Today I’m happy to welcome Cynthea Liu to my blog, to answer a few questions about her second novel Paris Pan Takes the Dare. Cynthea stopped by a few months ago to talk about her first debut novel, The Great Call of China. Yes, that’s right, she has two novels out this year! And that’s in addition to helping hundreds of other aspiring writers through her website, managing a family, AND running a hugely successful fundraiser (involving dozens of authors, agents and editors) for a school in financial need. I haven’t read Paris Pan yet, but it sounds like such a fun (and spooky) book.
Q: Tell us about a scene or character from your novel that was especially easy (or especially difficult) to write.
A: The most difficult scene to write was the phone call scene involving Paris Pan, Tom’s mother, and Tom. It was soooo hard because not only did I have to deal with the dialogue of multiple characters, but I also had to deal with an interruption and an ending to that scene that involved a lot of emotion. I probably rewrote that thing a dozen times. And even now, I’m afraid to re-read it. I might find more things to fix!
Q: What is your favorite (or one of your favorite) myths or fairy-tales, and why? Or alternately, what fairy-tale or myth do you dislike, and why?
A: I remember loving Cinderella quite a bit as a kid. I’ve always gravitated toward stories featuring impoverished main characters who come out big in the end. I think that has a lot to do with how I felt I stood among my peers as a kid. I never got the dance lessons or the Cabbage Patch Kid (so I just called them “ugly instead), or the birthday parties thrown in my honor.
Though don’t get me wrong, my childhood was pretty darn good. (See the movie at http://www.cynthealiu.com/movie). But I do have an affinity for underdogs!
Q: So, what has been the most exciting part of selling your book(s) and getting published so far?
A: So far? The launch party for PARIS PAN called Take the Dare: Show You Care has been the highlight of my entire writing career. We raised $15,000 for a Title I school in Oklahoma. So many people came out to support the book and the cause, and I know now, that PARIS PAN has done good, and that has nothing to do with sales figures. Getting interview for the Chicago Sun-Times was also pretty cool, for sure. And when I learned that PARIS PAN was pitched to Hollywood, I kinda went into a coma of joy. All good things. But yeah, the launch party. I’ll never forget it. And btw, it’s still going on for latecomers who want to donate books or $$$ to Tulakes Elementary. Learn how to double your money at http://www.cynthealiu.com/showyoucare!
About Paris Pan Takes the Dare
Twelve-year-old Paris Pan’s life is a mess. She’s just moved to a tiny town in Nowheresville, Oklahoma; her family life is a comical disaster; her new friends are more like frenemies; and the boy she has a crush on is a dork. Things couldn’t possibly get worse, until she discovers that a girl mysteriously died years ago while taking a seventh-grade rite of passage–the Dare– right near Paris’s new house. So when Paris starts hearing strange noises coming from the creepy run-down shed in her backyard, she thinks they could be a message from the ghost of a girl. But while she has no plans to make contact with the great beyond, her two new friends have other thoughts. Everyone who’s anyone takes the Dare, and now it’s Paris’s turn.
About Cynthea Liu
Cynthea spent her formative years in Oklahoma and Texas where she was a Whiz Quiz member, an Academic Decathloner, and a spelling bee champion. (Yes, she was very popular.) After attending college on the East coast, she worked at a corporate job where she mastered PowerPoint and racked up thousands of frequent flyer miles. Eventually, she traded in her suit for sweats to do the fun
stuff–writing for children. In addition to PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE and THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA, Cynthea’s nonfiction book WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS: A CRASH COURSE (how to write, revise, and publish your kid’s or teen book with children’s book publishers) is available in paperback.
Learn more about Cynthea at her website.
Paris Pan Takes the Dare is available now! I encourage you to shop at your local independent bookstore!
Tags: debs blog tour
