Spotlighting Stacey Jay's You Are So Undead to Me

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing fellow Deb, Stacey Jay, author of YOU ARE SO UNDEAD TO ME. Stacey Jay is a workaholic with three pen names, four kids, and a decidedly macabre sense of humor. She loves zombies, creepies, crawlies, blood, guts, gore, and of course, romance. YOU ARE SO UNDEAD TO ME, Stacey's debut paranormal for Young Adult Romance featuring Zombie Settler, Megan Berry, released January 22nd from Razorbill Books.

Here's a summary of YOU ARE SO UNDEAD TO ME: Megan Berry's social life is so dead. Literally. Fifteen-year-old Megan Berry is a Zombie Settler by birth, which means she's part-time shrink to a bunch of dead people. All Megan wants is to be normal--and go to homecoming. But someone in school is using black magic to turn average, angsty Undead into flesh-eating Zombies, and it's looking like homecoming will turn out to be a very different kind of party--the bloody kind.

So, without further interruption, here is Stacey's interview . . .

NM: How old is the protagonist in your novel?

SJ: 15

NM: Think back to a time when you were the same age as the main character in your novel. If you could give that You one single piece of advice, what would it be?

SJ: Relax and smile more. Life is a lot funnier than you think it is right now, I promise.

NM: Did you go to your high school prom/graduation? If no, what did you do instead? If yes, what did you wear?

SJ: Yes, I went to both. For prom I wore a fabulous late 90's monstrosity with LOTS of blue sparkles. Sparkles=The Fabulous in 1996. To graduation I wore the black robe thing. That's what I was supposed to wear, right? I mean, I wore something underneath, but who remembers what that was? Not me, lol. I've drank lots of water since then.

NM: If your book had a theme song, what would it be?

SJ: "The World is A Vampire" by Smashing Pumpkins. I can really see Megan kicking zombie tail to that song.

NM: Which celebrity/ies did you look up to when you were the same age as your protagonist?

SJ: Um...I...uh...I was supposed to be looking up to people? Lol. Really, I wasn't into celebrities. I thought my mom and dad were awesome and Aunt Violet was the sweetest person in the world and I wanted to be as calm and composed and southern ladylike as my next door neighbor, but no real celebrity role models. I thought celebrities were way too interested in themselves. Still do.

NM: Finish this sentence: I highly recommend that everyone ___________.

SJ: Eat cheese. Lots and lots of cheese.

NM: Finish this sentence: Never, EVER ________. But if you must, then ______________.

SJ: bicycle naked. But if you must, then smile a lot to detract attention from what is no doubt a painful experience.

NM: Chocolate or vanilla?

SJ: Both please. And more.

NM: What is your favorite (non-alcoholic) beverage?

SJ: Hmmm...water, I guess. Water is just good stuff.

NM: What is your ideal vacation: skiing the Alps in the winter, or exploring the coral reef in the Caribbean?

SJ: I'm usually going all the time at home--four kids, writing, photography jobs, the gym--so when I go on vacation it would be drinking cocoa and watching the snow fall in the Alps and basking in the sun in the Caribbean. Vegetation is my preferred method of vacation no matter what the setting, lol.

Thanks, Stacey Jay! We wish you all the best with your YA debut!

You can visit Stacey Jay at her website, and you can buy the book here.

My First For Real Official Industry Review

So I got my first ever real, official, industry review from Kirkus Reviews. Aaaaaand, it wasn't bad! They mostly summarized the novel, then added this:

"This straightforward and ultimately reassuring novel reads like an older Sikh version of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret and will fill a niche in any school or public library looking to beef up their YA multicultural fiction offerings."

I am a happy, happy gal.

Widgets

Notice the bright, shiny, new widget -------->

Courtesy of fellow Deb, Kurtis Scaletta, author of Mudville which is out in THIRTY-NINE days. Kurtis was wonderful enough to help my techno-illiterate behind through the bugs of getting that baby up. So, if you've got my other widget up somewhere, know that it will run out of juice sometime in early February. That's when the Sproutbuilder folks who host these widgets are kicking us all out of the party and making us pay alodda money. Which, obviously, I will not be doing. :)

Contests

Okay, so I'm still computer deprived, which means Facebook deprived (gasp!) and chat deprived (double gasp!), but I am at the library -- a favorite spot that always reminds me of childhood -- and I'm still posting and keeping up. Or trying to, anyway.

But big news: my contests are now open (the writing one actually starts on the 15th, but close enough). If you are between the ages of 14 and 19, or know people who are, click on the "Contests" link on my website and read all about it. Then pass the info along to all your friends and acquaintances! They could win (the equivalent of) muh-nay!!

What could be a better way to start the year off, right?

My Computer,

it is dead. So please forgive the brief silence as I wait for a new one and grieve the loss of the last one.

It was good one, that Old Faithful. Saw me through at least four or five full manuscripts, three email address changes, three career changes, and two children. Yeesh! It's like losing a dear friend. I will miss you, dear OF. But I will also be very glad when the new one comes so that I can go back to working from my own desk instead of these carels (sp?) at the library. I have 12 minutes remaining in this online session. SIGH.

Aaaaaand, we're back.

Today, I hit the ground running -- having to wake my cells up at the most un-Godly hour of 7 a.m. and getting the kids to school. They, of course, were asking reasonable questions like, "Why do we have to wake up when it's still night time?"

Why, indeed.

The break was a much needed balm for my tired and weary self. I got to reassess and regroup and resuscitate. But most importantly, I got to remember. I got back in touch with what's real and True and important, and all of that re-discovery is glowing in my solar plexus region, warming me up for the next few months. I'm stepping into this upcoming year with a clearer sense of what I need to work on in myself to make Me a way better person. SO important to do that every now and then, isn't it?

In other news: now that it is 2009, we are officially in Debut mode for the Feast of Awesome. I will be hosting the 2009 Debs Blog Tour here throughout the year. First up will be Stacey Jay with her debut novel, YOU ARE SO UNDEAD TO ME, coming out on January 22nd.

In the meantime, I will be working on new projects and finely tuning lingering ones. What about you? What will you be working on?

Happy New Year!

It is finally 2009. It seems as if I have been waiting for this year forEVER. It is a big year for me and for my fellow debut authors. I'm already set for my first reading at the Jefferson Market Library in the village, NYC, on April 1st. More details on that as we near spring.

But in the meantime, here's hoping 2009 is our most joyous, peaceful, prosperous, and healthy year yet!

~N.