idea! I love it!   I actually have toyed with the idea of revisiting Amy and Matthew down the line a bit, like when Amy gets toward the end of college, just to see where they’re at.  I LOVED the sequel to IF I STAY where she picked up the story a few years later and the couple are so far apart, so you’re rooting for them to get together all over again.  The thing is, I don’t think I’ll do it any time soon.  My editor says aging the characters too much takes it out of Young Adult and makes it  New Adult book.  So I’d have to think about this more…

Finally, what is your advise for writers (such as myself) who wish to embark in the world of publishing and becoming authors too?

• I think you’re already doing my number one recommendation, which is READ EVERYTHING YOU CAN!  The more you read, the better a writer you become.  It’s as simple as that.  Reading expands your vocabulary, but more importantly, it teaches you about good story development, writing effective sentences, things like that.    My other big suggestion is to write as much as you can and not to get too discouraged when things don’t turn out as great as you were hoping they’d be right away.  This is how it ALWAYS is, even for people who have published many books!  I still re-read first drafts and think, how can I be this bad when I've written books that are good? Terrible first drafts can turn into very good books, it just takes a lot of work. 

DEDICATION

I want to thank Cammie for all of her kindness throughout the process and for giving me the time of day! I LOVE YOU! And you can interact with Cammie too through her social media sites: Twitter, Facebook and her Goodreads! She is really nice!

I wouldn't have done any of this without your support Misfit Booknerds! You are all amazing!

The Misfit Interviews with Marissa Meyer

I never thought this day would come when I can interview one of my favorite authors, Marissa Meyer, author of The Lunar Chronicles. It was a May evening when I asked her if she was willing to do an interview with me and said YES!!! I felt like I won the lottery, I threw a fit at my Aunt's house! Anyway, here is my interview with her! Enjoy!

AUTHOR STUFF

1. What made you write the Lunar Chronicles? Was it a certain fascination towards princesses or something more than that? 

The Misfit Interviews with Bethany Crandell

So, one of my newest author favorites, and my band manager for The Flail Hesitations, Bethany Crandell, joins us in another episode of The Misfit Interviews! Enjoy this one, coz it's a HOOT!

• How many books are in your bookshelf as of 2014?

I just glanced across the room to said bookshelf, and I’d say there are about 50 books on it, however some of those are my kiddos’ books that have migrated into my bedroom. (Much like the Goldfish cracker crumbs under said bookshelf) I’d say 35 are mine. 

• If you had a chance to name a pizza, what would it be?

It would be called, ALL MINE!

And it would have grilled chicken breast, roasted red peppers, provolone cheese, pine nuts and a pretzel crust. This pizza actually does exist. You can find it at The Idyllwild Pizza Co. (Idyllwild, CA) and when we get it…it is, ALL MINE!

•  I guess this is a quintessential, what is your favorite color?

Dusty lilac

•  Writing rituals?

Spearmint Orbit gum. Fire Jolly Ranchers. Quiet.

• If you could be an author for a day, who would you like to be?

I’d like to be me, just without any housework. 

AUTHOR STUFF

The Misfit Interviews with NATALIE WHIPPLE

Hi there Misfit Booknerds!!! This is a monumental occasion! I got to interview Natalie Whipple, author of Transparent, Blindsided, House of Ivy & Sorrow and her newly released book, Relax, I'm A Ninja! And since I'm excited to read her new offering, let me share with you the talk I had with Natalie, here at The Misfit Interviews!!!