Author Interviews

Author Interview: Karen McManus

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Pen Friends, please welcome Karen McManus, a very anticipated YA debut and Author of One of Us is Lying. 

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SP: Hi Karen! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and when you started writing?

I was one of those kids who started writing early. I was in second grade when I wrote my first book, and I wrote dozens more throughout elementary school. But when I reached high school and tried to write longer, more complicated books, I faltered. I was convinced I didn’t have what it took to finish a novel, so I started the college-career-family trajectory and let my interest in writing slide.

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Author Interview: Christina June

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Pen Friends ~ Welcome Debut YA author, Christina June as she talks about her forthcoming book,  It Started With Goodbye (See below for bio and summary!) SP: Welcome Christina! Can you tell us a bit of who you are and when you started writing?

Sure! I’m a mom, a high school counselor, a wife, a daughter. And a writer! I’ve always been a writer, more when I was younger, but I began writing novels with the goal of publication about four years ago.

 

SP: So, the book. It’s a spin off of Cinderella. Can you share how the idea took shape from there? 

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Author Interview: Mary Weber

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Pen Friends: Welcome Mary Weber, author of the wildly popular Storm Siren Trilogy, as she shares her writing journey with us. Talk about encouraging, charming, and instructive!

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SP: Can you tell us a bit of who you are and when you started writing?

Hi! Yes, let’s see…I was born and raised in California by parents who’ve been pastoring the same church for 40+ years (and are legitimately the coolest people I know). My husband and I have been married for 18 of those years and have three kids (ages 16, 14, & 10). I write books (obviously). I like homemade honey lattes, Sherlock, The Last Airbender, laughter, rain, and sushi, and I work part time as a youth pastor. Annnnd now I feel like I just filled out a dating profile. Nice. 😉 Continue reading →

Author Interview: Nicole Castroman

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Pen Friends~ Welcome Nicole Castroman as she talks about her debut novel Blackhearts, her hauntingly beautiful take on Blackbeard’s origins.

SP: Can you tell us a bit of who you are and when you started writing?

Let’s see, a little bit about myself. Well, I am a twin. We are still very close and wish we could live closer to each other. I love learning about different people, languages and cultures and I speak fluent German. I know enough Spanish to get myself into trouble and can still read the Cyrillic alphabet from when I studied Russian. Continue reading →

Author Interview: Josh Lacey

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Pen friends,
The Spinning Pen, (Nova) had the pleasure of meeting British Author Josh Lacey at the China Bookworm Literary Festival and asked him to share his thoughts on writing, publishing and his books!

SP: Welcome Josh! Can you tell us a bit of who you are and when you started writing?

I have to admit I don’t really like talking about myself. That’s probably one of the reasons that I write fiction: I like to step out of the photograph, or hold the camera, rather than smiling into the lens. I’d really prefer to follow the example of Henry Green and Lemony Snicket, two of my favourite writers, both of whom would only be photographed from behind.

But I don’t want to be difficult, so I’ll will certainly tell you a bit about who I am. Continue reading →

Author Interview: Tessa Emily Hall

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Pen Friends – If you do not know this girl – you should! Published at 19, avid writing coach for teens, actress, literary agent intern, successful blogger, and coffee connoisseur. 

Tessa 1SP: Can you tell us a bit of who you are and when you started writing? 

 Sure! My name is Tessa, and I started writing since before I could hardly hold a pencil. =) I was three-years-old when I began to dictate stories to my mom. Any time I was bored throughout my childhood, I would sit down at the dining room table with a stack of blank paper and crayons, and write story after story. I fell in love with the thrill of becoming another person all through the power of a pen. Continue reading →

Author Interview: Andrew Peterson

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Pen Friends – Welcome Andrew Peterson! Come hear his take on writing, world building, and his journey in creating his epic series, The Wingfeather Saga, (which we cannot recommend enough).

SP: Can you tell us a bit of who you are and when you started writing?

Hello! I’m a father and a husband from Nashville. I started writing books about ten years ago, but as a touring singer/songwriter for about twenty years, stories have long been at the center of what I do. Ever since I was a kid I was into movies and music and drawing and books, and for a whole bunch of reasons my guitar was the horse that finally bore me out of town. I moved to Nashville right after college, signed a record deal, and have been doing music ever since. But the kinds of songs I love, and the kind I try to write, have always been the kind that have stories at their heart, partly because I’m a big reader, have always loved books, and never abandoned the dream of someday writing novels. About ten years ago, after reading the Narnia books to my kids, I decided it was time to stop messing around. Continue reading →

Author Interview: Kim Vandel

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Pen Friends~ Indie author Kim Vandel is here to share about her first book. She has a giveaway too! The first one to email us at thespinningpen@gmail.com receives her book for free!

Welcome Kim!

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SP: Who are you? 
My name is Kim Vandel. I’m a wife, mom, writer, and science nerd. I wrote short stories for fun when I was in junior high, but I didn’t pursue writing as a career until years later. I earned a degree in biology and worked in the field of environmental testing before staying home to be a full-time mom. When my boys were little, I felt the call to return to my love of fiction, so I honed my writing skills in the spare time I had. It was a long process, but all the hard work paid off last year with the launch of my debut novel Into the Fire.

SP: Can you tell us about your book? Blurb? Part two?
Into the Fire is a young adult urban fantasy set in the Seattle area. It’s sort of a mash-up between the X-Men and the book of Judges. Continue reading →