Dairy Queen Winner!

The randomizer gods have spoken! A big thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway for a well-loved copy of Dairy Queen.

The winner is...

lasrisas

Go ahead and email me your address within the next 48 hours and I'll get this book off to you soon.

Dairy Queen to a Good Home! psst.. it's a giveaway!

Hello my pretties! So in my own obsessive-compulsive (if not highly predictable) book-buying way I've managed to obtain two copies of the ever-so funny YA novel Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. I heart this book so much and would love to pass my copy along to another reader since I now have two gracing my shelves.

Alas, this book is not exactly in perfect condition which is why I'm offering it here in the first place. It's a former library copy so it has all the expected stamps etc. and the spine has been broken (see below pic). I can't donate it to a library due to the stamps and brokenness, but I didn't want it to just disappear into the land of lost books.

So.

I'm sure this isn't something everybody would be interested in, but if YOU would like a well-loved copy of the hilarious Dairy Queen, just leave your name in the comments (and a way to contact you) before July 1st and I'll send it off to you with lots of love. Sadly to say, this giveaway is only for US folks.

Like mother, like daughter

This past week my mom has been in town, helping out with my little turkey boy post-surgery, saving my bacon on numerous occasions and in general just being a good person to have around. Something else I have rediscovered on this visit however is that I seem to have gotten my bookish tendencies (unsurprisingly) from her. Imagine that. When I think about it, my mom is the single most important reason why I am such a bibliophile in the first place. She and my dad always had stacks and stacks of books lying around the house, silently tempting us kids to visit the various exotic worlds of Tolkien, Kipling, and Twain. My mom's one of those parents that read every single book I ever brought home, be it for school or one a friend lent me, she always wanted to find out what I was reading. And later would inevitably draw me into a discussion about it. A sneaky tacit I'll have to remember for the future as a way to communicate with unresponsive teenagers.

Until I found myself firmly surrounded by all you marvy book bloggers and readers, I'd never before met anyone besides my mom who enjoyed reading for the sake of reading like I do. Now, our reading preferences don't necessarily always align: I'm more of a YA/fantasy type of gal while she likes classics, mysteries, and non-fiction - what I call 'thinker' books; but we are always willing to try out what the other likes and recommends. So I'm always a little bit giddy and a just a teeny bit nervous when she comes to visit because I want her to love the books I've recently discovered as much as I did. And then I want to discuss them. Habit, I guess. I always set a few aside for her but mainly I just let her browse my shelves until she finds something that looks interesting or new. On this trip so far she's gone through (remember she's only been here 4 days folks): Crossing, A Song for Summer, Bewitched & Betrayed, Mind Games (which she set aside because, as she said "It had a little too much sex."), Dairy Queen and just tonight I laid my beloved President's Daughter set on her bed, hoping she'll be as awed by them as I am.

To my surprise (although not really, cause who doesn't love these books?) her favorite so far has been Eva Ibbotson's A Song for Summer. Like me, she was instantly overwhelmed by Ibbotson's lush and descriptive writing style. My mom loved the characters, the setting and of course, the ending. "Perfect" was her final verdict. I agreed wholeheartedly. 

I think I had forgotten how nice is it to actually sit down with someone, face to face, and discuss books you have both read and enjoyed. I also had forgotten that rush you get when you recommend a book to a friend and they wind up loving it as much as you hoped they would. Which is why I think I'm on a bit of a high at the moment seeing as how I had specifically picked out A Song for Summer as one she'd love. Although since our conversations have me itching for a re-read, I guess the apple really didn't fall too far from the tree in this case.

Interview with Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Today I am pleased to host an interview with the lovely author Catherine Gilbert Murdock. Catherine is the author of the Dairy Queen trilogy, which I adored (Dairy Queen, The Off Season, and Front and Center) and Princess Ben.

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Since you never expected to write a sequel to Dairy Queen (let alone a third book), do you still feel like there is more of DJ’s story to tell or are you ready to bid the Schwenks a fond farewell? Could you see yourself returning to write a book about, say… Curtis (hint, hint)?

I really need to revise that mention of Curtis on my website! I’m fielding several emails a day begging for a book on him, or another book on DJ. I love them both dearly, and I feel they definitely have more story in them, but I need to try some other stories first. For several years.

I’ve seen you mention before that you yourself are not much of an athlete. I’m wondering if you are a sports enthusiast– or perhaps did you become one after spending so much time with DJ? Do you have specific teams you regularly cheer on? or is DJ’s athletic ability something unique to her?

After writing three books about high school sports, I have far more sympathy for athletics generally, but I’m afraid I don’t cheer on any specific teams. Though if the Eagles ever make the Super Bowl, I’ll be watching.

One of the major themes of DJ’s story seems to be communication (or lack thereof on DJ’s part). Is this something you struggled with yourself as a teenager? How do you see DJ’s experiences impacting teenagers?

The moral of Dairy Queen, that communication is imperative – a message that applies across the board, not just for teens. Certainly her parents needed to learn it! That said, I’ve heard from many teens who really seem to respond to this, in a very positive way. That’s wonderful.

Along with DJ’s story, you’ve written a fantasy book, Princess Ben. Would you like to return to that genre in the future or stick to more contemporary settings as in the Dairy Queen trilogy?

I’m really a fantasy gal; give me a talking cat and magic wand and I’m set for life. The hard part is going to be controlling that impulse, and exploring other genres!

Since your background is actually in screenwriting, how would you feel if DJ’s story were made into a movie? And as a screenwriter, would you be able to allow someone else to transform your books into a screenplay?

Obviously I’d love to see the Dairy Queen movie; I’d love to read the screenplay! As a very wise writer (whose name I can’t remember) once said, selling your story to Hollywood is like selling your house. You can’t then tell the new owners what color to paint it. So, yes, I could allow someone else to transform the book, and who knows, it might end up far better than the book. With movies one just never knows.

Is there a particular book (or movie for that matter) you wish you had written?

Ocean’s Eleven (the George Clooney one). I love that whole effortless-suave effect, so different from anything I could ever write.

What books do you find yourself recommending over and over and over again?

Lireal by Garth Nix. The Straight Dope by Cecil Addams. Frankenstein Takes the Cake by Adam Rex.

Are there any books to be released in 2010 that you are particularly looking forward to?

Let’s see . . . The sequel to Leviathan . . . The final Monster Blood Tattoo book, which I cannot wait to sink my teeth into. D.M. Cornish is amazing.

What project are you currently working on?

Another fantasy novel! Beyond that, my lips are sealed.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! It was wonderful to have you.