YA Author Interview: Lea Nolan!

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Author Name: Lea Nolan

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Title: CONJURE, Book 1 in The Hoodoo Apprentice Series

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Release Date: October 16th, 2012

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Blurb: We don’t have an official blurb to release yet, but I can tell you CONJURE is a middle grade/young adult cross-over that features an eighteenth-century hidden pirate treasure, a wicked flesh eating curse, soul-snatching and Gullah hoodoo magic.

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Book Talk/Character Talk

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Pre-Order: Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble (Only $5.70!)

Add it: Goodreads

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Describe your book in one word:

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This is so not fair. Why can’t I have two? Hrumph. Fine, if you’re going to be a stickler about it, I’d say “magical”. But if you let me sneak in a second, I’ll say “curses” – not the dirty word kind, the flesh-eating and soul-sucking kind.

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Cast your heroine:

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Argh, this is hard because I never found a perfect photo to model Emma Guthrie on, but I always knew what she looked like. She’s got Irish pink skin, strawberry blonde hair and hazel eyes. But she isn’t a frail waif of a girl, she’s spunky, smart and substantial. So, if I had to pick someone I’d go with Emily Osment.

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Cast your hero:

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This one is easy. As soon as I saw Brando Eaton in Dexter I said, “Oh my gosh, that’s Cooper Beaumont.” I mean, seriously, how cute is he? And he just looks like a nice guy, too, doesn’t he?

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Describe your heroine in three words:

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Spunky, smart and dedicated.

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Describe your hero in three words:

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Gorgeous, kind, threatened.

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Favorite line by your hero:

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“But what if I don’t want things to be normal? I like thinking about you, worrying about your safety. Caring about you. From the moment you got here this summer I knew I wanted things to be different between us.” His eyes turn down. “I thought I sensed you did, too.”

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Favorite line by your heroine:

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“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this, Cooper. I can hardly even believe it now.”

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How would your heroine describe your hero when she first meets him?:

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At the beginning of CONJURE, Emma hasn’t seen Cooper for nearly a year. She’s astonished by the new, hard edge of his jaw, his etched cheekbones and the several new inches he’s gained in height. Breathless, she calls him the unrequited love of her fourteen-year-old life. 

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How would your hero describe your heroine when he first meets her?:

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Cooper gets a chance to tell Emma what he thought the first time he saw her that summer:  “You were at your dad’s, wearing that funky skirt of yours and your hair was pulled up in a pony tail. I couldn’t believe how pretty you were.”

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Choose an on-screen kiss that best illustrates the intensity between these two characters:

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Sixteen Candles. Samantha. Jake. On the dining room table. Need I say more? It’s sweet and romantic. And perfect. (MW Note: I LOVE THIS MOVIE, and I am so bummed that I could not find a Youtube video of the full kiss!)

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 Author Talk

Why do you write in the genre you write?:

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I was a voracious reader when I was young and paranormal stories were my favorite. I loved falling into an alternative universe with other-worldly creatures. Those stories transported me from my not-idyllic childhood. I hope my stories can provide a similar portal to today’s tweens and teens.

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What other genres would you consider and why?:

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Aside from YA paranormals, I've got a great YA contemporary story in mind. It has to do with a girl who succumbs to peer pressure and ends up way, way over her head. I hope I can get to that sometime soon because it's a great story that I think will resonate with teens.

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Can you give us a hint of something else you’re working on?:

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I’ve got a ton of YA stories percolating in the noggin right now so it's tough to pick which is up first. But decisions have to be made and I've begun conceiving and plotting another YA series that will feature some paranormal/fantasy elements and focus on a group of kick ass heroines!

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