I've decided that we should get in the Halloween spirit around here, and to do that, we will rec only spOOky books for the month of October! Now, if you've been around WhimFic a while, you know that spOOky for me is... well, not really all that spOOky. But, I promise they'll have a bit of scary to them! First on the list is a book that I loved because it had some heart-jumping moments, but it was also hilarious (wait until you read the running-across-the-field-in-underwear scene - trust me!). Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore is a perfect start for our spOOky book recs!
Amy Goodnight's family
is far from normal. She comes from a line of witches, but tries her best
to stay far outside the family business. Her summer gig? Ranch-sitting
for her aunt with her wacky but beautiful sister. Only the Goodnight
Ranch is even less normal than it normally is. Bodies are being
discovered, a ghost is on the prowl, and everywhere she turns, the hot
neighbor cowboy is in her face.
Okay, so if you read this and wonder why I thought it qualified as spOOky, please remember I AM A WIMP. So let's just get that out of the way. But, it is a ghost story! Ghosts are scary! And it has mystery, suspense, and moments that made me a little afraid to turn off the light, to be honest.
I have to say, I loved Amy Goodnight. She's such a perfect main character. She continually laughed at herself (and her actions) which made me laugh out loud throughout the book. I also really liked the "witch" element of the book. The members of Amy's family are witches, but there is a modernity to them - especially in the character of Phin, Amy's sister - that makes it all the more interesting. And funny, which you all know I love.
Can we talk about The Guy? Because, while he has no sword, he does have a cowboy hat and boots! Not only that, he can hold his own (and then some) against Amy's sharp tongue, and the banter between them makes the book all the more fun.
So, if you're ready to start reading some slightly-scary books to get yourself in the Halloween spirit, start with Texas Gothic! It's a perfect book for this time of the year.
Some of you may have seen us tweeting and discussing an amazing online writer's conference that's taking place right now, called WriteOnCon. What you may not realize is that even though this is a conference by industry pros and geared toward YA writers, a lot of our favorite authors are contributing really insightful posts. Since the conference is free and open to all, we thought you might want to know about a few of the highlights involving some of our favorite authors.
Now, I admit that I'm a little biased because I have GIANT girl-crushes on both of these lovely ladies, but I think you'll agree with me. Even if you aren't a writer, be sure to check out the other posts and events on WriteOnCon.
As Stacie and I were watching a webcast from the conference last night, she messaged me and said: "This is such geek porn to me." Yup. It really is that awesome.
If you read my review of the Maggie Quinn books, by Rosemary Clement-Moore, you know how much I love her. So imagine my glee when she agreed to let me interview her, which was just a thinly veiled excuse to grill her about her books and fangirl all over her. Getting to post it here is just a bonus. ;)
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1. So, the BIG QUESTION: Will we see more Maggie? I know you are currently working on a non-Maggie book, which sounds awesome, but I am holding out hope that we haven't seen the last of Maggie, et al. If you did continue, will you have to freeze the characters in time (kinda like Nancy Drew) to extend the series? I'm curious as to how the college-relationship-growth progression would affect future books.
I haven't sold any more Maggie books, which isn't to say I won't someday. I know Maggie et. al. are going to have many many more adventures, the question is whether they'll be chronicled in books. Or Young Adult books, since, as you alluded, they've been aging and could grow out of the age group. (Which is the one drawback of a YA series, unless you do the 'freezing' thing.)
I originally envisioned this as an ongoing 'monster of the week' series, very much like Nancy drew, were the characters might not change very much as they faced demons. But look what happened! I feel like the characters' growth, both their personal evolution and their relationships, is such an integral part of the story. I can't imagine putting that in stasis. (Which is not to say I couldn't slow the timeline so the next (hypothetical) stories take place all over one summer, or a month, or a week.)
2. Are you tired of the Nancy Drew/Buffy the Vampire Slayer comparisons? Did you cringe when you read my review? It's meant as high praise. I think I read my copy of "Death By Design" until the binding gave out. #NancyDrewForever ;)
Um, *I* pitched this book as "Nancy Drew meets Buffy." So, no. I mean, I love Nancy. She was smart, brave and resourceful, and Ned Nickerson rescued her fewer times over the whole series than some heros rescue some girls in the space of one BOOK! And Nancy rescued HIM almost as often. And Buffy is an icon of my generation. Although sometimes I feel like *every* strong, young female character who encounters supernatural creatures gets compared to Buffy, so it's a bit of a cliche. But I own it. There are a lot worse things to be compared to.
3. I really enjoyed the progression of Maggie and Lisa's friendship through the three books. I feel like forgiveness and loyalty are rare commodities sometimes, and it's really nice to see both the struggle and the payoff. Do you see Lisa's character ever coming to term with her skills? Do you think she'll ever, truly, forgive herself for her mistakes?
Ah Lisa. She was supposed to be a minor character, some comic relief, and the more I wrote her, the more I loved her. And as the books went on, I knew that I wanted the girls' friendship to be just as important as the romantic relationship. Because your girlfriends SHOULD be just as important at that stage in your life. (Maybe always.) So it had to be tested, and they emerged from the fire with their bond transformed into something much more complex than besties who hang out at the mall.
Lisa is on her own journey, and we get glimpses of it in the books, but I think it's an ongoing thing. Maggie's forgiveness is a kind of absolution in Lisa's mind, but she also feels the rest of her life will be atonement. And oh. my. gosh. I hope I get to write that story someday.
4. Justin. Just Justin. I love him. #geeklove. That is all.
Um... I hope you're not expecting disagreement from me.
5. Okay, that's not all. THANK YOU for giving us a member of Maggie's team whose "gift" is one we could all possess: intelligence and open-mindedness. (Yes, I know these last two weren't questions. It just felt right to keep up the numbers.)
Intelligence and open-mindedness are the best superpowers ever. So, you're welcome.
6. Do you have a favorite character (other than Maggie) that you've written?
Ooooo... I tend to love them all, even the ones that have harder shells, like Lisa and Sylvie, the heroine of The Splendor Falls. Sylvie was SO miserable at the beginning of the book, and she went on such a transformative journey, that she became very dear to me in a completely different way than Maggie, who is fairly self-actualized, if only by comparison.
But this book I'm working on now... Just wait until you meet Amy and Ben. *cackles madly*
7. Maggie's background is Catholic, and in some ways I think familiarity with the concept of a Heaven and Hell probably makes it easier for me (as a reader) to understand how she's viewing the events around her. Were you concerned about bringing a religious aspect into your books?
This is just me-- if I'm going to talk about demons, or really more to the point, Evil (capital E), how can I completely avoid mentioning the architecture humans have in place for fighting it, i.e. religion. And if you're going to have Evil, why dodge the question of whether there are similar forces of Good (capital G) in the universe?
The problem is, it's a touchy subject. I try to avoid coming off as dogmatic, or worse, preachy. (Maggie does say that not all of "Team Good" may wear the same jerseys.) Most of the supernatural structure of the novels fits (with some imagination) into the theology of my upbringing, but I'm a fiction writer, not an apologist, so I only have to answer to my conscience, not an Inquisition. (Um, I hope.) In the end, religion is how Maggie tries to fathom the unfathomable, but I think (hope) it's clear in the books that individual choices and actions are more important than religious affiliation.
8. Do you believe in demons and angels and general forces of Good and Evil? If so (I do, so this is an issue for me) was it hard for you to write and research any parts of these books? Like with the computer scene, did you fear opening yourself to something negative during your writing?
I have been working way too long on this answer. I was going to talk about how this is all made up for the purposes of storytelling, and free will trumps everything else, and blah blah blah rationalitycakes, when I realized that while I'm perfectly okay with Googling "protective magical charms," I wouldn't want to type "how to summon a demon" into a search engine.
Go figure. It's more about an idea than a reality. I'm less worried about a "real" demon than the real person who thinks it would be cool idea to summon one.
I believe that there are forces in the universe for good and evil, but that they are utterly beyond anything we would expect them to look like, maybe even beyond our ability to wrap our head around. I think that's why we, as artists, describe them in paint and words, to try and get a handle on what is obscure and profound.
But we humans, unfortunately, are capable of plenty of evil on our own, without any help from supernatural sources. I also think we're capable of extraordinary good. I chose to focus on the latter.
-- Thanks for interviewing me! Hope some of those last answers weren't too long. Believe it or not, I don't get asked those things very often.
Rosemary
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Alright, so if you didn't love her before, how could you not after that? Just the right amount of smart, funny, and evil. *shakes fist at references to new characters and new books* I hope you're reading her books and loving them as much as I am. Visit her blog at http://readrosemary.blogspot.com/ and join me in the "Cheer Rosemary Along" club!
Hey everyone! I'm giving Rain the day off because I read an AWESOME series while on vacation last week and just HAD to recommend it to y'all. I realize that that might seem like overly high praise, but trust me on this one. If Nancy Drew and Buffy the Vampire Slayer had a psychic love child, and then wrote about her, this would be the result.
"Prom Dates from Hell" is the first of three books featuring Maggie Quinn, a reluctant psychic who has inherited "the Sight" from her Irish grandmother. She's fought and denied her ability all of her life. Finally, during her senior year of high school, bad things seem to be happening all around her, and turning a blind eye to her gift could leave her dead. How do you go from flat-out denial to fighting the forces of Evil-with-a-capital-E?
Sound intriguing? Exactly. Maggie is funny, self-deprecating, smart, heroic, and in way over her head. But she's not exactly alone. There's her snarky-best-friend Lisa, who is a self-described "evil genius." (Which I LOVE. I can respect some straight up Dark Side appreciation.) Throughout the three books their relationship shifts somewhat, but I love the exploration of loyalty and friendship that Rosemary Clement-Moore takes us on. Maggie's parents are very real characters who don't overwhelm the book, but provide a realistic support system, and Gran, well... I love Gran. You will too. I wish she'd read my tea leaves.
And, of course, there's a love interest. He's Maggie's perfect balance and I refuse to spoil it by saying anything but, um, yeah. Nancy and Ned have nothing on Maggie and I'm-not-spoiling-by-telling-you-his-name. So, go read these books! (That's right, there are three in the series so far.) There's action (near death experiences and demonic invasions!), there's romance (uh, he-who-I-won't-name, anyone?), and there's mystery (did I mention demonic forces? I did?) They're fun, fast, and really really good. (AND, if you've read them and have questions for the author, let me know. She's graciously agreed to do an author interview for the blog!)
I haven't sold any more Maggie books, which isn't to say I won't someday. I know Maggie et. al. are going to have many many more adventures, the question is whether they'll be chronicled in books. Or Young Adult books, since, as you alluded, they've been aging and could grow out of the age group. (Which is the one drawback of a YA series, unless you do the 'freezing' thing.)
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