Giveaway: The Locket and Interview with author Stacey Jay

Stacey Jay is a recovering workaholic (or at least working hard at recovering) with three pen names, two small children, and a passion for playing pretend for a living. She’s been a full time mom-writer since 2005 and can't think of anything she'd rather be doing. Her former careers include theatre performer, professional dancer, poorly paid C-movie actress, bartender, waiter, math tutor (for real) and yoga instructor.

In her very limited spare time, Stacey enjoys cooking elaborate dinners and eating them very, very slowly, dressing up in costumes with her sons, and dancing like a total freak who all but the coolest of her friends are embarrassed to be seen with. You can write her email if you want. She’ll do her best to answer in a timely fashion and tell you thanks for reading.

Thank you for your time and answering questions for us!

--The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or less.

One girl, two possible true loves, and an evil locket that messes with the fabric of time. THE LOCKET. Ah!

--How did you get the idea for the story? 

THE LOCKET was originally imagined as a horror story (with a touch of romance). I wasn't sure on the specifics other than the cursed locket that grants wishes it shouldn't, but I knew I wanted the book to have a slow sense of creeping dread that culminated in an "oh my god, no!" ending. My editor at Razorbill liked the idea of a cursed locket, but she wanted more romance and less gore. 

So I took her advice and pulled back on the gross and scary, amped up the romance, but still kept that slow creep out I first imagined. In the end, I really like what we came up with--though I still want to write a book where someone has to cut off their own hand in order to break a curse. (Sorry. Just dropped a spoiler there. No one cuts off their hand in this book.)

--Which character would you most/least like to have dinner with?

I'd like to have dinner with Isaac. I think he needs a friendly ear to work through some of his family issues.

I would least like to have dinner with the locket. If it tried to slither onto my table, I would poke it with my fork.

--What are some of your favorite books? Do you still have much time to read?

I make time to read. When I don't, I lose my enthusiasm for writing and just get...depressed in general. Life isn't complete without a good book to look forward to diving back into. I've read some great books in the past few months. PLAIN KATE by Erin Bow, FIRE by Kristin Cashore, and BEAUTY by Robin McKinley have been a few of my favorites.

--Do you have any other works in progress? Any teasers or release dates?

Oh, yes. JULIET IMMORTAL, my first hardcover, will be out in Fall 2011. According to amazon, September 13th is the actual release date! But I haven't had that confirmed just yet...so...

Here's the cover copy for Juliet:

“These violent delights have violent ends

And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,

Which as they kiss consume.”

—Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn’t take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But Romeo didn’t anticipate that Juliet would be granted eternity as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light.

For seven hundred years, Juliet has struggled to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent, while Romeo has fought for the dark side, seeking to destroy the human heart. Until now.

Now, Juliet has found her own forbidden love, and Romeo, O Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy their happiness.

I'm SO excited about this book. I really hope all my readers enjoy it.

Oh, and I'll also have my first mass market release in early June 2011. DEAD ON THE DELTA is an adult urban fantasy set in an alternative Louisiana where mosquito sized killer fairies are wreaking havoc on the delta.

--If a fairy godmother told you your life could be like a favorite book for 24 hours, which book would you pick and why?

I LIKE YOU: HOSPITALITY UNDER THE INFLUENCE by Amy Sedaris. Because she is so, so funny and I would love to spend 24 hours learning her version of proper host etiquette. That book is hysterical. No matter how low I feel, reading a few pages of "entertaining the elderly" always makes me laugh.

--Do you need anything to write (music, coffee, etc)? Are there any songs on your playlist- songs that inspired you or that were playing while you wrote?

Coffee and tea are always good. And I've just started listening to Pandora radio. I usually pick a movie that has a soundtrack with a similar vibe to what I imagine for my book and let the play list build itself from there. For JULIET IMMORTAL I started with the music from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was great fun. I love Celtic music!

--If you could have any superpower what would you choose?

Not needing sleep would be nice. (*yawn* *covers mouth* *blinks and tries to look wakeful*)

--Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time?

Play with my husband and two little boys, go hiking and ice skating and wine tasting and paint cheesy owls and dragons (badly). I also enjoy eating cheese enough to consider it a hobby. Hmmm...cheese...such wondrous variety and unparalleled awesomeness.

--Is there anything else you want to add or say to your readers?

Thank you for reading. I'm thankful for your time and your imagination and the chance to entertain you. I hope, with your support, to continue to do so for years to come. And remember, when you buy a book, you feed a writer, and we writers who like cheese (a lot) do so appreciate that.

All best to Brandi and her blog readers!

Stacey Jay