Today we welcome Alex London to our Penguin Teen Author Spotlight! Tomorrow (tomorrow!!) his newest book, Proxy, is coming out, which is pretty much why we’re having him do Penguin Teen Author Spotlight today. After Proxy comes out, there’s no way we’ll be able to tear your attention away from it long enough for you to hang out here with us! Before you rush to pre-order your copy, read Alex’s interview. Aside from having really, really great taste in authors (living AND dead), the rest of his answers are awesome as well. See for yourself!

Name: Alex London

Novel: Proxy

Available: June 18th, 2013

Who’s your favorite author, living or dead? Tough question. Choosing a favorite author is like choosing a favorite person. There are many I love, but some I keep closer to the bed.

If forced to pick, I’d have to say David Mitchell might be the best living novelist. He has such a generous and humane imagination and an amazing way with words. I love everything he’s published so far. In writing for teens, I’d say it’s Patrick Ness. His Chaos Walking series is one of the most astonishing pieces of sci-fi storytelling I’ve ever read. I also think David Levithan is writing astonishing books. They make me long to be 16 again, even with all the heartache that entails. I wish Nick Burd would write more, because Vast Fields of Ordinary blew me away. I notice this list in trending very male and very living, so I’d be remiss not to add the late Shirley Jackson, whose unsettling short fiction provides a fantastic lesson in psychological suspense and the still very much alive Jennifer Egan. When I read A Visit From the Goon Squad, I was awed, thrilled, and deeply intimidated. That’s my favorite way to feel when I finish a book.

What’s your favorite thing about your book? The flaws in the main characters, Knox and Syd. These two boys start with some serious character deficiencies. They’re selfish, self-centered, confused, angry. But they grow. They connect. They evolve. They surprised me as they did.

If you could spend one year on a deserted island with one character from literature, who would you choose?  Albus Dumbledore. Not only could he teach me magic, he could probably make the deserted island not so deserted and help us leave it whenever we chose. Of course, that’s not really in the spirit of the question is it?

I guess, if I was really going to be stuck for a year, I’d want to be stuck with one of my own characters, Knox or Syd. I don’t have children, so the characters I write are the closest thing, and I’d love to know them better, to hear what they think beyond what I’ve written, to see them living and walking and breathing. To know I made them whole and to know they can surprise me, and to know, for all I put them through, that I can be forgiven.

Where do you write? When I started Proxy, my apartment was small so I wrote, ironically, in a closet. It wasn’t so grim. I was surrounded by colorful shirts and sweater and there was a window. I name the tree outside the window Ethel.

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Now that I have a house, I write in a corner of the guestroom, also by the window. I write best with natural light, so I write during the day. I’m very picking about light. I don’t think I write as well when it’s overcast. It’s kind of curse that traps me at my desk on really nice days.

Who is your favorite hero or heroine of history? The ones no one writes about. The anonymous baker in Nazi occupied Poland who risked his life to bring bread to his Jewish neighbors. The nun who helped child soldiers in the Congo escape the Mai Mai militia. The queer kid in rural Indiana who comes out to his community, fearing rejection by everyone he loves, but knowing the only way to find real love is with truth, and the popular kid who stands up for him. Neither of them may have any idea they’re making it easier for the kids after them to live truthfully, but every tiny act of this kind of bravery adds up and reminds me that the heroes of this world far outnumber the villains.

Do you tweet? What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever tweeted? I am addicted to twitter (@ca_london). My first tweet was something like: “When placing a bet, remember there is no dignified way to lose your fortune at a goat rodeo”

I suppose that’s the truest thing I’ve ever tweeted too.

What is your favorite season? Early Fall, when everything feels like change.

If you could teleport anywhere in the known universe right now, where would you go? I am exactly where I want to be right now. But, I suppose, if I had to teleport somewhere: Mars. I want to hang out with the Curiosity Rover, who also has a great twitter feed @MarsCuriosity

Do you have any writing rituals? Writing is my ritual.

What is your idea of earthly happiness? I’ll let you know when I figure that out.

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to? Radiohead playing at Roseland on the Kid A tour. I slept out on the street in Manhattan to get tickets, ended up shoved right to the front row during the show, right beside someone I had a crush on. Thom Yorke made eye contact with me during Everything in Its Right Place. I guess this answers the last question too.

What are you currently working on? The sequel to Proxy!

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Thanks, Alex! We’re pretty much dying for the sequel to Proxy over here at Penguin HQ, so we’re glad to hear you’re busy writing it!

You can find Alex on twitter and his website!

Add Proxy to your “to-read” shelf on Goodreads!

Buy Proxy from Penguin, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, your local, independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Walmart!


Today we welcome Janet Fox to the Penguin Teen Author Spotlight, and we couldn’t be happier! For those of you who haven’t delved into the Faithless books (not totally a series, but totally awesome, nonetheless) yet, now is your time. Her latest installment, Sirens, is available now and ready to transport you back to the Roaring Twenties, with the prohibition, flappers, and the mob. What better summer than this one to lose yourself in the dreamy world of the twenties? Plus, you know you’ve been looking for your next fix after finally seeing The Great Gatsby. All we’ll say about it is, you’re welcome.

Name: Janet Fox

Novel: SIRENS (Speak)

Available: Now! Everywhere!

Who’s your favorite author, living or dead? Oh, man. That question throws me every time, mainly because I have a long, long list and it changes with every new book I read. So, okay. I have to choose. Mind you, it’s just for these next 30 minutes, and after that…but I’m going to say J.R.R. Tolkien. And the reason is because when I was about twelve I landed in bed with a nasty flu, and my mom brought me LOTR, and I read it all the way through. And then faked being sick for an extra week so that I could read it again without a fever. I think I’ve read those books a total of eight or nine times, maybe more.

What’s your favorite thing about your book? The voice of Lou. She just about jumped off the page at me. I’ve always considered myself to be the “good” girl, you know? The kind of girl who always did her homework, helped out, made her bed, yadda, yadda. But there must be a bad girl inside me because Lou’s voice was right there in my head, and she was all sassy and worldly, and saying, “Yeah, sister.” I loved writing her passages.

If you could spend one year on a deserted island with one character from literature, who would you choose? A whole year? That narrows it down to guys. And not just any guy, either. Someone tough but compassionate. Someone just enough of a poet or musician to understand the workings of the heart. So…at this moment I’m going to choose Sam from Maggie Stiefvater’s The Shiver Trilogy. Stiefvater really knows how to write great male characters.

Where do you write? I have a brand new workspace that is the best ever. I can see out windows on three sides – snowcapped mountain views. And it’s open and really light (I crave light). I’ve packed it with color and little objects that mean something to me. Some people have a magic box where they put wishes and things? I have a magic workspace.

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Who is your favorite hero or heroine of history? Elizabeth 1. What an amazing woman, so ahead of her time. Smart, capable, and she didn’t need a guy to do things for her. She unified her country without killing too many people (it was a bloody era) and allowed a culture to flourish that gave us some of the greatest of Western literature.

Do you tweet? What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever tweeted? I do tweet. I really like Twitter. Funniest? Man. You are really putting me on the spot here. I don’t consider myself to be very funny. The funniest I can remember is “I’ve murdered so many darlings today the landscape is strewn with body parts…um, words.” It’s a writer’s inside joke, you know? Murder your darlings = get rid of what you really like because it’s usually the overwritten junk.

What is your favorite season? Fall. After a long hot, leisurely summer I really like the first snap of cool air. And I love fall colors: oranges, reds, yellows, dark greens. I think of fall as a time of new beginnings. I know that’s usually reserved for spring, but I remember as a kid how much I loved to buy my new school supplies. Weird.

If you could teleport anywhere in the known universe right now, where would you go? Wow – why would I want to be anywhere but here in the mountains of Montana? It’s so beautiful. But, give me another M-class planet that is uninhabited, so I could see what Earth was like before we began messing it up.

Do you have any writing rituals? The only ritual I have is that I write every day. Every morning, first thing, and I don’t stop until I have ten new pages done. Oh, and coffee. Two cups, with mocha and foamed milk.

What is your idea of earthly happiness? Writing. J And chocolate, walking in the mountains with a happy dog, eating a great meal with family and friends, and lying on my back in the sun on a cool morning in spring grass.

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to? Back in the day I heard Richie Havens in concert. He died not long ago, but he was one of the most talented, and I think underappreciated, musicians of a couple of decades past. Gorgeous lyrics and melodies to break your heart.

What are you currently working on? Three different stories, all in various stages of writing and revision. Two are middle grade fantasies: one set in 1940 in England but very much a fantasy, and the other set in the place between life and death. And I have a completed YA science fiction project set in a dystopian future – I’m quite excited about that one. It’s a romance, and my tag line is “What does it mean to be human?”

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Thanks Janet! We can’t wait to read your next project!

You can find Janet on Twitter and her blog.

Add Sirens to your “to-read” shelf on Goodreads!

Sirens is available now! Purchase it from Penguin, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, your local, independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Walmart!

Today we welcome Susanne Winnacker to the Penguin Teen Author Spotlight! If you’re looking for some X-Men style superpower intrigue plus an intense murder mystery, this one’s for you! Before you go running through any walls to get this thriller, stay here to get to know the author behind the first book in the Variants series!

Name: Susanne Winnacker

Novel: Impostor (Variants Series)

Available: May 28, 2013

Who’s your favorite author, living or dead? J.K. Rowling. I’m still convinced that Hogwarts exists. J.K. Rowling made me believe it.

What’s your favorite thing about your book? The main character, Tessa. Despite her extraordinary talent to absorb other people’s DNA and adopt their appearances, her struggle for happiness and a loving family is something everyone can relate to.

If you could spend one year on a deserted island with one character from literature, who would you choose? The Weasley Twins. They count as one, right? With them on the island with me, it definitely wouldn’t get boring, even if I’d have to keep an eye open at night to make sure they don’t pull a prank on me!

Where do you write? I write on the sofa in our living room (it’s very comfortable) or at the kitchen table (not so comfortable, but somehow I get more work done). Once the weather is better, I’d like to write in our garden.

Who is your favorite hero or heroine of history? That’s a difficult question. Probably Mahatma Ghandi. He “fought” for what he believed was right and never resorted to violence. I especially like this quote from him “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

Do you tweet? What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever tweeted? Yes. Funniest tweet? Um, probably something about one of our pets. We have 3 bunnies and a dog, and they keep me busy (especially the bunny I lovingly call “Volderabbit”).

What is your favorite season? Summer! I love heat and sunshine!

If you could teleport anywhere in the known universe right now, where would you go? An overwater bungalow on Bora Bora.

Do you have any writing rituals? I can’t write first thing in the morning. I need to go through my morning routine of checking emails and social networking sites while drinking coffee or a Matcha latte before I can start writing.

What is your idea of earthly happiness? Spending time with my husband and our pets, eating home-cooked food and watching a good movie.

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to? I’m not much of a concert person. But as a teen I was a HUGE Backstreets Boys fan (I know, I know…) and was pretty obsessed. I was the crazy screeching girl in one of the front rows…

What are you currently working on? I always have so many ideas, but right now I’m playing around with a YA horror and a middle grade. 

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Thanks, Susanne! We can’t wait to read the rest of the Variants series!

You can find Susanne on Twitter and her blog.

Add Impostor to your “to-read” shelf on Goodreads!

Buy Impostor tomorrow from Penguin, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, your local, independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Walmart!

What’s better than having ONE amazing author join us for the Penguin Teen Author Spotlight? Having TWO authors join us for the Penguin Teen Author Spotlight! Today we’re so excited to have both Andrea Cremer and David Levithan chat with us about their author-y lives and new book together, Invisibility! Invisibility is out now, so after you read their interview and check out their hilarious author video, run out and grab your copy before they all disappear!

Name:  Andrea Cremer and David Levithan

Novel:  Invisibility

Available: May 7th

Who’s your favorite author, living or dead?
AC:  Dead.

DL:  Living.

What’s your favorite thing about your book?

AC:  The love story.

DL:  The love story.

If you could spend one year on a deserted island with one character from literature, who would you choose?

AC:  Eomer of Rohan (but he has to bring horses of the Rohirrim so we can ride around on the beach).

DL:  Does Jamie Oliver count?

Where do you write?

AC:  On my couch, on the plane, in the sun, in the rain.

DL:  At my desk, a foot away from my bed.  And at other people’s kitchen tables, which are nowhere near my bed.

Who is your favorite hero or heroine of history?

AC:  Boadicea.

DL:  Woody Guthrie was the first person to pop into mind, but that could be because of the song I’m listening to.

Do you tweet? What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever tweeted?

AC:  @andreacremer I let other people be funny and then I retweet them. I am a habitual retweeter of @thatauthorguy (Christopher Moore)

DL:  @loversdiction – I let you choose what’s funniest.

What is your favorite season?
AC:  Fall.

DL:  Spring.

If you could teleport anywhere in the known universe right now, where would you go?

AC:  San Francisco: to visit my brother and sister-in-law and niece.

DL:  If I could get to Sydney without the flight, I’d be there all the time.

Do you have any writing rituals?

AC:  I need my iPod; I create playlists for all of my books and write to music.
DL:  Nope.

What is your idea of earthly happiness?

AC:  Climbing trees.

DL:  Friends.

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to?

AC:  Sasquatch Music Festival in the Columbia Gorge.

DL:  This is too hard.  I’ll say Damien Rice at Joe’s Pub was one of the best.

What are you currently working on?

AC:  Memorizing the INVISIBILITY tour schedule. Deciding what shoes to pack.

DL:  This questionnaire.  Duh.

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Thanks, guys! We can’t WAIT to see what you each write next (and we’re crossing our fingers that you’ll write it together!)

You can find Andrea on her twitter, website, blog, and Tumblr.

You can find David on his twitter and website!

Add Invisibility to your “to-read” shelf on Goodreads!

Buy Invisibility from Penguin, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your local, independent bookstore, Books a Million, Powell’s, and Walmart!


Today we’re welcoming Susane Colasanti to the Penguin Teen Author Spotlight and we are unbelievably excited about it! Her newest novel, All I Need, comes out tomorrow, so you’ve got some time to hang out with Susane here before getting your copy. Susane is the expert on all things love and summer, so it’s the perfect time of year for this book. She’s such an expert that she’s hosting a “10 Rules for a Spectacular Summer” blog tour starting today! Find her first rule on Forever YA and check out the full schedule so you never miss a stop!

Name: Susane Colasanti

Novel: All I Need

Available: May 21, 2013

Who’s your favorite author, living or dead? Laurie Halse Anderson is my fave teen author. She is a phenomenal writer. She has such a beautiful, original writing style that hooks you from the first sentence. I enjoy books that focus on dialogue and action the way Laurie’s do. The emotional depth of her stories is remarkable.

What’s your favorite thing about your book? While I was writing my first novel, When It Happens, I loved using alternating girl/boy perspectives to tell both sides of the story. I always wondered what the boy was thinking when I read teen novels back in high school. Did he like the girl? What did he talk about with his friends? What did his room look like? I wanted to know the boy’s side of the story so desperately that I promised myself I would tell it if I ever wrote a teen novel. That’s why I was stoked to return to the alternating points-of-view style with All I Need.
Another thing that was so fun about writing All I Need was including a main boy character who is in college. I would have loved to read about characters in college when I was a teen! Opening the world of my characters in that way took this story to a whole other level. Hopefully my readers will enjoy the adventure as much as I did.

If you could spend one year on a deserted island with one character from literature, who would you choose?  Ponyboy Curtis from The Outsiders. Ponyboy understands about colors and sunsets and things. He is my ideal boy character: sensitive, introspective, and emotionally mature. I absolutely adore him.

Where do you write? I bought and renovated an apartment in downtown Manhattan last year. My goal was to find a place with lots of sunlight, sweet views, and an airy feel. I’ve been a full-time author for six years and I work at home. Working in a Zen environment inspires my writing. So I was in desperate need of an upgrade from my old place, which was tiny and dark and mentally constricting (although the West Village location was amazing!). When I found my new place, I knew it would make a peaceful writing oasis. My home office is set up next to a wall of windows facing south. There are big sky views above and birds chirping below. Natural light all day. Refreshing breezes. Space to breathe. Having a home office like this was a big dream of mine for so long. I’m stoked that the dream has become reality.

Who is your favorite hero or heroine of history? Martin Luther King, Jr. He advocated the advancement of civil rights while using a nonviolent approach. Violence only encourages more violence. Peaceful, intelligent action is the most effective technique for changing the world.

Do you tweet? What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever tweeted? Of course I tweet. What do I look like, a barbarian?

While that wasn’t my funniest tweet, it might have been up there. Oh, wait. I think it was more like:

I haven’t tweeted yet today. What am I, a barbarian?

The thing with Twitter is that it’s very noisy. Everyone wants to be heard. Everyone wants you to know what they’re having for breakfast and how bored they are at work and that they are Going to Bed Now. I try to tweet two or three times a day, but only if I have something interesting enough to say. And even then I am not that interesting.

What is your favorite season? Spring. The vernal equinox is my favorite day of the year. That first day of spring is usually still cold, but I don’t care. Just knowing it’s finally spring and the flowering trees will start blooming soon and the High Line will be abundant with green gorgeousness and daylight hours will continue to increase is enough to make me a very happy girl. I love the feelings of renewal and refreshed energy that spring brings.

If you could teleport anywhere in the known universe right now, where would you go? I’d probably swing by Pluto. Just to let him know there’s still love for his planetary status.

Do you have any writing rituals? Being an organization freak comes with a love of routine. Working at home can be distracting unless you have a writing routine down. I generally do online stuff in the morning – Facebook, fan page, Twitter, blog – and write in the afternoon. As far as specific rituals go, I find “butt in chair” to be all I need.

What is your idea of earthly happiness? Dreaming big and then turning those dreams into reality. This is true for all aspects of my life: work, home, relationships, health. Shaping my life into the ideal version of itself makes me really happy. The key is to enjoy the Now. When you’re working toward a goal, everything you do along the way is an important part of the journey, not just a stepping stone. When I’m one with the Now, not worrying about the past or anxious about the future, I feel an overwhelming sense of peaceful clarity. Connecting with wherever I am at the moment or whomever I’m with on a deeper level without feeling distracted is my idea of bliss.

Also Godiva chocolate. And tropical vacations where I can lay out by the pool sipping one of those fruity drinks with umbrellas sticking out of it. And a good book, of course.

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to? Dude. I scored front-row center seats to John Mayer at Madison Square Garden. Can I just tell you that it was one of the top five best nights of my life? I was right there. He played lots of my fave songs. He looked right at me three times. It was just…beyond epic. Experiences don’t usually exceed my expectations. This one totally did.

What are you currently working on? Right now I’m revising my eighth teen novel, which will be released next year. This summer I’ll be starting a super exciting project which will be announced soon. Please stay tuned for details!

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Thanks, Susane! We can always count on you to start the summer off right.

Need more summer inspiration? Our All I Need video on YouTube will definitely get you in the mood for the beach!

Want to chat with Susane? You’re in luck! Susane is doing a Featured Author Group chat on Goodreads TODAY (for more details, go here), and a Twitter chat with @PenguinTeen on Tuesday, May 28th from 7-8 PM Eastern (hashtag #allineed)! Mark your calendars!

You can find Susane on Twitter, her blog, Facebook, and her website.

Add All I Need to your “to-read” shelf on Goodreads!

Buy All I Need on May 21st from Penguin, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, your local, independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Walmart!

We know you’re pretty much excited about one thing right around this time of year, and that’s summer. So we think we were pretty considerate when we invited Una LaMarche to today’s Penguin Teen Author Spotlight, seeing as she wrote a book about not one, not two, but FIVE SUMMERS! Camp, beaches, reunions, friends, romance…it’s all there. Perfect for those hot days coming up, and you’re in luck, because it comes out today! Stay here and hang with Una for a sec and then go get your copy so you’re ready for your first beach trip of the year!

Name: Una LaMarche

Novel: Five Summers

Available: May 16

Who’s your favorite author, living or dead? Oooh, this is a tough one. I love and admire so many authors of literature, but my favorite writers would have to be the two humorists whose work inspired me as a teenager: Fran Lebowitz and David Sedaris. They are just my ultimate idols. I completely nerd out whenever I read their stuff.

What’s your favorite thing about your book? The intimacy. It’s a story about a small group of close friends that takes place in one spot—the sleepy summer camp where they met. For me it’s really evocative of my own childhood friendships, and I hope that it makes readers feel the magic of the familiar, that incredible pang of sweet nostalgia you get from being with the people who know you best in the place you grew up.

If you could spend one year on a deserted island with one character from literature, who would you choose? It’s a toss-up between Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice and Jo March from Little Women. Can I have both? I feel like they would really hit it off.

Where do you write? Most of the time I write on my living room couch, which is completely unglamorous. I don’t really have an office. But as I’m typing my answers to this questionnaire, I’m sitting in a hotel room in Honolulu looking out at the ocean (edit: JEALOUS!!). And that’s what I love most about being a writer: your office can be anywhere, as long as you have something to write with.

Who is your favorite hero or heroine of history? I know she’s a hero in the traditional sense—she didn’t invent penicillin or end wars—but Dorothy Parker has always been a personal hero for being an outspoken feminist, humorist and social critic long before Nora Ephron or Tina Fey made it look easy. Parker is one of history’s greatest wits—and a native New Yorker like me. So obviously had the timelines worked out we would have been BFF.

Do you tweet? What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever tweeted? I do tweet! I resisted it for awhile, but now I love the challenge of saying what I need to say, and being funny doing it, in 140 characters.

The funniest thing I’ve ever tweeted? That’s a lot of pressure. I’ll go with something that got a lot of retweets, which I tweeted during the superbowl this year:

Really excited about the number of “That’s SO Ravens” jokes I’m seeing from my friends. I’ve chosen well.

Because who doesn’t love a Raven Symone reference? NO ONE, that’s who.

What is your favorite season? Fall for sure. Which is sad for me, since it’s getting elbowed out of the lineup thanks to global warming.

If you could teleport anywhere in the known universe right now, where would you go?

The deck on the cottage in Block Island, RI that my family has rented for almost two decades. It is my definition of relaxation, and at any given moment it’s pretty much a guarantee that I need to relax.

Do you have any writing rituals? Is procrastination a ritual? I like to waste about an hour of time checking Facebook and reading the news before I start being productive.

What is your idea of earthly happiness? Get ready for some serious sap: Just being with my husband and son. Anywhere we’re together feels like home.

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to? Here is where I admit that I’ve been to a grand total of about four concerts in my entire life. But the best would probably be when The Roots played an outdoor concert at my college, Wesleyan, my senior year. It was a gorgeous spring day, I was with my best friends, and we were in second semester sloth mode. It doesn’t get better than that.

What are you currently working on? I’m writing my next YA novel, Like No Other, which I’m really excited about and which is a huge departure from Five Summers. It’s in many ways more challenging but just as exciting. And I get to write about first love. Who doesn’t love first love? It’s timeless and classic, just like Raven Symone.

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Thanks, Una! We love Five Summers and can’t wait to read Like No Other! Also, we totally agree about Raven.

You can find Una on her website and on twitter.

Add Five Summers to your “to-read” shelf on Goodreads!

Buy Five Summers from Penguin, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, your local, independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Walmart!


Today we welcome David Iserson to the Penguin Teen Author Spotlight! The first thing you have to know about David is that he writes for New Girl, so you know he’s funny. And we can attest that Firecracker is even funnier (or so we think). Don’t believe us? Would you believe celebrities? Check out this hilarious trailer for Firecracker before coming back to hang out with David here at the Penguin Teen Author Spotlight!

Name: David Iserson

Novel: Firecracker

Available: 5.16.13

Who’s your favorite author, living or dead? Kurt Vonnegut. When I was twelve, I spotted a beautiful, sophisticated, older girl reading BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS and so I associated Vonnegut as a rite of passage towards attaining beauty, sophistication, and age. That book completely blew my mind. I had no idea a writer was allowed to do the sort of things he was doing.

I went to a reading in Chicago for his last novel, Timequake and at the end, I presented him with a picture I’d drawn—which is a weird thing I used to do to meet people I admired. He was super gracious, thanked me for the picture and asked me, “So, what else do you do?” I was, for the first time ever, star-struck and I forgot every word I know and I said, “Uh… Uh… Faces?” Vonnegut gave me a strange look and walked away.

Also: J.D. Salinger, David Sedaris, Judy Blume, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, Chuck Klosterman, Truman Capote, George Saunders, Nick Hornby…

What’s your favorite thing about your book? Astrid Krieger’s favorite thing about the book would be Astrid Krieger and I tend to agree. She’s tough, confident, brassy, acerbic, funny, and has virtually no fear. If I could do nothing else for my entire life than write her life, I would be happy.

I once dated a girl who read my early versions of this book and said of Astrid, “This is me. Except I’m not filthy rich, but, otherwise, this is exactly me.” So I married her.

If you could spend one year on a deserted island with one character from literature, who would you choose? How did I end up on a desert island? Was I on a cruise? I don’t think I’d ever go on a cruise… though I do like buffets… all right. Fine. I’ll go on your cruise.

In answer to your question then, the boar from LORD OF THE FLIES.

Where do you write? In the car, but I’m very safe. NEVER on the freeways.

Who is your favorite hero or heroine of history? I’ve been fascinated lately by the very Astrid Krieger-like Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt (“I can be president of the United States,” Roosevelt said, “or I can attend to Alice. I cannot possibly do both!”)

Alice had a ton of great one liners that I love, like: “If you haven’t got anything good to say about anybody, come sit next to me.” And, of her father, “He wants to be the bride at every wedding, the corpse at every funeral, and the baby at every christening.”

Do you tweet? What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever tweeted? I do (twitter.com/davidiserson). There are a few subject matters represented more than others in my tweets: pictures of my dog watching TV, weird snacks they have at work, how Anne Hathaway and I sometimes have the same haircut, and a brief period in my life when my wife was raising baby chickens in our bathtub (the chickens are now in the backyard, which I don’t like much better—one is a rooster and it’s miserable and loud.)

I’m very fond of this tweet: https://twitter.com/davidiserson/status/270557815691673600

What is your favorite season? I live in Los Angeles so we don’t really have seasons. But, my favorite is still summer because maybe something magic will happen and I’ll be fourteen again and get to go to camp.

If you could teleport anywhere in the known universe right now, where would you go? I love Japan. It’s totally mind-blowing and the people, food, and karaoke booths are the best. Plus I went to a café in Tokyo where you can just hang out and pet cats for an hour. That was really fun. I’d teleport just to do that.

Do you have any writing rituals? I write longhand in the morning, go out to lunch, type in the afternoon (the lunch part is very important). I like to listen to music from the 1960s and sit in very crowded libraries.

What is your idea of earthly happiness? My wife, my dog, finishing something, really expensive sushi, a very cold juice box of lemon iced tea (juice boxes are a reoccurring prop in FIRECRACKER and my love for them is the thing Astrid and I have most in common), and watching a great movie. Probably BACK TO THE FUTURE.

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to? Best(s): Paul McCartney at Coachella, Pavement at the Chicago Metro, Radiohead at the Hammerstein Ballroom, REM at Madison Square Garden, Fountains of Wayne at the Troubadour, Wilco at the Greek Theater, New Pornographers at the Henry Fonda, Springsteen at the LA Coliseum, Rolling Stones at Camp Randall Stadium.

(“This list is so long and boring. Please cut it down.”—My wife Allis.)

What are you currently working on? My day job is as a writer on the TV show NEW GIRL and that takes up a ton of my time, but we’ve just finished up our season, so I’m starting a bunch of other projects during my break—a TV pilot, the FIRECRACKER screenplay and I’m having some very high-level conversations (read: muttering to myself) about the next book. Also, I just bought a how-to book on art forgery, so I’m thinking of getting into that.

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Thanks, David! We’re sure the next book will be just as hilarious!

You can find David on Twitter and Tumblr.

Add Firecracker to your “to-read” shelf on Goodreads!

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It’s May, and you know what that means…the Penguin Teen Author Spotlight is officially in summer mode! Today we welcome Jordanna Fraiberg, author of the lovely romance Our Song, out today!! We love it, you’ll love it, we’ll all enjoy reading it while lying in the sun on the beach, we promise. Before you head off to your nearest bookstore to ensure that daydream comes true, though, stay here and hang with Jordanna!

Name: Jordanna Fraiberg

Novel: OUR SONG

Available: MAY 2, 2013

Who’s your favorite author, living or dead? I have different favorites for different reasons: for craft, for pure escape, and so on. The authors that really inspire me are Lauren Oliver, Sara Zarr, and Sarah Dessen. They all write such compelling characters combined with such beautiful prose. Virgina Woolf also holds a special place in my heart, and was an inspiration for OUR SONG.

What’s your favorite thing about your book? The message of transformation, the idea that no matter how bad things get, how seemingly irrevocable, there’s always hope, even if you can’t see it right away. The mysterious song threaded throughout OUR SONG is a symbol of that hope: even if Olive can’t hear it, or isn’t ready to, it’s always there, waiting for her.

If you could spend one year on a deserted island with one character from literature, who would you choose?  Marley, the dog from MARLEY AND ME. I’ve been wrapped around a lab or a golden retriever since I was two years old, so life – especially a year on a deserted island – wouldn’t feel complete without a big dog within arm’s reach.

Where do you write? It depends where I am in the process. For first drafts, I like to write at home with my dog, Rocky, within arm’s reach (see above). My office leads out to a backyard with a gazebo, where Rocky and I sometimes wander when I’m stuck. When I’m brainstorming or revising, I like to coffee shop hop around my LA neighborhood.

Who is your favorite hero or heroine of history? I’ve always been fascinated with Gandhi, and I had the privilege of interviewing people who knew and worked with him when I lived in India during my junior year abroad. My take away from that project was that Gandhi was a man whose message transcended politics and party lines, because it was a message about peace and freedom. And those are the kind of messages that endure, that lift people out of hardship, that give them hope.

Do you tweet? What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever tweeted? I’ve only just recently joined the twitterverse, and it’s been the most welcomed addition to my life – I love the sense of creative community it can foster, not to mention being able to fangirl my favorite authors.

While not particularly comedic, this tweet just about sums it up:

“I think the best part about working from home is that everyday is Bring Your Dog to Work Day”

What is your favorite season? Spring, especially in LA, when the scent of night-blooming Jasmine fills the air.

If you could teleport anywhere in the known universe right now, where would you go? To my sister-in-law’s kitchen in Berlin, where we’d chat about life and story and motherhood, while the kids played in the backyard.  Or Hawaii. I could always imagine myself in Hawaii.

Do you have any writing rituals? I used to be a professional athlete and I treat my writing the same way I used to approach my training. I start off slow at the beginning, finding my way into an idea, and once I’ve landed on one, I try to reach a word count goal every day. Like exercise, consistency is key because then the story starts to take on a life of its own, working itself out in my subconscious even when I’m not putting words down on paper. That’s the goal, anyway!

What is your idea of earthly happiness? When everything feels in sync. Being home with my husband and daughter, snuggling with my dog, writing, doing yoga, and hanging with friends and family helps me achieve that.

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to? Death Cab for Cutie, with my husband at the Hollywood Bowl. The Transatlanticism fireworks finale accompanied by the LA Philharmonic under the stars was something truly magical to behold.

What are you currently working on? Another contemporary romance, which is evolving and changing before my very eyes as I write it, so that’s all I’ll say about it right now!

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Thanks, Jordanna! We can’t wait to (re)read Our Song this summer!

You can find Jordanna on Twitter, Facebook, and her website.

Add Our Song to your “to-read” shelf on Goodreads!

Buy Our Song today from Penguin, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your local, independent bookstore, Books a Million, Powell’s and Walmart!


Today we welcome Scott Speer to the Penguin Teen Author Spotlight! We excited to chat with him today, since he’s definitely a jack of all trades. You might know him as the director of the awesome Step Up movies, or as the author of Immortal City, to which Natural Born Angel is the sequel. He always has something going on, and his novels are awesome because of it! Fast paced and imaginative with a hot (angelic?) love interest, you’ll be happy you picked up this trilogy.

Name: Scott Speer

Novel: Immortal City / Natural Born Angel

Available: Immortal City and Natural Born Angel are both available now!

Who’s your favorite author, living or dead?

Dead: Charles Dickens

Living: Stephen King

What’s your favorite thing about your book? The character of Maddy.  I really stumbled onto her, but as I wrote her she grew and took control of her own destiny, and I’m always amazed by the choices she makes.  She a headstrong young woman, imperfect and at times inexplicable, I just love her. 

If you could spend one year on a deserted island with one character from literature, who would you choose? Tough one.  Coraline Jones. 

Where do you write? My balcony overlooking the city.

Who is your favorite hero or heroine of history? Alexander the Great.  Conquered the known world by 30.  I’m still trying to catch up. 

Do you tweet? What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever tweeted? Yes.  Not a lot of funny tweets, Dan Krokos has that covered.  I’m always updating on my film and book projects.  

What is your favorite season? Fall.

If you could teleport anywhere in the known universe right now, where would you go? Inside someone else’s head.  I’d like to see the world from a completely different perspective. 

Do you have any writing rituals? I always write in a font that inspires me.  Don’t settle for courier.  Watch your book come to life as you write it!

What is your idea of earthly happiness? Creating stories that capture the imagination of the world. 

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to? Anything House music. 

What are you currently working on? SPINBACK for Lionsgate, Step Up 5, and the third installment of the Immortal City Series.  Among other things…

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Thanks, Scott! We can’t wait to find out how the Immortal City trilogy ends!

You can find Scott on Twitter.

Add Natural Born Angel to your “to-read” shelf on Goodreads!

Buy Natural Born Angel from Penguin, Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, your local, independent bookstore, Books a Million, Powell’s, and Walmart!

Today we welcome Catherine Fisher to the Penguin Teen Author Spotlight! Her newest book, Obsidian Mirror, comes out tomorrow!  VOYA called it “a spell-binding maze of mystery-filled pages full of unexpected twists and turns that will draw readers in … combines time travel, the fey or faeries, and a future in ruins with potent success” in a starred review, so you know it’s worth the read! Still don’t believe us? Check out Catherine’s previous works, Incarceron and Darkwater to see for yourself before picking up Obsidian Mirror tomorrow!

Name: Catherine Fisher

Novel: Obsidian Mirror

Available: 23rd April 2013

Who’s your favorite author, living or dead? Alan Garner or the late great Robert Holdstock.

What’s your favorite thing about your book? I like inhabiting many different characters- and because it’s time travel, many different times.

If you could spend one year on a deserted island with one character from literature, who would you choose? Robinson Crusoe would be the practical choice.

Where do you write? In a room at the back of my house with a door to the garden so I can pace in and out when the book gets tricky.

Who is your favorite hero or heroine of history? Owain Glyndwr, who was a fascinating freedom fighter for Wales.

Do you tweet? What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever tweeted? Life is too short to tweet.

What is your favorite season? Autumn, for the leaf fall and the quiet warmth.

If you could teleport anywhere in the known universe right now, where would you go? I would land in the Piazza outside the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, one of the most wonderful cities on Earth.

Do you have any writing rituals? Only to work each day if possible.

What is your idea of earthly happiness? Walking in the woods above the river Wye and then going home to Sunday tea.

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to? Knebworth 1976- Led Zep’s last concert together, though no one knew it at the time.

What are you currently working on? I have just finished the sequel to Obsidian Mirror, called The Box of Red Brocade.

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Thanks, Catherine! We can’t wait to read The Box of Red Brocade!

You can find Catherine on her website.

Add Obsidian Mirror to your “to-read” shelf on Goodreads!

Get Obsidian Mirror from Penguin, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, your local, independent bookstore, Powell’s and Walmart!