Debreview's Presents: Saundra Mitchell of the Hauntingly Wondrous SHADOWED SUMMER!
Praise for Shadowed Summer (which I agree fully with!)
"Highly atmospheric, with pulse-pounding suspense and an elegiac ending."
-Booklist
"(An) atmospheric reaffirmation of the power of a good haunting."
-Recommended, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"This splendid novel will stay with readers for a long time."
-JLG Monthly
"Teen readers will appreciate the suspenseful plot and the tragic story."
-Kirkus Reviews
Congratulations on your debut novel Shadowed Summer. What is the story?
Nothing ever happened in Ondine, Louisiana, not even the summer Elijah Landry disappeared.
His mother knew he ascended to heaven, the police believed he ran away, and his girlfriend thought he was murdered. Decades later, certain she saw his ghost in the town cemetery, fourteen-year-old Iris Rhame is determined to find out the truth behind "The Incident With the Landry Boy." Enlisting the help of her best friend Collette, and forced to endure the company of Collette's latest crush, Ben, Iris spends a summer digging into the past and stirring old ghosts, in search of a boy she never knew.
What she doesn't realize is that in a town as small as Ondine, every secret is a family secret.
Where did you come up with the idea?
I didn't get an idea. Iris showed up in my head and loomed for the better part of the spring, blinking at me all froggy, waiting for me to DO something with her. Then, when I decided to write a supernatural love story, Iris was like, uh... no. So mostly, I wrote the book by making Iris try to do things- when she refused, I wrote the opposite.
It's not a method I recommend. :)
It's a ghost story. Do you believe in ghosts?
I believe once you've made a full and rigorous attempt to explain something naturally and scientifically, that you have to accept the possibility that the answer might be supernatural. So yes, I believe- but not blindly.
Have you had any true life experiences you want to tell us about?
Once, my brother and I walked into the same room from two different doors, and both saw an old man sitting by the back window. And, then, we both saw him fade to nothing. That was an exciting Thanksgiving, let me tell you!
I've had the pleasure of reading Shadowed Summer and your setting is a character in itself. How did you nail those details so well?
Well, thank you- I hope I got them right. I'm waiting for the entire state of Louisiana to throw andouille at my head because I got it all wrong. Though I did a lot of research, and bothered a lot of really nice natives, all I can do is hope that everything rings true.
Your characters speak in dialects unique to the area as well, how did you do that?
By listening! Although I read several guides to Louisiana idioms, mostly I listened to Louisiana voices online, and on tape, to try to capture the cadence and regional weight. And once again, I simply hope I got them close to true.
IF there is one take home message from Shadowed Summer what do you wish it to be?
Everybody has a love story you know nothing about.
Interviewer interrupts to say: Love that!
Do you have a favorite character in Shadowed Summer and why?
I have a sick adoration for Rennie Delancie. It's too bad he'll probably spend the next ten years in and out of the local lock-up for various misdemeanors, because it would probably be a blast to hang out with him.
You're a huge Chuck fan (from Gossip Girls), but would you like to be stranded on a desert island with him? (Imagine his bermuda shorts!)
That depends. Are we also trapped with a lifetime supply of scotch? Because I don't want to be there for Chuck Bass' detox, no.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
I love Anneli Rufus, David Simon and S.E. Hinton; Stephen King and Mary Beth Norton. I adore Maureen Johnson, Tamora Pierce, and even though people will say it's nepotism, I madly, deeply love Carrie Ryan, RJ Anderson, Sarah Cross and Sarah Rees Brennan. 2009 is going to be a great year for YA!
Favorite books?
The Outsiders, Bridge to Terabithia, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, The Farewell Chronicles, Devil in the Shape of a Woman, Song of the Lioness... this list extends almost infinitely.
As a debut author, is there any advice you can give to us Tenners? Anything we should be doing to prepare for 2010?
You can't force your publisher to do something! Seriously, that's the most important lesson. You will save yourself so much aggravation and heartache if you can realize when your publisher has declined to do something- like seek out blurbs, or change your cover, or let you pick your typeface for your text- anything, really. You can't force them to do what you want, so learn the difference between possible and impossible. You will be much, much happier!
Thanks, Saundra and congratulations on your wonderful book!!!
Thank you for your kind words, and for having me! :D
Buy Shadowed Summer now at Bookstores everywhere or from AMAZON.com at:
http://www.amazon.com/Shadowed-Summer-Saundra-Mitchell/dp/0385735715/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234241514&sr=8-1
Find Saundra online at http://www.saundramitchell.com/
"Highly atmospheric, with pulse-pounding suspense and an elegiac ending."
-Booklist
"(An) atmospheric reaffirmation of the power of a good haunting."
-Recommended, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"This splendid novel will stay with readers for a long time."
-JLG Monthly
"Teen readers will appreciate the suspenseful plot and the tragic story."
-Kirkus Reviews
Congratulations on your debut novel Shadowed Summer. What is the story?
Nothing ever happened in Ondine, Louisiana, not even the summer Elijah Landry disappeared.
His mother knew he ascended to heaven, the police believed he ran away, and his girlfriend thought he was murdered. Decades later, certain she saw his ghost in the town cemetery, fourteen-year-old Iris Rhame is determined to find out the truth behind "The Incident With the Landry Boy." Enlisting the help of her best friend Collette, and forced to endure the company of Collette's latest crush, Ben, Iris spends a summer digging into the past and stirring old ghosts, in search of a boy she never knew.
What she doesn't realize is that in a town as small as Ondine, every secret is a family secret.
Where did you come up with the idea?
I didn't get an idea. Iris showed up in my head and loomed for the better part of the spring, blinking at me all froggy, waiting for me to DO something with her. Then, when I decided to write a supernatural love story, Iris was like, uh... no. So mostly, I wrote the book by making Iris try to do things- when she refused, I wrote the opposite.
It's not a method I recommend. :)
It's a ghost story. Do you believe in ghosts?
I believe once you've made a full and rigorous attempt to explain something naturally and scientifically, that you have to accept the possibility that the answer might be supernatural. So yes, I believe- but not blindly.
Have you had any true life experiences you want to tell us about?
Once, my brother and I walked into the same room from two different doors, and both saw an old man sitting by the back window. And, then, we both saw him fade to nothing. That was an exciting Thanksgiving, let me tell you!
I've had the pleasure of reading Shadowed Summer and your setting is a character in itself. How did you nail those details so well?
Well, thank you- I hope I got them right. I'm waiting for the entire state of Louisiana to throw andouille at my head because I got it all wrong. Though I did a lot of research, and bothered a lot of really nice natives, all I can do is hope that everything rings true.
Your characters speak in dialects unique to the area as well, how did you do that?
By listening! Although I read several guides to Louisiana idioms, mostly I listened to Louisiana voices online, and on tape, to try to capture the cadence and regional weight. And once again, I simply hope I got them close to true.
IF there is one take home message from Shadowed Summer what do you wish it to be?
Everybody has a love story you know nothing about.
Interviewer interrupts to say: Love that!
Do you have a favorite character in Shadowed Summer and why?
I have a sick adoration for Rennie Delancie. It's too bad he'll probably spend the next ten years in and out of the local lock-up for various misdemeanors, because it would probably be a blast to hang out with him.
You're a huge Chuck fan (from Gossip Girls), but would you like to be stranded on a desert island with him? (Imagine his bermuda shorts!)
That depends. Are we also trapped with a lifetime supply of scotch? Because I don't want to be there for Chuck Bass' detox, no.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
I love Anneli Rufus, David Simon and S.E. Hinton; Stephen King and Mary Beth Norton. I adore Maureen Johnson, Tamora Pierce, and even though people will say it's nepotism, I madly, deeply love Carrie Ryan, RJ Anderson, Sarah Cross and Sarah Rees Brennan. 2009 is going to be a great year for YA!
Favorite books?
The Outsiders, Bridge to Terabithia, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, The Farewell Chronicles, Devil in the Shape of a Woman, Song of the Lioness... this list extends almost infinitely.
As a debut author, is there any advice you can give to us Tenners? Anything we should be doing to prepare for 2010?
You can't force your publisher to do something! Seriously, that's the most important lesson. You will save yourself so much aggravation and heartache if you can realize when your publisher has declined to do something- like seek out blurbs, or change your cover, or let you pick your typeface for your text- anything, really. You can't force them to do what you want, so learn the difference between possible and impossible. You will be much, much happier!
Thanks, Saundra and congratulations on your wonderful book!!!
Thank you for your kind words, and for having me! :D
Buy Shadowed Summer now at Bookstores everywhere or from AMAZON.com at:
http://www.amazon.com/Shadowed-Summer-Saundra-Mitchell/dp/0385735715/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234241514&sr=8-1
Find Saundra online at http://www.saundramitchell.com/