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Kicking Back with Kick-butt and Sayantani DasGupta

                      Welcome back to Kicking Back with Kick-Butt!                 We’re talking with Sayantani DasGupta, the author of                                       THE SERPENT’S SECRET                           (Kiranmala & the Kingdom Beyond Book 1) MEET KIRANMALA: INTERDIMENSIONAL DEMONSLAYER (But she doesn’t know it yet.) On the morning of her twelfth birthday, Kiranmala is just a regular sixth grader living in Parsippany, New Jersey… until her parents mysteriously vanish later that day and a rakkhosh demon slams through her kitchen, determined to eat her alive. Turns out there might be some truth to her parents’ fantastical stories—like how Kiranmala is a real Indian princess—and a wealth of secrets about her origin they've kept hidden. To complicate matters, two crushworthy Indian princes ring her doorbell, insisting they’re here to rescue her. Suddenly, Kiran is swept into another dimension full of magic, winged horses, moving maps, and annoying, talking birds. There she must solve riddles and slay demons all while avoiding the Serpent King of the underworld (who may or may not want to kill her) and the rakkhosh queen (who definitely does) in order to find her parents and basically save New Jersey, her entire world, and everything beyond it… Let’s talk to this awesome author and her fantastic book! This is Sayantani! Everyone say, “Hi, Sayantani!”

Welcome to Kick-Butt Kidlit, Sayantani! Tell us about yourself! Thanks so much for having me! It’s an honor! Ok, about me: I’m a daughter of immigrants from India, a mom of two amazing teenagers, a pediatrician by training, but now I teach at the graduate and undergraduate level – in a field called narrative medicine/health humanities and also in the department of race and ethnicity studies and comparative literature at my university. (I have the best students who are all going to change the world!) I also have a very silly rescue dog named Khushi (Bengali for happy) who is afraid of EVERYTHING. Plastic bags, the dishwasher, vacuums, trucks, you name it. But we adore him. The Serpent’s Secret is my debut MG novel. Oh, my goodness - I think your dog would get along with my cat....but they might be too scared to meet each other! Where did the idea for THE SERPENT'S SECRET come from?  I always go to that Toni Morrison quote, “If there’s a book you want to read and it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” The Serpent’s Secret is the book I needed as a 12yo immigrant daughter growing up in Ohio and then New Jersey. I was a huge reader and movie buff, but while I loved, say, A Wrinkle in Time or Little Women or Star Wars or Star Trek, those stories didn’t necessarily love me back. In other words, there was such a lack of representation in my life it gnawed at my self-worth and self-esteem. When the books and media around you either erase you or give you negative portrayals of people who look like you (I’m looking at you Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), you start to think that maybe you don’t deserve representation – that someone like you can’t be brave, or strong, or save the world. But when I went on my long summer vacations to India, my grandmothers would tell me these great Bengali folktales starring princes and princesses and rakkhosh demons who rhyme while chomping on your bones – and basically it was the antidote I needed. Hearing those stories allowed me to see that people who looked like me could be brave and awesome and save the world. So when my own kids were growing into the big readers they are, and I realized that things hadn’t changed that much since I was young – there was still a real lack of diversity in children’s literature, particularly in fantasy. So I started to write The Serpent’s Secret for them. While it is based on and inspired by those Bengali folktales I had loved to much as a kid – I also wrote it with immigrant issues in mind. Kiranmala is an immigrant daughter, a girl growing up in New Jersey who has to discover the truth of her origins and travel back to her parents homeland to discover her true inner strength. So in that sense, it’s my own immigrant daughter story, just with more serpents and demons and flying horses!  

Your grandmothers sound amazing! I’m so glad you followed through on that inspiration to write The Serpent’s Secret! What were you doing when you found out there was an offer on your book?  The journey to publishing this book has been a very long one. I took it out first with a different agent in 2011 ish, and received many, many very politely worded rejections. I think back then, no one knew what to make of a funny, intergalactic Indian immigrant daughter who fought demons! Over the years, I worked on it, edited it many times, wrote other manuscripts, attended endless workshops and writing conferences, joined a lovely critique group… Anyway, suffice it to say when I signed with a new agent in 2016, and he wanted to take this book out, I wasn’t overly confident. Boy, was I wrong! Within a month of my signing with my agent Brent Taylor, we were having a very exciting six publishing house auction on the book! (And in answer to your question, I remember I was in the parking lot outside the pool where my kids do swim team practice when I heard there was to be an auction!) All that waiting now in retrospect was so worth it – I’m so grateful to my editor Abby McAden and all the wonderful team at Scholastic for sharing my vision for the book and supporting it in such a great way. What were three interesting things you discovered while working on THE SERPENT'S SECRET?  Since The Serpent’s Secret is not only my debut children’s novel, but also the first full work of fiction I wrote (I’ve written other books, essays, stories, academic chapters etc. for adults), I think the most important thing I discovered in writing this book is my own most authentic writerly voice. For years, I thought to write my immigrant daughter novel, I’d have to write some work of grown up literary fiction full of sadness and monsoons and mangoes. In other words that I’d have to exotify my own story in a sense. Discovering my upbeat middle grade writing voice was like giving myself permission to be my most authentic self – as my family will confirm, I’m kind of a twelve year old at heart!  I’ve also discovered the importance of finding your people as a writer – and that means fellow writers who will cheer you on (I’m looking at you critique group partners, We Need Diverse Books and kidlit of color communities!), an editor and agent who believe in you – not just for one story but for the long run, and a publishing house who is willing to support your book and launch it into the world with love.  Finally, I think the lesson of my own publishing story is one of persistence and staying true to your story, and your own beliefs. It’s telling the story you want to tell, not the one that others imagine you should tell. That is so, so true. *High fives* If you could transport your characters across book dimensions, which book would you most like them to end up in and why? Well, The Serpent’s Secret is already a book about an immigrant daughter travelling across dimensions! And I mean that literally since the book not only incorporates folk tales but string theory! The world that Kiranmala goes into is called The Kingdom Beyond Seven Oceans and Thirteen Rivers – it’s the place most Bengali folktales take place and therefore the homeland I thought Kiranmala should have to return to in order to find her true superpowers. Now, obviously a lot of that is both a nod to my childhood love of space shows and movies, but also my love of A Wrinkle in Time. So I think my characters might have a lot of fun visiting both the Star Wars and Wrinkle in Time universes! Wrinkle in Time has been a popular choice for this question! I love that! Why were you drawn to writing middle grade?  Middle grade really is the golden age of reading – it’s when I began my lifelong love of stories and when my children did too. It’s a time full of wonder and honesty and care. Middle grade stories are about hope, about changing the world for the better, about fighting for what’s right and true and just. If we can all keep our most authentic middle grade selves alive in our hearts, I think the world might be a better place. Well said! I agree! Now - any hints about your next book project? Kiranmala’s adventures are nowhere near over! The Serpent’s Secret is only book 1 in the series Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond. Book 2 comes out in early 2019! (Title and cover reveal soon!) What has been the most surprising part of your publishing journey? That is actually happened – it actually happened! There was a while there I was pretty doubtful it would, but I am so darn grateful I get to share Kiranmala’s story with a world of readers! (Speaking of, the first two books in the series are coming out in Norwegian, German, Spanish, Catalán, Turkish and now Bengali!) I think your readers are grateful too! We love discovering new books here at Kick-butt so please tell us: what are you reading right now?  Tami Charles’ lovely lovely middle grade novel Like Vanessa. It has such an incredible voice, a three dimensional, richly textured main character. It’s so, so wonderful. Oh, and it takes place in New Jersey too – so Jersey girls in middle grade books for the win! It sounds great! Add it to your TBR list, friends! One last question! What's your favourite piece of kick-butt advice? Something Kiranmala learns on her adventure: It’s only when we accept all the parts of ourselves that we can tap into our truest power! I think this advice goes for superheroes as well as writers!  Love it! That’s fantastic advice. Thank you so much for joining us, Sayantani! Kick-Butt Kidlit fans, make sure you check out THE SERPENT’S SECRET! It’s available now! 

Add THE SERPENT’S SECRET on Goodreads!

Get in touch with Sayantani on Instagram, Twitter, or through her website!

Click here to enter to win a copy of THE SERPENT’S SECRET. Contest ends on May 23rd.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more fun interviews!

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Kicking Back with Kick-Butt and Karina Yan Glaser

                         Welcome back to Kicking Back with Kick-Butt!                      We’re talking with Karina Yan Glaser, the author of                         THE VANDERBEEKERS OF 141ST STREET The Vanderbeekers have always lived in the brownstone on 141st Street. It's practically another member of the family. So when their reclusive, curmudgeonly landlord decides not to renew their lease, the five siblings have eleven days to do whatever it takes to stay in their beloved home and convince the dreaded Beiderman just how wonderful they are. And all is fair in love and war when it comes to keeping their home. Let’s talk to this amazing author about her incredible book! This is Karina. Everyone say, “Hi, Karina!”

Welcome to Kick-Butt Kidlit, Karina! Tell us about yourself!

I'm so happy to be here! My name is Karina Yan Glaser, and I am a full-time writer and a contributing editor at Book Riot. I live in Harlem, New York City, with my family and assortment of rescue animals.

Where did the idea for THE VANDERBEEKERS OF 141ST STREET come from?

The idea for The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street actually came to me in the middle of the night, around 2am. I woke up with the first sentence for the book and jotted it down on a piece of paper on my bedside table. I ended up writing the whole (very messy) first draft for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). The first sentence has since been moved to the second chapter, but it never got cut in the whole multi-year revision process!

Super smart to keep paper beside the bed! You never know when inspiration will strike!

What were you doing when you found out there was an offer on your book? 

So there was this coffee shop near my younger daughter's preschool, and since "school" was less than three hours long it wasn't worth commuting home and then back again to pick her up. I would camp out and write at this coffee shop, in the basement where very few people ventured into because honestly, it smelled a little weird. But it was always quiet down there and I didn't feel bad taking up a table for three hours with my one cup of tea. I thought it was providential that I was writing in that very coffee shop basement when I found out about the offer (two years after I had started the book)!

I love how everything came full circle! That’s awesome! What were three interesting things you discovered while working on THE VANDERBEEKERS OF 141ST STREET?

1. I learned that I get very cold when I write. In the winter, I wear fingerless gloves and drink endless cups of hot tea. I even have these funny hand warmer things that I bring with me when I know I'll be working at a very cold coffee shop or library. 2. I learned how to take critiques. It's always so hard and even a little scary to get feedback on something you've written. But now I really enjoy getting feedback, because I know it will make the story stronger and it pushes me to be a better writer. 3. I learned to be more patient. Publishing can be a slow process!

I’m ordering a pair of those hand warmers right now. Too cute for words! If you could transport your characters across book dimensions, which book would you most like them to end up in and why?

I'd love to send them to the All-of-a-Kind Family books. I think they would get along great with that family, and it would be very interesting to see how the Vanderbeekers would handle living on the Lower East Side of New York City at the turn of the century.

Why were you drawn to writing middle grade?

I love middle grade! I love reading it, I love writing it, and I love the kids in that age group. The eight-to-twelve age group is such a beautiful time of self discovery, plus kids begin to really find out what books they love. I feel like this is the age where kids truly begin to be readers (that's when it happened for me). Also, the middle grade books out there are so fabulous and captivating! Yes! Middle grade is definitely the best category.

What has been the most surprising part of your publishing journey?

I think what has been most surprising in the publishing journey has been the ways in which people imagine my writing life to be so exciting. When people think of writers, they imagine them writing in a gorgeous room of a library with built in wooden bookshelves, a solid wood desk, and maybe a green ink bottle and feather pen (or maybe that fantasy is my own!). People always ask me about the book tour or signings or fancy events. In reality, my writing life is not so glamorous! I write at our dinner table (we live in a small two bedroom apartment). I'm usually wearing work out clothes or pajamas. My cat likes to walk across my keyboard periodically. I have two kids, so I'm always juggling everyone's schedules and trying to maximize the amount of time I have to write and work. I was lucky that my publisher sent me on a pre-publication tour and to a handful of conferences and festivals, but generally my schedule is pretty mundane. Most of the writers I know have lives like mine!

Accurate! What's on your TBR list?

I have to read a lot for my work at Book Riot. In addition to writing content for the website, I also write the weekly kid's newsletters; you can sign up for it here! Right now I'm reading Finding Perfect by Elly Schwartz; next on my list is Whichwood by Tahereh Mafi.

Care to tell us anything about your next book?

My second book is a sequel to The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, and it will come out in fall 2018! Woohoo! I’m so excited! Can’t wait!!!

What's your favourite piece of kick-butt advice?

Keep writing, be patient with yourself, and never give up!

Yes! Perfect way to end. Thank you so much for joining us, Karina! Kick-Butt Kidlit fans, make sure you check out THE VANDERBEEKERS OF 141ST STREET! It’s available now!

Add THE VANDERBEEKERS OF 141ST STREET on Goodreads!

Get in touch with Karina on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or through her website!

Click here to enter to win a copy of THE VANDERBEEKERS OF 141ST STREET. Contest ends on October 21st.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more fun interviews!

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Kicking Back with Kick-Butt and Dana Middleton

                      Welcome back to Kicking Back with Kick-Butt!                     We’re talking with Dana Middleton, the author of                                         OPEN IF YOU DARE

Like Birdie Adams didn’t have enough problems this summer. But Birdie’s Birdie. And if a long-buried box has "Open if you dare" written on its lid, then Birdie and her best friends, Ally and Rose, are going to open it.

And now, along with everything else that’s going on—Ally’s pitching slump, Rose’s banishment to Britain, and Birdie’s annoying younger sister being, you know, annoying—the best friends are caught up in solving a mystery planted by a dead girl forty years ago.

Let’s talk to this fantastic author about her awesome book! This is Dana. Everyone say, “Hi, Dana!”

Welcome to Kick-Butt Kidlit, Dana! Tell us about yourself!

I grew up in Georgia but most of my adult life has been in Los Angeles. I came here to work in TV and film production—which I did (in fact I was fortunate enough to have a short film I produced get nominated for an Oscar!) but I always wanted to be a writer. So, on the side, even though I wasn’t sure I would ever be good enough, I started writing. I finally got my first novel published last year (The Infinity Year of Avalon James) and Open if You Dare arrives in bookstores this October. I also write for animated kids TV which is awesome. Writing for children, it turns out, is exactly where I want to be.

It’s pretty much the best job ever!

Where did the idea for OPEN IF YOU DARE come from?

Usually for me it starts with a character — which in this case was Birdie — and then it flows from there. I set the book in the Atlanta neighborhood where I grew up and, even though I wasn’t sure how to do it when it started, I wanted this book to be a coming-of-age mystery. When I was Birdie’s age, my family moved and important friendships faded away and I’m sure that’s part of where this story came from.

What were you doing when you found out there was an offer on your book? 

OPEN IF YOU DARE is actually the second book in a two-book contract, so the initial sale was of my first, THE INFINITY YEAR OF AVALON JAMES. It was afternoon at a marketing job where I was working part time. My day had been filled with clients and negotiations and all kinds of non-writerly things. And then I looked down at my phone and there it was — a note from my agent, “We have an OFFER". There were tears to be sure.

What were three interesting things you discovered while working on OPEN IF YOU DARE?

1 - That I am a big scaredy cat. OIYD was the first time I was on a deadline for a publisher and, yeah, it almost did me in.

2 - I learned that if I just kept showing up to the keyboard, something would be end up on the page. The story would happen. And it did.

3 - That there’s always a character in your book that completely surprises you!  Rose is the character most unlike me and the things that come out of her mouth absolutely delight me! Don’t know where she came from but sure glad she appeared.

Yes! If you show up, the words will eventually flow - and even better if they’re words that surprise you!

If you could transport your characters across book dimensions, which book would you most like them to end up in and why?

Well, of course, Harry Potter. Birdie would be Ravenclaw. Ally, Gryffindor. Rose —  I hate to say it but I have to — Sytherin.

Why were you drawn to writing middle grade?

Middle grade is the best! I like writing books with hopeful endings and there’s something about age 10-12 for me that is very accessible. Also, I think to write about childhood as an adult is very healing and illuminating. You find out things about yourself that were long buried — sort of like a box labeled Open If You Dare. :-)

Ha!

What has been the most surprising part of your publishing journey?

How long it all takes. How many people it takes. All the rewriting. And then after all that time, all that waiting, all of a sudden, you have a published book!

What's next on your TBR list?

Hannah Green and her Unfeasibly Mundane Existence by Michael Marshall Smith.  A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen. And of course, I’m looking forward to Shadow of a Pug in September!!

Woo hoo! 

What's your favourite piece of kick-butt advice?

For writers: it’s just to finish what you start. Get that first draft completed, no matter how awful it seems, because from there, you can go anywhere. I think that goes for life, too.

So true! You’ve got to get that good foundation in there!

Thank you for joining us, Dana!

Kick-Butt Kidlit fans, make sure you check out OPEN IF YOU DARE when it hits shelves on October 17th!

Add OPEN IF YOU DARE on Goodreads!

Get in touch with Dana on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or through her website.

Click here to win an advance reader copy of OPEN IF YOU DARE!

Thanks for joining us Kick-Butt Kidlit fans! Stay tuned for more fun interviews and giveaways. Happy Reading!

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Kicking Back with Kick-Butt and Amanda Hosch

                    Welcome back to Kicking Back with Kick-Butt!                    We’re talking with Amanda Hosch, the author of                  MABEL OPAL PEAR AND THE RULES FOR SPYING

Fifth-grader Mabel (code name Sunflower) wrote the RULES FOR A SUCCESSFUL LIFE AS AN UNDERCOVER SECRET AGENT, so when her parents leave town abruptly she is not worried; they are spies after all. However, when her beloved Aunt Gertie is arrested, and her objectionable Uncle Frank and Aunt Stella (Frankenstella) and her annoying (but clever) cousin Victoria take over her house and the family's private museum, Mabel begins to smell a rat. Using her self-authored spy manual for guidance, she is determined to find out what her suspicious relatives are up to.  Let’s talk to this lovely author about her delightful book! This is Amanda. Everyone say, “Hi, Amanda!”

Welcome to Kick-Butt Kidlit, Amanda! Tell us about yourself!

Thanks for having me, Kick-Butt Kidlit! It’s great to be here! I grew up in New Orleans (fifth generation). After working for a few years post-college, I attended grad school at McGill University in Montreal. I taught abroad for almost a decade (Canada, South Korea, Czech Republic, and Taiwan), specializing in English as a Foreign Language and struggling readers. Seattle is now home with my husband, our two daughters, and a ghost cat. Oh, we recently added two former shelter cats to our family so we’re awash in feline love again. That sounds like an awesome household!

Where did the idea for MABEL OPAL PEAR AND THE RULES FOR SPYING come from? Mabel’s voice came to me one summer and it was very strong right away. I knew her parents were spies and that she knew their secret. Furthermore, she had been spying on them to suss out their techniques. She was both proud of them for the good they did and annoyed with how their secret jobs interfered with her life. We spent several long weekends that summer camping and hiking on Mt. Rainier so the setting just seemed perfect.

However, both of my kids were home so I didn’t do any actual writing until school started. Waiting the two months turned out to be a good thing since by the time I could sit and write uninterrupted, I had spent lots of time with Mabel in my head. I wrote the first draft in about six weeks since our very elderly cat, Beetle J. Cat (who had been my mom’s beloved and spoiled cat before she died) curled up in my lap everyday for hours. I didn’t want to disturb Beetle so I wrote and wrote. It’s such a great feeling when the story flows out like that! Speaking of good feelings: what were you doing when you found out there was an offer on your book? 

I was getting ready to teach, when I saw that I had an email from my agent. It said something along the lines of “we need to talk.” At that time, MOPRS had been on submission for a while. My agent is wonderful at communication and encouragement. I had completed R&Rs (revise and resubmits) for editors before, but he usually forwarded them to me. So, being a writer, I assumed the worst (based on absolutely nothing).

I somehow made it through the next few hours of class, then I rushed home to call my agent. He talked about how we could maybe go out again on submission or “accept this offer from Capstone!”

It took a few beats for his words to sink in and then I pretty sure I screamed in his ear, “What? We have an offer?!!!”

I was so excited I could barely put together a coherent sentence when I called my husband to tell him the news.

Love it!

What were three interesting things you discovered while working on MABEL OPAL PEAR AND THE RULES FOR SPYING?

1.) It seems odd, but it’s really difficult to get a complete list of the world’s countries and their official names.  International politics and diplomacy dictate formal recognition, which sometimes does not reflect a particular country’s own given name. For MOPRS, I used lists from The United Nations and the US State Department.

2.) There are hundreds of small, private museums that are dedicated to a single subject. The museums are labors of love and the people who run them are beyond generous with their knowledge.

3.) It’s totally anecdotal, but most kids play at Spy. Whenever I told a friend (or stranger) about MOPRS’ plot, he or she would share with me a childhood memory of playing spy, either the Harriet the Spy method of observing neighbors, or making up elaborate coded messages to exchange with friends.

If you could transport your characters across book dimensions, which book would you most like them to end up in and why?

A Wrinkle in Time because Meg Murry is awesome and is the type of person Mabel would enjoy hanging out with. They both see things—difficult, unpleasant things—that others try to ignore and they (Meg and Mabel) attempt to fix them.

If Mabel needed some fun time, Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Tom Kitten and The Story of Miss Moppet so Mabel could meet her namesake, Moppet. (Yes, I named her after a kitten.) Who doesn’t need some cat cuddling time? I loved these books as a child because they felt like real books, not readers, and were the perfect size for small hands. A WRINKLE IN TIME is a popular choice! I see some epic fanfic crossovers in the future!

Why were you drawn to writing middle grade?

Apparently, I’m still 12 years old. I was (and still am) an introvert so I lived inside my head a lot.

Actually, I was a very responsible 12-year-old who babysat and dog walked for my neighbors. When my Mom would travel, she always put me in charge of the checkbook and bill paying even though I was the youngest.

What has been the most surprising part of your publishing journey?

The friendships that have come along the way. The kidlit community is warm, welcoming, and generous, and I am fortunate to be a part of it. What's next on your TBR list?

For pleasure: The Countdown Conspiracy by Katie Slivensky and One Shadow on the Wall by Leah Henderson.

For research, I working my way through: Waterfront Workers of New Orleans: Race, Class and Politics 1863-1923 by Eric Arnesen and Southern Ladies and Suffragists: Julia Ward Howe and Women’s Rights at the 1884 New Orleans World’s Fair by Miki Pfeffer

What's your favourite piece of kick-butt advice?

Don’t quit!

It’s simple yet true. 

Perfect words to end on! Thank you so much for joining us, Amanda! Kick-butt Kidlit fans, make sure you check out MABEL OPAL PEAR AND THE RULES FOR SPYING! It’s out on October 1st!

Add MABEL OPAL PEAR AND THE RULES FOR SPYING on Goodreads!

Get in touch with Amanda on Twitter or through her website!

Click here to enter to win an advance copy of MABEL OPAL PEAR AND THE RULES FOR SPYING! Giveaway ends August 31st! Thanks for reading and keep your eyes peeled for more awesome interviews!

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Kicking Back with Kick-Butt and Dusti Bowling

                          Welcome to Kicking Back with Kick-Butt!                     We’re talking with Dusti Bowling, the author of                  INSIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS Aven Green didn't lose her arms in an alligator wrestling match or a wildfire in Tanzania. That's just what she tells people when she gets the "looks." The truth is Aven was born without arms, but, at age 13, that hasn't stopped her from doing almost anything. Then her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown Western theme park in Arizona, and Aven has to leave everything she knows behind. Aven struggles to make friends at her new school, where the kids can't seem to see past her missing arms. But her life takes another unexpected turn when she meets Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability. Together, they discover an old storage shed at the park that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It's hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your fears. But Aven's about to find out what she's capable of . . . and how far from insignificant she is. Let’s talk to this fantastic author about her incredible book! This is Dusti. Everyone say, “Hi, Dusti!”

Welcome to Kick-Butt Kidlit, Dusti! Tell us about yourself! I grew up in Arizona and live here now with my husband and three daughters. I've never been stung by a scorpion or bitten by a rattlesnake, but I have had hundreds of cactus needles in my feet and hands. Ouch! Sounds like living there is quite the adventure! Where did the idea for INSIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS come from? I had thought about writing a story about a child with a limb difference after my cousin was injured while serving in Iraq. When he passed away, I put the idea aside until a few years ago when I saw a video on Facebook of a mom without arms taking care of her baby. I was fascinated by how she did everything with her feet. After that, I couldn't get the idea out of my head to write a story about a child with no arms who did everything with her feet. What were you doing when you found out there was an offer on your book? My husband and I were at the Kawasaki dealership dropping off his motorcycle to be repaired when my agent called me. I put my agent on speaker and we listened together in the car. I don't think I stopped smiling the rest of the day. 

A moment worthy of a little happy dance!

What were three interesting things you discovered while working on INSIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS? The most interesting thing I discovered was, of course, the limitless capabilities of people who live without arms. As an armed person, at first it's hard to imagine doing anything without arms, but I soon discovered they can do everything, even fly a plane! Another interesting thing I discovered is just how rare shouting cuss words is for people with Tourette syndrome. Only about five percent of people with TS say words as a tic, so it's a shame that many people think this is the number one thing people with TS do. Another interesting thing I found out was that a very high percentage of kids will experience one or more tics during their development (possibly as high as twenty percent). A lot of these kids don't go on to develop TS, but it can be a scary time for them when they don't understand what their body is doing. If you could transport your characters across book dimensions, which book would you most like them to end up in and why? I've been reading through Anne of Green Gables, and I think Aven, Connor, and Zion would have a lot of fun hanging out in Avonlea together. Aven and Anne would be instant besties, and Anne would be so relieved to have another child around with red hair. I think Anne would DEFINITELY  appreciate having another red head to hang out with!

Why were you drawn to writing middle grade? I think I was drawn to middle grade because it was middle grade books that made me fall in love with reading when I was a child. The idea that children could be reading my books and falling in love with reading makes me so happy. I also feel that middle grade suits my voice better than any other genre. Plus, I just love the endless possibilities of middle grade. What has been the most surprising part of your publishing journey? The tremendous support I've gotten from my publisher. I don't think I could have asked for a better experience. Everyone at Sterling is simply wonderful. They are pretty awesome!

What's next on your TBR list? Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk What's your favourite piece of kick-butt advice? Learn to take, and value, constructive criticism. Use it to make your work the best it can possibly be. Love it! Thanks for joining us, Dusti! Kick-Butt Kidlit fans, make sure you check out INSIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS! It’s out on September 5th!

Add INSIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS on Goodreads!

Get in touch with Dusti on Twitter or through her website!

Click here to enter to win an advance copy of INSIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS! Thanks for joining us KBKL fans! Stay tuned for more awesome interviews and giveaways! Happy Reading!

[kickbuttkidlit]

Kicking Back with Kick-Butt with Heidi Lang and Kati Bartkowski

                       Welcome to Kicking Back with Kick-Butt!            Today we’re chatting with Heidi Lang and Kati Bartkowski,           authors of A DASH OF DRAGON, which came out July 11, 2017.

(cover art by Angela Li)

A thirteen-year-old master chef has a lot to prove as she tries to run a five-star restaurant, cook the perfect dragon cuisine, repay a greedy loan shark, and outsmart the Elven mafia in this entertaining novel that combines all of the best ingredients—fantasy, humor, adventure, action, cute boys, and a feisty heroine! Lailu Loganberry is an expert at hunting dangerous beasts. And she’s even better at cooking them. For years Lailu has trained to be the best chef in the city. Her specialty? Monster cuisine. When her mentor agrees to open a new restaurant with Lailu as the head chef, she’s never been more excited. But her celebration is cut short when she discovers that her mentor borrowed money from Mr. Boss, a vicious loan shark. If they can’t pay him back, Lailu will not only lose her restaurant—she’ll have to cook for Mr. Boss for the rest of her life. As Lailu scrambles to raise the money in time, she becomes trapped in a deadly conflict between the king’s cold-blooded assassin, the terrifying elf mafia, and Mr. Boss’ ruthless crew. Worst of all, her only hope in outsmarting Mr. Boss lies with the one person she hates—Greg, the most obnoxious boy in school and her rival in the restaurant business. But like Lailu always says, if you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen. And she’s determined to succeed, no matter the cost!

Now let’s talk to the authors.

(photo by Portia Shao)

Welcome to Kick-Butt Kidlit, Kati and Heidi! Congratulations on your debut novel!!! And now, if you will, tell us a bit about yourselves.

KATI: I’m a stay at home mom for a wonderful (but really high-energy) 3 year old. Besides writing and reading, I love to draw, and I hope to someday illustrate middle grade fantasy books along with writing them.

HEIDI: I’m a dog walker from Santa Cruz, so I divide my time between hiking packs of dogs and then fruitlessly attempting to get their fur out of my car. If I’m not hiking, I’m probably writing or reading. Occasionally I nap.

Wow, your lives are certainly full. How did you come up with A Dash of Dragon in the midst of all of that?

KATI: I saw an episode of “Slayers Next,” one of my favorite animes, where the main characters are trying to get dragon cuisine. It was just a filler episode, and had nothing to do with the main plot of the show, but I started thinking it would make a fun story. At the same time, I had the idea to write a world where steampunk scientists are battling with a vicious gang of elves. It was Heidi’s idea to combine them.

HEIDI: At that point, Kati recognized my genius and begged me to write it with her.

KATI: Not sure that’s quite how that went…

HEIDI: Okay, more realistically, I kept thinking about her story and coming up with more ideas for it until I wore her down and she told me I should just write it with her already. ;)

Ah, sisterhood. Wearing down a sibling to become a co-author seems to have worked for you. So once you began, what was it like for each of you to write this novel with not just any ol’ co-author but your sister?

KATI: Fun, but trying at times. I would have everything nicely outlined, then Heidi would come in with a new character or idea, and just like that we were lost in her panster writing world.

HEIDI: I view outlines more as guidelines. Also since we’re sisters, we have no problem being super honest with each other, which meant I felt secure attempting to play with different characters and ideas because I knew Kati would definitely tell me if they weren’t working out.

Honesty is one of the most important parts of working with anyone in writing, especially when you’re related. How wonderful that you are not just co-authors in each other but critical readers, too.

What were you doing when you found out there was an offer on your book? Who found out first?

HEIDI: I can’t remember what I was doing when I saw the message from our agent. All I remember is that feeling of excitement mixed with panic, and then calling Kati literally a dozen times until she picked up so I could tell her.

KATI: I was trying to enjoy a walk home from the library with some friends. Honestly, I was really annoyed that Heidi kept calling…until she told me the news. Then I was pretty much bouncing off the walls excited for the rest of the day, and many days after.

I love that story! I can just picture you, Kati, chasing your three-year-old, sighing, and then picking up the phone to hear Heidi’s excitement! So, looking back on the days before The Call, what were three interesting things you discovered while working on A Dash of Dragon?

KATI: Some unique recipes, that I will most likely never make. I mean, who has time to hunt dragon these days? ;) I also found some interesting facts on clothing evolution through the Victorian era, along with the names of the different types of Victorian houses. And I discovered that while writing with a pantser can be trying sometimes, it was much easier and less stressful going through the whole publishing process with a partner than it would have been going through it alone.

HEIDI: Aww, shucks. I also discovered I liked working with a partner; it was really nice to rely on Kati’s brain to fix any of the problems my brain created. I’m not sure she enjoyed that part as much.

KATI: I did not.

HEIDI: Okay, apparently Kati did not love that part of working together. So there’s another thing I discovered. ;) And on a more serious note, I learned how important good critique partners are. Kati and I owe so much to the many writers who offered us feedback along the way and made our book better.

Ooo, Victorian fashions! And yes, critique partners and readers are truly the best. I’m glad you’ve had luck with that, too. Now, thinking about other writers…if you could transport your characters across book dimensions, which book would you most like them to end up in and why?

KATI: That's a tough one. I would say Harry Potter, since I'm a huge fan, but without magic I think Lailu’s life would be bland.

HEIDI: Bland. Nice food-reference. Hmm…that is tough. I know Lailu would be happy in any world, though, as long as she could keep on cooking.

There’s cooking of one kind or another in every world, magic or no!

Going back to the very beginning: why were you drawn to writing middle grade?

KATI: I love middle grade books! There are so many well written, fun ones out there. I've always loved the middle grade voice, and how they approach some serious topics in a more light-hearted way.

HEIDI: Same. There’s just something so fun and creative about middle grade. I love the over-the-top characters, and the voice, and I love that age group, how kids are just starting to really figure themselves out. Middle grade was where I really fell in love with books in the first place, too.

Books can have a truly big impact for kids that age, especially. What's next on your TBR list?

KATI: I just started Alexandra Ott's Rules for Thieves, and so far it’s amazing!

HEIDI: Ooh, good choice - I loved that one. I’m about to dive into The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis, because dragons and chocolate are two of my absolute favorite things. After that, I’m planning on reading Karuna Riazi’s Jumanji-inspired The Gauntlet. Oh, and Megan Whalen Turner’s most recent book—

KATI: She did just say “next.”

HEIDI: All of those are next. ;D

“Next” is relative, yes? You can never have too many books on that list! So for my last question, what has been the most surprising part about being a debut author?

KATI: How different everyone's journeys are to get here.

HEIDI: Also how much work there is after you sign your book deal. There are revisions, and more revisions, and copy edits, and pass pages…and then all the other author stuff. I had this silly idea that you sign a book deal and that’s it.

Ah, yes. Those journeys are certainly very special for everyone.

Thank you both so much for joining us! And now, readers, A Dash of Dragon came out on July 11, 2017. You can buy it from:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Indiebound

And if you want to connect with Kati and Heidi, do so on Twitter (@ktbartkowski and @hidlang), on their website, and on Goodreads.

[kickbuttkidlit]

Kicking Back with Kick-Butt and Fracaswell Hyman

                           Welcome to Kicking Back with Kick-Butt!                   We’re talking with Fracaswell Hyman, the author of                                               MANGO DELIGHT What happens when your BFF becomes your EFF . . . EX-Friend-Forever? When seventh-grader Mango Delight Fuller accidentally breaks her BFF Brooklyn’s new cell phone, her life falls apart. She loses her friends and her spot on the track team, and even costs her father his job as a chef. But Brooklyn’s planned revenge—sneakily signing up Mango to audition for the school musical—backfires when Mango not only wins the lead role, but becomes a YouTube sensation and attracts the attention of the school’s queen bee, Hailey Jo. Hailey Jo is from a VERY wealthy family, and expects everyone to do her bidding. Soon Mango finds herself forced to make tough choices about the kind of friend she wants to have . . . and, just as important, the kind of friend she wants to be. Let’s talk to this awesome author about his incredible book! This is Fracaswell. Everyone say “Hi, Fracaswell!”

Welcome to Kick-Butt Kidlit, Fracaswell! Tell us about yourself! I’ve spent most of my writing career creating, writing and producing television for children. I started out as a writer’s assistant on the PBS series, Ghostwriter and became the head writer by the third year. After a couple of years as the head writer of Nickelodeon’s Gullah Gullah Island, I created my first series, The Famous Jett Jackson for the Disney Channel. Other series include Little Bill, Taina, and Romeo. I’m still creating television for children and also enjoying writing middle grade novels with Mango Delight being my first venture into the genre.

WHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTT?!?!?!? I loved Ghostwriter AND The Famous Jett Jackson was AWESOME! This is so cool! Seriously, KBKL friends - go look up Jett Jackson. You’ll love it.

Moving on from my fangirling...where did the idea for MANGO DELIGHT come from?

I had signed up for a Writing A Novel In Six Weeks course and was trying to figure out what I wanted to write before the class started. One morning as I was waking up the name Mango Delight popped into my head. Being a person with a atypical name, this interested me. Lying in bed, I started imagining what kind of troubles having an odd name would present for this girl and things began to fall into place. I had to run to my iPad and start writing before the inspiration disappeared like smoke. As I sat down and began to write, Mango told me her story and I just followed her lead.

I love it when a character grabs you like that!

What were you doing when you found out there was an offer on your book? 

I knew there was an editor at a publishing company interested in my book, and that they would be having an company wide editorial meeting on a certain day. To keep my mind off things, I took my daughter to the Cape Fear Serpentarium a local live snake museum. There were all kinds of snakes, some frightfully big. It was so interesting, that I completely lost myself in what I was doing. As soon as we had gone through the snake museum, we went next door to the Museum of the Bizarre which was very interesting, too. Just as we were looking at a two headed goat in a jar of liquid, I got the call from my agent that Sterling Publishing had made an offer on Mango Delight. It was a great day filled with giant snakes and sideshow freaks! Okay, you definitely have the most unusual answer to this question so far!

What were three interesting things you discovered while working on MANGO DELIGHT?

Number 1 – Because I was writing the first draft of Mango during a Writing A Novel In Six Weeks class, I was committed to writing approximately 1700 words a day. There is a magic that happens when you are being held accountable. You don’t have time to worry about what happens next in the story. You sit there and just keep writing without judgement. This is very freeing. I didn’t have an outline, I just dived in and completed what I call my “vomit draft” in six weeks.

Number 2 – If you let your characters guide you, you will be surprised at where they take you. Sometimes I would leave my office delighted, saddened, shocked, heartbroken, miserable, angry or blissfully happy, because I was living the moments with my characters as they happened and none of it was planned.

Number 3 – An astute agent and committed editors can really make you look good!

If you could transport your characters across book dimensions, which book would you most like them to end up in and why?

The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, because of the way the kids in middle school and up divide themselves into groups. The Outsiders had the Greasers and the Socs, and Mango Delight has the dramanerds and the Cellbelles. It is interesting that Pony Boy made friends with the girl from the Socs the same way Mango and Hailey Joanne create a bridge across their different socio-economic differences.

Why were you drawn to writing middle grade?

I was drawn to writing for middle grade, because I have a middle grade daughter. We love reading to each other, and I tend to try to read everything she is assigned to read in school. I remember driving my daughter home from school when she was younger and laughing out loud as she read Junie B. Jones books to me. There is something about the characters having a fresh take on life as they take steps out of the nest and find out that nothing is as simple, comfortable, warn and predictable as it might have appeared to be at home. There is lots of drama in them there hills! Yes! Those years are chock full of drama and interesting times.

What has been the most surprising part of your publishing journey?

I have been surprised by the number of dedicated people it takes to put a book together. So many people, so many areas of expertise and they all work so hard to make us writers look good. I’m extremely grateful for the team that worked with me at Sterling Publishing.

What's next on your TBR list?

I am assuming TBR stands for “To Be Read.” I always have at least two books going simultaneously. One book will be on my iPad (usually iBooks or Kindle) and one will be an Audible book that I listen to while walking the dog, driving, waiting for my daughter to finish dance, piano or school, or doing some drudgery like washing dishes.  

On my Audible app I am listening to Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout, who has been one of my favorites since Olive Kitteridge. On iBooks I am working my way through On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century, by Timothy Snyder, because the current administration makes me fearful and I want to be ready for anything. I am also reading the ten play century cycle by playwright August Wilson, because I’m performing in his play Two Trains Running this summer. What's your favorite piece of kick-butt advice?

Toni Morrison is one of my all time favorite writers. I bow down at the alter of her greatness and I follow her advice which is to “write the books that you want to read.” I can’t write like anyone else, all I can do is be myself in life and on the page. I love reading all kinds of stories, but my true interest lies inside the landscape of the heart, those are the books I seek and those are the types of books I aspire to write.

Exactly! I love that! Thank you so much for joining us, Fracaswell! Kick-Butt Kidlit fans, make sure you check out MANGO DELIGHT. It’s available now!

 Add MANGO DELIGHT on Goodreads! Get in touch with Fracaswell on Twitter, Instagram, or through his website!

Click here to enter to win a copy of MANGO DELIGHT! Thanks for joining us KBKL fans! And stay tuned for more awesome interviews!

[kickbuttkidlit]

Kicking Back With Kick-Butt And Katie Nelson

                         Welcome to Kicking Back with Kick-Butt!             Today we’re chatting with Katie Nelson, the author of          THE DUKE OF BANNERMAN PREP, which is out TODAY!!!

Words are weapons. Facts can be manipulated. And nothing is absolute—especially right and wrong. Tanner McKay is at Bannerman Prep for only one reason: the elite school recruited him after he brought his public school’s debate team to victory last year. Bannerman wants a championship win. Debate is Tanner’s life—his ticket out of his poor-as-dirt life and family drama, straight to a scholarship to Stanford and the start of a new, better future. But when he's paired with the Duke, his plans for an easy ride seem as if they’ve hit the rails. The Duke is the quintessential playboy, beloved by everyone for his laissez-faire attitude, crazy parties, and seemingly effortless favors. And a total no-show when it comes to putting in the work to win. But as Tanner gets sucked into the Duke’s flashy world, the thrill of the high life and the adrenaline of existing on the edge becomes addictive. A small favor here and there seems like nothing in exchange for getting everything he ever dreamed of. But the Duke’s castle is built on shady, shaky secrets, and the walls are about to topple down. A contemporary retelling of The Great Gatsby, Katie A. Nelson’s taut debut is perfect for fans of John Green’s Looking for Alaska, Kate Brian’s Private series, and anyone who’s encountered the cut-throat world of competitive high school.

Let’s talk to this wonderful author about her great book! This is Katie! Everyone say, “Hi, Katie!”

1. Welcome to Kick-Butt Kidlit, Katie! Why don't we start with some introductions - tell us about yourself!

I’m a former English/Debate teacher, who now writes full time. I live in Northern California with my husband, four kids, and hyperactive dog. I love movies, music and books, and I make a mean mint brownie.

Kick-Butt: we may need to try one of those brownies to verify the meanness...

2. Where did the idea for THE DUKE OF BANNERMAN PREP come from?

Part of it is my background as an English teacher, but I’ve always tried to see the parallels between classic literature and modern life. I love THE GREAT GATSBY and think that it is still timely today. The idea of a character trying to rise above his present social status, and the challenges that would bring with it are really fascinating to me, and the book came out of thinking about that. I spent my high school years on the debate team and loved it, and I thought it would be the perfect setting for this kind of conflict to play out. Debate is really about hard work, preparation, and merit, but yet there’s an advantage that teams from more privileged socio-economic areas have. I wanted to explore that in my novel.

Kick-Butt: 

3. What were you doing when you found out there was an offer on your book? (I always love these stories.)

The email from my agent came in mid-morning. I don’t think I was doing anything particularly exciting. Probably washing dishes or something like that. I knew which editor had made the offer, but not much else. So I spent the rest of the day stalking her twitter and waiting for more updates from my agent to come in.

Kick-Butt: We totally would have twitter stalked, too #noshame

4. What were three interesting things you discovered while working on THE DUKE OF BANNERMAN PREP?

1. 1955 Porsche Spyders have their engines in the back, not the front of the car.

2. California boarding schools are very different than the typical ivy-covered east coast schools.

3. Idaho has surprisingly lenient laws for fireworks.

Kick-Butt: Love these, and definitely piques our interest even more!

5. If you could transport your characters across book dimensions, which book would you most like them to end up in and why?

One of my favorite books in the whole world is LES MISERABLES, and I’d love to transport my characters to France during that time of such upheaval. I think some of them would identify with the upper classes, and probably hide in their estates, but I think other characters would really take to the streets and fight for better living conditions for the poor, and greater freedom and liberty. It would test their social consciences, but I’d love to see them rise up and accomplish something great.

Kick-Butt: Do we sense a modern-day LES MISERABLES from you in the future ;)

6. Why were you drawn to writing young adult?

I love the possibilities of the teenager years. There is so much ahead of you, and you are trying to figure out who you are and what you’re going to be. I think that teenagers are often more open to ideas of social justice and more willing to try to do big things and make important changes in the world, and I love that!

Kick-Butt: Great points! We love that, too!

7. What's next on your TBR list?

I have a HUGE TBR list! I hope someday to finish it! I just got an ARC of THE BREATHLESS, which I’m so excited to read. It’s by another debut author, Tara Goedjen, and it’s a gothic mystery about family secrets and it looks so, so good.

Kick-Butt: We’ll be twitter stalking you to see how ya like it!

8. What has been the most surprising part about being a debut author?

I think the most surprising thing for me has been seeing the excitement of other readers about my book. It’s always exciting to see someone tweet about wanting to read my book, or ask when it comes out, or react positively when I tell them about it. After having this story live in my head for so long, I wondered if it would appeal to anyone but me, so it’s always fun to hear other people are interested in it too.

Kick-Butt: It’s safe to say you’re book DEF appeals to readers. And *cough cough* it’s out RIGHT NOW for people to lose themselves in.

Thank you for joining us, Katie! Kick-Butt Kidlit fans, go to your favorite book seller and get your hands on THE DUKE OF BANNERMAN PREP now:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Indiebound

Katie would also love to connect with you on Twitter, Instragram, and on her website at KatieNelson.com. Go follow, stalk, do your thang!

[kickbuttkidlit]

Kicking Back with Kick-Butt and Patricia Bailey

Welcome to Kicking Back with Kick-Butt!

We’re here with Patricia Bailey, author of The Tragically True Adventures of Kit Donovan.

Thirteen-year-old Kit Donovan made a lot of promises to her dying mother, and the most difficult one to keep—the one about being a proper lady—seems downright impossible in a place like Goldfield, Nevada. The corrupt owner of the gold mine seems to hold sway over the whole town. When Kit convinces Papa to speak out against the dangers in the mine, trouble finds her family. 

Now she must find a way to expose the misdeeds before it’s too late. With help from a Shoshone boy, a newspaperman, and an unlikely friend, she puts her big mouth and all the life skills she’s learned from reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to work. But is she really brave enough to stand up for what’s right?

Welcome to Kick-Butt Kidlit, Trish. Why don't we start with some introductions - tell us about yourself.

It’s so great to be here. I’m Patricia – but everyone calls me Trish. I grew up in a small town in Oregon. I now live in a slightly larger town in Oregon with my husband and three cats. When I’m not writing, I spend my time hiking mountain trails, scribbling story ideas on sticky notes and longing for a dog – or a goat. I’m pretty flexible about that.

Where did the idea for The Tragically True Adventures of Kit Donovan come from?

A road trip and a conversation with a man at a road-side rock/junk/antique shop on the side of the highway pretty much set the whole thing in motion. My husband and I stopped to stretch our legs at the edge of a small town called Goldfield, Nevada, and I struck up a conversation with the guy who owned the shop. He tried to convince me A) that the old wheel chair I was looking at belonged to famed old west lawman Virgil Earp, and B) that the practically deserted run-down town I was in was once a full-on boom town and the happenist spot east of San Francisco. Once we hit Las Vegas and had internet access again I discovered he was telling the truth – at least about Goldfield being a boom town. And, of course, my imagination just took off from there.

I love that a road trip was the seed for your story. So what were you doing when you found out there was an offer on your book?

I was home watching my husband make brunch. I ran out of the kitchen to take the call from my amazing agent, Kerry Sparks, then ran back to the kitchen in a state a shock. I think I followed that up by wandering around in circles for a while and then getting cake. Honestly, it’s all a blur – except the cake. It was chocolate, with mocha icing.

Cake—the proper way to celebrate! Congratulations!

You clearly did a lot of research for The Tragically True Adventures of Kit Donovan. I’m curious: what were three interesting things you discovered during that process?

The founder of United Parcel Service, Jim Casey, ran a messenger service in Goldfield, Nevada in the early 1900’s. (Though I don’t say it, in my mind he’s the guy who gives Kit her telegram in the book). Virgil Earp lived (and died) in Goldfield, Nevada – but he’s buried in Portland, Oregon – where his first wife lived. There was so much trouble between the mine owners and the labor union in Goldfield in 1907, President Roosevelt sent in the National Guard to maintain order.

What a fab idea to give a real historical figure like Jim Casey a cameo role. A little treat for people in the know.

Kit lives in a very specific time and place, but let’s just imagine for a moment: if you could transport her across not time or space but book dimensions, which book would you most like her to end up in and why? It would be interesting to see Kit in a dystopian world – like Panem from The Hunger Games. She has a pretty solid sense of right and wrong, and I think she’d shake things up. But I couldn’t put her there. I’d want her someplace nice. Maybe she could hang out with Anne Shirley in Avonlea, drinking raspberry cordial and getting in minor scrapes at school. Of course, then she’d be bored to death. Someplace safe where she can still have adventures. Maybe Hogwarts before Voldermort returns.

Safety—what all we want for our characters once our books are done.

Why were you drawn to writing middle grade?

Because they are the best. Middle grade books are wild and funny, heartfelt and serious – just like the kids. They’re always about growth – physical, emotional, social, about meeting challenges and facing new adventures. The voices are always clear and rich; the struggles are real and meaningful; and in the end there is always a glimmer of hope.

 The hope at the end—that’s something I love about middle grade, too. We never let our readers down (and there’s that safety again). What's next on your TBR list?

It keeps shifting. Next up is Mayday by Karen Harrington. If I’m lucky I’ll get an ARC of Leah Henderson’s One Shadow on the Wall soon.

Sounds like a great list!

And my last question: what has been the most surprising part about being a debut author?

A lot of people really know the whole publishing side of things before they sell a book. I was not one of those people. So pretty much everything seemed totally exciting and totally scary to me. The waiting probably surprised me most. There are long stretches where it seems like nothing is happening and then suddenly everything needs to be done at once right now. I wasn’t fully prepared for the slow down/speed up of the whole process – and how that would affect the day to day job of writing a new book.

Managing time is different game with a book in the world. Good luck as you continue with your writing, Trish. And thanks so much for joining us!

The Tragically True Adventures of Kit Donovan comes out on April 25, 2017. 

Find out more about Patricia Bailey and The Tragically True Adventures of Kit Donovan on her website, Twitter, or Goodreads.

[kickbuttkidlit]

Kicking Back with Kick-Butt and Rebecca Donnelly

                          Welcome to Kicking Back with Kick-Butt!                 We're talking with Rebecca Donnelly, the author of                               HOW TO STAGE A CATASTROPHE

Sidney Camazzola plans to be the director of the Juicebox Theater when he grows up. For now, he handles the props, his best friend Folly works the concession stand, and his sister May hangs out in the spotlight. But the theater is in danger of closing, and the kids know they need a plan to save it–and fast. When they join a local commerce club to earn money, Sid and Folly uncover some immoral business practices, and it gives them a great idea for saving the theater. That is, if you can call extortion a great idea. Their crazy scheme is the production Sid was born to direct. But can they pull it off? Let's talk to this incredible author about her amazing book! This is Rebecca. Everyone say "Hi, Rebecca!"

Welcome to Kick-Butt Kidlit, Rebecca! Tell us about yourself!

Hello! Thank you so much for having me! My official bio tells you where I've lived and that I'm a librarian, but I think you're looking for some more kick-butt information, right? The most kick-butt things I can think of to tell you are that I live in a converted 19th century church, I get most of my exercise stacking firewood, and I got 2nd place in a fifth grade essay contest by writing about why I admire Debbie Gibson. I mean, what else is there to say?

Where did the idea for HOW TO STAGE A CATASTROPHE come from?

I was in a few plays in an amateur children's theater when I was in 6-8th grades, so that's where the setting comes from. The entrepreneurial side of the story comes from my fascination with business and sales as a metaphor for morality. You have to believe in yourself, or put up a good front of believing in yourself, to be a great salesperson, but we so often paint business people as schmucks because we have a bias against money, or against people who openly admit that they want money. So I thought if I had a kid who was into the theater, an artist, and his friend was a kid who was a genuinely good person and loved sales and money, that might make an interesting story. Then I had to give them something to do, so they're trying to raise money to save the theater from closing. And then of course I included a businessman who is a schmuck, because that's just fun. What were you doing when you found out there was an offer on your book?

Not much. It was my day off, and I was working on another MG manuscript. I took a break to check my email. I had almost given up on the book, after over a year on sub and many polite rejections. But there was Molly's email (Molly Ker Hawn of the Bent Agency is my kick-butt agent, and I love that we [*i.e. Casey the interviewer*] get to share her) with the offer from Capstone. I'm pretty sure we had a phone call immediately to talk more about it and basically say, Uh, yes! After that, I can't say for sure, but it probably involved a little chocolate.  Celebration chocolate is the best chocolate!

What were three interesting things you discovered while working on HOW TO STAGE A CATASTROPHE?

1. I learned a lot about puppets. They have a long & unusual history, particularly as political agitators.

2. I loved reading about the different types of "closes" in sales. In HOW TO STAGE A CATASTROPHE, the puppy dog close and the Ben Franklin close are mentioned--those are real things. The SWIZ close is completely made up, as will be evident when you learn what SWIZ stands for when Sid says it. There are many other closes, as well as whole culture of sales-- coffee is for closers, after all.

3. I learned that I am no accountant, so don't use any of Folly's bookkeeping to try to run your home business.

If you could transport your characters across book dimensions, which book would you most like them to end up in and why?

Well, Folly would probably try to land in Principles of Accounting or something like that, but I think he might really enjoy/be affronted by a book called NO COINS, PLEASE by Gordon Korman, about a junior grifter on an adventure tour. If I had to pick a single book for them all go in, though, it would be Uma Krishnaswami's THE GRAND PLAN TO FIX EVERYTHING, since these kids all really like, well, grand plans and fixing everything. Love NO COINS, PLEASE! And I'm adding THE GRAND PLAN TO FIX EVERYTHING to my TBR list!

Why were you drawn to writing middle grade?

Middle grade is where my heart is. A good middle grade story--and I'm making this up on the fly, so don't be too hard on me--is like a good folktale: it has all the power of a compelling story combined with the slight mysticism that comes with approaching, but not quite reaching, another world. In a folktale, it's the land of the uncanny; in middle grade, it's the land of knowledge & growing up. I feel like a lot of the impact of a middle grade story is somewhere under the surface, and it's the same with folktales. What's next on your TBR list?

I just started THIS SIDE OF HOME by Renee Watson. I also have HOODOO by Ronald L. Smith and DIFFICULT WOMEN by Roxane Gay in the queue.

What has been the most surprising part about being a debut author?

I read a lot of advice about being a debut author before I was one, so a lot of it has been as expected (things will still be tough; you'll spend a lot of time on promotion; having one book accepted doesn't mean every book will be accepted, for example). I think I wasn't quite prepared for how up-and-down everything would still feel. I think I thought I would feel more like a professional, and while I try to behave like one, I'm not sure I feel like one.

I think you're pretty awesome at it!

Thanks for joining us, Rebecca! Kick-Butt Kidlit fans, make sure you check out HOW TO STAGE A CATASTROPHE on April 1, 2017.

Add HOW TO STAGE A CATASTROPHE on Goodreads!

Get in touch with Rebecca on Twitter or through her website!

Click here to enter to win an ARC of HOW TO STAGE A CATASTROPHE!

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Review: Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

Add on Goodreads!

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A New YA Book from Amy Brashear!

Congratulations to Amy Brashear on her sophomore novel!

Add THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF THE MAKING OF THE EVE OF DESTRUCTION to Goodreads here!

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Kicking Back with Kick-Butt and Wendy McLeod MacKnight

                      Welcome to Kicking Back with Kick-Butt!         We're here with Wendy McLeod MacKnight, the author of                                  IT'S A MYSTERY, PIG FACE!

Eleven-year-old Tracy Munroe and her family have just gotten back from their family vacation—why did no one realize that her little brother, Lester, a.k.a. Pig Face, was allergic to sand, salt air, and the ocean before they decided to go to the beach?—and now she has three big goals to accomplish before she goes back to school: Figure out a fantastic end of summer adventure with her best friend, Ralph, budding Michelin-star chef. (And no, Ralph, perfecting a soufflé does not count.) Make sure Pig Face does not tag along. Get the gorgeous new boy next door, Zach, to know she even exists. But when Tracy and Ralph discover an envelope stuffed with money in the dugout at the baseball field (and Lester forces them to let him tag along), they have a mystery on their hands. Did someone lose the cash? Or, did someone steal it? St. Stephen has always seemed like a quiet place to live, but soon the town is brimming with suspects. Now they’re on a hunt to discover the truth, before the trio is accused of the crime themselves.

Let's talk to this delightful author about her awesome book! This is Wendy! Everyone say "Hi, Wendy!"

Welcome to Kick-Butt Kidlit, Wendy! Tell us about yourself!

I’m happy to be here! I live in New Brunswick, Canada, which is a beautiful part of Atlantic Canada. I’ve always wanted to be a children’s author, but I had a whole other career working for the Government of New Brunswick first, rising to the level of Deputy Minister of Education. One day I woke and decided that it was time to leave and pursue my lifelong dream. Besides reading and writing, I love gardening, movies, and travelling.

Where did the idea for IT'S A MYSTERY, PIG FACE come from?

It’s not coincidental that It’s a Mystery, Pig Face! is set in my hometown of St. Stephen. I wrote the first draft when I was living out on the west coast and missing home. I thought, “What would have happened if a mystery had landed in my lap when I was a kid?” and the rest kind of came from there. The first draft was really old school mystery, and then I tweaked and tweaked until this final version. 

What were you doing when you found out there was an offer on your book?

It was June and I knew Sky Pony Press was looking at it, but I hadn’t heard anything and was beginning to wonder when out of the blue my amazing editor, Lauren Galit of LKG Agency, called and said there was an offer. I remember I cried afterwards and then my husband and daughter took me for champagne and then we drove to my best friend’s house so I could tell her! What an amazing day!

What were three interesting things you discovered while working on IT'S A MYSTERY, PIG FACE?

Hard question! I discovered that you can always make the story better, even when you think you’re all tapped out! I also discovered that editing the book with my editor Alison Weiss was way more fun than I thought it would be. Finally I discovered that the editorial process involves long periods of waiting punctuated by short periods of panic!

Ah, yes - it's a truth universally acknowledged in publishing that we all have mandatory periods of panic!

If you could transport your characters across book dimensions, which book would you most like them to end up in and why?

I’d send them to meet Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace in A Wrinkle in Time. I have a slight homage to them when I have Tracy give Ralph a t-shirt with the original A Wrinkle in Time book cover on it as a souvenir. While It’s a Mystery, Pig Face! is not a fantasy, I ended up with three main characters because I always loved the dynamic of the three characters in Madeleine L’Engle’s masterpiece. I reread that book at least once a year and it never fails to make me cry.

Why were you drawn to writing middle grade?

I have always loved middle grade fiction! For me it’s the “sweet spot” of children’s literature; the time when kids are out in the world and experiencing many firsts, sometimes successfully, sometimes to disastrous results. And readers of middle grade fiction are diverse and enthusiastic and voracious!

What's next on your TBR list?

So many books! I am still working my way through all of the 2016 middle grade debut novels, while devouring a bunch of my 2017 newbie siblings. I have read Kwame Alexander’s latest, and just bought Kennth Oppel’s Boundless and I expect to be first in line to buy the next Fenway and Hattie book!

Yes! Fenway is the cutest! Love those books.

What has been the most surprising part about being a debut author?

Besides how long the publishing process takes? I’d say the biggest and most delightful surprise is how kind everyone is in the children’s writing community. People are so helpful and always willing to share what they know.

Thank you so much for joining us, Wendy! Kick-Butt Kidlit fans, IT'S A MYSTERY, PIG FACE! is available now! Go check it out!

Add IT'S A MYSTERY, PIG FACE! on Goodreads!

Get in touch with Wendy on Twitter, Instagram, or through her website (here or here)!

Thanks for reading!

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Happy Book Birthday to Brenda Drake and GUARDIAN OF SECRETS!

We're celebrating the release of Brenda Drake's GUARDIAN OF SECRETS (Library Jumpers #2) from EntangledTeen, today! Check out the teaser excerpt, and be sure to enter the giveaway via Rafflecopter below!

Congratulations, Brenda!! 

About GUARDIAN OF SECRETS (LIBRARY JUMPERS #2)

Being a Sentinel isn’t all fairytales and secret gardens. Sure, jumping through books into the world’s most beautiful libraries to protect humans from mystical creatures is awesome. No one knows that better than Gia Kearns, but she could do without the part where people are always trying to kill her. Oh, and the fact that Pop and her had to move away from her friends and life as she knew it. And if that isn’t enough, her boyfriend, Arik, is acting strangely. Like, maybe she should be calling him Dzex,dz since he’s so into another girl. But she doesn’t have time to be mad or even jealous, because someone has to save the world from the upcoming apocalypse, and it looks like that’s going to be Gia. Maybe. If she survives.

Buy the Library Jumpers novels 

Thief of Lies (Library Jumpers #1):

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Guardian of Secrets (Library Jumpers #2):

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

Excerpt from GUARDIAN OF SECRETS

She did a U-turn and drove off. I sprinted to the area where I spotted the lightning. A shadowed figure sat on a white bench near the water. Another flash of light kissed the sky and illuminated Nick.

Since discovering he was a wizard, Nick struggled with his new magic. And he was careless. Anyone could spot him out here. How would he explain it to someone who was human and not from the Mystik realm? I couldn’t imagine how it felt to have that much power. Unlike him, I was a Sentinel. I had little magic and relied on my battle training to best wizards and other-world creatures. He only needed to shock or electrocute his adversaries.

“What exactly are you doing?” I asked, approaching.

He almost fell off the bench. “Shit, Gia. Don’t sneak up on a person like that.”

“Seriously, Nick? What are you doing? Someone might see you, and then we’d be discovered.”

“Just leave me alone.”

“I’m not going to just leave you alone.” I sat down on the bench beside him. A light breeze swept loose strands of my hair across my face. The briny smell of the ocean filled my nose. “Talk to me. You’re my best friend, Nick. I’m here for you.”

He formed an electric charge on his palm. I created my pink globe and tossed it on his hand, snuffing out the charge.

He made another electric ball and I cast another globe at it.

“Quit doing that.”

“You stop it.”

“I get it. Your globe is badass. It can counter magic and shield people, but it makes you weak. I can do this all night and wear you out.”

“You’re not nice.”

He buried his face in his hands. The knuckles on his right one were torn, with blood coagulating around the wounds. “I don’t know what’s happening to me. I can’t stop myself. I know I’m being mean to Deidre, to my parents…to everyone.”

“You haven’t been that mean to me, yet. That has to say something. I’m the most annoying one of the bunch.”

He snorted. “Did you just snort?”

“No.” He looked startled. “It was a sneeze.”

“I think you snorted.”

His face brightened. “I know what you’re trying to do. And it’s working.”

“I’m not trying to do anything. That was a full-on snort.” I wrapped my arm over his back and watched the water lap against the retaining wall in front of us. “I know you can’t see a therapist for this, ’cause what would you say? That you just found out you’re the son of the most evil wizard of the Mystik world and the curers recently released your magic?”

He gave me a half smile. “Yeah, that might not go over too well.”

“Or maybe you could. They’d think you were delusional, and you’d score some drugs.”

“Drugs make me nauseous.”

He stared at his hands, and I stared at the water, searching for the right words to say. “This has to be tough for you. I get it. I’ve been there. It’ll take time to adjust. How about I be your counselor? Anytime you feel anxious or angry, you call me and we’ll punch some bags or whatever. It always helps me to relax. Plus, my services are cheap.”

“Violence would make you relax.” He was pleased with his retort and laughed, which was followed by another snort.

Enter to win a $25 Amazon OR Book Depository Gift Card (International)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Kicking Back with Kick-Butt and Erin Teagan

                        Welcome to Kicking Back with Kick-Butt!                        We're here with Erin Teagan, the author of                               THE FRIENDSHIP EXPERIMENT

Future scientist Madeline Little is dreading the start of middle school. Nothing has been right since her grandfather died and her best friend changed schools. Maddie would rather help her father in his research lab or write Standard Operating Procedures in her lab notebook than hang out with a bunch of kids who aren’t even her friends. Despite Maddie’s reluctance, some new friends start coming her way—until they discover what she’s written in that secret notebook. And that’s just part of the trouble. Can this future scientific genius find the formula for straightening out her life?

Let's talk to this amazing author about her wonderful book! This is Erin! Everyone say "Hi, Erin!"

Welcome to Kick-Butt Kidlit, Erin! Tell us about yourself!

Thank you for having me, Casey! I live in VA, where I write full-time, with my two kids, my endurance mountain biker husband, a ninety-pound dog that is scared of thunderstorms and strollers and vacuums, and a five-pound rabbit that thinks he’s the boss of everyone.

Where did the idea for THE FRIENDSHIP EXPERIMENT come from?

The idea for The Friendship Experiment came from my experience as a scientist working in the lab. I worked in drug research and development for ten years and had to write and follow many standard operating procedures. I imagined what it would be like to be a kid growing up in a family of scientists that lived her life following SOPs every day!  

What were you doing when you found out there was an offer on your book?

When my agent called with the first offer on my book, I was alone in my house which was a very rare thing. I was calm and collected while on the phone with my agent, but as soon as we hung up, it hit me that my book was going to become a real thing, and I was just about to lose it when I noticed my neighbor walking up my driveway. I tried to calm myself again, but I’m pretty sure I was shaking/half-crying when I opened the door. She was bringing me a book – Jay Asher had visited her school that day and she got me a signed copy and told me he wished me luck on getting published. And then, of course, I couldn’t hold it in anymore and I told her my news and we celebrated!

Oh, wow! What perfect timing! Nice to have someone to celebrate with!

What were three interesting things you discovered while working on THE FRIENDSHIP EXPERIMENT?

Oh my goodness, there were so many things I discovered while writing this book. Maddie’s mom is an earthy-organic-chemical-free kind of character and I did a lot of research on household chemicals and food (don’t eat hot dogs or tofu) while I wrote. It completely changed me! A lot of people don’t know this about me (an ex-biochemist that literally worked with dangerous chemicals all day and every day) but I make my own household cleaners, bug sprays, and laundry detergent now and my house is almost completely chemical free (except for my coffee creamer which is basically all chemicals but so delicious). I have Maddie’s mom to thank for that! I also learned that the big dipper is not a constellation but an asterism and that you shouldn’t google spider crickets unless you want a giant and terrifying picture of them to pop up (and also they’re omnivores). *Some of us may have googled spider crickets. For science.* **Erin was right. Don't do it.**

If you could transport your characters across book dimensions, which book would you most like them to end up in and why?

I think Maddie would be great friends with Ellie from The Fourteenth Goldfish!

Why were you drawn to writing middle grade?

I remember those years so vividly, going from an elementary school kid to a middle schooler, changes in friendships and schools and so much else. For me, my voice and heart is just naturally middle grade.

What's next on your TBR list?

I have so many books on my list! I’m excited for A Rambler Seals Home by Carter Higgins and It’s a Mystery, Pig-Face! by Wendy McLeod-Knight, and I just finished The Wild Robot by Peter Brown and Gertie’s Leap to Greatness by Kate Beasley.

So many awesome titles to choose from!

What has been the most surprising part about being a debut author?

This entire year has been full of surprises! My favorite surprise by far was the support and new friends I’ve made in the Sweet16s.

Thank you so much for joining us, Erin! Kick-Butt Kidlit fans, THE FRIENDSHIP EXPERIMENT is available now! Go check it out!

Add THE FRIENDSHIP EXPERIMENT on Goodreads!

Get in touch with Erin on Facebook, Twitter, or through her website!

Thanks for reading!

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Kicking Back with Kick-Butt and Elly Swartz

                         Welcome to Kicking Back with Kick-Butt!                 Today we're chatting with Elly Swartz, the author of                                           FINDING PERFECT

To Molly Nathans, perfect is:

The number four

The tip of a newly sharpened number two pencil

A crisp, white pad of paper

Her neatly aligned glass animal figurines What’s not perfect is Molly’s mother leaving the family to take a faraway job with the promise to return in one year. Molly knows that promises are often broken, so she hatches a plan to bring her mother home: Win the Lakeville Middle School Slam Poetry Contest. The winner is honored at a fancy banquet with table cloths. Molly’s sure her mother would never miss that. Right…? 

But as time goes on, writing and reciting slam poetry become harder. Actually, everything becomes harder as new habits appear, and counting, cleaning, and organizing are not enough to keep Molly’s world from spinning out of control.

In this fresh-voiced debut novel, one girl learns there’s no such thing as perfect.

Let's talk to this excellent author about her fantastic book! This is Elly! Everyone say "Hi, Elly!"

Welcome to Kick-Butt Kidlit, Elly! Tell us about yourself!

I grew up in Yardley, Pennsylvania in a red, brick house on Queens Drive with my mom, dad, two older brothers and dogs. My childhood was a happy one with many laughs, family dinners and crooked birthday cakes.  Years later, in my home in Brookline, MA there are still many laughs, family dinners and crooked birthday cakes. However, now the faces around the table are my awesome husband and two wonderful sons. And the youngest member of the family, not at the dinner table, is Lucy the beagle. Over the years, our family has also included a pygmy hedgehog, gerbils, a hamster, fish and a few other dogs. 

When I first started writing, I opened a piece of Bazooka Joe gum and wrapped around my sugary, pink delight was a fortune that read, “You have the ability to become outstanding in literature.”  A touch of unexpected inspiration!

Where did the idea for FINDING PERFECT come from?

One day, I woke up with Molly in my head. What I knew about Molly was that she had undiagnosed OCD, an unwavering love for family, and a courage and strength she did not realize she possessed. I spent the next seven years researching OCD and working with OCD pediatric specialists to authenticate the manifestation, discovery and treatment of Molly’s symptoms. Molly has been with me for a long time. And, even now, years after I’ve written the last page, she remains tucked in a very special place in my heart.

What were you doing when you found out there was an offer on your book? 

I was playing cards with my family on vacation. After being on this journey for 15 years, it was amazing and wonderful and special to have my sons and husband with me when I got the call. They, however, didn’t know if the news was good or bad. You see, I’m a crier. So when my agent shared the news, I started to cry. Happy tears.

There was no one I would have rather shared this moment with then the three of them.

That's lovely! What were three interesting things you discovered while working on FINDING PERFECT?

Oh, I love this question. I discovered how much I love Twizzlers! I discovered that I love writing more than I fear rejection. (Let’s be honest, there were a lot of no’s in 15 years!) And, that you should always dream big! So true!

Why were you drawn to writing middle grade?

I am fairly certain that I have a 12 year old girl broadcasting from inside my body! Honestly, I didn’t choose middle grade, it chose me.

If you could transport your characters across book dimensions, what book would they land in?

I would love Molly to meet Frankie, the 11-year-old spunky main character in my next MG. (Stay tuned, good news coming soon!) Molly and Frankie may take on the world differently, but they are both loyal and loving and have an inner strength they only later come to discover. I think they’d be good friends! Ooooh, sounds like an excellent cross-over novel to me!

What's next on your TBR list?

I happily have an ever-growing stack. Right now it includes: When Friendship Followed Me Home, Scar Island, Forget Me Not, The Someday Birds, Stealing Our Way Home, and The Harlem Charade.

What has been the most surprising part about being a debut author?

Everything! But the one wonderful stand-out has been the community of educators and librarians who have welcomed me and Molly and Finding Perfect so warmly into the kid lit fold. I am honored to be a part of this amazing community.

It IS an amazing community! Thank you so much for chatting with us, Elly! Kick-Butt Kidlit fans, FINDING PERFECT is available now. Check it out!

 Add FINDING PERFECT to Goodreads!

Get in touch with Elly on Twitter or through her website! Stay tuned for our next interview featuring Erin Teagan, author of THE FRIENDSHIP EXPERIMENT!

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Kicking Back with Kick-Butt and Lindsay Currie

                           Welcome to Kicking Back with Kick-Butt!              Today we’re chatting with Lindsay Currie, the author of                       THE PECULIAR INCIDENT ON SHADY STREET

Tessa Woodward isn’t exactly thrilled to move to move to rainy, cold Chicago from her home in sunny Florida. But homesickness turns to icy fear when unexplainable things start happening in her new house. Things like flickering lights, mysterious drawings appearing out of nowhere, and a crackling noise she can feel in her bones.

When her little brother’s doll starts crying real tears, Tessa realizes that someone—or something—is trying to communicate with her. A secret that’s been shrouded in mystery for more than one hundred years.

With the help of three new friends, Tessa begins unraveling the mystery of what happened in the house on Shady Street—and more importantly, what it has to do with her! 

Let’s talk to this wonderful author about her great book! This is Lindsay! Everyone say, “Hi, Lindsay!”

1. Welcome to Kick-Butt Kidlit, Lindsay! Why don't we start with some introductions - tell us about yourself!

Hello! Thank you for hosting me! My name is Lindsay Currie and I’m the author of THE PECULIAR INCIDENT ON SHADY STREET, releasing 9-12-17 from Aladdin/S&S. I live in Chicago with my husband and three awesome kiddos. I’m a Walt Disney World lover, a peach-tea drinker and a Halloween fanatic.

2. Where did the idea for THE PECULIAR INCIDENT ON SHADY STREET come from?

The idea for PECULIAR INCIDENT originated with my love of ghost legends. We have a lot of supposedly haunted places here in Chicago, some of them scary, but all of them fascinating. One legend (can’t tell you which one though…you’ll have to read to find out:) has always interested me, so I decided to do a little ghost hunting myself. I spent time wandering through graveyards, taking ghost tours, exploring local legends, and pretty much scaring myself silly. Then, voila! PECULIAR INCIDENT was born!

Kick-butts: And you guys can even take a ghost tour on Lindsay’s website!

3. What were you doing when you found out there was an offer on your book? 

Ah! How much do I love this question? Well, I was at home working on a different project when my agent (the fabulous Kathleen Rushall at Andrea Brown Literary Agency) called me. I was surprised when I saw her number come up on my phone because we hadn’t set a time to speak that day and I couldn’t imagine what she was calling about. I picked up the phone, and after a minute or so of small talk, she said the magic words: the editor at Simon & Schuster loved the book and was taking it to acquisitions. I literally almost fell off my desk chair. I was THAT excited. I screamed, she screamed, we screamed together and then I hung up feeling like I was in a dream.  

Kick-butts:

4. What were three interesting things you discovered while working on THE PECULIAR INCIDENT ON SHADY STREET? 

Oh wow! I discovered so many things while working on this book. First and foremost, I discovered that graveyards aren’t as permanent as one might think. In fact, they can and have been moved before! The neighborhood I live in, Lincoln Park, used to be a graveyard over a hundred years ago and held more than 35,000 bodies! That’s crazy when you consider that today, Lincoln Park is filled with schools, homes and parks. It’s one of the most sought after neighborhoods in the entire city. I also discovered that cemeteries don’t have to be scary. In fact, many years ago they were intended to be comforting places. A lot of them had picnic tables in them, ponds for swimming in, and beautifully manicured landscaping for afternoon walks. Families spent time in graveyards and appreciated them rather than simply holding their breath as they walked past or telling scary stories about them at Halloween. The cemetery that PECULIAR INCIDENT is based on is called Graceland and it’s over 100 acres right in the middle of Chicago. If you’re ever in the city, stop by and walk through. It’s chock full of history and yes, you guessed it - ghost legends!

5. If you could transport your characters across book dimensions, which book would you most like them to end up in and why?

Wow! Cool question! My characters – Tessa, Andrew, Nina and Richie – are very good at solving problems and unraveling mysteries. They’re also incredibly brave. I mean, you’ve got to be pretty strong to face-off against a centuries old ghost! With this in mind, I would love to see what they could do at Hogwarts – especially if they could harness just a little magic. I can also imagine them being good friends with Harry, Ron and Hermione. So, HARRY POTTER it is!

Kick-butts: We wouldn’t mind being Harry Potter’s friend either!

6. Why were you drawn to writing middle grade?

I’ve always loved middle-grade fiction. It’s a fun age, a sometimes awkward and confusing age with a lot of changes happening. There’s little to no romantic interest in most middle-grade, but there is adventure. Great, sweeping adventures that raise goose bumps on my arms when I think about them. That’s what draws me to middle-grade. The goosebumps!

Kick-butts:

7. What's next on your TBR list?

Right now I’m reading a young-adult novel (A COURT OF MIST AND FURY by Sarah J. Maas), but up next I’m planning to read THE PRINCESS AND THE PAGE by Christina Farley and CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber. I’ve had both on my TBR for a year now and can’t wait!

Kick-butts: YES to all three of these. Lindsay has great taste in books!

8. What has been the most surprising part about being a debut author?

Well, everything about this experience has been unbelievably surreal, but I’ll have to admit that seeing the cover for PECULIAR INCIDENT was one of the most memorable experiences I can imagine. It’s so perfect, so fitting for the book that I got teary when I saw it for the first time. I didn’t expect that, but I’m so grateful for it.

Kick-butts: We’re really not surprised! The cover is gorgeous!! 😍

Thank you for joining us, Lindsay! Kick-Butt Kidlit fans, make sure you check out THE PECULIAR INCIDENT ON SHADY STREET, coming 9-12-17 from Simon & Schuster/Aladdin, on Goodreads or on Lindsay’s website. ALSO, it’ll be available for preorder on February 3, 2017!!

Lindsay would also love to connect with you on Twitter or Instagram! Go follow, stalk, do your thang!