The Official Sucks to Be Me Book Launch Par-tay!; Win Tantalize and Sanguini's T-shirt

Join debut author Kimberly Pauley from now to Sept. 10 at the The Official Sucks to Be Me Book Launch Par-tay!

Every day, Kimberly will feature a different author and associated giveaway. Return each day to enter for the new giveaway giveaway ("and to learn about some of the coolest authors around!"). You'll have a week to enter each daily contest. Those entries will also count for the "grand Poo-bah of Prize Packs." Really, it's impressive!

What else? Win a free author visit! Learn about the online party, featured authors, prize entries, and more!

Don't Miss

Book Launch Party!! Day One: Cynthia Leitich Smith: check out the interviews, and enter to win a copy of Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008) and a Sanguini's T-shirt. Sanguini's is the fictional vampire-themed restaurant in Tantalize.

Kimberly asks me: "Tantalize is primarily a vampire book, but I love how you envisioned the were-people. Can you tell me a bit about how you came up with that?"

And I ask Kimberly: "In modern literary and film interpretations, the vampire arguably reigns as the sexiest of Gothic creatures. But if you had to pick a first runner-up between the other popular monsters—werewolves, ghosts, zombies, ghouls, faeries, etc.—which would you choose and why?"

See our answers, and learn how to win!

Hello Houston: Hotel ZaZa, Leonardo, Lucy, Beasties, and Butterflies

Greg and I took a few days off this weekend--Thursday through Sunday morning--and made our way toward the Texas Gulf Coast.

We stayed at the Hotel ZaZa in the Houston Museum District. It's seriously swanky, or, as the website says, "This decadent urban resort is a mix of glamour and warmth, of high style and creature comforts. With exquisite lighting and swooping drapes, it's a theater to entice the senses and intrigue the mind." Here's a peek....


While in town, we dined exclusively at the hotel restaurant, The Monarch. For breakfast, I recommend a personal omelet. I found the smoked chicken with wild mushrooms and Swiss a satisfying choice. For lunch, I suggest the smoked turkey wrap with apple-smoked bacon, Swiss, and Vermont maple mustard. Of the appetizers, I especially enjoyed the salt-and-pepper rock shrimp with lemon cilantro aioli and ponzu as well as the French fries (a house specialty) and deconstructed ahi roll (ahi tartar with avocado, crab ceviche, sushi rice, and white truffle dressing). The portions are huge; Greg and I split virtually everything we ordered. As a side note, the check is delivered in a pretty silver box (see below).


On Friday, we were off to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, where we saw two special exhibits, "Leonardo da Vinci: Man, Inventor, Genius"...


and "Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia."

Both were impressive, but the latter was particularly affecting. According to the museum site: "Lucy's Legacy tells the amazing story of Ethiopia over the past 5 million years. In addition to the fossil of Lucy, over 100 artifacts such as ancient manuscripts and royal artifacts from a dynasty Ethiopians believe stretches back to the son of the biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba will be on display." The controversial exhibit continues at the museum through Sept. 1 and then will move to Seattle.

I also enjoyed the fossils of prehistoric animals. Those of you who've read Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008) know that my shifters' history can be tracked to the Ice Age, a time of great beasts like this giant armadillo who inspired the character Travis.



Moving on to the living, I adored visiting the Cockrell Butterfly Center and Live Insect Zoo.






The next day, we visited the Houston Zoo, where we saw a really big (komodo) dragon.

And a really cute baby elephant.

Our destinations were chosen by Greg, as the trip was in celebration of his birthday. But it was a gift to us both. See Greg's report.

Austin, Authors, and Armadillocon

Helen Hemphill spoke on plot to a standing-room-only crowd of more than 70 writers at last weekend's Austin SCBWI meeting, and she is highly recommended as a thoughtful, nurturing, funny, effective, and brilliant speaker. I've been to my share of workshops, and this one was a standout.

She also will be teaching a Highlights Foundation workshop on "Plotting the Novel" from Sept. 18 to Sept. 21. The program is for experienced fiction writers, limited to 10 participants, and costs $898. See more information.

Read a Cynsations interview with Helen, and watch for her posts at Through the Tollbooth, a must-read, craft oriented blog for writers.


Among participants, Sanguini's logos designer Gene Brenek is pictured with YA author Brian Yansky, who's modeling the new "predator or prey" dragon shirt. Sanguini's is the fictional vampire restaurant in Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008). Read Cynsations interviews with Gene and Brian.


But that wasn't my only local writer event of the weekend! I also spoke on two panels at the 30th Annual Armadillocon in Austin--"Bloodsucking Friends" and "Challenges of Writing Genre for Younger Readers."


Bill Crider (above with his wife Judy) did a great job as the opening ceremonies speaker! You can learn more about his books here.


Excellent people who I met included horror author Stephen E. Wedel, a fellow werewolf affectionado. Check out his LiveJournal and MySpace page.


It was a treat speaking on the "younger readers" panel with Mark London Williams, author of Candlewick's Danger Boy series.


Personal highlights included saying hello to Julie Kenner, author of the Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom series. I went to her signing and basically babbled like the geeky fangirl I am.


It also was great fun visiting with Brian Anderson, author of the Zack Proton series (Aladdin, 2006). Brian's cool-ness includes the facts that he makes custom pinatas and that he's a docu-blogger. Read a Cynsations interview with Brian, and check out the wonderful interview videos below. Favorite quote: "You ave not partied until you have partied with librarians."

See also: The Community Turns Its Camera On KLRU's 'Docubloggers' mixes new media and old by Ashely Moreno from The Austin Chronicle. Source: Jennifer Ziegler.





More Armadillocon authors to know: Central Texas paranormal romance novelist Tess Mallory; and Austin YA horror novelist Thomas Pendleton (his latest book is Mason (HarperCollins, 2008).

My indisputable statement of the weekend (on the "younger readers" panel):

"YA fiction ranges in sophistication from accessible series books like Nancy Drew to The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume One: The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson (Candlewick, 2006). I'm a fan of both. But most YA fiction falls somewhere between Nancy and Octavian."

Author Interview: Kelley Armstrong on The Summoning

"Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous.

"If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce 'normal' stories failed.

"Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon.

"Kelly lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband, kids, and far too many pets."

Congratulations on the publication of The Summoning (Darkest Powers, Book 1)(HarperCollins, 2008)! Could you fill us in on the story?

The Summoning is the first part of a trilogy. Chloe Saunders has spent her life moving from school to school, always being "the new kid." When she entered ninth grade, her dad agreed to let her enroll in a Buffalo school of the arts, and stay there until graduation.

So Chloe is finally a normal fifteen-year-old, and nothing could make her happier. At her new school, she's pursuing her dreams of becoming a Hollywood director, while making friends and meeting guys. A perfectly normal teen life.

Then, suddenly, she starts seeing ghosts--everywhere, talking to her, demanding things, chasing her. She's sent to a group home, where she's determined to accept her diagnosis, keep her head down and get out. But she soon begins suspect she really is seeing ghosts. And she begins to suspect Lyle House isn't what it seems.

What was your initial inspiration for writing this book?

I write a similar series for adults, and the idea for The Summoning came out of the second book. Writers are often asked where they get their ideas, but often the real question is how they find time to turn all their favorite ideas into stories. That second book had given me an idea that never quite fit into the series.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was best suited for a story about supernaturals just coming into their powers. In my fictional universe, though, that happens at puberty. So it needed to be a teen story.

What was the timeline between spark and publication, and what were the major events along the way?

I first added the basic idea to my plot file in 2003.

Then, in 2005, I decided that I wanted to try turning it into a novel. The problem was finding the time. I already had a book-a-year series, and had recently contracted for two crime novels, so it was really hard to justify writing something "just for fun." Now, I also run an online writing group on my website, and I'd been considering sponsoring a NaNoWriMo group (where writers try to write 50,000 words in November). To properly encourage my group, though, I'd need to participate...and that's where I saw the chance to write my YA book.

So I wrote The Summoning in one month and sold it and... Well, no. I did get a first draft done. And I realized that while I really liked the characters and the general setup, the plot needed work. So I put it aside to mull over. A year later, I had a reworked plot. I then rewrote the first 100 pages, and my agent sold it based on that and the new outline.

While I kept a few scene ideas, the novel was a page one rewrite. I'd done something similar with my first book, so I knew that while it seems like a lot of work, I prefer doing a full rewrite to cut-and-paste job on an old manuscript. And it did take more than one month for the new draft. I'm fast...but not quite that fast if I want something decent!

What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?

The biggest challenge was psychological. When I realized this story needed a teenage protagonist, I balked and it was a long time before I could bring myself to seriously consider writing it. I write first-person, meaning I don't just need to get into my narrator's head, but take on her voice. I'm...a little ways from being 15. I have a daughter that age, and there's nothing better than that to make you realize how far removed you are from an age group!

As it turned out, it was really just a psychological block. Once I started working on Chloe as a character, I was able to pull up that teenage self inside me with surprising ease. The more I worked with her, the more I remembered what it was like to be that age and, more importantly, what it felt like to be that age.

You're an established, bestselling author for the adult market, and this is your first YA novel. What about writing for the young adult audience appeals to you?

There are two main aspects that appeal to me: one reader-oriented, one totally selfish.
With my adult novels, I do get a lot of teen readers, and they're wonderful--they're so enthusiastic and quick to tell me what they like and dislike. But I've always felt bad, having only one main character their age--who is quickly outgrowing her teens! So the chance to write novels specifically for that audience is great.

And for the selfish reason, it's something new--a fresh and original (for me) approach to storytelling, with new avenues for creativity and new challenges to explore.

Despite a wide age range of narrators in my adult novels, adults share a basic set of core concerns that are different from teens, and they have a very different set of tools for dealing with them. It's a fresh take on "my world" and I love it.

If you could go back and talk to yourself when you were beginning writer, what advice would you offer?

Not to get discouraged. Which, I suppose, is what a lot of published writers would tell their younger selves. I had a lot of early encouragement, so I grew up with the misguided idea that if I ever managed to finish a whole novel, naturally it would be published.

When I reached my twenties and started taking workshops and joining writing groups, I discovered it's definitely not that easy! So I prepared for rejection, but I think that having had so much encouragement, as hard as I tried to be modest in my expectations, I couldn't help but think it would be different for me. It wasn't. And I'd get horribly discouraged.

There were periods when I couldn't bring myself to write because, as much as I tried to do it just for myself, writing resurrected the dream of publication and the disappointment was so hard to deal with.

How about on the subject of writing fantasy specifically?

I'd tell myself to keep writing fantasy, despite anyone's well-meaning advice to the contrary. I've always written fantasy and horror, but what was once quite acceptable in my childhood and teens became...less acceptable as I reached adulthood.

I was gently--and repeatedly--advised to get more serious, more mainstream. It didn't help being Canadian, with our strong tradition of literary fiction. I was in my twenties before I could name a Canadian genre writer. There are plenty out there, but in the media and school system, all we see is Canadian literary fiction. As a child, I had the misguided notion that to write genre horror or fantasy, I'd need to move to the U. S.!

What do you do when you're not writing?

You mean there's supposed to be time when I'm not writing? Some days, I have to remind myself of that. I'm in the very happy position of having turned my favorite hobby into a career, so I've had to expand my list of recreational activities. Reading, of course--I've been an avid reader all my life. Cooking and baking--my kids appreciate the baking more than the cooking. Movies--I spent my teen and college years working in a movie theater because it meant unlimited double passes. Computers--I'm a former programmer so, yes, I'm a computer geek, meaning I like to do my own website, design my book trailers, etc.

How do you balance your life as a writer with the responsibilities (speaking, promotion, etc.) of being an author?

I think the biggest surprise that came with being published was discovering that I can't just spend my days writing and editing. At one point, the "business" side of writing was taking more time than the creative side, and that was very frustrating. The best advice I got was from my accountant. He suggested that I hire someone to do the parts that didn't need my personal touch. It took a couple of years for me to take that advice.

Having an assistant seemed almost...pretentious, like something only really big-name writers did. I ended up hiring my sister when she was pregnant with her second child and looking for administrative work to do from home. That was the best move I've made. Now I can stick to the parts I really enjoy: writing, editing, the website, speaking engagements, answering reader email etc. Without her, I wouldn't have been able to consider doing a young adult trilogy in addition to my main series.

What can your fans look forward to next?

The sequel to The Summoning comes out in April '09. It was scheduled for summer, but I've finished it, so it was bumped to spring. It's called The Awakening. It's hard to say much about it without giving away spoilers for The Summoning, only that it'll answer (most of) those pesky unresolved questions and will add a few new and (hopefully) unexpected twists to Chloe's story.

Interview: Cynthia Leitich Smith of "Tantalize;" Audio Review

Interview: Cynthia Leitich Smith of "Tantalize" from the Columbia County Rural Library District of Dayton, Washington.

Peek: "I've been a writer since third grade or so. Maybe even first. First. I remember… I wrote a story about crawdad fishing, and it was read over the elementary school sound system. That was my first 'audio publication.'"

Audio Review

Tantalize is available on audio (2008), read by Kim Mai Guest, from Listening Library. In a review of the production, the Horn Book Magazine calls the story, "...a gothic elixir, a dark romantic thriller that is equal parts Bon Appetit and Dracula." Listen to a clip.

Author Interview: A. M. Jenkins on Night Road

We last spoke in August 2007 about Beating Heart (HarperCollins, 2006) and Repossessed (HarperCollins, 2007). Since then, Repossessed was named a Printz Honor Book! Congratulations! How did you first hear of this and how did you (and yours) react?

By a huge coincidence, I was attending ALA in Philadelphia when I got the call. I have a group of writer friends I seldom get to see in person, and a few years ago we agreed we'd meet at Midwinter 2008 because that was the easiest ALA for most of us to get to. So I wasn't there as An Author, I was just hanging out with buddies and generally having a good time.

On Sunday morning my group had met for breakfast, and that's when my cell phone rang. So I got the news while surrounded by my longtime YA writing pals, the few people in the world who truly understood what that phone call would mean to any writer and to me in particular.

Every one of my friends knew instantly--just from the look on my face--who was on the other end of the line. It was one of the best moments of my life.

What does the Printz honor mean to you, both personally and professionally?

Personally, it means that somebody actually reads and appreciates what I write. You might think that this is a given, but for me it's not; I write with the bottom-line acceptance that it's entirely possible that nobody will ever read or care about anything I'm working on. This frees me up to focus on writing, and to write what I please.

On top of that, I do little to no marketing and promotion. When my books come out, all my hard work feels like the proverbial tree in the forest: if nobody's there to hear it, does it make a sound? The Printz honor answers this question: Yes, my writing does make a sound--or at least it did in this one case.

Professionally, I don't know. Check back in a year, and we'll see.

Congratulations, too, on the release of Night Road (HarperCollins, 2008)! Could you tell us a bit about the book?

I guess you could say it's "vampires" meets road trip meets coming-of-age.

What was your initial inspiration in writing this story?

I don't even remember, it's been so long.

I'm not sure when I started the manuscript, but it was before my first published novel got accepted, which means I had to have been working on it in 1995.

What literary influences played a role and how?

The terrible thing is that I haven't been able to read any vampire books in all that time (except I accidentally read Robin McKinley's Sunshine (2003) when it came out; I picked it up thinking it was a fairy tale retelling, and then I was too weak-willed to put the book down and walk away). I remember M.T. Anderson's Thirsty (Candlewick, 1997) came out while I was working on the manuscript, and I was tempted to read that, but I couldn't let myself. I haven't let myself read any of the hot new vampire titles, haven't read Stephenie Meyer (author interview) or Melissa de la Cruz (author interview) or even your own Tantalize. I was slightly comforted when Stephenie Meyer told me she can't read vampire books either, for the same reason I can't; we don't want to accidentally absorb another author's voice or outlook.

What's weird is that I seem to have influenced myself. I was working on my second book, Damage (HarperCollins, 2001) concurrently with Night Road for several years. Damage is about depression, and Night Road is also steeped in that heavy feel and mood. The main character, Cole, is borderline depressed, and would probably be deeply so, if it weren't for the fact that he has to get out of bed every night, has to keep going, has to keep putting one foot in front of the other. He's all self-control, and part of the reason for that is that he can't let depression affect his routine and behavior.

The biggest outside influence was probably Conrad Richter's Awakening Land Trilogy, which has nothing do with vampires or horror, and which I talk about in an author's note at the back of the book. I ended up cutting a lot of my backstory that was more concretely based on AL, but even so the mood of time slipping away and being lost forever is still there.

What was the timeline from spark to publication and what were the major events along the way?

The timeline was at least thirteen years. This was one of the projects I plugged away at during the years I was learning the basics of building an idea into a book.

One major event--not publishing-wise, but writer-wise--was that this was the first book I managed to write in third person. It was very difficult for me to pick up a third-person voice. I still struggle with it; my beginning drafts in third person are about as ugly and ponderous as you can get. But the Night Road manuscript wasn't working in first person, not from anybody's point of view. I tried every character and point of view I could, some of them at the same time. You name it, I tried it.

What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological, and logistical) in bringing the book to life?

Aside from the usual writer-problems like finances, I didn't have the craft developed for a long time; then for a few years I had the general story down on paper, but I didn't know what it was really about, which meant the scenes added up to something pointless, meandering, and unsatisfying. Now I have basically the same scenes, but (I hope) they've come to feel more like they tie together by the end.

Thinking back on the novel, the mood, tone, and setting struck me as mesmerizing. How did you build your fictional world?

In my humble opinion, the way the reader perceives the mood, tone, and setting is due in large part to Cole's mindset. Everything is colored by the way he feels, from the way he sees the road rolling away under him when he drives, to the things he thinks when he's swimming.

If, for example, the demon in Repossessed was doing these same things, the mood and tone would be completely different--and the setting would seem different, too, because a writer/reader usually focuses on whatever the main character is noticing about his surroundings.

Last we chatted, you were working with author Tiffany Trent on Queen of the Masquerade (Hallowmere)(Mirrorstone, 2008). Could you give us a hint what to expect from that book?

Queen is the fifth book in the ten-book Hallowmere series. It's about Christina, whom fans of the series know as the beautiful French girl with secrets. I had a lot of fun writing this book; it pushed me in new directions and challenged me to stretch myself craftwise. I learned a lot in a very short time, and am trying to apply what I learned so that I can keep stretching. It was a wonderful experience all around.

I'd like to say more, but I don't want to give the story away, so all I'll say is that Hallowmere fans should make sure they have a box of Kleenex handy, just in case.

When it comes to your solo-byline books, what can your fans look forward to next?

I have no idea. As of this moment, nothing is sold and accepted. I'm finishing up a fun, fast-paced, midgrade/YA adventure that I think of as Alexandre Dumas with a manga series sensibility. I have a first draft of an upper YA graphic novel script that I feel very passionate about, but I think I'm not quite there yet, craft-wise. There's a Night Road sequel in the works, but it's still mixed up with the first book (in my head), so I have to wait and let that unsnarl.

And speaking of books that take forever to write, I still have the very first manuscript I ever wrote, which I am determined to develop into a readable, publishable book if its the last thing I do on this earth. That's a midgrade historical. I finally got the right voice and point of view character (see learning to write in third person, above), so that was a real shot in the arm.

As a reader, so far what are your three favorite YA books of 2008 and why?

Hmm, I made a list and there were more than three, so I'll just name one. I just finished David Yoo's second book, Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before (Hyperion, 2008). It's funny and sweet, and it gets back to a good ol' YA tradition that seems to me to have faded lately--inherent, character-driven subversiveness. Nowadays it seems like subversiveness is mostly about format or concept, and that's no fun. I find it very satisfying to read a YA where the main character is what's stirring the pot.

Immortal Giveaway from P. C. Cast

Win an autographed copy of Immortal: Love Stories with Bite (BenBella, Aug. 2008)(PDF excerpt)(exclusive to Borders-Waldenbooks) from editor P. C. Cast! Deadline: Aug. 15.

This vampire-themed YA anthology includes short stories by P. C., L. J. Smith, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Kristin Cast, Rachel Caine (author interview), Tanith Lee, Nancy Holder, Richelle Mead, and Claudia Gray.

Spooky News & Giveaways

Enter to win one of two copies of Gone by Michael Grant (HarperCollins, 2008). From the promotional copy:

"In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. Gone.

"Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no Internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.

"Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.

"It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else..."

To enter the giveaway, email me (scroll and click on the envelope) with your name and snail/street mail address by 10 p.m. CST Aug. 11!



More News

Author Interview: Annette Curtis Klause from Reviewer X. Peek: "Each book has its own time. Some of the creating is done before I even actually touch the keyboard, and each book has its own length of time before it reaches critical mass and I can start to write. I need to know enough about the book to begin—it might be seeing the setting in my head well enough to walk in it, or the character coming alive in my head, or I know the mood or the sound track." Read a Cynsations interview with Annette.

BitterCon: Urban Fantasy Expectations: Fantasy or Romance? from KG's Booklog. Note: For my own related work, I use the term "Gothic fantasy" genre bender. "Urban" seems an off fit as my next two short stories are set in small towns, and "Gothic" implies a certain dialog with old-school literary precedents, which is definitely ongoing. That said, I'm a fan across the board.

Ghostly Tidings by Madeline at BookKids Recommends. Check out her suggested ghost stories and suggested favorites of your own!

Interview with Marlene Perez on Dead is the New Black from Debbi Michiko Florence. Peek: "I love stories of the supernatural, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, etc. and then somewhere I read that a real-life psychic investigator had daughters who were psychic, too. The first thought that popped into my mind was that I'd hate to be the only non-psychic in a family of psychics and the story just grew from there."

No Flying, No Tights: a graphic novel review site for teens. See also The Lair for Teens and Adults and Sidekicks for Kids.

Check out this book trailer for Monster Blood Tattoo by D. N. Cornish (Putnam):



Author Interview: Christopher Golden on Soulless (MTV Books, Oct. 2008) from Little Willow at Bildungsroman. Peek: "I've never seen or experienced anything that has convinced me that spirits are real, but I'd like to. I did take a photograph in France a few years ago that any rational person would have to agree seems to show a specter of some kind. But it isn't incontrovertible proof, and that's what I'd need." Learn more about Soulless.

Enter to win August book giveaways at TeensReadToo!

City of Glass (McElderry, March 2009) excerpt by Cassandra Clare from her MySpace blog. Read a Cynsations interview with Cassandra.

The G-rated apocalypse from The Take-Away: Susan Beth Pfeffer, author of post-apocalyptic books, Life as We Knew It (Harcourt, 2006) and The Dead and the Gone (Harcourt, 2008), and Dr. Frank Gaskil, child psychologist. Read a Cynsations interview with Susan.

Events

"The primary focus of ArmadilloCon is literary science fiction, but that's not all we do -- we also pay attention to art, animation, science, media, and gaming. Every year, dozens of professional writers, artists and editors attend the convention. We invite you to attend the convention especially if you are a fan of reading, writing, meeting, sighting, feeding, knighting, and all the other things folks do at a sci-f/fantasy convention." Note: I'll be on the program (not sure of the specifics yet), and I hope to see y'all there!

More Giveaways

Enter to win a copy of Monsterology: The Complete Book of Monstrous Creatures by Dr. Ernest Drake, illustrated by Douglas Carrell, Nicholas Lenn, and Helen Ward, edited by Dugald A. Steer (Candlewick, 2008)(inside spread)! To enter the giveaway, email me (scroll and click on the envelope) with your name and snail/street mail address by midnight CST Aug. 11! Either: (a) name your favorite monster and briefly explain why; or (b) share your favorite line from Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008)(note: include the page number and whether you're quoting from the hardcover or paperback; a member of Tantalize Fans Unite! is collecting favorite quotes, so this should help). Please also type "Monsterology" in the subject line.

More Personally

My upcoming short story "Cat Calls" will appear in an anthology now titled Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists, and Other Matters Odd and Magical (Candlewick, July 2009). Note: the original working title was "Cabinet of Curiosities."

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