I missed this feature. Really, I did. I haven't read funny/touching/sweet author answers for a long time. But ah-hah! Drought's finally over and today, we have some uber-amazing answers from the equally amazing author of Shadowed Summer, Saundra Mitchell! Read on and enjoy!

Let’s start with the basics. Tell us something about your book, Shadowed Summer.

Shadowed Summer is a southern gothic ghost story. When 14 year old Iris hears a ghost whisper to her in the town cemetery, she and her best friend Collette, and Collette's latest crush, Ben, spend a summer digging into the past, to find out who the ghost is and what he wants. What Iris doesn't realize is that in a town as small as hers, every secret is a family secret.


How did you come up with the plot?

The characters showed up in my head first, and I sort of picked around until I figured out what they wanted. Initially, I wanted to write a southern gothic romance, but Iris was less interested in kissing boys than she was in investigating missing ones! You have to do what the characters want, or they won't cooperate. (Or you have to kill them. It's not an idle threat!)



What’re your favourite book/s?

This list could go on and on, but I really love The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause, IT by Stephen King, Alanna by Tamora Pierce, The Forest of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan, The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, and Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon.


Tell us something about yourself. Anything from your favourite colour to the wackiest quirks works.

I collect t-shirts from various police departments' Homicide Units; my favorite mug is from Baltimore's Homicide Unit. It has the police shield on one side, and on the other, it says, "Our day begins when yours ends."



What would your autobiography be titled if you wrote one?

See, I Told You I Was Sick. No wait, that's what my gravestone should say. My autobiography would be called Dodging Trains and Making Stuff Up for a Living.



What do you do when you’re not writing? As in, hobbies?

Oh, I dabble in a lot of things. I like to make soap and paper, I do some cross-stitch, I enjoy making bread. But the one hobby I have that has been a constant since I was a teenager is writing fan fiction. I tend to write for television shows, but I'll read fanfic based on anything I like. Lately, I've been enjoying stories based in The Demon's Lexicon universe!


Any plans for an upcoming work? *crosses fingers*

Right now, I have a period fantasy on submission, about a girl who can see the future, but only at sunset. And I'm currently working on a short story for an anthology, as well as plotting my next novel. Right now it's a toss up between a love story about a Clockwork Girl and a vampire- the only two people left after the apocalypse, or something a little more realistic like two teens who can see death coming. ;)



(Read above answer READ ABOVE ANSWER awesome plot idea alert!) Rapid Fire round! Which fictional character do you find yourself most similar to?

Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. Well, in my head anyway. I only torture fictional people, though!



Weirdest thing you've ever done?

I used to be a phone psychic! That's right, for $3.99 a minute, and .99 for each additional minute, there was a time when you could call me up at 3 a.m., and I'd read your tarot cards for you.



You’re locked in an elevator. Who would you want in there with you to keep you company and why?

This is so funny, because I wrote a short film called "Going Up" about two people who get locked in an elevator. It was produced by Fresh Films (www.fresh-films.com) by teenagers participating in Chicago's Tech 37 program! It's one of my favorites! But, um, that wasn't the question. I think I'd like to get stuck in an elevator Angel Coulby. Then she could tell me all the secret, behind-the-scenes gossip that goes on on the MERLIN set.



Uh oh. Iris comes across a vampire, and an extremely sappy and hormonal one at that. She could've handled ghosts in a jiffy, but how does she react to this?

I'm pretty sure she'd study him to death. I almost feel sorry for the guy.



If you could, which YA author would you like to collaborate with for a joint project?

Oh man, that's so hard. I don't work well with others, but neither does Sarah Cross (Dull Boy.) So I guess it would be fun in a cage-match, no-survivors kind of way to collaborate with her. If nothing else, I bet it would be great reality tv. WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT ELLIPSES, SAUNDRA!? YOU AND YOUR WITTY DIALOGUE CAN BITE ME, SARAH!



Three words to describe yourself and three words to describe your book.

Me: Hermit, Historian, Odd
Book: Atmospheric, Brief, Longing

That was so good I wish I could answer interviews even 10% as well as she did. Any other questions for her? Shoot in the comment box!

Labels: Saundra Mitchell, Shadowed Summer, Tête-à-Tête