Mundie Moms

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Author Interview with Amy Holder
















I'm so excited to have debut author, Amy Holder with us today. Amy's debut, The Lipstick Laws was released on April 4th by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Here's a little bit about her book:

At Penford High School, Britney Taylor is queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone's life as easily as snapping her perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the unfortunate few who have crossed her.

For April Bowers, Britney is also the answer to her prayers. With zero friends and nothing close to a boyfriend, April is so unpopular, kids don't know she exists. That is, until Britney notices her. One lunch spent at Britney's table, and April is basking in the glow of popularity.

But Britney's friendship comes with a price tag.

How much is April willing to pay?


Congratulations on your debut book!! April seems like a character a lot of YA readers will be able to relate to. What is something that you share in common with her?
Thank you so much! I hope YA readers will find April relatable! I'm definitely able to relate to her because April and I share a lot in common. We both have naturally curly hair, a quirky sense of humor, the same middle name, a love of good sales, and a knack for making up random words. We’ve also both dealt with insecurities and wanting to fit in as teens. I think those feelings are pretty common in adolescence, so I hope teen readers will be able to connect with April’s story.

What inspired you to write, The Lipstick Laws?
I wanted to write a fun story about the ups and downs of high school and the social hierarchies within it. April’s quirky voice is the first part of the story that came to me, so her character really inspired the whole story to evolve.


Which of your characters has surprised you the most? (in terms of development or character growth)

Britney’s character surprised me a lot because I didn’t think I’d have so much fun writing the villain. It was like an actor getting to play the bad guy. However, as far as character development goes, I was probably the most surprised by April. When I first started writing the story, I did not expect her character to evolve to stick up for herself the way she did. I was very happy that her character developed to not only have a backbone, but also learn to take the higher road in the end while acknowledging some of her own faults as well.


What author do you feel has been your greatest source of inspiration?

I’d have to say Shel Silverstein has been my greatest source of inspiration because he is the author who first sparked my love of reading and writing. A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC was one of my favorite books as a child. His funny poetry is what inspired me to start writing my own humorous poetry when I was six years old...and my writing never stopped after that.


Are there other projects you're working on that you can tell us about?

I’m currently working on another humorous contemporary YA novel...but this one has a bit of a paranormal twist. I’ve also been considering a Lipstick Laws sequel. There are several other ideas swimming around my head as well, but I'm not sure what will hit the bookshelves next. On a non-writing front, there are some exciting things in the works with my television rights for THE LIPSTICK LAWS. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for good things to come!


Which debut books would you recommend that we pick up this year? I can’t answer this question without giving a big shout-out to my fellow Class of 2k11 authors. I’ve had the chance to read many of their ARCs, and I truly adore their stories and writing. I think all readers with various reading tastes will find a book (or more) to treasure within the group, and I highly recommend all of the Class of 2k11 titles. For a full list, please visit our website: www.classof2k11.com

Thank you so much for being with us today!
Thanks so much for the interview!

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Tomorrow I'll be sharing my review for The Lipstick Laws. You can find Amy at her site here, and on the Class of 2k11 site here

Thank you to Carrie w/ the Class of 2k11 for coordinating our interview and Amy Holder for the interview!!

5 comments:

  1. Excellent interview with an excellent lady! I've been waiting for her book to come out for a long time and now that it has debuted I've been cheering for it and Amy. I loved this novel. It was a blast to read!

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  2. Great interview. I won The Lipstick Laws and can't wait to read it. And Amy agreed to let me interview her in July on Literary Rambles. Can't wait.

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  3. All of you are awesome.

    That's all I've got to say about that. :)

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  4. Heather- Thank you! I agree, it's a wonderful read!

    Natalie- Thank you! I can't wait to hear what you think. I can't wait to read your interview with Amy.

    Carrie- Thank you for all you do the Class of 2011!

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  5. Thanks so much for having me on your fabulous blog!

    Also, big thanks to Carrie Awesomesauce Harris for arranging the 2k11 interviews. :)

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