Visit with Janet Lee Carey

www.janetleecarey.com

Thanks to all the TRT readers for today’s blog visit. Some of you already know me and my work – six books out so far and sequels are on the way. Along with my YA fantasies, STEALING DEATH, DRAGON’S KEEP, & THE BEAST OF NOOR, I’m proud to be one of the founding divas of readergirlz. For readers taking their first look I hope you enjoy the interview, and may you be one of the lucky winners!



1) Twitter your newest or upcoming release in 140 characters or less.

In STEALING DEATH, Kipp steals the Soul Sack from Death to save the life of the girl he loves.

2) What was your favorite book growing up as a teen?

I loved A WRINKLE IN TIME. I still love that book. WRINKLE was rejected more than 26 times. Finally Farrar, Straus and Giroux said yes, and it was published in 1962. It went on to receive the Newbery Medal in 1963. The story of Madeline L’Engle’s struggle to get the book published gave me hope in the years when I received nothing but rejection letters.

3) When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to compose classical symphonies (something to do with my father playing them full blast and waving his arms like a mad conductor on Saturday mornings). Luckily, I also wanted to write fantasy books for children and young adults, so one of my dreams came true.

4) Your favorite subject in high school – and your least favorite.

Favorite - I took a challenging poetry class my senior year. We read and wrote poetry. Reading my poems aloud and receiving critique was my first step into the writing world. Least favorite – That’s got to be Driver’s Ed.

5) The book you wish you had written.

Had written? The one I’m working on now. I’m looking forward to getting past the “gnarly revision” stage to the “have written” stage.

6) Your five favorite reads from 2009 (books you read during the year; they do not have to have been published during 2009).

POWERS and LAVINIA, by Ursula K. Le Guin
THE KING OF ATTOLIA, by Megan Whalen Turner
NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL, by Justina Chen Headley
GRACELING, by Kristin Cashore (We have the same awesome editor, Kathy Dawson.)
THE SOLOIST, by Steve Lopez
KITCHEN TABLE WISDOM, by Rachel Naomi Remen

7) The 2010 release you’re most looking forward to reading.

SHADOW PRINCESS, by Indu Sundaresan (The third book in her Taj Mahal trilogy.)

8) You have the chance to go back and change a scene from one of your previous releases. What book would you choose, what scene would you change, and how would you alter it?

Part of me has always regretted losing Kit in DRAGONS KEEP. It’s never easy to kill a beloved character. But Kit’s valiant effort to save a drowning dragon pip becomes pivotal to the story, so even though I miss her, I wouldn’t change it.

9) You’ve invented a new national holiday. What is it called, and what does it celebrate? (Plus, would we get the day off of school and work??)

RAK day (Random Acts of Kindness Day). Of course no work or school. Everyone would be encouraged to do one kind act (big or small). Maybe just make someone smile.

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Oh, my beautiful, demanding cat, Uke, just jumped up on my keyboard, thus the word scramble above. I’ve firmly placed her on my lap where she’s purring away contentedly now. Now back to the interview.

10) Using the letters J L W (my initials!), create the title of your next bestseller. (For example, Jumping Love Walrus.)

Teen Romance:
Julian Loves Wolfman

Gross-out Kid’s Book
Juicy Luscious Worms

11) What is your ultimate vacation destination?

We loved vacationing in London, Scotland, and Japan. Lately we’ve been flying to Maui to soak up the sunshine and swim in the warm Hawaiian sea. I go snorkeling every chance I get. I had a blast swimming in the pool below the waterfall (see photo). The pool had a rope swing. Hang on, fly out, let go, Splash.



12) The world has suffered from a one-day only loss of power. You have no cell phone, computer, lights, or anything else that requires a computer, cell battery, or electricity. What do you spend the day doing?

If the power goes out at night, we sit by the fire with friends and family and tell stories. Or we light a beach fire and dance (see the dance scene in STEALING DEATH chapter 34.)

Since my fantasy novels all take place in a time before we harnessed electricity, my teen characters have to go without computers, cell phones, iPods etc. Kipp’s on the run from Death, and the other characters deal with dragons and phantom beasts, so lack of electricity is the least of their troubles; they’ve got bigger things to worry about.

13) If you weren’t an author, what job would you be doing?

I’d love to write musicals or movie scores.

14) Your publisher has instructed you to write a new series based on an endangered species. What animal do you choose?

So many endangered animals (including humans) need the world’s forests that maintain our richly oxygenated biosphere. So I’d pick trees. Actually, I’ve already got the book. In THE DRAGONS OF NOOR, Miles and Hanna join with a band of dragons fighting to save an ancient forest. The book will be out in the fall. I was so happy when EgmontUSA acquired the book; I adopted an acre of endangered rainforest through Nature Conservancy (http://www.nature.org/).

15) A movie is being made of ONE of your books. Which book is it, and who will star as the main characters?

WENNY HAS WINGS was a feature film in Japan in 2008. My husband and I flew there with my agent, Irene Kraas, to see the preview at Sony Studios.

Here’s the photo of actor Yutaka Takenouchi who played Will’s father in the movie.



I’ll be thrilled if one of the fantasies becomes a movie.

16) The paranormal genre is big in teen/YA literature right now. Most bestsellers feature vampires, werewolves, faeries, angels, or the like as a main character. In your opinion, why are teens currently fascinated with all things paranormal?

~There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.~
--- Hamlet

The paranormal genre is big because it pushes the boundaries and gives readers headroom to explore the more haunting questions. I love paranormal and fantasy fiction for just the same reason.

A novel is essentially a Question that doesn't accept an easy answer. As adults we tend to forget there is a word hidden within the word Question – and that is Quest

Quest and Question share the same Latin root (quaerere) – to seek.

A teen protagonist is willing to take on the Quest of the Question. To live it out and fight it out. To wrestle with demons and angels.

17) You’re writing a book where you can change one major historical event. Which event do you change? (For example, Abraham Lincoln wasn’t assassinated, or Japan never bombed Pearl Harbor.)

Kind of cheating, but I’d say all of WWII: No Hitler. No concentration camps. No atomic bombs wiping out Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

18) Any writing rituals?

I collect talismans for each book. I have a small African clay hut on my writing desk for STEALING DEATH, and a pewter dragon for DRAGON’S KEEP. I often burn a candle while I’m writing and drink strong, hot tea from a thermos. I work sitting cross-legged on my chair with a blanket over my shoulders. I look rather monkish when I'm writing.

19) Someone tells you that you’ll never publish another book that you write. Do you still keep writing?

Who is this “Someone” who says I’ll never publish another book? I wrote for years with no promise of publication, so I can’t stop now.

20) A group of teens ask you the best way to become a published writer. How do you answer the question?

Read. Read. Read. Journal. Write. Play on Paper (or Create on Computer).
Tell the stories you want to tell. The world needs more storytellers. Find friends who also like to write and start your own critique group. Don’t give up.

**Thank you so much for inviting me to visit the terrific TeensReadToo blog today.

What they’re saying about STEALING DEATH:

School Library Journal

*CAREY, Janet Lee. Stealing Death. 360p. Egmont USA. Sept. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-60684-009-2; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-1-60684-045-0. LC number unavailable.
Gr 7 Up–With this novel, Carey goes beyond common fantasy fare in several dimensions. Unusual for this day and age of series that go on and on, Stealing Death is a complete story in a single volume. “Pales” are immigrants who have fled south from their northern continent’s troubles and who are looked down upon by the native Zolyans. One morning Kipp, 17, leaves his little brother in charge of lighting the stove so that he can attempt to capture a wild horse whose sale might save the family farm during this time of drought, when there is no money to pay the landlord. He fails and returns to find his home engulfed in flames. Kipp manages to save his sister, but not his parents or brother. It is at this moment that his Naqui powers come to him, allowing him to see the Gwali, “the collector of souls.” Kipp cannot stop his family’s souls from entering the Kwaja, the Gwali’s sack, but vows to do whatever it takes to steal it and prevent others he loves from dying. Steal it he does, but that is only the beginning. Carey’s wonderful language weaves family, love, wise teachers, and petty villains together in a vast landscape. It calls to mind Hilari Bell’s “Farsala” trilogy (S & S), but this is truly a unique work. Verdict: This is quite simply fantasy at its best–original, beautiful, amazing, and deeply moving.–Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI

TeensReadToo.com Review

Butterfly Book Reviews

Book Crumbs review

**Thanks so much to Janet for visiting with us today! There are numerous places online that you can find her, besides her personal website and the readergirlz site listed above: a special fantasy page on her site with games; her Blog; MySpace; Twitter; view pictures of her Book Launch Party; or email her directly at janetleecarey@hotmail.com.

Janet will be giving away two copies of STEALING DEATH to lucky posters today, as well as stopping by to see what we're discussing, so be sure to leave any comments or questions you have for her in the comments section!