Holy scheibe. What is /wrong/ with me?
I am so, so sorry I have been absent from blogging for so long. Between the sudden stress of school, French classes, community service, guitar classes and IGCSE external courses, I was fumbling with time management, and I apologize. Now I feel I'm more smart with my time, and I've suddenly experienced a huge boost in stamina.
Anyways, I'm back. For real. And I want to start with an amazing interview with the author of A Blue So Dark, Holly Schindler. Trust me when I say that the book looks compelling to the nth degree.
Read on, and enjoy:)

Tell us something about yourself: likes, dislikes, favorite color, even why you think the chicken crossed the road…



I’ve always wanted to be a writer. ALWAYS. When I got my master’s degree, I decided to chuck the whole notion of a real full-time real job in favor of chasing a writing career. I’m ECSTATIC to now have three books in development! My debut, a YA titled A BLUE SO DARK, is due out from Flux in May. PLAYING HURT, my second YA (that’s a tentative title) is due out from Flux in ‘11, and FIFTH AVENUE FIDOS (again, a tentative title) is my first adult novel, due out from Blooming Tree Press in ’11.



…I’m also a lifelong Missouri girl. I don’t really think there’s a much prettier place than the Ozarks…Even when she’s being cruel in the winter, unleashing ice storms and feet of snow, she’s pretty…The perfect place to write, I think…



A BLUE SO DARK sounds so rich and enticingly intense. Tell us more about it.



A BLUE SO DARK is an edgy, literary YA novel that tackles madness, the nature of creativity, and the healing power of art. Here’s a brief synopsis:



Terrified that her mother, a schizophrenic and an artist, is a mirror that reflects her own future, sixteen-year-old Aura Ambrose struggles with her overwhelming desires to both chase artistic pursuits and keep madness at bay.



As her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet keeps drawing Aura toward the depths of her own imagination—the shadows of make-believe that she finds frightening similar to her mother’s hallucinations.



Convinced that creative equals crazy, Aura shuns her art, and her life unravels in the process.



How did you come up with the plot? Do you feel that the story is based off your life in any way?



I’ve always loved to draw…took as many art courses in high school as I did English courses. Trust me—there are FAR better artists than I am. But I’m fascinated by creativity—why some people explode with ideas, and others stare at a sketchbook for hours and get nothin’.



In A BLUE SO DARK, I got a chance to explore some ideas about where creativity might spring from. For Aura, creativity and madness are inextricably linked. And there’s no denying many artists have been both creative and mad…so her fears really do give readers something to chew on.



Rapid fire round! Blue or red?

You kiddin’? Blue, of course! It’s the color of my very best broken-in writing jeans, of my favorite pair of glasses (I’m extremely nearsighted), and of my favorite book cover. (Is it crazy to be in love with the cover of your own book?)



What would be on Aura’s top 10 most played songs?



I LOVE this question! Buuuuut….I’m going to break the rules a bit, and just give you just the #1…



The novel includes a few references to some classic artists—Janis Joplin, Simon & Garfunkel…most notably, Pink Floyd. If I were to give you just one song that I think kind of tells Aura and her mother’s story, I’d have to say, “Wish You Were Here.” Google the lyrics, and you’ll see what I mean.



Three words to describe yourself and three words to describe A BLUE SO DARK.



Me: I’m a writer. MAN, it feels SO good to say that. A real writer. With more than one book in development!



A BLUE SO DARK: Does art cripple? That’s the central question that Aura has to answer. Will art free her, give her a much-needed outlet, or will it completely cripple her, bring on the same mental illness that her mother has struggled with for so many years?



Oh my GOD. PINK FLOYD. I'm in love with the book already.

Labels: A Blue So Dark, Holly Schindler, Tête-à-Tête