Author Visit: P.J. Hoover!

Please welcome author of THE EMERALD TABLET, P.J. Hoover!

THE EMERALD TABLET's ARC cover. Both great and so different!

About the book:

Benjamin and his best friend Andy love being different from the other kids. They like being able to read each other’s minds and use their telekinesis to play tricks. In fact, they are getting set to spend their entire summer doing just that when Benjamin's mirror starts talking. Suddenly, he's looking at eight weeks of summer school someplace which can only be reached by a teleporter hidden in his hallway. And the summer only gets stranger.

At school, Benjamin discovers he isn't really human but something called a telegen. It turns out the powers he always thought made him special only make him normal. But then the mysterious Emerald Tablet chooses him as its champion, and all chances of an uneventful summer (well, as uneventful as summer school on a hidden, submerged continent can be) disappear.

Where did you get the idea for The Emerald Tablet?

Bad 80s TV! Seriously :)

The idea of kids having extra sensory powers came from a show I used to watch in the early 80s called The Power of Matthew Star (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Powers_of_Matthew_Star). Matthew Star was uber-good looking, from another planet, and had awesome powers. Something about this show stuck with me—how he was a kid who acted like a normal teenager but had these extra abilities he had to hide from the general population. I wanted to have powers like that, and I think kids these days do, also.

What was your writing process for this novel?

In writing, I get out a first draft normally as fast as I can. In the case of The Emerald Tablet, the first draft took about 3 months but was followed with a couple years of revisions (interspersed with writing the next two books in the trilogy).

I relish revisions. Love them. Especially when I get awesome feedback like I received from my editor. When I get feedback about adding scenes, moving things around, and cutting, I get excited, view it as a challenge, and dig in!

What’s the best thing about being a debut author?

All my friends are so excited for me. I think there’s probably nothing like a first book. With authors who’ve written 20 books, I can’t imagine people sending them emails, telling them how excited they are. But with a first book, everyone is excited! I’m guessing more on the 20^th book it’s like:

Author: “I have a book coming out next month.”

Friend: “Another one?”

Author: “Yep.”

Friend: “Did you see the manicure I got yesterday?”

Author: Sigh.

Your bio says you’ve read Gone with the Wind seven times. What do you like so much about the book?

The clothes! I wanted to wear the big hoop skirts and talk like Scarlett O’Hara. And also, with Gone With the Wind, there was the movie. I loved seeing how things were left out of the movie that seemed important in the book. Scarlett had two other children in the book for Pete’s sake. I was astounded and fascinated to see no mention of them in the movie. I couldn’t believe they were allowed to do that!

Are you at all like your characters? If so, how?

Of course, I think there’s a part of me (or who I want to be) in all my characters. But of the five kids in The

Emerald Tablet I’m the most like Heidi Dylan. She’s this spunky girl who says what’s on her mind. She’s not the prettiest girl in the world. She’s not the best at everything. Heck, she can hardly lift a brick with telekinesis. But she can read minds like no one’s business. And in Book 3…well, you’ll just have to wait to find out :)

The cover for The Emerald Tablet is gorgeous! What was your reaction when you first saw it?

Thanks! It was like falling in love all over again. I got my cover at the beginning of the year, but it was a totally different cover. The ARC cover was gold with the earth in the middle and characters from the Lemurian alphabet around the sides. About in May my publisher told me there was going to be a different cover. I looked around on a stock photo site and saw the picture of Bangkok at night. I sent the link to the publisher, and I guess they liked it because it’s the one used on the cover of The Emerald Tablet.

Each time I see it, I love it even more! The colors are just so outstanding.

What book are you reading now?

Two currently:

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (JB Note: I still need to read this!)

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray (JB Note: I heart this series!)

What’s next for you? Spill!

The second book in The Forgotten Worlds series, The Navel of the World, is scheduled for publication in Fall 2009, and the third, The Necropolis, is scheduled for publication in Fall 2010.

I’m working on a MG urban fantasy series with an Egyptian theme and also on a YA urban fantasy more based in mythology.

About the author:

P. J. Hoover grew up in Virginia visiting museums and dreaming of finding Atlantis. Prior to writing full time, PJ worked as an electrical engineer in Austin, Texas, where she lives with her husband, two children, Yorkshire terrier, and two tortoises—King Tort and Nefertorti.

More information about PJ Hoover and her books can be found at www.pjhoover.com.

Find P.J.'s blog at http://pjhoover.blogspot.com and purchase THE EMERALD TABLET here!

P.S. P.J.'s also a member of The Class of 2k8. Check them out, too!

All right! Want to win an ARC of P.J.'s book? She's giving away TWO ARCS! To enter, leave a comment here, on LiveJournal or both places! I'll draw a winner on Monday and if you're the lucky one, you MUST email me by that Wednesday with your address. Otherwise, I'll draw a new name. Good luck! :)