Win Shiver & Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver
By Maggie Stiefvater
August 1, 2009
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For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

The day I nearly talked to Grace was the hottest day of my life. Even in the bookstore, which was air-conditioned, the heat crept in around the door and came in through the big picture windows in waves. Behind the counter, I slouched on my stool in the sun and sucked in the summer as if I could hold every drop of it inside of me. As the hours crept by, the afternoon sunlight bleached all the books on the shelves to pale, gilded versions of themselves and warmed the paper and ink inside the covers so that the smell of unread words hung in the air. This was what i loved, when I was human."- Shiver

You may have already heard this but....

Maryrose Wood has a new deal for a new YA trilogy based on the legendary Poison Gardens called the Poison Diaries.

"These gothic tales of love, revenge, and the dangerous world of poisonous plants were inspired by the real Poison Garden, at The Alnwick Garden located in the grounds of Alnwick Castle in the North East of England. Along with its reputation for magnificent gardens, the castle is also famous as the site used for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films."-News Post Leader.

"The power of plants is often unbelievable, and in the wrong hands it can be lethal... The same plant can generally kill, cure, and also be a potent aphrodisiac. The gift of being able to communicate with such plants would surely be the ultimate power for a human to possess."-Jane Northumberland, Duchess of Northumberland.
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Creature Double Feature with Tom Sniegoski-This contest has ended!

If you asked me today what book series I'd love to see on the big screen, it might surprise you to hear that I'd say that hands down it's The Brimstone Network by Tom Sniegoski. Imagine teenage Heroes or Mutants who are still developing their powers, and now drop them into the world of Hellboy. Now do you see why I'd pick this series?

Reminiscent of 80's creature features this is a can't miss series for monster and adventure addicts who want to get swept up an a great series. This month I'm giving away, to one very lucky winner, the Brimstone Network Trilogy signed by Tom Sniegoski and a copy of The Monster Squad. Because to fully appreciate the awesomeness of this series, you have to first sit and watch this 80's cult movie with an extremely greasy pizza.

The Brimstone Network

Thirteen-year-old Abraham (Bram) Stone has never lived an ordinary life. Home is a monastery in the Himalayan mountains, where the monks train him in otherworldly fighting skills. Bram's father, Elijah Stone, leads a group called The Brimstone Network - an order of warriors and sorcerers who provide the last line of defense against all paranormal dangers.

Bram always knew one day he'd take his father's place. But that day comes far too soon when a bizarre man named "Mr. Stitch" arrives at the monastery and breaks the news to Bram -- every member of the Brimstone Network, including Elijah, has been assassinated. Suddenly it's up to Bram to form a new Brimstone Network out of the rubble of the old, and hope that he can rise to the challenge in time to stop a terrifying threat to humanity.

The Shadow of A'ranka

Bram Stone and the other young teens he has recruited to join the Brimstone Network are still learning about their powers. When telekinetic Dez gets angry, there's little that can stop the damage. Emily can barely control the wolf inside, and after her parents finally discover her secret, she isn't sure she wants to. Bram himself knows he still needs to master his specter half.

But the group is going to have to learn fast. Terrifying supernatural beings continue to make their presence known on Earth, including one the new Network can't imagine how to stop - Vladek, a vampire who can't be killed.

As Vladek gains power, Bram and rest of his new network race to learn the truth about how to stop the vampire prince before Vladek can fulfill his devastating agenda and plunge humanity into total darkness forever.

Specter Rising

Just when thirteen-year-old Bram Stone has gotten the hang of running the new Brimstone Network and shielding all of humanity against the wrath of otherworldly beasts, an unexpected shock is sent his way. Ligeia, Queen of the Specter, the mother he's never known, suddenly appears in his life, leading Bram to explore his specter half as he never has before. The reunion is overshadowed by a dark threat from Barnabas, an evil specter Warlord with a dark and insidious agenda. In this final showdown between the Brimstone Network and Barnabas, Bram and his team must join forces with the unlikeliest of allies to wage a war against Barnabas and his secret weapon: the mysterious being known as Trinity.

IB Teen talks with Tom!

IBT: If you could choose one fictional character to bring into real life, who
would you choose?

TS: I'm going to cheat here and give you a bunch of fictional characters
that I would bring to life. If I could, I'd bring the Wild Things from
Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are to life. It was my favorite book
growing up, and it's still one of my favorites. The monsters are just
incredible, and I think I'd look pretty cute in that white wolf costume.
"Let the wild rumpus begin!"

IBT: How did you survive being a teen?

TS: I survived with good friends, and my love of "stuff". When I say stuff
I mean all the things that have sort of defined me as who I am today . . .
movies, comic books, toys, books. Without these things I think I would have
lost it. They provided me with the perfect escape when I needed it.

IBT: Have you ever written something that you feel uncomfortable writing,
knowing that your family and friends will probably end up reading it?

TS: I was raised Roman Catholic, so some of the religious stuff that I used
in my first series The Fallen rubbed some folks (my parents) the wrong way.
What I had to explain to them was that this isn't necessarily the way that I
think, it how the characters that I created think. I had to really stress
this to them. I had similar stuff come up with my adult novel, A Kiss Before
the Apocalypse.

IBT: What were some of the bigger issues you faced as a teen (that you can
share)and how have they affected the stories you've written? Do you think
these issues still affect teens today?

TS: Bigger issues . . . Hmmmmm, y'know, I really didn't have many issues as
a teen. I just sort of did my own thing. Sure, there were problems that
came up because of the weird stuff that I was into, but they were pretty
minor when you stop and think about them. Sure, I was called freaky and
bizarre every once in a while, but most of the people that I knew just sort
of accepted me for how I was. Other then that, there really wasn't anything
else that was an issue.

I think you see a bit of this showing up in quite a few of the books of
written . . . the outcast amongst normal folk. I think I use this device
quite a bit because it's so universal. We all feel like outsiders for one
reason or another.

And I think this issue will always exist, not everybody is the same . . .
with the same likes and dislikes . . . so somebody who feels like an outcast
will always exist.

IBT: My favorite character from the Brimstone Network is Mr. Stitch, his
inspiration is obvious but can you tell us how have the books you've read
inspired the books you've written, if at all? What about movies? The last
line in Brimstone Network reminded me a lot of the last line in Monster Squad
and it made me squirm with delight.

TS: I LOVE the Monster Squad :) The Brimstone Network was me writing the
kind of book that would have made me tremble with delight when I was a kid.
I was always a huge fan of the adventure stories and characters that came out
of the 1930's and 1940's (The Shadow, Doc Savage, The Spider) I used to read
paperback reprints of these old time stories and just fell in love with them.
These, plus my love of monster movies and superhero comics were all that I
needed to come up with the Brimstone Network.

The Brimstone Network was written for me . . . Tom Sniegoski . . . if I was
twelve or thirteen today.

Did I mention that I LOVE the Monster Squad?

IBT: What is the strangest thing you have ever gotten inspiration from?

TS: Inspiration is strange with me because it comes out of nowhere. I
could be walking my dog, Mulder, and suddenly an idea springs into my head .
. . or taking a shower, or going to the bathroom for Pete's sake! It like a
spark going off inside my brain . . . usually there is no rhyme or reason. I
never know when it's going to happen. Sure, I can feel suddenly creative
when I see a good movie, or hear a particularly awesome song, but this is
nothing compared to the weird lightning bolts that sometime go off in my
head.

IBT: Many writers say parting with a character is hard. Do you ever look back
on a character and wish you had changed something about him or her?

TS: Not really. I have desires to come back to the character sometimes,
and to write more stories with them. My characters in The Fallen are prime
examples of this . . . I'd love to look them up now, see what they've been up
to. The characters in my Sleeper books as well.

IBT: What is the one thing such as, sky diving or any other daring thing, that
you would love to do but you are too afraid?

TS: It's not that I'm afraid to, it's just out of my comfort zone. I wish
I liked to travel more . . . I hate it. If I could go to sleep and wake up
in my destination, that would be perfect. I can't stand the whole drawn out
process of traveling. It's a nightmare to me. And as far as sky diving and
stuff, yeah, right. I'm crazy, not stupid.

IBT: What do you do when you are faced with writer's block? What helps you get
over it?

TS: I usually work on writer's block one of two ways. The first thing I do
is to step away, and to do something else (go to a movie, read some comics,
listen to music). Getting away from a project for a bit sometimes helps the
juices to ferment a bit, and things become a whole lot clearer when you go
back to it. The other thing I sometimes do is just to struggle on, forge
ahead . . . beat the story into submission. Bend it to my will, so to speak
. . . break down the block with mental sledge hammers. This one doesn't work
all the time, but every once in a while it's the right thing to do.

IBT: You've written so many books, out of all of them, which is your favorite
character or series you've created?

TS: I think my favorite character is Remy Chandler from my adult, dark
fantasy series. The first book is A Kiss Before the Apocalypse, and I think
it's the best thing I've ever written. As far as my YA stuff, I think The
Fallen series is my favorite out of that stuff. A whole cast of really
awesome characters that I really grew to love.

IBT: Are you working on anything now and can you share anything about it with
us?

TS: The project I'm currently working on is sort of top secret, so I can't
talk about that, but I can tell you about a book that I just finished that
will be out in October of 2009. It's called LEGACY and I think people are
really going to dig it. The premise of the book is, what if you were an
eighteen year old, high school drop-out, and the father you never knew
growing up suddenly came back into your life . . . and he's a real life
superhero . . . and to make matters worse, he's dying and wants you to carry
on the family tradition. What do you do?

How does that sound?

IBT: Do you have an escape plan in mind if zombies were to invade?

TS: No escape plan necessary. I'm going to find out a way to control the
Zombie hordes--becoming the Zombie Whisperer--and rule the world with my
faithful dog Mulder by my side.

What a glorious world that would be.

Marlene Perez: Dead is So Last Year-This contest has ended, thanks all!

Dead is So Last Year
Book 3 in the Dead Series
by Marlene Perez

Daisy's Back!
Something very strange starts happening in Nightshade the summer that the eldest Giordano sister, Rose, gets a job working at Dr. Franken's research laboratory. People are starting to see double. Doppelgängers of Nightshade residents are popping up all over town. Daisy, Rose and Poppy think it's a coincidence, until the rumors start that their father, who disappeared several years ago, has been spotted in town. Meanwhile, Daisy's beau, Ryan is spending all of his time training for football, and like the other guys on the team, he's grown enormous almost overnight. Samantha Devereux's boyfriend's neck has doubled in size since school ended. Could the football players be resorting to extreme measures to win? Between summer jobs, sugar rushes, and beach parties, the Giordano girls get to the bottom of these mysteries and more.

Quick Review: What would happen if cotton candy could sprout fangs and eat you? Then you'd get how cute and deadly this series is. Taking all the best elements of what make the horror genre fantastic, Perez pours them into Nightshade. Mysteries abound in this fast paced series where the supernatural is just a part of life. This is an absolute must read for all my fellow urban fantasy fanatics.

My only complaint is that Daisy doesn't spend nearly enough time with Ryan as I'd like her to, he sure is a cutie!

IB Teen talks with Marlene Perez
IBT: If you could choose one fictional character to bring into real life, who would you choose?
MP: Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice.

IBT: How did you survive being a teen?
MP: With the knowledge that high school is only four years of my life and the company of a great best friend.

IBT: Have you ever written something that you feel uncomfortable writing, knowing that your family and friends will probably end up reading it?
MP: I don't think so. I think it's important to try to shut out those outside voices when you're writing. The most important thing is the story. Of course, I would never put anything in one of my novels that I knew would hurt someone I loved.

IBT: What do you think are the biggest issues that teens need to be thinking about today? Do you think teens today are looking for quality in the books they read, or just to live vicariously through superficial characters?
MP: I think teens look for quality in the books they read, however, I don't think that adults necessarily always pay enough attention to what teens are looking for. We try, but... And I think that teens want to live vicariously through quality books, too. Because they, like all readers, are looking for truths about their own lives reflected in the pages of fiction.

IBT: How have the books you’ve read inspired the books you’ve written, if at all? Can you name some that stand out?
MP: The books I've read have inspired me for sure. Some of the books that have inspired me include A WRINKLE IN TIME, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, THE OUTSIDERS, oh, gosh, too many to list. FOREVER by Judy Blume inspired me to try to be truthful. THE VAMPIRE LESTAT books inspired my love of the paranormal.

IBT: What is the strangest thing you have ever gotten inspiration from?
MP: I get inspiration from so many places, but I once eavesdropped on two guys who were talking about their girlfriends. That conversation inspired an idea for a novel I haven't finished yet.

IBT: Many writers say parting with a character is hard. Do you ever look back on a character and wish you had changed something about him or her?
MP: This is a hard question because I usually really like my main characters. I end up wanting to protect my characters, but I can't, or else I'd end up with a really boring book.

IBT: What is the one thing such as, sky diving or any other daring thing, that you would love to do but you are too afraid?
MP: Oh, I'm a complete chicken, so no sky diving for me. But I'd love to learn to do something crafty, like knitting or whatever. But I'm left-handed so that's a challenge to anybody trying to teach me.

IBT: What do you do when you are faced with writer’s block? What helps you get over it? MP: I've never experienced REAL writer's block, but I've heard it can be frustrating. I have experienced extended procrastination. What helps me get over it is telling myself to get something, anything down on paper, that it doesn't have to be perfect.

IBT: Paris is the one city I cannot die without first visiting. Do you have a place you've yet to visit but cannot live without?
MP: I'd like to visit Sicily, where my grandfather was from.

Win Zombie Haiku- Contest has ended. Thanks everyone!

Zombie Haiku: Good Poetry for Your.... Brains
by Ryan Mecum
Avialable Now!

What you are looking at is a document from the early days of the zombie plague. Little is known about the author before his infection--only that he was a poet. This facsimile of his actual journal recounts the events of humanity's darkest hours through the intimate poetry of haiku. Inside you'll find increasingly disjointed and terrifying three-line poems (all in the classic 5-7-5 syllable structure), and follow the undead poet on a journey through deserted streets and barricaded doors. Experience every eye-popping, gut-wrenching, flesh-eating moment of the eventual downfall of the human race from the point of view of a zombie, and gain insight to help you survive--if you can.

Brains are less squishy and a tad bit more squeaky than someone might guess.

This clever and dark book beautifully horrific and it is the perfect item for your coffee table. With pages in full color and full of gore it's the perfect gift for anyone delighted with ghoulishly fiendish fiction. Check for contest details after the interview.

IB Teen talks to Ryan Mecum:
IBT: If you could choose one fictional character to bring into real life, who would you choose?
RM: Not Freddy Kruger. Maybe Donnie Darko. I'd ask him, "Hey Donnie, WHAT was going down in that movie?! I liked it, but please don't ask me to explain it." Maybe the Kevin Bacon character from Tremors... just in case something like that happens, he'd be able to help us out. Tough question. Piggy from Lord Of The Flies, maybe? He seemed like he would have been a good friend, and he deserved more. Not Superfudge, that kid would screw everything up. I'd take Freddy over Fudge.

IBT: How did you survive being a teen?

RM: I didn't. Does anybody, really?

IBT: Have you ever written (published or unpublished) something that you feel uncomfortable writing, knowing that your family and friends will probably end up reading it?

RM: It's called Zombie Haiku, found on a humor section bookstore book shelf near you. "Hey mom, check out this book I got published! It's about a boy who turns into a zombie and eats his mom! Tell your friends!"


IBT: Do you think teens face the same issues and obstacles they did when you were a teen?

RM: There's nothing new under sun. That being said... no. Want proof? I graduated in 1993. If we wanted to sext a picture, we had to draw it and drive to the post office. Plus, teens are WAY overbooked now. Even in the summer they are overbooked. Other than that, its all the same. Want proof, rent Stand By Me, written in the 80's about the 50's, and it all still rings true today. One might argue that this is not proof, but they are wrong.

IBT: Zombies are a bit like haiku, they are deceptively simple. How did the marriage of the two come together for you?

RM: It was a mixing of two of my loves, poetry and dead people trying to eat people. After writing a few, it really did seem like a natural fit, with haiku being so abrupt and subtle.

IBT: What do you do when you are faced with writer's block? What helps you get over it?

RM: I have never had a problem with writer's block. I simply write when I feel like I have something I need to put on a page. If nothing's cooking up in the brain, I don't write. I have found that if I ever open a blank word document with hopes of writing something that has yet to bounce around my my head, what ends up on the document is nothing too interesting.

IBT: What is the strangest thing you have ever gotten inspiration from?

RM: A friend's blood clot that made a vein in his stomach look like he has a snake living in his ribs brings nothing but inspiration. Look for its cameo appearance in Zombie Haiku!

IBT: Vampire Haiku is coming out in August, can you tell us a little about this book?

RM: Short version - It's about a vampire that writes haiku.

Long version - It's about a guy on the Mayflower who turns into a vampire on the boat, and writes haiku about his life as he survives through all (and causing some) of American history.

IBT: What’s your favorite type of hero?

RM: The everyman! Batman beats Superman. Die Hard beats Rambo. Paul Blart beats Dwane Johnson. I fully plan to one day write the best action film ever about a kindergarten teacher dealing with an evil kidnapping ring.

IBT: What is your Zombie invasion escape plan?

RM: It used to be "get to an island" until I saw Zombie II, with that underwater zombie fighting a shark. If they can walk underwater, they could get to my island. Now, despite what Dawn Of The Dead or The Mist might have taught me, I still think the best bet for me and my family would be to get to a Super Wal-Mart. Hammer the doors shut, make cricket bats for the family, and live like blue collar royalty until the food runs out. The Walking Dead "living inside a prison" option also seems like a smart move, which might be the best option if the Super Wal-Mart ever gets compromised. Oddly, this is also my escape plan in case of Cthulhu Invasion or Second Coming Of Christ Invasion.

Strange Angels ! This contest has ended thanks to all for entering.

Strange Angels
by Lili ST. Crow
5/14/09

Dru Anderson has been “strange” for as long as she can remember. She travels from town to town with her father, hunting the things that go bump in the night and eat the unwary. It’s a weird life, but a good one–until it all explodes and a zombie busts into her new house.
Alone, terrified, and trapped in an icy town, Dru’s going to need every inch of her wit and training to stay alive. Can she trust the boy who is just a little too adult–and just happens to get bit by a werwulf? Or the strange blue-eyed boy who tells her she’s heir to a long-forgotten power? Can she even trust her own instincts?

Because Dru is not the first in her family to be killed by the darkness of the Real World. The monsters have decided to hunt back–and now Dru has to figure out who to trust, who to fight, and when to run. And not incidentally, she has to figure out how she’s going to get out of this alive.

And she has to do it in the next 24 hours, or it’s all over…




IB Teen talks with Lili ST. Crow

IBT: If you could choose one fictional character to bring into real life, who would you choose?

LSC: That's a hard decision. Probably Jane Eyre, because I just love that book so much. Mr. Rochester would be an annoyance in real life--I'd rather talk to Jane! Or the garuda from China Mieville's Perdido Street Station, or maybe the Countess from Christopher Fry's The Dark Is Light Enough. It's so hard to pick just one fictional character.

IBT: How did you survive being a teen?

LSC: Stubbornness. Reading--the escape books provided was invaluable. Books did not laugh at me, judge me, or hurt me out of cruelty. They were friends I could always count on no matter what else was happening.

I guess I was lucky because I figured out there would eventually come a time when I wouldn't be dealing with all that anymore, where I would be free. Getting out and being on my own was an escape I looked forward to, even when things were very bad. Some stubborn part of me never doubted that I would eventually escape.

There were other methods--simple endurance and behaving badly--but I suppose I shouldn't talk about those so much. (It might set a bad example.) I really do credit literature with the lion's share of saving my life and getting me through my teenage years in a reasonably-intact piece.

IBT: "Strange Angels" your first YA novel, did you find that while you were writing the book that you had to hold back because it's YA, or was it freeing in some way to write for this age group? was there any difference at all?

LSC: I was very uncertain at first. I didn't want to do it wrong, and I didn't want to BS my readers, of any age. But then, as usual, I just plunged ahead and decided to write a book I would have wanted to read fifteen years ago. The basic commitment of a writer is to tell the truth, no matter the age group you're writing for. So it wasn't so much holding back as it was remembering the constraints I lived under while I was a teenager so I could honestly talk about them from the viewpoint of a character.

And it was strangely freeing to go back and take a look at that time in my life, to face down some demons. I had to remember a lot of unpleasant things about my young life, just as a side effect of trying to recall what it was like to be that age. I used to think a huge metal curtain came down when people turned 18, and they no longer remembered how brutal the school years could be. Now, of course, I have way more perspective just because I've lived longer. And I think I can look at those things that happened and remember what they felt like, while having compassion for the very young person I was who had to live through them.


IBT: div class="scrollbox">How have the books/movies you've read inspired the books you've written? What are you currently reading?

LSC: Everything I see and hear becomes material in some way. That's one of the drawbacks to being a writer--it becomes difficult to just experience things without taking notes for the next book. I tell my friends "You're all material" and they think I'm joking.

Right now I'm reading Harold McGee's On Food And Cooking, because to know how food behaves makes one a better cook. I'm also read Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's Epistemology of the Closet, which was mentioned in Beyond Heaving Bosoms, a book about romance novels written by two of my friends, Candy Tan and Sarah Wendell. I am also on a huge Georgette Heyer kick right now, reading everything by her I can get my hands on.


IBT: How do you decide what ideas make it on the page? What were some of the ideas that didn't make it?

LSC: Really, the characters do all the deciding. I have a rough idea of what is most likely to happen, but I'm such a seat-of-the-pants writer that I'm often just as surprised as the reader is when the book takes a left turn.

I do have a "slush pile" of scribbles and chapters that got cut or went nowhere, for one reason or another. There were actually five alternate endings to the final book in the Dante Valentine series, each of them more gruesome than the last. I had a lot of work to do before I uncovered the right ending! Sometimes it's like that--the book tries to trick you.


IBT: What's the strangest thing you've ever gotten inspiration from?

LSC: Brushing my teeth, actually. I get attacked by ideas when I'm doing, erm, "personal care" things in the bathroom. A lot. I think it's because I'm not really moving from one task to the next, I'm just in a funny in-between trance doing these things, and the inspiration can get a word in edgewise.


IBT: What is your favorite type of hero?

LSC: I like conflicted, dark, nasty heroes who end up being redeemed almost despite themselves. For me, a hero is all about how he makes the choice to redeem himself, to lose himself in something bigger than he is. This is different than a heroine's struggle, which is to make the choice to become bigger than she thinks she can be. I have different requirements for heroes and heroines.

I think it's because I'm a woman author. For me, the heroine starts out being defined by other people--girls in our society are from the moment they're born, it's all about other people's needs and desires. It's very subversive for a heroine to start realizing she's bigger than the things other people would foist on her. So, my heroes are all about redemption and my heroines are all about choice.


IBT: As an author how do you respond to those who think that censorship is a necessary evil?

LSC: With a great big raspberry and possibly an obscene gesture. I have a hard time taking anyone who says that seriously.

In my house, we have an "if you can reach it, you can read it--and if you can't reach it, get a stepstool!" policy. I also don't censor the movies my children watch--I watch them with my kids. (Though we don't watch television very much; it's all DVDs.) I think a lot of parents get the knee-jerk "censorship!" reaction because it's easier than being involved and patiently answering questions. Sure it's uncomfortable when your kids ask the hard questions about violence, sex, and a whole host of other issues. But nobody said parenting was going to be easy. If you wanted "easy" you shouldn't have had kids.

Besides, I was raised in a very dysfunctional family that relied (and still relies) on secrets and lies. Struggling free of that, learning to tell the truth and become a better person, made me very exquisitely wary of any form of censorship.

In a larger sense, censorship is just another means of control. State and society already have enough means to control people, between the jackboot, the truncheon, and the natural cooperative urge of humanity. Censorship is unnecessary. It is a completely unnecessary evil.

As an author, too, I'm constantly struggling against the urge to please people and soften the truth, to pull my punches. The temptation is always there, but it's just that--just a temptation to be avoided. Lies and abuse depend on secrecy and fear. To speak honestly and openly is to cut down on both, and I think that's a sacred trust for an author. Readers hate being lied to--it says that you don't think they're strong enough or smart enough. The shock of recognition from a good piece of art is because that art contains a truth. It is like sunshine--the best disinfectant.

IBT: Have you ever written something that you feel uncomfortable writing, knowing that your family and friends will probably end up reading it?

LSC: Yes. All the time. That feeling of discomfort is usually a sign that I'm on the right track. That space of being uncomfortable is where a lot of really great, wrenchingly powerful and incredibly moving art comes from.

IBT: What favorite book of yours would you like to see be turned into a movie?

LSC: That's a hard question, each book is so different, and I love them all for different reasons. But if I had a choice, it would probably be the second Jill Kismet book, Hunter's Prayer. A lot of my other stuff probably wouldn't translate out well to the silver screen, despite the fact that I'm a very visual writer. (I see the books in my head.) But Hunter's Prayer was so raw and powerful for me, and it has so much imagery that I didn't realize I'd put in it until afterward...If I really, really had to choose, it would probably be that one.
IBT: Thanks Lillith!

LSC: I hope you like Strange Angels. I'm really excited about it.

Vampire Friction-The Contest Has Ended

The Reformed Vapire Support Group
by Catherine Jinks
Available in stores now!


Nina Harrisson became a vampire in 1973, when she was fifteen, and she hasn't aged a day since then. But she hasn't had any fun either; she still lives with her mom, and the highlight of her sickly, couchbound life is probobly her Tuesday-night group meeting, which she spends with a miserable bunch of fellow sufferers, being lectured at. But then one of the group is mysteriously turned to ashes... and suddenly they're all under threat. That's when Nina decides to prove that every vampire on earth isn't a weak, pathetic loser. Along with her, she hunts down the culprit- and soon finds herself up against some gun-toting werewolf trackers who'll stop at nothing.

Can a bunch of feeble couch potatoes win a fight like this? Is there more to your average vampire than meets the eye?

Quick Review: If you're looking for something completely different in the vampire genre, look no further. RVSG turns the vamp myth on it's ear! Gone are the super suave, hyper strong blood-suckers. Enter the broody- albeit whiny- unhealthily pale (even for a vampire!), and physically weak vamps from the Vampire Support Group. The characters are well defined and lovable. Once you get to know Nina, David, Nick and all those darling and delicious gerbils you'll be just as hooked as I was. I wanted to hit the road with them as they shivered in their boots as they set out on the trail to find a murderer. And when I turned the last page, I definitely felt as if I was saying goodbye to some new friends.

IB Teen talks to Catherine Jinks

IBT: If you could choose one fictional character to bring into real life, who would you choose?
CJ: Sherlock Holmes. Definitely.

IBT: How did you survive being a teen?
CJ: Good question. It's a real matter of survival, isn't it? I guess I did it the way I've always done it - by escaping into imaginary worlds.

IBT: I was completely fascinated by the new mythology of vampire you've created in RVSG. Why did you decide to reform them?
CJ: Oh, I've always had a problem with 'special powers'. It's so alienating for those of us who aren't strong or beautiful or magical to be reading about people who are - at least, I've always found it so. I also like to overturn stereotypes, if only because it can often be a very funny thing to do; a reviewer once described me as 'a great debunker'. So when I suddenly pictured a bunch of grungy vampires sitting around in a church hall, complaining about their miserable lives, I couldn't resist the image. I had to elaborate.

IBT: Would you be willing to write a spinoff for the werewolf community? There is an extremely fascinating backstory already brewing in RVSG.
CJ: Wow, Perla! You read my mind! I am currently writing the (only) sequel to RVSG - to be called The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group.

IBT: What are you currently reading?
CJ: An Elmore Leonard book - Riding the Rap..

IBT: How do you decide what ideas make it on the page? What were some of the ideas that didn't make it?
CJ: I do a lot of careful plotting before I write my books (the way a screenwriter does) so most of my discarded ideas are tossed aside while I'm still writing my synopsis. These abandoned ideas tend to be related to plot developments, though sometimes characters change slightly once I start my chapters, simply because I have to follow the right emotional path for them. I have to admit, however, that I decided to rewrite the first six chapters of RVSG right after I'd finished them, because I realised that they were moving at a pace that was much too leisurely. I'd started chapter one with a lot of the back story that I subsequently spread throughout the first three or four chapters; when I reviewed the result, I realised that I had to kick off with more of a bang.

IBT: What is your favourite type of hero?
CJ: A very, very intelligent one. Muscles mean nothing to me; brains are what I admire above all else.

IBT: As an author how do you respond to those who think that censorship is a necessary evil?
CJ: Well - I've been censored myself, inasmuch as bookstores have refused to stock my books unless certain things within them are changed. And I'm always self-censoring, because I write for a young audience. (In real life, four-letter words tend to be more prevalent than they are in my books!) But I can sympathise with people who are sensitive to what their kids are exposed to, because I have a 12-year-old daughter myself, and I wouldn't want HER to be watching R-rated films, or reading 'American Psycho'. So I think there has to be some kind of filter when it comes to children. Adults are different, however. The only kind of censorship I would condone with regards to adults is censorship of material that causes, or has caused, real harm to other people: certain kinds of pornography, for instance, or highly defamatory material.

IBT: I read on your forum that you intend to write a follow-up to RVSG. Is this still in the works?
CJ: As I mentioned earlier, it's going to be called The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group.