Author Interview: Cheryl Carpinello

By Mary Sutton / @mary_sutton73

Today, I am excited to welcome author Cheryl Carpinello to the blog! Take it away, Cheryl!

1. What drew you to this story?

After writing Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend, I wanted my next Arthurian Tale to appeal more to boys. With my emphasis on encouraging reluctant young readers, this made sense because boys are usually the ones not reading as much. However, the story is also definitely for girls. I also wanted to write more of an action/adventure story that incorporated what I call the cornerstones of Arthurian Legend: Honor, Loyalty, and Friendship. It’s also a story that I would have loved reading back when I was younger.

2. Do you find yourself coming back to certain themes? Why or why not, and what are they?

Coming from a teaching background, I’m aware of the need and struggle of kids of all ages to find out who they are, to determine what they are capable of achieving, and to discover how they fit into the world around them. In a sense, these are the themes that run through my stories. In Young Knights, the three protagonists face deadly challenges revolving around these themes. In Guinevere, she, at the tender age of 12, must find a way to come to terms with a future that has already been decided for her.

3. What’s the one thing you must have when you write?

Music. Music has always inspired me and carried me to other worlds. Sometimes it’s the lyrics, but more often it’s the tune. For my current WIP, I’m addicted to Mumford and Sons.

4. What three people, living or dead, would you most like to talk to and why?

On a world scale, at this point in my life, I would like to sit down with Zahi Hawass, former Secretary General of Egyptian Antiquities. He intimately knows all of Egypt’s ancient monuments, and his insights into the lives of the ancient Egyptian people and their pharaohs would be fascinating to hear.

For my craft of writing, I would like to visit with Aristotle. His Poetics forms the basics of writing even today, over 2500 years ago. Without his guidance, writing might look very different today.

On a personal level, it would be my parents who both passed from this world when I was in my early twenties. I would share all that has happened in my life, what I’ve learned and experienced, and my successes and my failures.

5. If your book was made into a movie, who would write the soundtrack?

I love the soundtrack of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, so I would have to say Howard Shore.

6. What’s up next for you?

I’m working on the second draft of my next story which will be for upper MG and YA readers. My scene shifts from Medieval Times to Ancient Egypt and the time of the Pharaohs. In it, the protagonist teams up with an famous pharaoh in a search for a lost queen and a quest for honor. Similar to the concept behind Young Knights, this story takes readers on a search for self and also holds some surprises!

About the Book

Title: Young Knights of the Round Table: The King's Ransom

Author: Cheryl Carpinello

Publication Date (Kindle): May, 2012

Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing

Number of pages: 84

Recommended age: 9+



Summary (Amazon):

In medieval Wales, eleven-year-old Prince Gavin, thirteen-year-old orphan Philip, and fifteen-year-old blacksmith's apprentice Bryan are brought together in friendship by one they call the Wild Man. When an advisor to the king is killed and a jewelled medallion is stolen from the king’s treasury, the Wild Man is accused of the theft and murder. Filled with disbelief at the arrest of the Wild Man, the three friends embark upon a knight’s quest to save their friend’s life. To succeed, the three must confront their fears and insecurities, and one of them will have to disclose the biggest secret of all. Join Gavin, Philip, and Bryan on their quest and share the adventures that await them in the land of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

Purchase

Amazon * Muse it Up * Barnes and Noble

The Buzz

"The King's Ransom is a fast-moving story, a tale of knights and castles and villains. As Gavin, Phillip, and Bryan set about to save their friend, the reader is brought vividly into the medieval world of King Arthur. There is just the right balance of action and character development to entice young readers and reluctant readers to pick this book up, as was the author's intent. I recommend it to all middle grade readers." ~ Laurie C., Amazon, 5 Stars

"The adventures these future Young Knights of the Round Table experience in their quest to save their friend are filled with the fantasy and adventure story elements that children love to read. There's a villain, secret passages in castles, swordplay, and even a witch. And with King Arthur's appearance, astonishing secret identities being revealed, and a happy ending, what more could anyone want in a good read?" ~ Tyler T., Amazon, 5 Stars

"This was a great book! I liked all of the action and excitement in it. Ms. Carpinello wrote this book really well and it was very appropriate for kids even though it deals with fighting and a wrongfully accused person. Ms. Carpinello described the time period really well, I felt like I was a knight in medieval times! I really love that the story features a bit of King Arthur legends in it! The ending had a couple fo great twists that had me totally surprised!." ~ Erik @ This Kid Reviews Books, 5 Stars.

Awards

2013 EVVY Finalist and EVVY Merit Award for Juvenile/Young Adult from Colorado Independent Publishers Assoc.

2013 Ariana Cover Finalist

2012 Silver Award Recipient for YA Fiction from Children's Literary Classics and the CLC's 2012 Seal of Approval.

2012 Finalist E-Book Children from USA 2012 Best Book Awards

About the Author: Cheryl Carpinello

Cheryl Carpinello

Although a retired teacher, Cheryl Carpinello still has a passion for working with kids. She regularly conducts Medieval Writing Workshops for local elementary/middle schools and the Colorado Girl Scouts. She is not the only one who loves Medieval Times and the King Arthur Legend. The kids thoroughly enjoy writing their own medieval stories complete with dragons, wizards, unicorns and knights!

She loves to travel and her other job is with a major airline. Her favorite trip was a two week visit to Egypt with her husband that included traveling by local train from one end of Egypt to the other. Some of her favorite books include The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Once and Future King, and any by the duo Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

Author Site: http://www.beyondtodayeducator.com/

Author Blog: http://carpinelloswritingpages.blogspot.com

Facebook page: Author Cheryl Carpinello

Goodreads author page: Cheryl Carpinello

Twitter: @CCarpinello

Google+: Cheryl Carpinello

Young Knights of the Round Table Blog Tour Schedule (2013)

September 9

Mother Daughter Book Reviews (Launch)

Victoria Simcox (Review)

September 10

The Wise Owl Factory Book A Day (Review + Supplement)

September 11

Fiona Ingram (Review)

September 12

Mary Sutton (Author Interview)

September 13

Tales of a Bookworm (Review)

Kid Lit Reviews (Review)

September 14

Jemima Pett (Review)

Create With Joy (Review)

September 15

S.W. Lothian (Review)

September 16

Sher A Hart (Review)

September 17

Mother Daughter Book Reviews (Review)

Stitch Says (Author Interview)

September 18

Fiona Ingram (Author Interview)

September 19

Mommynificent (Review)

September 20

Nik's Picks Book Reviews (Guest Post)

September 21

Black Words - White Pages Kids (Review)

September 22

WhenIgrowupIwannawriteakidsbook (Review)

September 23

Fantasy Fun With Kirsten Pulioff (Review)

Published Bestsellers (Review)

September 24

Stitch Says (Review)

September 25

Bookworm for Kids (Review)

September 26

Inkspired: A Blog (Review)

September 27

R.K. Grow- reading.writing.blogging. (Guest Post)

September 28

Mel's Shelves (Review)

September 29

Magical Middle-Grade Literature (Review)

September 30

Le Vanity Victorienne (Review)

*** Young Knights of the Round Table Blog Tour Giveaway ***

Prize: One winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash

Contest runs: September 9 to October 6, 11:59 pm, 2013

Open: WW

How to enter: Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

Terms and Conditions: A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. If you have any additional questions - feel free to contact Renee at Mother Daughter Book Reviews.

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Author Interview: Kaye George

by Mary Sutton / mary_sutton73

Today, I'm so pleased to welcome Kaye George, author of Eine Kleine Murder to the blog.

Take it away, Kaye!

1. If I invited your main character for dinner, what would we probably talk about?

I’ve had two releases in three months, so I’ll have to pick one. I’ll choose the one who speaks English, as it would be hard to converse with my Neanderthal characters.

Cressa Carraway, as a graduate student, would be happy to accept dinner. She rarely has money to eat out. She’s probably begin by complimenting all the dishes--and she’d be sincere. Since her grandmother died (her parents passed away years ago), she doesn’t get home cooking. If you let her, she’d love to tell you about what she’s writing. It might be a piano concerto or a chamber music piece, maybe even a symphony.

2. Do you find yourself coming back to certain themes? Why or why not, and what are they?

I’ve been told by more than one person that I’m very hard on men in my short stories. I didn’t see this theme until it was pointed out, but they’re right, I am! I don’t see this happening as much in my novels, but, honestly, I don’t know what my themes are. Maybe family? Mitch Albom tells about a reader complimenting him on his books about fathers. He was puzzled, since he hadn’t, as far as he knew, written one on that theme. The last book he wrote, however, had been written as his father was dying. He pondered this and decided that he had written that book about fathers. He thought it was about baseball.

3. What's the one thing you must have when you write?

Quiet. I know many writers like music setting the mood for them, but I can’t listen to music and write at the same time. Maybe that’s because I’m a musician and I participate when I hear music. I do to great lengths to get quiet. Barking dogs are my idea of hell on earth. One place we lived, a nearby rat terrier would bark for an hour at a time. Appeals to the neighbor didn’t help for more than a day. Desperate, I bought a dog-training device called Super Bark Free. I figured that, if people can’t train their dogs, I’ll do it for them. Hey, this thing works!

4. What three people, living or dead, would you most like to talk to and why?

First, I’d like to interview a major, successful female conductor, maybe Marin Alsop or Kate Tamarkin. There aren’t many to choose from, there are so few even today. I’d gather material for future Cressa Carraway books. She intends to be a major conductor and it’s going to be hard for her. I’d like to know exactly what’s involved and how she should best go about it.

Second, I’d like to talk to one of my own great-great-grand parents, the ones who came west in covered wagons. What a time they must have had! I’d like to hear their stories. There’s an ancestor buried in Natoma, Kansas, who wrote a book, my grandmother told me, but there are no traces of it. If I could learn more about her, I’d love that, too.

My mother has been gone for over 10 years, but I still want to talk to her several times a month. That might be true for everyone who had a good Mom. She wanted to write books and I’d like to tell her I’ve gotten it done.

5. If your book was made into a movie, who would write the soundtrack?

Why, I would, of course! I’ve always wanted to write movie soundtracks. It would be awesome.

6. What's up next for you?

I’m currently working on a cozy for Berkley Prime Crime. I’m thrilled to have a three-book contract with them for a series set in Minneapolis called the Fat Cat series. It features Quincy, a pudgy, adorable, clever cat who, always hungry on his diet, is good at getting out and finding things--clues, bodies, things like that. I’ll be writing that series as Janet Cantrell.

Kaye George is a short story writer and novelist who has been nominated for Agatha awards twice. She is the author of four mystery series: the Imogene Duckworthy humorous Texas series, the Cressa Carraway musical mystery series, the FAT CAT cozy series, and The People of the Wind Neanderthal series.

Her short stories can be found in her collection, A PATCHWORK OF STORIES, as well as in several anthologies, various online and print magazines. She reviews for "Suspense Magazine", writes for several newsletters and blogs, and gives workshops on short story writing and promotion. Kaye lives in Knoxville, TN.

Author Interview: Joyce Yarrow

by Mary Sutton / @mary_sutton73


Today, I'm pleased to welcome author Joyce Yarrow to the blog for an interview. Here is the blurb for Joyce's latest book, Code of Thieves:

Full-time private investigator/part-time poet Jo Epstein travels to New York and eventually to Russia to help clear her emigre stepfather—who is framing him for murder and who is sending him threatening messages in Russian nesting dolls (matryoshkas)? Her investigation takes her on a journey into her stepfather’s past and into the honor-bound code of the “vory,” a Russian criminal syndicate.

Here's Joyce with more.

~~~~~~~

1. You said on your website that “settings are characters.” What do you mean by that?

Well, it is often said that a place ‘has character’ – and since our environment has such power to shape us, I would take it one step further. Cities and towns, suburbs and wilderness all share the qualities of a living organism, both symbolically and in reality. This is why streets are called arteries, mountains taunt us with their grandeur, and Billy Joel sings about being in a ‘New York’ state of mind.’

As I see it, my job as a writer is to bring to life the physical universe in which a story takes place, so that the border between character and setting blurs and the two merge in the reader’s mind to create an alternate reality. Raymond Chandler was a master at this, to the point where a mini-industry has sprung up in Los Angeles, taking mystery fans on tours of the settings portrayed in his books. Here’s a classic example: “The muzzle of the Luger looked like the mouth of the Second Street tunnel, but I didn't move. Not being bullet proof is an idea I had had to get used to.” From The Big Sleep.

When I traveled to Russia in search of settings for Code of Thieves, each place I visited—Vladimir Central Prison, the Moscow Metro, the Matryoshka Factory, et al—became a character in its own right, revealing its unique personality and inviting traumatic events to transpire there.

2. Do you revisit certain themes in your writing and, if so, what are they?

This is a dangerous question to ask a writer who feels that self-consciousness is a hazard of the trade. In my estimation, themes are for readers to find on their own when stimulated by a good story. On the other hand, each book I write has a strong intent. The intent of Ask the Dead was to show how a detective seeks on many levels. The intent of Code of Thieves was to prove that revenge always acts like a boomerang—coming back to destroy the perpetrator—no matter how many years it takes to complete its trajectory.

3. What is one thing you must have when you write?

Time.

4. If your book was going to be made into a movie, what would the soundtrack be like and who would write it?

I did create a video book trailer for The Last Matryoshka (the hard back edition of Code of Thieves). For the soundtrack, I mixed the voices of the Russian Army Chorus with urban American bass & drum beats, reflecting the two continents where the story is set. Istoria’s book trailer for Code of Thieves also includes a wonderful Russian folk song.

Howard Shore did a fantastic job on the music for Eastern Promises and if Code of Thieves were to be made into a feature film, I’d love to see him score it collaboratively with Herbie Hancock.

5. If you could meet any three people (living or dead) who would they be and what would you talk about?

I would love to meet author Ruth Rendell and ask her how she developed the capacity to see so clearly into dark hearts.

If I could meet Albert Einstein I’d ask him how to split the atom of peace.

It would be an honor to meet Salman Rushdie and talk about how he managed to explore so many complex facets of India through one character’s eyes in Midnight’s Children.

6. What’s up next for you?

I am co-writing a novel with Indian writer Arindam Roy that covers two generations of crime, romance, and adventure. The book is set in India and N. America and explores multiple strands of society in both settings. I will embark on my 3rd trip to India next month – this time to go to my first Indian wedding and then to a writing residency at Hesse Centre in Bhimtal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joyce Yarrow was born in the SE Bronx, escaped to Manhattan as a teenager and now lives in Seattle with her husband and son. Along the way to becoming a full-time author, Joyce has worked as a screenwriter, singer-songwriter, multimedia performance artist and most recently, a member of the world music vocal ensemble, Abráce.

Joyce is a Pushcart nominee, whose stories and poems have been widely published. Her first book, Ask the Dead (Martin Brown 2005), was selected by The Poisoned Pen as a Recommended First Novel and hailed as “Bronx noir”. Her latest book, Code of Thieves, takes place in Brooklyn and Moscow. It was published in hardcover (as The Last Matryoshka) by Five Star/Cengage and is now available for Kindle and other ereaders through Istoria Books. (www.IstoriaBooks.com). A new edition featuring an essay by Joyce and an interview with her will be released April 2013.

Joyce considers the setting of her books to be characters in their own right and teaches workshops on "The Place of Place in Mystery Writing."

What people are saying about Code of Thieves:

"Intricately layered like the Russian nested doll of the title..." Library Journal
"You'll want to discover the secrets buried in The Last Matryoshka..." Lesa Holstine, Lesa's Book Critiques
"Joyce Yarrow....may very well prove herself to be the Mickey Spillane of the 21st century...." Seattle Post Intelligencer

Code of Thieves is available for Kindle  and Nook now. Versions for Nook and other e-readers will be available within 3 months.

Look at other Istoria Books offerings here: http://www.istoriabooks.com

Author Interview: Michael Brookes

by Mary Sutton / @mary_sutton73

Today, I'm pleased to welcome author Michael Brookes to the blog for an interview. Michael's latest book, Conversations in the Abyss, available now. Here's the blurb:

Stealing Lazarus’s miracle gifted him immortality. Combined with his natural ability of invading and controlling people’s minds this made him one of the most dangerous people on Earth.

But the miracle came with a price. His punishment was to be imprisoned within the walls of an ancient monastery and tormented by an invisible fire that burned his body perpetually. To escape the pain he retreated deep into his own mind.\

There he discovers the truth of the universe and that only he can stop the coming Apocalypse.

Here's Michael with more.

1. You work in two creative fields: games and writing. Do you find that they support each other or are they two completely separate parts of your life?

They complement each other. I write a lot of documentation as part of my job. Much of this is public, or at least publisher facing so it has to be interesting as well as informative. Spending more time writing helps improve the writing I do for work as well improving the quality of my novel writing.

And in a happy convergence I have been asked to write the official novel for our new game Elite: Dangerous.

2. What are the major themes you deal with in your writing?

In my latest book I deal with the nature of reality, meta physics and what makes humans different.

3. What’s the one thing you must have when you write?

My laptop! I also require Jaffa Cakes.

4. If you hosted a dinner party, who are six people you’d invite (living or dead)?

I’d invite a varied group:

Assuming he really exists I’d first invite Lucifer and along with him Jesus, I’m sure the two would have plenty to talk about.

I’d then invite Ian M Banks, my favourite author. I’d love to pick his brain.

I think Bill Clinton would have some good stories to tell.

There has to be a pretty face at the table, but preferably somebody with brains as well, so Helen Mirram would receive an invite.

John Milton as the writer of the greatest story ever told would be more than welcome.

5. If your book was made into a movie, who would you want to write the soundtrack?

I think a German band called Grendel (cyber goth) with suitable orchestral backing would do a good job.

6. What’s up next for you?

I have a first draft called Faust 2.0 that needs developing. It’s about an Internet chatbot that starts granting wishes. I also have the third novel in the trilogy to write and the game novel as well. Busy times :-)

Conversations in the Abyss is available now from Amazon US and UK.

About the author

Michael Brookes is an Executive Producer with a leading UK games developer. Working in games and writing are two of his life passions and considers himself fortunate to be able to indulge them both. He lives in the east of England, enjoying starry skies in the flattest part of the country. When not working or writing he can sometimes be found sleeping. Which is good as that is where many good ideas come from.

Also by Michael:

The Cult of Me
For too long he dwelt apart, watched those who passed him by. With his unique abilities he entered their minds and inflicted terrible suffering upon them. They didn't even know who he was. The game has lasted for years, but now the game has become stale. On an impulse he decides to make a final and very public last stand. After surrendering himself to the police he enacts his plan to seize the prison for his final bloody act.

There he discovers that he's not as unique as he once thought.

Buy it on Amazon today

An Odd Quartet
A quartet of dark short stories (10,000 words) to thrill and chill.

The Yellow Lady
Grave robbing is a dirty business, in more ways than one. When he disturbs the grave from a childhood scary story he discovers it's not always treasure to be found.

This Empty Place
At the heat death of the universe, Death contemplates his existence.

Forced Entry
Terrorists seize an average suburban house. A Special Forces hostage rescue team is sent in and encounter more than they were trained for.

The Reluctant Demon
A young demon prepares to take his possession exam.

Buy it on Amazon today

Power Play Day with Stacy Juba

by Mary Sutton / @mary_sutton73

So just what is "power play day?" Well...

A "power play" in hockey is when one team is playing with one or more players than the other as the result of a penalty. And hockey is very much front and center in Stacy Juba's young adult book, Face Off. The book, a re-issue of the original, deals with twins Brad and TJ, whose rivalry isn't limited to the action on the ice. Who will come out on top? You'll have to read (or listen) to find out.

In my book, Power Play, Jaycee has to deal with a political grab for power by an unknown person. That unknown person is going to play a big part in the series, as Jaycee's repeated visits to the game world of Mallory challenge her to find out who this unknown enemy is and stop him.  I visited Stacy's blog; you can read the interview here.

Take two young adult books, two authors, two interviews, shake well, and that is "power play day."

Here's Stacy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why did you decide to do a hockey-focused sports book - are you a fan?

I wrote this book many years ago when I was 16 years old. I had discovered hockey during the 1988 Olympics and then started following NHL hockey. I was an avid reader and loved to read, however the only hockey books I could find at the library were biographies of 1970s hockey players. I wanted to read a fiction story revolving around hockey, but they seemed in short supply. I always loved to write stories, so initially Face-Off began as a way to entertain myself. I did have aspirations of publishing it, though. I entered it in a contest for teen writers and it won a publishing contract with a major publisher. Twenty years later, I brought it back into print and released e-book and audio editions also, as I still think there is a shortage of juvenile and teen novels about hockey.

Sounds like there's some sibling rivalry here. Do you have siblings? If so, how did your relationship with them influence the relationship between TJ and Brad?

I actually don't have siblings, but I used to wonder what it would be like to have them. I watched a lot of TV shows about siblings, like Growing Pains, Family Ties, and even The Brady Bunch, and I observed friends with siblings. I wanted to convey how siblings can be irritating, and how it's pretty typical for competition to arise, but how they stand by each other and can have a special friendship.

A lot of people talk about twins as having a special “connection” – almost like they can sense what the other one is doing. Do Brad and TJ have that kind of connection and how do they deal with it?

Brad and T.J. had a special connection when they were younger, but they drifted apart when their parents put T.J. in private school and they became rivals. Once they wind up on the same hockey team again, and are playing together on the same line, they can't deny that they still have that connection and that they can almost read each other's minds on the ice. Once they deal with their rivalry and get past the need to outdo each other, they realize that they want to have that connection off the ice also. Their parents are separating, and their younger brothers have trouble dealing with the family breaking apart, and the twins need to pull together to help their brothers as one thing the family doesn't need is more arguments.

Sounds like Brad resents/is jealous of TJ more than vice-versa. Is that true? In what ways is TJ jealous of Brad?

It was about equal until a few chapters into the book, when they find themselves in the same school and on the same hockey team. Their rivalry started when T.J. was sent to a private high school a few years earlier. T.J. felt a lot of pressure to excel academically, and resented that Brad was allowed to go to public school. Although he grew to like his school, T.J. still felt that Brad had more freedom to be himself rather than always having to please their parents. Meanwhile, Brad felt resentful that T.J. was known as the smart one. Brad has a secret, which is that he writes fiction, and it irks him that people only see him as a jock. When the family's financial situation forces them to put T.J. in public high school, Brad's resentment intensifies as now his twin brother is invading his turf. Brad's friends like T.J., and the coach is thrilled to have another star hockey player on the team. So once T.J. switches to public school, that is the catalyst for Brad's resentment escalating. At this point in the story, T.J. feels angry that his twin brother is acting so unsupportive. Their rivalry gets so intense that is starts to hurt the team.

You write in a lot of different genres. How is that challenging to you as a writer?

I write whatever story idea is the most pressing one on my mind. Sometimes it's an adult book, sometimes it's a children's story, and sometimes it's a young adult novel. I've enjoyed learning about different genres and meeting writers from different genres. I've been in various organizations over the years, such as Sisters in Crime, the Society of Children's Book Writers, and in various romance writer groups. It keeps me well-informed and versatile in today's constantly changing publishing industry. Writing adult books comes the most naturally to me, though. I have a couple YA sequels in the works, but expect most of my future novels to be for adults. My current work-in-progress is a light romantic comedy and I'm having a blast writing in that genre.

What do you find different, and intriguing, about writing for young adults opposed to an older audience?

Young adults are on a journey of self discovery, and need to find the confidence to be who they are amidst peer pressure. They want to fit in, and now with all of this technology and social networking available to them, they not only want to fit in at school, but they also want to "fit in" online on sites such as Facebook and Instagram. I think this is a difficult time to be a kid as they are growing up too fast nowadays. I want to get them away from their social networks and texting, and tell them a story, a fun entertaining story that takes them away from the Internet and the daily stress of being a teen. I also want the book to remind them that other kids are facing the same insecurities and problems that they are dealing with and that it's important to be true to yourself and find who you are - which isn't necessarily what others want you to be.

You won the Malice Domestic Grant for new mystery writers. What was that like and tell us about the story that got you the award.

That was a wonderful experience! I won it in 2005 for my novel-in-progress Sign of the Messenger, about a hands-on healer and psychic who gets involved in a mystery. I still would like to finish the book, but I wound up getting sidetracked by rewrites of my other books and then by promotion of my published novels. And then I got another, more pressing, book idea that demanded to be written. It's fully outlined though so I plan to go back to it. As far as winning the award, my husband came with me to the Malice Domestic Convention outside of Washington, D.C. I got to attend the conference and the award was presented at the Agatha Awards banquet. I loved meeting so many other writers and mystery lovers, and the other grant recipient, Hilary McGowan, became one of my closest friends. I used the $1,000 grant money to take online writing classes, and these classes were instrumental in helping me to reach the next step in my career.

You have a background as a journalist. How do you think that has helped your fiction writing and how is fiction different?

Being a journalist has helped me a great deal as I do a lot of research for my books, and sometimes I'll do an interview to get details that will enrich a novel. Journalism taught me those skills and it also taught me how to weave in details without making the story dry and boring. Newspaper articles need quotes to spice up a story and fiction needs dialogue and interesting narrative. If you just dump in a huge paragraph of information, it's boring and takes you out of the story. The one problem I had with switching gears was that in journalism, I was trained to write short and concise. With novels, I had to practice writing longer as if it's too short, the book is a novella and not a novel.

About Face-off
Head-to-Head, Skate-to-Skate, It’s Winner Takes All! What might have been a dream come true has turned into a nightmare. Brad’s twin brother T.J. has gotten himself out of the fancy prep school his father picked for him and into the public high school Brad attends. Now T.J., the bright light in his father’s eyes, is a shining new star on the hockey team where Brad once held the spotlight. And he’s testing his popularity with Brad’s friends, eyeing Brad’s girl and competing to be captain of the team. The whole school is rooting for a big double-strength win…not knowing that their twin hockey stars are heating up the ice for a winner takes all face-off. Re-issue of the hockey classic, originally written when Stacy was 16 and published when she was 18.

The Hockey Hall of Fame’s Junior Education Program – Recommended reading list for the junior and intermediate levels.

Best Books for Young Teen Readers: Grades 7-10 by John T. Gillespie -Recommended in the sports category.

Available at:

Amazon, Barnes&Noble, iBookstore, Kobo, Sony Reader Store, and Audible

Check the website, http://stacyjuba.com/blog/face-off/, for additional retail information.

About Stacy:

Stacy Juba has written about reality TV contestants targeted by a killer, an obit writer investigating a cold case, teen psychics who control minds, twin high school hockey stars battling on the ice, and teddy bears learning to raise the U.S. flag: she pursues whatever story ideas won’t leave her alone. Stacy’s titles include the adult mystery novels Sink or Swim and Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, the children’s picture books The Flag Keeper and the Teddy Bear Town Children’s Bundle (Three Complete Picture Books), and the young adult novels Face-Off and Dark Before Dawn. She is also the editor of the essay anthology 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror: 52 Authors Look Back. She is a former journalist with more than a dozen writing awards to her credit.