In April of 2011, I was contacted by Caroline Rose about participating in the Class of 2k12. At that particular time my blog was less than three month's old, however, I was thrilled with the opportunity nonetheless. So, I set to work compiling a list of questions that would be circulated between 20 different new upcoming debut author's for 2012 and 15 of them generously responded by picking between two or three of the questions and wrote their own little guest post to be posted here on my book blog, on the day their books release. The goal is to create as much buzz for these upcoming debut author's and their amazing books as bloggers can, by passing along the information and blogging about them.
Today, I am lucky enough to have the wonderful and amazingly talented J. Anderson Coats here at my blog featuring her new debut young adult novel, The Wicked and the Just. It just released today, which is exciting and amazing for her. I personally can't wait to get my hands on a copy of it for myself. This has been on my "to-be-read" list forever! I love books that are set in England with a sort of "Autharian" feel to them, so I know this is probably going to be one of my favorite reads this year, no doubt! You should definitely pick a copy of it, if you haven't already. C'mon, show some awesome support for a an amazing new debut. :D
J. Anderson Coats
What type of writing environment or space do you typically do most of your writing in?
I am routinely stricken with envy when I see my author colleagues’ fancy writing spaces. Offices painted in calming colors and desks gently cluttered with the scattered detrius of a writer at work. I even heard about someone who converted an old camping trailer with floral prints and Christmas lights.
Me? I sit at the dining-room table. My laptop lives on top of a bookcase. My folders and research materials are perched on top of the china cabinet. My printer is two rooms away, parked on a sewing-machine table whose clips are broken and can’t hold sewing machines any more. When I’m ready to write, I assemble my tools like a miner going underground. When I’m done, it’s all got to back the way it was so we can eat dinner.
The downside is that I can’t leave my crap everywhere. The upside is that it’s made me an itinerant writer, so I can set up shop just about anywhere and be productive.
Is there any specific way you go about researching materials you use when writing your book, that inspired you to write this novel? Did you create a playlist that helped you set the mood for your writing, mediums or genres?
Since I write historical fiction, I do a lot of research. I’ve been into the middle ages since I was a teenager, so I know a lot, but when there’s something I don’t know, I start with kids’ books. They’re succinct and clear, and they give you keywords to run through databases which will lead you into more specialized research. (As an added bonus, you often get the weird facts.) I’m also a collector - maps, charts, floor plans, sketches - whatever may be useful later on. I have several thick binders of stuff that are over fifteen years old.
Although I can’t listen to music while I write, I listen to a lot of folk music pretty much all the time when I’m not writing. I love the storytelling quality of folk music, how primal some of those songs feel. It’s almost like listening to tiny musical books on tape about murder, betrayal, unrequited love, treachery, unhappiness and death. What’s not to like?
By J. Anderson Coats
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Publish Date: April 17, 2012
Format: Hardback, pp 352
Age Demographic: Young Adult
b&n // amazon
Cecily’s father has ruined her life. He’s moving them to occupied Wales, where the king needs good strong Englishmen to keep down the vicious Welshmen. At least Cecily will finally be the lady of the house.
Gwenhwyfar knows all about that house. Once she dreamed of being the lady there herself, until the English destroyed the lives of everyone she knows. Now she must wait hand and foot on this bratty English girl.
While Cecily struggles to find her place amongst the snobby English landowners, Gwenhwyfar struggles just to survive. And outside the city walls, tensions are rising ever higher—until finally they must reach the breaking point.
*Summary taken from Goodreads.
Thank you, so much J. Anderson Coats for stopping by the blog and for sharing this wonderful guest post with the rest of us. I wish you a ton of success with The Wicked and the Just as it looks like it's definitely going to be a new and super interesting book and I cannot wait to read it. To the rest of my fellow bloggers, I urge all of you to definitely pick up a copy of this book and read it and encourage other's to read it as well.
Love, love, love this blog ad the guest post was wonderful!!!
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