Today on the blog I'm very happy to present an interview with Middle Grade and YA author Jen Calonita! Getting to talk to her about her newest book, VIP: I'm With The Band was a lot of fun! I enjoyed reading this book a lot! (Here's my review!) And make sure to read all the way to the bottom of the post, because Ms. Calonita is giving away a personalized copy of VIP: I'm With the Band! Yay! :)
The bold writing is the questions I asked, the regular writing is her answers, and the bold italic writing is my comments about her answers!
1. I'm With the Band looks like a lot of fun! And as a boy band fan (One Direction!) myself, I'm sure I will love it! What was the inspiration for writing it?
Thank you! I am a lifelong boy band fan myself. Writing this book and the main character, Mackenzie, is the closest I've ever come to putting myself on paper. I was as obsessed with boy bands as Mac is and I lived and breathed the band New Kids on the Block and Joey McIntyre. Boy bands are always changing, but one that that never changes are the fans. Boy band fans are loyal and they love their band for all its worth. I thought it would be fun to tell a story like that and yet also show how different a band can be once you really meet them.
2. Even though I'm sure you have
been asked this question a lot, I have to ask it. Who is your FAVORITE
boy band? And, your favorite song by them? :)
New
Kids on the Block, hands down! But I also loved 'Nsync too. But my heart
belonged to Joey McIntrye, so I would say my favorite song from them is
still I'll Be Loving You from the Hanging Tough album. Fun fact: I met
Joey when I was an editor at Teen People magazine and cannot find the
photo! What I do remember is that I was starstruck. I could barely speak
and I kept thinking, "I slept with my head on a pillowcase with your
face on it for years!"
That is awesome! :)
3. I know from your Twitter account you're a big Disney fan (I am too!), what is your favorite Disney movie? :)
I
am truly a Disney girl! I can't get enough of the parks, the movies,
the whole Disney universe. We are a Disney family! My favorite Disney
animated flick is Toy Story 2 (3 makes me cry so hard I get a headache).
I am also partial to Tangled, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Frozen,
of course. I could go on and on!
Yay for Disney fans! You just named a bunch of my favorite Disney movies! :)
4. If you're able to talk about it, what are you working on now?
I'm
working on the third book in the Fairy Tale Reform School series, which
is going to be called TRICKED. Rumplestiltskin has come to town and, as
you know, that little guy is always up to some tricks! It's so much fun
to be back in that world. Also, the second book in the VIP series,
BATTLE OF THE BANDS, will be out in July 2016 so I'm excited for that
too.
5. What are some of your favorite Middle Grade books?
Do
the Percy Jackson books count? I love those. The whole house is into
Harry Potter, of course, but I also just read Gitty Danveshari's The
League of Unexceptional Children and roared with laughter!
I just looked up The League of Unexceptional Children and it looks funny! :)
Thank you to Jen Calonita for letting me interview her! :)
Here are a few links:
And now here is the giveaway! Good luck to everyone who enters! :)
Giveaway Rules:
US Only!
One winner will win VIP: I'm With The Band, personalized.
Giveaway runs from January 25th through February 7th.
After the giveaway is over, I'll contact the winner and get their information for the author.
The winner will have 48 hours to reply. If they do not, I will pick a new winner.
And no cheating!
Good luck! :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
We give away books at Halloween to trick-or-treaters. Would love to add this book to the stack. Thanks for a chance to win a copy!
ReplyDeleteFun interview! Laughing so hard about the Joey McIntyre thing. :D And Congratulations on your book, Jen!
ReplyDeleteMy Granddaughter would love this book!!!
ReplyDeleteShelly Sawicki Lash Neuhouser