Interview with Cornelia Funke

A Little About Cornelia:
Cornelia Caroline Funke is a multiple award-winning German author of children's and YA fiction. She is best known for her Inkheart trilogy. The Inkheart books have gained a variety of attention, and critics have praised Funke as the "German J. K. Rowling". Her books are very popular in her native country, and many have now been translated into English. Her work fits mainly into the fantasy and adventure genres. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

Connect with her:
Website || Goodreads || Twitter || Facebook

*Interview* I adored your Inkheart series when I was younger, because I loved the idea that Meg could just read things from books into being. How did you come up with Meg and Mo’s abilities?
I always wanted to write a story where characters come out of a book. Every book eater knows the feeling that they sometimes feel even more real than our closest friends. But I didn't know how. Until I thought of my own enchantment when I hear a good reader. Only a human voice brings printed words back to the life they own - we so easily forget that they are sound. From there it was all easy:)

Facebook or Twitter?
Facebook. I need more than just a few words:)

What qualities/quirks do you share with Meg?
I am a book eater like her and I think I was as shy with boys as she is at the beginning although I was always very good friends with them.

Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate

Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what’s you favorite genre?
Yes, while I write I love to listen to the music that fits the world I am writing about. So Baroque music for the Inkworld, Schubert and Nutcracker for MirrorWorld:) in the car I listen to Coldplay , Adele and Regina Spector

What is your favorite word?
zaertlichkeit - it's the German word for Tenderness

Dustfinger and Farad were the best sidekicks (can I call them sidekicks?) ever. Did you base them off of anyone that you knew?
Dustfinger resembles in some ways my late husband but not in every aspect. he just stepped into my imagination and was wild and wonderful and in some ways my own male alter ego ( or let's say as free and wild as I would like to be:)

I remember when the movie {Inkheart} first came out. Were you disappointed at all with how it turned out?
Yes, quite disappointed. Especially as the shooting had been absolutely magical and everyone had been so passionate about it. But movies are strange beasts - so many things can go wrong. I also think that novels are in general to complex for a two hour film. that's why I didn't allow MirrorWorld to be filmed so far.

When you’re not writing, what do you like to read?
Sherlock Holmes, Neil Gaiman, poetry, non fiction...another printed dish every day

Can you tell us a little about your next project?

I am working on the second draft of The Golden Yarn, the third book in my MirrorWorld series. I am lost in Russian fairy tales and behind the Mirror with Jacob and Fox:)

Check out her Books---

Interview with Helene Boudreau

A Little About the Author:
Hélène Boudreau writes fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults. She is also a compulsive walker, a chicklet wrangler and a lover of cheese and cheap chocolate.


Her tween novel REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS is a 2011 Crystal Kite Member Choice Award Finalist.

Connect with Helene:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

 *Interview*

I just recently read your Real Mermaids series, where Jade (our main character) finds out that she’s a mermaid. In such a delicate part of her life, how do you think that you relate to her?

I was a very late bloomer so I can definitely relate to Jade in that sense. It’s hard when you feel left behind by your peers in a physical and/or emotional sense. Jade has even bigger problems, though, in that she’s now stuck with a shiny new tail.

My own daughters are at the precipice of entering those uncertain years of raging hormones and topsy-turvy emotions. I really wanted to write a fun story for them (and girls like them) to ease them into the land of zits, training bras and smelly armpits. The upside being that—no matter how hard puberty might get—at least they don’t have TAILS!

At first, Jade and Luke’s relationship is just so awkward and sweet. How did you make it feel authentic?

I’m glad you think their relationship rings true. When I was first ‘pursuing’ my husband it took forever for him to figure out I was actually into him and wasn’t particularly a huge hockey fan—the arena was just close to where he lived. I wanted to capture that same dense but adorable quality in Jade. I think obliviousness is a charming quality. ;-)

I remember loving Jade’s attitude and her spunk. Did you base her off of an acquaintance?

Jade is not based on anyone in particular but I like to think she’s a bit like me except that I would need a full 24 hours of deep thinking to come up with some of the things she thinks or says. Actually, that’s probably why I stare at my computer screen a lot when I’m writing these books!

Facebook or Twitter?

Definitely Facebook! Twitter is too fast-moving for me and once something disappears from my stream, it’s like it’s gone forever. I like Facebook because it’s a lot more visual and appeals to my sense of order. So much of my life gets planned on Facebook. This week, I organized a lunch with a bunch of friends, shared cute music videos with my sister, and tracked my walking progress with my walking buddies! That said—it is really distracting.

I just recently became a big reader of MG as a genre-- and I feel like there’s a pressure to always have an adventure. How do you feel about that?

The middle grade age (from 9-12) is a time when kids’ worlds open up in exciting but sometimes scary ways. They’re given more responsibilities and freedoms and their stratospheres expand exponentially. At the same time, our society has become sometimes quite protective (sometimes for good reasons) so books are a way for young people to explore new worlds, characters, and situations they may not encounter in real life. And yes, those themes can definitely have an adventurous tone to them.

Chocolate or Vanilla?

Hm. Lemon? I mean, I like both chocolate and vanilla but for baked goods I’m a huge lemon fan.

In a town that’s full of mer-transfers, Jade fits in with all of her quirks. Was the mermaid town just a random idea, or was it your intention from the beginning?

Jade’s town of Port Toulouse is actually based on a town called St. Peter’s near where I grew up. It has a boat canal, which connects the Atlantic Ocean to a fresh water lake just like in the book. My childhood village also had so many interesting characters at the local wharf, the bingo hall, or the post office—it was easy to draw inspiration from them!

What do you like to read when you're not writing? Feel free to name drop! (:

I’m loving Debbie Ridpath Ohi’s illustrative work in I’m Bored and am excited to see her new book with Michael Ian Black called Naked. For middle grade, Karen Rivers’ The Encyclopedia of Me is a HUGE hit in this house.  

What do you have in store for us after the Real Mermaids series?

I’m actually working on the fourth book in the Real Mermaids series at the moment. It’s called Real Mermaids Don’t Sell Sea Shells and it will be out this fall! In Book #4, Jade, Cori, Luke and Trey and their families head off for a tropical vacation in the Bahamas. Jade soon finds out that sun, surf and tropical breezes are no ‘day at the beach’ because being a teenage mermaid never takes a vacation.

After that, I’m ready to explore new territory—possibly with a new series, a stand-alone, or a new picture book. I’m working on all three possibilities at the moment so we shall see!

Check out her books--

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

 

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
Series: N/A
Source: Purchased
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: August 28, 2012

Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice,until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.

That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.

Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a luminous and magnificent novel that glows with rare magic, ghostly wonders, and a true friendship that lights even the darkest of places.

 

I was really expecting to love this one. I really enjoy stories that contain magic and when they are Middle Grade that just makes them even better. Unfortunately this one didn't live up to the expectations that I had going into it.

 

Throughout the book I found myself quite bored. This book just didn't seem to have enough going on in it to keep me interested and even though there was alchemy and ghosts, I just wasn't a fan. At times the pace was really slow and there were spots where there really wouldn't be anything happening. The end however is what saved the book for me. It was fitting and really cute and I found myself glad that it ended the way it did. The characters deserved the happy ending.

 

Po was my favorite character. He was adorable and funny. Plus he was a ghost and that was just plain cool. He kept Liesl safe and helped her with her mission even though he really didn't have to. Liesl was an alright character. She really didn't seem to develop much throughout the book but she did have her moments where she seemed to be getting better.

 

I do have to say that Lauren Oliver does know how to tell a story and her writing is magical. It never seemed forced or unbelievable and because of that I think a lot of people will enjoy this story. It really just wasn't for me.

 

 

 
 

Month of MG Kick-off + Giveaway!

Today is the fifth day of August-- kind of late for a kick-off, but we deserve it, right? So here I am...to kick it off. I can't help but think that it sounds a bit violent for a MG event? Maybe we should call it a push-off. ;)

Basically, if you signed up for the challenge you know what to do. And if you didn't, well, here's a recap:

The MG challenge is just supposed to be a month where you just let go and read all the MG that you want! No fear of judgement, or any other nasty thing that could possibly be happening in the blogosphere. Just read a kid's book, I swear it'll make you feel better.

If you haven't signed up, please do so here. But on from that point, it's just supposed to be fun! There'll be a few interviews, and hopefully a lot of MG reviews. If you haven't already joined, you really should...because we're going to be having a giveaway for participants! One MG book of you choice!! Just to give you a few options, check out these ones:


Now, I'm super sure that you're wondering how you can enter! Simple. Just leave a MG review in the linky collection! Just make sure that the review was published this August. Other than that, enter as many times as you can! We'll pick a winner at the end of the month using random.com. THIS GIVEAWAY IS INTERNATIONAL AND FOR A MG BOOK OF YOUR CHOICE! Go crazy! (ALSO please follow The Raven Readers as a courtesy.)