Here's a little bit about Dawn in her own words.
I have no good excuse for the way I write. I lived in a normal, loving, suburban home, studied hard, went to college, went to graduate school, got married, had babies, and settled down in northern Connecticut. Despite this wholesome lifestyle, I was clearly corrupted by fairy tales, puppet visionaries, British humour and graphic novels. As a result, I write dark, quirky, and sometimes humorous speculative fiction.
1. What were you like as a child?
Extremely creative and over-sensitive. Seeing sensationalistic news or other children crying always made me feel very sad and aching to help. I wanted to simultaneously thwart cruel injustice and give everyone a big hug, a feeling somewhere between "magic fairy princess" and "avenging superheroine" existing in a Truman Show-esque universe. I blame this on an over-active imagination and being raised by high school sweethearts from the 60's. I was weird and very tall.
2. Do you remember the book that made you want to become a writer?
No. I just wanted to be a writer. It was how I communicated with my parents when emotions choked me up and I couldn't get the words out. It was a quick trip from reading Dr. Seuss to making up my own poems and stories.
3. Can you share a little on what your novel incubation process is like from the idea to the actual writing?
Mostly an idea will just hit me from out of nowhere: WHAM! I liken this to my Muse whaling on my head with a baseball bat labeled "Epiphany." I hurry to write down the salient details, maybe some characters, a quote or bit of dialogue, and then settle back to doing whatever I was doing at the time (driving, walking, sleeping, etc.) but more often than not, the idea keeps coming or shows up in its entirety and demands to be heard. Right NOW. This is especially difficult when I'm already involved in a work-in-progress and then I must tell my shiny new idea to very kindly shut up and wait patiently until I'm ready. Usually 1-3 chapters and a rough outline will quiet these sparkly inspirations for a spell, but I feel their metaphorical eyes on me, begging me to type faster. I write roughly 2,000-3,000 words a day, but it's nowhere near enough time to get to all of them. I usually have a good cache of 2-3 ideas ready to go at any one time. Of course, I have a "real life" too that includes work, husband, kids, etc. so balancing all of this along with blogs, Facebook, Twitter and such is something I'm still learning to handle before paranoid schizophrenia takes over.
What was that?!?
4. Can you share a little on how the idea for Luminous came about?
Firstly, I am a geek prone to geeky conversations. One such geeky conversation was talking about how heroes, specifically superheroes, have changed over time but show up when history was in real turmoil and problems seemed larger-than-life. This is when writers and artists created larger-than-life characters and storylines to match (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon is a great book about this!) and while the first heroes were squeaky clean patriots (Superman, Captain America, etc.) the next were dark vigilantes, taking justice into their own hands (Batman, Punisher, etc.) and then we had the "everyman" trying to be good and balancing the gray between extremes (Spiderman, The Hulk, etc.). The idea for LUMINOUS was back in the beginning of the war with Afghanistan and Iraq and I pointed out that we were currently in a "patriot-vigilante" period; i.e.: Jack Bauer from 24. This segued into a rant about why there weren't enough good minority superheroes or female superheroines who weren't sexy pin-up girls in spandex? I suddenly remembered a picture of a skeleton in a big, flowered hat (La Calavera Catrina from artist José Guadelupe Posada) and said, "I'd like to see them sex up a girl skeleton!" And there it was: a latina, paranormal superheroine ala Dia de los Muertos. And her story came in a rush. It was one of those, "Whoa...did I just think of that?" moments. And the truth was, it wasn't just me--the best, brightest, most creative ideas come from conversations with other creative, brilliant people inspired by artists, singers, and writers we've known before. I really believe the best art is co-created and have lots of people to thank, directly and indirectly for it.
5. What’s your writing ritual like?
I sit down at my computer when everyone is out of the house or sleeping and I write. I write for hours until I have to go do something else like pick up the kids, get something to eat, or go to karate class. Otherwise, I'd still be there, typing amidst my messy desk full of Post-Its, doodles, and notebooks, madly typing away until I fall asleep on my keyboard.
6. What’s your favorite aspect about writing and what don’t you like?
My favorite thing is sinking into the world so completely that it's like sleep-walking, I'm exploring the world as it unfolds like a kid at a carnival. It's bliss. The one thing I really don't like (besides revising and revising and revising) is how solitary writing is. I'm a very extroverted, social person and being at my computer for too much of the day makes me insular and itchy. I'm fortunate to be part of many writer's groups and communities online, from the Tenners and Elevensies to the Enchanted Inkpot and Fangs, Fur & Fey, Verla Kay's Blueboards, SCBWI.org and my own group of critique partners and friends. However, I long for human contact (I live in a very quaint and quiet part of New England that's...very, very quaint and very, very quiet.) I absolutely crave and adore conference time when I am surrounded by the aforementioned brilliant and creative people talking about books, writing, craft and passion. I need this like oxygen and printer's ink.
7. What are the hardest scenes for you to write and which are the easiest e.g. action scenes, love scenes, etc? How do you overcome the hard scenes?
Anything that is psychologically painful or embarrassingly romantic is often difficult for me. Action? Fine. Angst? Fine. Quirky/sicko/twisted stuff? No problem. But something that confronts me as a woman, a mother, a GLBTQ advocate, and/or a Jewish liberal can often push me to *really* want to do something else...like clean every room in the house or burrow through closets for things to give to charity. Right motivation, wrong time! Learning to separate myself from my characters is part of the writing process for me and allowing characters to have different opinions, thoughts, actions or emotions is part of the letting go. But it isn't always easy.
Sort of like love scenes: I'm a sex educator so I'm not squeamish about anything having to do with sex, but romance? Er... I have a hard time writing something that feels true for me that would also feel true to someone else; the moment is so personal, so visceral, that experiencing it in words seems cliche. The weird thing is I know a lot of writers who do it well and so I try to study how they do it. Mostly it's the build-up to the actual moment more than the moment itself that creates the heart-pounding tension and emotional stakes so I try to remember to pace that into the writing when I know there will be a big romantic element between characters.
8. Of all the books that’s been published which book(s) apart from Harry Potter did you wish you had written and why?
NEVERWHERE by Neil Gaiman, MINDKILLER by Spider Robinson, and UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld. These were books that so blew me away because they were a) brilliantly written, b) expressing something bigger than the story itself, & c) focused on things I actually was passionate about, too. I remember distinctly putting down UGLIES and saying, "I wish I would have written this book." But, of course, Scott Westerfeld did a masterful job and I could only sit back and fangirl it from afar.
9. Looking back on your journey as a writer, what advice would you give yourself when you were starting out?
Listen to your gut.
10. How has your life changed pre and post agent?
Well, I'll have to get back to you on that because I received my offer directly from my editor, sans agent. I then got an agent, but that relationship didn't work out, so that year was all sorts of shall-not-be-mentioned stress. Now I have a marvelous new agent and he's been wonderful coaching me through the process of this wild and wacky biz! And, with the next book out on sub, he's really getting to show his stuff. I'm very lucky and very grateful. Stay tuned for more pompoms soon!
11. How would you like people to see you as an author?
Hopefully, an approachable one. I love to Pay It Forward and want other people to have as smooth a transition into the world of publishing and the incredible community of writers as possible. There are so many knowledgeable and generous people to whom I owe my remaining sanity that I would like to be considered one of those authors who makes a difference for somebody else, someday.
12. Can you please give us your writing mantra in 15 words or less.
Only if I can borrow some words from other authors:
"Butt In Chair." (Jane Yolen) "Embrace the Suck." (Jackson Pearce) "Don't Forget To Be Awesome!" (John Green) & "You are unstoppable!" (Me)
Thanks so much for the entertaining interview, Dawn. You can learn more about Dawn on her blog.
- Mood:
bouncy
Here's a quick bio of Tessa in her own words:
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a wizard or a paleontologist. But since I couldn't find anyone to teach me how to turn my neighbor into a frog and there isn't much call for dinosaur handlers these days, I just write about magic and monsters instead!
So let's welcome Tessa.
1. What were you like as a child?
I was brilliant, of course. ;) In elementary school, I think I was a bit of a bully, and forced my imagination on others (like the time I wouldn’t let this girl sit on the swing next to me because there was an invisible dragon sitting there. One of my finer moments. Or not.) I read constantly, drew pictures of mermaids, and wrote sequels to THE HERO AND THE CROWN and Robin Hood stories. Played “escape from the orphanage” with the neighbor boys.
2. Do you remember the book that made you want to become a writer?
Oh, no, I don’t think there was any one book. BEAUTY by Robin McKinley made me want to live in a fairy tale and have magic… but also when I was a kid I wanted to be about ten different things (writer, ballerina, paleontologist, marine biologist/dolphin trainer, animator) and the top wish was always changing.
3. Can you please share a little on how the idea for Blood Magic came about.
WELL, I’d written a rather boring story about a brother and sister with magical powers, and Maggie and Brenna (my crit partners) told me I needed monsters. So I thought, “how can I make this magic less boring? OH I KNOW BLOOD. Blood makes everything better.” I’ve been obsessed with 18th century body-snatching and the quest for immortality for a long time, and those things just sort of… made their way into the story. Plus kissing in cemeteries – where can you go wrong with that?
4. What’s your writing ritual like?
I get up at 5:15, push the coffee button, brush my teeth, then sit down to check my email. Then I write-write-write until I get hungry. I love sunrise, and writing at that time of day is perfect for me.
5. What’s your favorite aspect about writing and what don’t you like?
I had to skip this question and come back, because it’s really complicated. I don’t think I’ve ever tried to narrow down my absolute favorite part… but I think it would have to be that moment where a reader lets me know that she GOT what I was writing. Like, proof that I managed to communicate exactly what I was trying to communicate. Because that’s what writing is really about for me: using stories to communicate some truth.
I don’t like all the waiting. Waiting is a given in the writing world, and it pretty much sucks.
6. What are the hardest scenes for you to write and which are the easiest e.g. action scenes, love scenes, etc? How do you overcome the hard scenes?
Action scenes – they’re very hard technically. To get everything down in a cohesive narrative that makes sense…. It’s tough. I just push through, read them out loud, and occasionally draw diagrams and maps.
It’s also hard to write intensely emotional scenes, but I also love it. I love trying to find the right words to communicate the hardest emotions (grief, love, fury). It’s a challenge, and I love that.
(Actually, I adore writing “love” scenes. By which I mean sexy tense kissing or non-kissing scenes. There are two in Blood Magic that almost killed me they were so much fun to write.)
7. Of all the books that’s been published which book(s) did you wish you had written and why?
Harry Potter – because then I’d be rich. ;)
8. Looking back on your journey as a writer, what advice would you give yourself when you were starting out?
Trust yourself.
9. How has your life changed pre and post Merry Sisters Of Fate?
Hooking up with Maggie and Brenna and starting Merry Fates changed the way I write in almost every way. Nothing else has made my writing tighter, my ideas sharper… I would not be where I am without Merry Fates.
10. How would you like people to see you as an author?
Fascinating! I want to fascinate people!
11. Can you please give us your writing mantra in 15 words or less.
“I am mad, but I choose this madness.” – Gloria Anzaldua
Thanks so much for stopping by Tessa. If you want to find out more about Tessa Gratton and BLOOD MAGIC you can visit her at
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tessagratton- Mood:
chipper
I took one look at the little ragamuffin and knew exactly what was going to happen. If we didn’t find kitty’s owner, we’d keep it and I’d end up being the primary caregiver once the novelty of a new pet had worn off. I had to nip this in the bud quickly.
“Just till the end of the week,” I said. “If we can’t find its owner by then, we’ll find it another home, so don’t get attached.”
I’m sure you already know how this fiasco ends. There’s no such thing as “don’t get attached” when it comes to a cat.
Not when it’s just a few months old.
Not when it can stare up at you with those huge, goggly eyes.
And especially not when it’s a dead ringer for Puss In Boots from Shrek.
I suppose the first clue I had that the cat was hatching its nefarious plot to keep us was when Kraken’s dad got out a box and started to line it with a cushion and then rig up a drink bottle.
Me: Wait, hang on. Why are you making that, that … thing?
KD : The cat needs someplace to sleep at night. Surely, you don’t want to wake up in the morning and find her curled up next to your pillow, do you? Silly, Mommy.
Well, I suppose. I mean who knew where it had been and the last thing I wanted was to find it in my bed. It’s probably like the Mayflower for fleas and stuff.
And then the next day, Kraken started to call it Butterscotch.
Me : Wait, hang on. You named the cat? You can’t name the cat. We’re not keeping it.
Kraken : We can’t possibly keep calling her kitty, now can we? Silly Mommy.
I will not get attached to it. I will NOT get attached to it.
By the end of the week, Kraken and Kraken’s Dad were completely smittened and the cat had its own collar (it’s got a bell. A BELL!), kitty litter, dish and a jumbo pack of WHISKERS JUNIOR.
And still I resisted. I thought that if I refused to take part in its care – I absolutely will not feed it or change its litter lining or bathe it – then I would not get attached to it and there was still hope that we would find it another home.
Right? RIGHT??!
Then one morning, while the whole family was still asleep, I went out into the living room and found the cat mewing and looking mournfully at me with its huge, goggly eyes. So I did the only thing I could do. I took out its dish and poured some kibble into it.
DAMMIT.
A few nights back, I caught myself watching Butterscotch bat around a plastic bag for ten whole minutes while Law & Order : Special Victims Unit was on TV. Right then, I knew I was in trouble. The last time I was so enamored by something so mundane was when Kraken was 3 months old and she had just discovered the ceiling fan. I would watch her watch the blades go round and round and think that it was the most fascinating thing in the world.
There’s no denying it. I am falling in love with that damn cat.
That was over a month ago. No one has stepped forward to claim her so I suppose we are obliged to keep her. I have never had a cat before so everything is a learning curve. I have to get used to her ambushing my ankle while I’m doing the dishes and looking on top of the dining table when she's not in her usual corner and get used to the fact that I can call for her until I am purple in the face and she will never come.
Now I’m dreading the day when Kraken will come home with a grungy-looking boy with body piercing and a tattoo that says “Hell’s Angel” and go, “Mommy, look. This is my boyfriend, Slash. His parents kicked him out because he set his last school on fire. Can he crash at our place for a few days until his parents calm down and take him back?”
- Mood: bouncy
Oh, and she can make a wicked batch of cookies that are as big as your head and anyone who can do that deserves to be Queen Of America.
The last book from her Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, FOREVER, releases on July 12. It'll bring to a close the love story between Sam and Grace that began in SHIVER. And knowing Maggie, it will be poignant and heartbreaking with lots of blood and kissing in between.
Here's the trailer for FOREVER. I think it ties very nicely with the trailers from the other books in the series. I can't wait to see how it all plays out.
Dad : There’s a ghost in your bathroom.
Me : (Blink.)
Dad : Don’t worry. It’s harmless.
Me : (Blink. Blink.)
Dad : I don’t mean to alarm you. I just thought you should know.
Me : WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS?!!
Or
Dad : Before you buy the flat, bring a cat into the house.
Me : (Wonders where to get a cat) Why?
Dad : Because if there’s a ghost in it, the cat will freak out.
Me : !!!!!
My dad is the kind of person who believes in things that cannot be explained away by science like restless spirits, feng shui, talismans and charka alignments. Living in a part of the world that is deeply rooted in superstition seems to provide a solid foundation for his beliefs.
When I was 9, I stumbled upon his stash of T. Lobsang Rampa books and found myself inducted into the world of astral projection, third eyes and auras. I think my dad is the reason why I am subconsciously drawn to the paranormal / urban fantasy genre and why all my WIPs seem to revolve around things that are unexplained.
The first house I lived in was an old two-storey building made of wood. It had five rooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms, an outhouse and plenty of yard space. Years after we’ve moved out, my dad told me that the house was haunted. Being in my rebellious phase, I rolled my eyes and challenged him : if it was haunted, then how come I never saw any ghosts? He patiently explained that because there were so many of us living there, our positive energy far outweighed the ghost’s negative energy, thus the ghost was kept at bay. There were 11 of us living in the house at the time.
A few years back I ran into an ex-classmate. At some point down the line, our old house had passed down to her family. She told me that the house was haunted. She related how there would be mysterious footsteps late in the night and that they could sometimes hear a woman crying. I asked her how many people were living there. She told me 5.
Some day I will base a character in one of my WIPs after my dad but in the meantime he is a handy person to have around in the event of a zombie apocalypse or if you have an ectoplasmic squatter in your bathroom.
Oh and in case you’re wondering, my bathroom is currently a ghost-free zone.
- Mood:
nostalgic
Procrastination Inc. Proudly Presents
A Mommy & Kraken Production
Romeo & Juliet
Staring
Daisy as Romeo
Aileen as Juliet
Hiro as Tybalt
Disclaimer : No soft toys were harmed during the making of this production.
- Mood: bouncy
Taylor is staring out the window, his gaze on the gorgeous city skyline, his eyes seeing nothing. His arms are folded across his chest, his fingers tucked under his armpits, body turned slightly away from me. His lower lip is absently drawn out into a pout, petulant, yet sexy at the same time. I wonder if he realizes the effect it has on girls.
He wouldn’t choose to sit in the back with me, of course, but Louis had grabbed us and plowed through the sea of hysterical teens, shoving us haphazardly inside the SUV. Someone had ripped the scarf off my hair, while someone else had scratched my arm. The crowd had been wilder than usual today but I am too new at this, too intoxicated by my youth, to be seriously freaked.
The adrenaline from the mall tour is still buzzing in my system. We had done an energetic dance number, signed a kazillion posters and CDs, then ended our stint with a meet-and-greet session with the winners of an MTV contest. I still can’t believe how big a phenomenon ‘Hello, Chelsea!’ had gotten to be; one spin-off series, a triple platinum-selling soundtrack, with talks of a movie. The exhilaration inside me is so big I can hardly contain it. I need to share it with someone and Taylor is the only other person here who would get what I am feeling. I place my hand casually on his thigh.
He jerks away instantly, as if I had splashed acid on his lap.
“What the hell, Stina - ?!”
He scowls. From that angle, the sun catches his face and I can see the light dusting of foundation that Marcel had applied to give him that healthy tan look. His eyes narrow in anger and the dark eyeliner makes them look even smaller than they really are.
“That was really crazy, huh? I swear that when the crowd started to scream - ”
But Taylor cuts me off. “Don’t pretend that we are friends, Stina. This is a work thing. We fly in, we do our - ”
I watch his mouth as he talks, watch it move and form words that I don’t hear and my stomach does all these weird flips all over again. I had wondered what it would be like to kiss him that first time I saw him through the mirror. I dart forward impulsively and press my mouth to his. He stiffens. For several seconds, he does nothing, but then he starts kissing me back. He leans into me, slides his hands behind my head and laces his fingers through my hair, tugging my weave to tilt my head back. His breath smells bitter, like the after taste of mouthwash mixed in with the sharp tang of iron. I realize that he’s hungry. He is always grumpy when he’s hungry.
Then abruptly, he pushes me away, the green of his eyes flaring with fury and something else. Confusion.
“What are you playing at Stina?” He touches his lips, his fingers half-cradling, half-shielding it. I’m not sure if he’s protecting the kiss or if he’s protecting his lips from me.
( More under the cut )
Balloon sculpture self portrait of kraken.
Wait ... can you call it portrait when it's not exactly a portrait?!!
- Mood: amused
A - Across The Universe - Beth Revis
B - Blood Magic - Tessa Gratton
C - Cloaked - Alex Flinn
D - Dust City - Robery Paul Weston
E - Enchanted Ivy - Sarah Beth Durst / Extraordinary - Nancy Werlin
F - Forever - Maggie Stiefvater / Fury Of The Phoenix - Cindy Pon
G - Girl Saves Boy - Steph Bowe
H - Huntress - Malinda Lo
I - Incarceron - Catherine Fisher
J - Jelicoe Road - Melina Marchetta
K - Keturah and Lord Death - Martine Leavitt
L - Luminous - Dawn Metcalf
M - My Unfair Godmother - Janette Rallison
N - Nightspell - Leah Cypess
O - Once in A Blue Moon - Ellen Schreiber
P - Paranormalcy - Kirsten White
Q - Queen in Exile by Donna Hatch
R - Rot and Ruin - Jonathan Maberry
S - Sweetly - Jackson Pearce / Slice of Cherry - Dia Reeves
T - The Near Witch - Victoria Schwab
U - Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
V - Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead
W - Wither -Lauren DeStefano
X - XVI - Julia Karr
Y - You - Charles Benoit
Z - Zombies Vs Unicorn - Holly Black
This should be an interesting year. Happy belated 2011 everyone.
- Mood: chipper
In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda’s death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams—a best friend to unlock her sister’s world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all—Miranda has a secret all her own.
Then two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears. Stripped of her former life, Miranda must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister’s demons and her own.
Thanks, Holly, for having me.
- Mood: bouncy
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