An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball: Kristina Springer

Welcome back to my interview series An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball! I'll be bringing you a new author and a new giveaway every Monday this year. I hope you'll stop by to check out these  authors and enter to win some prizes!!!! :D

Please welcome middle grade and young adult author Kristina Springer!!! Read the interview, then enter to win either an ebook of Boy Swap or an ebook of Paparazzi Project.

MJ: Tell me about your novel in your own words, not the official synopsis.

KS: BOY SWAP is about a band nerd named Brooke who gets tapped into a secret exclusive club
because the president of the club has the hots for her boyfriend. In the Boy Swap Club the girls promise to let others flirt with or even date their boyfriends without getting upset. The founders of the club find that this minimizes fights and backstabbing among the girls. Of course Brooke thinks the whole thing is absurd and wouldn't dream of wanting to share her boyfriend. But, she does trust him and is sure he wouldn't respond to any advances by any other girls. And this is a chance for her to become really popular and move out of her band nerd status. Nothing could go wrong, right?

MJ: This is a really, really, really funny book. Everyone should read it. What's your next release?

KS: I don't have anything permanently on the schedule but am hopeful to have news soon. I did just complete a new funny middle grade and am about to begin editing a young adult novel.

MJ: I can't wait. Your books are so funny! What do you wear when you write?

KS: tee shirt, yoga pants, and a fleece hoodie because I'm always freezing.

MJ: Especially this winter! What's your favorite vacation spot?

KS: Right now it's Disney. I'm sure as the kids get older it'll change to something else but we love going there as a family.

MJ: We still haven't gone yet. Maybe next year! Do you have any pets?

KS: One very old blind mini-poodle named Poe. And three giant Koi in our pond.

MJ: Aw, I love your little Poe. He's so sweet (Kristina & I are real life friends.) Now, I need YOU to ask ME a question about absolutely anything under the sun. It has to be a yes or no question and will be answered by my all-knowing Magic 8 Ball! The question can be serious or silly - it’s up to you.

KS: Will Snooki ever stop "writing" books?


MJ: Oh, dear god, I hope so!

M8B: Without A Doubt

MJ: What a relief!

Kristina, thanks so much for stopping by my blog!!!!

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The Next Big Thing

I was tagged by Susan Kaye Quinn to participate in The Next Big Thing. It's a series of questions that I'm supposed to answer, then I direct you to five of my favorite authors. I don't know who started it, or why, lol, but hey, why not?

So here goes!!!!

What is the title of your next book?

Well, I haven't announced that yet, but thanks for asking, Mystery-Person-Who-Started-This-Chain.

All I can say is that the title is hidden. You'll know what that means soon enough.

There's only one person that knows, and that's my cover designer Steven Novak. But he isn't telling because he knows I'd kick his arse if he did. ;)

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Well, crud, I wasn't ready to discuss that either. There was a day, not so long ago, when something happened. Something creepy, but ultimately cool. That's when I got the idea. You know, for the book whose title is hidden.

What genre does your book fall under?

Ah ha! A question I CAN answer. YA Fantasy. It's going to be another high fantasy like my other books. But it's not related to the world of the Song of Eloh Saga at all. Totally new. Completely different.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Gah. Another hard question. There will be a main character girl. And a supporting cast of characters both male and female. Possibly some animals. Maybe an owl or a dragon. Maybe something you've never heard of. I can tell you that I do not, under any circumstances, want Justin Bieber playing any roles in my movie.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-published. Why? I like getting a 70% royalty. If someone out there wants to offer me BIG MONEY from a traditional publisher, I'd rethink things. But, yeah, for now, I'm just little old me, self-publishing my little books (which are *this close* to hitting the 50,000 sold mark).

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I really hate comparing my books to others. Let's just say that some of my favorite fantasy writers are Alison Goodman, Terry Goodkind, and Robert Jordan.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I live in a constant state of inspiration. I get new story ideas every day. It's mentally tiring, really. But for this story, it was that incident I didn't tell you about above. And this question is not going to trick me into telling you what I didn't tell you before!

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

This?

Now it's my turn to torture, I mean tag, five other writers. They're awesome. Visit them all! I don't know when/if they'll participate, but I have much <3 for them so you should visit them no matter what.

Angela Carlie
Karly Kirkpatrick
Kristina Springer
Matthew Merrick
Dennis Sharpe


  

An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball: Kristina Springer

Up next in my interview series is Kristina Springer. Kristina & I live in the same town and we met in a funny way. The local paper ran an article on her a couple years ago when The Espressologist came out. I showed it to my husband and he urged me to go to her book launch party. I'm generally pretty shy, so I contacted Kristina over Facebook first. I realized how cool she was and we stopped by her book launch. Since then Kristina & I have gotten closer, especially over the last year, and I'm proud to call her a friend. :)

Now, I knew Kristina's books before I knew her well, so I can say with all honesty that if you love contemporary teen romance, you will LOVE her novels!

MJ: Tell me a bit about your novel, Just Your Average Princess, in your own words - not the official synopsis.

KS: Just Your Average Princess (available 10/11/11) is about a girl named Jamie who has grown up on her family's pumpkin patch in the small town of Average, IL. Jamie's always dreamed of being the town's Pumpkin Princess at the fall festival and this is her year. But when her snobby cousin from Hollywood gets dropped off to live with them during pumpkin season she turns Jamie's world upside down. Not only is she going after the guy Jamie's had a crush on forever, she also wants Pumpkin Princess.

MJ: Did you pants or plot while writing your first draft?

KS: For this book I wrote a synopsis and plotted chapter by chapter before writing. But in the early days I would pants it!

MJ: What’s your next release going to be?

KS: This is my next release. I'm working on some future projects but have no firm release dates yet.

MJ: Now for the fun stuff! Who is your celebrity crush?

KS: Jeff from Big Brother 13

MJ: What is your favorite color? 

KS: Pink 

MJ: What’s your favorite vacation spot? 

KS: Disney World 

MJ: Now, I need YOU to ask ME a question about absolutely anything under the sun. It has to be a yes or no question and will be answered by my 9-year-old’s all-knowing Magic 8 Ball! The question can be serious or silly - it’s up to you. 

KS: Is the vampire/wolves/zombies fad coming to an end? :-) 

M8B: My Sources Say No

MJ: Haha! YAY! You know how much I love me some zombies. Woot! Okay, now I'm actually leaving and will see Kristina in a few minutes. She always makes me laugh and I guarantee you guys will love her novels!!!!!

Website - Kristina Springer

Buy The Espressologist, My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours,
and Just Your Average Princess (pre-order) on:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble