Graffiti Girl Giveaway: What's your hobby?

Like my character Angel in Graffiti Girl, I was a teen artist in high school. I even had friends who were into graffiti art. I had tried my hand at the graffiti style on paper designs, but I pretty much flunked as a graffiti artist in training. :)

But if there was an art class, I took it.

In art class, you are able to experiment with a variety of mediums. I remember learning so much. I designed artworks with acrylics, watercolors, charcoal, linoleum blocks, scratchboard and collages. We created still lifes, ceramics, and even paper mache masks.

I loved it. :) In a way, all my years of experimenting with art shaped me into who I am today.

For my giveaway, I'd love to hear your high school interests or hobbies. What is or was the activity for you in high school? Sports? Clubs? Music? Drama? Skating? Just hanging out with your friends?

Please leave me an answer in the comments and I'll pick a winner on Friday to win an autographed copy of Graffiti Girl and some promotional items! :) :)

What's Fresh with Kelly Parra's Graffiti Girl

Graffiti art. It's bold. It's thrilling. And it can get a girl into serious trouble...

Raised by her single mom (who's always dating the wrong kind of man) in a struggling California neighborhood, Angel Rodriguez is a headstrong, independent young woman who channels her hopes and dreams for the future into her painting. But when her entry for a community mural doesn't rate, she's heartbroken. Even with winning artist Nathan Ramos -- a senior track star and Angel's secret crush -- taking a sudden interest in Angel and her art, she's angry and hurt. She's determined to find her own place in the art world, her own way.

That's when Miguel Badalin -- from the notorious graffiti crew Reyes Del Norte -- opens her eyes to an underground world of graf tags and turf wars. She's blown away by this bad boy's fantastic work and finds herself drawn to his dangerous charm. Soon she's running with Miguel's crew, pushing her skills to the limit and beginning to emerge as the artist she always dreamed she could be. But Nathan and Miguel are bitter enemies with a shared past, and choosing between them and their wildly different approaches to life and art means that Angel must decide what matters most before the artist inside of her can truly break free.

* * * * *
As you know, today is the official release of GRAFFITI GIRL, and to celebrate, I am interviewing Kelly!

Tina: Hello, Kelly, could you please tell us a little about your writing background and how you sold your young adult novel GRAFFITI GIRL to MTV Books?

Kelly: If I could have seen my future about ten years ago, I would have been shocked to see that I would be a writer. Most of my life had been about art and graphic design. But about six years ago, I became an avid reader of fiction. Two years later, I read a bio about a local author who made a living at writing books, and that day I sat down to begin my first book. I started out writing Romantic Suspense, which I did sell. Unfortunately the line closed before that book could be published. A few months after my first sale, I sold GRAFFITI GIRL to MTV Pocket Books--and now I'm excited to be going in a new direction in my writing career.

Tina: Readers and writers often like to get a behind the scenes peek of an author's writing routine. It would be great if you could please share your typical writing day schedule.

Kelly: My typical day is to get up and ready my kids for school and out the door. Then when I return home, I refuel, check email and my numerous blogs, and that takes at least an hour. I can then settle into where I left off with my current book. I usually read the prior chapter to get back into the tone and scene, and that goes on with breaks until it's time to pick up the kids. Not a very eccentric lifestyle, I know!

Tina: Please tell us about your novel, GRAFFITI GIRL,published by MTV Books (May 15, 2007) and what we can expect from your characters.

Kelly: GRAFFITI GIRL is about a high school Mexican-American artist named Angel. She is drawn into the underground world of graffiti art, feeling this is the only method her artwork will be accepted and still allow her to stay true to her cultural identity. It's a story of finding where you belong and believing in your talent enough to be different. I'm hoping it will connect with teens in different ways, and that they will ultimately feel GRAFFITI GIRL is an entertaining read!

Tina: What's up next? Do you have another project in the works? If so, please tell us about it.

Kelly: I just sold my second young adult novel to MTV Books about a girl who anonymously blogs about her ability to see psychic images or signs on her fellow students and attempts to piece together the clues in order to help save them from unfortunate fates. I'm excited about finishing the book and playing with the paranormal element, which is a new aspect for me in my writing.

Tina: Sounds great! Would you like to close with a writing tip?

Kelly: Of course! Even while I was struggling to finish my first book, and trying get an agent, then getting rejection after rejection from editors, there was this voice inside that kept saying, "Don't give up." So that's what I like to say to writers who know how hard it is to finish that first or second book. The ones who feel discouraged after receiving a rejection from an agent, editor, or even a contest. Don't give up. If you work hard enough, keep working on your craft, and keep going, your break could be just around the corner. Thanks for chatting with me, Tina!

Kelly Parra writes young adult fiction for MTV Books. When not at work on her current novel, she spends her free time roaming bookstores, surfing the blogosphere, and watching reality TV. GRAFFITI GIRL is her debut novel. For an excerpt visit, www.kellyparra.com.

Graffiti Girl Week At YA Fresh!

Today is May 14th, and tomorrow is the official release date for Graffiti Girl...

Woo-hoo!!

Graffiti Girl has actually been hitting B&N stores in different parts of the US. Here I was prepping for my big release day when GG has been trickling in at different locations. haha!

Tina was kind enough to join me in celebrating the release of Graffiti Girl this week and having a Graffiti Girl week at YA Fresh!

This week we'll have an interview with Tina and me, some fresh GG talk, and a contest for a chance to win a free copy of Graffiti Girl along with some little GG promo items like buttons, bookmarks, and stickers oh my. So stay tuned for some fresh fun!

I'll start off the week with a little character run down...

Angel is a teen artist. A little rough around the edges and really doesn't know her self-worth. She believes she can find it through her art. Even though she struggles with what is right or wrong, she has a good heart. She finds herself torn between two artists...one with a beautiful eye for detail, another who uses the streets as his canvas.

Miguel is the leader of a small town graffiti crew. He basically does what he wants to get what he wants. Right now he wants Angel in his crew. He's a bad boy and doesn't care what anyone thinks. He's also got a hidden feud with Track star and artist, Nathan...

Nathan creates art with classic beauty, and he wants to show Angel a different track with her work. But is it because he really is her friend or that he just doesn't like Miguel? And will Angel see past the differences in their lifestyles in order to find out?

Stay tuned for more sharing this week! :)

RWA’s Readers for Life

At the Romance Writers of America national conferences, they hold a “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing session, where over 400 authors sign books donated by the publishers, with the proceeds of sales going to literary charities.

The Lit Signing, as it is often called, is one of my favorite events. In fact, several years ago, I volunteered as a runner, and ended up with the dream job of badge checker at the Author Only Door. I got to hob-nob with every author who entered, put faces to names, exchange a few words. I was in Heaven!

At one point, three authors arrived together. Two had their badges prominently displayed, but at my angle, I could not see a badge on the third. So I said, “Excuse me” to her to get her to turn my way. She did and met my eye. Looking very much as she does here:


I sort of gasped, and backed away to let them all in. Can anyone tell me who that third author was? Does saying her books have spent a combined 116 weeks at the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list help? (And Kelly--no fair you jumping in!) And how funny is it that of all people, she was the one I questioned entering the Author Only Door!

Anyway, I am thrilled to add that this July 11th I am going to be one of those authors who gets to enter the Author Only Door, and sign for the literacy cause. If any of you attend the event, please come by my table and say hello!

Feels Like Home

There are days when you are in the mood for something different. Something you can read that will make you sit back and think.

After reading Feels Like Home (Delacorte Press, April 2007) by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, that's just what I did.

E. writes with a vivid imagery, and she creates characters that are unique and dealing with strong emotional dilemmas.

Feels Like Home opens at the funeral of Mickey's father, a girl holding it together the best she can. Then her brother Danny shows up after leaving six years before, and she's faced with all these feelings of dealing with her father's death, the abandonment of her brother, and the past she's not ready to face.

She doesn't know where her brother has been, only that he's trying to make things right between them again, but is Mickey ready to accept that? One strong connection Danny keeps returning to is an old copy of S.E Hinton's The Outsiders.

The problem is while Danny is trying to remember their relationship, Mickey is trying to forget.

Feels Like Home is a page-turning story of family, of living in the past, and the journey they face in order to move forward. A strong emotional and recommended read!

(Check out e.E. Charlton-Trujillo's YA Fresh interview here.)

What's Fresh with Alyson Noël's Kiss & Blog

What’s the best revenge when your best friend ditches you for the popular crowd? Alyson Noël reveals all in her hot new young adult novel.

As freshmen at Ocean High last year, Winter and her best friend Sloane thought they could ditch their nerdy past, launching from invisible to cool. But after another miserable year of standing on the sidelines they make a pact to do whatever it takes not to go unnoticed in their sophomore year, promising each other that whoever makes it into the cool group first will bring the other along.

One Sloane gets a taste of life on the A-list, she slams that door in Winter’s face. Suddenly cast out of her former best friend’s life, Winter takes revenge the modern way: by announcing all of Sloane’s dirty little secrets on an anonymous blog. Then the blog becomes more popular than she ever dreamed and Winter must decide if her retaliation is really worth the consequences—and if the price for popularity is one she’s willing to pay. Once again, Alyson Noël navigates the tricky waters of the high school social scene with the heart and humor her readers have come to love.

Hello Alyson, thanks for agreeting to chat. Could you please tell us a little about your writing background and how you made your first sale to St. Martin's Press?

Alyson: Well, I always knew I wanted to be a writer, but it wasn’t until I was working as a flight attendant in NYC, dealing with the post 9/11 pay cuts, that I finally made the decision to sit down and write a book. The moment I finished the manuscript I sent it out to a long list of publishers, crossed my fingers, and waited for the offers to come pouring in! Seriously, that’s how green and naïve I was! When I received a steady stream of very encouraging rejection letters instead, I enrolled in some online writing courses, and worked on the revision. Through one of those classes, I met a writer who led me to my then agent. And after yet another revision, it ended up selling to St. Martin’s Press. My debut novel, Faking 19, was the first book I ever wrote, but it went through several story incarnations before it finally sold.

Readers and writers often like to get a behind the scenes peek of an author's writing routine. It would be great if you could please share your typical writing day schedule.

Alyson: Okay, but I’m warning you it’s not pretty! It involves a full day of sweat pants, way too many cups of coffee, a delayed shower, and a lot of Internet scrolling I like to refer to as “research.” But once I do get going, and really get into the zone of the story, I can write for hours, only stopping when my fingers are gnarled and cramped, or my favorite TV shows come on. I love that feeling of getting lost in my character’s lives--so much that I only take the shortest of breaks between books.

Hey, sweat pants and lots of Internet? That's sounds too familiar. haha! Please tell us about your latest novel Kiss & Blog and what we can expect from your characters.

Alyson: Kiss & Blog is coming out in May and it’s published by St. Martin’s Press. It’s about two best friends, Winter and Sloane, who are sick of being unpopular they make a pact to do whatever it takes to get in with the cool group, promising that whoever makes it in first, will bring the other along. But when Sloane gets a taste of life on the A-list, she leaves Winter behind, so Winter gets revenge by revealing all of Sloane’s dirty little secrets in an anonymous blog. . . which ends up being not so anonymous after all. . .

A story of friendship and betrayal. Sounds like my kind of read! What's up next, Alyson? Do you have another project in the works? If so, please tell us about it.

Alyson: Saving Zoë is coming out in September 2007, and it’s the story of Echo, a typical teen trying to survive the dramas of high school while dealing with the aftermath of the brutal murder of her older sister Zoë. When Echo gets hold of Zoë’s diary, she doubts there’s anything in it she doesn’t already know. But once she starts reading, she learns that her sister led a secret life no one could have guessed. . .

Wow, looking forward to both books. Thanks again for sharing, Alyson. I wish you the best with your writing career. Would you like to close with a writing tip?

Alyson: I think it’s important to allow yourself to just write, to create freely and without judgment, because no one writes a pretty first draft! So instead of trying to be Pulitzer perfect, just fill up the page without any boundaries or negative self-talk, since you’re just going to go back and revise it a gazillion times anyway, so you might as well let it all out, and see where it leads.

Alyson Noël is the author of Faking 19, Art Geeks and Prom Queens, Laguna Cove, Fly Me to the Moon, and the upcoming Kiss & Blog, and Saving Zoë. An OC native, she’s lived in Mykonos and Manhattan, only to return to Laguna Beach where she lives and writes full time. Visit her website, www.alysonnoel.com.

Crush City

(My mind is cluttered and I'm afraid it will be for the next 2 weeks with the release of Graffiti Girl. *tha-thump-tha-thump* Yes, that's my heartbeat. haha.)

I thought I'd chat a little about my celebrity crushes as a young girl.

There was Kirk Cameron. Oh, Growing Pains was one of my fave shows!



There was Tom Cruise--The Top Gun Tom.



Johnny Depp in 21 Jump Street.



Okay, who am I kidding? Johnny Depp will always be a crush for me.


So do tell--who is or was your young crush??

Yearbooks

Back in school, I think I liked my yearbooks as much as the next person. I opened them eagerly, spent a few days studying every page and getting friends' signatures--then basically put them on the shelf.

But the summer I was 16, I fell madly in love with a yearbook. We were visiting some family friends, and their oldest daughter had just graduated from high school. She seemed mildly amused when I started picking her yearbook up, and asking questions about who-was-going-out-with-who, was-this-girl-as-nice-as-she-looked, etc. But as days passed, I know my extreme interest both perplexed and annoyed her.

I didn't understand it, either. Just that those pictures made stories explode in my head, and they filled me in a way my day-to-day conversations didn't. Those yearbook people were all strangers to me, and therefore, clean slates for my random creations of backstories, plot lines and romances. Completely unlike my own yearbooks, which were filled with people I knew. No room for fantasy there.

It wasn't until years later that I looked back on that infatuation for what it was, part of my writer's journey.

For a laugh, here's my graduation picture--bad hair, squinty eye and all:


Wonder if anyone ever looked at it and found the inspiration to create an alternate persona for me? Nah...but hey, I can always dream up someone dreaming me up!

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled YA Blogging For A Good Newz Announcement...

Sometimes the cosmos align at the same time for Tina and me. We are proud to announce our latest Young Adult novel sales:

May 3rd - Children's: Young Adult

How to Hook a Hottie author Tina Ferraro's THE ABCs OF KISSING, again to Krista Marino at Random House, by Nadia Cornier at Firebrand Literary.

April 30th - Children's: Young Adult

Graffiti Girl author Kelly Parra's SIGNS, in which a seventeen-year-old Latina anonymously blogs about her ability to see psychic images or signs on her fellow students and attempts to piece together the sign clues in order to help save them from unfortunate fates, again to Jen Heddle at Pocket, by Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary Agency.

Thanks for letting us share. It's been an exciting week! :) :)

What's Fresh with Rosemary Clement-Moore's Prom Dates From Hell

Maggie Quinn, Girl reporter. Honors student, newspaper staffer, yearbook photographer. Six weeks from graduation and all she wants to do is get out of Avalon High in one piece. Fate seems to have different plans for her.

High school may be a natural breeding ground for evil, but the scent of fire and brimstone is still a little out of the ordinary. It's the distinct smell of sulfur that makes Maggie suspect that something's a bit off. And when realTwilight Zone stuff starts happening to the school's ruling clique—the athletic elite and the head cheerleader and her minions, all of whom happen to be named Jessica—Maggie realizes it's up to her to get in touch with her inner Nancy Drew and ferret out who unleashed the ancient evil before all hell breaks loose.

Maggie has always suspected that prom is the work of the devil, but it looks like her attendance will be mandatory. Sometimes a girl's got to do some pretty undesirable things if she wants to save her town from soul-crushing demons from hell and the cheerleading squad.

Hi Rosemary, thanks for agreeing to chat! Could you please tell us a little about your writing background and how you made your first sale?

Rosemary: I’ve always made up stories--sometimes written down, sometimes acted out. I worked of a tiny little theatre in a tiny little town, and taught classes and wrote plays. It gave me an ear for dialogue, and since I was writing plays that my teen students would enjoy performing, and their parents would find funny, too, it made YA a natural fit for my voice.

When I started writing Prom Dates From Hell, I was at a crossroads. I’d quit my job two years before in order to take care of my ailing father, and after he died, I had to decide what to do next. It was either: (a) go back to school, (b) get a job (gulp!), or (c) stop talking about writing a book and actually write one. I didn’t have money for school, and was terrified of looking for a “real” job in a new (very big!) city, so I gave myself the summer to write a book. I did nothing but write, and on Labor Day I sent out my first query letter, to my soon to be agent and about four others. Within six weeks, Lucienne had accepted me, and by the first week in November we’d sold Prom Dates From Hell (and a sequel) to Delacorte Press. I’m so glad I decided not to turn in that Starbucks application!

Readers and writers often like to get a behind the scenes peek of an author's writing routine. It would be great if you could please share your typical writing day schedule.

I write most of my new pages at night; 10 PM to 2 AM are prime writing hours. The house is asleep, everything is closed, no one is going to call. I get twice as much written in those four hours than the whole rest of the day.

Unfortunately, right now I have a new puppy, who, no matter when I last let her out at night, has to get up to pee at 6:05 AM. Plus, our house is on the market, and it’s embarrassing being in your PJs at 10 AM and having a realtor show up at your door. (I’ve answered the door for the UPS man more than once in my bathrobe, but if I’m in my PJs, you can bet the beds are unmade and the dishes undone.)

So usually I do my non-writing tasks in the morning: read blogs, answer e-mail, do any household errands. In the afternoon I either do research, edit, or write new pages, depending on where I am in the book. I take a break mid-afternoon, sometimes to take the puppy for a walk, sometimes for a nap (see above re: 6:05 AM). Mostly I play Guitar Hero. Usually I’ll go back to work (unless I’m really kicking it on GH) until dinner, then it’s TV time until I put my butt back in the chair at 10.

Please tell us about Prom Dates From Hell and what we can expect from your characters.

Rosemary: Prom Dates From Hell (Delacorte Press, March 07) is the first in a series of Young Adult Supernatural Mysteries. Maggie Quinn is the smart, sarcastic girl detective who has to figure out who, or what, is behind the eerie ‘accidents’ befalling the school’s elite. She’s also slightly psychic, something she won’t even admit to herself, and since she can’t stand the victims--which include half the cheerleading squad, all of them named Jessica--it would be easy to just ignore the things only she can see. But she can’t, so she teams up with her best friend, D&D Lisa (ex-Goth and presumptive valedictorian), and a rather hunky college student with a mysterious interest in the supernatural. Maggie is more smart-ass than ass-kicker, but she gets her girl detective game on to tackle demons, hellhounds… and the cheerleading squad.

Sounds like my kind of read, Rosemary! What's up next? Do you have another project in the works? If so, please tell us about it.

Rosemary: The next book in the series, Hell Week, will be coming out in early spring 2008. Maggie is a freshman in college, and when she goes through Sorority Rush in order to write a newspaper story, she discovers a Sorority that is supernaturally successful, both in college and in their careers. Social networking, or Faustian bargain with the devil? Maggie goes undercover to find out, even if it means learning how to flat iron her hair.

I’m currently at work on the third “Hell Book,” but it’s at the super secret stage. (In other words, I still don’t know how it ends.)

Thanks again for sharing with us, Rosemary. I wish you the best with your new series! Would you like to close with a writing tip?

Rosemary: Read everything: all types of books, even things that you wouldn’t ordinarily chose to read. When you’re developing your narrative voice, what you don’t like can be as important as what you do. Experiment with different genres, styles and voices and see what seems natural to you. Then put your butt in the chair and write. Keep writing until it’s not crappy any more. And never think you’re wasting your time. Every word you put onto paper (or into phosphor) is one closer to being published.

And if at all possible, have fun! It will show in your writing. :)

Rosemary Clement-Moore has been writing stories her whole life, even when she should have been doing other things, like algebra homework. Despite this inauspicious beginning, she managed to acquire a master’s degree in communication, along with an eclectic resume. Now she writes full time, which allows her to research weird subjects and work in her pajamas. She lives in Texas with her husband and too many pets, none of whom really understand why the best writing hours are between ten and night and two in the morning—but let her sleep late anyway. Visit her website, www.rosemaryclementmoore.com

(Check out the YA Fresh review for Prom Dates From Hell, too!)