Welcome Heather Reid to the 2014 MCBF Author Lineup!

YA Author, Heather Reid joins the 2014 MCBF Author Line-Up

Heather L. Reid is both American and British and has called six different cities in three different countries, home. Her strong sense of wanderlust and craving for a new adventure mean you might find her wandering the moors of her beloved Scotland, exploring haunted castles, or hiking through a magical forest in search of fairies and sprites. When she’s not venturing into the unknown in her real life, she loves getting lost in the worlds of video games or curling up by the fire with good story. For now, this native Texan is back in the Lone Star State, settling down with her Scottish husband and working on the sequel to her Young Adult paranormal debut, PRETTY DARK NOTHING.

Find out more about Heather at her website, www.heatherlreid.com and in her interview here:

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?

Each story is different. For Pretty Dark Nothing, it started with a ‘what if’. As a child I suffered from Night Terrors and sleepwalking. Later in life, I struggled with depression. These experiences let me to wonder what life would be like for a teenage girl in high school if her nightmares started to manifest into her reality. What were these nightmares, what did they want, and why her? The idea of the nightmares turned into demons that exploit insecurities and manipulate negative thoughts. From there I moved on to character development.

One of my other stories started with a character. Her voice came to me so strong that I couldn’t ignore it and had to find out more about it.

Another novel I’m working on was inspired by a documentary I watched on the dust bowl, so the germ can come from anywhere and everywhere as long as you are open to finding it.

Do you outline before you write or just dive in?

Dive in! I like to feel my way through a story, to let it grow organically and see where the characters take me. I don’t like trying to stuff them into a box.

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.)

I didn’t fit neatly into any one category. I was the overachiever drama/choir girl who got along with almost anybody and who was also a book nerd and a gamer geek. You could often find me playing old school dungeons and dragons on a Saturday night with my guy friends.

It’s the dawn of the zombie apocalypse, what 3 things are a must to take with you when you flee your home for refuge from the undead hordes??

I have a dagger hanging on my wall and that would be the first thing I would grab. Great for plunging into a zombie’s brain!

I would need to pack a backpack with as many gluten free foods as I could. I have celiac disease, which means I can’t have any wheat, bread, oats, or anything that contains wheat. It’s not like a normal allergy, if I get wheat in my system, it kills the villi in my stomach which soak up nutrients and deliver it to the body. Without nutrients getting delivered to my body I would eventually I would starve to death . So gluten free foods would be essential for my survival.

My car keys. Let’s hit the road and get as far away from the city as possible.

Meet Heather at the 2014 Montgomery County Book Festival on February 15th at Lone Star College - Montgomery. 

Introducing Kristin Rae to the 2014 MCBF Author List

 

Introducing Kristin Rae...

Kristin Rae was born and raised in Houston, Texas, where she lives with her husband and their two boxers. She’s addicted to books, music, movies, crafty things, and chocolate. A former figure skating coach, LEGO merchandiser, and photographer, she’s now happy to create stories while pretending to ignore the carton of gelato in the freezer. Wish You Were Italian is her debut.

 

Kristin is a hometown darling!  Read more about her in her interview here:

 

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?

It's not uncommon for me to start with a title. I know. Weird. I keep a running list of potential titles and I've developed story seeds for each of them.

Why do you write for Young Adults?

I love how enthusiastic YA readers are, and the intensity of feelings, hopes, dreams.... It's such a unique time in life, and through my characters I'm able to relive so many of those firsts in a more dramatic way. It's just so fun to write!

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

I have two boxers, Duke and Mylie. Mylie's pretty independent, but Duke can often be found curled up on the floor next to my desk. They only hinder my writing the hour and a half leading up to dinner time when they stare me down and take turns whining.

Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?

Gene Kelly. I'd love to dance with him.

It’s the dawn of the zombie apocalypse, what 3 things are a must to take with you when you flee your home for refuge from the undead hordes??

Assuming I had an Undetectable Extension Charm on my backpack: I'd take my entire bookcase because clearly there would be no electricity to recharge an ereader, my chocolate stash because I'd spend the last known days of my life eating whatever I wanted, and my toiletry bag so I could keep brushing my teeth and washing my hair until supplies ran out.

 

Meet Kristin, a true hometown darling, at the 2014 Montgomery County Book Festival

on February 15 at Lone Star College - Montgomery.

Welcome Back to MCBF, Krissi Dallas!

 

Welcome Back, Krissi Dallas

Krissi Dallas loves pop music, mismatched socks, and fried chicken. She lives in Fort Worth, Texas with her youth minister husband, Sam, and enjoys hanging out with her quirky middle school students and building the magical, and mysterious world that makes up the Phantom Island series. Be sure to check out Windchaser, Windfall, Watercrossing, and the latest release, Watermark. Krissi loves connecting with teens, as well as readers and writers of all ages! You can stalk her online at www.KrissiDallas.com.

Find out more about Krissi in her interview here (by the way she is ADORABLE!!):

Why do you write for Young Adults?

Working with teens is my heartbeat. As a junior high teacher and the wife of a youth pastor, I've seen teenagers change the lives of others and impact a society in powerful ways. With that age group, everything is do or die, life or death DRAMA, and I love that about them. If you can set the heart of a teenager on fire, they can and WILL accomplish great things. My writing flows out of those real-life experiences and tries to somehow capture the urgency and passion of that age group and all that they can (and want) to be.

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

I think my favorite character I've written is my main villain in the Phantom Island series. I won't say who it is exactly (that's part of the fun of the series - figuring out who to trust), but I will say that it is a female. I find myself fascinated by her--by understanding what makes this woman tick, why she makes certain choices, and what she truly believes. She's the hero of her own story, however twisted it is, and I both love and hate her. It was only after I wrote her that I realized, she's ME. The darkest part of me. The person I might become if I gave into my every self-serving, innately dark desire. She's the Anti-Krissi and, by extension, the Anti-Whitnee since my main character is based off of a lot of my own traits.

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

I want readers to know that I love Jesus. Above all other things I fangirl about, my relationship with Christ is the most satisfying and most motivating aspect of who I am. It's just as simple as that. And everything I write, the light AND the dark, funnels through that worldview.

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.)

I had two sides - the girl who sat and got lost reading books and writing stories in spirals in the back of class when she should've been studying (NERDY!) and then the girl who sang and acted onstage, took leadership roles, was voted Class President, etc (BOSSY!). If my life now speaks anything of my life then, it says that I spent my teenage years making a lot of loyal friendships and strong relationships with people who still matter to me today and support my endeavors. Best teenage years ever.

It’s the dawn of the zombie apocalypse, what 3 things are a must to take with you when you flee your home for refuge from the undead hordes??

Are you kidding? In a zombie movie, I'd be, like, that first extra who gets killed off in the opening scene. I'm not built to survive. So I guess I'd take my husband and my two Yorkies - and hope that they've got the skills to get us through. My little five-pound pups are FIERCE, y'all.

If you didn't get the chance to meet her last year, don't miss it at the 2014 Montgomery County Book Festival

on February 15 at Lone Star College - Montgomery. 

 

 

MCBF 2014 welcomes Kay Honeyman to the author lineup

Introducing Kay Honeyman...

Kay Honeyman grew up in Fort Worth, Texas and attended Baylor University, graduating with a Bachelors and Masters in English Language and Literature. The Fire Horse Girl (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic) is her first novel. She currently teaches middle school and lives in Dallas, Texas. You can visit her online at www.kayhoneyman.com.

 

 

Kay answered a few questions to give our readers a little extra info about her.  Read her responses here:

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 a character or setting or something else?

It takes about three or four grains of sand before I can start turning them into a story. I usually need a character, a situation, and a setting. For THE FIRE HORSE GIRL I knew that I wanted to write the story of a girl immigrating to America through Angel Island (the Ellis Island of the West off the coast of San Francisco). I also knew that I wanted her to be strong-willed and stubborn, and I wanted her to feel out of place. I had written several chapters before I discovered the Fire Horse women.

Women born in the year of the Fire Horse (a year in the Chinese zodiac know for strong, bold women) are seen as dangerous, even cursed. Birth rates can plummet in some Asian countries. The description of Fire Horse women fits some of my favorite women, real and fictional. That was the last grain of sand I needed.

Do you outline before you write or just dive in?

I much prefer just throwing words on a page like an over-caffeinated monkey and then wondering why it doesn’t turn out perfectly the first time around. It is not the most productive system, nor is it recommended by any of the writing books I’ve read, but it does result in endless revisions. I am working on getting better at outlining, but I am a slow learner. I think of my first draft as a rough outline and build from there.

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

I fell in the cracks between all of these. Maybe that is why I love to write about labels and identity.

What books or authors have most influenced your writing?

I am most influence by writers like Jane Austen and Edith Wharton. I love they way they pick at society, pointing out people as beautiful, ridiculous, noble, and fascinating creatures. I have read To Kill a Mockingbird every year for the past decade. If you ask me what I’ve read recently that I love, it’s usually the last book I read, because that is the story swimming in my head. 

It’s the dawn of the zombie apocalypse, what 3 things are a must to take with you when you flee your home for refuge from the undead hordes?

This one stumped me, so I did what any author would do when blocked by lack of knowledge, I googled it. Based on ten minutes of research, I have decided to pack the following: a baseball bat (many sites chose this as the weapon of choice), matches (fire, historically been valuable and handy), and a tent since I will be getting out of highly populated areas. I think I would be zombie meat against a horde, but I like my chances mono-e-mono. They are slow moving and not known for their intelligence.

 

Thank you for taking a few minutes to answer our questions, Kay!

 

Meet Kay with the other authors at the 2014 Montgomery County Book Festival on Feburary 15th.

Author Chris Cander joins the line-up at the 2014 MCBF

Introducing Chris Cander...

Like most writers, Chris was first a reader—of books, of course, but also cereal boxes and shampoo bottles and billboards. Her favorite gift as a kid was a dictionary, which she read from cover to cover. After she published her first poem and won a regional creative writing contest, both at age ten, she knew she’d spend her life pursuing happiness via the written word.

Chris graduated from the Honors Program at the University of Houston in 1990 with a BA in French and a minor in Political Science. In 1994, she attended the Ploughshares International Fiction Writer’s Seminar at Kasteel Well, Netherlands. The following year, she attended the Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, where she was able to work alongside some of her favorite authors.
Although she now focuses her efforts on fiction, Chris also writes children’s books and continues to write articles for health and fitness, lifestyle, and parenting magazines, and is collaborating on two screenplays. She is also a writer-teacher for Houston-based Writers in the Schools (WITS), which engages children in the pleasure and power of reading and writing. In her spare time, she works as the PR chairperson for her children’s elementary school. Chris well knows that the pen is mightier than the sword, but she’s willing to wield one of those, too. A former fitness competitor and model, she currently holds a 2nd dan in taekwondo.

Chris is a member of of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, the Author’s Guild, and MENSA. She lives with her husband and children in Houston, Texas.

Find out more about Chris at her website

and below in her interview!

 

 

At what age did you start writing?

I can't remember a time when I wasn't writing; everything about it held me fascinated--from learning to hold a pen to pulling stories from my imagination to actually crafting a narrative.

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?

It starts with an idea: I wake from a dream in which I hear a line of dialogue spoken in a distinctive voice; or an unexpected character shimmers to imaginary life like a mirage in my mind, compelling me to find out who she is and what she wants; or I’m stuck in a thought-loop about one of humanity’s conditions and I want to explore it from a safe distance. Then I wander into the story, letting the characters reveal themselves, and over the course of a novel, I figure out the “what happens” parts and hopefully, we all (the characters, the readers, and I) end up in a satisfying place.

Do you outline before you write or just dive in?

 

My friend Lisa Cron, author of WIRED FOR STORY talks about the benefit of building the framework that will underlie the story before the writing begins, figuring out exactly what it is that the characters think they want, what they really want, and what’s keeping them from getting it. That sort of pre-writing makes a lot of sense to me, but actual outlining? No. Part of the magic of writing—maybe most of it—comes from the spontaneous adventures that unfold on the page as I’m doing it.

 

Why do you write for Young Adults or Children or Adult (whichever is pertinent)?

I write for children because I have them and those are the stories they want to read. I write books for adults because those are the stories I want to read.

 

 

Thanks for taking time to let us get to know you, Chris!

 

 

Meet Chris at the

2014 Montgomery County Book Festival

on February 15, 2014.

Introducing Polly Holyoke to the 2014 MCBF Author Line-Up

Introducing Polly Holyoke...

Polly Holyoke was a teacher for many years and loves reading, camping, skiing, scuba diving and hiking in the desert. She lives with three rescue dogs, two spoiled cats and a very nice husband who tolerates her piles of books all over their house. Her debut middle grade novel, THE NEPTUNE PROJECT, was published by Disney Hyperion in May, 2013 and was recently selected to the 2014 Bluebonnet Master List. She thinks the best thing about being an author is going to work in her pajamas and getting paid for daydreaming.

For more information, visit Polly's website at http://www.pollyholyoke.com/.

Thank you to Polly for answering a few questions so we could get to know her better.  Read her interview below:

At what age did you start writing?

I wrote my first book with my best friend in fifth grade. It was a rather remarkably story about two little girls who outwitted horse thieves. I never tried to sell it to a publisher, but my friend and I had SO much fun creating RUSTLERS OF THE HIGH MOUNTAINS that I became seriously hooked on writing.

Do you outline before you write or just dive in?

I like to daydream twenty key scenes in my story before I start writing. I do usually know my basic story arc before I begin. I’m always amazed by writers who can start with a character, have no idea where they’re headed, and yet they still can produce a beautiful, coherent novel.

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

I love Nere Hanson, the quiet heroine of The Neptune Project. I like to write about shy, unconfident characters on the outskirts. I put them in tough situations and let them find their courage and their ability to lead. I admire the way Nere comes into her own as my story progresses. She has a very strong sense of right and wrong, and she’s way braver than I am!

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

I would venture to guess I’m one of the few authors at this festival who has been bitten by a rattlesnake. I’ve also slept overnight in igloos I made with my dad in the snowy Colorado back country.

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

I have three dogs, two cats and two parakeets. They can be wonderful company, but they can also be quite demanding. The parakeets decided to give a concert during my last school Skype visit, prompting the teacher to ask me, “Do you have a monkey?” I stepped away from my computer long enough to thank the birds for their chorus and pop a cover over their cage!

 

Meet Polly on February 15th at the

2014 Montgomery County Book Festival.

Welcome Mira Dessy to the 2014 MCBF Author Line-Up

Introducing Mira Dessy...

Mira Dessy is a Certified Nutrition Educator, a Real Food Advocate, and the author of The Pantry Principle: how to read the label and understand what's really in your food.  Dessy is a professional member of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals, the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior, and the American Holistic Health Association.  She is also the Executive Vice President of the Houston chapter of the Holistic Chamber of Commerce.  Dessy speaks frequently to laypeople and nutrition professionals on how to navigate the grocery store’s mammoth packaged food stock, to decipher confusing food labels, and to choose healthy foods. Her motto is “Eat well to be well.”

Visit Mira online at:

Mira Dessy, NE

Nutrition Educator and Real Food Advocate
http://www.grainsandmore.com

The Pantry Principle: how to read the label and understand what's really in your food

http://ThePantryPrinciple.net

 

Find out a little more about Mira in her interview below:

At what age did you start writing?

I wrote a lot of poetry and fiction as a kid.  I didn't start writing non-fiction until I was an adult and in my early 40's

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?

Because I write non-fiction I need a concept.  My niche is nutrition and health so I mostly write about the effect food or food additives have on our health.  I also share a lot of recipes because I'm a fan of real food and I love to eat.  To my way of thinking, if I share with you what is in the processed food that you are eating that is not healthy for you (and explaining why it's not a great choice) I should help you understand how to eat well.  That includes sharing recipes.

Do you outline before you write or just dive in?

For articles it's 50/50 depending on what the article is about and who it is for.  If it's a book I always write an outline.  Otherwise I would never be able to stay focused.

Why do you write for Young Adults or Children or Adult (whichever is pertinent)?

I write for whoever wants to know about what's really in their food.  However, given the topic, most of my audience tends to be foodie-focused teens and then all manner of adults.

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

That I am passionate about helping people understand what's really in their food.  I'm a geek about this and am always learning more so I can share it with others.

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.)

Definitely in the Nerd category.  Luckily I had a bunch of friends who were also nerdy.  And more than 30 years later many of us are still friends.

Do you have a pet (pets)?  Tell us about it (them) and how they help/hinder your writing.
We currently have two dogs, a cat and a rabbit.  They're great for fur-therapy (petting or cuddling) when I need a break.  I jokingly refer to our cat, Chloe, as my editor.  She likes to perch near where I'm working and watch me.  If she's not there she's lying in my in-box or on top of the filing cabinet.

What books or authors have most influenced your writing most?
Francis Moore Lappe's book Hope's Edge, Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal Vegetable Miracle, and just about anything by Michael Ruhlman, Mark Bittman, Michael Murray, and Michael Pollan.  But really it's more than that.  Anything about food, food history, nutrition, health, holistic health, etc all inspires me and makes me want to dig deeper; to learn all I can and to research what I write about so people can understand that this is based in science and that what we eat, and what's in what we eat, has an impact (sometimes a huge impact) on our health.

Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
I'm always glad for the opportunity to meet new people that it doesn't matter if they're "famous" or not.  We all can learn from each other.  I'm looking forward to meeting all those I have yet to meet.

It’s the dawn of the zombie apocalypse, what 3 things are a must to take with you when you flee your home for refuge from the undead hordes??

Is it cheating to count a bug-out bag as one item?  :-)  
If I'm unprepared and have to grab and go - Cordage, a magnesium flint stick, and good quality protein bars.

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.

Meet Mira Dessy at the 2014 Montgomery County Book Festival to be held on February 15th.