Allow me to now introduce Bouncer, Maggie Hall! Seriously, love this girl! She's been a great support to me with my own work, and I've loved what I've read of hers. Could not be more happy to know her novel is getting published! She's repped by Claudia Ballard, and I just know you guys will love her, too!
Hi, Maggie! Please share a little about yourself:
I recently moved from Albuquerque, NM to New Orleans, LA with my husband and three cats, because experiencing new places is one of my very favorite things in the world. I also love cooking (and eating!), watching football, redecorating, reading everything, and of course, writing, and I blog over at YA Misfits.
I recently moved from Albuquerque, NM to New Orleans, LA with my husband and three cats, because experiencing new places is one of my very favorite things in the world. I also love cooking (and eating!), watching football, redecorating, reading everything, and of course, writing, and I blog over at YA Misfits.
Now tell us a little about your book(s) or what you like to
write:
My book, currently called THE ELITE (though that is likely to change!) is a YA international thriller. Picture something like a YA DaVinci Code with kissing, and you've got the idea. It's the first in a trilogy, coming from Putnam/Penguin starting in 2014.
My book, currently called THE ELITE (though that is likely to change!) is a YA international thriller. Picture something like a YA DaVinci Code with kissing, and you've got the idea. It's the first in a trilogy, coming from Putnam/Penguin starting in 2014.
What MUST we read? And what's in your TBR pile?
This is such a hard question--there are so many books I love! Some recent ones I've especially enjoyed are DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE and BITTERBLUE, and I feel like the GONE books by Michael Grant never get enough hype. They are creepy and fabulous. I keep hearing great things about SHADOW AND BONE and SERAPHINA, so those are on my TBR pile, along with a zillion other things.
This is such a hard question--there are so many books I love! Some recent ones I've especially enjoyed are DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE and BITTERBLUE, and I feel like the GONE books by Michael Grant never get enough hype. They are creepy and fabulous. I keep hearing great things about SHADOW AND BONE and SERAPHINA, so those are on my TBR pile, along with a zillion other things.
What are those crumbs around your computer? And what is that
music I hear?
The tastes that will always remind me of this book are sour gummi worms and bourbon with a little bit of coke and a lime! I did a lot of late-night writing with those things on hand. :) And my playlist is huge and varied, but I love the band After Midnight Project, and can listen to their albums on repeat any time I want to get in the writing mood.
The tastes that will always remind me of this book are sour gummi worms and bourbon with a little bit of coke and a lime! I did a lot of late-night writing with those things on hand. :) And my playlist is huge and varied, but I love the band After Midnight Project, and can listen to their albums on repeat any time I want to get in the writing mood.
Is it all about the pants or all about the outline?
Somewhere in between. The first draft of THE ELITE was all pantsed, and because of that, needed a HUGE amount of revision. For book 2, I already have a vague outline, and I think that will really help keep me on track. I also love the Save the Cat Beat Sheet, which is great for making sure you have the plot points you need thought out without taking away the excitement of discovery in the writing process.
Somewhere in between. The first draft of THE ELITE was all pantsed, and because of that, needed a HUGE amount of revision. For book 2, I already have a vague outline, and I think that will really help keep me on track. I also love the Save the Cat Beat Sheet, which is great for making sure you have the plot points you need thought out without taking away the excitement of discovery in the writing process.
Any words of wisdom for our brave contest entrants?
This business is subjective. It's really, really subjective. Not getting a, "You're in!" from the bouncers doesn't mean you won't find your perfect agent! Keep revising, keep submitting, and just concentrate on making your work the best you can, and eventually, you will find your perfect match.
This business is subjective. It's really, really subjective. Not getting a, "You're in!" from the bouncers doesn't mean you won't find your perfect agent! Keep revising, keep submitting, and just concentrate on making your work the best you can, and eventually, you will find your perfect match.
Now give up your guilty pleasure!
I don't believe in guilty pleasures, because I don't believe in feeling guilty about the things that make you happy! That being said, I might get made fun of for actually liking cheesy ABC Family movies and watching too much HGTV. And I guess I sometimes feel just a LITTLE guilty about how much Nutella I can eat out of the jar with a spoon...
***
Thank you, Maggie!!
Thank you for reading! Comments and questions below...
I don't believe in guilty pleasures, because I don't believe in feeling guilty about the things that make you happy! That being said, I might get made fun of for actually liking cheesy ABC Family movies and watching too much HGTV. And I guess I sometimes feel just a LITTLE guilty about how much Nutella I can eat out of the jar with a spoon...
***
Thank you, Maggie!!
Thank you for reading! Comments and questions below...
Fact: Maggie is amazing and an obscenely fantastic CP and writer. Anyone would be lucky to be bounced by her! Or not bounced. Yeah, probably the latter one.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Agree with Dahlia. Maggie, you are AWESOME! This is a great interview!! Can't wait to watch this all unfold <33
ReplyDelete