Thursday, January 29, 2009

Interview with Saundra Mitchell + giveaway!

Hello all!  Today I'm super excited to bring you an interview with my friend, imprint buddy, and all around fabulous author, Saundra Mitchell.  Her debut novel, SHADOWED SUMMER (Amazon, B&N, Indiebound), is coming out in less than two short weeks (!!!!) and at the end of this post I'll have details for how you can win an autographed copy of this really amazing book.


A bit about the book:  I love the tagline for SHADOWED SUMMER:  In a town as small as Ondine, every secret is a family secret.  It's about a girl growing up in Louisiana one hot summer who begins to be haunted by the ghost of a boy who disappeared years ago.  But the book is more than that, it's about friendship and that age when suddenly your best friends start to notice boys and your friendships are tested.  It's about growing up, and realizing that you're growing up.

A bit about the author:  Saundra is a screenwriter and author.  She's funny, she's brilliant with graphic design, and she writes phrases that make me literally put her work down so that I can close my eyes and savour them.

The interview:

My blog is known as Carrie's Procrastinary Outlet which showcases my penchant for procrastination and makig up words.  First... do you ever struggle with procrastination and what do you do to (a) procrastinate and/or (b) not procrastinate.

The answer to both a and b is housekeeping. The procrastination starts with some light desk organizing, and has been known to mushroom into tasks like painting the hallway ceilings, or organizing the linen closets.

And the thing is, I hate to clean. I loathe it, I find it deeply unjust that it must be done. So I do eventually get to the point where I would rather write than clean, and the procrastination is over... for the moment.

Second, what are your favorite made up words?

Oh, I like bazam which is a catch-all for full of awesome and other essential win. (She's all sparkly with bazam! Ooh, he's got some bazam right there!) I'm also on the sauce- awesomesauce, failsauce, winsauce, pwnsauce.

According to ads on the internet, Chuck has pre-ordered your book.  What do you think draws Chuck to Shadowed Summer (other than its obvious awesomeness).

I feel I have to be honest- Chuck Bass would hate my book. It's languorous and longing, and entirely chaste- not his speed at all. However, Blair Waldorf, closet classicist and romantic. would love it. Therefore, Chuck would buy my book and carry it around, just to annoy Blair.

And I have to say- I'm okay with that!

What is some good advice you've gotten during your career as a writer?  Any advice you've gotten that you think is worth ignoring?

I think the best advice I ever got was to avoid listening to advice. Seek counsel, definitely; take critique, absolutely. But the only way to write a book is to sit down and write it. Anybody who says that you must outline, you must not outline, you must do character sheets, you must know whether they call it soda or pop- they're talking about what works for them. Every writer has to figure out their own method and you can make yourself sick trying to fit other people's conceptions 
of HOW TO WRITE.

What's your favorite flavor of Dum Dum?

Root beer! I love root beer lollies.

Do you like playing board/card games?  If so, which ones?

I'm from Indiana, so by law, I have to enjoy playing Euchre, and I do. But board and card games invariably tick me off. There's something about the repetitiveness, same board, same pieces, same color, same suits, blar! They make me crabby.

If it could rain anything (cats, men, fish, frogs) what would you choose?

Money, duh.

Then again, are we talking about small, localized showers, or worldwide deluge? Because if it's raining money everywhere, dude, inflation nightmare time. Can I offer you a wheelbarrow of million dollar bills for a loaf of bread, please? Also, if it rained change, that would hurt.

This question is surprisingly difficult.

Okay! If it were raining in my back yard only, then money. If it were raining everwhere, Skittles. Taste the rainbow, right?

Lightening round, choose one:  PJ's when writing all day or actually getting dressed?

Sweats, so technically, I am dressed while I'm in my PJs!

Law or Order?

Oooh, that's hard. That's like asking, Briscoe Pun or McCoy Loophole. How do you survive without both??

Zombie or Unicorn (only fair you fess up on this one since you ask it during your interviews!)

Zombies forever!

Left or Right?

I actually can't tell my left from my right unless I raise my hands. (Left hand makes an L!) So I say both. Or neither!

Head, shoulders, knees or toes?

Shoulders. Ooooh, shoulders. I bought A Great and Terrible Beauty and A Northern Light on the same day because of the girls with their pretty shoulders and profiles on the covers. I
 
love shoulders. You know who has good shoulders? Sendhil Ramamurthy. Hello kitty; that's some bazam right there.

Cats or Dogs.  If cats -- the boss or the mailroom clerk?

Cats! And the clerk. After what happened to that intern, I avoid the boss!

Now for the GIVEAWAY!  I truly am so excited for SHADOWED SUMMER to come out and to finally be able to share the love.  So leave a comment on either my blog or livejournal to be entered in a drawing for an autographed copy of SHADOWED SUMMER (I'll be giving away TWO).  You get an extra entry if you also link to the contest (and put the link in the comments so I know).  I'll choose a winner midnight (eastern) on Monday.  

And speaking of giveaways, Saundra is having a huge one at her site soon -- go check it out!!

38 comments:

kathleen duey said...

Great interview!

Samantha Elliott said...

First, thanks for inspiring my next post: http://samantha-elliott.blogspot.com/2009/01/embracing-contest-linkspam.html

Second, with regard to Saundra's choice of Skittles raining from the sky, I have one question: how much are the dentists of the world paying her under the table for responses like that? And, if I may, a follow up: how can I get in on it?

Great interview! Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed the interview. Here is my link to my post about the contest for my extra entry. Thanks for the opportunity.
http://karinlibrarian.wordpress.com/2009/01/29/contest-contest-contest-win-shadowed-summer-by-saundra-mitchell/

JenWriter said...

Ooh, I've been wanting to read this book. I'm a fan of stories that involve ghosts. :)

prophecygirl said...

This books sounds great! There aren't enough YA ghost stories around, in my opinion! :)

- Jenny

Nancy said...

Thank you for a great and informative interview. Here is my link for my post in the extra contest entry.

http://lushbudgetproduction.blogspot.com/2009/01/contest-news-win-shadowed-summer-by.html

Thank you for this opportunity and I hope when you stop by my blog that you see my review on your amazing book TFHT. LOVED IT!!

Okie said...

nice interview

Khy said...

I can't wait for this book ahh.

Nelly said...

I'm right with you on the left/right thing. Every time I need one or the other I have to do thing "L" thing in my mind to figure out which is which.

MySharonAnne said...

Funny interview. I'm looking forward to reading her book. Thanks for the contest.

~THE OPTIMISTIC PESSIMIST ~ said...

Hey Carrie
Root-beer dum dums are the best!
Fun interview!!

Thanks for have the contest. And fo shizzel and extra entry!
I have posted a link at my blog
http://passive-agressiva.blogspot.com/

Lenore Appelhans said...

My favorite made up word is Nimbo which is actually the name of a hotel my friend and I saw in Guatemala. It was so uninviting, we've used it since to describe other uninviting things.

Lenore Appelhans said...

I also put a link to this contest in my post today:

http://presentinglenore.blogspot.com/2009/01/friday-fabulous-3-custom-designed.html

Lisa Schroeder said...

mmmmm root beer dum dums! :)

I'm excited to read this book! Thanks for spreading the SHADOWED SUMMER love!

Erika Powell said...

please enter me! I blogged about it here
http://kissmybook.blogspot.com/2009/01/another-week-of-contests.html

The Compulsive Reader said...

Ooh, cool! I love the interview. I hadn't heard too much about this book until now, and it seems good, and Saundra is very cool!

Here's the link to where I talked about the contest: http://thecompulsivereader.blogspot.com/2009/01/fun-friday_30.html

Thanks for the opportunity to win!

juiciliciousss reviews said...

ooohhhh
this books looks soo good :D

please enter me!

stephanie

Book Sp(l)ot said...

I've wanted this book for *this* close to a year (I checked my gmail for the FFF comment)-oh how I hope I can get it.

And raining coins could be bad but they do describe hail based on what coin it's the size of, so . . . ;)

-Lucile

Liviania said...

Great interview!

I'm glad someone else has trouble with left/right. My friends hate directing me in the car because I confuse them sometime.

Emily Ruth said...

love the interview :)
This book sounds wonderful; I'd love to be entered!
emilyruth@gmx.com

donnas said...

Great interview. It sounds like a really good book.

Shooting Stars Mag said...

Oh, I must enter. This book looks just fab. Loved the interview though.

I have a hard time telling my right and left apart unless I think about it too. LOL Yes, Left makes and L and I'm right handed, so I write in the air sometimes!

-Lauren
lauren51990 AT aol DOT com

Alicia said...

Great interview! Please enter me

adw7984 at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the giveaway!
tiffanyhunsinger@netscape.net

Anonymous said...

I get excited when I see books set in Louisiana - it's one of those places that has so much character on its own.

KR said...

I loved the interview. I know I'd enjoy the book!

Anonymous said...

This book looks so good! And thanks for sharing the interview!

Emily H

Unknown said...

It seems like a nice book! Please enter me. The interview was interesting.

Anonymous said...

I'd love to read this :) *Thanks* for the giveaway!

I blogged about it here :
http://luckyladybug.wordpress.com/bloggy-giveaways/more/

lucky[dot]ladybug[at]verizon[dot]net

Katie said...

This book looks really good and I loved your interview. Please enter me in the contest. I put a link on my blog here: http://katiesbookblog-katie.blogspot.com/

Thanks
Katie
katieb206@gmail.com

Marina said...

Please count me in! Enjoyed the interview! ~ :) Thanks!

sounders68 [at] gmail.com

Amber said...

Please enter me and thanks for the giveaway!

hurdler4eva(at)gmail(dot)com

Katterley said...

Cool! Please enter me in the contest!

LisaMay said...

Oooh I'd like to enter :)

Bunny B said...

That was a fun interview :) The book sounds intriguing!
bunnybx at gmail . com

Angela said...

Great Interview! Good luck to Saundra and all the debs this year with their book releases!

Ginny said...

What a fun interview! I'd love a chance at a free copy!

Sena said...

I would love to win! Mmm.. Lollies! :)
sena.sagani[at]gmail[dot]com