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Thursday, July 23, 2020

Yay For Middle Grade Books! Interview with Jen Malone!



Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Jen Malone, the author of multiple YA and MG novels, including The Art of the Swap, written with Kristine Carlson Asselin, and her YA, The Arrival of Someday, which has its paperback release in August.

The bold font are the questions I asked, the regular font are her answers, and the bold italic font are my comments about her answers.

Would you please tell us a little about The Art of the Swap, the MG novel you wrote with Kristine Carlson Asselin?
I’d love to! SWAP is about two girls who live in the same mansion a hundred years apart (one as a modern-day caretaker’s daughter for the home, which has become a museum, and the other as a Gilded Age heiress/American Princess when the mansion was newly-built), who accidentally swap bodies and have to prevent a century-old art heist from occurring in order to return to their rightful time periods. The mystery of the heist was really fun to write, but the opportunity to explore the freedoms and expectations for girls at different points in history was really important to both of us. The concept came about when Kris was telling me about an article she read about a girl living in a Gilded Age museum with her caretaker father, as we road tripped home from a conference, and immediately our ideas for adapting it to a middle grade story starting sparking off one another’s. That’s the part I love best about co-authoring!

Your YA book, The Arrival of Someday, has it’s paperback release later this year! Would you please tell us a little about it?
Sure! It’s about a teen girl who was born with a liver disease that hasn’t impacted her at all beyond infancy, but suddenly rears its ugly head just as she’s about to graduate high school. Although she’s asymptomatic for most of the story, she is a ticking time bomb because her liver has begun the process of deteriorating and if she doesn’t get a liver transplant within months, she could potentially die. So it’s a heavy topic, but the book itself has a lot of lightness (she’s a dress-code fighting, sarcastic roller derby queen who refuses to let anyone pity her). It’s weird how so many of the themes it explores (especially the uncertainty of not knowing what your future holds) have become so timely, with this pandemic, and I hope the story can bring some comfort to those wrestling with those questions.
 
Random Question! What’s your favorite color?
YELLOW!! It’s cheerful and friendly- there’s no such thing as a moody yellow, which is why I adore it. 

I agree, yellow is such a cheerful color! :)

If you're able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?
I’m working on a craft book/kit for kids that explores science concepts with ice dyeing (like tie-dyeing but done with ice cubes and powdered dyes—it’s really fun!!!) I love anything crafty and this was a great way to combine my interests. It will publish next spring and I can’t wait to share it. 

This sounds so fun! I will definitely be checking it out when it releases! :)

What are some of your favorite MG books you've read? And what are some that you're looking forward to reading?
One of my favorites is Nooks and Crannies by Jessica Lawson- it’s a murder mystery in a secluded country house. Very Agatha Christie-ish. I also love The Westing Game for the same reasons.  A recent read that I adored was Mary, Underwater by Shannon Doleski. It’s really unique and cool, about a girl building a submarine for a school project. I’m excited for Dee Romito’s Fort Builder’s series- who doesn’t love a cool fort??

Your description of Nooks and Crannies just made me add it to my TBR list! :)

Thank you to Jen Malone for participating in this event! :)



Author Bio: Jen Malone is the author of over a dozen middle grade and young adult titles including The Arrival of Someday (HarperCollins), The Sleepover (Simon & Schuster), Wanderlost (HarperCollins), and Follow Your Art (Dreamworks Animation/Penguin Random House). Jen once spent a year traveling the world solo, met her husband on the highway (literally), and went into labor with her identical twins while on a rock star's tour bus. These days she saves the drama for her books.  You can learn more about Jen and her books at www.jenmalonewrites.com. Find her on Twitter and Instagram @jenmalonewrites.

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