Lynne Kelly joins the 2014 MCBF Author List

Welcome Lynne Kelly to MCBF 2014

Lynne Kelly lives in Spring, Texas, where she works as a sign language interpreter and writes books for kids and teens. Her debut novel, CHAINED, was released in 2012 by Macmillan/Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.  

For more information, visit Lynne's Website at http://lynnekellybooks.com/wordpress/.

 

Read Lynne's interview below:

 

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?

Plot is always last for me. For CHAINED, the idea came first, as a story about a captive elephant who escapes and returns home. Sometimes I have a character in my head for a while, and I have to figure out a story for them, and other times I think of a setting that would be cool and I come up with a character to put there.

 

Do you outline before you write or just dive in? 

I'm not much of an outliner; I prefer to just start writing and discover the story as I go. At some point though, like after a really messy first draft, I have to do some kind of plotting so I can figure out where the story needs to go.

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 was a good student, and pretty quiet around people I didn't know, but I'd turn into more of a class clown if I had friends in class with me.

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

Yes, I'd been pet-less for a few years but adopted a cocker spaniel, Holly, in March. I love having a dog next to me while I write. If she hinders my writing, it's because she loves to sleep in and snuggle.

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?? 

Other than the usual necessities (like water), I'd like to have a supply of Trader Joe's chocolate-covered almonds, a tree tent, and my iPhone, preferably with a zombie locator app.

Meet Lynne at the

2014 Montgomery County Book Festival

on February 15th at Lone Star College - Montgomery. 

Welcome Back Nikki Loftin to MCBF 2014

Welcome Back...         Nikki Loftin returns to MCBF

Nikki Loftin is the author of two middle grade novels: THE SINISTER SWEETNESS OF SPLENDID ACADEMY (winner of the 2013 Writer’s League of Texas Book Award), and NIGHTINGALE’S NEST (coming February 2014), both published by Razorbill/Penguin. Nikki’s short children’s fiction has appeared in Boy’s Life and Pockets magazines, and she is a contributor to Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves (Zest books, Nov. 2012).

Nikki lives and writes in the Texas Hill Country, surrounded by dogs, goats, and rambunctious boys. She prefers scary stories over sweet ones, reads so much it’s embarrassing, and loves ice cream almost as much as she loves writing. Say hi at www.nikkiloftin.com.

 

Find out more about Nikki in her interview below:

 

At what age did you start writing?

 

Why do you write for Children?

I write for children because I like them best.

Not that you adults aren’t all lovely people, I’m sure you’re great. It’s just that I prefer the honesty and fierce sense of social justice, the humor, and the emotional truths of kids.

I also feel like a part of me – an important part – is still nine or ten years old. I may look old on the outside, but inside, I’m still that little girl who climbed out on the roof to read until it got dark every night, whose best friend was a sycamore tree. I think I’m writing her stories.

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

I have two dogs and two goats. Honestly, I don’t think their presence affects my writing at all! (Except when the dogs insist on being walked or petted in the middle of an important scene.) But the animals do help my emotional state when I’m dealing with the business side of things. I mean, have you ever seen goats jump around when they’re playing? They are adorable. Almost adorable enough to make a writer forget all those rejections.

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??

My kids and I have given this one some thought. (Zombie Apocalypse is a favorite road trip game.) Definitely I would take duct tape. You can’t go wrong with duct tape –you can use it for a bandage, to tape yourself in a tree to sleep at night, etc.

I’d also take my son’s water purification filter – the one he’s using for his science project on water quality. You could suck up a mud puddle and be fine, and since I’d be heading for the forest, I’d need one of these.

Last? A machete. Of course I have one. Don’t ask why. And don’t ask about those stains on the blade.

We are so lucky to have Nikki making

a second appearance at the

2014 Montgomery County Book Festival

on February 15 at Lone Star College - Montgomery.

 

Don't miss your chance to meet her!

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.