Teresa Lo Interview

1. Your novel, HELL'S GAME has an interesting premise, how did you come up with it?

I grew up in Coffeyville, Kansas, and I had always heard stories about the Gateway to Hell in Stull, Kansas. For years, I had been trying to write a story that could incorporate the Gateway and a prank gone wrong, and recently, I finally merged that idea with the idea of a bizarre, high-stakes game of nightmares.

2. The road to publication is always hard, how was your road?

My struggle to publication has definitely been a hard one! I have been writing books since I was in high school, and I remember how I would query agents and publishers only to receive rejection after rejection. I ended up taking a break from prose and focused instead on screenwriting, but the desire to publish a YA novel was still inside of me. I took another crack at writing a YA novel over two years ago, and that effort, CHOP SUEY, was met with the same response as my high school efforts—which was rejection! This time, however, I didn’t get discouraged, and I ended up writing HELL’S GAME. Overall, the process for me to get to where I am today took over a decade and it was filled with a lot of people telling me, “No” and me telling myself, “Don’t stop.”

3. Are there any characters in HELL'S GAME that you are close to or resemble you?

When I was growing up in Kansas, I encountered a lot of racism, and I was very uncomfortable in my own skin. I used a lot of my memories to write the Asian-American character Kristin, and her character’s insecurity reflected what I felt about myself when I was her age. What I love about Kristin is that she starts off as a meek follower who bottles up her emotions, but throughout the book, she releases her anger to find the strength within herself.

4. What books have you read lately that have kept you on your toes?

I loved The Hunger Games trilogy, and it really inspired me to write something with a lot of action and twists and turns.

5. Can you tell us five things about you that no one may know?

1) I’m a middle child.

2) When I was a teenager, I had braces and head gear. It was very embarrassing, but at least my teeth are straight now.

3) I have a M.F.A. in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California.

4) I have a cat named Paige Turner.

5) I was an intern for The Late Show with David Letterman when I was an undergraduate in college.

6. If you could describe HELL'S GAME in three words, what words would you choose?

Action-packed. Suspenseful. Scary.

Be sure to check out Teresa Lo's novel HELL'S GAME!

Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate

Publisher: Delacorte Press
Age Group: YA
Source: Publisher

Unexpected. Unrequited. Forbidden. Eternal. Everyone has their own love story.

And in a twist of fate, four extraordinary love stories combine over the course of a romantic Valentine's Day in Medieval England. Miles and Shelby find love where they
least expect it. Roland learns a painful lesson about finding-and losing love. Arianne pays the price for a love so fierce it burns. And for the first -and last- time, Daniel and Luce
will spend a night together like none other.
When I first received the book, I didn't know if it went with the series or not. I know RAPTURE was the final book and then relaized FALLEN IN LOVE is book 3.5. I know waiting for RAPTURE is making me become more desperate everyday. Having FALLEN IN LOVE to read, gives everyone who has loved the FALLEN series something to read until the final book comes out.

The whole book has different stories from all our favorite characters and the first tiem they fell in love. With all honesty, my favorite was Luce and Daniel's story. I guess it's because I've loved both of them so much this whole time reading the series, that I never could wait until the next book came so I could find out what was going to happen to them. Plus, I really wanted to know more of their background and this book gives it.

The cover was again amazing and I've really loved the covers for this entire series throughout. But because the book was so small, it left me for more and once I was done, I knew I needed RAPTURE right away, but the good news is that it's almost out and we can read the finale.

If you can't wait any longer for the last book to be published, I recommned reading this because you get to go through everything with your favorite characters and hopefully it's a good filler for the in between time.

Top Books To Read

Below is a list of books I have loved over the past few years. As time goes by, I'll be updating this list with other books I enjoy reading and if any of you have any suggestions of books, let me know!

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Timeless by Alexandra Monir

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Evernight by Claudia Gray

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Want to Go Private? By Sarah Littman

The Ivy by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur

The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

13 To Life by Shannon Delany

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Bitter End by Jennifer Brown

The Daughters Join the Party by Joanna Philbin

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fanteskey

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Deadly Little Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Publisher: Poppy
Age Group: YA
Rating: 5/5
Source: Publisher

As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances and complicated backstage relationships. Up until now, Hannah has happily devoted her entire life to ballet.

But when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob, Hannah's universe begins to change, and she must decide if she wants to compete against the other "bunheads" in the company for a star soloist spot or strike out on her own in the real world. Does she dare give up the gilded confines of the ballet for the freedoms of everyday life?

I've always been amazed by the life of a ballerina, but I never thought it was as hard as it was descibed in this book. Throughout the book, I could see Sophie throwing in bits of her life and I could see her come through Hannah. Being a pretty ballerina isn't easy, especially if you're a professional one. The story flowed and I became more interested in Hannah's world. I wanted to be there and see if she would get the part or if she was just going to another dancer.

I also thought the term "bunheads" was an interesting way to call a ballerina. I love watching ballets, but this book showed me how much hard work the ballerinas put into the performance and how they have no life besides ballet. They have to be one weight and I thought gym class was a burden at times.

This book was a great escape from everything usual and we get the experience of something  that happens behind closed doors. I loved watching Hannah evolve and change from this girl who ballet was her only world to someone who wanted to get out there and realize life is more than ballet.

Dreaming Awake by Gwen Hayes

Publisher: NAL Trade
Age Group: YA
Rating: 3/5
Source: Publisher

She fell for him in a nighttime world. But the time for dreaming is past—and the here-and-now can be just as fragile their love…

When Theia Alderson first encountered a mysterious, handsome boy in her dreams, she never imagined how finding Haden Black—and falling in love—could change her life. To save Haden, Theia sacrificed everything. And the dangerous bargain she made could have lasting repercussions.

Now Theia has returned to Serendipity Falls, and she finds herself struggling with the same deadly hungers that have tortured Haden. When students at their high school fall prey to a mysterious illness, Theia can’t help but wonder if Haden’s control is slipping—and how much longer she’ll have a grip on her own.

And still the nightmare realm of Under won’t let them go. Someone from Haden’s past is determined to destroy Theia from the inside out, starting with those closest to her, forcing Theia to choose between family and friends and a love that may have been doomed from the start…

The first book was breathtaking and so was this one! Once I got my hands on DREAMING AWAKE, I couldn't stop reading it and it didn't disappoint. The first half of the book did continue with Thea's and Hayden's relationship and at times it did get boring, but it doesn't last too long. Hayes immediatly throws in twists and turns that keep you flipping the pages and she leaves you with more sinister events along the way.

FALLING UNDER's cover did not disappoint and DREAMING AWAKE's cover was still amazing. Hayes has a way with words that flow and the way she writes a story, brings out emotions that you never thought you had.

My favorite part when reading a book is feeling what the characters are feeling and with this book, I didn feel it. I felt as though I was watching a movie rather than reading a book. Gwen Hayes has shown that she has talent and I can't wait until I read what else she has in store for us.

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Publisher: Walker & Company
Age Group: YA
Rating: 3.5/5
Source: Publisher

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine

—despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

When I first began reading FRACTURE, I wasn' sure what to expect. I thought the synopss sounded intense and the cover was beautiful, so I was excited to read it. The book started out a bit slow for me. I wish there was more action in where Delaney fell through the ice. But as the book progressed, it got better. The romance in this book was a cute-fun one rather than the quick romances. I loved the description Miranda used. She was able to give you all the medical information in very few words which actually made sense.

Now, I want to talk about the cover that is an absolute show stopper! If I were walking through the bookstore and saw that cover, you bet I would pick this book up. The cover also gives you a pretty good description of what the book will be about, though I did think the book would be a paranormal, though it turned out not to be. And I was glad since it was great.

Megan Miranda has written an amazing novel that lingers with you after the last pages and makes you think twice before walking on a frozen lake.

Book Wish Foundation Contest

Win a literary agent or acclaimed author's feedback on your unpublished manuscript for young adult or middle grade readers.  This rare opportunity is being offered to the six winners of an essay contest recently announced by the literacy charity Book Wish Foundation.  See http://bookwish.org/contest for full details.

You could win a manuscript critique from:

Laura Langlie, literary agent for Meg Cabot
Nancy Gallt, literary agent for Jeanne DuPrau
Brenda Bowen, literary agent and editor of Karen Hesse's Newbery Medal winner Out of the Dust
Ann M. Martin, winner of the Newbery Honor for A Corner of the Universe
Francisco X. Stork, winner of the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award for The Last Summer of the Death
Warriors

Cynthia Voigt, winner of the Newbery Medal for Dicey's Song and the Newbery Honor for A Solitary Blue

All that separates you from this prize is a 500-word essay about a short story in Book Wish Foundation's new anthology, What You Wish For.  Essays are due Feb. 1, 2012 and winners will be announced around Mar. 1, 2012.  If you win, you will have six months to submit the first 50 pages of your manuscript for critique (which means you can enter the contest even if you haven't finished, or started, your manuscript).  You can even enter multiple times, with essays about more than one of the contest stories, for a chance to win up to six critiques.
If you dream of being a published author, this is an opportunity you should not miss.  To enter, follow the instructions at http://bookwish.org/contest.

Good luck and best wishes,
Logan Kleinwaks
President, Book Wish Foundation

What You Wish For (ISBN 9780399254543, Putnam Juvenile, Sep. 15, 2011) is a collection of short stories and poems about wishes from 18 all-star writers: Meg Cabot, Jeanne DuPrau, Cornelia Funke, Nikki Giovanni, John Green, Karen Hesse, Ann M. Martin, Alexander McCall Smith, Marilyn Nelson, Naomi Shihab Nye, Joyce Carol Oates, Nate Powell, Sofia Quintero, Gary Soto, R.L. Stine, Francisco X. Stork, Cynthia Voigt, Jane Yolen.  With a Foreword by Mia Farrow.  Book Wish Foundation is donating 100% of its proceeds from the book to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, to fund the development of libraries in Darfuri refugee camps in eastern Chad.