Interview with author Estevan Vega

I interviewed the awesome Estevan Vega, author of the book Arson that came out this year!

Describe Arson in one sentence: A boy who can create fire and a girl who only feels normal behind a mask explore the darkness and dysfunction of humanity while coming to grips with who they are.

Did you plan the outcome of your book or did it change while writing the story?
No. I find that I'm not all that good at planning. I can hear Heath Ledger's Joker snickering...."Do I look like a man with a plan?" But seriously, I find it easier to just write the book. The other stuff comes and the story gets complicated all on its own. Sometimes I'll know where I'm headed, but usually I'm just a backseat driver to the unfolding story.

What aspect of Arson was the hardest to write?
The beginning and the end are always complicated for me, probably because they are both equally important. You gotta hook the reader from the start, and then you gotta shock the reader as it ends, giving them something they didn't necessarily expect. I love that. It's hard, though, choosing the right way to start and end a story. I think while writing ARSON, I changed the opening scene, like, 5 times. The end I altered too from what originally I had intended. I'm stoked how it all came together, though. That's the best part...when the war of deciding is over and you can see the finished product...only to begin the headaches all over again when you start a part two or another book.

Do you have any writing rituals?
Well, apart of dancing around a campfire doing a weird chant while puffing out smoke, no. I just write whenever I can, whenever something hits me, or when a story's been gnawing at me for a while.

If you could travel to any place in the world where would it be and why?
I'd like to take a road trip, really see the country, because I've just always wanted to do that. And it sounds like an awesome nightmare I've gotta experience before I die...or get old.

What's the most outrageous/fearless thing you've ever done?
Roll out of bed in the morning and commit to doing another day.

If you could have three wishes, what would they be?
To be transported to a different time, so I could see what life was like in another time. To have a conversation with God. To wish for more wishes, because there's tons more I could ask for. But I think I might settle for having a genie to chill with...as long as he sounds like Robin Williams.

Anything else you'd like to say?
Stay in school. Don't do drugs. Talk back only when it's worth getting hit upside the head. Avoid first dates or awkward goodbyes. Buy ARSON immediately. And, um...burn something.

P.S. I am throwing an ARSON rock show on September 10 in Hamden, CT at The Space. Tickets are 12 bucks in advance, 14 bucks at the door. The headliner is The Letter Black, and other bands opening are Abel, The Best Week Ever, and Sleeping Lessons. We're all gonna be rockin out and talking about ARSON. Come hang. And bring posse!

Thanks so much for answering my questions Estevan! Readers, be sure to check out his book Arson. Also, try stalking him on facebook or on twitter.

Waiting On Wednesday: Accomplice

This week's WoW book is Accomplice by Eireann Corrigan! It will be released on August 1, 2010.

Book Description:

Finn and Chloe have it all figured out. Their school guidance counselor has told everyone that it's not enough to get good grades or do community service anymore - kids like that are everywhere, and colleges are bored of them. So what do you do? Chloe decides they should get attention another way. She and Finn will stage her own disappearance - and then Finn will be the only who finds and saves her. What college wouldn't want them after that kind of attention? It seems like a good plan -- until things start going very wrong.

I love a good thriller, and this one looks great! PUBLISHED ON AUGUST 1, 2010!

For the Future (9)

This is a monthly meme of mine that I made up! :) It's similar to my "Waiting on Wednesday" posts, but highlights many books, not just one and doesn't include summaries.

Here's a list of young adult books that are still in-the-making or will be published in the future. This can range from being released tomorrow, to two years from now! These covers and release dates might not be permanent, it's just what I saw on Amazon, Goodreads, or the author's website. Hope this will be efficient to expand your reading pile!

The Haunted by Jessica Verday (August 31, 2010): The sequel to The Hollow, about Abbey and Caspian's love.
Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan (September 7, 2010): An engaging story of a timeless struggle and inescapable romance; the first book in a stunning new fantasy trilogy.
Grace by Elizabeth Scott (September 16, 2010): Told in spare, powerful prose by acclaimed author Elizabeth Scott, this tale of a dystopian near future will haunt readers long after they've reached the final page.



Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales (October 5, 2010): When best friend Katie starts making choices that Violet can’t even begin to fathom, Violet has no idea how to set things right between them. How can she keep her junior year from being one huge epic failure?
Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin (September 14, 2010): Part murder mystery, part grief narrative, and part heart-stopping, headlong romance, this is a must-read for teen paranormal fans.
Girl Parts by John Cusick (August 10, 2010): What happens when a robot designed to be a boy’s ideal “companion” develops a will of her own?



Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart (August 24, 2010): Filled with vivid detail that artfully brings the past to life, this is a timeless and finely crafted novel about betrayal and guilt, hope and despair, love, loss, and new beginnings.
Stork by Wendy Delsol (October 12, 2010): A hip heroine discovers that she has the ability to decide who gets pregnant in this witty YA blend of romance and the supernatural.
The Twin's Daughter by Lauren Baratz-Logsted (August 31, 2010): Filled with shocking twists and turns, this is an engrossing gothic novel of betrayal, jealousy, and treacherous secrets that will keep you guessing to the very end.

Growing Up with Author Kiersten White

I started a brand spankin' new type of author interview for Books Obsession! I wanted something original, that other sites didn't do, but still fun - since I've just grown tired of asking authors the same interview questions over and over. So I'm beginning "Growing Up with Authors!" It will be a type of interview that focuses only on the author's life from childhood, teen, adult, and future. Hopefully it will let us get to know some awesome authors better and let us see what it was like for them growing up.

For this Growing Up post, I was lucky to interview debut author Kiersten White. She wrote the YA book Paranormalcy that is due to come out on August 31 this year!

Did you play or want to play any instruments as a kid?
I played the piano from age eight to about fourteen. I can still play a little. I also sang in choirs from fifth grade through graduation. Oddly enough I hate singing in choirs now...

Do you remember one of your first dates?
How about my worst date? There was a very nice boy I was friends with. He had already asked me to prom and we went out (as friends, or so I thought) to a movie. He held my hand and I didn't have the heart to pull it away. I felt so terrible that he thought we were more than friends (and we still had prom to go to together!) that I got a massive migraine from stress. I ended up emailing him to tell him that I couldn't be more than friends. Prom was a little bit awkward after that.

What was one of the highlights during your high school years?
I was on the Mock Trial team, and I totally cleaned up as an imaginary lawyer in imaginary trials in front of non-imaginary judges and attorneys. One time one of the judges (a forty-something attorney) even told the other student-attorneys that they needed more sex appeal in their delivery, like I had. Okay, that part was creepy.

What was your first car?
The Champagne Super Nova, a champagne-colored Chevy Nova. I think all cars should come with their own theme song standard.

Most outrageous thing you did as a teenager?
Get married two weeks after I turned nineteen? It didn't feel outrageous at the time (and still doesn't), but I suppose I was rather young...

When/why did you decide to be an author?
I had been writing for a while, but it wasn't until I was nearly finished with my first YA novel (June of 2008, I believe) and went to a bookstore that it hit me just how badly I wanted to be on those shelves. It really became a driving passion more than a hobby for me at that point.

Do you have a song or band that you've listened to through life?
Other than The Beatles, no. I listened to a lot of Counting Crows in high school, but they just don't "speak" to me like they used to. It's funny how now I can listen to those songs that teenage me completely identified with and feel almost nothing.

Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
I hate this question, because it makes me picture my kids as teenagers, and I'd much rather not imagine that. Regardless, I hope to be writing and publishing more books that teenagers want to read, and I fully anticipate still having a hard time finding the energy to do everything I want to as a mother, wife, and author!

Anything else you'd like to say?
Fustigate! Fishmonger! Blast! Frankenstein!
I just like saying those words aloud sometimes.

Oh, also, thanks for hosting this interview, Ashley! Those are good words, too.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions Kiersten!