Thursday, May 12, 2011

Author Interview & Giveaway: Spencer Seidel (Dead of Wynter)

Today I welcome Spencer Seidel, author of Dead of Wynter which I reviewed on Tuesday.  Please join us for this interview and make sure you enter the giveaway as well.


Dead of Wynter

1. Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer.

12-word synopsis: small town, Maine, murder, family, alcoholism, love, secrets, revenge, rage, blizzard, redemption

2. What inspired you to write Dead of Wynter?

My own family. My mother's side of the family has a troubled history. In the 1940's, an ugly rumor about a murder among cousins at a Michigan campsite surfaced. In a moment of dementia, my grandmother inadvertently revealed to my mother that there may have been some truth to the stories. Then, when my
heavy-drinking uncle died (my mother's brother), I decided to combine the two tragedies into a novel. Dead of Wynter is a kind of fermented, concentrated version of those events with plenty of made-up things thrown
in.

3. Where do you do most of your writing?

When I'm planning a novel, the less it seems like work the better. The creative rocket sauce is more potent that way. So, I usually sit on my sofa under my headphones with my iPad. Then, once I start my drafts, I sit at big bare desk my father built for me writing on a laptop. Unlike many other writers, I can't write in public spaces. I need to cocoon myself, preferably in the dark under headphones.

4. What is your favorite book?

Honestly, I consume and like so many books that my "favorite" is usually one I've read in the last year or so. Joe Hill is in that category currently. I loved Horns and Heart Shaped Box, both of which I read this past year. A few years ago, I fell in love with Caleb Carr's The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness. Before that, I might have said Stephen King's The Shining. Ken Follett, Jack Ketchum, and Peter Straub have also written favorites for me at one time or another.

5. Which part of Dead of Wynter was the most enjoyable to write?

When I was about halfway through the second draft, I happened to be at my parents' house on Cape Cod. This was in the summer of 2009. There was something about the plot as it was then that had been bugging me for several weeks. One afternoon, I stepped out of the shower and out of nowhere came a new, better idea for the second half. I rushed for a pad and pen and felt incredibly happy even though I knew I would have to go back and shuffle some things around to make it work. After that, the second half of the book was a
thrill to write.

Thank you Spencer for the great insight into you and your writing life.

Giveaway:
Thanks to Erin McNichols and Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, I have one copy of Dead of Wynter to give away.  Simply fill out the form below.  Open to US/Canada only.  Ends 5/19/2011.

If you can't see the form below, you can find it here.




Book Tour: The Lost Girls



The Lost Girls by Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, and Amanda Pressner
Publisher: Harper Perennial (Reprint edition)
Publish Date: April 26, 2011
Paperback, 560 pages 
Non-fiction
ISBN:
978-0061689079

***My review is coming later today***



About the Book:

With their thirtieth birthdays looming, Jen, Holly, and Amanda are feeling the pressure to hit certain milestones—score the big promotion, find a soul mate, have 2.2 kids. Instead, they make a pact to quit their jobs, leave behind everything familiar, and embark on a yearlong round-the-world search for inspiration and direction.
Traveling 60,000 miles across four continents, Jen, Holly, and Amanda push themselves far outside their comfort zones to embrace every adventure. Ultimately, theirs is a story of true friendship—a bond forged by sharing beds and backpacks, enduring exotic illnesses, trekking across mountains, and standing by one another through heartaches, whirlwind romances, and everything in the world in between.
About the Authors:

Jennifer Baggett is currently pursuing a freelance writing career and conspiring with her fellow Lost Girls on their next great travel and business adventures. Most recently she served as a Marketing Manager in the Branded Entertainment and Sponsorships Department at the Sundance Channel. She held the position of Integrated Marketing Manager for Vh1, Vh1.com and Vh1 Classic, and she worked in the Marketing/Ad Sales department at NBC Universal. She hails from Bowie, MD, and lives in New York City.

Amanda Pressner is a travel and lifestyle journalist and has served as Senior Nutrition Editor at Shape magazine and assistant editor at Self. She has contributed to national publications, including USA Today, Travel + Leisure, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Fitness, Prevention, Woman’s Day, First for Women, Seventeen, and Brides. She is a native of Tampa, FL, and lives in New York City.

Holly C. Corbett is a freelance writer who worked as an editor in the “Happiness” department of Self and served as the service and travel editor at Woman’s Day magazine. Her work has appeared in other publications such as Women’s Health, Prevention, Shape, Fitness, Seventeen, and Newsday. She lives in Syracuse, NY.

Find out more about Jennifer, Amanda, and Holly at The Lost Girls website, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

Jennifer, Amanda, and Holly’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, April 26th: Book Journey
Wednesday, April 27th: A Bookish Way of Life
Monday, May 2nd: Book Club Classics!
Wednesday, May 4th: Reading on a Rainy Day
Thursday, May 5th: Write Meg
Tuesday, May 10th: 2 Kids and Tired Book Reviews
Tuesday, May 10th: Books in the City
Wednesday, May 11th: Good Girl Gone Redneck
Thursday, May 12th: My Reading Room
Friday, May 13th: Amused By Books
Monday, May 16th: The House of the Seven Tails
Tuesday, May 17th: Books Like Breathing
Wednesday, May 18th: Steph and Tony Investigate