Author Interview: Lindsey Leavitt & Giveaway

Lindsey Leavitt

Books:

Princess for Hire (2010)
Sean Griswold's Head
Princess for Hire: The Royal Treatment (May 3, 2011)

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According to her guidance counselor, fifteen-year-old Payton Gritas needs a focus object—an item to concentrate her emotions on. It's supposed to be something inanimate, but Payton decides to use the thing she stares at during class: Sean Griswold's head. They've been linked since third grade (Griswold-Gritas—it's an alphabetical order thing), but she's never really known him.
The focus object is intended to help Payton deal with her father's newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis. And it's working. With the help of her boy-crazy best friend Jac, Payton starts stalking—er, focusing on—Sean Griswold . . . all of him! He's cute, he shares her Seinfeld obsession (nobody else gets it!) and he may have a secret or two of his own.

In this sweet story of first love, Lindsey Leavitt seamlessly balances heartfelt family moments, spot-on sarcastic humor, and a budding young romance.

Describe Sean Griswold's Head in three words... the novel, not actually Sean's head!

THE BOOK 2 READ (does the 2 count as a word? No? Then we’re good).

Sean Griswold's Head is very different than your debut novel, Princess for Hire. Did you notice a change in your writing process as well for this novel?

With PRINCESS FOR HIRE, which is a tween fantasy series, I have to outline quite a bit before I can start the story. The first few drafts are also much more plot focused—I then spend revisions flushing out details and characters.

With my teen contemporary fiction, I start with a character and voice and write until I figure out what the story is. So drafting is more character focused, with plot coming into play as I revise. Both plot AND characters are important, but my starting point changes with each genre.

I'd describe Payton's organizational infatuation to be a little borderline OCD (and hilarious at the same time)... do you share any habits with her?

I would take a picture of my house right now to show you how very UN Payton-like I am when it comes to organizing, but I’d probably embarrass my husband, especially since his leopard snuggie is strewn on the ground.

KIDDING. It’s red. Very manly.

So no. I’m not Payton. I do wish she was a real person and one of those professional organizers who could attack my garage. There’s a box tower that’s about to topple.

Sean Griswold's Head has a great message, what are you hoping that readers take away from this novel?

My primary goal when I write is to entertain. If along the way the reader picks up a life lesson or two, score, but it always surprises me when people tell me what they get from my books. The themes I’m getting from readers on this one are “look past initial impressions”, “appreciate the normalcy of life” and my favorite—“get over yourself”

I stalk, I mean follow you on twitter and remember you tweeting about your reading pile. What do you have in your reading pile that you are excited to read?

Not stalking. RESEARCH ANALYST (you will only get this joke if you read SGH. So you should probably read SGH) Also, I follow you, so what does that say about me, Kristi? Hmmm? HMMMM???
TBR and pre-order pile:

HOURGLASS by Myra McIntire
I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU SOMEONE ELSE by Erin McCahan
SMALL TOWN SINNERS by Melissa Walker
GIRL WONDER by Alexa Martin
K. I’ll stop now.
Oh! And IMAGINARY GIRLS by Nova Ren Suma

Can you tell us a little bit about what you are working on now, and what we can expect to see from you soon?

My next two books will be THE ROYAL TREATMENT—out May 3--and… er… UNTITLED: Princess for Hire 3, probably out May 2012.

After that, I have a YA contemporary called `AUTHENTICALLY VINTAGE, which is about a girl who decides to go vintage - forswearing 21st century technology and accomplishing the goals her grandma set for herself at 16 - when she discovers her boyfriend cheating on her with a cyber wife in an online game

Official Contest information: