Presenting ... Cynthia Leitich Smith!

Okay, so by now most of you know I'm a member of the Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit - those quirky author interviews that crop up on my blog from time to time? And while the lovely and talented Cynthia Leitich Smith isn't exactly a GCC member, I'm making her an honorary one today. This is because her debut YA novel, TANTALIZE, was recently released - and it is GOOD. Vampires, werearmadillos, and gourmet Italian food? If you don't say "Sign me up!" I don't think we'd be good friends. Meaning: READ THIS BOOK.

And now back to your regularly scheduled interview.

THE BOOK: Tantalize

THE PITCH:

Classified Ads: Restaurants
Sanguini's: A Very Rare Restaurant is hiring a chef de cuisine. Dinners only. Apply in person between 2 and 4 P.M.

Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her hybrid-werewolf first love threatens to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. And just as she and her uncle are about to debut Austin's red hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef.

Can Quincie transform the new hire into a culinary dark lord before opening night? Will Henry Johnson be able to wow the crowd in fake fangs, a cheap cape, and red contact lenses? Or is there more to this earnest fresh face than meets the eye?

As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Who's playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything?

Tantalize marks Cynthia Leitich Smith's delicious debut as an author of dark fantasy.

THE BLOG(S): Cynsations: http://cynleitichsmith.livejournal.com/
Spookycyn: http://spookycyn.blogspot.com/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/cynthialeitichsmith

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:

Named a Borders Original Voices Title for March 2007

"...will appeal to fans--both teens and adults--of Buffy the Vampire Slayer...readers will certainly be licking their lips at the end of Tantalize, their appetites whetted for Smith's next enticing adventure." --BookPage

"...horror fans will be hooked by Kieren's quiet, hirsute hunkiness..." --Publishers Weekly

"If Joan Bauer took a crack at dark fantasy, the result would probably be something like this gothic-horror comedy...the immersion in food culture--including an overhauled menu, as grisly as it is gourmet--successfully builds on the sensual aspects of vampire mythology." --Booklist

"An intoxicating romantic thriller... Quincie's longing for a physical relationship with her boy-wolf is as palpable as the taste of the food... Smith adds a light touch of humor to the soup, but the main course is a dark romance with all the gory trimmings." --The Horn Book Magazine

"Quincie must make a terrifying choice in a heart-pounding climax that will have teen readers weeping with both lust and sorrow." --Kirkus Reviews

THE SAME THREE QUESTIONS I ALWAYS ASK:

Cyn, I'm honored to welcome you as an honorary GCC member! What you do for the children's lit community with your website and blogs is amazing. I honestly can't think of anyone else who gives back as much as you do and expects nothing in return. So, yeah. Thank you for all that you do.

But now, onto the questions: Top 10 Desert Island Discs? GO!

"Amazing Grace" Walela
"Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered" Ella Fitzgerald
"Dancing Queen" ABBA
"It's Raining Men" Geri Halliwell
"It's a Wonderful World" Louis Armstrong
"Is Everybody Here" Walela
"Neighborhood" Vonda Shepard
"Think" Aretha Franklin
"You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" Meatloaf
"Xanadu" Olivia Newton-John

Eclectic! I don't think everyone's done singles before, but hey - these are good singles! Next question: say you land a spot on the YA author edition of Celebrity Jeopardy! What would your seven dream categories be?

Cat Hair
Central Austin Restaurants
Christmas Elves
Hugh Jackman movies
McDonald's on I-35
Speaking Pattern Oddities of Greg Leitich Smith
YA Gothic Fantasy

OMG - on the cat hair tip? There's this superfunny site a friend sent me earlier in the week that I've become obsessed with - http://www.icanhascheezburger.com. You totally need to check it out. Okay, final question: if you could live inside any TV show in the world, what would it be and why?

"Fantasy Island" (1978-1985) because I want to be Mr. Roarke when I grow up.

Cyn, I have to say, that is the most unexpected answer I've ever gotten. But I loves it. :)

Thanks again for stopping by - and let me drink a toast (but not with blood!) to your continued success!


Cynthia Leitich Smith is the award-winning author of JINGLE DANCER (Morrow, 2000), INDIAN SHOES (HarperCollins, 2001), and RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME (HarperCollins, 2001)(Listening Library, 2001). She is a member of faculty at the Vermont College M.F.A. program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Her website at www.cynthialeitichsmith.com was named one of the top 10 Writer Sites on the Internet by Writer's Digest and an ALA Great Website for Kids. Her Cynsations blog at cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/ was listed as among the top two read by the children's/YA publishing community in the SCBWI "To Market" column. Cynthia's recent titles are a picture book, SANTA KNOWS (Dutton, 2006) and a young adult gothic fantasy novel, TANTALIZE (Candlewick, 2007). She looks forward to the publication of ETERNAL (Candlewick, TBA) and HOLLER LOUDLY (Dutton, TBA). Cynthia makes her home in Austin, Texas; with her husband, author Greg Leitich Smith.

Want more of Cyn? Read these interviews!

from Alma Fullerton: http://www.almafullerton.com/My_Homepage_Files/Page44.html
from Not Your Mother's Book Club: http://community.livejournal.com/notyourmothers/50304.html
from The YA Authors Cafe: http://yaauthorscafe.blogspot.com/2007/02/tantalize-by-cynthia-leitich-smith.html