Today I’m touring the ever fabulous Lucienne Driver and her new book Fangtastic. This is the third book in her Vamped series and this time Gina is going undercover!!!!

What do you wear to face down a cadre of killer kids?

Gina Covello would rather be working on her manicure than missions for the Feds’ paranormal unit to which she’s been recruited.  That changes when a group of killer kids takes out a family in the sunshine state and disappearances begin to plague the lifestylers who only play at the kind of existence our fanged fashionista leads.  She and her crew are sent undercover into the vampire clubs…which turn out to be run by real vampires.  While Gina’s BFF Marcy hangs with the steampunk-styled Burgess Brigade that seems to have spawned the killer kids, Gina herself is supposed to get in good with the fanged fiends behind the scenes, even to the point of playing double-agent, offering to hand over her powerful boyfriend Bobby.  Her playacting threatens to become a bit too real when she discovers things about her spy handlers that make her wonder whether she’s truly on the right side of the battle between Feds and fangs.

What people are saying:
“Perfect for teens and adults, this is a book to share, savor and revisit. ReVamped is full of smart, spot-on dialogue, engaging, authentic characters and a plot that’s so much fun it’s impossible not get swept up.” —Examiner.com

“VAMPED is a total delight!  Diver delivers a delightful cast of undead characters and a fresh, fast take on the vampire mythos.  Next installment, please!”   — Rachel Caine, New York Times bestselling author of the Morganville Vampires series

“Diver uses wit and adventure to hook readers with this teen vampire story.” —VOYA

Putting Lucienne through her paces!!!

1 How did you come up with the idea for this book?

It’s so funny…by the time a book is out, you’ve written one or two more in the meantime.  I don’t remember how exactly this idea came to me, but once it did, I was fired up by the thought that it would be fun to hide real vampires among the lifestylers, some of whom turn out to be more bloodthirsty than their fanged counterparts.  Thinking on it, I watch a lot of forensic shows, and I’d guess I was inspired by an actual case that happened many years ago in Florida, where a boy who told others he was a 500 year old vampire attacked a couple with another member of his “cult” and became the youngest inmate on death row.  Eerie.  Something that tends to stick with you.

2 What’s been your favorite author moment so far in your career?

The fan mail I received from a girl who hated reading, but was forced to for school and so picked up a copy of Vamped, the first book in my series.  She said that her friends kept asking what was wrong with her because all she did was read my book.  It absolutely makes my day when I can touch readers, particularly reluctant readers.

3 It’s Oscar speech time! Who are the three people that you would most like to thank for helping you write this book?

My husband and son for giving me the time, space and hilarity – great inspiration when you’re writing a tongue-in-cheek vampire series.  And…ack…agent-editor, editor-agent…this is a tough one.  My editor went above and beyond, whipping me into shape, but my agent kicked some serious butt with her revision notes as well. Still, I think this one would have to go to my mother, who’s always been my biggest cheerleader.

 4 Describe a typical writing day

It used to be I’d wake up at 5:30 a.m. to write because I’d have the house to myself.  Now that my son wakes up not much later than that for school, it’s a lost cause, but I get an hour in every morning after I drop him off.  I can’t seem to write in the evenings, once the concerns of the day have weighed on me.  I have to write early in the mornings when I’m fresh and my critical side hasn’t quite woken up enough to get in my way.

Okay, so the truth is that I’m meant to be working on the revisions for my third Sophie Book but I’m sneaking away to share a couple pieces of cool news with you all!

Firstly, Fairy Bad Day has been selected as part of Voya’s Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers 2011. This is a huge honor and I’m completely thrilled to be part of such an amazing list!

Also, I’m excited to announce that Fairy Bad Day has also been released in Indonesia, making it my first foreign translation! Here is the adorable cover (with shoes that I need to own!!!!). I also noticed that there is a Goodreads competition up for Indonesian readers, so don’t forget to check that as well!

Oh, and unless you enjoy seeing authors doing undignified dancing, then you should probably look away now!!

Today I’m touring the ever-amazing Eileen Cook and her brand new book (which has the best cover EVER), Unraveling Isobel.

Isobel’s life is falling apart. Her mom just married some guy she met on the internet only three months before, and is moving them to his sprawling, gothic mansion off the coast of nowhere. Goodbye, best friend. Goodbye, social life. Hello, icky new stepfather, crunchy granola town, and unbelievably good-looking, officially off-limits stepbrother.

But on her first night in her new home, Isobel starts to fear that it isn’t only her life that’s unraveling—her sanity might be giving way too. Because either Isobel is losing her mind, just like her artist father did before her, or she’s seeing ghosts. Either way, Isobel’s fast on her way to being the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons.

1 How did you come up with the idea for this book?
I’ve always been interested in ghosts. I know if I ever saw something I’d wonder if I really saw it, or if I was going crazy. I decided I wanted to put a character in that situation. Poor Isobel, since her dad struggled with mental illness she has even more reason to worry that she might be losing it, or her new step dad is trying to make her think she’s crazy.  None of these feel like good options for her.

2 What’s been your favorite author moment so far in your career?
How do you pick one? Every time I get an email or letter from a reader it makes my entire week. This past Halloween one of the kids that came to the door asked if he could have my autograph since I was an author.  I gave him a huge handful of candy.

3 It’s Oscar speech time! Who are the three people that you would most like to thank for helping you write this book?
Mom and Dad get a call out because they gave me my love of reading. My mom even gave me a copy of Rebecca, which is a great gothic novel with hints of ghosts that no doubt was an inspiration. My editor, Anica Rissi, is all types of awesome. She makes each of my books better. Lastly, I’d have to thank my husband who provides me IT support, makes dinner when I’m writing, and generally can be counted on to cheer me on.

 4 Describe a typical writing day
I want to have a typical day, but for some reason my life is too chaotic.  I do my best writing in the afternoon, so I tend to spend my mornings doing email, marketing, and cruising random celebrity news sites.  After lunch I buckle down and get the writing in. I’ve also been known to talk to myself as I try and sort out what should happen next. This is why it is a good thing I work alone in my office with my dogs. I look less crazy that way.

5 Tell me one strange random fact about this book.
I’m not sure it is that strange in retrospect, but I did a fair bit of research on ghosts while writing the book. As a result, I slept with the lights on for a few nights.

As you might have noticed, I still haven’t quite got my new blog up and going, so what better way to really christen it than with the last GCC tour of 2011! Today I’ve got Laurie Faria Stolarz and her new book, DEADLY LITTLE VOICES, which is part of her Touch series.

Camelia Hammond thought her powers of psychometry gave her only the ability to sense the future through touch. But now she’s started to hear voices. Cruel voices. Berating her, telling her how ugly she is, that she has no talent, and that she’d be better off dead. Camelia is terrified for her mental stability, especially since her deranged aunt with a suicidal history, has just moved into the house. As if all of that weren’t torturing enough, Camelia’s ex-boyfriend, Ben, for whom she still harbors feelings and who has similar psychometric abilities, has started seeing someone else. Even her closest friends, Kimmie and Wes, are unsure how to handle her erratic behavior.
With the line between reality and dream consistently blurred, Camelia turns to pottery to get a grip on her emotions. She begins sculpting a figure skater, only to receive frightening premonitions that someone’s in danger. But who is the intended victim? And how can Camelia help that person when she’s on the brink of losing her own sanity?

Praise for the TOUCH series:
Texas Tayshas List, 2010 (DLS)

Children’s Book Council’s 2010 & 2011 Teen Choice Book of the Year Nominee

Reluctant Reader Quick Pick Nominees, 2010 & 2011, American Library Association

Teens@Random, Favorite Book of 2009 (DLS)

Gold Star Award, TeensReadToo.com, 2009 (DLL)

“…lively first-person narrative…. CW-worthy dialogue, quirky secondary characters, romance and suspense: a winning combination” – Kirkus Reviews

“An engaging, eerie tale about the darker side of relationships – when it becomes a matter of life and death to know who your friends are.” – KLIATT

“The book was full of shocking surprises and revelations, earning the book five stars. This is a must-read for fans of romance, suspense, and mystery because it won’t disappoint.” – Teens Read Too (DLL)

“Laurie Faria Stolarz is a master creator of suspense and romance. Her words cause the heart to pound, the palms to sweat, the spine to shiver, and the stomach to flutter. The trepidation born from the anonymous threats will make the pages fly, and the palpable tension between Camelia and Ben as they attempt to ignore their hearts causes the fire to burn hotter.” – TeenReads.com

Bio: Laurie Faria Stolarz is the author of Deadly Little Secret, Deadly Little Lies, Deadly Little Games, Deadly Little Voices, Project 17, and Bleed, as well as the bestselling Blue is for Nightmares series. Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, Stolarz attended Merrimack College and received an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College in Boston.