Merry Wanderer of the Night [Search results for interview] 

Fairy Tale Fortnight is officially over! This is our final post, one last time to speak while you are all listening, and we wanted to take this opportunity to express our thanks. It's a bit bittersweet actually. It will be nice for us to have our days back in our control, rather than being consumed with magic and wishes, witches and trolls, but at the same time, we're sure going to miss it. It's been a huge part of these last couple months. We have had such an awesome turn out! There were so very many awesome people who expressed interest and made Fairy Tale Fortnight a part of their April.

This event has been a crazy awesome experience for me! I have had a blast spending so much time in this world of fairy tales and meeting, or getting to know better, so many awesome people! Whether it's my fairy tale soul twin (I'm looking at you, Bonnie) or my Fairy Tale Sister who seems to share my Fairy Tale brain wave length (cue Twilight Zone theme song, and enter Misty!) or bringing my Twitter friends into the Fairy Tale Fun (hello to Enna, Farah, Jayme, Lynn Marie, and Laura) But everyone who participated has made this event great! It really meant a lot that so many people were able to come together and share a love of fairy tales. I hope you all enjoyed this event as much as I did.

in my blog to fill out our survey for the event, and tell us what you thought!

And for all of you who participated, and all of you who read the posts and shared some fairy tale love, Misty and Ashley have one thing to say to you:

THANK YOU!!!

Thank you for joining us, for reading the posts, for writing your own posts, tweeting and spreading the word, putting our button on your sites, talking about it with your friends. Thanks to the authors who took time out of their busy schedules to answer emails and interview questions, write up guest posts and offer giveaway prizes, and generally make these two bloggers shake and shimmy squee. (be glad you couldn't see/hear it... it wasn't pretty) You are all wonderful people, truly amazing and this event would not have been this amazing without you. Again, thank you. Thank you, thank you, and we hope to see you all again next year.

What's that you say?! Next year? Yup! Fairy Tale Fortnight will return again next year. Tell all your friends.

Here is an alphabetical list of all the wonderful participants.
For links to each participants contribution, in my blog to be taken to the schedule

Alanna (giveaway [2], guest post [2]) Alex Flinn (author interview) Ammy Belle (guest post [2]) Andrea (photo guest post) Angelique (video clip) Bonnie (guest post, sent authors to us) Carolyn Turgeon (author interview, giveaway) Cindy Pon (author interview) CSI Librarian (guest post [2]) Curlypow (guest post) Danya (guest post) Diane Zahler (author interview, giveaway) Donna Jo Napoli (author interview, giveaway, video clip) Edie (giveaway) Elie (fill-in game) Elizabeth C. Bunce (author interview, giveaway) Emily (guest post [2]) Enna Isilee (giveaway, guest post [2]) Erika (guest post, video clip) Farrah (video clip) Heather Dixon (guest post) Her Royal Orangeness (guest post) Jaclyn Dolamore (author interview, giveaway, guest post, video clip) Janette Rallison (author interview, giveaway) Jayme (guest post, video clip) Jen (video clip) Jennifer (giveaway, guest post) Jessica Day George (author interview, giveaway, guest post, video hello) JG (fill-in game, giveaway) Khadija (fill-in game) Kristen (giveaway, guest post [2]) Kristen C (giveaway, guest post) Laura (guest post) Liz (video clip) Lynn Marie (video clip) Marissa Meyer (author interview, guest post) Maureen McGowan (fill-in game) Meghan Nuttall Sayres (giveaway) Mel U (guest post [2]) Mette Ivie Harrison (author interview, giveaway, guest post) Midnyte Reader (guest post) Miss Eliza (guest post) Nancy Werlin (giveaway) NoraBell (video clip) One A Day YA (video clip) Sara (guest post, video clip) (and her daughter) Katelin (video clip) Sarah Porter (author interview) Sierra (giveaway [2], guest post [2]) Sheila D (giveaway, guest post) Susan Fletcher (giveaway) Tia Nevitt (author interview) Titania (giveaway, guest post [2]) Tricia (guest post) Velvet (giveaway) Zoë Marriot (author interview, giveaway, guest post, video clip)

Suey came up with a fantastic topic this week:

Many of us have had an opportunity to interview an author, mostly through email, but perhaps even on the phone or in person. In fact, many of you have become experts at author interviews. So this week, let's pretend that we can get in contact with one of our favorite characters and interview them. What would you ask Mr. Darcy if you could send him an email. What would his answers be like? What would you say if you could just call up Liesel or Rudy from The Book Thief and ask them anything? How would they answer your questions? What if you could invite Jo March or Anne Shirley to lunch, what would the conversation be like?

This has been a slow geek week, but don't forget you can answer this at any time! Personally, I had a blast. So don't be shy...call up a character and invite them over for coffee. Or lunch. Or heck, have a dinner party and invite a whole book over.

Children's characters turned out to be popular interview subjects. In fact some of them (like Pigeon) practically forced themselves on the interviewer (in this case, pussreboots). Others, like the Gruffalo, were a bit shy. We're hoping Farm Lane Books can finagle a second, in-depth interview.

Meanwhile, over in the mystery section, Kerrie was lucky enough to interview the ever-so-gracious (but slightly green) Monsieur Poirot, while Margot spent some time knitting and chatting with Miss Marple. J.C. Montgomery tried to crack the enigmatic Raven. And gautami tripathy happened upon Mr. Paul Drake in India, of all places! Rumor has it he might be moving...

A couple of bloggers were adventurous and travelled to meet with their subjects. Between the Covers travelled very far indeed to interview Ned Henry, while Gavin journeyed to Shiraz to talk to Sheherazade.

To represent the classics, Jo talked with a reflective Tess and Rebecca pulled a James Lipton with Owen Meany.

And Erika Lynn went a different route and linked to Sue Grafton's interviews with her own character, Kinsey Millhone.

Then there was the group of intrepid bloggers who went above and beyond. Bookworm interviewed the vampire Lestat (or does he prefer the capitalized The Vampire Lestat?) and Ariel faced Death (who actually looks like a nice Goth girl). Even Cthulhu generously consented to an interview. The brave blogger at It's Dark in the Dark (Cthulhu must've felt right at home) faced the evil one and came out unscathed. We think.

Congratulations to all of this week's geeks for their impressive round-up of interviewees!

Hey everyone! Joining us today is author Daniel Coleman. If you remember back to yesterday, I just reviewed Coleman's novel, Jabberwocky. (click the link to read my review) It was a great story, one I felt definitely did the poem justice, and I'm really happy to have him here on the blog today for an interview! So, here's Daniel! BIO:
When he’s not firefighting, Daniel Coleman spends his free time jumping genres in fiction. In 2006 he discovered small-town living and isn’t looking back. Jabberwocky, a novella, is available now. Hatter comes out June 10th. If you’ve got a few hours to kill he’d be happy to discuss PEZ, ice cream, or Scrabble.
The Interview:
What made you decide to become a writer?
This may seem scripted, but I started writing novels so I could tell the story behind the Jabberwocky poem.

Why Jabberwocky? What made you want to turn this poem into a story?
I learned the poem in college and fell in love with the imagery and heroism. If this monster was so horrible, how could a boy kill it? And what’s the significance of the Tumtum tree? And why was the hero so uffish while he stood there leaning against it? Of course, in any decent hero story there’s got to be a girl involved. Who is she and how does she fit in? For more than a decade the questions percolated in my mind before I came up with the story for Jabberwocky.

If you weren't a writer, what would be your dream job?
I’m the luckiest guy alive because my two dream jobs are writer and Fireman, and I get paid to do both! I’m a Firefighter/Paramedic with the biggest department in Utah. While firefighting involves real life-and-death situations, writing gives me a chance to escape and decide on the outcome for myself. I see people on the worst day of their lives, and I do my best to channel that emotion when I write.

Do you have another project currently in the works? If so, can you share anything about it with us?
I’ve written another novel set in the same world as Jabberwocky. It’s inspired by the Mad Hatter and tells his backstory—how he ended up going mad and why he’s such an influential character in Wonderland. For those who’ve read Jabberwocky, you’ll recognize Chism; he’s one of the main characters in Hatter. It will be available through Amazon on June 10th! The first two chapters are available on my website: www.dcolemanbooks.com.

If you had only one thing to say to your readers, what would it be?
I realize it takes a tremendous amount of trust to try a new author. Your time is valuable and your reading time is invaluable, so I try to make every word worthwhile while building to a surprisingly satisfying climax. But it’s a very small investment to read some sample chapters or download a sample and give it a try.
You heard him folks! Stop by and read a few sample chapters! Also, I think it bears mentioning the right now, you can purchase your own copy as an ebook on Amazon or Smashwords for only. 99! (Link) Jabberwocky Or, you can purchase the paperback for only $4.99! Jabberwocky How great is that?! I definitely recommend checking this book out! And Daniel, thanks again for joining us today! I loved reading your story, loved the interview, and I look forward to reading more from you in the future!

Today's Fairy Tale Fortnight interview totally makes my day. Because it is with the author of my number one most anticipated release of 2012 and will be followed by a review of the book! I cannot even begin to describe how happy I am that Alethea, author of the soon to be released Enchanted agreed to be part of Fairy Tale Fortnight! So check out her awesome interview and then enter the giveaway of WIN that she is donating!

What do you make of the resurgence in popularity for fairy tales? (Once Upon a Time, Grimm, Mirror Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsmen, all within a very short time)? Do you see it as a trend that will sort of peter out, or is it just getting started?

J. R. R. Tolkien once said (and fairy tale scholar Jack Zipes agrees) that fairy tales were 100% guaranteed moneymakers. In these times of extreme economic crisis, doesn't it make sense to bet on a Sure Thing? Even Mama wouldn't disagree with that.

I believe this is a trend that started once upon a time in sixteenth-century Italy. We're definitely on the crest of a fairy tale tidal wave right now. I hope that wave continues for a very, very long time... or until we all live happily ever after. Whichever comes first.

What impact do you think fairy tales have on society (especially with the same tales popping up in various forms in every society)?

Over the years, fairy tales as a whole have been both teaching tools and "urban" legends at the same time. They are typically pro-cleverness, anti-laziness, and sometimes even end more realistically than happily. I think the more unadulterated fairy tales that children are read as part of their growing-up process, the more traditional values they will have, and the better off our society would be.

But we live in a world now where children are protected from such terribly, bloody things. Fairy tales are neutered and spoon-fed by Disney, and our children are reading Facebook news links before bedtime. Because THAT seems like the best way to mold our future society. *rolls eyes*

Book in a Tweet: Your fairy tale in 140 characters or less?

Every beloved fairy tale originated with the Woodcutter family. Enchanted is Sunday Woodcutter's story.

Favorite fairy tales: "The Goose Girl" and "Snow White & Rose Red."

Most underrated fairy tale? Every one that hasn't been made into a Disney film: "The Foundling," "Master Maid," "The Seven Swans," "The Little Match Girl," "Tom Thumb"...

Most overrated fairy tale? "Snow White." Every retelling of this tale concentrates so much on the evilness of the queen and not really Snow White herself. (The jury's still out on OUaT, but it's decidedly Regina-centric.) At the end of the Grimm tale, Snow White invites the queen to her wedding and makes her dance in red-hot iron shoes. Doesn't exactly fit the Lily White Mary Sue Princess she's always portrayed as, does it?

Last year we asked everyone’s fairy tale hero/heroine name; this year, we want to know your fairy tale villain name:

According to the online Fairy Tale Name Generator, I am EVIL STEPMOTHER. Ha! Is that even possible?

Using that name, give us a line from your villainous fairy tale:

"Once Upon a Time, a fairy godmother married a widowed prince with two lovely daughters. While the sun shone she was loving and kind, but when the sun set, she locked herself in the tower room and became THE EVIL STEPMOTHER."

If a genie granted you 3 wishes, what would they be?
1. That the Enchanted series continue on long enough for me to tell the stories of all seven Woodcutter sisters
2. That we all be doomed to a happy life
3. The genie's freedom (I am no fairy tale dummy!)

Best way to read fairy tales?

In bed, to a child. Fairy tales are all the more magical when told.

If one of your books was being turned into a movie and you could cast 1 character, which character would you cast and who would play them?

It's funny you should ask! I am a huge movie buff and a fan of many actors, not the least of which is Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. I was writing the last half of Enchanted right about the same time they killed the character of Mr. Eko on the TV show Lost. I was furious! So furious, in fact, that I immediately resurrected him in my book... and thus, Jolicoeur was born. I would be tickled pink if someday a production company 1.) turned Enchanted into a film and 2.) cast Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Jolicoeur.
P.S.- — I kind of come off like I hate Disney in this, but I really don't. Well, okay..I sort of don't.
PPS — I didn't really get to mention THE WONDERLAND ALPHABET — it would be cool if perhaps you could find a way to sneak it in somehow. Stories like Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan are very much fairy tales to today's generation, I think.
What a fabulous interview! Seriously! LOVE! And would that I were a genie that I could grant your first wish! I would love to read more of the Woodcutter sister's stories! I absolutely loved the allusions to the various fairy tales! ____________________________________________

Alright! GIVEAWAY TIME!!

Because Alethea is MADE OF WIN she has donated an awesome gift basket full of Enchanted goodness and Fairy Tale win.

She has donated a finished, signed copy of Enchanted to one lucky winner along with other fun swag and surprise gifts.

TO ENTER: Use the Rafflecopter form below. There are extra entries available for commenting on Enchanted related posts on Ashley's blog — Basically Amazing Books, Misty's blog — The Book Rat and Bonnie's blog — A Backward's Story. The Rafflecopter widget is the same on all three blogs. You can enter through any of our blogs, but you must visit and comment on each individual post for the extra entries.

Giveaway is US only. Ends May 7th.

Visit:
Ashley's Blog Misty's Blog Bonnie's Blog

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click the button to be taken to the
Fairy Tale Fortnight Main Page & Schedule
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This week we are going to continue with the theme started last week and go even further exploring our favorite book characters.

Many of us have had an opportunity to interview an author, mostly through email, but perhaps even on the phone or in person. In fact, many of you have become experts at author interviews. So this week, let's pretend that we can get in contact with one of our favorite characters and interview them. What would you ask Mr. Darcy if you could send him an email. What would his answers be like? What would you say if you could just call up Liesel or Rudy from The Book Thief and ask them anything? How would they answer your questions? What if you could invite Jo March or Anne Shirley to lunch, what would the conversation be like?

So blog about that imagined conversation, or phone discussion, or email exchange. Of course, there may be lots of things we'll have to make up or imagine them saying. But many things we should be able to figure out their answers just from what we know of them in their respective books.

If you need help with what questions to ask them, look around the blogosphere at all the memes we see. Borrow some of those questions. Re-use some of the questions you've asked authors in interviews you've already done. You can really have fun with some questions. For example, ask Elinor from Inkheart what's her favorite book. Ask Heathcliff how he spends his leisure time. Ask Gilbert what he looks for in a girl. Ask Crusoe where he would like to go on his ideal vacation.

You get the idea, right? You can really have some fun with it and get a little silly, or you can be straightforward and serious. But either way, show us how well you know (or maybe don't know) your character and perhaps in the end, we'll all have a whole new perspective about some of our favorite characters! I think that even if we end up with several interviews of the same person, it will be fun to see how differently we each view and perceive them.

Now, have at it and get making those calls and sending those emails to your favorite characters!

Be sure to come back and sign Mr. Linky (that is if I can figure it out since I've never done a Mr. Linky before!) once you've completed your interview, and later let us know about some of the fun interviews you come across on other Weekly Geek blogs.

For my film and essay class we had to read the introduction to The Art of the Personal Essay edited by Phillip Lopate. The introduction made reference to several essays that are in the book, most of which I had never read before. Until I came across one, The Crack-Up by F. Scott Fitzgerald. When Lopate made reference to that essay I exclaimed, "This book has The Crack-Up in it?!?!?!" You can ask my boyfriend, this is a true story. I was thrilled because The Crack-Up was one of the first essays I read and loved, way back in high school, and it was also one of the first times that I realized that essays were the genre I was reading and writing so much. So The Crack-Up holds a very special place in my heart, and I think you all will enjoy it as well.

The essay is basically about hitting rock bottom and what comes with that. Like a growing hatred for everything. I would also say the essay is a bit about being so much part of the time you grew-up in or the time you loved in your life (for Fitzgerald this would probably be the 1920's) and then trying to adjust to time when you are still the person you were during that important time of your life. This is something my mom has talked about before. She grew-up mostly during the 1960's and she often talks about how she can't really understand the world she lives in now because it is so different from the one she grew-up in. This isn't an overt part of the essay and it might not even be something Fitzgerald intended us to see, but it's something that I have taken from the essay. So here is a bit:

As the twenties passed, with my own twenties marching a little ahead of them, my two juvenile regrets- at not being big enough (or good enough) to play football in college, and at not getting overseas during the war- resolved themselves into childish waking dreams of imaginary heroism that were good enough to go to sleep on in restless nights. The big problems of life seemed to solve themselves, and if the business of fixing them was difficult, it made one too tired to think of more general problems.

Life, ten years ago, was largely as personal matter. I must hold in balance the sense of the futility of effort and the sense of the necessity to struggle; the conviction of the inevitability of failure and still the determination to "succeed"- and, more than these, the contradiction between the dead hand of the past and the high intentions of the future. If I could do this through the common ills- domestic, professional and personal- then the ego would continue as an arrow shot from nothingness to nothingness with such force that only gravity would bring it to earth at last.

For seventeen years, with a year of deliberate loafing and resting out in the center- things went on like that, with a new chore only a nice prospect for the next day. I was living hard, too but: "Up to forty-nine it'll be all right," I said."I can count on that. For a man who's lived as I have, that's all you could ask."

-And then, ten years this side of forty-nine, I suddenly realized that I had prematurely cracked.

You can read this essay on Esquire's website, where the essay was originally published. It's about ten pages long in print.

I would also like to share this short film essay, it's only five minutes long. It's an interview between a 14-year-old Beatles fan and John Lennon in Toronto, 1969. A few years ago John Raskin and the boy in the interview, Jerry Levitan, worked with two illustrators to create this really interesting visual representation of the interview.

Jack Black, the stars of "Kung Fu Panda 2, and megastar mom Angelina Jolie, speaks in a U.S. TV show "Extra" at the 64th Annual Cannes Film Festival about the film, tattoos and having more children. 

The other tattoos you see all logged the longitude and latitude of where her adopted kids were born – and when she had another set of mysterious tattoos; people immediately assumed it was because she was about to adopt again.

But now Angie has set the record straight, in her latest Extra interview, about the inking saying that the latest coordinates simply log Brad Pitt’s place of birth.

VIA Angelina Jolie talked about her mysterious tattoo in her latest interview in US TV Show "Extra"

Hey everyone and help me welcome Julianna today! She's a character in the upcoming Never Eighteen and she has agreed to answer a few questions for us today!

If you could change one of your past choices, change one decision that you made, what would it be?

I wish I'd never said yes to Ben.

Austin worried about you, because of the situation with your boyfriend, and made sure to talk to you, to try and persuade you to get out of a dangerous relationship. Do you have any intention of following Austin's advice? Of getting help before it's too late?

It’s already too late. I have no doubt in my mind that if I try to break up with Ben he’ll hurt me again, maybe even kill me this time. He’s threatened it before and I have no reason not to believe him. I stood up to him once—told him I was tired of his shit and that he better stop or I was going to call the cops. You know what he did? He laughed. Then he choked me to the point that I passed out. When I woke up he was leaning over me. Scared the hell out of me. I’ll never forget what he said. “Try to leave again and next time you won’t wake up.”

Austin spent a lot of time thinking about how he wanted to spend that weekend and you were definitely one of his priorities. Does knowing that trying to make sure you would be safe was one of his priorities make you more inclined to listen to his advice? What does knowing that mean to you?

Austin lost his right to care when he broke up with me. I mean, he comes over to my house with Kaylee? Things didn’t exactly end well between us. I was in love with him and he broke my heart. Just because he’s seeing the world through death glasses, doesn’t mean he has the right to butt in where he has no business.

How did you feel at the party, when Austin stepped in front of you?

I wanted to hit him. Such an idiot. He just made everything worse. I got a good beating after that party. One of the worst. Ben didn’t even bother to hit me in places that wouldn’t show like he normally does. I had a black eye, a swollen lip. I had to lie to my parents about what happened. If he wasn’t already dying, I might just kill him.

What would you say has been the defining moment or experience of your life so far?

Defining moment? I don’t have any defining moments. The only thing that defines me is Ben. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

Oh Julianna! It's never too late! This interview is breaking my heart, because I know that there are people who feel this way. So I'm going to take a moment here to just say — There is never such this as too late. Find people who you can talk to, who can help you. There are always options!

ALSO — Megan has been generous enough to donate some fun & awesome swag!! Just leave me a comment with your email address AND a statement related to Never Eighteen or the character interview above!


The swag pack includes a bookmark, sticker, bracelet, notebook, pen, temporary tattoo, a button, pack of tissues and a CD of songs that inspired the novel. This giveaway is also open Internationally and will close in 10 days, on November 9.

Today I have Leslie Dubois joining me, author of the new novel, The Queen Bee of Bridgeton. She's joined us for an interview today, but the interview is a bit different than normal. Rather than answering the questions on her own, all of her answers are direct quotes from the books! It makes for some interesting responses and has definitely made me want to move this book a little higher up the tbr pile! ___________________________________________________

Why dance?

“For me, dancing is like an elegant stream of life-giving water. It nourishes my soul. Without it, I’d shrivel up and die.”

What can we expect to see from you next? Farther in the future?

“In a few days, I’m gonna be a fat flower expert.”

Which character in Queen Bee do you most relate to, or find comes more heavily from your own experiences? Why that character?

“Because I didn’t know the slang or the words to the latest rap song apparently I wasn’t black enough.”

Do you have any writing rituals or superstitions? Things you must do or have in order to write?

“I went to my room and turned on Mozart’s Symphony number 25 in G minor in order to drown out the ghetto symphony of gunshots and sirens.”

What do you do to relax, or de-stress?

“First of all, I’ve played basketball my entire life. It’s the only think that keeps me from going completely insane.”

What are some of your favorite books? Both recent reads and long-time favorites.

“Why couldn’t I be dancing with the Russian Ballet instead?”

___________________________________________________
Thank you so much for joining us today Leslie! I love the quotes even if some of them make me more curious than before.:) Readers, if you would like to win a copy of this book for yourself — Just leave me and Leslie a comment letting us know what interests you about the book, the answers here, or why we should send you a copy. US/Canada only. Ends Monday, May 23 Include email with comment.

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to participate in a live interview this afternoon with George Pelecanos, author of sixteen crime novels, including The Turnaround (2008) and The Way Home (May, 2009).

You can access the interview here. Thanks again to Miriam at Hachette and author George Pelecanos for providing such an amazing opportunity to book bloggers!

And don't forget to enter in my contest to win a copy of The Turnaround. Contest ends on Saturday, April 18th.

And stay tuned for my review of The Turnaround!

Matt Royal is a lawyer in FL who always seems to get into trouble of some sort. His ex-wife, Laura, contacts him. Her stepdaughter, Peggy, is missing and she needs his help to track her down. Since she's a legal adult, the police don't seem concerned. Matt tracks Peggy down to a private island in the Keys, Blood Island. The island, and a number of "questionable" businesses in the area, are all owned by the same Bahamian corporation. Matt soon discovers a hidden world of at-risk teens, drugs, cults, and prostitution. Just as Matt saves Peggy, he uncovers a terrorist plan to destroy several churches in large cities. BLOOD ISLAND is action packed from page one and keeps you hooked til the end. This is my first taste of Griffin's work and I hope to read more of his work in the near future!

H. Terrell Griffin is giving away a signed copy of his book, Blood Island, to one lucky tour visitor. Go to Terry’s book tour page, http://h-terrell-griffin.omnimystery.com/, and enter your name, e-mail address, and this PIN, 5796, for your chance to win. Entries will be accepted until 12:00 Noon (PT) tomorrow (Wednesday). No purchase is required to enter or to win. The winner (first name only) will be announced on Terry’s book tour page next week.

About the Author

H. Terrell Griffin is the author of Blood Island, the third mystery in the Matt Royal series.

Born in Waycross, Georgia, H. Terrell Griffin moved to Sanford, Florida, at the age of twelve. Upon graduation from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. After three years of active duty, he began his studies at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, where he earned degrees in history and law.

A board-certified trial lawyer, Griffin practiced law in Orlando for 38 years. In addition to Blood Island, Griffin is the author of Murder Key and Longboat Blues.

He and his wife Jean divide their time between Longboat Key and Maitland, Florida. His website is HTerrellGriffin.com.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

• In Reference to Murder: Author Interview

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

• Reader's Respite: Book Review
• Lesa's Book Critiques: Author Guest Post

Thursday, December 04, 2008

• The Friendly Book Nook: Author Guest Post

Friday, December 05, 2008

• Murder by 4: Author Interview
• Mystery Reader Discussion: Book Review
• Wendi's Book Corner: Author Guest Post

Saturday, December 06, 2008

• Allie's Musings: Author Interview
• Bookish Ruth: Book Review

Author Bio: Jocelyn Koehler grew up in the wilds of Wisconsin, but now lives in a tiny house in Philadelphia that is filled with books, tea things, and places to read, sleep, and write. She has worked as a librarian, bookseller, editor, archivist, cubicle drone, popcorn popper, and music store clerk. Her books are available through Amazon or through her publisher, Hammer & Birch. Her new book The Way through the Woods, a collection of fairy tales based in the mythical land of the Nine Kingdoms, will be available May 1.

Interview:
What do you make of the resurgence in popularity for fairy tales? (Once Upon a Time, Grimm, Mirror Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsmen, all within a very short time)? Do you see it as a trend that will sort of peter out, or is it just getting started?

There sure have been a lot of movies and TV shows with a fairy tales theme lately. Partly, I think that cynical marketing types do work in cycles. Ten years ago it was all angels, all the time. Then vampires got big. Then zombies stumbled in (I fondly remember a time when not every classic novel had a "zombie" version). So fairy tales might be getting a "what's next?" push. However, I don't believe that fairy tale retellings will vanish next year. Whether it's books, film, or TV, people like these stories, which means that there will always be a market for them.

What impact do you think fairy tales have on society (especially with the same tales popping up in various forms in every society)?

No question... the impact is huge. The themes and messages from fairy tales are absolutely everywhere. During March Madness, the sportscasters drool whenever they get to talk about a "Cinderella" team that makes it to the "big dance." I think it's clear that almost everybody wants to live in a fairy tale of some sort, whether they recognize it or not.

Book in a Tweet: Your fairy tale in 140 characters or less?
Cindrelle defies her stepmother to attend a mysterious ball, falling in love with the prince who gives it. But who is he? Can he be trusted?

Favorite fairy tale:
Picking a single favorite is impossible, but I have to admit that Cinderella is right up there. When I started writing my retellings, the first one I completed was Ashes, Ashes, which is based on the traditional (pre-Disney) Cinderella story, complete with the three-night-long ball and the wish-granting hazel tree.

Most underrated fairy tale?
East of the Sun and West of the Moon doesn't get the attention it deserves. Where's that movie? Come on, one of the main characters is a bear.

Most overrated fairy tale?
I won't name names, but it rhymes with "schmilight."

Last year we asked everyone’s fairy tale hero/heroine name; this year, we want to know your fairy tale villain name:
My best friend once drew a picture of me and titled it Baroness von Blissblok. I'd wear all black, of course.

Using that name, give us a line from your villainous fairy tale:
The Baroness von Blissblok appeared in a cloud of swirling grey mist. "Fools! My tea was lukewarm today. I had to put it in the microwave for thirty seconds. As punishment for slightly inconveniencing me, I vow no one shall smile again!"

If a genie granted you 3 wishes, what would they be?
1. the total extinction of centipedes
2. world peace
3. a long and happy life with my beloved (that one's half-granted already)

Best way to read fairy tales? (i.e. location, snacks, etc)
Think of all the things you should accomplish today. Write them down on a piece of paper. Burn the paper. Then grab your book of fairy tales and a fluffy blanket, curl up on your favorite couch or chair, and start reading. If you find yourself getting hungry, enchant a dog to be your servant (ineffective on cats, trust me). Have the dog make you a cup of tea or cocoa hourly, as needed.

If one of your books was being turned into a movie and you could cast 1 character, which character would you cast and who would play them?
I'd cast Tilda Swinton as the evil stepmother in Ashes, Ashes. Nobody does cool, competent scary like her!

Giveaway: Jocelyn has been generous enough to donate five copies of her book, Ashes, Ashes, to giveaway! It's only available as an ebook, which means that this giveaway is also international! Just leave a meaningful comment on this post and tell us what you liked best about the interview, or why you want to read her book! And, make sure you've filled out the giveaway form!

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Today, I have Michael Mullin visiting us for Fairy Tale Fortnight! Michael is a writer who has two fun fractured fairy tales! He's written 8: The Previously Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf, which is exactly as the title suggests and the story of the 8th dwarf in Snow White's tale and The Plight and Plot of Princess Penny , the story of a girl who gets picked on at school and decides to hire the witch from The Frog Prince to seek revenge. How fun does that sound?!

AND Michael has been generous enough to offer an e copy of each to one lucky winner! AND since they are e-copies, that means it's INTERNATIONAL!:) Details on that at the end of the post! And now — The interview!
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What do you make of the resurgence in popularity for fairy tales? (Once Upon a Time, Grimm, Mirror Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsmen, all within a very short time)? Do you see it as a trend that will sort of peter out, or is it just getting started?

Studio trends are about competition and money. Keeping in mind movies and TV shows are in development for years before the public sees any billboards, it’s not too surprising that similar themes reach the public around the same time. If something is well received, similar projects in development are revised and hurried.

Personally, I hope the trend lasts; it’s a great marketing tool for my eBooks. As long as the executions maintain some level of quality, people will want to read and see retellings. My irrational fear, of course, is that at the moment of my big break, someone decides fairy tale retellings are “so last year”.

What impact do you think fairy tales have on society (especially with the same tales popping up in various forms in every society)?

I think the sanitized versions (Disney and the like) have the most impact, and not much of it is positive. Those princesses are terrible role models for young girls, but that argument has been made often and far better than I ever could.

As far as cross-cultural impact, I defer to Joseph Campbell, who tells us the symbols of myth (including fairy tales) tap into what Jung called the collective unconscious. The trouble is, who’s reading or hearing the originals these days?

Book in a Tweet: Your fairy tale in 140 characters or less?

I have 2 books, so I get 2 tweets, right?

An 8th dwarf named Creepy was banished to the basement for being a misfit loner. Yet he affected the Snow White tale we thought we knew.

A teenage princess hires the witch from The Frog Prince to get revenge on a Mean Girl at school. A troll she meets thinks it’s a bad idea.

Favorite fairy tale:
I’d say The Frog Prince, the early Grimm version in which the transformation comes not from a kiss but from the princess throwing the frog at the wall in disgust. Seems odd behavior to reward, but the symbolic images throughout that story are rich. And I love the King’s no-nonsense attitude about making his daughter keep her promises.

Most underrated fairy tale?
Godfather Death. Surprises me more hasn’t been done with this one. Maybe I’ll do it myself.

Most overrated fairy tale?
Sleeping Beauty. Aside from the ultimate passive heroine, I never liked the idea of the whole kingdom going to sleep to “combat” the spell.

Last year we asked everyone’s fairy tale hero/heroine name; this year, we want to know your fairy tale villain name:
Lincoln La Rogue (Linus, maybe?)

Using that name, give us a line from your villainous fairy tale:
Having been dead for centuries, La Rogue paid no attention to the so-called “life and death” matters with which the townspeople seemed so concerned.

If a genie granted you 3 wishes, what would they be?
I’m assuming I can’t ask for more wishes. (Standard caveat.)

1. Sounds superficial but I’d ask for success. With it comes money and influence that I happen to know I’d use for the greater good – not just on myself.
2. Sounds corny but I’d wish happy lives for my kids.
3. Some oddball superpower, like being able to stop time.

Best way to read fairy tales? (ie location, snacks, etc)
On the living room couch, glass of red wine or scotch in hand.

If one of your books was being turned into a movie and you could cast 1 character, which character would you cast and who would play them?
I think the young woman from the 2010 remake of True Grit would make a good Princess Penny. (Yes, I had to look up her name: Hailee Steinfeld.)
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Thanks so much Michael! I'm totally loving these fairy tale interviews! (Don't tell anyone else, but the FTF interviews are always my favorite!:) )

And now — To win an electronic copy of Michael's books, you need to leave a meaningful comment on this post, something that shows me and Michael that you have read the interview, or are genuinely interested in his books!
You can also get an extra entry by Liking the facebook page for 8 and for Following Michael's Blog. Just let me know in your comment how many of the 3 you did!

AND- make sure you have filled out the main giveaway form so that we can get you your prize! (So, don't be leaving personal info in the comments! Just fill out the form!)

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Bonnie from A Backwards Story has graciously brought us another fantastic interview, as always combining her great questions with our fun silly ones! Today she chats with debut author Victoria Schwab! Enjoy!

1) What were your favorite fairy tales growing up? What drew you to them?
I grew up with Grimm. Well, I grew up with the toned-down versions of Grimm, and then later discovered the originals in all their morbid glory. But what's always drawn me to them, and why I decided to write one, was the FEEL. Fairy tales have this archetypal quality. They SEEM simple, but there's so much at play, and we as readers are only glimpsing a small portion. We never get full lives, only moments, only days. But those glimpses are so chock full of culture and character, and usually magic, that I was and still am captivated by them. It's as much to me about what we don't see, what's already there, as what we do see.

2) Can you tell us more about your upcoming novel, The Near Witch?
The Near Witch is a fairy tale. It's also a ghost story. And a mystery. It is a glimpse into a world where there are no strangers, where there are shadows of past magic. It's a world that's asleep until a set of events--the appearance of a stranger, the disappearance of children--begins to wake it.

3) I would love to know more about how you came up with the story of The Near Witch. What gave you the idea?
It actually all came about from two sentences thought up about six months apart. One was "There are no strangers in the town of Near" and the other was "The wind on the moors is a tricky thing." I knew immediately I wanted to put them together. My first thought was, "Where's Near?" I started to ask questions and explore the village in my head. It was very exploratory at first, organic, just getting to know the place, as told through this girl's voice. Then the mystery began to form from those two sentences.

4) How did you come up with the nursery rhymes and all the back story told in bedtime tales?
Much of it came out of that early exploration. I love, love oral history, the way stories are passed down, so I knew that this would be a part of my fairy tale world. That's how people learn, and truths can be so relative and warped when passed down that way. There is no objectivity, and that was key to this story.

5) What, if any, lore did you use as a model/starting ground when weaving together your own tale?
I didn't really have a model, but I knew the world had to be small. The only way I was going to get the level of detail and believability I needed was if the physical size was confined. Doing that made it so the reader could really (hopefully) visualize, even with less description. Then, there was the issue of the magic. I needed to create a very intuitive system for it, something that felt natural in the truest sense but still had order, rules. So these were the guiding principles of Near--small, tightly woven, natural, intuitive. I knew if I could pull off that foundation, it would help the reader stay in the world, and hopefully, after finishing, cause the world to stay with them.

6) What other ideas are you working on right now?
Right now I'm getting ready to send the draft of my next book, The Archived, off to my editor! It's currently scheduled for next fall, and it is not set in Near. It is Buffy meets The Shining meets a library: p

7) Was it hard coming up with your own lore when you began world-building? How did you bring everything together?
YES. That was single-handedly the most difficult and the most exciting part of this project. I wanted to create a world that would read like it had decades, centuries, of folklore. Everything had to be nuanced and intuitive, and believable, and I wanted it to read like a fairy tale as opposed to a fantasy, which largely came down to tone and execution. It was very messy at first, with scribbled timelines alongside scribbled nursery rhymes, but in the end I hope it feels right and real to the readers. It feels real to me.

8) What are some of your favorite fairy tale inspired novels and/or authors?
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. One of my favorite novels of ALL TIME.

9) If you could live out any fairy tale, what would it be and why?
Little Red Riding Hood, without a doubt. I just love the idea of the big bad wolf (and apparently readers do too, just look at trends in YA), and, in many of the early versions, Little Red is pretty fierce herself. I wrote a short story once, about how MY Little Red would go.

Time for some fun, quirky questions!

~Best fairy tale villain and why?
Villains are my favorite archetypes. I'm going to say Maleficent, for sheer epicness of name.

~Favorite tale from childhood? Favorite tale as an adult?
Again, Little Red. I can't help it.

~Rapunzel is named after lettuce; what odd thing would you be named after if you were in a fairy tale?
I think I would be named after a cloud formation, or the sky, or the stars, because I'm always looking up.

~ Using that name, give us a line from your life as a fairy tale:
Sky goes for a walk while watching clouds and accidentally stumbles off a cliff into a land of magic and evil and magically evil unicorns.

~Would you rather:
- — eat magic beans or golden eggs?
Beans. I'm not really an egg person. Something about the texture. I wonder if golden eggs have a different texture than regular ones. I wonder if they taste expensive. But now I'm also wondering if magic beans cause gas, or if I'm going to end up with some trippy hallucinations or something...

- — style 50ft long hair or polish 100 pairs of glass slippers?
I'll polish those slippers. I can't even keep my own hair styled, and it only comes to my shoulders.

- — have a fairy godmother or a Prince Charming?
Ohhhhhh. Yeah, I am going to have to go with the fairy godmother, because she can help me get Prince Charming, and all that other stuff I probably want.

Today I have an interview with up and coming author Alexandra Bracken. Her novel, Brightly Woven, debuts March 23. The short description of the novel from her website is, "Sydelle Mirabil is living proof that, with a single drop of rain, a life can be changed forever. Tucked away in the farthest reaches of the kingdom, her dusty village has suffered under the weight of a strangely persistent drought. That is, of course, until a wizard wanders into town and brings the rain with him." I haven't read her novel yet, though I plan to, so many of you might be wondering why I chose to interview her. Bracken is unique in that she was working on publishing her novel while she was still in college. She signed with an agent on her 21st birthday and after spending her senior year revising the novel her dream is finally coming true next week. How did she do it you might ask, and I think the work diligence pretty much sums up Bracken's story. I won't just leave it at that though, as follows you can read her answers to my questions about how she balanced school and writing and what path (or paths) she took to get there.

Where did you go to school, when did you graduate, and what did you go?
I went to the College of William and Mary, graduated last Spring, and majored in History and English

Did you start as an English major? What made you decide to become an English major?
When I was applying for schools, I focused on the Virginia area, mostly because I knew I wanted to study Early American History and I would freeze my butt off if I went to school in New England. I had always loved English, but my dad had convinced me to major in History and Government because he wanted me to be a lawyer. BIG mistake. I took one Government class and realized how stupid it was for me NOT to major in English--AKA the subject I really loved.

What were your plans for after graduation? How have those plans been fulfilled or how have they been different than you expected?
Originally, I was going the pre-law route (I'm sure you've all noticed that when you say you're an English major, most people assume that you want to be A) a lawyer or B) a teacher)... but I realized, in the middle of taking the LSAT unfortunately, that being a lawyer would make me MISERABLE, and spent all of the summer between Junior and Senior year moping around without a life plan. My next idea was to work in PR/Communications (which I definitely recommend), but I ended up getting a scholarship to attend the Columbia Publishing Institute and decided to take it. I now work as an editorial assistant in children's publishing. Looking back, it seems like a natural choice since being an author had given me a lot of insight into the business.I'm not sure if it's what I want to be doing forever, but I'm happy to be employed and doing something I enjoy!


What made you decide to take on writing a novel while in college?
I first tried my hand at writing a novel my freshman year--I always say that NaNoWriMo made me very brave, and it's true. I thought I would just give it a go, and ended up getting hooked on the process.

Were you planning to publish this all along?
No... I tried to be very realistic about it and not get my hopes up, but secretly I was hoping I'd be able to sell something before I graduated.


How did you balance school and writing?
I get asked this all the time, and I'm still not sure what the right answer is. I was very disciplined and made a lot of social sacrifices on the weekends. You really do have to find a schedule that works, though. The first three years of college were incredibly reading and writing intensive (I was once assigned 2000 pages of reading a week in my Sophomore year. Not. Fun.), but that helped me write. Knowing that I only had an hour here or two hours there meant that I used that little time for writing and writing alone. When i was working on revisions with my agent, I gave myself a deadline to finish the first round before finals that May. Starting in March, I woke up at 6 AM every day and wrote until I had class at 1 PM, and when I was done with homework at night, I'd be back to revising. I tried getting up at 5 AM and squeezing in an hour of work out time, but... uh... I quickly decided an extra hour of sleep was more important than getting my fitness on.


What advice would you give college students who want to write seriously in college? What advice would you give those who want to publish? What steps should they take?
The advice that I always give to high schoolers and college students that ask me this question is this: While you're in school, focus on being a writer before you focus on being a published author. I really miss the days I had before I was published, when I could write whatever I wanted regardless of how crappy it was and I didn't have to worry about another person's judgment. I can't reinforce this enough, being published in college is like having a full-time job, and one that isn't always fun. It's an incredible amount of stress and pressure to put on yourself, when you're already anxious about exams/papers/what-have-you. Not everyone will have a negative experience, but I would also add that a good portion of my friends thought that I had graduated a semester early because I was so deep in my revision hole that I only surfaced for food and class. School is such a unique and wonderful time, but you don't get to experience it when you're by yourself writing. There are a zillion and a half elements in Brightly Woven that I picked up from the classes I was taking at the time. Be a sponge and absorb as much as possible from your classes and friends. Make sure you're taking advantage of all that college life has to offer, and if you happen to write something that you feel is ready to be seen by the world, go for it! Revise it seriously, submit it to agents, and learn from the feedback you get. Make sure that when you're writing you are happy and excited, because the minute you start feeling stressed out or depressed, it often means that your life has become unbalanced, and you need to step away and refocus.


What advice would you give to English majors about how to make the English major work for them after school?
Okay guys, here's a secret: what matters in the job world isn't necessarily what you majored in, but the internships and work experiences that you have. My current boss didn't hire me because I was an English major (though I'm sure that helped)--she claimed it was because I talked about coordinating our Student Assembly's Thanksgiving airport shuttle rides. So don't discount any work experience you have, regardless of how small or insignificant you think it is. I would also recommend networking with alums in the career field of your choice, and seeking out speciality programs like the Columbia Publishing Course, which often feed you directly into jobs. Besides the fact that companies are always looking for good writers (seriously--critical writing does not tend to be a strength of most business majors), so be sure to always play that up. Plus, you've spent how many years analyzing and forming your own arguments, right? That's another skill you have in the bag.

Alexandra's novel, Brightly Woven, comes out March 23. You can read a longer synopsis if you follow the Brightly Woven link.

The 32-year-old star looked stunning in the Dolce & Gabbana dress, which she teamed with a pair of black Christian Louboutin heels and a sexy side-swept hairstyle.
Red carpet style: Christine teamed her white Dolce & Gabbana dress with a pair of black Christian Louboutin heels
Christine, who presented the National Movie Awards on ITV, spoke recently about her future with Lampard, admitting she wasn't sure if marriage was on the cards.
She said: 'People keep asking when he’s going to ask me to marry him. But I’m the last person who should know that.
'We went to Paris for two days a few weeks ago and suddenly it was, “Look, they’re ring shopping.” No, we weren’t and he certainly hasn’t asked.
Quick change: After her red carpet appearance, Christine changed into three more dresses for the show
'We’ve only been seeing each other a year and a half, which isn’t long enough for me.'
However, Christine added: 'I can’t imagine not being with Frank, and I’d like to enjoy being married to him for a while before having children. Frank would have more tomorrow, but he knows I’m not ready for it.’
Following her walk down the red carpet, Christine changed into a stunning figure-hugging red dress as she began presenting the ITV coverage.
Date night: Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton were another celebrity couple to attend the event
Relaxing: Nicole and Lewis looked as though they were enjoying themselves at the event
She then decided to showcase her sense of style in a further two dresses - a mint green pleated number and a tight knee-length dress.
Other couples to arrive at the ceremony included Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton, who made their first red carpet appearance in a while at the event, held at London's Wembley Arena.
Don't Hold Your Breath singer Nicole wowed in a pretty nude dress and matching sky-high heels, while Hamilton looked smart in his grey three-piece suit.
Screen stars: (Left to right) Jodie Whittaker, Mandy Moore and Georgie Henley all glammed up for the occasion
Nicole spoke recently about her figure, and while she looked stunning on the red carpet, she said she has 'gained a few pounds'.
She told Glamour magazine: 'I’ve grown as a woman to just accept myself. You’re not going to feel great all the time – so you’ve just not got to be hard on yourself.
'Right now I’ve probably gained a few pounds, but it’s OK because at the right time I’ll lose a couple of pounds. When I put my mind to it, I hit the gym.'
Take That opened the night's entertainment with a performance of their never-before-heard single Love, Love - taken from the upcoming X-Men: First Class.
Full-length glamour: Singers Dame Shirley Bassey and X Factor reject Katie Waissel went for all black outfits
Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald were joined on stage by a group of dancers as they performed the bass-thumping track.
But the song didn't go down too well with viewers, with many taking to Twitter to voice their disappointment over the record.
One viewers tweeted: 'Take that are massiveeeee let downs, what the hell is this? and robbie williams just ruins everything.'
Boys will be boys: JLS stars (left to right) Jonathan "JB" Gill, Marvin Humes, Oritse Williams and Aston Merrygold pose on the red carpet
Suited and booted: Inbetweeners stars Blake Harrison, Joe Thomas and Simon Bird look smart
While another added: 'What the chuff happened to Take That's songs when Robbie came back? Awful!'
The first award of the evening was for Best Comedy film, presented by The Inbetweeners stars Blake Harrison, Joe Thomas and Simon Bird.
After shamelessly plugging their own movie, the trio gave the award to Paul, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's alien comedy.
Opening the show: Take That kicked the evening's events off with a performance of their new single Love Love

Men in black: The boys pose up for photographers ahead of their performance
Dame Shirley Bassey was next to take to the stage, ready to present the award for Best Drama.
And the winner was The King's Speech, with Geoffrey Rush accepting the award along with director Tom Hooper and the film's producers.
Explaining star Colin Firth's absence, Rush said: 'Colin Firth sends his apologies. He is off shooting a light comedy, which is a form of therapy I guess.'
And when Hooper took the microphone, he joked: 'I would like to thank the Queen and the Royal Family for thoughtfully arranging the Royal Wedding the Friday before the release of The King's Speech DVD.'
Winners: Nick Frost and Simon Pegg accept the Best Comedy Award for their alien movie Paul
Speech time: Mandy Moore accepts the Best Animation award for Tangled, while Dame Shirley Bassey presented the prize for Best Drama
After an exclusive clip of Cars 2, Lewis Hamilton, who makes a cameo in the movie, presented the award for Best Animation to Disney's Tangled.
Accepting the award was one of the film's main voice characters, Mandy Moore, who looked incredible in a long moss green dress.
But after the diminutive Hamilton had spoken into the microphone, statuesque Mandy had to stoop down to accept the prize.
Performers: JLS got one of the biggest screams of the night when they performed their new single Eyes Wide Shut
Victory: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I producers David Heyman, David Barron and actress Bonnie Wright
James McAvoy was up next, presenting the Best Fantasy prize to Bonnie Wright for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
JLS were the next performers of the evening, performing their new track Eyes Wide Shut.
Alice Eve took to the stage next to present the award for the L'Oreal Paris Performance of the Year award to Colin Firth for The King's Speech.
As Colin couldn't be there, he requested his two on-screen daughters from the film, Freya Wilson and Ramona Marquez, to collect the award on his behalf.
Excited: Colin Firth's on-screen daughters from The King's Speech, Ramona Marquez (left) and Freya Wilson, accepted the Performance of the Year award on his behalf
Tribute: Keith Richards recorded a special video message to Screen Icon winner Johnny Depp
Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick presented the Must-See Movie of the Summer award to Bonnie Wright and the film's producers for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II.
Geoffrey Rush returned to the stage to present the Screen Icon award to Johnny Depp.
Talking about Depp, Rush said: 'Johnny Depp is so cool. He can come to rehearsal in a crazed blouse and a bit of mismatched jewellery and he can look hip - I would look like my mother.'
Success: Eliza Doolittle and Lloyd Wade performed their huge hit Pack Up
Here come the boys: James Corden and James McAvoy were among the guest presenters for the evening
And Depp's other Pirates co-star Keith Richards recorded a special tribute video message in honour of the actor.
In the message, which had been interspersed with footage of Johnny's most famous films, Richards said: 'There ain't another movie star who comes close to this guy. And to think that he didn't even start off as an actor first of all. That's my boy.'
And, as Depp was unable to attend, he recorded a message of thanks for viewers, calling the award a 'sublime honour'.
Eliza Doolittle was the third musical performance of the evening, having changed out of her Missoni dress into a pink crop top and blue pleated skirt.
James Corden was next up, treating viewers to a glimpse of which films to look forward to during the rest of the year.
Gwyneth Paltrow was next to take to the stage, presenting the Special Recognition Award to The King's Speech.
Accepting the award, director Tom Hooper said: 'This isn't the first award we have received for The King's Speech and of all those presenters, I have to say a special thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow for presenting this award.'

In honour: Geoffrey Rush collected the Screen Icon award on behalf of his Pirates of the Caribbean co-star Johnny Depp
Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton interview at the National Movie Awards 2011

Harry Potter wins big at National Movie Awards,click
JLS - Eyes Wide Shut at 'The National Movie Awards'

Eliza Doolittle - Pack Up - National Movie Awards 2011 Live

Simon Pegg interview: Star Trek 2 and Tintin at the National Movie Awards 2011

Eliza Doolittle interview at the National Movie Awards 2011

source: dailymail

VIA Trying to drop a hint, Christine? Ms Bleakley arrives at National Movie Awards

It's been a big day for me! Today I was on KRUI's show Not Your Literati to talk about English Major's Junk Food. It was a great show and if you haven't heard about it before and are in the Iowa City area you should tune in next Sunday at 11 AM. They also put a post about our interview on their blog today, and you can download the interview if you care to listen to it. Just head over to Not Your Literati. They also have posts on their blog about past shows so be sure to check it out!

Last week was crazy busy for me so I didn't get quite as much reading done as I wanted but I was a lot better about getting posts done on time. This week I reviewed Harriet the Spy and Villette. My children's book this week was Old Bear. Rather than writing a review of the children's book this week I decided to do a vlog and read the book. This seemed to work out pretty well so I think I might do this more in the future. Friday I complained about the University of Iowa's Intro to the English Major and yesterday I had a picture of a weird initial letter.

This week I'm planning on finishing three of the four books I'm reading. I'd like to finish The Woman in White, The Jungle, and The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. I'm going to put Pride and Prejudice on hold until I finish those three. I've got three awards recently and I will probably post those this week, and then I'm considering doing a post on literary talk shows. I was inspired to do this by Not Your Literati. There are a few other podcasts I listen to that I'd like to highlight. It should be an exciting week!

Happy Reading!

First, let me apologize for starting 2012 off really lame. I have currently read zero books and published one post (that I didn't even write the bulk of, since it was a guest post.) Things have been really crazy around my house lately and I have found myself lacking the motivation I need to really... well, be me. SO.

BUT... I have a few things planned for this coming week that *should* help get things back on track for me, end the lame & get things moving again. (Including some giveaways, so yay for that:) )

Today though, I do have a link for you guys! Erika at One a Day YA asked if she could interview me a while ago for a blog event and that interview went live today!:)

You can head over to her blog: One a Day Y.A. to see what I have to say about lots of cool stuff, like favorite books, and why I had nightmares of a kid of driving over the lip of a volcano into a sea of oozing, boiling lava... :)

Earlier today, Shanyn posted an awesome interview with Elizabeth Scott. I almost had a review up for today, but didn't manage to finish the book in time, so you'll just have to wait for it. (But I'm sure it's coming soon.:) ) BUT — I definitely think you should go check out Shanyn's interview — Go ahead. This post isn't going any where.

But I also wanted to 'say a few words' about Elizabeth Scott.

Normally, I am a huge fan of those really tough issue books. That is where I generally gravitate and I'll be honest and admit that I'm rarely drawn to the... lighter, more romantic Contemporary fare. But, I kept hearing Scott's name come up as a must read every time someone asked for an awesome & cute & romantic Contemporary recommendation. I saw Something, Maybe and The Unwritten Rule on sale so I snagged them — and Sigh. Something, Maybe was just such an incredibly fun and cute book. Ashley is full of love!! And The Unwritten Rule seriously surprised me too! I didn't expect to like either book so much (although both for different reasons) and I was pleasantly surprised to find myself hugging the book and thinking — Love! when I finished. (If you want to know more about why I love them, the above links take you to my reviews). I haven't read all of Scott's books yet but I own a copy of them all and I plan to read every one of them (hopefully in the near future)

If you haven't given Elizabeth Scott a try yet, I strongly suggest that you do! AND — to make it easy for you, I am also hosting a giveaway for 5 copies of Between Here and Forever. (Note — This is a separate giveaway from the one Shanyn is hosting, so really there are 10 copies available between the two of us.:) )

These books have been donated by Elizabeth Scott (because she is made of awesome) and she is shipping them out herself. Because of this, it is US Only. The giveaway will run through the entire month of November, ending on December 10th. Enter below:)

Today I have an interview with Dani, the main character is the new novel The Babysitter Murders by Janet Ruth Young, set to release later this month. This has been one of my most favorite character interviews thus far because Dani is such an interesting character and my heart just went out to her. You can read my review of Dani's story here.

In the beginning of your story, it seemed to me that you spent a lot of time making sure that other people were happy. Things like, babysitting for Mrs. Alex because it was easier for her, even though you had other things you would have rather done. Do you think this had anything to do with what started happening to you?

That’s a really good observation. I try to be considerate of other people and their feelings and whether they’re being inconvenienced, and maybe I take it a little too far. My therapist said that the bad thoughts get worse when someone is under stress. Possibly the amount of stress I took on while trying to help Mrs. Alex keep her life together contributed to the flareup of the thoughts of harming Alex. To be honest, since I got back to Hawthorne I haven’t been through a time that’s stress-free enough to test out that theory. Maybe some day!

Do you wish that you had done things differently? Maybe made your mom listen that day instead of letting her redirect the conversation?

Maybe when I wanted to quit babysitting and Mrs. Alex didn’t return my phone calls, I should have left a message saying I wasn’t coming back again and just left it at that. There was probably no reason to explain why I had to quit. I thought at the time that I owed her an explanation, but I don’t think that anymore.

Whose reaction to you after the story came out most surprised you? For good or bad.

The thing that most surprised and hurt me was that when my life was in danger my best friend, Shelley, wouldn’t let me hide at her house. We both hurt each other a lot during that time. I hate thinking about it.

What do you do to relax at the end of a stressful day?

I like to do one of three things as strenuously as possible---sing, run, or play tennis. Singing and running get me to breathe when I’m too stressed out to breathe well, and tennis allows me to be as aggressive as possible without hurting anyone. In fact, the more aggressive I am on the court the better it usually is for my team.

You have been through so much recently. Things I can't imagine ever having to face from both internal and external sources. Do you have anything you'd like to say to people out there? Something you would like them to take away from your story?

I would like people to remember that if someone appears to be behaving out of character, that person is still the same person you’ve always known and loved, and they deserve to be treated that way. I also hope that people will stop accepting news stories at face value.

Thanks so much for being interested in me and my thrilling life story.

Wow Dani! Thank you, so much, for taking the time to stop by and share your thoughts with us. I hope that people will learn from your story and grow because yours is definitely a story that invites growth and challenges readers. Again, thank you!