It’s day two of the Egmont Blog Tour. And today I have an interview with YA author Chelsea Campbell, who I personally think is made of some super cool awesomeness. Chelsea Campbell grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where it rains a lot. And then rains some more. She finished her first novel when she was twelve, sent it out, and promptly got rejected. Since then she’s written many more novels, earned a degree in Latin and Ancient Greek, become an obsessive knitter and fiber artist, and started a collection of glass grapes. As a kid, Chelsea read lots of adult books, but now that she’s an adult herself (at least according to her driver’s license), she loves books for kids and teens. Besides writing, studying ancient languages, and collecting useless objects, Chelsea is a pop culture fangirl at heart and can often be found rewatching episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, leveling up in World of Warcraft, or spending way too much time on Livejournal and Facebook.
The Interview:
KM: Tell us a little about your teenage self.
CC: As a teen, I was crazy-obsessed with Monty Python, believe it or not! I watched everything they made–not just Python stuff, but their other individual projects. I read books about them. I knew some of their birthdays and where all of them went to school and what they majored in. (Well, all except Terry Gilliam. But the British guys, I knew a lot about.) I liked them a lot, and they had careers I admired, so a lot of my obsession was looking for answers on what I wanted to do in the future and how I could go about getting it.
KM: If you could spend a day with a character from your novel, who would you choose and why? How would the two of you spend your day together?
CC: My first thought is I’d want to spend it with Damien, the MC, but I already know him so well. Really I think I’d want to spend it with Sarah, his sidekick, because she’s really funny and interesting in her own ways. I think we would go to a cafe, maybe go book shopping… and, er, probably include a trip to Radio Shack for Sarah, though that’s more her thing than mine. I would be bored there, lol.
KM: Confession time. What quirky writer things do you indulge in? Do you have any superstitions? Is there anything you need to have while writing? Or something specific that will kill your momentum?
CC: A practical thing I need is QUIET. I can’t have music or TV on or have someone trying to talk to me. Superstition-wise, I have a lucky stuffed Inu-Yasha. Whenever I get really stuck with my writing, I make him sit next to me, and then I get past whatever problem I’ve got. Sometimes it takes more than one session with him, but I try not to overdo it in case his luckiness gets worn out. He has to recharge sometimes.
The Book:
Chelsea is the author of The Rise of Renegade X, which recently released on May 11! Congratulations, Chelsea!
Take a look at this gorgeous cover!
Summary:
(from Goodreads): Damien Locke knows his destiny–attending the university for supervillains and becoming Golden City’s next professional evil genius. But when Damien discovers he’s the product of his supervillain mother’s one-night stand with–of all people–a superhero, his best-laid plans are ruined as he’s forced to live with his superhero family.
Going to extreme lengths (and heights), The Rise of Renegade X chronicles one boy’s struggles with the villainous and heroic pitfalls of growing up.
Buy The Rise of Renegade X Now!
To learn more, go to Chelsea’s website.
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