Thursday, November 8, 2012

Author Interview: Malia Ann Haberman


Today I would like to welcome Malia Ann Haberman, author of Chase Tinker and the House of Magic, to the blog today.


When did you first know you wanted to write?
I've always loved to read, but I guess I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was about 14. I discovered boys and romance novels so at that time I wanted to write lovely, romantic stories about falling in love, interspersed with loads of kissing scenes. I think that's why, no matter what I write, I always have to sneak some lovey-dovey stuff in there. :)

Which authors inspire you the most?
Suzanne Collins. I love her Gregor the Overland Series. Rick Riordan because of his Percy Jackson and the Olympian Series. And, of course, because of all the incredible magic in her Harry Potter books, J.K. Rowling.

How did you get the inspiration for your novel?
I was working as a real estate agent about 6 1/2 years ago, and after a day of showing homes to my clients, that night I dreamed I was living in a house where every room was filled with magic. When I told my daughter about it, she thought it would make a great kids' book so we started brainstorming and came up with all kinds of fun magical characters and stuff.

What is your favorite part about being an author?
Being able to use my imagination and create amazing settings and fun, adventurous characters and then making exciting, fantastic things happen to my characters in those settings.    

What is your least favorite part about being an author?
Neck pains and Carpel Tunnel from hanging over a computer for hours. :)

Could you write a bit about what your publication process was like?
Like a lot of authors, it wasn't pretty. It took me a while to get a literary agent. I was so excited when it finally happened. I thought for sure I would have a publisher within the next 6 months or so, but after 4 1/2 years, still nothing.
I figured after all that time, I must've really racked up a ton of rejections, but come to find out, my agent hadn't been sending my book out for a big chunk of that time because of so many problems in his personal life. Besides that, I had only 12 or 13 rejections, which actually isn't that many. (Dr. Seuss was rejected 26 times; Twilight, 14; The Princess Diaries, 17 and Harry Potter, 12.)
So I ended my relationship with my agent, and instead of going through the very frustrating agent search and then publisher search again, I decided to go with an independent press. And I'm very happy I did.

Do you have any upcoming projects?
Right now I'm working on the 4th and last book of my Chase Tinker Series and a YA Romantic-comedy called 100 Kisses. Oh, and I'm also trying to turn my parents' incredibly awesome love story into a YA book.

Describe in three or fewer sentences what makes your book unique and why a reader should buy it.
Since we're all different in our own special ways, my book is unique because it came from me. A lot of books have the same elements, but it's the writer's style and personality that makes each book one of a kind. I think readers will enjoy it and should buy it because my heart and soul went into it, making it what it is: an awesome book with interesting and fun characters, mystery, adventure, secrets, lies, goofiness, darkness, and of course, magic.





About the Author

Author of "Chase Tinker and the House of Magic (The Chase Tinker Series, Book 1)," Malia loves dancing, reading, writing, sunsets, ladybugs, playing video games on her iPod, watching TV, and chocolate. She also has terrible motion sickness and hates onions. She's always wanted to have the ability to teleport and the power to move things with her mind. She lives in the Seattle area with her four wild and crazy ferrets.

Book Summary:

In Chase Tinker's world, magic, lies and secrets can be a lethal combination...

Thirteen-year-old Chase Tinker can't understand why he has the power to move things with his mind. Besides that, his dad has been missing for over a year, causing his mom to be too upset to pay much attention to her sons, so now he's been busted for shoplifting. As if this isn't enough to worry about, his younger brother Andy suddenly has the ability to stop time. Can things get any crazier? Chase thinks.

Then, a grandfather they thought to be long dead arrives at their door. He wants Chase and Andy to come visit him for the summer so they can learn about their supernatural heritage and why they have magical powers in the first place.

The boys soon find out that Grandfather, along with their cousin Janie, lives on a remote island in the middle of Puget Sound in an out-of-this-world house where fantastic magic can be found in practically every room, stairway and corridor. Chase can't believe their dad has been keeping so much from them.

It's an even bigger shock when Chase learns that all their magic is controlled by a very powerful and mysterious Relic in the attic, and if anything happens to this relic, every bit of Tinker magic will be lost forever. He's even more disturbed when he learns his family has a dark and powerful enemy that is determined to steal all their magic, their house and their relic.

Now Chase must find a way to stop these evil beings, while at the same time figuring out what has happened to his dad, unraveling even more Tinker lies and secrets and not letting on that he has a huge crush on the housekeeper's daughter.


No comments:

Post a Comment

I love comments, and I will definitely read anything that is left here. Don't be shy, I'd love to know what you are thinking!