mood: intense
pandora/ipod: "the theme from rocky"
A middle grade series by Amanda Ashby
Book One: Wishful Thinking (May 31st Puffin)
Be careful what you wish for…
After eleven year old Sophie accidentally gets herself turned into a djinn, she starts to think that it might not be so bad after all. (Of course, that’s after she gets the whole orange skin problem sorted out.) Who wouldn’t enjoy having the power to grant wishes! But when Sophie develops RWD (Random Wish Disorder) and can’t STOP granting wishes, things get more than a little mixed-up!
And that spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E…
As Sophie gets used to her magic, her relationship with the adorable Jonathan Tait is blossoming. There’s only one problem: Jonathan’s twin sister, Melissa. She’s a total mean girl who seems intent on making Sophie’s life miserable. On top of that, Melissa somehow seems to sense that Sophie has powers–and manages to bind Sophie to her in a totally self-serving way. Can Sophie figure out a way out of this–without ruining her chances with Jonathan?
Book one and two are a simultaneous release and watch out for book three in October…
Amanda Ashby was born in Australia and after spending the last sixteen years dividing her time between England and New Zealand, she’s finally moved back and now lives on the Sunshine Coast. When she’s not moving country, she likes to write books (okay, she also likes to eat chocolate, watch television and sit around doing not much, but let’s just keep that amongst ourselves, shall we?)
She has a degree in English and Journalism from the University of Queensland and is married with two children. Her debut book, You Had Me at Halo was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice award, and her first young adult book Zombie Queen of Newbury High was listed by the New York Public Library’s Stuff for the Teen Age 2010. Her latest release, Fairy Bad Day, has been selected by Voya as one of their Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers 2012 and is a SCBWI Crystal Kite Award finalist for the Australia/NZ region. To find out more, please go to www.amandaashby.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ME: What are your favorite and least favorite parts of the writing "process"?
AA: Plotting is really hard for me. I have a lot of ideas and I struggle to figure out which ones are good and which ones are ridiculous (and sometimes I try and sneak ridiculous ideas in just to see if my editor is awake or not!). My favorite part of the writing process is when I’m finally “into” the story and instead of trying to figure it all out, I’m just writing and letting myself enjoy it!
ME: What was the main inspiration for this book?
AA: The long term inspiration is from all of the US shows I watched growing up – Bewitched, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and I Dream of Jeannie. I loved the idea of a secret life and invisible friends and the need to hide it from the real world!
ME: Who would you cast if your book was made into a movie?
AA: I love my cover model and she so totally looks like “my Sophie” that I would have to cast her. As for her pesky side kick, Malik, well, considering he looks like Zac Efron, it would be remiss of me not to give Zac the part!
ME: If you could ask one person, living or dead, a single question that they'd HAVE to answer, who and what would be it?
AA: I would ask Jane Austen if she has anymore manuscripts hidden away so that I could find them and read them. And yes, I guess we could share them with the rest of the world as well!
FAST FIVE:
Pie or Cake? Cake
Coffee or Tea? Coffee
Mac or PC? PC
Guilty Pleasure? I never feel guilty for doing things I enjoy!
Can't live without? Diet Coke and Buffy
Thank you, Amanda! Can't wait to read about Sophie!!!!
My goodness, someone else remembers "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir"!! I loved that when I was young. When I was very young. Yeah, like in the womb. Nope, just a thought in my parents' heads. I'm not an old-fogey, I'm not!
ReplyDeleteFun interview! Best of luck to Amanda. :-)