3 S.R. Johannes: Kiersten White on Paranormalcy (eGalley ARC giveaway!)

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Kiersten White on Paranormalcy (eGalley ARC giveaway!)

The winner of the Harlequin Teen books is

Jesse Harrell!

Congrads and email me your address (sjohannes@bilaninc.com)

Now for Kiersten!

For those of you who are not following Kiersten's blog, you are so missing out. I've been following her blog for about a year now and not only is she hilarious but she's adorably cute. The kind of person you want to be your friend and critique partner b/c she tells it like it is in a funny way.

She stopped by to talk about her book coming out in September, Paranormalcy (as if you haven't heard about it! :)

I'm reading an ARC now and it is funny and different and pulls you through.

Today, I am giving away 2 copies of her eGalley ARC that I got at BEA. If you comment and tell us what is the most abnormal thing about you, I will put you in the drawing.

Remember - you must be a Follower of my blog to win.
(come on its only fair right? Do you know what I had to endure to get these eGalley Arcs for you! I'm still not OVER it.)

Extra points for following me on twitter (+1), following Kiersten's Blog (+1), following her on Twitter (+1). Add up your points in the comments,

Hi Kiersten! I am so excited for you and your book coming out. I am just finishing it and loving it. Can you tell us about Paranormalcy and your journey?

Paranormalcy is about a sixteen-year-old girl, Evie, who works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency. Turns out all of those creatures of legend and myth do, in fact, exist, and it's her job to make sure the rest of us remain blissfully unaware of the various monsters that walk among us. But that's a pretty big job for a teenager who is more interested in boys, and school, and boys, and normal life, and also boys.

When a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormals starts coming true, though, it's up to Evie to save the paranormal world. After all, normal is so overrated.

Paranormalcy is actually the fourth novel I wrote. I got my fabulous agent, Michelle Wolfson, for another novel. While that one was on submission I wrote Paranormalcy on a whim. When the first failed to find a home, I edited Paranormalcy like a maniac and sent it to Michelle. We both thought we had something special, and fortunately many editors agreed. It sold to Erica Sussman at HarperTeen in a pre-empt, and I couldn't be happier with how things worked out.

I'm amazed every day at where this journey has taken me.

How did you get the idea for Paranormalcy?

It was a combination of elements. A friend had asked me if I'd ever write a vampire novel--to which I firmly responded no--and my husband had been talking about writing vampires as nothing more than hideous, living corpses. Which got me thinking about what you'd do with a vampire if you didn't want to kill it, which got me thinking about a government organization created to do just that, which gave me Evie in all her pink Taser-toting glory. Three weeks later I had a finished draft!

What do you wish you knew now about publishing that you could have used before you got a agent/book deal?

Honestly, I'm so glad I didn't know as much as I know now! If I'd had any idea starting out on this journey just how bad the odds were, and how hard I'd have to work, and how much rejection would be involved, I think I would have picked a different hobby. That being said, I wish I'd tapped into the amazing resources out there sooner. There's a wealth of information on the process of pursuing publication (once you have a finished, edited book) that I was pretty clueless about in the beginning. Blogs like Nathan Bransford's and Pubrants are an excellent place to start. It's good to know exactly what you're getting into and not to waste a year on a bad query for a worse book.

Not that I, uh, did that. (Okay, I totally did.)

If you were a letter of the alphabet, which one would you be and why?

K, of course. Underutilized, but not a floozy like C who thinks it can just take the place of K and S whenever it wants to. C, your only function is for CH. Leave the K sound to the experts!
I mean, umm, K because it's how kissing starts, and heaven knows we can't have YA novels without some good kissing.

If you believe in past lives – what/who do you think you were?

I don't believe in past lives, but if I did, I'd probably have been a cat. What's not to like? (Aside from gross food and litter boxes. Those I could handle for the sheer luxury of sleeping all day, every day, everywhere I want.) (Also, clearly I would have been a lazy house cat and not a useful mouser or stray.) (Also, I may or may not be fixated on sleep at the moment because I've been getting so very little of it.)

What is one thing we don’t know about you that you want us to know but might be afraid to say?

Anyone who reads my blog can tell you there's very little I'm afraid to say : ) I can't think of a secret that is a) funny or b) not too revealing. And that's the glory of the Internet--you can always be funny and you can always hide secrets! So I guess that's my thing. I like writing because I can be whoever I want, and I like writing YA fiction because I can create characters who can be whoever they want. Yay fantasy!

You can also follow Kiersten on Twitter or Facebook.
Harperteen on Twitter for latest updates.

Thanks Kiersten! :)

Comment for an eGalley!

62 comments:

Unknown said...

Great interview!!!

Strange thing about me...I love things between my toes. If they made flip flops that went between EVERY toe...I'd buy a million pairs!

Unknown said...

What a great interview, I cant WAIT to read this book!

Weird thing about me, HMMM - Well I put salt on my chicken nuggets and when I was pregnant I age peanut butter and chicken nuggets together (Gross I know)

I also follow both of you on twitter @Jenn_BookCrazy and I follow Kiersten on her blog :D

THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Dorothy Dreyer said...

Kiersten is awesome and I love her blog. I can't wait for this book to come out (I even have a countdown widget on my blog). Great interview!

Lisa Aldin said...

Oh, enter me! I follow you and Kiersten's blog. I can't wait to read this one.

Most abnormal thing about moi? Um...I like ketchup on my mac and cheese. Is that weird? Yum...

Erika Powell said...

Great Interview!
I follow both blogs and both on twitter!

Natalie said...

Ooh, this was a fun one. I'm really excited to read Paranormalcy. I follow both blogs and both Twitter accounts, because you are both awesome.

The most abnormal thing about me... hmmm... it's probably that I can fit my entire fist in my mouth (mostly because I have little hands and a huge mouth).

Ellz said...

Fun interview. I can't wait to read this!

I am pretty normal, abnormal...I have hairy arms (for a girl)

follower
+1 follow you on twitter (@EllzReadz)
+1 follow Kiersten's blog
+1 follower Kiersten on twitter too

zenfoxflowerATyahooDOTcom
4 entries

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

I love this premise, and Kiersten's voice is so funny that the book must be hilarious. I follow you both.
Abnormal? Moi? I can walk straight past someone I know and never see them, because I'm so lost in my thoughts.

Lena1xoxo said...

An abnormal thing about me. Hmmm. I currently have no big toenail on my right foot. It fell off! No joke. I think it's either because my running shoes are too small or I tripped over the coffee table. It probably wouldn't be as noticeable if my other toenails weren't painted. Oh well! :P

Follower :)
+1 Following on Twitter (@Lena1xoxo)
+1 Follow Kiersten on Twitter
+1 Follwing Kiersten's blog

Thanks for the giveaway!

*crosses fingers*

addicted2novels(at)gmail(dot)com

Wicked Walker said...

Oh I have been dying to read this!

weirdest thing about me...i have a hair phobia. Like stray hairs in the sink or shower or floor (wherever!) totally gross me out! They are grosser to me than killing bugs or something. I am so weird.

Another weird thing...I have to have all the bottles in my shower facing forward (labels facing me)...i think it is a virgo thing. LOL

Yes, I realize I am weird ha ha

+1 follow you on twitter (wicked_walker)
+1 follow Kiersten on twitter
+1 follow kiersten's blog


booknerdd(at)gmail(dot)com

Stephanie Faris said...

Great interview. I want to read that book now!!!

Adam Heine said...

Most abnormal thing? Uh...I'm the only person in my house of seven that grew up speaking only one language.

+2 for Kiersten's blog and Twitter.

j said...

Most abnormal thing about me would be I have one foot slightly bigger then the other. It can be a pain sometimes when shopping for shoes.
I follow your blog!
Extra points:
+1 I follow you on twitter (YAaddict)
+1 I follow Kiersten's blog
+1 I follow Kiersten on twitter

Jami,
jayliv0609@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Hmm, most abnormal thing about me. Well, when I walk into rooms and I'm looking for something, I tend to greet inanimate objects with a "hello."

+1 for following you on twitter (BookumsxLibro)
+1 for following Kiersten's blog
+1 for following Kiersten's twitter

= 3 points

kwfuller1090(at)gmail(dot)com

Laurie Lamb said...

The most abnormal thing about me is that I have to line up the patterns on my dishes (Damn those bells on my Christmas dishes). If the pattern is continuous, I'm okay with it. Next time I buy dishes, they're going to be solid white.

-follow you
-follow you on twitter (+1)
-follow Kiersten's blog (+1)
-follow Kiersten on twitter (+1)

3 extra points

Anonymous said...

The most abnormal thing about me is I have to say my personality. I'm strange and I love it. I like to be different and sometimes I'll go out of my way to be myself!

I'm following you (Lisa M. Basso)
following you on twitter (@LisaMBasso)
and follwing Kiersten's blog

+2

Anonymous said...

I'm a follower and +3 b/c I follow both of your blogs and on twitter!

Most abnormal thing? I always like to play with something in my hand - untwisting paper clips...etc. Okay, not so weird. Best I can do.

Stina said...

Oops! I forgot to preorder this one this with the last group. Looks like I'm going to order some more books. :D

Great interview as usual, Shelli!

Kiersten White said...

What a great contest idea, Shelli! These are so fun to read.

Okapi said...

Follower of blog!

Extra points for following you on twitter (@faellie_lupe) (+1)
following Kiersten's Blog (+1)
following her on Twitter (@faellie_lupe) (+1)

total = 3

xicecreamsjx@aol.com

Anonymous said...

Abnormal thing? Where to start? My twin sister and I have matching abnormalities on our feet. Together, they would make the perfect pair of imperfect feet. (TMI?)

I follow both of y'all on Twitter AND both your blogs AND I CANNOT WAIT to read Paranormalcy.

Pick me, pick me!!! PLEASE!

Christina Lee said...

I SOOOOOO want to read this book, like STAT! I am a follower of both blogs, and I sooo agree with the letter K for good YA kissing! *wink*

Elizabeth Briggs said...

I am a follower of both of your blogs and on twitter (+3?). You and Kiersten are both awesome, and I am dying to read this book!

Most abnormal thing about me... well, I'm really weird about food. For example, when I get a hamburger, I like to take off the extra bun around the edges so that it perfectly fits the burger. Hey, it is fewer calories! Of course, Wendy's square burgers really mess me up because the patty is bigger than the bun in some places, causing my brain to freak out... so I just get chicken sandwiches there.

Thanks for all the giveaways!

Renae said...

Great interview! I can't wait to read this book. I also have the countdown widget on my blog! So the most abnormal thing about me...or so I've been told is that I hate cheese.

I am a follower of your blog and Kiersten's. I also follow you both on Twitter.

Ky said...

Hmmm most abnormal thing about moi? Too many. Lolz. I play air guitar/drums/sing when no ones looking. And I sing loudly and off key. ^.^ I also talk to myself all the time. Or my car Lavernius. XD

+1 I follow Kiersten's blog
+1 I follow Kiersten on twitter

Aimee Bartis said...

I am excited for this book!
The most abnormal thing about me is how incredibly normal I am. It's abnormal that someone is a normal and right down the middle as I am.
Also, I have an unhealthy obsession with colored pens. Really school supplies of any sort.
I follow both you and Kirsten on twitter and your blogs.

Anonymous said...

Abnormal thing about me...well I like ketchup on macaroni & cheese. Taste good really!

+1 follow Kiersten's blog
+1 follow Kiersten on Twitter(@DforDarla)
+1 follow srjohannes on twitter (@DforDarla)

total = 4

Thanks for the awesome interview & giveaway can't wait to read Paranormalcy!

Kerri Cuev said...

Oh my gosh this sounds really good. Okay so I'm going to do like crossies now and follow Kiersten.

Yea I'm abnormal I can wiggle my nose like Tabitha in the show Bewitched. I am lacking on the magic part though, darn! My kids get a kick out of it.

Frankie Diane Mallis said...

Cool interview, Ive been following Kiersten's blog for awhile now!! I guess an abnormal thing about me is I can pick things up with my toes:)

CHRISTIE said...

I can’t wait to read Paranormalcy. Kiersten’s blog is so much fun so I’m sure her book will be too :)

The most abnormal thing about me is I use my toes to pick things up without even thinking about it. This has earned me some strange looks when in public places like the pool.

+1 Follow Kiersten on Twitter @mamabookworm
+1 Follow Kiersten’s blog
+1 Follow you on Twitter @mamabookworm

Total entries: 4 *Crossing Fingers*

TheFictionEnthusiast@live.com

Unknown said...

Oh, I love Kiersten!! Wonderful interview! :)

So, something abnormal? I'm like Frankie^ I can pick things up with my toes. But she already used that, so I'll have to go with an odd eating habit:

When I have a personal size frozen pizza, I only take a few bites of it normally, and then scrape all the toppings off onto the plate. Then, I eat my crust and when I have a nice big pile of cheese and meat, I eat my toppings with a fork. According to my other I mutilate it, but it tastes better that way. :)

Great contest!!

+1 Blog follower
+1 Following you on Twitter (@Amanda_Cathryn)
+1 Following Kiersten's blog
+1 Following Kiersten's blog

= 4 entries

Donna Gambale said...

Fun interview, Kiersten! Shelli, thanks for the ARC giveaway.

The most abnormal thing -- the skin of my torso is freakishly stretchy. And I have tiny, tiny hands. (I've only met one other adult who's hands are as small as mine, and no one's have been smaller.)

I follow both blogs and both Twitter accounts, so +3!

Anonymous said...

Paranormalcy sounds like a great book. I can't wait to read it. Great interview!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Great interview. Kiersten's book sounds great. I would have picked a different hobby too if I knew how much work writing is.

I follow you both. The weirdest thing about me is that I must work if there is something to be done. My husband says there is seriously something wrong with me because I can't rest. Maybe if he rested less?

John Sankovich said...

Very enlightening interview, as well as the book sounds awesome.

Something abnormal about me is that I can take my leg around backwards, and tuck my foot under my ribcage. Flexible much? I don't know, been able to do it for as long as I can remember.

Shannon O'Donnell said...

As always, an awesome interview. I adore Kiersten and I LOVE that cover! :-)

Michelle Sussman said...

I follow both blogs and both of you on Twitter. :-)

What's abnormal about me? I have a black hole in my brain when it comes to birthdays. I cannot remember them. Ever. Except my sister's - because we share the same birthday, but she's 8 years older than me. Guess that makes me abnormal too. :-)

I am *dying* to read Paranormalcy!!!!

Katrina L. Lantz said...

Ooh, I love ARC contests!

+1 I follow you on twitter (katrinalantznov)
+1 I follow your blog (that's how I found this contest!)
+1 I follow Kiersten's blog (of course!!)

The most abnormal thing about me? We'll stick with safe:
I failed my driving test three times and got my license when I was 20 years old. Always fail first. Weird motto, huh?

Katrina L. Lantz said...

Oh crap. I also follow Kiersten on twitter. Forgot that one.

another +1

Normal thing about me: I love winning contests.

Okapi said...

Hi sorry I don't know what I was thinking when I didn't include my abnormality!!

What's abnormal about me is I like to eat tablespoons of nutella at a time. I can finish a whole container in just a few days.

jpetroroy said...

I have double jointed elbows.
I also follow you on twitter and follow Kirsten's blog

3 total entries

Rachele Alpine said...

I follow both blogs (+2) and I love to iron. I'm obsessed so much to the point that I iron my pajama pants. Yikes!

Riv Re said...

The most abnormal thing about me...hmm...Well, I have three (nearly) parallel scars on my forehead. One over each eyebrow, and one in the center of my forehead.

Spav said...

The weirdest thing about me is that if I don't remember something (like a name, a street, a title, etc) I'll be thinking about it non-stop until I finally remember.

Blog follower
+1 Twitter follower: (@Sparima)
+1 Kiersten's Blog follower
+1 Kiersten's Twitter follower: (@Sparima)

Total: 4 entries

Anonymous said...

There's nothing to weird about me :/ I have a lot of birth marks... Is that abnormal enough? lol

atomicxrawr@yahoo.com

Lisa Gail Green said...

There are so many abnormal things about me I don't know what to choose... How about I once wrote a novel in a week? That's pretty strange. That's a ROUGH draft of course. But still...

I'm following both of you (blogs and Twitter) so I think that's 4? Yeah another abnormal thing, math eludes me sometimes, even in the simplest forms.

Jessica said...

I can do a strange trick with my eyes where I can make them move back and forth really fast. It used to freak people out in school lol.

I'm a follower
+1 follow you on twitter @TotalBookaholic
+1 follow Kiersten on twitter
+1 follow Kiersten's blog

3 points

Angela @ Reading Angels said...

The most abnormal thing about me. I can turn my eyelids inside-out.
I follow your blog
Kiersten's blog
I follow you and Kiersten on twitter
@readingangel002
+4

Carolyn V. said...

Great interview! I love the book cover and can't wait to read it! =)

Janet Johnson said...

Fun! And wow, 3(!!!) weeks? Amazing.

Anonymous said...

Awesome interview ! I've been wanting to read Paranormalcy for forever since the cover itself is beautiful! But the story sounds really good too :D

Hmm, and one thing I would like you guys to know about me but I might be afraid to say it is...I'm not quite sure. The only thing a lot of people don't know about me is that when I was two months old, I said hello to my mom and cousin. They thought I was gonna be some prodigy...but at fourteen I'm clearly not ! Haha :D

And I follow you both on Twitter !
(@DreamBelieve3)

I'm so confused, what is an egallery?

~Alison

Catch My Words said...

Hey, I'm wracking up those points by following everyone possible. +3

Most abnormal thing about me, I don't know--do I list the outrageous hair, tongue that can touch the tip of the nose, or the less obvious AB- blood type? N0 to all. I think it would have to be the inward curve of my pointer finger, but it's rude to point so you won't see it.

Thanks for another great contest. I hope I weeeeen! (Is that abnormal enough?)

jlansky(at)comcast(dot)net

Carrie Harris said...

I've already read this (neiner neiner neiner), but had to tell you both that you're awesome.

Kristin Rae said...

I love her blog, and this was a great interview! I have been looking forward to reading this book for some time now :)

Abnormal... well, because I'm doing laundry at the moment, I just realized that I only do about 1 load of reds a month. I just let it pile up until I have enough for a load, and every month it's like a surprise... "OH! I forgot I had this!" or "So THAT'S where that shirt was..."

+2 for following both of you :)

Larissa said...

Yippee! I want to read Paranormalcy soooooooo bad!

I follow both of you on blogs and on twitter, so I think that's 4 points, right?

Jemi Fraser said...

Great interview!

It's probably not the most abnormal thing about me, but one of those things is.. that I hate socks. Hate them. I go barefoot as much as I can. The very first thing I do when I get home from work is take off the socks!

Anonymous said...

I really do want to read Paranormalcy.

A strange thing about me... I'm a pretty dull person, but I'm obsessive. I once watched a TV series 3 times in a week. :)

+3 for following both of you on Twitter and on blogs

Kayla :) said...

That book looks sooo lovely!

The most abnormal thing about me? I'm not OCD at all, but if someone's hood is turned inside out, I have to fix it for them. Awkard if they're a complete stranger. xD

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Something abnormal about me: One time (okay I know that makes you think of band camp and American Pie movies), in college I was alone at my boyfriend's rented house and I swear I saw a ghost! No lie! It was mid day (no alcohol involved) and I was taking a nap waiting for him to get home from class. I woke up and saw this boy on the end of the bed. I closed my eyes and opened them again...he was still there. It was really creepy...I kept opening my eyes and closing them until he was gone. Months later I confessed this occurance to my boyfriend and we told his landlord...turned out the last resident of the house had an 8 year old boy that fit my description...creepy...

I already follow you and Kiersten. So that gives me three points.

Great interview!

Jessie Oliveros said...

I follow both your blogs and follow you both on twitter. I'm very normal (other that I am secretly a *insert paranormal creature here*). However, my son was born with teeth.

Suze said...

OK - I'm new to your blog - but am a follower now. Ditto your twitter. I'm already following Kiersten's blog and twitter so that's an extra 3 points for me!

ALSO I have already pre-ordered Paranormalcy, so by picking me, you won't be diluting her sales :) How crafty am I?!

I'm pretty normal except for some reason, my husband and his family are convinced I'm a spy. Sigh. I'll never know what I did to cause it. Well, I have some ideas - but if I tell you... (you know the rest).

Vicky Alvear Shecter said...

Okay, I follow your blog and your twitter; I signed up for Kiersten's blog and twitter. Does that give me 4 points? What if I told you I also friended her on FB--would I earn a bonus point?

Strange thing: Apparently I am such a bad singer that even when my son was nursing and couldn't speak, he would sit up and wave his arm frantically in the "NO no no!" baby sign to make me stop. If I stopped, he resumed nursing happily. My kids are both teens now and their disdain for my singing has not changed. Here's the thing: I break out into song without even realizing it!