Chelsea M. Campbell

Today’s debut Egmont author interview is with Lindsay Eland, author of Scones and Sensibility. Lindsay’s also giving away a vintage lace handkerchief to one lucky winner!

Overly-romantic and overly-dramatic 12-year-old, Polly Madassa, decides to matchmake for the people in her small beach town…whether they want to be or not.

BIO: Lindsay Eland lives in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, their four kids, one dog, three rats, and the various other foxes, bears, and elk that venture into their backyard.

INTERVIEW

1. If you could meet any author in the world, living or dead, who would it be? What would you say to them?

I have to choose just one? I’m terrible at making big decisions like this, Chelsea! But, for you, I will try…I think above everyone else (like Roald Dahl, Polly Horvath, Shannon Hale, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte and Charles Dickens) I’d want to meet Kate Dicamillo because really…she’s just completely and absolutely brilliant. And when I got over the shock of meeting her and she got over her shock at having me standing there shocked in front of her, I’d probably say something interesting and filled with adverbs like, “You are so completely and absolutely brilliant.”

2. What’s your favorite dinosaur? How do you feel about the Brontosaurus being an accidental mix-up of bones and not a real dinosaur?

I have to say that sadly the Brontosauras was my favorite dinosaur and I’m very distraught that it isn’t really one. But then seriously, I think dinosaurs were real, but how can they really know what dinosaurs looked like? I have a feeling that half of the dinosaurs are probably just jumbled up and we’ll eventually find out that they really looked like massive unicorns or something like that.

3. Do you have any “guilty pleasure” shows you watch? If so, what are they and what makes them irresistible?

We don’t have cable at our house, just a DVD player and a TV to watch movies. But when I go to my parents house where there is at least 2000 channels (which are mostly filled with men putting together ridiculously big cars or people redoing their houses or rooms or clothes) I do love myself a little Dog Whisperer…yeah, I know, I’m that pathetic. Still, I think Cesear is amazing and I love, love, love watching it. That show or the one show about people with addictions. It’s either pure innocence or plain old dirt with me, baby.

GIVEAWAY
Lindsay’s giving away a vintage lace handkerchief! How awesome is that? To enter, answer this question in the comments: if you could be any one baked good, what would it be and why? Contest is open to US/CANADA and ends June 2nd.

For day two of Egmont Debut Week, I interviewed Bree Despain, author of The Dark Divine.
Check out the interview and then enter to win a bottle of The Dark Divine nail polish!

A prodigal son

A dangerous love

A deadly secret . . .

I stood back and watched his movements. Daniel had that way about him that could shut me down in an instant. . . . I kicked the gravel a couple of times and worked up my courage again. “Tell me . . . I mean . . . why did you come back? Why now, after all this time?”
Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared—the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in blood. But she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night really held. And when Daniel returns three years later, Grace can no longer deny her attraction to him, despite promising Jude she’ll stay away.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, her actions stir the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind Jude and Daniel’s dark secret . . . and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it—her soul.

BIO: Bree rediscovered her childhood love for creating stories when she took a semester off college to write and direct plays for at-risk, inner-city teens from Philadelphia and New York. She currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband, two young sons, and her beloved TiVo. The Dark Divine is Bree’s debut novel.

INTERVIEW
1. If you could meet any author in the world, living or dead, who would it be? What would you say to them?

Harper Lee. I’d ask her why she stopped writing novels and if she had any other books she wants to write and share with the world.

2. What’s your favorite dinosaur? How do you feel about the Brontosaurus being an accidental mix-up of bones and not a real dinosaur?

Dude, my favorite dinosaur as a kid was always the Brontosaurus! I kept wondering why I never see it in any books or movies now days. My current favorite is the Stygimoloch—but mostly because I love hearing my little 4 year old pronounce its name. (He totally gets it right!)

3. Do you have any “guilty pleasure” shows you watch? If so, what are they and what makes them irresistible?

I think all my television viewing could be considered a guilty pleasure. Right now my faves are THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. Why: Damon and Stefan. And FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. Why: Tim Riggins and um, Tim Riggins. I also love CHUCK and CASTLE because of Chuck and Castle.

GIVEAWAY
Bree has been kind enough to donate a bottle of The Dark Divine nail polish to one lucky winner.

To enter, leave a comment telling me your favorite first kiss in a YA novel. The contest is US/CANADA only and runs from now until June 1st, when I’ll pick a random winner.

This week a few Egmont authors and I have banded together to present a series of short interviews. First up is Kay Cassidy, author of The Cinderella Society. I asked Kay a few VERY IMPORTANT, life changing questions, and not only has she answered them, but she’s also giving away a Cinderella Society glass slipper bookmark!

What a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn’t want to wear it anymore?

Sixteen year old Jess Parker has always been an outsider. So when she receives an invitation to join The Cinderella Society, a secret society of the most popular girls in school, it’s like something out of a fairy tale. Swept up by the Cindys’ magical world of makeovers, and catching the eye of her Prince Charming, Jess feels like she’s finally found her chance to fit in.

Then the Wickeds–led by Jess’s arch-enemy–begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers there’s more to being a Cindy than reinventing yourself on the outside. She has unknowingly become part of a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil, and now the Cindys in charge need Jess for a mission that could change everything.

Overwhelmed, Jess wonders if The Cinderella Society made a mistake in choosing her. Is it a coincidence her new boyfriend doesn’t want to be seen with her in public? And is this glamorous, secret life even what she wants, or will she risk her own happy ending to live up to the expectations of her new sisters?

BIO: Kay Cassidy is the author of teen fiction she wishes was based on her real life. She is the founder of the national Great Scavenger Hunt ContestTM reading program for kids and teens and the host of the inspirational Living Your FiveTM web project. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, movies, music, and reading. Lots and lots of reading. She hopes her debut YA novel, THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY (April 13, 2010 – Egmont), will help girls embrace their inner Cindy.

INTERVIEW
1. If you could meet any author in the world, living or dead, who would it be? What would you say to them?

It would have to be J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter is my favorite series of all time and I would love to chat with her about how she sees the HP world in her mind. I’m sure there are so many things she knows about the world and its history that never made it into a book. I could be a sponge for that for hours. I would even bring cupcakes.

2. What’s your favorite dinosaur? How do you feel about the Brontosaurus being an accidental mix-up of bones and not a real dinosaur?

Fun! Hmm… I’ve always thought a stegosaurus was pretty cool. But it’s funny… I would’ve said a Brontosaurus until I read your follow-up question! I just had to go google that. NO. WAY. Then there really is no giant, sweet, veggie eater? Oh wait, I guess that’s the Apatosaurus then? So yeah, probably that. But I’m still super sad about the Brontosaurus!

3. Do you have any “guilty pleasure” shows you watch? If so, what are they and what makes them irresistible?

I love love LOVE Glee. Partly because it’s so horrible and politically incorrect (read: Sue Sylvester) that you can’t even fathom half the stuff that comes of their mouths (again, Sue) and partly because the music absolutely knocks my socks off. Although I will admit the last few weeks have been a bit old-fashioned in their song choices for me. I really loved the first half of the season’s music like Defying Gravity and the episode where they sang with the deaf show choir. I also love how Glee can make me laugh, cry, and get my musical mojo on all in a single episode. That is just plain brilliant. The scene where Emma is accepting Coach’s proposal with a thousand restrictions and he says quietly, “That’s a better deal than I thought I’d get” just broke me heart.

I’m also a huge fan of Flash Forward. The plotting and twisting and character development is unreal. I didn’t realize until a few weeks in that it’s based on a book. I wanted to go buy it, but didn’t want to spoil the series, so I didn’t. And then I heard that the show is more using the premise of the book than the plot of the book. But I still don’t want to read it for fear of giving away an upcoming twist.

GIVEAWAY
As I mentioned above, Kay has been kind enough to donate a Cinderella Society glass slipper bookmark to one lucky winner!
Just post in the comments between now and May 31st and tell me three words that describe your ideal Prince (or Princess) Charming. The giveaway is open to US/CANADA only, and the winner will be drawn randomly.

The local indie, Village Books, had three copies of my book, face out!

From Drop Box

I worked up enough courage to ask to sign them. The lady there was really nice, so I’m glad I asked. Here they are back on the shelf with little “signed by author” tags sticking out of them.

From Drop Box

From Drop Box

W00T! To the world, The Rise of Renegade X is now 0, but to me it’s more like 3. Weird, no? Now you can buy it IN THE STORE.

To celebrate, I’m revealing this lovely artwork made by the fabulous Laura Freeman. It makes a great tiled wallpaper:

From Drop Box

Those of you who have read the book will probably recognize this scene. I love their expressions, especially Kat’s! They look like they’re ready for anything. I also love the shark peeking out from behind them.