21 Questions Starring... Tera Lynn Childs

Today we have with us author, Tera Lynn Childs. Her follow up to Oh.My.Gods, Goddess Bootcamp, was just release on the 11, so if you already haven't you need to run into the nearest bookstore and grab a copy. Oh.My.Gods. was great and looks to me like Goddess Bootcamp will be just as good. Also, if you stay tuned, Tera has been gracious enough to offer up a copy of Oh.My.Gods. to one lucky commenter.

Are you working on anything after Goddess Boot Camp? If so can we get a sneak peak if not can we get a peak at Goddess Boot Camp?
I just turned in revisions for my third book, a story called FORGIVE MY FINS. It's about a half-mermaid princess attending high school on the mainland. Here's the blurb:

" Half-mermaid princess Lily Sanderson grew up in the underwater kingdom of Thalassinia. For the past three years she's been living with her human aunt and attending high school on the mainland, trying to blend in with all the other students and dealing with standard teenage life: a brainiac best friend, struggling grades, a biker boy neighbor who lives to torment her, and one massive, all-encompassing, sun-moon-and-stars crush. All while keeping her mermaid self a total secret. But when her one opportunity to hook the guy of her dreams turns into a nightmare she already regrets, it will take more than a saltwater bath and a quick swim home to get her life back to normal. If that's even what she wants. "

I like to start out my days with a laugh. Soo… What makes you literally LOL?
The TV show Psych, lolcats, anything written by Jaclyn Moriarty, comedienne Kathy Griffin, Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly—though not so much in Dollhouse), theatre folk (you know who you are!) and my best friend's kids.

I definitely miss watching Psych. Shawn and Gus are so great.

Has anything AMAZING happened to you as a writer? (Other than getting published?)
Getting to meet other writers is pretty amazing (like when I met Meg Cabot and she said she had my book!!!) and so is meeting readers. But I guess the most amazing thing so far is having sold the TV option for OH. MY. GODS. to a production company on behalf of High School Musical star Ashley Tisdale. It might never amount to anything, but it's still a fabulous dream.

How about something EMBARRASSING?
I embarrass easily, so this is hardly a fair question.

What/Who inspired you to become a writer?
I don't know if he inspired me to become a writer, but my masters’ thesis advisor inspired me to think about writing. During my thesis defense (where you have to listen to everything the committee thinks is wrong about your work—not unlike the book revision process, actually) he said, “Tera, you're a very effective writer.” Now, he was just trying to soften the blow of what came next, but it started me thinking about writing, and thinking of myself as maybe a writer.

What would you do/be if you were not an author?
Cry. Seriously, being a writer is the only thing I can even imagine doing (other than being, say, a professional traveler) so if I wasn't a writer I'd be seriously depressed.

Awww.. Flight Attendant is kinda like a professional traveler, but nothing compared to being an author.

How do you associate with your fans? Are there any who’ve made a strong impression on you that you can’t forget?
I associate with fans wherever they'll let me (MySpace, Facebook, Ning, Twitter, blogging). I love hearing from fans, especially when they have questions. There are two fans that really stand out. One is the girl who wrote me my very first fan mail (before the book even came out). I put her in the acknowledgements of GODDESS BOOT CAMP. Second is the girl who came to my signing at a local bookstore with a copy of OH. MY. GODS. that she'd already read and loved, and asked me to sign the cover with a silver paint pen. I had been having a really rough summer and the signing was otherwise a bust, but that really just made my day. My summer, even.

Who’s your best friend? How long have you guys (gals) been friends?
My best friend is my critique partner Sharie Kohler, who also writes as Sophie Jordan—she's a bestselling romance author who has come over to the dark side and will have a way cool fantasy YA trilogy out starting Fall 2010. We've been friends for five years, but it feels like forever—in a good way.

What’s a typical day like, when you’re not writing?
When I'm not writing? When does that happen? I'm lucky enough to not have a day job, so if there's a day when I'm not writing or thinking about writing, then it's pretty much a free-for-all. I might do some housework (blech), go shopping, and take in a museum or just road trip to some nearby destination.

What's a weakness of yours?
A personal weakness or a writing one? Personally, I would have to confess to being very impatient—an inconvenient trait for anyone in the publishing business. In writing, I'm aware of a few weaknesses: em-dash obsessions, letting my characters have rollercoaster emotional reactions, and not explain well enough for readers (or my editor) things that are very clear in my head.

Lol. I'm like that when I tell stories. It gets pretty bad sometimes. =)

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your closet right now?
My olive green cargo capris. Cute and comfortable. They're a couple years old now, but I would wear them every day.

I have a pair of green bermudas I’ve had for 3yrs now and love them way too much.

What could you eat all day long and never grow tired of?
Cotton candy. I blame my parents. Growing up, we had a very strict no-cotton-candy-unless-we're-at-the-circus rule. As soon as I went to college, I bought cotton candy whenever I saw it! I just know it's because it was forbidden for so long.

Haha. Way to rebel out.

What’s your favorite fairytale? Have you ever thought of re-doing it?
Cinderella. There are a lot of Cinderella-esque stories out there, and I do love a good rags-to-riches makeover book, but I guess I haven't found the right idea yet for redoing it myself. Maybe someday.

When you get stuck writing, how do you unglue yourself?
If I'm being a good girl, I push through it by writing (even if I think it's garbage) and brainstorming (either with a friend or with colorful markers and a blank piece of paper). If I'm being a slacker, I go shopping. That doesn't usually unglue me, but it makes me forget about being stuck.

I am all about the slacker option.

Which character from the Oh.My.Gods. series do you relate to the most?
Definitely Phoebe. We're the most alike (for probably obviously reasons). We have the same stick-straight, blah-brown hair. We are both high school athletes. We both have a vivid imagination. And we both fit somewhere in the middle ground on the social ladder—not popular, not unpopular. Just ... there.

If Oh. My. Gods. were to become a movie, who’d you like to play the main characters?
I'm not sure who I would cast if they made the movie today, but when I wrote the story (way back in 2005) I had some actors in mind for each role. For Phoebe, it was Amanda Bynes. Tom Welling (from Smallville) for Griffin. Chad Michael Murray as Troy, Kirsten Bell as Nicole, and Ali Larter as Stella.

I totally heart Amanda Bynes, she would do a kick-butt job.

Can you relate your book title, Goddess Boot Camp to your life in someway? How about Oh. My. Gods.
Hmmm... Well, if I can go for a metaphor here, I think you could say that every girl goes through Goddess Boot Camp in her life. Just growing up and learning to love yourself and take care of yourself and become a woman, that's tough stuff.

What’s your favorite book?
This is always such a hard question, because I have many favorites. My favorite book of all time is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. My favorite young adult book is Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart.

Where’s your favorite place to travel?
Everywhere! I haven't traveled nearly as much as I'd like—I've been to Canada, Mexico, and several countries in Europe. But I literally want to visit everywhere. Greece, Argentina, South Africa, Thailand... oh, the list could go on.

You should go to West Africa, Cameroon to be more precise. =)

Which character, from Oh. My. Gods. series, do you like the most?
Oh, you can't ask me that question! I love all my characters—just like any good mother. Phoebe is the most like me, so I identify with her the most, but I love Nicole's attitude and Troy's sweetness and Griffin's hotness—err, honor and even Stella's soft heart beneath her witchy shell. Sorry, can't pick just one.

Anything else you would like to share with us?
Please go to benjerry.com and beg them to resurrect their White Russian ice cream from the flavor graveyard. I'll love you forever.

Haha. Will do!

A Grand Thanks to Tera. We were glad to have you at the blog.
Be sure to friend Tera over at myspace and visit her at her blog.


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