Debut Author Challenge Button!

I've been playing around with pictures with Picnik and I've finally come up with a cute li'l button for the 2010 Debut Author Challenge happening over at The Story Siren. I was thinking of a slogan and such and put that into the design too.

I actually do quite like it if I do say so myself even though you don't really know it's about books. Oh well! Tell me what you think :)

Mini-Interview with Hayley Long

Do you use your own experiences in your books?
Yes, all the time. Actually almost everything I write about is either inspired by something which has happened to me or something which I’ve heard about from someone else. I couldn’t possibly write some off-the-wall fantasy novel because I don’t think I’m imaginative enough. But I do have a really good memory for collecting strange useless pieces of information - stuff like funny things I’ve heard people say, song lyrics, weird objects… they all seem to get stuck in my brain forever. I can remember a talking doll I had when I was about five and every single weird thing she said. So I put that doll into the Lottie Biggs book.  

Then there are bigger experiences like how I worked in a shoe shop on Saturdays when I was a teenager and even how I started to feel really miserable a while back. Obviously that wasn’t a good state to be in but by writing Lottie Biggs, it helped me to make something worthwhile out of even that rubbish time.

Having said that, I’m definitely not Lottie Biggs and what I write is always fiction and not autobiography. Lottie would be a lot more boring if she merely represented me at 15. She wouldn’t have a lush boyfriend like Gareth for a start!

Did you think you had a chance of becoming an author?
Um, I never really thought about the end result of actually being an author. To be honest, I don’t really think of myself in that way even now.  If anyone asks me what I do, I usually say that I’m a teacher.  I find it easier! But I’ve always wanted to write novels since I was in primary school. When I was about eight, I even typed one up on my mum’s typewriter and sent it to a publisher. In my head, it always seemed to be a question of when I get published, rather than if. But that’s because I was always writing something.

Who inspired you to write?
That’s difficult.  I’m not sure really. In my family nobody other than me was a big reader and certainly nobody else ever wrote anything down just for the fun of it.  But I’ve always been reading books.  When I was really young, my mum used to make me put my book down and go out to play more with the other kids in my road because otherwise I would have just stayed indoors all the time. I don’t know where I got that reading habit from. But I suppose I should thank Enid Blyton really. Although her books are not really fashionable now, I read hundreds of them when I was a child. So perhaps it was her who made me want to tell stories of my own.

Are there any recent books that you admire?
Well it’s quite a few years old now but Holes by Louis Sachar is one of my favourite ever books and definitely my favourite book for young people.  In fact, it was reading that book a few years ago which  encouraged me to write for a younger audience. Until then, I’d only ever written for adults.  I haven’t read anything to topple Holes from my number one spot. I do read some teen fiction but I try to avoid anything which looks remotely like what I’m writing.  I wouldn’t want it to influence how I write.  Some readers have suggested that I've adopted the style of Louise Rennison.  I take this as a compliment because she is hugely successful but the truth is - I haven't actually read any of her titles.

I know that books about vampires are very popular at the moment and I did give a couple of these a go but didn’t really get on with them. But there is a book called The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova which came out a few years ago which is absolutely stunning. It’s very exciting, very frightening and very intelligent. I definitely admire that book.

The Dresskeeper Review and Interview

Title: The Dresskeeper

Author: Mary Naylus

Published: Prospera Publishing (30 Nov 2009)

****/*****

Picky Robson's life has gone from bad to worse. Her life is a boy-free zone, she has more pimples than a tiger has stripes and she has to look after her gran, who is suffering from dementia, every weekend for the foreseeable future. One night, Picky is accidentally locked in her gran's attic with no means of an a escape. Tempting fate, Picky slips into an old flouncy dress and, to her shock, finds herself back in 17th Century London. But, she's not alone. A weirdo in a wig is trying to kill her, mistaking her for a girl called Amelia. Who is Amelia? Can Picky uncover the murderer and will she make it back alive?

This book managed to pull me into the story from the first few chapters. It was compelling and original whilst also very easy to get into. The synopsis had me guessing and wondering from the very first page and I was extremely intrigued to find out what was going to happen. This is such an easy book to get into. It isn't filled with complicated language and was a really breezy read. I also loved the original plot line and the fact that this is a teenage historical fiction with a dash of mystery as you don't see many of these books around.

Some of the characters in this book could have been stronger and it would have been nice to know about their feeling and point of views. I found myself wanting to know more and more about the Earl and some of Picky's school friends but I felt like it whizzed through everybody quite quickly. There is a thin line between a slow-paced novel and one that moves far too quickly and I feel like this book crossed that line due to the fact that I thought everything (settings, feelings, characters) could have been described for longer and in more depth. Saying this, in some parts of the book the author really brought olden day London alive through sights and smells. This is a good book if you want a gripping teenage mystery.

I also managed to snag a mini-interview with Mary Naylus thanks to Chicklish.

 

What made you want to write a historical fiction book?
I suppose I liked the idea of time-travel and not being particularly interested in the future, I decided to go back in time, which is where the history part comes in.

How did you get the idea for The Dresskeeper?
I’d been fascinated by the fact people three hundred years ago were living in the same buildings as some of us are today, but under extremely different domestic and social conditions. So I started with the concept of a house that held secrets, and then expanded from there. 

Did you always want to write? 
Yes, although my passion and I have had ups and downs like most authors, I finally came to realise that I liked writing for young adults. The voice can be punchy and opinionated and contemporary, but there is a lot of scope to add in little extras like the time-travelling and history. In the past I have tried writing women’s fiction but found I didn’t have the same enthusiasm for it.

Do the ideas from your books come from personal experiences?
Not really. I do incorporate some experiences but in the main I like to research and write about things that are out of my comfort zone. It makes the process all the more interesting. 

Where is your favourite place to write?
Starbucks, Costa, Caffe Nero or similar. Anywhere with a good coffee machine and a power outlet. 

Thank you very much, Mary Naylus!

2010 Author Challenge!

Have you heard about Kristi from the Story Siren's 2010 debut author challenge? To find out all of the details click here and here if you want before you read on.

Please not that this is based on releases in the UK

All entrants must come up with a list of all the books that they are going to read for the challenge. Here is mine:

1. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken 23 March 2010

2. The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy 13 April 2010

3. Sea by Heidi R Kling 10 Jun 2010

4. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

5. My Love Lies Bleeding by Alyxandra Harvey 4 Jan 2010

6. Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves 5 Jan 2010

7. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson 9 March 2010
8. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore 1 Feb 2010
9. Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus 13 Jul 2010
10. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver 4 March 2010
11. Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis 27 April 2010
12.The Mark by Jen Nadol 19 Jan 2010
13. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting 10 March 2010
14. Wish by Alexandra Bullen 1st Jan 2010

There will be more added to the list in the future but this is all I can find on amazon right now.

What's on your list?

Future Releases

In the world of YA books, nothing EVER stops going. There are always thousands of books being released every year that YA bloggers are dying to read. Here is the list of up and coming releases for 2010. Get out your diary's!

American List

2010

January

Wish by Alexandra Bullen

Shadowland:The Immortals by Alyson Noel

Green by Laura Peyton Roberts

Undead Much by Stacey Jay

The Wish Stealers by Tracy Trivas

February

Possessed by Kate Cann

Eleventh Grade Burns:The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer

Heist Society by Ally Carter

Little Miss Red by Robin Palmer

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

March

Drizzle by Kathreen Van Cleve

The Line by Teri Hall

Hourglass (Evernight Series)

The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Vioces of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn

The Body finder by Kimberely Dertig

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

April

The Owl Keeper by Christine Brodien-Jones

Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti

May

Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy Book 5)

Something Like Fate by Susanne Colasanti

Brilliant by Rachel Vail

The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride
Wolves, Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler

Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson
Emma Jean Lazarus Fell In Love by Lauren Tarshis

June

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
Julia Gillian (and the Art of Being Human) by Alison McGhee
Kiss It by Erin Downing
A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley
A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner
The Mosts by Melissa Senate
The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood and The Duchess Of Northumberland

July

The Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
Indigo Blues by Danielle Joseph
Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman
Paisley Hanover Kisses and Tells by Cameron Tuttle

August

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, & June by Robin Benway
Plus by Veronica Chambers
Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
Stalker Girl by Rosemary Graham
You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

There will be more new soon!