Ask the Author: I.W. Gregorio (None of the Above)

Samstag, 22. August 2015

   Hey!
   For this weeks Ask the Author I'm bringing you someone I'm extremely excited about. I've read her book not too long after it was released back in April and loved it because it was so different. If you're interested you can find my review here. Of course I am talking about the lovely I.W. Gregorio, the author of None of the Above.
   Here is her book and her A's for my Q's:

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio
Published: April 7th 2015 by Balzer + Bray
Number of Pages: 352 Pages (Hardcover)
Series: No

   A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she was born intersex... and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.
   What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?
   When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him.
   But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts."
   Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self? (goodreads.com)

Interview with I.W. Gregorio

   1 – Describe None of the Above in form of a haiku (or twitter pitch).

   Kristin had it all
   Then - do her chromosomes change
   Who she is? And why?

   2 – What inspired you to write a story about a girl that is intersex? Was it to educate those who don’t even know something like that exists, or rather to share a very special and unique story?
   I was inspired to write NOTA after my first experience treating a teenager with AIS - I was struck by how difficult her life must be because intersex is so shrouded with unnecessary stigma and secrecy. So yes, I party wrote my book to increase awareness, and also to make intersex men and women know that their stories are being told.

   3 – How hard was it, especially throughout the first couple of chapters, to balance plot and information’s regarding intersex?
   Extremely difficult! I had to rely a lot on metaphors and have numerous checks and balances (friends, laypeople readers) to tell me when I was being too medical-ly and assuming too much. My editors, Alessandra Balzer, Sara Sargent and Kelsey Murphy, were great about pointing out areas I could clarify or cut out!

   4 – What, besides the obvious, makes Kristin stand out in the sea of female contemporary main characters?
   Her inner strength. What I tried to show was how Kristin at times had to shield her father from her diagnosis (this is something that a lot of kids with medical issues end up doing). It was definitely something she did at her own cost, but many things, especially the decision to have surgery, were done because of her desire to alleviate her father's stress.

   5 – How important, on a scale from 1 to 10 (where 10 is very important), do you think is it for teens and young adults to read books like None of the Above? Do you think they should be read in schools?
   Definitely a 10 (and I've been thrilled that many librarians feel the same way)! I think there are few people who can't learn from my book and, at the same time, be entertained by it. More than ever, kids these days understand that gender is not a binary, and the more people who realize that biology does not equal gender which does not equal sexual orientation, the safer the world will be for LGBTQIA teens, who are at higher risk of suicide and bullying. That's why I think projects like the Rainbow Boxes are so, so important.

   6 - How long did it take you from first idea until publishing deal? And how many queries did it take until you found 'the one'?
   Yikes, about 5 years. I came up with the idea during residency, and had a child, and then moved across the country and started a new job - so you could say I didn't have a lot of free time on my hands! I sent out a lot of queries, then held off on sending fulls when I realized after a very early R&R (after less than 24 hours had gone by!) that I needed to change from dual POV to single narrrative. Then, I got my agent on a partial at a conference :)

   7 – How does it feel like to know that your story is out there right now and anybody can pick it up? Were you scared, anxious, nervous, of the publication day?
   I was definitely anxious. Most of all, I was nervous that no one would read it. That I would put the book out and it would be like shouting into the void. I'd almost rather NOTA be hated rather than ignored (okay, it's awful to be hated). But there's nothing, NOTHING like realizing that strangers are out there reading the book and being moved to talk about it, and about intersex. I'm so, so happy about what little I can do to lift the veil that's shrouding the lives of so many intersex women and men.

   8 – What do you think about the cover? Is it like anything you imagined it might look like?
   I think the cover is perfect. I always knew that this wouldn't be a "girl torso" book, and we had brainstormed some graphical ideas. We've gotten feedback from a lot of booksellers that the cover really pops, so I'm quite happy!

   9 – Who are your three favorite authors? Why?
   Madeleine L'Engle - Because no SFF writer captured the sense of lonely teenager-doom better
   Peter S Beagle - Because The Last Unicorn is still one of the most breathtakingly poignant books I've ever read about loss and regret
   Ellen Raskin - Because her attention to detail, sense of characterization, and compassion for her characters inspires me to this day. Plus she was funny and all of her stories had a terrific mystery/puzzle element.

   10 – Historical fiction or Mysteries?
   Definitely historical fiction! That's why I thought Stacey Lee's Under the Painted Sky. :) Definitely one of my favorite debuts this year.

   11 – If you were forced to participate in The Hunger Games, as female from District 12, what would be your strategy? Fight or flight?
   Fight. But sneakily :)

About the Author

   I. W. Gregorio is a practicing surgeon by day, masked avenging YA writer by night. A graduate of the Yale School of Medicine, she studied creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University. While a surgical resident, she published in the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News and Washington Post. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two children. NONE OF THE ABOVE (Balzer & Bray / HarperCollins, Fall of 2015) is her first novel. She is represented by Jessica Regel of Foundry + Media.

Petty Little Lives - Release day joy!

Dienstag, 18. August 2015

   Hey guys!
   Today is the day I've been waiting for ever since I started writing Petty Little Lives - the overwhelming day it is released to the world. That's right, as of today you can get it as paperback or kindle and finally read it. I still cannot really believe it, despite the fact that my copy of it arrived today in the mail. The feeling of holding your first traditionally published book in your hand is simply one I cannot even begin to describe because there are no words for what I feel.
   I hope all those of you who will give it a try will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing about Sapphire and Roxanna. I hope you won't be disappointed and that you'll just have a good time, Petty Little Lives is a summer type read after all.
   Anyway, here are the links to jump on over to your favorite book buying website and order my lovely little novel:


Amazon: KindlePaperback
Barnes and Nobel: Paperback
Book Depository: Paperback

   Furthermore, don't forget to also head on over to goodreads, or use the widget below, to enter my giveaway of one signed and personalized copy of Petty Little Lives. You have to be from one of the following countries to enter: USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Germany, or Poland. I'm sorry I couldn't make it fully open internationally, maybe in the future it'll be possible. (goodreads.com)


Goodreads Book Giveaway


Petty Little Lives by Alice Reeds

Petty Little Lives

by Alice Reeds


Giveaway ends September 25, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.


Enter Giveaway

   So, that's all for today. I'm going to go and try to figure out how I feel because I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that Petty Little Lives is out today. I'd love to hear your thoughts either down below in the comments (you don't need an account for it) or via twitter, @Alice_Reeds

Cheerio!

Petty Little Lives - News!

Freitag, 14. August 2015

   Hey guys!
   Today I' bringing you more news about Petty Little Lives. The kindle version is currently up for pre-order and the paperback version is live and up for grabs! I'm beyond excited for you guys to finally be able to get it and read it. I'm excited to finally be able to hold it in my own hands.
   What I can tell you is that Petty Little Lives is 316 pages long, which I think is a pretty nice length for a contemporary, especially a summer one. Besides that it's my first traditionally published novel, which in every case is just mind-blowing and exciting, considering I'm merely 21 right now, don't you think?

   Here are the amazon links (surely you can also get it elsewhere):
   Kindle
   Paperback

   Next up I want to tell you about the GoodReads giveaway that goes live tomorrow and will run until September 25th. In that giveaway you can win one signed and personalized copy of Petty Little Lives, but, unfortunately, it's not entirely open internationally. In order of participating you have to be from one of the following countries: USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany or Poland. If you want to check out the giveaway just click here.

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Petty Little Lives by Alice Reeds

Petty Little Lives

by Alice Reeds


Giveaway ends September 25, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.


Enter Giveaway


   I'm also thinking about setting up a giveaway on this blog but I'm not sure just yet. I'll let you know should I decide to do it.

   That's it for now, all the news i have for you. I hope you're just as excited for the release as I am, and that you'll go and enter the giveaway! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below (don't need a account for it) or via twitter, @Alice_Reeds

Cheerio!

Ask the Author: Jenny Thomson (Hell to Pay)

Samstag, 8. August 2015

   Hey guys!
   This week on Ask the Author I'm bringing you Jenny Thomson, author of the Crime Files series. When I first stumbled upon her novel Hell to Pay I immediately knew I had to interview her, and luckily, she agreed.
   Here is her book and her As:

Hell to Pay by Jenny Thomson
Published: April 28th 2015 by Limitless Publishing LLC
Pages: 144 Pages (Paperback)
Series: Yes, #1 in the Crime Files Series

   Nancy Kerr refuses to be a victim - even when she walks in on her parents killers and is raped and left for dead.
   Fourteen months later, she wakes up in a psychiatric hospital with no knowledge of how she got there.
   Slowly her memory starts to return.
   Released from the institution, she has just one thing on her mind.
   Two men brought hell to her family home.
   Now they re in for some hell of their own. (goodreads.com)







Interview with Jenny Thompson

   1 – Describe Hell to Pay with a haiku.
   She wakes up in hospital
   Slowly, her memory returns
   Now she wants revenge

   2 – In a genre like mystery/thriller, how hard is it to stand out? And in what way do you think does Hell to Pay stand out and offer something that should make people want to read it even more?
   There are so many good books out there that it is hard to stand out. Where I think Hell to Pay is different is that it has a strong female character we don't often see in mystery thrillers. Too often women are cardboard cut out victims. In Hell to Pay, Nancy is angry and I think that anger is in a lot of women. The only difference is Nancy acts on it. I call my fiction Die Hard for Girls as it features tough women. Books 2 and 3 in the Crime Files series, Throwaways and Don't Come For Me, featuring Nancy are also out.

   3 – What was the most challenging about writing Hell to Pay and which scene was the most fun to write?
   The most challenging thing was when Nancy had to get information out of one of the men who attacked her as and killed her parents. I kept on asking myself - is this too much?
My favourite scene to write was one of the final ones in the book where a character you least suspect kills someone. I honestly didn't see it coming, but it was as if this character took over. Afterwards, I thought "Wow, I never saw that coming."

   4 – What do you like most and least about your main character, Nancy?
   I like that Nancy is a fighter. She doesn't let anyone walk over her and I understand her desire to get revenge. In all of my books so far, I've had strong women characters.
   The only thing I don't like is she can be reckless and put herself in danger, but that’s a very Scottish thing.

   5 - How long did it take you from first idea until publishing deal?
   Hell to Pay was published before in 2013 by a very bad publisher. I published it myself and it did well, then I decided to try Limitless Publishing because of their fantastic covers.

   6 - How nervous were you when the first reviews started to roll in?
   Very nervous. As a writer, you put work out there not knowing if it's any good. So far, I've had a good response.

   7 – What do you think about the cover? Is it anything like you imagined it being?
   The cover is fantastic. The woman on the cover is exactly how I expected my main character Nancy Kerr to look, right down to her red hair and defiant attitude.

   8 – TV Shows: The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones?
   The Walking Dead. I'm obsessed with zombies and wrote a zombie novel set in Scotland called The Restless Dead. It’s unusual in that it’s told from a woman, Emma's perspective. Most zombie books are told from a man's.

   9 – What advice could you give aspiring authors?
   Keep on writing and never give up. Write as much as you can, as many different types of writing that you can. I started off as a journalist, but was always writing stories.
They also tell you to write what you know. Unless its nonfiction where you need to be an expert, I'd say write the book you want to write. I always write the kind of books I'd read myself.
   Also, subscribe to a writing magazine that lists markets and publishers who want material. Keep an eye out for competitions.
   Always have a notebook, phone or tablet to write ideas down on. Don't be the madwoman like me who goes out to dinner and scribbles on napkins!

   10 – If you were forced to participate in The Hunger Games, as female from District 12, what would be your strategy? Fight or flight?
   Definitely fight. As a zombie fan, I know how to use different weapons to survive.

About the Author

   Jenny Thomson is an award winning crime writer and features writer who has been widely published in the UK and abroad. She’s a staunch advocate of girl power and that’s why she came up with the idea for the Crime Files series featuring tough Nancy Kerr.
   She lives on a beautiful Scottish island with her rescue dog and her partner and is the author of seven other books, all with traditional publishers (including some as Jennifer Thomson).
   When she’s not writing about kick ass woman, she’s planning how to survive a zombie apocalypse and writing on napkins because she’s run out of paper.