You know things are going to suck when you’re the new kid. But when you’re the new kid and a vampire… well, it bites!Unlike most kids, Scarlet Small’s problems go far beyond just trying to fit in. She would settle for a normal life, but being twelve years old for an entire century is a real pain in the neck. Plus, her appetite for security guards, house pets and bloody toms (tomato juice) is out of control. So in order to keep their vampire-secret, her parents, Mort and Drac, resort to moving for the hundredth time, despite Scarlet being dead-set against it. Things couldn’t be worse at her new school, either. Not only does she have a strange skeleton-girl as a classmate, but a smelly werewolf is intent on revealing her secret. When she meets Granny—who fills her with cookies, goodies, and treats, and seems to understand her more than anyone—she’s sure things will be different. But with a fork-stabbing incident, a cherry pie massacre, and a town full of crazy people, Scarlet’s O-positive she’ll never live to see another undead day.
Not even her Vampire Rule Book can save her from the mess she’s in. Why can’t she ever just follow the rules?
Today, we welcome Amie Borst to the blog for an interview! Take it away Amie!
Did you always know you wanted
to be a writer or did you want to be something else?
I’ve been a musician for as long
as I can remember. It’s deep in my
blood. So I always knew that I’d do something in the music biz. But, although
writing is in my blood, too, I never thought I’d be an author. As a child I
wrote lots of stories and poems, so I should have known the writing bug was
there! It wasn’t until 2008 that I realized I had to live up to the call of my
high school and college English teachers.
I just HAD to write!
Do you have a schedule of when
you write?
Not really. Though I find I’m most
productive from 12-3 in the afternoon.
How are you able to balance
other aspects of your life with your writing?
Balance? What’s that?
What was the hardest thing about
writing a book?
Finding balance! Ha!
How many books have you written
so far? Do you have a favorite?
I’ve written 8 picture books, 1 chapter
book, 2 middle grade and 1 young adult (though I have 3 works in progress that
I hope to finish soon). My first published book, Cinderskella, will always have
a special place in my heart. But books are like children, I try not to have
favorites J
Where do you write?
It’s terrible, but I write in my dining
room. While we have a home office,
it’s over run by a husband and three kids all vying for the use of the
computer. The dining room has great lighting, a workspace and all my equipment
(story boards, printer, a laptop). In fact, if it weren’t for the formal table
and chairs it wouldn’t look much like a dining room at all. Maybe I should just convert the
space…now that would be a dream!
When deciding on how to
publish, what directed you to the route you took?
Oh boy. This is a hard one. Since my books
in the Scarily Ever Laughter series (Cinderskella and Little Dead Riding Hood)
are co-authored by my 13 year old daughter with ASD (Autism spectrum disorder)
it was difficult to find an open minded agent. Once I started querying small
presses, I found they were not only open minded, but so passionate about our
book and empowering my daughter, that I knew I’d found the perfect home for our
stories.
Have you gotten feedback from
family about your book(s)? What do they think?
Well, of course my family loves my books.
They know I’d write them into a story and let them die painfully if they did
anything contrary to praising it! I’m kidding, of course. Unfortunately, I
hardly think my family would be objective, even if they wanted to. My co-author
on the other hand quite frequently tells me when a plot point or a scene sucks.
Thank goodness I have her to set me straight!
What kinds of things do you
like to do outside of writing?
I love music. I sing, mostly, but I also
play the piano and flute. There’s a thrill of being on stage, too, so
performing in musicals is something I really enjoy. I also enjoy crafts and cake decorating.
Are you working on anything
now?
I am! My co-author and I are working on book
three, Snow Fright. But I’m also hoping to finish up a few YA manuscripts. One
is a gothic psychological thriller, the next is a post-apocalyptic horror and
the last is my very first book that I wrote, a paranormal romance (no vampires
though, it’s about reincarnation) which needs a major rewrite.
Thanks so much for stopping by today, Amie! So great to have you here! Good luck with your book!
Amie
Borst is a PAL member of SCBWI. She believes
in Unicorns, uses glitter whenever the opportunity arises, accessories in pink
and eats too much chocolate.
Bethanie Borst is a spunky 13 year old
who loves archery, long bike rides and studying edible plant-life.
Little Dead Riding Hood is their second
book in the Scarily Ever Laughter series. Their first book, Cinderskella, released in October 2013 and has been nominated for three
awards.
You can find Amie on Twitter (www.twitter.com/AmieBorst) Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/AmieBorst) From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors (www.fromthemixedupfiles.com) and blog (www.amieborst.com).
Together they can be found on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AmieAndBethanieBorst).
Thanks so much for hosting me here, Brooke! I really appreciate your support.
ReplyDelete