Fangirl Friday

Fangirl Friday Interview:  Stacey Kade

As an award-winning corporate copywriter, Stacey Kade has written about everything from backhoe loaders to breast pumps. But she prefers to make things up instead. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, Greg, and their three retired racing greyhounds, Joezooka (Joe), Tall Walker (Walker) and SheWearsThePants (Pansy). When she’s not reading or writing, you’ll likely find her parked in front of the television with her Roswell DVDs, staring rapturously at Jason Behr.  Her first YA novel is THE GHOST AND THE GOTH, our in bookstores now.  Check out more Stacey on Twitter or Her website

On a personal note:  I don't to book reviews, but Stacey Kade's writing in G&G is amazing!  Sometimes when you read YA you get taken away from the story when you read something that you think, "Oh a teenager would never say or do that," but in G&G there was never one of those moments!  Stacey and I constantly chat on Twitter and through e-mail and she has been SUCH a great support for my writing.


Magan:  For those that haven't read THE GHOST AND THE GOTH, can you tell them what the story is about?

Stacey:  It's been called a cross between Mean Girls and The Sixth Sense. :) Alona Dare, who is the popular Queen Bee type, gets killed by a bus in an accident, and she can't cross over into the light. The only person who can see her is Will Killian, an outcast type, and ghosts are haunting him constantly. The two of them have to work together to help Alona get to the light and keep Will from being locked up in a psychiatric facility.

Magan:  What inspired you to create this story? Did you take any experiences from your own teenage life?
Stacey:  You know, I never know exactly where ideas come from. They just show up one day and start whispering in my ear. :) I did draw on my high school experience in terms of the social structure, the physical layout of the school itself (we had a "cafetorium"), and that feeling of never quite fitting in. I also had a lot of fun with Alona who is, in some ways, very similar to many of the girls I did not like in high school. Running her over with a bus was very...cathartic. :)

Magan:  How did you get your agent? Where you plucked from the slush pile?
Stacey:  I've been very lucky to have Linnea Sinclair as my mentor and friend for about five years now. She'd heard wonderful things about my agent--the fabulous Laura Bradford--and helped me connect with Ann Aguirre, who is also represented by Laura. So I had an introduction to my agent, which helped.

Magan:   Did you face any rejections with writing this novel and how did you get past them?
Stacey:  I was very fortunate with G&G. I'd been searching for an agent for about five years at the time I wrote it. In this case, I received only one agent rejection before my agent took me on as a client. However, in the years before, I'd become quite familiar with rejection on other projects. As for getting past it, I think you just have to believe in what you're doing and always be willing to try something new while you're shopping your current project. Writing YA was something new for me at the time, and I love it! But I never would have discovered that if I'd been afraid to try writing something different.

Magan:  Is there going to be a sequel and can you tell us anything about it?
Stacey:  Yes! There will be two more books, in fact. The next one, Queen of the Dead, will be out in June 2011. It takes place about a month after the first one. Will and Alona are working together to try and help ghosts who are stuck in-between. But there are some new people in town who are making things rather difficult. :)

Magan:   If this book was going to be made into a movie who would you like to play the main characters?
Stacey:  Oh, that's tough. I'm not sure! The models on the cover look EXACTLY as I imagined Will and Alona to be, so it would be lovely if the movie could have that same accuracy.


Magan:   Is there anything that you want people to take away from reading this book?
Stacey:  People are always more than what you see of them. Not always better or worse, just more. Everybody has secrets, everybody has fears. Perception does not equal reality.

Magan:  What can we expect next from Stacey Kade, are there any book tours or signings in the work?
Stacey:  Oh, I was so very fortunate to take part in the UNREQUIRED READING Tour back in June and had a blast. Right now, I'm keeping things local. I will be taking part in the Young Adult Literature Conference sponsored by Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, IL on 9/25, and I'm very excited to see what that will be like!

Magan:  Favorite book, movie, food?
Stacey:  Pride and Prejudice, Ghostbusters, and Cheetos!!!

Magan:   Famous last words?
Stacey:  How about the best advice I've received as a writer? Allow yourself to write a crappy first draft. It will save your sanity. You can always make it better later! :)

And thanks, Magan, for having me here! Always a pleasure to chat with a fellow Roswell fan!