Monday, August 23, 2010

Lipstick Laws


This week is the official start of:

Featured Writer's Week! (Yes this week will be extra long posts... a normal no-no for me, but with interviews... of course there are exceptions!

I love these weeks! 5 days filled with awesome bloggers and authors! I am actually cheating and there will be 8 authors total that I'll share within these next two weeks! So prepare for the awesomeness!

Today's featured writer: Amy Holder

Debuting her novel The Lipstick Laws in April 2011

At Penford High School, Britney Taylor is queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone's life as easily as snapping her perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the unfortunate few who have crossed her.

For April Bowers, Britney is also the answer to her prayers. With zero friends and nothing close to a boyfriend, April is so unpopular, kids don't know she exists. That is, until Britney notices her. One lunch spent at Britney's table, and April is basking in the glow of popularity.

But Britney's friendship comes with a price tag.

How much is April willing to pay?

Now let's get on to the questions!

1. Were you Britney in High School or more like April?
Personality wise, I was more like April. I was unsure of myself at times, a bit boy-crazy, longing for naturally straight hair (and still do), and I sometimes succumbed to peer pressure out of my desire to fit in. As an adult, I've realized that being unique totally trumps fitting in with the crowd.

2. Did your school follow certain rules for being popular?

Rule #1 - Dominate and train a herd of trusty followers.
Rule #2 - Always be nice to people's faces.
Rule #3 - Stay on top of trends, and know when to jump ship from sinking trends.
Rule #4 - Do WHATEVER IT TAKES to keep your popularity stock high.
Okay, I'm just kidding. Thank goodness there weren't any actual popularity rules, because that would be so wrong on so many levels. And you may just get a taste of those levels if you read The Lipstick Laws. But of course there were common unwritten popularity rules in my high school like being social, having popular friends, going to all the hot spots and parties, and claiming a socially coveted seat in the cafeteria, just to list some.

3. If you had the choice to step into any character (outside your book) who would you choose and why?

This is such a fun question! I'd probably want to be Hermione Granger because who wouldn't want to be muggle-born with magical powers? She has the best of both worlds, plus she gets to marry Ron Weasley... and I'd love to be a part of the Weasley clan. Not to mention, Hermione's parents are dentists, which means I could probably get laser teeth whitening whenever I want without going broke. Case closed.

4. Care to dish the dirt on any upcoming novels?

Right now I'm working on a contemporary YA novel with a paranormal twist. I'm planning on tackling a fun middle grade novel that's been brewing in my mind since 2003 after that. And I have tons of other stories in my brain that are pacing in line, just dying to get on paper.

5. Is there anyone who inspired you as a writer?

My parents always encouraged my creativity and nurtured my love of books, so they definitely inspired me from the beginning. As a child, I was also motivated to write my own stories after being completely captivated by Shel Silverstein and Roald Dahl books. Today, I'm inspired by Sophie Kinsella's amusing plots, Meg Cabot's endless imagination and productivity, and the laugh out loud humor of Louise Rennison.

6. Is this the first novel you've written?

Hmmmm... if you count my many attempts at writing novels from elementary school and on, I'd say I'm a pretty practiced novelist at this point. On the other hand, if you only want to count the ones worth publishing, I'd say this is my first.

Fun & Random Questions

Pizza joint: Mark's Pizza out of Rochester NY! I miss it and my mouth is watering now just thinking about it!
Favorite subject: Psychology
Lipstick or Lipgloss: Bring on the lipgloss!
Hot Jock or Drama Geek: Can I say a creative, hot jock?
Favorite book: You're killing me with this one! I have too many to choose from, but I'll go with one of my favorite classics and say A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Favorite TV Show: Project Runway! "Make it work!"


Thank you so much Amy!! Be sure to stop by Amy's blog, website and more about her upcoming novel!

40 comments:

Jennifer Shirk said...

I read Amy's blog so I'm very excited to read her book too!

Lenny Lee said...

hi miss jen and miss amy! that was a cool interview. i like interviews. i like how miss amy wrote stuff even when she was little cause that gives me some hope for when i get older. our mom got us reading a lot and read lots of stuff to us and that christmas carol one was one of them.
...hugs from lenny

Diana Mieczan said...

Ladies...that is such a great inteview...:)....I also love Project Runway...That is such a cool show:)
Hope you both had a relaxing weekend:)

Kisses

Lindsay said...

Great interview, Jen. Now I've got another book to add to my list.

Project Runway...one of my favourite guilty pleasures. :)

Christine Danek said...

I read AMy's blog she is so sweet! Great Q & A.
Have a great day!

Carrie Harris said...

Amy is a DOLL. I would have liked to hang out with her in high school. ;)

Summer Ross said...

Hermione is the best character out of Harry Potter. Great post

Jaydee Morgan said...

Great interview - and looking forward to a week of more!

Jillian said...

The title alone is enough to grab my attention!!

Awesome interview ... as usual.

Jen I just wanted to give you a great big thank you for the guess your character blog fest. It was so much fun and I really enjoyed it!!!

Jen said...

Oh high school, years I want to forget! Sounds like a fun read though.

Amy Saia said...

Great interview, her book sounds like a great read!

Erica Mitchell said...

Thanks to both of you for a great interview. Strange though the weird parallel on the blogs today about highschool. And yes Project Runway is awesome and I say it with pride haha. Very fun read and I love the cover.

Lydia Kang said...

Thanks for introducing her to us! THe book sounds great!

Candyland said...

Sounds like a good one! Love your interviews!

Jemi Fraser said...

That was fun - sounds like a great novel - something lots of kids will be able to relate to.

Matthew MacNish said...

Great interview! Thanks for sharing Jen and for giving it Amy.

Bidisha said...

Ooh, The Lipstick Laws is such a cool title.
Love the interview!
And, oh yeah, lipgloss and Project Runway rock :)

Prutha Raithatha said...

hey ..this is really cool interview..love her popular girl ans..must check out her first book


http://donotshoeme.blogspot.com/

follow if u like what u see?

xoxo

Caroline Starr Rose said...

Yay, Amy!

LTM said...

excellent interview, Jen! Can't wait to see who you've got coming up next~

And Lipstick Laws sounds fun! :o)

Bish Denham said...

Great interview Jen. Looking forward to the next ones.

Anonymous said...

That sounds like a wonderful interview.
I missed reading your blog. I should blog more often.
Have a lovely day.





LOVE!

DL Hammons said...

Amy is such a great person and a close blogging buddie! I loved reading more about her. Thank you Jen!!

Rose Cooper said...

Great interview, Jen! And thanks for sharing, Amy! I love getting to know more about fabulous writers, and this is definitely one of them. I'm looking forward to reading this book--and the cover is terrific!!

Theresa Milstein said...

"She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone's life as easily as snapping her perfectly manicured fingers."

That sentence packs a lot of info! Makes me want to read the book.

The dynamics of popular people and cliques are so fascinating. Life is so much better once we graduate.

Talli Roland said...

What a great interview, Jen and Amy! I love the title, and the book sounds great. And I love Project Runway, too.

Melissa Hurst said...

Thanks Jen and Amy for the interview! This sounds like an amazing book - I can't wait for it to come out!

Amy Holder said...

Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Jen!!! And thanks to everyone for the wonderful comments! :)

I can't wait to read all the other interviews!

Michelle D. Argyle said...

Very exciting! What a great week with so many authors to discover!

Unknown said...

Very intriguing. Can't wait to read the novel.

Kimberly Franklin said...

Love the interview! And I'll definitely buy this book when it releases!

KH said...

Love the interview. Amy seems like so much fun and it sounds like her book will be a fun read too.

Kathryn Magendie said...

Jen, thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving such a nice comment *smiling* Your blog is energetic and fun and bright - makes me smile just to be here . . .

Going to follow

Erin MacPherson said...

Hey Jen! I knew I liked you the second I opened your blogger profile and saw "I love to lie".... and then I opened your blog and I LOVE THIS. I love reading about other authors and their journeys and I think your idea to do interviews is so awesome. Anyway, keep in touch! I'm sure I'll be reading much, much more about you!

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Lipstick Laws sounds like an awesome book! Great interview ladies....

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Great interview. I particularly like the last question :)

Leigh Hutchens Burch said...

The book sounds great! I can't wait to read it.

TerryLynnJohnson said...

"Always be nice to people's faces"
this made me laugh so hard!
Great interview ladies! Lipstick Laws sounds awesome.

Keri Mikulski said...

Great interview, Amy and Jennifer!! :) Loved the rules. CANNOT WAIT TO READ LIPSTICK LAWS. xoxo

Julie Musil said...

Awesome interview...Amy Rocks!