Author Interview: Michael Northrop

Alli's World had the pleasure of interviewing author Michael Northrop as part of the blog tour for his new book ROTTEN. If you are a dog person you will surely enjoy this interview. And if you like what you read be sure to pickup a copy of ROTTEN!

Alli's World: So we here in Alli's World are dog lovers and have a rescue pup of our own. We'd love to know if you are a dog lover too and have you ever had a rescue dog of your own?

Michael Northrop: Hello! Yes, I am a dog-lover too, and have been since the very beginning. I grew up in a small town with a big back yard and a mom who loved animals. We generally had between eight and nine animals at a time, about half dogs and half cats. About half of those would be rescues, and the other half would be adopted from someone’s litter. (When you have that many animals, word gets around. Every time a neighbor's pet had puppies/kittens, they’d knock on our door.)

One dog, in particular, was a major inspiration for this book. His name was Max, and he was either an unusually large Brittany, a Brittany mix, or just a big dog that looked a lot like a Brittany. He was rescued from a very bad situation, much like Johnny’s in the book, and I was just a little older than JD when we got him. He was scared and skittish at first, but once he was in a safe, loving environment, he let his guard down and became one of the greatest dogs I’ve ever

known.

Alli's World: Do you have any funny or interesting pet stories?

Michael Northrop: My funniest pet stories involve a dog named Little Bit. He was a black lab mix and one of the great escape artists in history. Over the years, he escaped from the backyard by flipping the latch on the gate, the screen door by figuring out the handle, and one of those metal anchors you screw into the ground by, you guessed it, running around in the opposite direction and unscrewing it. He had a Rise of the Planet of the Apes level of animal intelligence.

So what did this canine Einstein do once he escaped? The stupidest things imaginable! He was sprayed by skunks three times and had his snout filled with porcupine quills twice! How can a dog be so smart and so dumb at the same time? I still don’t understand that.

But he was an awesome dog. We lived in Hartford for one fairly bad year when I was a kid. One day, my mom, brother, and I took Little Bit out for a walk. When we got back, he froze just inside the front door. He sniffed around a bit and then bolted straight up the stairs and into my bedroom. By the time we got up there to see what he was doing, he had already found and killed the biggest frickin’ rat any of us had ever seen. If he hadn’t, I would’ve been sleeping with that thing
scurrying around me—and we’d just moved and my mattress was still on the floor!

ROTTEN is dedicated to both dogs, Little Bit and Max.

Alli's World: What books or authors have influenced your writing?

Michael Northrop: There are so many. If I had to name a Top 3, I’d probably say: 

1) Ted Hughes. He was the Poet Laureate of England when I was in high school. He wrote very rough, visceral poems, generally focused on nature. His poem “Hawk Roosting” is written from the perspective of a bird of prey, and it really changed my idea of what good writing was and could be. 

2) William Faulkner, another writer who did interesting things with narration and point of view. I am a very slow reader (I’m dyslexic) and am often hesitant to read more than one or two books by the same author, just because there are so many other authors and books out there I want to check out. But I’ve read pretty much everything Faulkner has ever written. 

3) S.E. Hinton. She’s really the author most responsible for me writing YA (blame her!). Actually, she’s one of the authors most responsible for YA even existing. The Outsiders is basically a perfect YA novel.

Alli's World: Do you have any interesting (or weird) writing habits?

Michael Northrop: I don’t think so. I mean, I’m weird in a lot of ways, but I think my writing habits are pretty common: I write in the morning (I generally get started around 11 am, after a little too much time online), drink lots of coffee, and shoot for a thousand words a day. (I know a lot of authors who aim for 1,000 words/day, and most of us got it from Stephen King’s amazing book On Writing.)

Alli's World:  As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Michael Northrop: I wanted to be a mounted police officer (the kind that rides a horse). I thought it would be like being a modern-day knight.

Alli's World: We would really like to thank Michael for stopping by today and talking books and puppies with us! 

Author's Bio:

My name is Michael Northrop, and I am a writer living in New York City. I am the author of three YA novels: Gentlemen (2009), one of the American Library Association/YALSA’s Best Books for Young Adults; Trapped (2011), an ALA/YALSA Readers’ Choice List selection, an Indie Next List pick, and a Barnes & Noble Must-Read for Teens; and Rotten, which comes out on April 1, 2013. My first middle grade novel, Plunked, was named to the New York Public Library’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing.

Website: http://michaelnorthrop.net/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mdnorthrop

Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15812319-rotten

Buy Links: 

Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780545495875

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rotten-Michael-Northrop/dp/0545495873/

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rotten-michael-northrop/1111813818

bookswithbite.net

Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Post 2

I failed to prepare for BBAW so I'm just answering these questions myself. It's kinda fun just to think about some of these questions and come up with for real answers. You should try it. :)

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
I kinda snack all the time, so I don't think this is a fair question. Seriously though, I do not have fav reading snack. (I just know I don't want sticky, greasy fingers on the pages of my books.)

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?
It doesn't horrify me, I tend to underline sometimes and I like to put those sticky-note tabs in books to remind me where the good stuff is at in the book.  But I don't write paragraphs in my books. Sometimes, if I really like a quote or passage from a book, I'll open a draft in my email and type/copy out the line(s) so I can reference them later.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
Laying the book flat open?
Bookmark! With whatever might be handy. Receipts work wonderfully. Sometimes I do lay a book out flat to hold my place, but not often, usually only if it's already a old copy that is conducive to that. Dog-ears are a no-no. 

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Almost always fiction. I live in the real world, I read to escape!

Hard copy or audiobooks?
Either. I love having a good audiobook in the car for the long commute. My hubby and I have been known to have an audiobook for the car ride on a road trip. I like that because when we stop we can discuss the book and be at exactly the same place, even though we will have different perspectives on the book. (I like to say, "A family that reads together, stays together!" :)

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you
able to put a book down at any point?
I don't have to read to the end of the chapter but I find myself playing the one more chapter or just to the end of this chapter game a lot. This tends to lead to one more, that leads to one more and so forth. 

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
No, not always but I do sometimes. It depends, is that word detrimental to my understanding of the story or can I use the context clues and move on. (Very mature, huh?)

What are you currently reading?
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

What is the last book you bought?
Most recent (yesterday) from a second-hand store, Dark Secrets 1 by Elizabeth Chandler and The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. Brand new most recent (Saturday) was As You Wish by Jackson Pearce.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can
you read more than one at a time?
I may start more than one at a time but one will prevail until I just give in and finish one and then {hopefully} get back to the other. Usually I just have one book I'm reading and one I'm listening to in the car.


Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
I have a somewhat flexible job, so I can read in the down time there. That's probably my favorite place to get reading done. If I have to be up and dressed SOMETHING productive should be getting done, right? When I'm home, I read on my comfy couch and in bed before falling asleep.


Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
I tend to end up reading series. I'm so sad when the one single, little book is over. I like to think of books in a series as mere chapters in one much longer book.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Hunger Games, for sure. I also was on a big kick of talking about Fault in Our Stars by John Green for a while. And I still LOVE Twilight, I beg people to just give it a chance before passing judgement.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
Mine are currently organize first by personal preference, then by author,  then chronologically. That is for the books I am most passionate about, for those less fortunate, they just have to find a spot on the shelf in whatever space is left.

Interview With an Author: Karen Colley

Have I got a treat for you guys!! (Note: read this whole post! J ) Yesterday, was an good day. I had lunch with my mom and sister, had frozen yogurt with mom and my good friend and then went strawberry pickin’ with my mom. But this post isn’t just about me having a super fun day. There is a bigger point to this post. While enjoying our fro-yo, I interviewed said friend, author Karen Colley. Her debut Christian fiction novel Cord of Three came out about a year ago. Since I started a blog and recently confessed my undying love for all things literary in my last post I thought, I should take advantage of such a great wealth of knowledge.

First, let me tell you about my friend Karen. She was a police officer for 14 years and now works in dispatch. She has two adult daughters and two grandchildren. She has lived in Athens, Georgia her whole life. She has been my friend for a couple years now and has offered me sound, Godly advice on more than on occasion. I’m super proud of her for getting this book out and I had the extreme pleasure of helping her edit it before it came out. (I’m an awful speller but I’m really good at catching errors in continuity and making sure a story flows.) Here's our discussion:

Allison: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Karen: Ever since I could write, I’ve always tried to write little stories. I’ve always loved to read and always have had a good imagination. I’ve always written something: poems, or short story, in a diary or journal.

　


Allison: Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

Karen: It just comes to me. Sometimes, I can just be sitting in a room listening to conversations and an idea comes to me. Sometimes from my own past experiences. I try to write in a positive way that can teach someone something good.

　


Allison: Can you give us a summary of Cord of Three? What is the message of the book?

Karen: Cord of Three is about three friends in their mid-life stage. It’s about a time when a woman would say “what now?” The kids are grown. They are waiting for things to happen, that they have been waiting on and believing in God that will happen for a long time. Things start falling together and falling apart. [The message is] Not to give up on Faith in God is number one. Never give up on God and hopes and dreams. And cling tight to the people you love the most. Enjoy the relationships and grow in the relationships with your friends and be there for one another.



Allison: Is there a particular scene from Cord of Three that stands out to your?

Karen: Sophie goes to Abbey’s house and she’s had a bad day, nothing is working right. She’s having a pity party and Abbey just went off on her. And has to set her in line. That particular scene really happened in my life. When you have a friend that will not allow you to sit in your self pity, that is what friendship is about.

　

　

Allison: What does Cord of Three mean to you?

Karen: Cord of Three means a lot to me because its one time in my life that I accomplished something that I have always wanted to accomplish.

　

Allison: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

Karen: The job has just begun after its been published. Writing is the easy part. They take your baby, something you've created and shred it to pieces. Its hard because you have edit. There are all these decisions to be made. It is very overwhelming. You wonder how it will ever fall into place.



Allison: Can you tell us about the process of writing a book?

Karen: I just write what comes to me. Then I go back and edit. I don’t look at it till its almost done. Then have someone else read it, listen to their suggestions and then I make the final decision.


Allison: Do you ever experience writers block? How do you deal with it?

Karen: So many times. I lay it down. Walk away and comeback.

　


Allison: What do you think makes a good story?

Karen: The message in a story. The reality of the story. We use books as an escape but also, there has to be a bit of reality in there. So we can say this is possible. From the Christian aspect, where if God can do it for this person He can do it for me. Trying to convey a message of hope through the writing.

　


Allison: Who is your favorite author and book?

Karen: I have two. First, Jude Deveraux, A Knight in Shining Armor--way back when I was younger, it was a feel good book I liked to read over and over, a soppy romance story to read over and over. And the next, is a small, unknown book... God on a Harley [by Joan Brady]--gives you hope, the name is a little off kilter and teaches you to let go of things in order to pick up the good stuff and grow in who you are.

　


Allison: Do you have any advice to aspiring authors?

Karen: Don’t give up. Write, write, and write some more. As Stephen King said, if you have to wallpaper with rejection letters…

　


Allison: Is there anything you’d like to share with readers and fans?

Karen: Yeah, everybody has a purpose in this life. You can do it. NO matter what it looks like, what people say, how you feel. With God all things are possible.

　


Allison: How can readers get in touch with your and/or get your books?

Karen: They can order copies from Tate Publishing on line. (http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-61663-611-1). Feel free to email me at karencolley2277@yahoo.com

　


So, if this wonderful interview isn’t enough…how would you like to have your very own copy of Cord of Three signed by author Karen Colley?? Just become a follower of my blog and then leave a comment under this post. I only have one copy to give away, the winner will be selected randomly, and at this time I am only able to send to a US address. Contest ends May 8^th at midnight. (Hopefully, that means I can get the book in the mail and you could even have your copy before Mother’s Day, which is May 13^th in case you didn’t know!)Thanks for reading y’all!

*I bought the copy myself. Book retails for $20.99