Mundie Moms

Monday, June 18, 2012

A Midsummer's Nightmare Blog Tour: Author Interview & Giveaway

Happy Monday! I'm thrilled to be kicking off Little Brown/Poppy's blog tour for Kody Keplinger's newest release, A Midsummer's Nightmare. Today Kody has stopped by the blog to answer a few questions. First, here's a little bit about the book:




Whitley Johnson's dream summer of shopping, partying and tanning on the beach has just turned into a nightmare. Because Dad didn't tell her he doesn't live by the beach anymore, or that he's no longer a bachelor. He's picked up and moved to a tiny, lame town called Hamilton and gotten himself a fiance. A fiance whose son just happens to be what's-his-name from last week's drunken graduation party one night stand. Just freakin' great.
As if the summer couldn't get worse, Dad seems to forget Whitley's even there. She doesn't fit in with his perfect new country club family, and Whitley does what any kid lucky enough to go all summer unsupervised does: she parties. Hard.
So hard that she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a younger future step-sister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do friends"), and a smoking hot, sweet guy who isn't her step brother (yet) and who actually seems to care for her. It will take all three of them to convince her that they're not phoneys, and to get Whitley to get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together- quoted from Poppy's site

What's one of the things you've come to admire about Whitley?

Oh, that's tough. There are a lot of things I definitely don't admire about Whitley - she's very, very flawed and has a lot to overcome throughout the novel. She makes a lot of decisions I wouldn't. But then, she also comes a long way over the summer after graduation.  So maybe it's her strength that I admire - it takes her a while, but eventually she learns to bounce back.  She's had a lot of bad things happen in her life, and she's let them hold her down. But eventually she starts to come into her own and use her inner strength to push forward with her life.  I think it's that part of her I admire.  Some people would just feel like it was too late for them, but Whitley really shows that even if you've screwed up a million times, you can still keep going and move on with your life.  I admire that about her.

What was one of your favorite scenes/chapter to write?

I loved writing pretty much every scene that involved Harrison, Whitley's new best friend.  Harrison was a character alluded to in my first book, THE DUFF, and I've known him for so long with no opportunity to really write about him. So it was incredibly fun to finally let that character live. He's such a fun character to write.

Whitley has some great characters in her life. Which character did you find yourself relating to the most?

I related a lot to Bailey, Whitley's new stepsister. She's very young and naive and hopeful. I definitely felt that way at her age. I was convinced I was going to be a cheerleader like my sister, despite being totally non-athletic. But at thirteen, I had so much naive hope. It's both a good thing and a bad thing, I think. But I definitely related to her.

What's the best compliment you've received as a writer?

Occasionally I get emails from readers who tell me they don't usually like to read, but they enjoyed my books.  This is the best thing I can imagine someone telling me. When I was very, very young, I hated reading, but good books pulled me back into a love of books. So to me, hearing from reluctant readers who have read my books is so complimentary and gives me so much hope. I think there's no higher praise than knowing that someone who doesn't enjoy reading read and enjoyed my book. And I always hope those people then go on to read other books as well.

Where's your favorite place to write?

 Most of the time I write in my bedroom, but if I had my choice, I'd always write at a cafe or coffeeshop.  I find that I get so much work done in that kind of setting. But most of the time I just want to write in my pajamas, so I just stay at home. The minute pajamas become socially acceptable in public, I'll be in ALL the coffeeshops! 

Speed Round Questions:
  • When writing, music or no music? Music
  • Zombies or unicorns? Zombies
  • Cold weather or warm weather? Warm weather!
  • Staying up late or getting up early? Staying up late.
  • Horror movie or Romantic comedy? Romantic comedy
Thank you Kody for stopping by MM's today!
You can follow Kody via her Website | Blog | Twitter | Tumblr |Goodreads

Giveaway Time: Thank you to Little Brown I have 5 copies of Kody's latest book to GIVEAWAY!!! To enter, please fill out the form below:



Mundane Monday #141

Happy Monday!



"Sometimes, when I have to do something I don't want to do, I pretend I'm a character from a book. It's easier to know what they would do."

- Will, Clockwork Angel, page 224

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