An Interview with Mike Mullin

Q. Of which book are you the most proud? And why?

A. ASHFALL. It was my first published novel, and got my career as an author off to a great start. Check out the list of awards and honors it won at www.ashfallbook.com!

Q. Patty Campbell talks about the germ for a piece of writing being like the sand in the oyster.  What is your grain of sand?  Do you begin with character or setting or something else?

A. My grain of sand is almost always another book. For ASHFALL, it was Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything. I found it on a display at Central Library in downtown Indianapolis. Dozens of novel ideas lurk within its pages, but the one that stuck with me was the idea of a supervolcano eruption at Yellowstone. A few weeks after I read it, I woke at 3:30 am with a scene occupying my head so completely I was afraid it would start spilling out my nostrils and ears. I typed 5,500 words, finishing just before dawn. Then I put the project away and let it gestate for eight months. When I returned to it after researching volcanoes and volcanic ash, I realized the inspired scene I wrote in the middle of the night wouldn’t work, and ultimately that whole section had to be scrapped. The only word that remains from that draft? Ashfall.

Q. What do you hear from your readers?

A. My favorite letter was from a 14-year-old on Staten Island who said she hadn’t read a book in four years—until she picked up ASHFALL. I get a quite a few letters with similar stories.

Q. Why do you write for Young Adults?

A. A novel needs conflict and change to be interesting. Humans arguably change faster and experience more conflict as teenagers than at any other stage in our lives. That’s why I write young adult fiction, and part of the reason so many adults read young adult fiction. Most adults are a bit boring by comparison to teenagers.

Q. What is one thing you would like your readers to know about you?

Here are five fun facts about me:
• I keep a pet alligator in the guestroom bathtub. It’s really friendly with my wife’s three cats.
• I earned a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo in April of 2011.
• The broken arm I got in fourth grade was caused by an unfortunate run-in with a grizzly bear.
• I shelve my books in binary. You can find The Story of Edgar Sawtelle under 010110100101010.
• I’m not entirely sure what the word “fact” means, but I've got fun down to an art.

Q. In high school, where did you fall? (Prom Queen/King, Gamer Geek, Brainy/Book Nerd, Jock, Shy/Quiet Scholar, Skate Rat, Stoner, Class Clown, etc.)

A. I’m pretty sure I was the smartest guy ever to flunk out of my high school. I hated that place. I went downtown and took the G.E.D. test—the lady who graded it said it was the highest score she’d ever seen. If I’d known how easy it was to test out of high school, I totally would have done it after 8th grade.

Q. Do you have a pet (pets)?  Tell us about it (them) and how they help/hinder your writing.

A. My wife has three cats. I bought a bunch of volcanic ash and kept it in a bowl on my desk while I wrote ASHFALL. That lasted until the stupid cats decided the ash was a good substitute for kitty litter. Darn cats! (Kidding, I like them, too. Usually.) This is me with Pepper:

Q. How often do you dream about the writing you are working on?

A. All the time! In fact as I go to sleep each night, I think about what I want to write the next day. It’s a technique for tricking my subconscious into working on my writing while I sleep. Sometimes I’ll wake up with a great idea the next morning.

Thanks so much for your time Mike! We look forward to seeing you at the festival.

To find out more about Mike Mullin, find him at the social media links below:

Website

Blog

Google+

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

Pinterest

Introducing 2013 MCBF Author, Mike Mullin

Mike Mullin’s first job was scraping the gum off the undersides of desks at his high school. From there, things went steadily downhill. He almost got fired by the owner of a bookstore due to his poor taste in earrings. He worked at a place that showed slides of poopy diapers during lunch (it did cut down on the cafeteria budget). The hazing process at the next company included eating live termites raised by the resident entomologist, so that didn’t last long either. For a while Mike juggled bottles at a wine shop, sometimes to disastrous effect. Oh, and then there was the job where swarms of wasps occasionally tried to chase him off ladders. So he’s really glad this writing thing seems to be working out.

Mike holds a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and her three cats. Ashen Winter is his second novel.  His debut, Ashfall, was named one of the top five young adult novels of 2011 by National Public Radio, a Best Teen Book of 2011 by Kirkus Reviews, and a New Voices selection by the American Booksellers Association.

Check out more about Mike at his website here. 

An Interview with Victoria Scott

Q: Patty Campbell talks about the germ for a piece of writing being like the sand in the oyster.  What is your grain of sand? Do you begin with character or setting or something else? 

A: I always begin with a scene. It could be a boy with blood smeared across his collarbone, or a girl dancing with a faceless demon. Then I start asking questions about the scene. Why is it happening? Who is the person in my vision? These "scene flashes" come out no where, but I'm always thankful for them!

Q: Who is your favorite character you have written or read about? 

A: My favorite character I've created was an eighteen-year-old boy named Caden in a book called VANITY. VANITY was my first manuscript, and is now tucked away in my desk drawer. Caden's tragic flaw was his tendency to become overly obsessed with things, and one day, that thing became a girl named Holly. I have a serious obsession with the topic of...obsession. One day, I may dig out that old manuscript and try to rewrite it into something publishable.

Q: In high school, where did you fall? (Prom Queen/King, Gamer Geek, Brainy/Book Nerd, Jock, Shy/Quiet Scholar, Skate Rat, Stoner, Class Clown, etc.) 

A: I'd label myself a Class Clown-Cheerleader.

Q: Do you have a pet (pets)?  Tell us about it (them) and how they help/hinder your writing. 

A: I have two enormous cats. I'm completely convinced they're waiting for me to croak so they can eat my face off. That happens. I read it somewhere. And they don't help me write. They just eat things and meow when their bowl is empty. Idiots. I will never understand why I love them so much.

Thank you for your time, Victoria. We look forward to seeing you at the festival!

To read more Victoria Scott, visit her website.

Introducing 2013 MCBF Author, Victoria Scott

Victoria Scott is the author of THE COLLECTOR: A DANTE WALKER NOVEL (Entangled Teen, March 2013). She has a master's degree in marketing, and lives in Dallas with her husband.

When not writing, Victoria can be found grubbing on cotton candy and snuggling obese cats. You can cyber-stalk her online on her website or on Twitter.

An Interview with Suzanne Crowley

Q. Patty Campbell talks about the germ for a piece of writing being like the sand in the oyster. What is your grain of sand? Do you begin with character or setting or something else?

A. I usually begin with a character and go from there.  I might have a few plot points in mind but otherwise I just start writing and see what gloriously enfolds.  Stephen King in his book "On Writing" says he also writes from the seat of his pants because if the writer is not surprised, how is the reader going to be?  For my second book, The Stolen One, I was inspired by a historical mystery - although I was bound by the framework of history, once again, it was a character that drove the narrative, thankfully, "surprising" me the whole way.

Q. What do you hear from your readers?

A. For my first book, "The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous" about a thirteen year old girl with Asperger's Syndrome, I once received a one line email that said, "Merilee is just like me quiet with no friends."  That says it all.  I've heard from dozens of other kids, although not autistic, related to Merilee's inner struggles.  I think deep down we all struggle with something.

  

Q.  Do you have a pet (pets)? Tell us about it (them) and how they help/hinder your writing.

A. My cat Amber used to sleep on my lap and while transferring to her other favorite position, lying across my revisions papers on the desk, would walk across the keyboard causing all kinds of interesting typos.  Very helpful indeed.  I finally bought her a blinged-out furry cat bed and placed it next to the computer and she has hardly it left since. PPPPPPPPPPVVVVVVR(((((((((.

  

Q. Why do you write for young adults or children?

  

A. I don't think we ever forget what it is like.  I recently went to my 30th High School reunion, and it didn't matter what I've accomplished, what I've made of myself and experienced since - I was reduced to my teenage self when I walked through that door. When she was well into her nineties, the famous stage and film actress Helen Hayes was asked by a reporter if she felt her age.  She responded that she still felt sixteen inside and always would.  Writing about teens and pre-teens who are coming of age, discovering themselves, and dealing with the complex world around them provides the richest and most fulfilling material.

Q. How often do you dream about the writing you are working on?

A. Very often, I think we all do. And it is usually the very much needed answer to a plot point.  But I've learned if I don't get up and write it down, no matter how vivid the dream is and no matter how strongly I feel I will remember it, it is gone by the morning.  I've also had great ideas while driving and have had to pull over and write things down.

Thanks so much for your time, Suzanne. We look forward to seeing you at the festival!

Find out more about Suzanne Crowley at her website. 

Introducing 2013 MCBF Author, Suzanne Crowley

Suzanne Crowley is a well-known miniature artist whose work has been featured on the covers of American and international magazines. Her debut novel, THE VERY ORDERED EXISTENCE OF MERILEE MARVELOUS received three starred reviews, was an IRA Notable Children's Book, and was selected as the Book Sense #3 Top Children's Pick for Fall of 2007. Her second book, THE STOLEN ONE, was an Indie Next Teen List Pick for Fall of 2009, a Best Books for Young Adults, and a Seventeen magazine hot summer pick. Suzanne was born in a small town in west Texas and currently lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with her family.

For  more check out her website here.

Stay tuned for our interview tomorrow!

An Interview with Jenny Moss

Q: Of which book are you the most proud? And why? 

A: Oh, wow. This is a tough question. Something about each book draws me to say it's the one I'm most proud of: TAKING OFF because it honors Christa McAuliffe and the Challenger crew, SHADOW because it was the first of my novels accepted for publication; and finally WINNIE'S WAR, which has a very special place in my heart because of the main character and her relationship with her mother. I can't pick just one!

Q: Patty Campbell talks about the germ for a piece of writing being like the sand in the oyster.  What is your grain of sand?  Do you begin with character or setting or something else?

A: For me, it's usually character. I have someone in my head who talks and talks and talks, and I have to get down her words. But occasionally, something equally compelling will hit me. I'm working on a book right now that is set in the same high fantasy world as SHADOW, but with a completely different set of characters and story. In this one, the plot got me first.

Q: What do you hear from your readers?

 A: I adore hearing from readers.  By far, the most asked question: When will there be a sequel to SHADOW?

Q: Who is your favorite character you have written or read about?

A: Gen in THE QUEEN'S THIEF series by Megan Whalen Turner

Q: In high school, where did you fall? (Prom Queen/King, Gamer Geek, Brainy/Book Nerd, Jock, Shy/Quiet Scholar, Skate Rat, Stoner, Class Clown, etc.)

A: The great thing is that on the outside we appear to fit into one of the categories - but on the inside: totally more complex and different person. On the outside: I was a Brainy/Book Nerd.

Thank you for your time, Jenny! We look forward to seeing you at the festival.

Find out more about Jenny at her website.