Moonlight on Leah Cypess!!

Okay this is a new meme I am creating and my second! I started I guess last week with my moonlight on Lauren Oliver. Leah Cypess is amazing she was very kind and helpful and helped me out a ton on creating this! I have highlighted her book a while ago here: http://moonlightbookreviews.blogspot.com/2010/04/desired-books-1.html

I can not wait for her new book Mistwood to come out April 27 and read it. Here are some cool links:
A very cool trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-6wP2tozOM
Here is her website it is quite informative: http://www.leahcypess.com






And now to the best part.... the interview! Here is what she had to say:

What does it feel like to be a published author? What are the perks and disadvantages of it?

It feels amazing! I had been trying to get published for so long that it was starting to feel like an unattainable dream -- like something I'd always be trying to do but never actually do. There's definitely a sense of unreality to it. One of the best perks is becoming part of a community of authors. I'm part of two debut author groups, the Classof2K10 and the Tenners, and it's so great to be sharing this experience with other people who are going through it at the same time. And meanwhile, facebook is now begging me to be friends with authors I have admired all my life, because we know so many people in common! Some authors whose works leave me in awe were even kind enough to blurb my book. I'm in a constant state of fangirlness.

A disadvantage, I guess, is that on the other side of "you've attained your dream!" is a whole new set of things to worry about. Will I like my cover? Will my book do well? Will I be able to deal with nasty reviews? Will I be able to sell more books? Will I find time to work on more books? Every once in a while I do find myself getting obsessed with these worries, and I have to kind of mentally slap myself and remind myself that I am living my dream.

What helped you the most in your writing process?

That brings me to another unexpected perk of being published, which is that the revision process with my editor has improved my writing incredibly. I belonged to critique groups before that, but that's different from having an editor who (a) is a professional, and (b) whose advice you can't dismiss even when it involves a lot of work.

Where did the idea for Mistwood come from?

I had an image in my mind of a supernatural creature being hunted by men on horseback. I started with just that and started writing to see where it went.

What made you decide to take up writing?

I don't think I actually "decided." According to my parents, I wrote my first short story (from the point of view of an ice cream cone) in first grade. Since I learned to write in first grade, apparently it was automatic.

Did you listen to music for inspiration? If so what was your play list?

No, I like to write without music. I use music to distract myself when I'm doing something boring (i.e. typing in line-edits) or something I don't really want to do (some of the more boring parts of revision). I don't have a playlist for that, though.

What is a typical day like for you?

Wake up, get my kids fed and dressed, walk them to school and drop off my older daughter. Return home, play with my younger daughter for a while, get her down for her morning nap, and then work frantically while she naps. Depending on when she wakes up, I'll sometimes go to the library or park afterward and try to write while she plays. At 12:30 I pick my older daughter up, take them to the park for a little bit if it's nice, go home, give lunch, and see if I can get both of them to nap simultaneously so I can work some more. From the end of naptime until bedtime is kind of a blur :) -- and then, after bedtime, more work!

What do you like to do when your not writing?

Reading, biking, and hiking.

Do you have any upcoming projects you are working on?

I'm currently working with my editor on revisions for a companion book to Mistwood.

As you can tell from her wonderful interview Leah is definitely an author to keep on your radar!