Visit with Lauren Kate

http://laurenkatebooks.net/

http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/fallen/home.html

I'm so excited today to be visiting with best-selling author Lauren Kate. You may have heard of her - she's the author of FALLEN (the paperback release is in three days!), and the second book in the series, TORMENT, is being released by Delacorte on 9/28/10!



Hell on earth.

That’s what it’s like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.
It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts—immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.

At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn’t told her everything. He’s hiding something—something dangerous. What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?

The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series . . . where love never dies.



Lauren was kind enough to take time out of her hectic schedule to answer some questions about her life and writing - I really hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did!

If you could bring any character from one of your books to life, who would it be and why?

Cam, because he’s dangerously sexy, and because the bad boys are always the most interesting. (Good thing his character is based on my husband.)

Your own six-word memoir.

A pastiche as complex as possible.

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

Stakes raised. Past lives relived. Love triangles exploded. New enemies with whited-out eyes. And a whole lot of gorgeous wings.

You have the chance to spend the day with any character from one of your favorite books. Who would you choose and why?

Lyra Belacqua. Because she’s awesome and hard core.

What was your favorite book growing up as a teen?

THE GREAT GATSBY—and it’s still high on my list.

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

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a ballerina, when I was a teen, I wanted to be a writer. Next time I grow up, I want to be chef.

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

Favorite: English and French
Least Fav: Anything related to math. I’m allergic.

The one book everyone in the world should read.

The Bible—and not for religious reasons, but because it’s the origin of teleological narrative (that is, there’s a beginning, a middle, and an end). And there are so many juicy stories in it!

The book you wish you had written.

THE HUNGER GAMES. I’m in awe.

Your five favorite reads from 2010 (books you read during the year; they do not have to have been published during 2010).

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
THE REPLACEMENT by Brenna Yovanoff
THE MASTER AND THE MARGARITA by Mikhail Bulgakov
WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS by Coetzee
OMENS OF MILENNIUM by Harold Bloom (non-fiction, research for FALLEN books)

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

MOCKINGJAY—I just started it yesterday!

If your mom wrote the author profile for the jacket of your next book, what would she write?

Lauren always said she’d write a book one day, so we always believed in her. We’re so proud, even though I do wish she’d wear lipstick more often.

Your family has the chance to describe you for an interview. What ten words would they say describe you best?

Stubborn, diligent, sensitive, passionate, empathetic, outgoing, fragile, thoughtful, poised, and impatient.

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?

I would have loved to have written a scene where Luce sneaks off the Sword and Cross campus and finds a tarot card reader or fortune teller. I wanted her to glimpse some of her past lives a little sooner—to realize the role she has to play in the angels’ story—but alas, that shall have to wait for TORMENT…

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??)

National Board Game Day. It is required by law that all citizens take to the streets for a 12 hour party with endless food and drink, and all the Scrabble, Monopoly, Risk, Celebrity, Pictionary, Scattergories, card games and so on that you can handle. You learn so much about people from the dynamics they employ during games. I think it would be a good national bonding experience for us. And yeah, no work, no school.

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

Jumping Like Water.

Do not ask me what it’s about. It’s under wraps.

What is your astrological sign? How closely does it match your personality?

I’m right on the cusp between Pisces and Aries, but I’m Aries all the way.

You’re going off your diet for one day and only eating food from restaurants. What do you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? (Include the restaurant each meal comes from.)

Great question! Since I’m new to LA and loving all the restaurants, these are all from my neighborhood in Hollywood:

Breakfast: Spicy Huevos Rancheros from Loteria Grill
Lunch: Pad See Ew from Galanga Thai Restaurant
Dinner: anything and everything from Osteria Mozza

What is your ultimate vacation destination?

Paris. It’s the one place I keep going back to—though I also love Croatia, New Orleans, and Hawaii.

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?

Running in the morning in the canyon with my dog, reading most of the day on my deck, cooking dinner on the grill with my husband and then reading poetry aloud by candlelight.

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

I still have big dreams of becoming a chef. Someday…

You get the chance to star in an upcoming film release. What movie would you star in for your acting debut? (If you can’t choose an upcoming film, you can choose a past release.)

I just want to be in a movie with Michael Cera. Let’s say Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

You’re invited to a White House function, and you have the chance to give a 10-minute speech to the President and everyone else attending. What do you speak about?

Sustainable energy. Sustainability in as many aspects of our life as is possible.

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

The yellow throated hanging parrot.

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

FALLEN is the easy choice, so I’m going to go with THE BETRAYAL OF NATALIE HARGROVE. Ed Westwick plays Justin Balmer and Lucy Hale plays our heroine, Natalie.

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?

So much of it is about escape. Teen novels are especially good for that because—while we all need escape—teens seem to be more likely to indulge the need than adults. Which is great. We should all do more escaping. I think paranormal teen novels in particular are doing so well right now because they are just far enough removed from reality that they're exotic, and yet the characters are just accessible enough to give us a key to unlock the story.

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.)

Here’s where my obscure biblical obsessions come out. In the year 90 C.E., a group of rabbis gathered together and “closed the canon” of the Old Testament. That is, they chose which books would be included in the bible and which would be relegated to the Apocryphal texts. I’d love to explore what went into the choices they made, and imagine how much might have changed if certain ideas, laws, or narratives were switched out for something very different.

Remember those “classics” that you were made to read in high school English class? What was your favorite, and which title should students never have to be subjected to reading?

Loved THE GREAT GATSBY, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, and CATCH-22.

Could never get into MOBY DICK or THE SCARLET LETTER.

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

Yes, always, but my writing changes a lot. I would slow way way way down and probably be a lot more experimental. And I would go to culinary school.

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

Live curiously. Make the whole world your muse. Keep it all in a journal until you’re bursting with the story. Write it down. Finish it. Make writing pals with whom you can share you work. Take their suggestions. Revise, revise, revise. Don’t ever give up.

**Thanks so very much to Lauren for visiting with us today! Be sure to visit both her personal website and the Fallen site, listed above. You can also find her at Facebook, on Twitter, or email her directly at laurenkatebooks@gmail.com.

Lauren's going to take time out of her writing schedule - again! - to stop by and respond to questions/comments later today, so be sure to leave your comments or questions in the comments section!