Interview: Suzanne Gardner co-author of Don't Stop Believin' The Unofficial Guide to Glee

To celebration the season premiere of Glee Season 2 tonight I have one of the co-authors of Don't Stop Believin' The Unofficial Guide to Glee, Suzanne Gardner here today to talk a bit about what else but Glee! You can also get all the latest Glee info on her blog Gleeks United!

1. What attracted you to the tv show Glee? And the idea of blogging about it and eventually turning it into a book?

For me, the show had the perfect mix of comedy and drama and the most uncanny ability to pick the most perfect song, nine times out of ten. Glee really speaks to the underdog in everyone, and I found that even though I'm several years out of high school by now (let's not count how many exactly...!), I could still really relate to these characters, even if I was never actually in a glee club myself. I really fell for the show immediately, and since I've always been a writer, it was natural for me to decide to start a blog since I had free time on my hands and thought I might as well combine my love for the show with my love for writing. The book came along as a progression from there – a friend of mine was writing a book about True Blood for my future publisher, ECW Press, and one day she point blank asked me when I was planned on pitching my book! It didn't take much to convince me, and fairly soon after I made my pitch, I had a book contract in my hands! Trust me, this was not anywhere near to a typical experience for a first-time author!

2. What is it about Glee that get people SO excited?

I think it's the kind of show that people really do relate to – like I said above, it speaks to the underdog in everyone. I mean, even the jocks and cheerleaders like Finn and Quinn have a vulnerable underdog side to them! And I think because fans so easily connect with the show, it in turn becomes very influential and inspiring to them. I've read so many articles about glee clubs that have started in high schools because of Glee. This show truly encourages kids to be whoever they want to be and do whatever they want to do, to the extent that these kids have gone and applied these lessons to their real lives, and that blows my mind. Glee gets people excited because they relate to it, they understand it, and, on top of all that, it has the most catchy soundtrack ever. How can you not get excited about that?

3. You wrote Don't Stop Believin' with Erin Balser, the author of gleedork.com. What was it like to write with another person?

Writing with another person is both strange and awesome, all at the same time. For someone like me who has been writing for many years, for newspapers, magazines, blogs, etc., it was very weird at first to divvy up work and write only half of it yourself. On the other hand, it was also fantastic to have someone to bounce ideas off of and to, well, share the crazy huge workload. We wrote this book in a very short timeline (all of the writing was done in about 5 months), so having someone to share that with was extremely helpful.

4. Don't Stop Believin' is extremely comprehensive – how on earth did you compile all of this information?

Thank you! We both read one HELL of a lot of interviews with the cast and crew, I can tell you that! Seriously, we both know too many random facts now. But its comments like yours that make us know it was all worthwhile. In our very first review, from a diehard gleek, he said that there were some facts in our book that even he didn't know! That's a sign that we've earned our Rachel Berry-gold stars, I think!

5. What was the hardest part of the book to write, your favorite part?

I think for me the hardest part was also my favourite! I wrote all of the analysis/commentary that kicks off each episode, and although I sometimes found it very challenging to remain analytical and to not recap the episode too heavily, it was incredibly rewarding when I got to get into some great character commentary, because I find all of these characters so interesting and love talking about the finer, subtler points of the show, rather than focusing too heavily on the very strong themes Ryan Murphy and co. often like to shove down our throats.

6. You interview a lot of the actors and actresses from the show and also fans of the show, how difficult was it to get in contact with everyone?

Getting in contact with cast members was a tough gig, as you can probably tell since we weren't able to score very many regular cast members (the biggest name we got was Heather Morris, which was a pretty sweet score, but she was only able to talk to us via email). Several times we received an initial positive reply from an actor's publicist, only to have the interview fall through later because FOX put the brakes on. It was a bit frustrating at times, but we're happy with the interviews we did get to do, because we chatted with several guest stars who we think still played a big part in shaping their particular episodes! We also really enjoyed interviewing fans of the show, because that's a perspective that I don't think we hear from enough. Glee's fans and their hardcore dedication to the show have been hugely instrumental into making the show the success that it is, and I think having their perspectives, both positive and sometimes a little bit critical, adds a really interesting element to the book that I haven't seen in other Glee-related books.

7. What are your predictions for Season 2 of Glee?

Ah, I'm not a big prediction girl, to be honest! Never been that good at that. I'm really interested to see Quinn post-pregnancy though. I've heard that she's going to be fighting Santana to be queen bee again, and that's something I'm looking forward to. I hope that Quinn's last year at the bottom of the heap really changes things for her, and maybe makes it hard for her to be the tough bitch she needs to be to reclaim her crown. Quinn's definitely not the same girl she was at the beginning of the show. I'm also looking forward to seeing Rachel and Finn's relationship play out and if they can really sustain a relationship for an extended period of time – especially when the bomb inevitably drops that they both lied about the sex they did or didn't have in "The Power of Madonna." Other than that, I'm just predicting another awesome year full of great songs, great laughs, and great drama!

Interview: Emma Cunningham - Production Coordinator, Digital & Internet at Harlequin

You know me, I'm curious and I'm really curious about Romance so when I had the opportunity to interview someone else from the industry I jumped! Thank you to Emma Cunningham - Production Coordinator in the Digital and Internet Department at Harlequin for stopping by!

1.Can you describe the Harlequin lines/imprints and how they differ from each other?

Oh wow, there are so many different lines it would take a long time to go through them! MIRA and HQN books are our single title books. That means that they’re generally longer books with a more literary feel to them. They stay on sale longer than the series books. As far as our series go, we have over fourteen different lines. Blaze is red-hot, super-sexy romance, Intrigue brings in mystery and suspense, Nocturne adds a paranormal element, Steeple Hill tells heartwarming, chaste, courtship-style romances with Christian themes, and GoldEagle are action-adventure stories aimed primarily at men. There’s a huge variety—something for everyone!

2. The categories can only be found in stores for one month? Why is that?

We simply publish too many books every month for stores to be able to keep all our titles in stock! However, we’re in the process of putting all our backlist books into ebook format so you can read old favorites digitally.

3. How do you think e-book only lines like your newest line Carina will change the publishing world? The reader's experience?

Well I’m obviously a huge fan of ebooks. I do almost all my reading digitally, so for me, Carina Press titles are just more stories. However, Carina Press is able to offer a wider variety of genres since some niches just don’t get much shelf space at book stores. It’s a really nice way to connect authors and readers who think outside the box.

4. Many readers think that the prices of e-books are too high. Could you tell us about the e-book process? (i.e. how they're created and priced?)

It’s a long process! Once a book is acquired, which is a whole other process in itself, it goes through the same rigorous editing processes that our print books go through. We then create metadata, which is basically a giant spreadsheet that tells the production company and retailers everything they could possibly want to know about each one of our books—everything from title, genre, ISBN, eISBN, prices, description, author bios, exerpts, you name it. The manuscript is then formatted and sent to production to be formatted into an ebook. When it comes back, we have proofreaders check through it for errors. It’s then uploaded with yet another sheet of metadata to retailers. Sometimes there are four or more different types of metadata involved for all our titles every month; even more if we’re sending out audiobooks, too. It really isn’t much cheaper to create an ebook than a print book. Most of the costs are in time and labor—and of course nobody wants to cheat authors on their hard work.

5. With one of Harlequins newest project, Harlequin Teen you are reaching a wider audience than ever before. Can you tell us a little bit about Harlequin Teen? Do you see a lot of cross over fans from your Teen line, to category lines etc?

Some authors write for more than one line, so there’s cross-over in that sense. Teen books feature strong characters and exciting stories, but they’re less sexual in nature than some of the adult titles and feature age-appropriate romances and themes.

6. The internet is a vital part of just about everything these days, can you tell us a little bit about what you do in the Harlequin in the Digital and Internet Department?

If it has to do with ebooks or the Internet, we do it. All the Facebook pages, Goodreads pages, LibraryThing, blogs, Twitter, my department does it all. We have a great Community on the eHarlequin website that’s quite active. We’re currently testing a new version of the eHarlequin website, too, and I have to say the design team did an excellent job. It’s a huge job but fortunately my coworkers are some of the hardest working, most brilliant people I know!

Thanks for stopping by Emma!

Logos credit of eharlequin.com

Blog Tour: Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Today I'm pleased to host author Susane Colasanti and her new book Something Like Fate (out May 4th). Have some fun stuff today for you including a guest post from Susane on Palmistry (she's talking about a different topic related to fate at every tour stop!), an interview with her and a giveaway! To check out the rest of the tour stops click here.

Here's the book's summary:

Lani and Erin are bonded for life. One thing that connects them is their fascination of fate. Lani wonders how much of our lives has already been decided and how much we can actually influence. Since the Unknown can unexpectedly change our lives forever, how much can we really control?

From the minute Lani meets Jason, she can't deny the intense connection they share. It feels like she's known him forever. She's not sure if he feels it, too. But it doesn't matter. Because Jason is Erin's boyfriend. Lani is determined to ignore her feelings for Jason, no matter how powerful they are, rather than risk hurting her best friend.

What if the boy who is your destiny is the one person you can't have?

Take it away Susane!

Topic 9: Palmistry

Some people don’t have a lot of lines on their palms. I am not one of those people. My palms have so many lines it’s not always easy to tell which is which. Maybe that’s why I’ve always been interested in palm reading. I remember ripping out a few pages from Seventeen back in the day (can you believe it’s been around for over 60 years?) that had diagrams showing what each line on your palm means. Palmistry is used to determine characteristics about a person and foretell key events in the future. Major lines on your hand all represent an aspect of your life, like the heart line and the fate line. Hand shape also has significance, classified as earth, air, water, or fire. I’m pretty sure I have water hands. Then there are a bunch of minor lines and other markings like stars and triangles, all with specific meanings. If you’re interested in reading your palm (use the hand you write with), I suggest starting with a palmistry map and building from there. Oh, and if you happen to have fire hands, no worries. It just means you’re enthusiastic and creative.

My Interview with Susane

1. I love the concept of fate and how it plays into people's lives. How did you wrap your head around something so abstract?

Although the idea of fate is abstract in a lot of ways, I tend to focus on its concrete aspects. I believe that we’re the architects of our own destiny. We shape our lives by the choices we make. That said, life is a wild thing. There are some things we just can’t control. Which can be really scary, since there’s no way to know exactly how our futures will look. Understanding that everything is connected helps to eliminate this fear of the Unknown. Everything we do not only affects our lives, but the lives of people we don’t even know. Exploring the possibilities of these connections opens up so much in terms of plot development. In Something Like Fate, I examine how the small choices my characters make on a daily basis result in huge consequences.

2. You seem like such a positive person and it really comes across in your writing. How do you maintain that positivity?

It’s hard to stay positive when life is sucking so massively you wonder how things will ever get better. When times get tough, I hold on to the hope that things will eventually get better. Reminding myself about the goals I want to accomplish helps to push me forward, even when I’m feeling like I just want to hide under the covers and never come out. We all have our bad days. The trick is to find some good within the bad.

3. What types of books do you personally enjoy reading? What authors inspire you?

There are so many excellent teen novels out now! Finding new authors to love is one of my hobbies. My favorite books are ones that feel completely real. Whenever a book can keep me awake until three in the morning because I have to know what happens next even though I can barely keep my eyes open, I’m inspired. Some authors in this category are Laurie Halse Anderson, Blake Nelson, and S.E. Hinton. Sandra Scoppettone’s YA novels from the 70s completely captivated me. I also love reading lots of adult fiction, especially everything by Jodi Picoult, Garrison Keillor, Jonathan Tropper, Nick Hornby, Anne Tyler, and Tom Perrotta.

Here's how to enter to win a signed hardcover of Something Like Fate!

Fill out the giveaway entry form here.

The giveaway is open to addresses within the U.S.

The giveaway will end May 13th at 6:59 pm Central Time.

**Prize provided by the publisher**

E-book sampler (updated to until 3 chapters from Something Like Fate)
Susane Colasanti website
Susane Colasanti twitter (trending topic is #fatetour)
In Person Tour Dates

Interview: Joanne Renaud, illustrator

I'm pleased to welcome illustrator Joanne Renaud today for an interview! I first heard about Joanne when she did some pieces for author, Sarah MacLean's website, see the header here! And check out her deviantart site here!

1. Would you say you have always been an artist? Has it always been illustration and the graphic arts you were interested in?

Yes, I was always the class artist, scribbling on the margins of my homework. I loved writing too. This was the '80s and I loved Choose Your Own Adventure Books, and I was really into making my own books. One of the CYOA books I wrote when I was nine was called-- wait for it-- "The Secret of Unicorn Valley." It featured unicorns! And rainbows! And evil Chinese mafia guys!

There was a boy in my class who wanted me to write a CYOA about the Transformers, but I said no because I thought the Transformers were dorky.

2. I see you studied Graphic Design (me too!), is that something you also do along with illustration or do you just do straight illustration now?

I do it occasionally, although I prefer illustration. I designed the logo for "Dark Valentine," a new online magazine dedicated to dark fiction, which was just launched a few weeks ago. You can see it here. Our publisher wanted to use the classic images from Mexican loteria cards-- which are thankfully in the public domain-- and after some discussion we all settled on the freeware Lilith font, designed by David Rakowski. It was great having everyone's input, and I'm pleased with how it came together in the end.

3. What's the illustration process like for you? What happens from initial concept to final piece?

Well, most of the time, I go from the specs or the need of the project, do as much research as I can, work up some sketches, run it by the client, and then go from there. A lot of times when I'm doing multiple illustrations featuring the same characters, I conceptualize them in character sketches, and use that as reference for the rest of the project.

4. What is your favorite medium to work in?

Acrylics probably, but I also like working with colored pencil on occasion. (I used to work with oils a lot in art school, but the fumes are deadly in a small space, and I usually have to work out of my bedroom.) I would like to learn how to paint digitally soon too, although I cringe at the idea of spending even more time on the computer than I already do.

5. What is your favorite thing to draw?

Hot men and cute women in awesome costumes! I also like to do a lot of character portraiture, based on actors I find intriguing-- like Chris Sarandon, who made such a wonderful villain in "The Princess Bride." I used to sketch a lot in cafes and the like, but I've fallen away from that since I started working professionally. I would like to start doing that again, since you see so many interestingly dressed characters in New York .

6. Does a lot of research happen before you put pencil to paper? Do you draw from source material or does it all come straight from your mind?

Research is probably one of the most important stages of what I do, since a lot of times a project is about something I know nothing about, like Mansa Musa, a king in medieval West Africa. Even if it's about something I'm familiar with, like the Regency and 1820s characters commissioned by Sarah MacLean for her website, I need to refresh my 'inner eye' so the images don't come out looking hackneyed.

Research also includes looking at movies, other artists' interpretation of the subject matter, and sometimes even listening to period-appropriate music. I'm about to start on a book about John Henry, and last night I was listening to different versions of the Ballad of John Henry, including a fantastic blues version by Mississippi Fred McDowell.

7. You recently moved from LA to New York City, tell us what that's been like? What's different, better, worse?

Well, the food is more expensive. But I don't have to worry about having a car or insurance, which is nice. I find myself getting out more. In LA, driving everywhere really curtailed my social life, so I ended up just hanging out with three people, and watching way too much TV. It's Saturday night in North Hollywood ? It must be Law & Order time!

The negative: library hours are really short here, compared to what was back in LA. I'm also afraid the independent bookstores left in New York are not up to caliber of bookstores back in LA, which are very genre-friendly. I love vintage fantasy, romance and horror-- the more obscure the better-- and that's a bit hard to come by here. NY indie bookstores are great for literary fiction, which really doesn't interest me.

8. I love your taste, I find it very eclectic, share with us a few things you are into right now?

I've actually been writing a lot lately. Right now I'm working on a gothic romance set in the mid '60s, against the background of the British Invasion and Warhol's Factory. I'm also working on a few short stories for Dark Valentine magazine-- one's contemporary urban fantasy with (non-sparkly ) vampires, and the other's set in ancient Persia. Eclectic? I'm not sure what you mean!

I'm especially excited to be working as Dark Valentine's art director. The amazing graphic designer/illustrator Sarah Vaughn-- who designed the the dress-up doll for Gail Carriger's Soulless, and the Regency dress up dolls showcased on Smart Bitches Trashy Books-- designed our website, and it's gorgeous. She did a wonderful job. Our first issue will be out later this spring, and it will feature a cover painted by me, and stories by the talented Christine Pope, Katherine Tomlinson, Robin Claire Barnes, and many others.

Interview: Carrie Feron, Vice President and Editorial Director of Avon Books

Ever since reading Sarah MacLean's 9 Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake I've been obsessed with the romance genre and have had a ton of questions. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to interview Carrie Feron, Vice President and Editorial Director of Avon Books!

1. What makes a romance novel? What turns historical fiction into historical romance and chick lit/women’s fiction into a contemporary romance?

A romance novel is when one of the major plots and focus is on the journey of a man and women to finding true love. In a historical novel, we could have many other plotlines as well as a romance, but a historical romance is focused on the one women/one man story.

2. What is it about the romance genre that makes it one of the most (if not the most) popular and addicting genres?

Romance stories have been told through history: in fairy tales, poems, novels, etc etc. People are endlessly fascinated by love – what makes it work? What makes it fail? What gives us the courage to put our hearts out there on the line again. Today in our office someone got engaged, and people crowded around her, admiring the ring. The first question people asked is: how did he ask? And the second: how did you meet? As humans we find inspiration from these stories of connections.

3. With the number of romance novels out there (and more published every year) what does it take to stand out in the crowd? What’s the sign of a great romance novel?

A great romance novel starts with a talented writer – someone who has a strong voice, and really knows how to draw out the tension. What it takes to stand out is being unique. Just like in love!

4. What are the must read romances for anyone new to the genre?

Must reads? So many! Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Meg Cabot (RANSOM MY HEART) for historical romance, Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ NOBODY’S BABY BUT MINE for contemporary; Christine Feehan, Lyndsay Sands and Jeanne Frost for paranormal

5. The romance genre is filled to the brim with so many sub-genres and sub-genres of the sub-genres, which do you feel is the most popular on the market? Does this change at all from year to year?

There are definitely trends in romance, and a strong trend right now is paranormal. But within that subgenre, other sub categories are bubbling to the surface. The good news is there are lots and lots of great reads out there. Visit our new blog to see what we’re up to! http://avonromance.com/

Thank you for stopping by Carrie!

Interview: Sarah MacLean author of 9 Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake and The Season

I'm very happy to be able to share an interview with author Sarah MacLean today. Both her books, 9 Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake and The Season are 5 star books in my opinion! And she was also kind enough to share some insight in the romance genre! Also be sure to check out her 2 must read romance lists, one for Historical and one for Contemporary!

1. What's the difference between writing for teens and adults? Do you hope your teen fans will take interest in 9 Rules or do you see those as two separate audiences?

I keep coming back to this: good reads are good reads. I see the Adult romances as an extension of the YA ones. I hope that teenage fans of THE SEASON will enjoy the fact that as they grow and their tastes and experiences change, they can keep reading books that I've written. At the same time, I hope that fans of NINE RULES TO BREAK WHEN ROMANCING A RAKE will come to enjoy my YA books--or at least share them with the teens in their lives.

2. It sounds like you always wanted to be a writer and a romance writer at that, what's it feel like for your dream to come true?

It's incredible. If you'd told 17-year-old Sarah that one day she'd have an historical romance published by Avon, she would have freaked out. Oh, who am I kidding? 30-year-old Sarah freaked out, too. Honestly, though? I've been thinking about this a lot recently, and I'm amazed by how much our teenaged selves know what's up. As we age, we become so hesitant about following our dreams--but when you're 13 or 15 or 17...you know what your dreams are. And you believe in them. I think it's a matter of remembering how to do that.

3. You seem to have some really tight deadlines, how do you stay on schedule?

It's not easy, especially when you're deep in the middle of a book or thinking about how to start revisions and the very last thing you want to do is sit down and write. I am incredibly lucky that my husband is willing to be my coach. If it weren't for him, I would never turn off the tv or put down the book I'm reading and get to work.

4. 9 Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake has such a clever premise, how did the idea evolve?

I love wallflower/rake romances...so I suppose that it was no surprise that my first romance was a spinoff of that idea. But more importantly, I wanted it to be about a wallflower finding it in herself to take action. To seize the day, so to speak. Callie popped into my head, the perfect, prim, proper wallflower...and I asked myself...what would it take to make her do something that changed her life? And what would that look like? Her list was born.

5. So far both The Season and 9 Rules have been set in the Regency time period, do you have plans to venture out of that time?

I have always had a love-affair with history--and I adore the long legacy of Regency-set historical romances, so it is no surprise that when I set pen to paper, I wrote a Regency--it will always be my first love. But, yes...I have a YA series that I'm noodling around right now that I'm really excited about, and it's not a Regency. I would say more, but I'm afraid to jinx it.

6. I’ve heard you talk about your own personal romance library (it sounds heavenly), how did your love affair with the romance novel begin?

My older sister was an obsessive romance reader and, like any younger sister, I wanted to be like her. So...when I was eleven or twelve, I started picking up the books that she put down. And I was hooked. Who doesn't love a great love story?

7. I think of you as one of my own personal romance novel mentors, would you mind helping me puzzle out some more things about the romance genre?

There is no greater compliment to me than that, Alea...I'm thrilled that I could introduce you to romance!

8. What is it about the romance genre that is so addictive?

Love is one of those wonderful, ephemeral things that everyone thinks about. I defy you to show me a person, male, female, young, old, rich or poor, who hasn't grown up with tales of love. It's the stuff of ancient legends. It's been around since the dawn of time. We have seen the most cynical of people laid low by love. And so...there is something undeniably attractive and enduring about the love story. You take two people with different pasts and contradictory personalities, you throw them together in an electric combination, and you watch them fall in love--who doesn't want that?

9. Who is your new author to watch?

This is so hard! There are some AMAZING new authors...Rachael Herron's HOW TO KNIT A LOVE SONG is a wonderful contemporary...Miranda Neville is writing great, sexy historicals...Sabrina Darby's ON THESE SILKEN SHEETS is a hot hot hot erotic historical...I just finished Louisa Edwards's CAN'T STAND THE HEAT, a fun contemporary about the NYC culinary scene (if you, like me, are a sucker for chefs, it's a must read)...Leanna Renee Hieber is writing these amazing cross-genre Victorian Gothic romances...and there are dozens more that are just fantastic.

10. What do you think will be the next trend in romance and why?

I don't think this is just a trend for romance, but I think that eReaders are going to make romance an even more popular genre. There are far too many people who hesitate to pick up that romance novel that they might love because they're afraid to read it in public (I've never had this problem...but I know that my husband read my manuscript on his iPhone because he didn't want people to see him reading the ARC on the subway). That's becoming a thing of the past...because now you can read whatever you want on your eReader! I also think that eReaders will make for hotter and hotter romances becoming more and more popular...which I count as a very good thing!

Thanks Sarah!

Interview with Yvonne Prinz author of The Vinyl Princess (28 Days of Winter Escapes)

Today I'm pleased to share an interview with Yvonne Prinz the author of The Vinyl Princess, one of my favorite books of 2009! To take part in the 28 Days of Winter Escapes click here! There are great contests for the featured books, polls, other interviews to visit, twitter icons, e-cards and more! Check it out!

All You Get Is Me

YVONNE PRINZ

1. Allie, the enchanting music geek who dubs herself the Vinyl Princess in your new book, has a very impressive vinyl collection, a vast knowledge of music history, and strong opinions about music. How much do her musical preferences overlap with your own? Will you tell us about your own real-life music collection? How long have you been building it, and how much of it is vinyl?

Well, we’re from different eras. My music collection grew organically. As albums were released I went out and bought them. I still have the records I bought when I worked in a record store at Allie’s age. Allie was born too late for that, so by default she’s more of a real collector, a completist. She likes to hunt down every version of every record by the artists she loves. We both lean toward singer/songwriter stuff and the classics like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin and that whole era of artists Allie missed out on the first time around. As for new music, the indies, we pretty much like the same stuff. We’re both fans of The Decemberists, The National, Sondre Lerche, Bright Eyes, The Avett Brothers, Feist, Cat Power, and on and on. We both like old jazz like Miles Davis and John Coltrane and the old crooners like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. My vinyl collection includes a lot of world music that Allie isn’t that keen on (yet). Her vinyl collection is actually bigger than mine. I’ve moved a lot more and had to downsize. I gave a lot of LPs away and I’m replacing them now, one at a time.

2. Allie works at Bob & Bob’s Records in Berkley, on Telegraph Avenue, a place that comes across as very alive, but also somewhat seedy and on the edge of ruin. Why set the story on such a street?

Telegraph Avenue is a unique spot. It has a very interesting history of anarchy and civil disobedience. People’s Park, which sits behind Amoeba Music and also Bob & Bob’s, is the site where much of the anti-Vietnam war demonstrations were held in the late sixties. The Black Panthers were founded near this spot, too. There’s tremendous tolerance there of street life and the eccentric characters that come with it. As a Canadian girl, I feel like it had a hand in raising me. The Telegraph Avenue of today is a different place. Many of the indie stores have disappeared and the vacancy rate is very high. To me it represents a microcosm of what’s gone wrong in America. The street is like a gritty character in the book. I like the way Telegraph constantly figures into Allie’s story. It adds texture.

3. Now that winter is upon us, what is your favorite music to listen to when the weather outside is frightful?

I always move back to the pale artists in winter, the bloodless crew: David Bowie, Lou Reed, Nick Cave, Pete Doherty, Ryan Adams, Jesse Malin, The Pogues. I also love bluesy, jazzy girls like Nina Simone and Sarah Vaughan when it’s gray out.

4. We know that you are an avid music listener, but it’s clear from your writing that you must also have a serious relationship with books. How did you find your way from the world of music into the world of books to become a writer?

I’ve always been a big reader, but when we opened Amoeba, we were across the street from two fabulous book stores, Moe’s Books (still there) and Cody’s (gone). I spent all my lunch hours in one or the other. The book/record community was very symbiotic. The booksellers lived in our store and we lived in theirs. Jonathan Lethem worked at Moe’s at the time. I started exploring authors like Lorrie Moore, Tobias Wolff, Jane Smiley, Andre Dubus, V.S. Naipaul, and Paul Bowles. Immersing myself in all the books inspired me to write. I’d written a lot of ad copy in Canada working for a TV station and then an advertising agency, but I was itching to write something longer than sixty seconds.

5. As someone with an ear for both music and books, can you pair a reading experience with a listening experience for us: one book and one album that would be better consumed together?

Okay, here’s a crazy one: The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles and Miles Davis’s Sketches of Spain. I’m not crazy about listening to music with lyrics when I read. I get too caught up in them and then I can’t focus on what I’m reading. Sketches of Spain has eerie overtones. It’s a very mysterious piece of music. The Sheltering Sky is a tale of innocents abroad in Algeria, and it’s filled with uncertainty and delicious twists.

INTERVIEW: Jennifer Sturman

Today while I'm away, who better to share an interview with than Jennifer Sturman who's latest book, And Then Everything Unraveled takes place in New York! Thank you Jennifer!

1. All of your novels thus far have involved a mystery, what is it that draws you to them? Are there any downsides to mysteries?

I love puzzles – lining up the clues and teasing out the answers – and as a writer, mysteries provide a nice mix of structure and flexibility. There’s a built-in plot – a crime must be solved – but also endless variations of who/what/why. As for downsides – some people simply don’t like mysteries, so they’ll never buy my books!


2. What differences do you find when writing for teens rather than adults? Do you prefer one to the other?

For me, the key difference is the age of my heroine, which shapes her day-to-day reality and how she thinks about it. It’s not just that being younger affects her ability to take (or not take) certain actions, it’s also that so much is new to her, which is really refreshing to think through as a writer. As for which I prefer – I don’t know if I have an answer for that! A lot of the fun in writing is creating the worlds in which your characters live, and that’s true regardless of the age of your characters or your readers.


3. Can you tell us a bit about the sequel to And Then Everything Unraveled?

AND THEN I FOUND OUT THE TRUTH picks up right where UNRAVELED leaves off. Here’s the draft copy for the inside flap (though I should warn you it’s a bit of a spoiler for those who haven’t read UNRAVELED):

Delia Truesdale didn’t think life could get more complicated. After all, her mother’s on the run in South America and won’t be coming home anytime soon – at least, not until Delia can outwit the evil-doers who are out to destroy them both.

But it’s hard to thwart evil-doers from an entirely different continent, especially when everyone thinks you should be doing your homework instead. And Delia’s stuck in Manhattan, along with her slightly insane Aunt Charley, her completely uptight Aunt Patience, a petulant psychic, a love-struck detective, a boy-crazy brainiac, and Quinn, who defies description but has kissed her twice.

The answers are waiting in exotic Buenos Aires, and time is running out. Delia might not know how to tango, but she does have a passport. Will she be able to uncover the truth — before it’s too late?


4. On your website you mention your love of teen movie classics from the '80s, what is your favorite and why?

VALLEY GIRL. It has it all in one wonderful package: romance, comedy, drama, amazing music, some outfits that seriously defy description, and a fabulous prom scene.


5. I'm a huge fan of New York City, what's your favorite thing about living there? One thing you could live without?

I know it’s a cliché, but there really is a very special energy to NYC. I love how there are so many different worlds all occurring in parallel – pretty much anything you can imagine is going on somewhere in the city at any given moment. The biggest problem is that it’s impossible to take advantage of more than a tiny percentage of the possibilities.

Me? Interviewed!? Part 3

James over at Book Chic has just interviewed me and also he has up a Guest Blog from Kristi of The Story Siren, in celebration of his 2-Year Blogiversary! Congratulations James!

Oh and if you know what's good for you go check out these posts 1 and 2 about coughtapirscough. Do it!

And I think it's still going on? Help? Go enter some of the YA Book Carnival Giveaways! I think some of the giveaways are still open yes?

And one more thing! My Friend Amy and Presenting Lenore are hosting a Book Drive for Beth Kephart's Nothing But Ghosts, go check out Amy's post about their goal and the potential prizes we can win!

BLOG TOUR: Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog

Welcome to the next Traveling to Teens book blog tour! Created by the lovely Yan and lovely Carol! Today I'm excited to welcome Cyn Balog author of Fairy Tale!

Cyn Balog is a normal, everyday Jersey Girl who always believed magical things can happen to us when we least expect them. She’s also the Race & Event Manager for several national fitness magazines. She lives outside Allentown, Pennsylvania with her husband and young daughter. Both are 100% human, or so she thinks. FAIRY TALE is her first novel.

From Amazon.com:

A captivating and witty dark fantasy that will have girls lusting after it.

Morgan Sparks has always known that she and her boyfriend, Cam, are made for each other. But when Cam’s cousin Pip comes to stay with the family, Cam seems depressed. Finally Cam confesses to Morgan what’s going on: Cam is a fairy. The night he was born, fairies came down and switched him with a healthy human boy. Nobody expected Cam to live, and nobody expected his biological brother, heir to the fairy throne, to die. But both things happened, and now the fairies want Cam back to take his rightful place as Fairy King.

Even as Cam physically changes, becoming more miserable each day, he and Morgan pledge to fool the fairies and stay together forever. But by the time Cam has to decide once and for all what to do, Morgan’s no longer sure what’s best for everyone, or whether her and Cam’s love can weather an uncertain future.

I loved Fairy Tale. It felt like my own personalized blend of fantasy and reality. Sometimes I'm a bit leery that fantasy books will be so much fantasy that I will be lost, I need fantasy that is extremely grounded in our own reality and I found that with Fairy Tale. It made it all the more exciting for me when fantastical elements were introduced. I just loved the way the author crafted her story.

I loved the three main characters. I just got Morgan and her sense of humor. And Cam and Pip, can you say a sandwich of cute/sweet boys!!!! I loved the push and pull between the three of them, and the relationships that grow and change throughout the book.

I also found the book to be really touching, what a dilemma these characters face, no matter what happens if Cam stays or goes someone is going to be losing. I had an inkling as to what would happen in the end and it did make the most sense but I wasn't really sure which way I wanted it to go, I kind of liked both possibilities. The book hooked me in and I basically had to know what was going to happen RIGHT THIS VERY INSTANT! Ultimately I really liked the ending the author gave us.

I think that Fairy Tale would be a great book for someone to start with if they were interested in the Fantasy genre but were a little unsure. I loved it! Can't wait to see what the author comes up with next!

Fairy Tale was released on June 23rd!

4.5/5 Stars
ARC provided by publisher

And here's an interview with Cyn Balog!

1. Where did you get the idea for Fairy Tale?

I got the idea for Fairy Tale because I wanted to write a paranormal story, but I felt like the girl who learns she is a fairy princess is pretty dull. After all, she’d be the envy of all her friends! I did the “what if” game and asked myself, “What if the fairy was a guy?” I found that much more interesting—imagine a football player trying to explain to his teammates that he’s a fairy.

2. What time of the day do you do your best writing? Any special spot you like to do it in?

If I didn't have any pressing obligations, I would probably say that morning is my most productive time. But now that I have a job and a family, my most productive time is whenever I can get a few minutes of peace and quiet. Right now I write for like, 19 minutes on my lunch hour, in my office. I am blessed to have an actual office with a real door, so I write while snarfing down lunch. And yes I have to clean my keyboard often because I always seem to get crumbs in there!

3. What do you like most about writing for young adults?

I'm still amazed that I can vote and drink, because I still feel like I am 16. Adults are pretty boring; been there, done that. The range of emotions young adults experience are much more fascinating, I think. Plus, I just love it when teens email me loving my book... they're so excited by it, and their enthusiasm is like, virtual Red Bull.

4. What is your favorite fairy tale? Pun intended!

Cinderella! I had a very similar name when I was growing up, so that was what everyone called me. When I was a kid, someone got me the Disney video and I watched it a zillion times. Though I can't say I believe "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes", because last night I dreamt I was being chased by gigantic beetles. Yeah, like I wish that would happen in real life.

5. It sounds like you have had a variety of jobs, which has been your favorite?

Well, other than writing? ;) I used to work in Seaside Park, New Jersey, as a "beach attendant", which just meant badge-checker. All I did all day was make sure people were wearing their badges to get onto the beach (yes, in NJ you have to pay to use the beach). It paid really well, and I got to sit in the sun and read or write the rest of the time, so it was awesome! Plus I also got to wear the coolest little uniform and use a radio and blow my whistle at people who didn't listen to me, which made me feel important. Oh-- and I was barefoot the whole time! I am still trying to find another gig like that.

BLOG TOUR: It's Not You, It's Me by Kerry Cohen Hoffmann

Welcome to the next Traveling to Teens book blog tour! Created by the lovely Yan and lovely Carol! Today I'm excited to welcome Kerry Cohen Hoffman author of It's Not You, It's Me!

Kerry Cohen received an MFA in creative writing from the University of Oregon and an MA in counseling psychology from Pacific University. A practicing psychotherapist and the author of the young adult novel Easy, she lives with her husband and two sons in Portland, Oregon.

From Amazon.com:

Funny and touching—this is a heartfelt breakup story. Zoe loves Henry. Henry dumps Zoe. Zoe wants Henry back—at any cost. Zoe’s two best friends come up with a plan to help Zoe get what she thinks she wants. The plan: make Henry jealous. But the plan takes a surprising turn. . . . Spanning thirty-one days in the cycle of a breakup, Kerry Cohen Hoffmann’s humorous and poignant novel depicts a girl whose single-minded focus on her ex-boyfriend has pulled her far from the person she most needs to win back—herself.

Like many have said the character of Zoe comes off as a nut, basically sabotaging any chance she has of getting her ex-boyfriend back with her antics. Everyone tells her just leave it be, don't do that, don't say that, but she does it anyways without much thought. Even though she comes off as kind of crazy I feel like it depicts a bit of what any normal girlfriend might go through when she breaks up with the boy that really counts and this can be seen sort of as a cautionary tale. It sheds a bit of light on the ugly truth of breakup and the feelings that people might have (that they definitely should not act on.)

While Zoe was harder to swallow I rather liked the guys in the book. From Henry and his bandmate Niles to Sam, her friend that makes no secret of his crush on Zoe. They all seemed a lot more level-headed and also really seemed to care for Zoe even when she was acting crazy. I also liked Zoe's friends Julia and Shannon they tried to keep her on the right path for as long as they could and when that wasn't working that finally gave in and fed the craziness of Zoe and her plan.

The ending was a little meh but I think it was an appropriate ending for the message that I thought the author was trying to send. I really like how she and some of the characters stress that no matter who you are with, you need to maintain yourself and your own interests instead of losing yourself within someone else. I think that's a very important message that everyone needs to be reminded of from time to time.

Overall an interesting concept with probably a truer to life (but exaggerated) main character than we all want to admit to!

It's Not You, It's Me was released on June 9th!

3/5 Stars
ARC provided by publisher

And here's an interview with Kerry Cohen Hoffman!

1. It’s Not You, It’s Me spans 31 days exactly, did it involve more planning than a normal book?

Well, it definitely took some revising. The 31 days thing wasn't my original plan - that just came into shape over time. All I knew was that I wanted a book about a break up - the unbearable pain, the fact that there's really no way to quell it, and the fact that most all of us can do immensely dumb things in the course of those feelings. When I came to the 31 days idea it just seemed so perfect. The days inch by when you're going through a break-up, don't they?

2. What is your favorite thing about writing for teens?

I love the freedom it affords. Adults are so judgmental. (There, I said it!) Teens aren't like that, despite the stereotype. They still have that childlike sense of wonder, and yet it's combined with an intelligence and maturity you won't find in younger kids. I really connect to teenagers and get along well with them.

3. What is one book from your teen years that had a strong impact on you?

The one that made me first want to be a writer was The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (long before Oprah was praising it, mind you.) That book was the first one I read that artfully spoke of the loneliness of a young girl - something I could relate to. More than that, I was hungry for it, hungry to see myself reflected somewhere, hungry to know I wasn't alone. This idea - that reading a book can make you feel connected and less alone - became the impetus for everything I've written since.

4. What is the main different for you between writing fiction and writing a memoir. Do you prefer one over the other?

I do. I prefer memoir writing because I'm in love with the idea that our lives matter, that narrative can save us. I'm endlessly fascinated, too, with the question of what is true, what is real. So the main difference is that with fiction I have to make up the narrative. Of course my fiction is inspired to some extent by my real experiences, but none of it is factual to my life. This is why I prefer memoir, too: I don't have a strong enough imagination!

5. Do you have any plans to write another memoir or possibly fiction for adults?

I have actually written another memoir which we're trying to sell. I also have another memoir proposal underway. And then I have yet another memoir idea. (My mother says, "Exactly how many memoirs can a 30-something person have?" I guess we'll find out.) I have no plans right now for adult fiction. I think I feel too intimidated by that adult judgment I was speaking about to believe I could do it.

BLOG TOUR: The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

Welcome to the next Traveling to Teens book blog tour! Created by the lovely Yan and lovely Carol! Today I'm excited to welcome Sarah Rees Brennan author of The Demon's Lexicon! Check out the rest of the tour stops here!

Sarah Rees Brennan was born and raised in Ireland by the sea, where her teachers valiantly tried to make her fluent in Irish (she wants you to know it's not called Gaelic) but she chose to read books under her desk in class instead. The books most often found under her desk were Jane Austen, Margaret Mahy, Anthony Trollope, Robin McKinley and Diana Wynne Jones, and she still loves them all today.

After college she lived briefly in New York and somehow survived in spite of her habit of hitching lifts in fire engines. She began working on The Demon’s Lexicon while doing a Creative Writing MA and library work in Surrey, England. Since then she has returned to Ireland to write and use as a home base for future adventures. Her Irish is still woeful, but she feels the books under the desk were worth it.

The Demon’s Lexicon is her first novel.

From Amazon.com:

Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole -- a charm that keeps her alive -- and they want it badly enough to kill again.

Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is des-perate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long.

Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.

This is the Demon's Lexicon. Turn the page.

WHOA just WHOA! Usually if you were to say demons I would say no thanks, but you know I think that's changed. The Demon's Lexicon was a lot of fun, I personally loved seeing the relationship between these two brothers and seeing how defined their roles were within their family. Alan was sort of the mother of the family, cooking, making sure Nick went to school, and caring for their mother while Nick was definitely the child but also the protector of the family. But it was also cool seeing them fight side by side. I just liked their relationship.

I also really liked the sort of love triangle that forms between Alan, Nick, and Mae, a girl that comes to them for help for her and her brother. I cannot wait to see where it goes in the next book in the series! I also like Jamie, Mae's brother, I can't wait to see what happens with his character in the next book! I know some people are complaining that this book is too much a set up for the next book but I didn't feel like that, I think it works great as is! It does definitely leave me excited for the next book though!

The book had several great twists that I totally didn't see coming. I'm pretty sure my eyes looked like they were popping out of my head when I read them! They were great! This is definitely a book to be shared with friends, it's one I definitely want to talk to others about that have read it! I'm pretty sure I screamed Oh My God at one point in the book!

I loved the balance of family, chemistry, fantasy, and action. For someone that isn't especially into action packed books right now this really worked for me! The book was just downright funny at some parts, I really digged Nick's raw personality. All in all I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series!

The Demon's Lexicon was released June 2nd!

4/5 Stars
Review copy provided by author

And here's an interview with Sarah Rees Brennan!

1. I heard The Demon’s Lexicon is the beginning of a trilogy, where are you in the process of working on the last two books?

I'm currently editing the sequel, The Demon's Covenant. It turned out shockingly long and has a lot of make-out scenes, but I feel that's okay: I've noticed that trilogies often have that structure, so I invented a trilogy rule. Book 1, set up! Book 2, make out! Book 3, defeat evil! If you think about it, a surprising amount of trilogies follow these rules...

That said, it really annoys me when any book is just set up for a series, or just a bridge to a finale. I think every book in a series should be an adventure complete in itself, and I hope mine will be.

2. The idea of Urban Fantasy is interesting, there is fantasy but also real life elements. How do you balance the fantastical with the everyday boring elements?

Urban fantasy is my favourite because of those everyday elements: I think it really helps you believe in the magic. I remember reading Alan Garner's Elidor, which starts out as a normal kids going into a fantasy land book, like Narnia... but then the magic follows them back. I remember being surprised by how much more I believed in unicorns when there was a maddened unicorn chasing the kids through a bad part of town, and dying in a derelict house with sirens flashing outside.

Urban fantasy reminds me of a line in one of my favourite poems, Theodore Roethke's The Waking, which goes 'What falls away is always. And is near.' Some people dismiss fantasy a bit, even though fantasy was the first kind of story human beings started to tell each other: tales about gods throwing thunder and lightning. I love the thought of fantasy as grounded in reality, not something you can dismiss: magic waiting for you on your doorstep, with the milk bottles you left outside the day before. So it really isn't as much of a balancing act as having the two things inextricably intertwined: my hero Nick starts out the book fixing a leaky sink, and being really ticked off because under the sink is where he keeps his favourite demon-slaying sword!

3. What is the most interesting part of the publishing process in your opinion?

I really enjoyed seeing the different covers different countries made for me. The US had a photoshoot to do their cover, and the UK did a drawing of the hero, and Germany did a kind of action-adventure cover that was all foil, and in Japan I have the most gorgeous manga cover. Sometimes I have little cover death matches, but the US one usually wins, because underneath the picture of a boy with a magical talisman, there's a secret cover... a shining sword, lying on some muddy herringbone tiles. Swords always win.

4. What is one thing everything should know about Ireland?

We speak Irish, not Gaelic. It's a common misconception that our language is called Gaelic: actually Scotland got there first, and they speak Scots Gaelic. And here's a sample of Irish for you: go raibh maith agat! (Which means thank you - which I do, for having me on your blog. ;))

5. What is one upcoming young adult release you are looking forward to?

Oh, dear, it's so hard to pick just one! I'm really looking forward to Ash by Malinda Lo, a Cinderella retelling where Prince Charming is a girl. And Catching Fire, the sequel to the Hunger Games, because how brilliant was The Hunger Games? And Holly Black's The White Cat, which is about magical con men, a sort of YA fantasy Ocean's Eleven.

... So that picking just one business, that worked out well for me...

BLOG TOUR: Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Welcome to the next Traveling to Teens book blog tour! Created by the lovely Yan and lovely Carol! Today I'm excited to welcome Sarah Ockler! The author of Twenty Boy Summer! Check out the rest of the tour stops here!

Sarah Ockler wrote and illustrated her first book at age six—an adaptation of Steven Spielberg’s E.T. Still recovering from her own adolescence, she now writes books for young adults. Sarah has a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of New York at Buffalo and also studied creative writing through Denver’s Lighthouse Writers Workshop.

While nomadic at heart, Sarah and her husband Alex currently live in Upstate New York with an ever-expanding collection of sea glass (hers) and dinosaurs (his).

TWENTY BOY SUMMER is her first novel.

From Amazon.com:

"Don't worry, Anna. I'll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."
"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you won't say anything?"
"Don't worry." I laughed. "It's our secret, right?"

According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy ever day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie---she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago. Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

Twenty Boy Summer has a lot of things going for it, friendship, family, fun at the beach but also things like death, lost love, and grieving. I think the book balances the range of emotions the characters experience beautifully. It makes reading about these tough emotions easy to handle and not scary. I found it rather believable, everyone is so confused about how they should feel and act around each other, struggling to remember their son/friend/love/brother but also trying to push his memory aside so they themselves can survive.

Immediately I identified with Anna who is more soft spoken and kind of hangs out in the shadow of her best friend Frankie. But as the story went on and Frankie shed part of her protective layer I got to know her better and understand what she was about. I loved the character of Matt as well, he seemed like the perfect guy! And seeing the connection he made with Anna and then seeing his life end in an instance, that was heartbreaking.

Overall Twenty Boy Summer is a layered and emotional book but at the same time fun and easy to read! It provides a great balance!

Twenty Boy Summer was released on June 1st!

4/5 Stars

ARC provided by publisher

And here's an interview with Sarah Ockler!

1. Most of Twenty Boy Summer takes place on the beach, did you do any of your writing on the beach? If not at the beach did you have your sea glass handy?

I love the beach! But by the time I started working on Twenty Boy Summer, I was living in Denver, where there are *noooo* beaches (not even close!). But, while I wasn't able to write any of TBS on the beach, I did have lots of beach memories and journals from previous beach trips that I could borrow from. And of course I had my sea glass handy. I collect it in jars and it's never very far from my writing space. It really does bring me back to the ocean, even when I'm completely land-locked!

2. Twenty Boy Summer deals with some heavy issues, how did you get these feelings into words?

That's a really good question. I guess I've always been better at expressing my feelings through writing, so when it came time to write about the heavy emotions and issues in Twenty Boy Summer, it felt pretty natural. I'm the type of person who writes to get my feelings out and to work through issues, so during the novel writing process, I try to put myself in the heads and hearts of my characters and let it flow on to the page as if I was writing about my own pain or elation or confusion or whatever emotion I'm trying to convey in the scene.

3. Your book has recently been released how do you feel, what did/will you do to celebrate?

It's still a pretty surreal feeilng, but I will tell you that whenever I walk into a bookstore and see Twenty Boy Summer on the shelf, my heart jumps a little bit! The book hit the shelves a few weeks early, so Mom and I went book-stalking all around town. Then, for the official release, we had a book dinner and party with close friends and family, for which I stayed up all night making Twenty Boy Summer heart cupcakes from scratch. I may have slightly over-estimated the number of cupcakes I'd need, so now I have about 50 leftover. Hmmm. Maybe that wasn't an accident! :-)

4. What is your least favorite part of the writing process?

I really despise writing a synopsis. I just haven't mastered that whole describe-your-novel-like-a-book-report thing. Ugh. :-)

5. Do you have any advice to help me get over my fear of E.T.?

Well I used to be afraid of spiders, but now I like them. I mean, I don't let them crawl on me or anything, but I don't go around moshing them. So you just have to see E.T. as a living creature who deserves a happy home and love and family, regardless of how creepy/scary/different he seems, and maybe then you'll start to accept him into your heart. No one's saying you have to hug him or anything. But... no E.T. moshing!