If I Tell, Who I Kissed and More

Whew!

I've been a little quiet on the blog front, but the good news is that I've been writing. Book 3- aka - The Peanut Butter Book which according to a note from my editor MIGHT be called WHO I KISSED (kind of loving that title now).

It's an engaging book to work on and includes some cool Parkour scenes, one I worked on yesterday.  I only hope it's going to be as good a book when it's done as I want it to be while I'm drafting! I'm hoping for lots of emotional response from readers and maybe even some tears like with I'M NOT HER but I think the ending might be a little more resolved and happy in this book! Oh writing. You are so fun and yet so hard.

I spent the past weekend celebrating IF I TELL, my second Sourcebooks title.  My lovely friends joined me on Friday night at Chapters/Indigo for cupcakes. I signed some books and chatted and caught up and had a great time. I do admit to feeling kind of bad making people come out again so soon after the launch of I'M NOT HER, but you know, it's not often that authors get to actually publicly celebrate our writing so I thought, what he heckles Jannie. Let's do it again!

On Saturday I was at MONKEYSHINES Bookstore, a funky and fun independent Children's Book store in Calgary.  Sue, the owner, was so gracious and amazing. If you are in Calgary and are intending on picking up IF I TELL, I'd LOVE it if you could go to her store for copies!!!

I was thrilled to see Jan Markley, another local author and another amazing woman with deep passion for Young Adult literature- Betsy Fraser. She's kind of a YA rock star in my eyes, and I was so pleased both came by.

Now, it's back to getting the next book written and off for another run outside. Okay.  Here goes!!!

If I Tell - Jennifer R. Hubbard

Jennifer R. Hubbard http://www.jenniferhubbard.com/ is the author of contemporary YA novels The Secret Year, which is about a secret relationship and a sudden death, and the upcoming Try Not to Breathe (Viking, 2012).

Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

I think I'm good at keeping private things that should be private. To oversimplify: Privacy is about keeping confidential what is nobody else's business. A secret is something another person has the right to know, but is being kept from him or her.

Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

Betrayal of trust is very difficult to get over. I like to think I'm a more forgiving person now than I was years ago. But there's a difference between forgiving and condoning--for example, if a relationship is abusive, there's no need for a person to continue to take abuse.

Let’s just go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with?

My friends were good in school; they tended to be in the band rather than on the football team; some of them played Dungeons & Dragons. I liked to dance and spent hours on the phone. I also worked on my writing after school, and sold my first short story while still in high school. I don't know what "category" that would make me.

Describe your fave teen outfit.

T-shirt and jeans.

If you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self

"Relax: things really do get a lot better."

IF I Tell- Maureen McGowan

Maureen McGowan is the author of the YA novels, Cinderella: Ninja Warrior and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer. Maureen’s always been making up stories, but sidetracked by a persistent practical side, it took her a few years to see the light and channel her energy into writing novels. After pummeling her sensible side into submission, she quit her career in finance and hasn't looked back.


Aside from books and writing, she's passionate about art, dance, films, fine handcrafted objects and shoes. Maureen takes her shoes to a lot of movies in Toronto, Canada.

So what about secrets? Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?


Maureen: Oh, I so wish I could unequivocally answer yes. I'm very good at keeping other people's secrets. Secrets where I know the person who shared the information would be devastated if I anyone else knew. But I'm not so good at keeping my own secrets. People know way too much about me.

Ha ha, I think that's awesome. I love people who tell all about themselves!! Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

Maureen: I think I do... I can't think of any specific things (other than major crimes against people I love) that I couldn't forgive a true friend for. I suppose if a friend purposefully said something negative about me in public (online) that would be hard to forgive. But I can't really imagine any of my true friends doing that.


Let’s just go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with?
Maureen: Oh, this is a tough one for me. I hung with a bunch of groups in high school. If I have to pick one, I'll go with "brain" or "brownnoser?" I got really good grades and didn't get into much trouble. But I also was on a lot of athletic teams (jock) and was in the Musical and choir (nerd).


Jock/nerd/brownnoser. Describe your fave teen outfit.

Maureen: This will date me. I was totally into the Annie Hall look. Except more often with skirts/kilts instead of the pleated slacks she wore. (I'm too short to pull of pants like that.) Imagine me in a man's shirt, skinny tie, skirt, cable tights, loafers. Sometimes a vest over top. Occasionally a cool man's hat. That was probably my favorite teen outfit.


I think it still sounds cool. Have you seen the hats they're wearing these days. Man hats. If you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self?

Maureen: I wish I could have told my teen self to have more confidence, especially around boys. I remember this one time when I was in grade 9 or 10 and in the halls after hours in my gymnastics uniform. One of the older, really popular boys smiled at me -- really smiled at me. I think I sneered back, thinking he was making fun of me in some way. Now I look at photos of me back then and totally know why he was smiling. I wish I could have realized it then. LOL.

Yeah I hear you. Listen up teen girls. You are HOT. Work it!

If I Tell- Sydney Salter

Today to talk secrets, we have a wonderful author and a wonderful person as well, Sydney Salter.  Confession. My fave name for a girl is Sydney. I always wished I was named Sydney.

 Sydney Salter writes middle-grade and young adult fiction. She is the author of My Big Nose & Other Natural Disasters, Jungle Crossing, and Swoon At Your Own Risk. Sydney lives in Utah with her husband, two daughters, lazy cats, big hairy dogs, and a pair of quiet tortoises. When not writing, Sydney likes to read, think up adventures, experiment with new recipes, sample exotic chocolates, hike with her family and go to movies and rock concerts with her husband.



http://www.sydneysalter.com/

I love your books so much!!! Thanks for stopping by. So. Right to it. Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

Sydney: I am good at keeping secrets because I'd rather hear juicy new stuff than tell someone what I already know!

Love juicy new stuff too! Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

Sydney: I consider learning to forgive people--even for awful behavior--one of the best life lessons I've learned. I could forgive a friend for anything, although that doesn't mean forgetting what kind of person he/she can be. I don't always continue to hang out with those I've forgiven, but at least I'm not carrying around a bunch of bitterness and resentment.

 Ah yes, the life lessons. Bitterness turns inward, best to move on! Okay. Let’s just go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with?

Sydney: My Biology teacher once called me a "smart rah-rah." I floated between the jocks and nerds, known, but not super popular.

A smart rah rah. I think it's a compliment. Smart and cheery! Full of pep! It fits!! So describe your fave teen "rah rah" outfit.

Sydney: A little red overalls mini-dress that I wore with a yellow spaghetti-strap tank. Combine that with my fluffy 80s perm & I felt SO cute!

You were so cute I bet.  Oh 80's hair. I wonder if you'll ever come back. If you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self?

Sydney: I would have believed in myself and not worried so much about my flaws (duh, we all have them!). I would've told myself what I'm telling my daughter who starts high school this week: the key to high school is self-acceptance. Quiet confidence combined with genuine friendliness is incredibly attractive! And anyone who judges you based on the circumference of your thighs (or nose-width, in my case) isn't worth knowing, anyway.

True dat. And I think you have a lovely nose. And genuine friendliness! Thanks so much for stopping by Sydney!

IF I TELL- Judith Graves

Judith Graves is the smart and sassy author behind the young adult paranormal trilogy SKINNED. Library technician, singer, songwriter, author, and book club haunter, Graves loves all things a bit creepy. Thankfully, her sidekick, and lick-the-boogy-man-to-death labrador retriever, Weeping Willow, is always nearby.

Welcome Judith! I was lucky enough to meet Judith at a library presentation she did in OKOTOKS, ALBERTA (where I just happen to be appearing at 7pm on MONDAY!) Judith was an amazing presentor and is a very talented author and a really nice person as well!



So do tell Judith! Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

Judith Graves:  I am to a certain extent. If the secret involves some delicious and twisted surprise for a friend, I’m likely to spill the beans or set off their internal alarms with cryptic remarks or wayward grins. However, if the secret is that of a personal confidant, I consider it “in the vault” and sealed forever.


Much like me.  Good secrets are so much easier to spill imo. So. What about forgiveness? Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

Judith:  Chocolate and a sincere apology go a long way to ensuring we remain friends, but once trust is broken, things will never really be the same again.


Note to mistake makers in Judith's life, stock up on chocolate! So. Let’s just go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with?

Judith: I had a blast in my teens because I didn’t have one particular group. I walked the fringe of many. I got along with the nerds, the drama crowd, dancers and musicians, but I also hung out with the goths and loners. The only group I avoided like the zombie plague - the jocks. Ironically, I ended up falling madly in love with and marrying one of their ilk. My husband (who is now a high school history teacher and basketball coach) and I would have HATED each other in high school. Go figure.

Ahh ha haha. That totally cracks me up. So then describe your fave teen outfit.

Judith:  Since I didn’t belong to one particular crowd and therefore assume their related costume – my style was a mish-mash of everything and anything. I did favor vintage finds and would often offset a trendy bit of fluff with a used classic from Value Village.


Ah. The mash of the mish. I am pressing the like button!! So, if you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self? P.s. It probably shouldn't be that you're going to end up marrying a high school coach.

Judith:  I would have gotten out of private schools a lot sooner. My world opened up when I convinced my parents to send me to a public school for my senior year. What would I have told myself? Enjoy those skinny jeans while they last, kid. Thanks, Janet, this was a blast from the past.

Ah yes. Skinny jeans. Only the young can rock them really well.

Visit Judith at  http://www.judithgraves.com/

Twitter: @judithgraves

Upcoming goodness: The Crossroads Blog Tour

http://judithgraves.com/events/the-crossroads-tour/crossroads-2011/

15 YA paranormal authors. 7 days. SWAG. ARCS. Bwahhhahhhaaa…..

OFFICIAL Release Day for IF I TELL

Say hello to Jaz! 

Last Chance to Win one of 15 IF I TELL copies from Goodreads!

15!!! That's a lot of chances!

Good luck. Winning free stuff rocks!

Click Here to Enter

If I Tell - The Book Shelf Muse- Angela Ackerman

Angela Ackerman is not only my agent mate, she also lives in the same city as me and we are real life friends!  She's funny and nice and just plain awesome and also has an AMAZING website with a million followers because it is made of WRITER WIN.  If you haven't, you must drop by for the amazing writer thesaurus's.

Visit Angela at THE BOOKSHELF MUSE

Thanks for stopping by, Angela. So tell us, are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

Angela:  I hate secrets because my inclination is to be honest with everyone. But, if the secret is for a good thing, like a surprise birthday party, etc, I can totally keep my lips zipped, because the end result is that someone else will end up happy. But keeping a secret that can harm another? I can't do it. I try to convince the person involved to be honest and solve the issue rather than hold onto the secret (if it's theirs) and if the secret belongs to someone else and they are passing it along...I try to help the person who is in need without revealing that I know their secret. So, I don't necessarily 'tell', but I will try and do whatever I perceive to be right.


Honesty is the best policy, yes? You sound like someone I should trust with my secrets. Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

Angela:  I think we all make mistakes. I make them all the time! :) I definitely forgive others, but I am human and sometimes I make judgements based on what the mistake is. I don't like this side of myself, but it's true and like the last question, I tend to be ruled by honesty...even when it might make me look bad. I'm trying to change :)

The one thing I could never forgive a friend for is betrayal. If there was something that they knew would hurt or devastate me or my family but they did it anyway for personal gain...I would feel a profound sense of betrayal and I think we'd be done as far as friendship goes.


Don't mess with mama bear! I promise never to betray you for personal gain. Okay, let's go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with? 

Angela: I was the 'in-between-er', I guess. The group I hung out with sort of marched to its own band. We weren't geeks, because we were socially accepted by everyone else. We weren't popular in the sense that we wouldn't think to go to the popular parties by 'It crowd', but in school we could talk to some popular kids and no one thought twice about it. None of us were overly athletic, some of us were artsy, some brainy...we were an eclectic crowd.


Sounds about perfect.  And now you're the it crowd in my mind! And I think you have the best stories from high school about your hubby! But don't worry, I won't tell. Secret. Get it. Describe your fave teen outfit.

Angela:  Oh man...*reaches back in brain* Okay, I think I liked it best when we all wore our jeans rolled tight at the ankle and long button shirts with beads or crazy belts. And popped collars of course. 'Cause we were cool like that. :) Oh and I loved my acid washed jean jacket decorated with chains and pins that looked like dead happy faces. Good times, I tell you. :)


If you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self?

Angela: I think I would tell myself to stop obsessing about my own weight and appearance. I was so insecure, and now looking back I realize I had nothing to be insecure about! Oh and I would definitely tell myself to not date Erik Graves. BIG mistake...they guy was only interested in one thing, and even when I dumped him, he still was hoping for it as a 'way to say goodbye'. Yeah, right. Dream on buddy...dream on.


Ba ha ha ha. I'm imagining Erik googling himself and going, "Damn. Thought I still had a chance!" Silly rabbit. 
All right, thank you for stopping by, Angela! See you at lunch soon. Yes. We get to go for lunch together with our other Calgary writer friends! Yay writer friends!

IF I TELL- Danielle Joseph

Danielle Joseph is the author of SHRINKING VIOLET from MTV/Pocket Books and INDIGO BLUES and PURE RED (September 2011) from Flux Books.

When not writing, Danielle can be found listening to music, eating chocolate or swimming--sometimes all at once!

 For more info visit her website at: http://www.daniellejoseph.com/

First off, I would really like to see you swim while eating chocolate. But never mind that for now. Let's go to the questions. First. Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

Danielle: Yes, I am. I attribute it to the fact that I have three sisters and adhere to the "sister code". That means no matter how mad we are at each other, we never spill one of our secrets to anyone, especially to our parents.


Ah. The sister code. Good practice for secret keeping indeed. So what about mistakes? Do you easily forgive friends for mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

Danielle: Not so easily but it really depends on what they did. One thing I really can't stand is when people flat out lie. Luckily, that does not happen very often and I have made many great friends over the years.

Note. Do not lie to Danielle! Okay. So let’s just go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with?

Danielle: I'd say my group was the 90's version of goth. Grunge Punkers I'll call it!

Yay Grunge Punkers!!! So this should be interesting. Please describe your fave teen outfit.

Danielle: I usually went for comfort so I'll pick a pair of vintage blue jeans, Newbury Comics tee, black and white striped socks and my maroon Dr. Martens.

Swoon. Maroon Dr. Martens. I am in love with them. And you.  Okay, if you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self?

Danielle: I would just tell myself that high school is not the end of the world and that really the world is waiting for you. The only thing I would change is how I dealt with the social situations. I would tell myself not to worry so much about what others think and do what I think is right. I believe we learn from experience and that is no different from what I did.

Yes. I totally know of what you speak. So much worry about people who were not worrying about me at all.  But it all brings us to where we are now and that is not such a bad thing.

Thank you for stopping by Danielle! And I know you have a great secret to share, so hopefully we'll hear more about that soon!!

IF I TELL- Is Kristina Springer JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS?

Welcome, welcome to Kristina Springer, an amazing Young Adult Author with a new book coming out OCTOBER 11!

JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS by Kristina Springer

Is this an amazing cover, or is this an amazing cover????
Um yeah it's an amazing cover!

 Jamie Edwards has loved everything about growing up on a pumpkin patch, but ever since her cousin Milan Woods arrived, things have really stunk. Jamie can’t imagine it was easy for Milan to leave her life back in Los Angeles and move to Average, Illinois, population one thousand. But it’s kind of hard to feel sorry for her since (a) Milan’s drop-dead gorgeous; (b) she’s the daughter of two of Hollywood’s hottest film stars; (c) she’s captured the attention of everyone in town, including Danny, Jamie’s crush since forever; and (d) she’s about to steal the title of Pumpkin Princess right out from underneath Jamie!

Kristina is also the author of THE ESPRESSOLOGIST and MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS. She has a Masters in Writing from DePaul University and she resides in a suburb of Chicago with her husband and children.

Plus. She has really great hair. (Oh this MIGHT be Janet's addition to the bio) But seriously. Look at her hair. Covet, covet!

So, Kristina! Thanks for stopping by to let me snoop inside your brain  chat! Tell us! Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

I am excellent! Most of the time. Really, if someone stresses to me NOT to say something then I won't. But I do have a really hard time not telling at least my husband and mom.

True date. Word to my teen friends (did I really just say word to my teen friends?)  when you get older, please know that it is very hard not to tell your husband most of the secrets you hear. Much harder than not telling a boyfriend imo.  Btw Kristina- I love that you have a close enough relationship with your mom that you tell her stuff (like secrets!)

Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

Totally. I know no one is perfect and I don't have the energy to hold grudges. Even when I thought there was something completely unforgivable and I'd never forgive the person for? I still got over that about 6 months later. Now if a friend hurt someone in my family or made moves on my husband or something-- yeah I don't think I'd forgive that.

Also note teen friends, no making moves on future friends' husbands. Okay. So let’s just go ahead and stereotype Kristina for a moment! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with? (cheerleader, Goth, nerd, jock , loner etc.)

Total dork! I was in all the school musicals, swing choir (we were so not Glee but it was cute anyway), and I played the flute in band.

Dorks for-evah! And um, could someone please explain to me what a swing choir is?  I should have done the musical thing in high school, but I was too busy getting into trouble.  Do-over! Anyhow, I know swing band is not what I'm imagining in my head. (shaking images from my head and returning to teen Kristina) So, describe for us your fave teen outfit.

Jeans and a tee shirt.

Simple and classic, no? So. If you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self

Hmm, I probably wouldn't have sprayed my bangs up so high. I would have avoided the hair dryer and curling irons too. And I wish I would have taught my teen self proper facial care! I don't think I figured out the whole face wash, toners, moisturizers thing until college.


Ha ha ha. The bangs cracked me up! And proper facial care. Oh yes. Based on my serious face wrinkleage, I think I still need to figure that out.

Well, thanks so much for stopping by to chat about secrets and swing bands and hair!!!

You can find Kristina on her website at http://www.kristinaspringer.com/

And don't forget to check out  JUST AN AVERAGE PRINCESS OCTOBER 11!

IF I TELL CYN BALOG, what will she do?

Now THIS woman who is talented and prolific! 

Cyn Balog is the author of the young adult paranormal novels FAIRY TALE, SLEEPLESS, and STARSTRUCK and also--coming in 2012, TOUCHED and in 2013, DEAD RIVER.

Cyn lives outside Allentown, Pennsylvania with her husband and daughters. Visit her online at http://cynbalog.com/

Hey Cyn. Nice photo.  Great hair. Hate you a little. Oh just kidding! I love Cyn and her books are truly amazing. So lets chat. Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

CYN: Yes, depending on the secret. I tend to want to tell good news to people too soon.

Uh oh. Surprise parties drive you wild then? Me too actually. What about forgiveness? Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

CYN: Yes, I do forgive people easily. I am fully aware I am not perfect, so I don't expect others to be. I do think owning up to one's mistakes is the most important thing. But if a person makes the same mistake consistently, well, that's another story! There is no excuse for stupidity.

True dat! Once is learning -over and over is just not making best use of the old noodle. So, let’s just go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with?(cheerleader, Goth, nerd, jock , loner etc.)

CYN: I was a studious loner. I liked to say I drifted among the crowds but that's probably because nobody wanted to hang out with me. Maybe because I tell secrets all the time.

I refuse to believe no one wanted to  hang with you.  Nah uh, can't make me. I refuse to believe. *hands over my ears* Shy. Yes. I get that. I like that you were studious. I forgot to do that in high school. Ooops. All right, describe your fave teen outfit.

My favorite outfit I wore as a teen was my purple miniskirt and my high black boots!

See how could no one like you if you were wearing a PURPLE miniskirt and high black boots. A studious cool dresser. Boys were secretly in love with you and girls wanted to be your friend but you didn't know it! I am in awe! All right, last question, if you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self

CYN: I probably wouldn't have spent so much time on my appearance. I swear, I spent HOURS getting ready for school and fretting if one hair was out of place. There are so many other, more worthwhile things I could have done with that time.

I was terrible at doing hair. I still am actually. I would have tried to be more studious too. Like you.  And worn shorter skirts when they actually would have looked good on me! (in my high school years it was jeans/cords 24/7)

Thanks so much for coming by Cyn. Oh and CONGRATS for STARSTRUCK appearing in ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY!! How cool is that?!

If I Tell- Win a Copy of I'M NOT HER and MORE

I have a couple of copies of I'M NOT HER that are waiting to be sent out to a contest winner. Would you like it to be you?? Well read on. It's so easy it might even be illegal in some States. But I live in Canada. So I'm totally hiding behind that border.

Plus! I will send you a copy of IF I TELL when it comes out.  Yes I will. I promise! Which is not that far off my pretties. 32 DAYS!!!

August is almost done. School has almost started. Can we scream YES as a group. YESSSSS! Oops. Got carried away with my back to school excitement. Hee. I love Superson yes I do, but I also LOVE SCHOOL. All day writing time. House quiet. All Mine. Mine Mine Mine.

Anyhow, IF I TELL comes out October 1st. To celebrate good times "oh yeah", so two lucky winners will be shipped a signed copy of I'M NOT HER and a future copy of IF I TELL.

All you have to do is comment on this here blog. Follow me too if you're not following already. And if you are so inclined, tell me why telling me a secret you're holding is not a good idea.  Like the secret about the surprise party that's coming up for your best friend. Or the secret of what you're buying your sig other for CHRISTMAS ( I admit I plan ahead when it comes to Christmas shopping). Or a really juicy secret about boys and girls and stuff like that.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME YOUR SECRETS (even though I totally want to know) I've learned from trying. Most of you are pretty good at this secret stuff. Rats I say. Rats.

So. Leave a comment. Or retweet me on Twitter. Or add my countdown widget to your blog for IF I TELL--but let me know-- and you're in. Like skin. Or flin. Or the mailing bin.


I'll do a random pick with help from the random number picker thingy on the computer .Really. It exists. Click here! Each entry will get a number. The generator will speak! So easy!

Happy almost school's back! Off to the Zoo with the boy. 
Oh. Almost FORGOT. You have until THURSDAY! The first day of school. Contest closes midnight September 1. I'll do the draw on September 2!

IF I TELL JOY PREBLE- Struggling with Secrets!

Today we're going to snoop inside the mind of  chat with JOY PREBLE!  Joy is a lovely author I've actually met in person!  She is wonderful!  We share the same publisher and editor now, so it's kind of like being related. Only not really.

I LOVED Joy's first two books and can't wait for the third!

Joy’s debut young adult novel, DREAMING ANASTASIA, a contemporary fantasy retelling of the disappearance of Anastasia Romanov, released in September, 2009, from Sourcebooks, and the sequel, Haunted is out now, too. The third of the trilogy is slated for 2012.

 

So Let's get to the gritty stuff. Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

I am actually terrible at keeping secrets, which is not to say that I don’t keep them. It’s just that it is a huge struggle – sometimes because I’m so excited about something, like a gift I bought you and I really want to keep it a surprise but then it just slips out. Sometimes it’s because I feel the weight of the confidence that’s been given to me; I worry that this is something that shouldn’t be kept a secret, so I keep my mouth shut but I angst over it… let’s just say that the CIA won’t be hiring me as a spy any time soon.

That makes total sense to me, the excited oh, I have something to tell you. I HATE having to keep surprise parties a secret. I'm always terrified I'll spill!!! And the angsty secrets. Yes. Those are hard too. Man. Secrets are TOUGH! So, what about forgiveness. Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something
you could never forgive a friend for?

JOY: I am big on forgiving. You won’t find me holding grudges very often, either. If a true friend betrayed me in some way, that might be hard to forgive.


Somehow this doesn't surprise me about you. Because you are so nice. Yes. I said it. I called you nice! Not that it was a secret, and if it was, well. It's not now. Wait. I'm confusing myself so let’s just go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with?

JOY: Gotta go with the nerds – grade nerds, orchestra nerds, sci-fi fan fiction writer nerds… Geeks forever!

Nerds rule, yes?  So describe your fave *nerd teen outfit. * hee hee. Teasing.*

JOY: Jeans and sweater (shirt and hoodie) and boots – the clunkier and heavier the better. Or skirt, sweater, tights and clunky boots.

Ah yes. The clunky boots.  Todays teens are going to look back fondly on totally different footwear.  Although I had pink and yellow Converse runners and I see some teens rocking those today. And clunky boots come to think of it. Ah. What do I know?  Okay. Lastly, if you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self?

JOY:  I would chase after more boys rather than having silent crushes! I would have told myself not to be afraid of speaking my mind.

Um. YES. I was queen of the silent crushes. I think I would also tell myself to invest heavily in Mircrosoft. Instead of spending all my money on clothes.  Oh. If only we could go back!

 

Joy Preble grew up in Chicago, Illinois and now lives in The Woodlands, Texas, where she has learned to use the phrase “y’all” without any hint of irony and developed a serious appreciation for country music and Friday night Texas high school football. A former high school teacher, Joy earned a degree in English from Northwestern and is married to the guy she met her first week in college when she mistakenly slammed a volleyball into his stomach rather than over the net. Want to know more about Joy? Head to her website at http://www.joypreble.com

IF I TELL FIVE- Talking Secrets with a Canadian Book Publicist

I am Canadian, so not only do I get great health care (*wink*) I'm lucky that I also get to have an extra arm on publicity from Sourcebooks and that is from the Sourcebooks Distributor in Canada- Raincoast Books! Raincoast Teen Blog

Crystal Allen is the Children's Book Publicist at Raincoast Books. She lives in beautiful Vancouver, BC with her 3 year old daughter, husband and their 4 pound Yorkie. She is also the owner and designer of Lilikoi Lane, a Vancouver based custom shirt company. You can find her on facebook at http://www.lilikoilane.info/

Crystal has been doing a wonderful job promoting I'M NOT HER to Indigo/Chapters and the amazing Independent Bookstores in Canada!

I asked her to be the first participant in the IF I TELL FIVE. So without further ado, here we go!

JG: Are you good at keeping secrets? Why or why not?

CRYSTAL:  I am, and I'm not. I'm definitely not the girl who is going to run around blabbing your secret to the whole wide world, but if I know something really big I have a hard time keeping it in. Usually if someone tells me a huge secret that I just can't keep to my self I will tell my husband (who is probably the best secret keeper alive!) or my friend Amy, who lives in Colorado and who I have never actually met face to face and knows none of the same IRL (In Real Life) people who I do so even if she blabs no one would find it very interesting since they don't know the people in question. I think it's important to be able to have someone who you trust to confide your secrets to. It's not healthy to keep them all bottled up and to yourself.

I find myself using the same techniques sometimes if it is not the kind of secret I absolutely must keep. My husband never gossips, hates it actually so he's a good person to share with. Or I'll do the tell someone who doesn't know anyone involved and don't mention names. I worry about bursting too. ;)  Now...let's talk forgiveness. Do you easily forgive friends for their mistakes? What is something you could never forgive a friend for?

CRYSTAL: My sister and I are 3 years apart. Growing up we would get into huge, monumental fights constantly and then we would have forgiven each other 5 minutes later. Now that I'm grown up it always confuses me when people hold things that they are upset about inside and hold a grudge about it. If you are upset, let me know you are upset, let's have it out and then hug and make up. I'm a pretty forgiving person. I can't think of any friend that I have had a fight with that I'm still mad at so, yes, I would say I forgive friends for their mistakes.

As for something that I couldn't forgive a friend for, I am fiercely protective of my family and friends. I can forgive people for things that they do to me but if someone were to do something that really hurt my daughter or husband, that would probably be harder to get over.

Wow. I admire your candor and totally get the protective thing. All right, so let’s just go ahead and stereotype you for a moment, okay? Okay! What kind of a teen were you, as in what “group” did you associate with? (cheerleader, Goth, nerd, jock , loner etc.)

CRYSTAL: Funny enough I didn't really fit into any of those categories. I was the type of girl that tried to be friends with everyone. I had friends that were in the "popular" crowd but I definitely wasn't one of the popular girls, I had friends who were in the "theater"group and I took a pretty heavy schedule of drama classes but again I definitely wasn't a theater girl. I had friends who were nerds, jocks, "the bad kids", artsy, etc but I don't think I fully fit in with any of the groups and I kind of bounced back and forth from one group to the next. I guess I was just me.


Great person to be. Yourself.  Good advice to teens and beyond!
Okay. Now that we're thinking like teens, can you describe your fave teen outfit?

CRYSTAL : I started working at a restaurant as a hostess when I was 14 years old. I had a HUGE crush on the prep cook who was 5 years older than me. We became very good friends and eventually started dating after I graduated from high school. When I was 16 years old my Mom bought me a red dress to wear to a wedding and it ended up becoming my Christmas Party dress. It was my first real "grown up" dress. It fit my body perfectly, had just the right amount of cleavage and was a bold color choice. Everyone noticed the girl in red. I was wearing that dress the first time my crush and I slow danced together at the company Christmas Party and when I left the party at the end of the night he kissed me (on the cheek, daringly close to the lips). The dress made me feel very glamourous and like a girl out of a book. It still makes me smile when I think about it.


You were MUCH cooler than me. I would have been terrified of a boy 5 years older than me that I had a crush on!  So, if you could go back to high school knowing now what you didn’t know then, what is one thing you would change? What do you wish you could have told your teen self?

CRYSTAL: This was a tough one for me to answer. My first thoughts were the typical "that the way things are in high school really don't matter once you grow up", or to try and "buckle down and get better grades". Honestly though I don't think either of those things would have changed anything in my grown up life.


So I think it would be this: "Crystal, I know that things are really rough between you and your mom right now. You guys will get through it. One day she will be your best friend, the person who you confide your secrets in. She will make huge sacrifices in her life so that she can help take care of your daughter. The two of them will have a bond that you weren't lucky enough to have with your own grandmas. Play nice and know that the two of you will get through it and be stronger for it."

Aw. That is SO sweet. I know Mom/Daughter relationships can be REALLY tough during teen years. Actually the Mom/Daughter relationship in IF I TELL is really a tough one, but the main character tries to deal with it the best she can. Not always easy though.

Thanks so much CRYSTAL for stopping by and sharing your wonderful answers! I look forward to working with you soon on IF I TELL!!