2.6.15 - 7 Minutes With... Alethea Kontis

It’s fitting we follow Alex Kava last week with Alethea Kontis, since Alex introduced us. At the time, Alethea lived in Nashville and worked at Ingram. She was an important person to meet, because she was the buyer for our publisher. Big, big deal. And how the universe works – I had no idea Alethea worked for Ingram, but we were already friends on Facebook, outside of the construct of publishing. Still, I was totally blown away when she came to a signing of mine, at the now, sadly, defunct Sherlock’s books in Lebanon, TN.

That afternoon goes down in history as possibly the most fun signing ever. Mostly because I had to sit at a table for three hours, and Lee sat with me for 2.75 of them. We talked. We clicked. We merged. We talked of dreams, and where we wanted our careers to go. She went home and made a painting that is on her business cards. I’d like to think I had something to do with it.

We came out of the afternoon as fast friends, and have seen each other through so much since then. The cool thing is, Alethea is an absolutely amazing writer. Fiction, non-fiction, essays – you name it, she does it. My favorite of hers is the Woodcutter Sisters – which she told me about that fateful afternoon, her plans she had to write a series of fractured fairy tales featuring the seven daughters of a seventh daughter named after the days of the week. The books are ingenious, full of excitement and wonder and if you haven’t read them, you’re in for a treat. And did I mention she’s a princess? Yeah. She really is.

I bring you my darling Alethea. Take it away, Princess.

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Set your music to shuffle and hit play. What’s the first song that comes up?

"Laura Palmer" by Bastille

Now that we’ve set the mood, what are you working on today?

77 emails, rebuilding my new house that still doesn't have a kitchen sink, and revising TRIXTER, the upcoming Woodcutter novella.

What’s your latest book about?

DEAREST, which came out February 3rd, is a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's THE WILD SWANS, with a little THE GOOSE GIRL, A WEAVE OF WORDS, TRISTAN AND ISOLDE and SWAN LAKE thrown in for good measure.

Where do you write, and what tools do you use?

I write wherever I can, with whatever I can, and on whatever I can...which sometimes means scribbling on the back of a Starbucks receipt with an eyeliner pencil while at a stoplight. Ideally, I'd like to be at home in a chaise lounge with my Mac Powerbook and a giant cup of tea that never gets cold...but that doesn't always happen.

What was your favorite book as a child?

I started reading when I was three years old, so this is an incredibly tough question to answer. I suspect it's a toss-up between ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, THE GOOP TALES by Gelett Burgess, and Ogden Nash's CUSTARD AND COMPANY. And then of course THE COLLECTED TALES OF GRIMM AND ANDERSEN...but my grandmother didn't give me that book until I was eight.

What book are you reading now?

Sarah Addison Allen's FIRST FROST.

What’s your favorite bit of writing advice?

Writing is like having hours and hours of homework every single night...only you really love school.

I told a starry-eyed girl this at a book signing when she asked me, "What's it like to be a writer?" Upon hearing my answer, she made a face like she'd just sucked a lemon. And I felt like a HUGE nerd. Not that it made what I'd told her any less true...

What do you do if the words aren’t flowing?

Every time I sit down at the computer, I give myself permission to write crap. I tell myself that it's fine if it stinks, just as long as I'm moving the story forward. The act of just putting words on paper gets the creative juices flowing. And the next day, it doesn't usually seem so crap after all. But I still have to give myself permission, every single time.

What would you like to be remembered for?

Bringing happiness to the world. Inspiring people to see magic in their lives. And reminding people that fairy tales existed, long before Disney.

New York Times bestselling author Alethea Kontis is a princess, a fairy godmother, and a geek. She’s known for screwing up the alphabet, scolding vampire hunters, and ranting about fairy tales on YouTube.

Her YA fairy tale novel, ENCHANTED, won the Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award in 2012, was nominated for the Audie Award in 2013, and was selected for World Book Night in 2014. Both Enchanted and its sequel, HERO, were nominated for the Andre Norton Award.

Alethea's second book in the Woodcutters Series, HERO, is now available in paperback. And here's a little more about her newest book, DEAREST, which just hit store shelves in hardcover!

Readers met the Woodcutter sisters (named after the days of the week) in ENCHANTED and HERO. In this delightful third book, Alethea Kontis weaves together some fine-feathered fairy tales to focus on Friday Woodcutter, the kind and loving seamstress. When Friday stumbles upon seven sleeping brothers in her sister Sunday’s palace, she takes one look at Tristan and knows he’s her future. But the brothers are cursed to be swans by day. Can Friday’s unique magic somehow break the spell?

1.29.15 - 7 Minutes With... Alex Kava

How many good things can I say about Alex Kava? I was a fan of her books long  before we became friends. When I signed my first deal at Mira, I was wildly full of  myself because I was at the same house as Alex Kava! We had the same editor! I knew this boded well for my future as a thriller writer, because Alex does it right, every time. Her Maggie O’Dell FBI books are insanely good, deep, intense thrillers 
with just the right amount of scary reality to them. I kept telling my editors I wanted 
them to emulate her – in covers, in promotion, everything. 

We met at Thrillerfest in Phoenix, hit it off, and stayed in touch. In 2008, she kindly invited me (ME!) to a conference called Mayhem in the Midlands. It was incredibly generous – she hosted several authors I greatly admired, including Erica Spindler, Jeff Abbott and Shane Gericke, among others. Alex and her manager Deb Carlin arranged books signings, dinners, panels. They ferried us about, fed us, watered us, introduced us to all their people. Forever friendships bloomed over steaks and spilled wine. It was one of the best weekends of my career, nay, my life. 

We’ve been fast friends every since, and business partners (along with Erica Spindler, who will be here later this month with another fun interview.) I count myself so incredibly lucky to have her in my life. And now she’s breaking out with a new series, featuring Ryder Creed, an ex-Marine turned K-9 search and rescue (another topic near and dear – my cousin is K-9 S&R) which is going to kick as much 
ass as Maggie. 

I’m honored to say - Here’s Alex, y’all! 

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Set your music to shuffle and hit play. What’s the first song that comes up?

Silence. I know, boring. Right? I can’t listen to music and work.

Now that we’ve set the mood, what are you working on today?

I start my book tour this week so my day was spent packing, confirming travel itinerary with my publicist, scheduling interviews, Facebook posts and answering emails. No writing was done today!

What’s your latest book about?

BREAKING CREED is the first in a new series. Ryder Creed is an ex-Marine and dog handler who takes abandoned dogs and trains them to sniff out drugs, cadavers, bombs and also to do search and rescue.

Where do you write, and what tools do you use?

I have a writing room I added to my house several years ago. One wall is floor-to-ceiling bookcases, two walls are floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over my patio. It’s a great retreat but I still prefer the screened-in porch when weather permits.

As for tools – I love my MacBook Air, but I’d rather write in longhand. I fill two to three six-by-nine spiral notebooks with pages and pages of research, bits of dialogue, pieces of chapters and lists of things I want to include.

What was your favorite book as a child?

HARRIET THE SPY by Louise Fitzhugh

What book are you reading now?

A STRING OF BEADS by Thomas Perry

What’s your favorite bit of writing advice?

If you want to be a better writer: read. A lot.

What do you do if the words aren’t flowing?

If I’m on deadline I make myself write whether the words are flowing or not. If it really isn’t happening, I try to get away from it for a while.

What would you like to be remembered for?

I guess it would be nice just to be remembered.

Alex Kava is the New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Maggie O’Dell series and a new series featuring ex-Marine, Ryder Creed and his K9 dogs. Her stand-alone novel, ONE FALSE MOVE, was the 2006 One Book One Nebraska and her political thriller, WHITEWASH, was one of January Magazine’s best thrillers of the year. Published in over thirty countries, Kava’s novels have made the bestseller lists in the UK, Australia, Germany, Japan, Italy and Poland. She is also a co-author of the e-novellas SLICES OF NIGHT and STORM SEASON with Erica Spindler and J.T. Ellison. Her novel STRANDED was awarded both a Florida Book Award and the Nebraska Book Award. She is a member of the Nebraska Writers Guild and International Thriller Writers. Kava divides her time between Omaha, Nebraska and Pensacola, Florida.

Here's a bit about BREAKING CREED, now available in bookstores everywhere!

Ryder Creed and his dogs have been making national headlines. They’ve intercepted several major drug stashes being smuggled through Atlanta’s airport. But their newfound celebrity has also garnered some unwanted attention.
 
When Creed and one of his dogs are called in to search a commercial fishing vessel, they discover a secret compartment. But the Colombian cartels’ latest shipment isn’t drugs. This time, its cargo is human. To make matters worse, Creed helps one of the cartel’s drug mules escape—a fourteen-year-old girl who reminds him of his younger sister who disappeared fifteen years ago. 
 
Meanwhile, FBI agent Maggie O’Dell is investigating a series of murders—the victims tortured, killed, and dumped in the Potomac River. She suspects it’s the work of a cunning and brutal assassin, but her politically motivated boss has been putting up roadblocks.
By the time she uncovers a hit list with Creed’s name on it, it might be too late. The cartel has already sent someone to destroy Creed and everyone close to him.
 
But Creed and his dogs have a few surprises in store on their compound in Florida. Will it be enough to stop a ruthless cartel determined to remove the thorn in its side once and for all?

And Alex's BREAKING CREED Book Tour includes stops in: Scottsdale, AZ; Panama City, FL; Pensacola, FL; Mandeville, LA; New Orleans, LA; Minneapolis, MN; Omaha, NE; Seward, NE; and Greenville, SC. Details can be found at alexkava.com.

1.8.15 - 7 Minutes With... Jaden Terrell

Jaden Terrell and I go way back. Way back. Nearly a decade now, before either of us had book deals, and were both ardent Sisters in Crime, working hard and praying to get noticed. There is nothing better than seeing your old friends succeed, and succeed wonderfully. Her Nashville-based Jared McKean mysteries are a delight – smart and unique, with lots of local flavor. It’s kind of an alternate universe from my Taylor series; the characters walk the same streets, know some of the same people, yet never cross paths. Cool, huh? Jaden is one of the most dedicated writers I’ve ever met, and juggles an unholy load of work, writing, running the local Sisters in Crime and SEMWA chapters, is the executive director of Killer Nashville, board member of MWA – the list goes on and on. It takes great stamina and creative spirit to keep up with her. So enough of my blathering, here she is!

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Set your music to shuffle and hit play. What’s the first song that comes up?

The opening theme from GAME OF THRONES. Very epic.

Now that we’ve set the mood, what are you working on today?

I’m working on the fourth Jared McKean novel, which is about the Tennessee Walking Horse industry.

What’s your latest book about?

The newest release is RIVER OF GLASS. It’s about two people: Jared and his half-sister, Khanh, each of whom wishes the other didn’t exist, but they form an uneasy alliance to save Khanh’s daughter from human traffickers.

Where do you write, and what tools do you use?

My favorite place is on my laptop on the living room couch, with a Papillon on each side and a Tibetan Spaniel at my feet. It’s just terrible for my back and posture, but I love being able to snuggle with the dogs while I write. I also carry a spiral notebook and a pen so I can take advantage of the inevitable hang time between appointments and obligations. You know, those times when there’s not enough time to go home, but it’s too early to be at the next place.

What was your favorite book as a child?

Such a hard question! I think it must have been CALL OF THE WILD. (Yes, dogs again!) I carried it everywhere and read it over and over again until the binding fell apart. I actually went through three copies of that book.

What’s your favorite bit of writing advice?

There are two. The first is “Resistance always has meaning.” If I’m stuck, there’s a reason for it. I just have to figure out what it is. The second is, “You can’t edit a blank page.”

What do you do if the words aren’t flowing?

I pull out a pen and a spiral notebook and start asking Jared questions.  I usually start with, What happened next? I write down whatever he says, which at that point is usually pretty sketchy. Then based on what he said, I ask whatever other questions come to mind: How did you feel about that? What did it look like/smell like/taste like? What did she say? What did he do? What was she wearing? And then what? And then what?

I tell myself I’m not writing, just brainstorming. Eventually, I find myself writing a scene and I can just keep going. If not, it usually means I’ve gone astray and something that happened earlier isn’t working. (“Resistance always has meaning.”) I keep writing in the notebook, but this time asking myself “what if” questions. What if x is really a bad guy? What if y betrays Jared? What if this thing in Chapter 3 happened another way? What if Sara and Donald were secretly in love with the same person?

What would you like to be remembered for?

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Kindness. But I would also like to be remembered for writing something thought-provoking and wonderful, something readers love enough to read until the covers fall apart.

Jaden Terrell is the Shamus Award-nominated author of three Jared McKean mysteries and a contributor to NOW WRITE! MYSTERIES, a collection of exercises published by Tarcher/Penguin for writers of crime fiction. Terrell is the special programs coordinator of the Killer Nashville conference and a recipient of the Magnolia Award for service to the Southeastern Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. She is currently working on the Million Books for Freedom project to benefit victims of human trafficking. Visit her blog at http://killerconversation.wordpress.com. 

Here's a bit about RIVER OF GLASS, now in bookstores everywhere: 

Nashville private detective Jared McKean has spent his whole life trying to live up to the memory of the war hero father he barely knew. Then the body of a young Asian woman is found in Jared’s office dumpster clutching a yellowed photo of Jared’s father. A few days later, another Vietnamese woman, Khanh, appears on his doorstep, claiming to be his half-sister and begging him to help her find her daughter, Tuyet, who has been taken by human traffickers. While the police have their hands full with a renegade bomber, Jared and Khanh form an uneasy partnership to find Tuyet before she’s killed or whisked into a violent world beyond their reach.

7 Minutes With... Paige Crutcher

I am thrilled to introduce you to my dear friend Paige Crutcher. She is a gifted woman in so many respects - both as a writer, a journalist (she works for Publishers Weekly) and a yoga teacher. When you hear me mention my guru, this is who I'm speaking of. She's given me so much, and I'm so excited to be able to pay back just a bit by sharing her HUGE news - her debut novel, THE ODYSSEY OF FALLING, came out on Tuesday! This book is so fantastic, a really meaty, important, beautifully written YA novel about the journey of a young girl named Odd. I can't recommend it highly enough. And Paige's journey to publication is a study in perseverance and strength. I admire her so much. Without further ado...

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Set your music to shuffle and hit play. What’s the first song that comes up?

Pale Blue Eyes by The Velvet Underground. 

It’s haunting, comforting, and somehow seductive. It sets the stage nicely for writing about the magical and complicated (and sometimes horrible) world of being a teen – and tapping into that time in your life when all the firsts are experienced and everything feels huge. Because it really kind of is.

Now that we’ve set the mood, what are you working on today?

Well, my book released today, so I’m working on not wigging out. Because it’s a pretty surreal feeling to acknowledge that something I made is now out there in the world, for anyone to read. I feel rather naked, and vulnerable, so I’d say today I am working on channeling my brave.

Then I’ll be revising my new contemporary YA novel about a group of misfits in the 90s who reinvent themselves as renegade Merry Pranksters.

What’s your latest book about?

The Odyssey of Falling is about a girl named Odd who finds her recently deceased best friend’s journal, and decides to do the bucket list tucked inside the pages. It’s about loss, hope, getting into trouble, and falling in love. It’s about growing up and growing into who you are meant to be.

Where do you write, and what tools do you use?

My laptop, my hands, and occasionally a really awkweird grimace. I write at my desk, at the kitchen table, in bed, on the couch, on a box, by a fox, wearing socks. I am horrible at routine, and prefer to have alternate views of the world as I slip into a story one.

What was your favorite book as a child?

Anne Rice’s Memnoch the Devil. I read it when I was thirteen or fourteen and it has stayed with me. The language and imagery are gorgeous, and the book made me think. It gave me an escape, and mesmerized me, but it also made me really think about the world, God, and how I viewed it.

What’s your favorite bit of writing advice?

Trust your characters. It can be really hard to trust yourself if you look at writing from the perspective that you’re in control, or the puppet master pulling the strings. If, instead, you trust your characters and acknowledge that the story is their own – and that they know what to do -- I find it’s immensely freeing and a heck of a lot of fun.

What do you do if the words aren’t flowing?

Watch Buffy? Usually I go for a walk, talk plot hiccups with my critique partners or husband, and come back to the page. I put on really angsty indie tunes and get the hell out of my own way. Once I stop fighting myself (or listening to the mean little inner critic), I find story is right where I left it.

What would you like to be remembered for?

For being a damn fine writer, and one hell of a friend. As someone who loved well, made a difference in the lives she encountered, and had a passionate and wonderful love story. And if it’s not too much to ask, I wouldn’t mind being remembered as a super hero. Peaceful Paige—the girl who spread hope.

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Paige Crutcher is a journalist for Publishers Weekly, a yoga instructor, and a voracious reader. She lives outside of Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, two small dogs, her overactive imagination, and a houseful of books. The Odyssey of Falling is her first book. You can learn more about Paige at: paigecrutcher.com

More About THE ODYSSEY OF FALLING 

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Meet Odd. Audrey “Odd” Ashworth is an exceptionally bright girl with a sympathetic heart. She’s in the top 4% of her class. She’s obsessed with getting into Manhattan School of Music, committed to following the “signs” the universe delivers, and infatuated with the boyfriend of her recently deceased best friend. 

Life is a little strange for Odd. 

Until she finds her best friend’s diary in her crush’s car, and decides to do the bucket list tucked inside the pages. As Odd seeks closure and a way to honor her friend, she discovers there’s nothing wrong with a little strange, especially if it helps you discover who you were meant to be. Along the way, Odd falls into trouble, adventure, and finally love.

7 Minutes With... Pam Jenoff

Welcome Pam Jenoff to the Tao! I'm absolutely fascinated by her books, and jealous of her covers, because the meaty stories within give the art department so much to work with! Pam and I share a publisher, so I've been lucky enough to get my hands on her books before others, and I'm telling you,  if you haven't read her before, you're going to love them.

We are also fellow alums from George Washington University, and she followed a path into the foreign service which I'd originally been aiming for, so I'm doubly fascinated by her life and writing. Which, of course, influences her books. Maybe she'll pop into the comments and give us an extra answer - does life imitate art, or vice versa? Regardless, Pam's the whole package, people, and then some. So here we go!

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Set your music to shuffle and hit play. What’s the first song that comes up?

Return to Innocence by Enigma.  But the truth is, I don’t work to music.  Sadder truth is I have the worst musical taste on the planet – think Mandy Patinkin meets Counting Crows.

Now that we’ve set the mood, what are you working on today?

I just turned in my next book, called Summer Boys.  It’s the story of Adelia, a 16 year old Italian Jewish refugee who makes her way to America in 1941 and meets an Irish family with four sons.  She falls in love with the eldest just as America enters the war and when tragedy strikes, she flees her pain to wartorn London.

While my editor is reading that manuscript, I’m starting No Man’s Land, which is the story of a single mom trying to protect her homosexual son in Nazi Germany.

 What’s your latest book about?

The Winter Guest is the story of twin Polish sisters, Helena and Ruth Nowak, who are struggling to raise their younger siblings in Poland during the Second World War.  Things get complicated when Helena finds a wounded Jewish American paratrooper in the woods and hides him.

Where do you write, and what tools do you use?

I can write anywhere.  I have written in castles and mountaintop retreats, but also in my doctor’s waiting room and in my car.  I can tell you which Starbucks in my town open at 6 versus 6:30 on the weekends.  But I’m most comfortable in my office where I teach.  In the early stages of a book when I’m just throwing down words, I can use a notebook computer, but in later stages I need the big screen of a desktop.  I take notes and brainstorm long hand.

What was your favorite book as a child?

I was a huge reader.  Mary Poppins stands out, because it was so formative in my dream to go to England, which was fulfilled when I went to Cambridge.  I was also big on the Betsy Tacy series, about young girls in turn of the century Minnesota.

What’s your favorite bit of writing advice?

Anne Lamott has a quote and I’m going to paraphrase here, that before kids she couldn’t write if there were dirty dishes in the sink, and after kids she could write if there was a corpse in the sink.  So true.  You have to let the house be messy and things go undone if you are going to preserve your precious writing time.

I also like a lot of the writing advice from Natalie Goldberg in Writing Down the Bones about silencing your inner editor and just getting the words out.

What do you do if the words aren’t flowing?

I work very hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.  I don’t believe in writer’s block.  When I was practicing law, I couldn’t simply say, “I can’t write that brief; I’m not inspired.”  I just did it, and I take much the same approach to writing.  That said, there are things that help: I read something at night, a book on craft or some research and take notes so that I have prompts to write from the next morning, even if I’m bleary eyed from not sleeping.

What would you like to be remembered for?

Being a good mom.  But since I think we are talking about writing, I want to be remembered for handling the very difficult material surrounding World War II and the Holocaust with respect, and for making people think about that era in a way that challenges some stereotypes and conventional wisdom.  I lived in Poland and became very close to the survivors and my assumptions about that part of the world were challenged; I want that to come across in my books.  I call them my love songs to Jewish Europe and I hope they will be taken that way.

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Pam Jenoff is the internationally bestselling author of seven novels, including The Kommandant’s Girl and The Winter Guest, as well as a short story in the anthology Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion.  She is a graduate of GWU, Cambridge and Penn Law.  A former diplomat with the State Department, political appointee at the Pentagon and attorney, Pam lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and three small children where in addition to writing, she teaches law school.

Pam is always happy to skype with book clubs and will be touring the country extensively this year.  You can find her full tour schedule at www.pamjenoff.com

 More About THE WINTER GUEST

Life is a constant struggle for the eighteen-year-old Nowak twins as they raise their three younger siblings in rural Poland under the shadow of the Nazi occupation. The constant threat of arrest has made everyone in their village a spy, and turned neighbor against neighbor. Though rugged, independent Helena and pretty, gentle Ruth couldn't be more different, they are staunch allies in protecting their family from the threats the war brings closer to their doorstep with each passing day. 

 Then Helena discovers an American paratrooper stranded outside their small mountain village, wounded, but alive. Risking the safety of herself and her family, she hides Sam—a Jew—but Helena's concern for the American grows into something much deeper. Defying the perils that render a future together all but impossible, Sam and Helena make plans for the family to flee. But Helena is forced to contend with the jealousy her choices have sparked in Ruth, culminating in a singular act of betrayal that endangers them all—and setting in motion a chain of events that will reverberate across continents and decades.