Thursday, November 4, 2010

AS King's Pizza Delivery Blog Tour for Please Don't Ignore Vera Dietz (+ signed book giveaway!)

Ding dong. Pizza delivery. I’ve got one mushroom, black olive and extra cheese here for the awesome Lenore...



Last month my book Please Ignore Vera Dietz came out. It’s a pretty exciting time, but more exciting when you can traipse around to cool blogs and deliver some [imaginary] pizza and answer some questions. Lenore, this delivery is on me, as you've been one of the strongest champions for my first novel, The Dust of 100 Dogs. And now you really dug VERA too! That made me so happy! So, I am paying for these imaginary pizzas because you as an author, there is nothing like knowing people who get what you're writing. (And no--you are not obliged to like book #3 next year. Fair and square--you know me.)

LENORE: So...I have kissing on the brain today...What is your favorite kissing scene in a novel and why?

ASK: I'm a hopeless romantic in my own life. I found my true love and soul mate while still a teenager, so you'd think I'd love kissing scenes. But truth be told, I look away when there's a particularly long kissing scene on TV or in a movie and I have trouble writing them. (I do. I blush.) So, I cannot, for the life of me, think of a specific kissing scene. (I know! Lame!) BUT I CAN tell you my favorite love story book of all time which has plenty of kissing (and more intimate scenes) in it. Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. Here's why I love that book so much. It's about two lovers who pursue immortality in order to stay together forever.



LENORE: Please share an embarrassing picture with explanation. [Readers, this is the question that mushrooms generated for the month of November. Stay tuned for more. Apparently a lot of people eat mushrooms on their pizza.]

ASK: Okay Lenore. I admit that you probably lucked out here. This is really the most embarrassing picture I think I’ve shared during the whole tour. There was one other (several others, actually) on the page in my photo album that were even more embarrassing from the same night, but I just couldn’t bear to share them. So—why so many embarrassing pictures from the same night?



First: This picture is me pretending to be a nun with the help of hotel towels. It was really late—I think we stayed up most of the night. We had good reason. We were all in shock.

It was my senior class trip. We went to Williamsburg, Virginia. And one of the nights, for dinner, we were to go on a dance party ferry trip around the Chesapeake Bay. Sounds good, right? And it was…until the storm came in. And it was a doozy. A real doozy. Like-a pass-out-the-freaking-life-vests and talk about how not to drown doozy. Teachers and students got sick overboard, the place started to smell like vomit. I know there was a definite feeling that we might really have to get rescued. Or—you know—that we might die.

After we made it back to shore, we loaded ourselves on our buses and we were completely silent on the drive back to the hotel. Completely hear-a-pin-drop silent. But when we got back to our hotel rooms? All of that emotion and crazy shock came out and though there were no intoxicating substances imbibed that night, the memories are a little like those of a drunken night out. I believe this was the night my friend Maria finally asked us to pierce her ear in the bathroom, and it was also the night she freaked out about the ear-piercing procedure and ripped the toilet cistern off the wall. I have photos of me dancing in a sweatshirt and my underwear with an ice bucket on my head which I just could not bring myself to share. But I have this…the nun shot.

I didn’t make a word of that up, either. You can ask the EHS class of 1988.

LENORE: That's a marvelous picture! Now back to kissing... Tell me about an unpublished kissing scene you've written, one that you'd prefer not to see the light of day.

ASK: Any kissing or sex scene I've ever written probably qualifies. But there was this one, in my fourth novel, where Henry Hawkins, an abducted 99-year-old Earthing who kisses the Queen of the planet H-125 who is not only gray and twice his height, but she also has a head that is flat and round, like a lollipop. There's a particularly awkward moment where Henry, after years of being in love with his strangely-shaped captor, has embraced her and is going to kiss her but he realizes that her anatomy might differ, and wonders if the type of kissing he was used to on Earth would suffice here on H-125. Anyway, I can't even remember what happens after that, but it is something I really never want to see the light of day. Though I have used the planet H-125 in stories of mine, the creatures from it are no longer shaped like lollipops. And nobody kisses.


LENORE: For my bonus question: What male character from one novel would you like to introduce to a female character from another? What might happen between them?
And how would Vera get along with Saffron? Very curious!

ASK: What a great question! But so hard to answer because I have so many unpublished (or about-to-be-published) characters! Okay, Sticking with just these two books. I guess I'd like Jenny Flick to meet Junior so that she can get her whole bad-boy thing out of the way with him and then Charlie and Vera could actually have a future. I'd assume Jenny and Junior would spiral into a life of drug use and other negative things, so that would be a bummer, but maybe they'd find a way out. Either way, Charlie probably wouldn't die. So that would be good.

I think Vera and Saffron would get along really well, actually. They both want out of their similar small town life and are looking to do bigger things. Plus, they both have a sensible head on their shoulders. I think Saffron might frown upon Vera's little vodka habit, and there is no doubt Vera would be frustrated as hell with Saffron's secretive trip to Jamaica. But I think Vera is wise enough for Saffron to handle without her wanting to pluck out her eyeballs.



BONUS FOR YOU!
Your topping combination means we'll have a giveaway signed copy of 
PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ.
All entrants have to do is leave a comment here on your blog to say they're entering.
We'd love if you'd spread the word, too!
Giveaway ends Nov 8th 11:59pm ET

Thank you so much for having me around to the blog today, Lenore, and for your awesome questions.
And thank you again for being such a great supporter of my work. You rock.

Oh! I should really tell your readers something about Please Ignore Vera Dietz before I leave, shouldn't I?


vera cover
PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ
is a Junior Library Guild selection for Fall 2010

Starred in Kirkus, PW and Booklist Reviews 


18-year-old Vera's spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie. And over the years she's kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything. So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone. Will she emerge and clear his name? Does she even want to? 




"Brilliant. Funny. Really special." --Ellen Hopkins, author of NYT bestselling Crank, Glass and Tricks 

“The book is deeply suspenseful and profoundly human”--Publishers Weekly 

47 comments:

Unknown said...

Fun interview!

I am definitely entering :)

swordsforfighting at yahoo dot com

bermudaonion said...

I love the picture and the story behind it! I'm wondering why you have kissing on the brain today, Lenore. LOL Great interview, as always. milou2ster(at)gmail.com

Zibilee said...

No need to enter me, as I have already read and loved this book. I just wanted to say that I really liked the interview, and am really intrigued by the kissing scene with the lollipop headed woman. There is just too much weirdness there not to be interested. Also in regards to kissing, I am another one who sometimes gets uncomfortable with long and drawn out kissing scenes. I don't know why, because I love to kiss my husband, but there you have it.

Loved this interview, and the book, and am so glad to have seen it featured here again!

Unknown said...

There is so much awesomeness in this interview, I cannot even choose which part is the awesomest. You both ROCK.

Rylie said...

Enter me, please!

bcanyon at gmail dot com

Tina said...

Thanks so much for the chance to win and the hilarious interview! I've been wanting to read this book since I heard A.S. King read a part of it at my city's book festival.
melodiousrevelry (at) gmail (dot) com

Em said...

I love talking about PIZZA! I've already shared my favorite pizza toppings with Amy elsewhere, so here I'll share my pizza dislikes - i.e. the items that I will pick off of a pizza before taking a bite (or will just avoid all together).

Don't put this on my pizza!:

- potatoes/sweet potatoes/turnips/etc: this isn't very common...for a reason...the texture and flavors just don't work - this is a popular pizza at my local pizza place and I just don't understand

- animal products: I'm vegan, so no cheese or meat on my pizza. I sometimes like faux meat, but have yet to find a vegan cheese that I enjoy on pizza.

- eggplant: Eggplant is beautiful, but I've never liked the taste or texture of it. I think I'm mildly allergic as well.

Then there are the things that I love to eat, but not so much on pizza - these I will pick off the pizza and eat but will rarely request as a topping: broccoli (so good for you, so tasty, but the texture just doesn't work for me on pizza - will gladly eat this up though!) and pineapple (obviously awesome, but I've never gotten this level of sweetness on pizza - tomatoes and vidalia onions are sweet enough for me).

Love the picture and stories in this interview! Thanks Lenore and Amy!

Liz H said...

Great interview and thanks for the giveaway! definitely entering.

elizabeth.harkinson(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

Добрый день!
Админ. Хотелось бы поговорить насчёт рекламы в вашем блоге. Если вы согласны, отпишите ваши условия на e-mail. Благодарю.

Angela Ackerman said...

Great interveiw and picture! Love the look on your face!

Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse

alackerm at telus dot net

danya said...

I liked your bonus question - fun to think about having the characters from her different novels meet! :D

Thanks for the giveaway!

chocoholic410(at)hotmail(dot)com

the curious nomad said...

I'M IN

gitapar at hotmail dot com

~The Book Pixie said...

This book is on my wishlist and I would love to win it! Count me in! :D

~Briana
thebookpixie[at]yahoo[dot]com

Ammy Belle said...

Awesome! Thanks! Can't wait to check this out - please enter me in the contest!

apereiraorama @ gmail.com

Ellz said...

I am a huge AS fan. I would treasure a signed copy! zenfoxflower@yahooDOTcom

tweeted to help spread the word!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the fun interview! I would love to read this.

readingdate at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

Haha, loved these questions! Oh and yes, I'm ALSO ready for another AS King book, for sure! I'd love to enter!

- Melissa - said...

I have been wanting to read this book! I keep suggesting to the library that they buy a copy!!!
missy1549[at]gmail.com

Beth S. said...

I am itching to read this book! I'm definitely entering:

beths0103 at yahoo dot com

Emy Shin said...

This is such a fun interview, and I've read so many lovely things about VERA, and would love to be entered for a copy!

Thank you.

Thao said...

Fun interview. Please enter me in the giveaway :)

something_maybeATliveDOTcom

Jordyn said...

I am entering!

yay for entering!

i've heard such great things about this book. :)

tencentnotes@gmail.com

Llehn said...

I'm entering :D

lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com

Badass Bookie said...

I loved Dust of 100 Dogs so I been wanting to read this one! Thanks for the giveaway!

callmeghostgirl@yahoo.com.au

Miss Bookiverse said...

I'd love to read this book. It sounds like so much fun.
Please enter me if the contest is international :) I linked to it on my sidebar: http://missbookiverse.blogspot.com/

bookoholiker(at)gmail(dot)com

Kulsuma said...

Count me in if this is international?
k_anon[at]hotmail[dot]co[dot]uk

EVA SB said...

Another international joining in here!

eva.s.black[@]gmail[.]com

Precious said...

Interesting and fun interview! It was enjoyable to read!

I've heard wonderful things about Please Don't Ignore Vera Dietz! I would love to be entered if this is open internationally.

precious_shusky@yahoo.com

Michelle at Clover Hill Book Reviews said...

I'd love to be entered please! Don't think I would have the guts to post a picture of me impersonating as a nun though lol

bookwormreviewed at gmail dot com

StefanieEmmy said...

Oh, just in time to enter :D

stefanieemmy(at)gmx(dot)at

Sherry said...

Ok now I really want some pizza! Thanks for the awesome interview. Kissing is now on my mind too! =P

Thanks for the giveaway too!

ssalach88(at)gmail(dot)com

Jessica B said...

Great interview! Please enter me, I loved dust of 100 Dogs and I can't wait to read this one!

shutupjessicasreading @ gmaildotcom

Jen (Makeshift Bookmark) said...

I can't wait to read this book and I'd love a shot at winning :) I loved this interview!! You can tell she has an amazing sense of humor.
Makeshiftbookmark at gmail dot com

Jamie said...

Funny interview! Somebody had kissing on the brain! :) Any reason why, Lenore?? lol

I'm entering..thanks for the giveaway!

--Deb said...

Loved the interview--and I'd love to enter to win!

deb AT chappysmom DOT com

Krystal said...

Great interview, I love that picture! Haha. I'd also love to enter the contest for the book, it sounds great. Been on my wishlist since I first saw it.

Thanks

stellarbookblog[at]gmail[dot]com

Sara J. Henry said...

Comment! I have a copy, but you can never have too many copies of Amy King's books, as they make phenomenal gifts for all ages.

jacque said...

One of the best author interviews I've read in a long time!!!!

jacque
twinmomx5atgmail.com

Dawn M. said...

Great interview! :0)

Would love the chance to read this. Count me in, please!

Thanks!
librarygrinch at gmail dot com

Maggie Desmond-O'Brien said...

Entering absolutely a million times yes. =) (mdesmondobrien(at)yahoo(dot)com. I loved THE DUST OF 100 DOGS and this one looks even better. Yay, and thanks for the entertaining interview!

Erin said...

This was a lot of fun to read. Please enter me. :)

Erin
erin(.)dubrock(@)comcast(.)net

Audrey (holes In My brain) said...

awesome interview.. wow, what a great picture. its something that i think i'd look back and think "WHY???" but it's awesome nonetheless XDD please enter me in the contest :)

-audrey
holesinmybrain@hotmail.com

A.S. King said...

Lenore, you rock.
Thank you for having me and for the contest.
And thank all of you who are entering!!
WOOT.

Allyson A said...

Of course I'm entering after this interview. Definitely one of the most fun, interesting author interviews I've ever read!

nassim haramein said...

There is so much awesomeness in this interview, I cannot even choose which part is the awesomest. You both ROCK.

Pia said...

Great Giveaway!

pia-k(at)live(dot)com

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