Just another teen reading books

Saturday, January 21, 2023

2023 Debuts! Interview With Sher Lee!

Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Sher Lee, the author of Fake Dates and Mooncakes, which releases in May!

Would you please describe your book, Fake Dates and Mooncakes, in seven words?

Wow, this is tough: Two Boys Fall In Love Around Mid-Autumn!

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Cliche, but yes! I wrote my first story when I was five, and writing has always been my refuge and joy. Like many authors, I started out writing fanfic, and I wouldn't be where I am now without those fandoms.

Random Question! What’s your favorite holiday?

The Mid-Autumn Festival, which is why I wrote my book around this celebration! To Chinese people, Mid-Autumn is a time for family and reunion, which is represented by the roundness of the full moon. I have many cherished memories of this festival, including night walks with lanterns and making snow-skin mooncakes with my favorite aunt, as does Dylan, my main character in FAKE DATES AND MOONCAKES.

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?

Don't chase trends, because they rise and fade fast. Write what you love, what you want to read and can't find on shelves. The authenticity will shine through.

What are some books you’re looking forward to reading in 2023? And if you’ve already read some ‘23 books, would you like to mention them?

I can't wait for these YA books:

TEACH THE TORCHES TO BURN by Caleb Roehrig

SPELL BOUND by FT Lukens

AS YOU WALK ON BY by Julian Winters

NO PERFECT PLACES by Steven Salvatore

LOSE YOU TO FIND ME by Erik J. Brown

YOUR LONELY NIGHTS ARE OVER by Adam Sass

And my fellow 2023 debuts!

LOVE AND RESISTANCE by Kara HL Chen

SOMETHING MORE by Jackie Khalilieh

A TALL DARK TROUBLE by Vanessa Montalban

THE WICKED UNSEEN by Gigi Griffis

GORGEOUS GRUESOME FACES by Linda Cheng

TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME by Leanne Yong

There are also two stellar MG novels I'm looking forward to:

WEST OF THE SEA by Stephanie Willing

THE VERY UNFORTUNATE WISH OF MELONY YOSHIMURA by Waka T. Brown

Author Bio: Sher Lee writes rom-coms and fantasy novels for teens. She lives in Singapore and has an abiding love for local street food (including an incredible weakness for xiao long bao).

Her YA rom-com, FAKE DATES AND MOONCAKES, will be published by Penguin Random House in Summer 2023.

Here Are A Few Links:

Friday, January 20, 2023

2023 Debuts! Interview With Kika Hatzopoulou!

Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Kika Hatzopoulou, the author of Threads That Bind, which releases in June!

Would you please describe your book, Threads That Bind, in seven words?

The Greek Fates, nefarious murders, soulmates pining.

What was the inspiration for the book?

The first strike of inspiration was a random image that popped into my head, of a girl standing on a rooftop as a city flooded around her. I've always been obsessed with the Fates in Greek mythology, especially the otherwordly threads of life that they can weave and cut. I thought it would make for a very interesting skill for a detective to have, and over time, all these ideas combined: a detective descended from the Greek Fates, solving crimes in a half-sunken city. And, admittedly, as I started exploring the concept of fate and destiny, I got extremely excited about writing a soulmate romance - and that pretty much solidified this story as my next WIP, back in the summer of 2019!

Random Question! What’s your favorite time of year?

I love the in-betweens: late spring, early autumn! I also love June; it's my birth month and the debut month of THREADS THAT BIND!

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?

I would tell aspiring authors to find the joy. To write what you love, yes, but also to seek out what makes you happy in your story: the characters, the romance, the worldbuilding, the themes - and keep that as a guiding light as you draft and edit and query. Publishing is a harsh industry, not always fair or merit-based, and writing can be solitary, lonely and time-consuming (especially for most of us, who are also working or parenting full-time). There's only one thing we can actually control and that's the words we put on the page. If the act of writing itself fills us with contentment and bliss, then we can arm ourselves with these feelings against the rejection and heartbreak that publishing might throw at us.

What are some books you’re looking forward to reading in 2023? And if you’ve already read some ‘23 books, would you like to mention them?

Oh goodness, there are so many! I can't wait for BITTERTHORN by Kat Dunn, FLOWERHEART by Catherine Bakewell, SEVEN FACELESS SAINTS by M.K. Lobb and MIDNIGHT STRIKES by Zeba Shanaz. I've read two absolutely epic 2023 YA fantasies that I think will blow everyone off their feet: BONESMITH by Nicki Pau Preto and SING ME TO SLEEP by Gabi Burton. And I'm currently reading the adult fantasy GODKILLER by Hannah Kanner, which is just perfection!

Author Bio: Kika Hatzopoulou writes stories for all ages, filled with lore and whimsy. She holds an MFA in writing for children from the New School and works in foreign publishing. She currently splits her time between London and her native Greece, where she enjoys urban quests and gastronomical adventures while narrating entire book and movie plots with her partner. You can find her at www.kikahatzopoulou.com and on social media platforms at @kikahatzopoulou.

Here Are A Few Links:

Thursday, January 19, 2023

2023 Debuts! Interview With Jamie Lilac!

Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Jamie Lilac, the author of Bellegarde, which releases in July!

Would you please describe your book, Bellegarde, in seven words?

Seven words to describe Bellegarde would be: enchanting, romantic, feminist, heartwarming, rose-perfumed, sugarcoated, princesscore!

What was the inspiration for the book?

The inspiration for Bellegarde came from my obsession with late 90’s/early 2000s era rom-coms paired with my love for modern twists on historical time periods, such as Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette and Shonda Rhimes’ take on Bridgerton. From there, I decided that I wanted to bring the vibrant bubblegum, glitter, and quintessential high school hierarchy of films like She’s All That, Clueless, Bring It On, and Never Been Kissed to a historical time period. I wanted to really play around in that world and create the history I’d like to see rather than a true reflection of the times. I wanted to see Marie Antoinette in a Selkie dress with a vanity full of Glossier. I wanted a misfit boy with cotton-candy colored hair living on a houseboat on the Seine. I wanted to see two teen girls falling in love in a French chateau. BELLEGARDE reimagines She’s All That in 18^th-century France, with the baker’s daughter, Evie Clément, being the target of second-born son Beau Bellegarde’s plan to win a bet for his inheritance. Most of all, though, this book was written at the height of the pandemic, and my hope is that, as it did for me, it serves as a joyful, comforting escape for readers.

Random Question! What’s your favorite flower?

Bluebells are my favorite! Any kind of bellflower, really. If it looks like it would grow in a cottage garden or be something fairies make their homes in, I love it.

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?

Consume all different forms of media—novels, plays, films, etc.—focus on what they do well, and what they don’t do so well, and begin to uncover not only your own strengths and weaknesses, but also what kind of stories you want to tell, what stories you want to see in the world, and how your unique perspective can bring them to life. Advice I wish I’d discovered earlier on is that, if one of your goals is to have your work traditionally published, always keep in mind that this is a business. Write the stories you are passionate about, that only you can write, while having a firm grasp on the fact that agents and editors are going to want to see where your book fits within the market. It’s a balance!

What are some books you’re looking forward to reading in 2023? And if you’ve already read some ‘23 books, would you like to mention them?

There are so many! I’m most looking forward to reading Heather Fawcett’s “Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries”, Talia Hibbert’s “Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute”, Zeba Shahnaz’s “Midnight Strikes”, Jen St. Jude’s “If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come”, Pascale Lacelle’s “Curious Tides”, Liselle Sambury's "Delicious Monsters", Roshani Chokshi’s “The Last Tale of the Flower Bride”, Robby Weber's "I Like Me Better", and the newest in Stephanie Garber’s “Once Upon a Broken Heart” series. A few 2023 books I’ve read and could gush over all day are Ellen O’Clover’s “Seven Percent of Ro Devereux”, Elle Gonzalez Rose’s “Caught in a Bad Fauxmance”, and Ivelisse Housman’s “Unseelie”. I’m currently reading Mackenzie Reed’s “The Rosewood Hunt” and it’s one of those that I am trying to pace myself on rather than devouring it in a day because I just love the world and characters so much that I want to stay in it as long as possible!

Author Bio: Jamie Lilac earned a B.A. in English Literature and a M.Ed. in English Education. She works in environmental education. As an author, she is interested in writing about romantic cool girls, and spinning stories filled with love, magic, mythology, & secrets. When she isn't writing, you can find her playing with her two dogs (Banks & Reese), planting flowers, reading fairytales, & watching 90's movies. Bellegarde is her debut novel.

Here Are A Few Links:

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

2023 Debuts! Interview With Tamika Burgess!

Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Tamika Burgess, the author of Sincerely Sicily, which is out now!

Would you please describe your book, Sincerely Sicily, in seven words?

Engaging, intense, informative, funny, relatable, empowering, captivating

Have you always wanted to write MG novels?

I started out wanting to write a picture book. But as I was writing, I realized I had so much I wanted to say, and that would not work for the 500-word requirement that picture books currently have. Because I wanted to reach a young audience, I settled on middle-grade because I feel that is when we start learning about ourselves and discovering the world around us.

Sincerely Sicily meets the middle-grade audience exactly where they are in life and provides a sense of relatability and comfort for young readers.

Random Question! What’s your favorite color?

Pink

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?

I advise writers to write based on their experiences and pay attention to their surroundings. That quirky thing that a sibling or friend constantly does can be used in your writing. That one-liner or corny joke your dad always tells, incorporate that. Using real-life examples in your writing makes the story realistic and relatable.

Also, stick with the process. It's long, but your dedication will pay off.

What are some books you’re looking forward to reading in 2023? And if you’ve already read some ‘23 books, would you like to mention them?

I look forward to reading all my fellow middle-grade debut author's books. Here you can read about each book that will be released next year.

The first book from the debut group I'm reading is, It Happened on a Saturday by Sydney Dunlap, and I love it!

Author Bio: Tamika Burgess (Ta-mee-Ka Bur-jess) is a storyteller with over a decade of novel, TV/film, and personal essay writing experience. Born to parents who migrated from Panamá, Tamika has always taken a particular interest in writing themes that explore her Black Latina identity. Because of her passion for spreading the knowledge of Black Panamanian culture, Tamika has been featured on various websites, podcasts, and panels. When she is not writing, Tamika is somewhere cozy online shopping and listening to a podcast. Tamika resides in sunny Southern California, where she is writing her second novel. Learn more about Tamika at TamikaBurgess.com

Here Are A Few Links: