This post was originally published over at long and short reviews here:

What happened over my summer vacation? My young adult novel,Persephone, was published by Musa Publishing. Fitting, since I spent last summer editing it and querying my manuscript, and the summer before writing it.

My writing life is ruled by summers. Sure I work on my books during the year, but mostly in 5,000 word revisions with my writers group every other week. Hardly intensive writing. But I’m a graduate student. Now that the fall semester is starting, writing takes a back seat to reading.

But during the summer I can write when, where and what I want to, and for the last few summers I’ve visited the Underworld and met the gods. My summer vacations are full of myths and legends.

I like the Greek gods. For the moment, Hades is my favorite. But they all had such strong personalities. There was so much drama in Greek myths. It translates into a young adult novel very well. Obviously I’m not the only one to think so. Greek mythology is having its heyday in young adult literature. I sometimes wonder if in hundreds and thousands of years people will find these modern day takes on mythology and think that we never stopped believing in them. Will historians read these books and think the gods simply evolved with the times?

I don’t just write all summer. I read a lot too. But the books aren’t exactly what I read for grad school. This summer I’ve been reading the Immortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clair.

My favorite books have always had some supernatural elements but more importantly they’ve always been young adult. Young adult books tend to have better plot lines and stronger character development. Even between books by the same authors. I love Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series, but her young adult Darkest Powers series was much better to me. I don’t know if it’s just a matter of having less length to get everything in, so there’s less filler, or if it’s just that there’s more tension. An adult rarely has parents to contend with so there’s less sneaking around.

Whatever the reason, thanks to reading and writing young adult books my summers are filled with fun. I’m already counting down the days until my next summer vacation.

It’s going to be a long school year.

Super fun interview with Jaime Kristal. This interview was originally posted here:

How would you summarize your book in one sentence?
There are worse things than death. Worse people, too.

Oooh, that sounds interesting already! How long did it take you to write this book?
I started writing Persephone summer of 2010, just about the time Clash of the Titans came out. That quote “damn the gods” just got in my head and wouldn’t leave. Somehow I got to thinking about the Persephone myth, and how much more there may be to that story. I wrote an outline but wasn’t able to devote much time to the story for another six months. In that six months I had a baby, graduated college, and moved to Athens where I joined a local writers group. With a lot of help from that group, I managed to write something worthy of publication in about a year.

Yes, it sounds like you were very busy! How many drafts do you go through?
I revise a lot while I write, so it’s hard to tell. I know I had at least five distinct drafts. The first draft of Persephone was written in third person and was about a third of the length it is now. The next draft was in first person and maybe twice what it was now. I kept adding and whittling away for a few more drafts before I got the plot whipped into shape.

When do you write best: in the morning, afternoon, or at night?
I tend to write at night, but my best brainstorming happens in the car. I live a good thirty minutes outside of town, so if it’s just me and my toddler in the car I have nothing to do but think. I talk through entire scenes and conversations while driving. The other drivers probably think I’m nuts, but it’s honestly when I get the most done. At the end of the day, I hop on the computer and write out all the ideas I had.

If anyone asks, you were talking to your child *wink* Where is your favorite place to write?
The couch. That way I can keep one eye on my daughter, and one ear on whatever show my husbands watching. I can bounce ideas off him if I get stuck, and I don’t feel as much like I’m spending too much time away from my family. It’s a comfortable routine.

That is a great way to spend time with your family, but still get some work done. But what do you use when you’re on the couch: a typewriter, laptop, or pen & paper?
iPad. It’s so light and portable. I can bring it with me anywhere. It fits in my purse, and when I’m stuck in a doctor’s office or stopping for lunch I can just take it out and get right to work. I can write, edit, stop and google something, and you can’t beat the global find and replace.

Note to self: get the awesomeness that is an ipad… What do you drink or eat while you write?
Soda. Caffeine is my only vice. I need it to stay awake and get all my ideas down! I don’t tend to eat much while I’m writing. Most of my writing happens after dinner.

Do you ever listen to music while you write?
I can’t, it’s too much of a distraction. The song lyrics get stuck in my head. My husband tends to have the TV on while I’m writing and that’s not typically distracting. Though one time my writers group noticed Hades had started channeling Dr. Who (David Tenant). I fixed it, but it kind of works. He’s got the whole timeless thing down.

Guess we know what your hubby likes to watch! What do you wear when you write?
Pajamas. Sweatpants and a t-shirt. It’s comfortable, it’s the end of the day, and I’m ready to relax. I write until I’m ready for bed.

I wish we all could wear pajamas to work, they are the best attire ever *grin* Do you have any other writing rituals?
The problem with rituals is that they become necessary to your concentration. I’ve moved eight times in the last five years. My husband and I both work, both have school, and now I have a toddler in the mix. Right now I write best at night, but next semester my school schedule may shift and I may do most of my writing in a coffee shop between classes. I have to stay flexible, at least until my life settled down into a more predictable routine.

How do you plot? Chapter by chapter or an overall synopsis? Do you use detailed outlines?
I kind of work backwards. I typically have a very clear scene in my head when I think of a story. I write that and let the story shape itself for awhile. After an initial draft, which really reads more like a summary with a few very detailed scenes, I write an outline. I write another draft, then fine tune my outline, making sure each chapter has something that actually happens in it and furthers the plot of the story. That’s typically when I add subplots. Having an outline really helps, but I’ve never been able to start there.

Well, it obviously works for you which is all that matters! How do you decide which narrative point of view to write from?
My characters decide. Persephone started in the third person but it just didn’t work. It was too distant. I have another novel I’m working on that just didn’t work in first person. It’s just a matter of finding the right voice that works for my characters, and some of them need more distance than others.

How do you choose your characters’ names?
For Persephone it was a tough decision whether to go with the classic Greek names or rename the characters something more modern. It was a tough call, but I’m glad I stuck with the classics. Sometimes the names find me, and that creates the character.

While I was researching the Persephone myth, I stumbled upon Melissa, which was a title for a priestess of Demeter. To me, Melissa sounds like a young name, a modern name. Not some ancient title. That contrast got me thinking of whether or not the modern gods would have modern priestesses, and what that dynamic would be like.

I’ve always been a fan of mythology myself, so the original names hold so much more connotation for me. Who is the first person to read your manuscript?
My writers group. They get to read it a couple of times as I go through each draft. They helped shape the manuscript and I trust their judgement completely. It took awhile to get to that point. It’s hard to let other people read your work and actually ask for criticism because I’m always so excited about my story that I can’t imagine someone having a negative reaction.

A writers group thickens your skin, and they represent all the readers that might react to your book if it gets published. If multiple people in my group aren’t getting something that I think is clear as daylight, then I obviously didn’t do a good job explaining myself in the manuscript.

What did you do immediately after hearing that you were being published for the very first time?
Posted it on Facebook. I called my mom, told my husband, and announced it to my writers group. I think every person I’ve ever met knew in about ten minutes. I was excited .

It says something about our society that a facebook status is posted before phone calls are made *L0L* I’m the same way *grin* If your book were to become a movie, who would you like to see star in it?
Chloe Grace Moretz to play Persephone for sure. She was awesome in kick-ass and everything else I’ve seen her in. She definitely has the range to pull off the changes Persephone is going to go through during the series. Hades is tougher. I picture someone like David Tenant or the guy from Grim, but they’re quite a bit older than Miss Moretz. I wouldn’t want to cast Hades as a teenager but I don’t want him looking like a creepy old pedophile either.

I’ve seen “Hugo” and thought Chloe did a wonderful job. It was a great family movie, though I haven’t yet read the book. What is the first book you remember reading?
I have vague memories of some story about the mayflower in kindergarden, but the first book I have very, very clear memories of is The Boxcar Children. My mom was worried that I would catch my older brothers “reading isn’t cool attitude, so she offered to pay me a dollar for every book I read. So I read the boxcar children series and the sweet valley series. She still owes me several hundred dollars.

I loved reading both of those series, and the BSC books, myself when I was younger. How about now, what book is on your nightstand?
Dragons of Winters Night. We read out loud every night before bed, and right now we’re working through the Dragonlance series. I’m rereading the Hollows series by Kim Harrison right now on my own. And when I’m not reading either of those I’m reading classical literature to study for the GRE: Subject test in English Literature.

Do you have a guilty pleasure read?
Nope. I’m not ashamed of anything I read. I love young adult fiction. I love fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, classic literature, everything. I even like Twilight. I think people who get all smug about their preference in literature are a bit silly.

All that matters is that people are reading, right? *grin* How do you organize your library/book collection?
I don’t. Not until Kindle updates their app and lets users organize their books by type on apple products. I am such an eBook person. I’ve bought books I own in print just for the convenience of having them on my phone and iPad. The only print books I own either don’t come as ebooks or are autographed copies. They’re arranged by author on a bookshelf in my office.

Did you always want to be a writer?
For as long as I can remember. My over-active imaginations gotten me in a lot of trouble. I’m glad it’s finally paying off.

If there was one book you wish you had written what would it be?
Tamsin by Peter Beagle. I love that book. It’s so well written, and all the characters were so well developed, even the cats. The book seems to completely change genres about a third of the way through, it starts as this coming of age accepting a major life change plot, then transforms into this ancient ghost story. There’s not a lot of writers who can make that large of a shift feel organic, but Peter Beagle does.

That is rather impressive; I’ll have to take a look for that book myself. If you could talk to any writer living or dead who would it be, and what would you ask/talk about?
I’d love to have a chat with Kelley Armstrong. I love her books, particularly her YA series. It’s my dream to go on the supernatural summer tour with her and just about every other author I’m a fan of. I have no idea what I’d talk about. I’d probably freeze up and shove a book at her to autograph like I did when I met Peter Beagle. I seem to lose the ability to form coherent sentenced when meeting famous people. It’s pretty embarrassing.

I met Kelley Armstrong at the Word on the Street Festival in Toronto. She seems really nice, so I wouldn’t worry about freaking out! Her stories are amazing and her characters are so interesting. If you could be any character from any book, who would you be?
I don’t know that I’d actually want to be any of the characters from any of the books I read. There lives kind of suck. I’d like to live in their world with their powers, but all the death and drama that’s so fun to read would not be that fun to live through.

What is the best gift someone could give a writer?
A multi-million dollar book contract . Short of that I’d say an iPad. I have my word processor, every book I own, all my songs and pictures, and the entire Internet on one device that can easily fit in my purse. What more could I possible need?

Other than food, nothing! *L0L* What is the best advice someone could give a writer?
Join a writers group and listen to their criticism. They aren’t being stupid, and they aren’t trying to hurt your feelings, they’re working on making your book accessible to other people. Readers don’t have the luxury of being in the writers head and getting an instant explanation for something, and as a writer it’s hard to get that distance when you know your characters and your world so well. A good writers group makes a huge difference.

What is one random thing most people don’t know about you?
I love cartoons. Sailor Moon, Gargoyles, X-men, Spiderman, Jem and the Holograms, every Disney movie, Pirates of Dark Water, anything with a decent plot. I love them. I’m so excited that my daughter is getting old enough to like at least some of my favorites because now I have an excuse to buy them all.

*starts singing: “The music’s contagious, outrageous. Jem is my name, no one else is the same…”*

I want my book to be a movie one day. What author doesn’t? Of course, I want it done right, like Harry Potter, not horrifically awfully wrong, like Ella Enchanted. It’s not that Ella Enchanted the movie was bad, it’s just that it was nothing like the book. I don’t say that as a disgruntled reader complaining because some details were left out. The entire plot was changed! There was no evil Uncle, no snake, no war. The physics of her curse… yeah, I digress.

Anyway, if my book were made into a movie, I would cast Skyler Samuels as Persephone. She was Chloe in the Nine Lives of Chloe King. She’s exactly how I picture Persephone. She’s cute, and fluffy, but can also kick ass. She’s a great actress, and definitely has the range to play Persephone as her character develops.

Hades was much tougher to cast. In fact, I still don’t know. He’s in a weird age bracket. He’s too old to let any of the teenage boy actors play him, but he can’t be too old. Whoever plays him needs to be able to make out with a sixteen year old actress without the audience feeling uncomfortable.

If that wasn’t a factor, I’d like David Guintoli to play him. He’s the perfect Hades. There was a scene in the season finale of Grimm where he had this look on his face that was so Hades that I had to pause it, take a screen shot, then try to put it into words for this scene in my second book.

Grace Phillips (also from the nine lives of Chloe King) would make a good Cassandra. Demeter is tougher to cast. I haven’t seen Lee Lee Sobiesky in anything recently, but she’s the right age and is a great actress.

Of course, IF my book is ever made into a movie, I’d likely have no influence over casting, but it’s fun to think about.

Congrats Marlena!

This blog was origonally posted on Mera’s blog, YA novel reader here:

Five Questions:
1. Why did you choose to write a book in the Young Adult genre?

I love young adult books. About ninety percent of what I read is YA. I feel like the books require more plot and better character arcs than adult books, because adult books can fall back on sex and drama to up the tension. So when it came to writing my own stories, I knew YA was the way to go. You write what you read. It’s just what’s in my head.

2. Who is your favourite character you have written and why?

That changes just about daily. I love Cassandra and Melissa, because they both have such unique points of view in my story, and it can be a relief to see another perspective. Of course I love Persephone, but right now my favorite character is Hades. As it stands right now, book three is a joint pov between him and Persephone, and after two books of Persephone figuring out her limitations and experimenting with having powers, it’s kind of nice to write as someone who can just blast people away and knows it.

3. Describe a typical writing day for you?

I tend to think over my scenes during the day. Mostly when I’m driving, and then sit down and write it out at night. I write on my ipad because it’s the most portable thing I can actually efficiently write with. Throughout the day if I have a minute I’ll take it out of my purse and read over what I have, making improvements here and there. What really keeps me on the ball is my writers group. I have a weekly submission deadline if I want them to critique what I’ve got.

4. What are you reading at the moment?

Agamemnon by Aeschylus and Shakespeare’s Coriolanus. I’m studying for the GRE English Literature subject test, so I haven’t read anything fun and relaxing in a WHILE.

5. If you turned your ipod on now, what would be the song that is currently playing?

The best poems of all time volume 1 and 2 or Shakespeare’s sonnets. Again, for the GRE. Studying for that has pretty much consumed my reading a listening life. But after October 10th I’ll be able to listen to music again! Right now my favorite singer is Lorena McKennet because I can listen to an actual song and still be studying. Her rendition of The Highwayman is incredible.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Giveaway! Spread the Christmas cheer. Pop on over to my fellow writers blogs and wish them a Merry Christmas, and you’ll be entered to win a free copy of either Persephone, or Daughter of the Earth and Sky!

Persephone started couch to 5k in the Underworld about the same time I started it on the surface (crazy coincidence, that). I’m really glad I gave this program a shot. Basically, how couch to 5k works is you download the app, or set a timer, and run/walk for thirty minutes. The further along in the program you are, the more you run and less you walk.

From the get go it’s great excerise. You start walking for a minute and a half and running for one minute.

I started couch to 5k for similar reasons as Persephone. She wanted to be able to run away from people that meant her harm.

I wanted to run away from zombies.

Yeah, I’m actually serious. Zombies terrify me. So do pod people. I think it’s the vast, hopeless them against us numbers. I can rationalize away a serial killer. What are the odds one would come after me?

Global disaster? I live in Georgia, it’s typically the safe zone in climate/tornado/earthquake horror things. Besides, if you get wiped out in a disaster it’s quick. You can’t watch it chasing you.

But zombies… that’s a whole different thing. You don’t die fast. You die a slow death getting chewed on. And they come after everyone.

I came to a sad conclusion about zombies a few years ago. I probably wouldn’t become part of that rag tag team of survivors. I’d probably get killed before anyone even realized there was a zombie invasion. I suck at running, even after couch to 5k, I still run at about the same speed as I walk, but one day…

I don’t have any special skills that would make me useful and thus necessary for the plot.

I don’t have inexplicably reappearing make up, or styled hair, even when there’s not an invasion. I don’t look like a zombie apocalypse provider if you catch my drift.

But my husband is another story. He’s fast, and has medical training, and is looking into becoming a police officer. So he might survive. If he survives than my daughter and I  have a shot at being a background character with no dialogue. Background characters need to be able to keep up, because no one notices when they’re left behind.

Hence couch to 5k.

I have found many tools to aid me on my outrunning zombies quest. I run with an app called Zombies, run! An audio adventure. While running I collect supplies to build up my base and get chased by zombies.

I also run in the run for your lives! Zombie apocalypse 5k every time it’s offered in Georgia.

It’s silly sure, but I’ll be ready…

This blog was originally posted at Kayla’s read and reviews here:

I hate it when people ask me when I decided to become a writer, because to me it was never a conscious decision. I’ve been writing all my life. Before I could read I called it make believe, but the same basic components were there. Plotting, developing characters, dialogue. It’s all there.

I developed much of my writing style through reading. I would read my books with a black marker and a pen in hand, so I could change anything I didn’t like. If the next book wasn’t coming out soon enough, I’d create my own version.

I did that with shows too. As soon as Sailor Moon went off I’d start acting out the next episode. I was so proud of myself, because I was almost always right.

Took me awhile to realize the show had a rather repetitive formula…

While I was in middle school I wrote my first book. It was terrible. I still have it on a floppy disk, and I’m too terrified to open the file because it was that bad. In high school I was able to take creative writing classes and learned how to critique the work of my peers.

I enjoyed writing so much that when I ran out of creative writing classes in high school, I begged my school councilor to let me take it at the college through joint enrollment. In the summer between eleventh and twelfth grade I took English 1101 and 1102. During my senior year I took introduction to creative writing, advanced fiction writing, advanced non fiction writing, advanced poetry writing, and screenplay writing. The next year I took my core classes and even more creative writing classes. Including autobiographical writing, science fiction and fantasy writing, technical writing, and every other writing class I could find. Once I ran out I moved to Atlanta to get an English degree with a concentration in creative writing. I’m finishing up my masters now, and am applying to the Phd program with a creative writing dissertation.

Despite my lifetime commitment to writing, my personal writing didn’t really take off until I joined my writers group. I was familiar with the workshop format through my schooling, but there’s something different about a group of people who willingly spend Saturday nights away from their family and friends to talk about their writing that just can’t be replicated in a classroom.

I’m very excited for my first book, Persephone, to be released. It’s been a long journey to publication, and I can’t really tell when it started. Did it begin when I penned my first draft? Or was it in college when I was learning everything I could about writing? Was it before then when I was acting out the next episode of Sailor Moon? Each of those little moments were important because of where they led. Now my book is out of my hands and into the readers.

Time to start the next one.
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