INTERVIEW: Tera Lynn Childs

July 9, 2010 Tera Lynn Childs 1

Today I have a special treat for everyone! I have author Tera Lynn Childs on the blog! She is the author of many young adult books that includes the newly released book, Forgive My Fins! Let’s get started!

To start off, welcome and can you tell the readers a little about yourself?


I’m a lifelong nomad, the product of theatre parents, a recovering theatre major, an Ivy Leaguer, a reality TV junkie, and owner of the bestest dog ever. I’ve lived in two countries and ten states. I’m about to move to my eleventh. I’m still seventeen … on the inside. I’ve been a vegan since April. Also, I write books.
Can you tell us a little about your upcoming or latest release?

My most recent release (my third book) is Forgive My Fins. It tells the story of a half-mermaid princess who’s been living on land for a few years and crushing on the most perfect boy she’s ever met. Things get complicated when she accidentally bestows her magical first kiss on the wrong boy. Up next is the sequel, Fins Are Forever, out in June of 2011.
How did you come up with the idea for Forgive My Fins?

I’ve always loved mermaids, always wanted to be a mermaid, ever since I was a little girl. While I was in Florida for the summer, spending lots of time on the beach and still wishing mermaids were real, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if a mermaid could bestow the magical powers of her people with a kiss?” And then, because I’m a writer and I like conflict, “What if she kissed the wrong boy?”
If you had to pick just one, which one of your own books that you have written is your favorite and why?

Always the next one. The one that’s still in the idea stage and hasn’t been battered by the process of actually writing words on a page. If I have to pick one that already written, I’d have to say the first Medusa girls book (a new untitled trilogy starting in Fall of 2011). I really love the three main characters, the action, the cute boys, and the mythology, all mixed into one.
I am a fly on your wall.  What would I report back to my master about the daily grind of Tera?
Sadly, a lot of procrastinating. A lot of web surfing, Tweeting, Facebooking, shopping, buying books (but not reading as many as I should). Occasionally sewing or painting or cooking or baking. When I’m feeling productive, I’ll do a burst of emailing and responding to interviews. My most productive writing days come when my deadline nears. Then I’ll spend up to six hours pounding out pages in the nearest coffee shop.
When you are not writing, what kind of books do you like to read? Do you have any favorite authors, that are must reads?

I read mostly YA and occasionally historical romance (especially Julia Quinn and Shana Galen). My favorite YA author is Jaclyn Moriarty. I think she’s just absolutely brilliant. And my must read books are The Hunger Games (duh) by Suzanne Collins, Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer, and Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart. Recently,I really enjoyed The Duff by Kody Keplinger. And Firelight by Sophie Jordan is going to be huge.

What are 3 things that are “must haves” for you when you sit down to write a new book?

A coffee shop (I can’t write at home and I need the comfy chairs and the caffeinated beverages). My Alphasmart (the best writing investment I ever made). Character collages for the main and some secondary characters (as a very visual person, they really give me a fuller sense of who the character is). I might never look at the collages again after I make them, but they definitely help my process.
Do you have a blog or website that your readers can keep up with you and your books?  Twitter?

Now for some fun stuff:

1. Vampire or Werewolf? Werewolf, just because
2. Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt? Brad Pitt (we went to the same high school, twelve years apart, plus he’s not noticeably insane)
3. If you choke a Smurf, what color do they turn? Trick question! You can’t, because their necks are so tiny. (Also, it would be very, very mean.)
4. Quince or Brody? Quince, hands down my dream guy

Favorite perfume: Stella by Stella McCartney
Favorite TV show: Psych and Leverage (it’s a tie)
Favorite Movie: The Usual Suspects
Favorite Drink: Pineapple Fanta
Favorite Dessert: Vegan cupcakes

Thanks for joining us on My Overstuffed Bookshelf!!

One Response to “INTERVIEW: Tera Lynn Childs”

Leave a Reply