Lauren Baratz-Logsted One Question Tour

Many of you may already know my friend, TFC sister and fellow author Lauren Baratz-Logsted. If not, I'm happy to introduce you to her. Lauren is the author of 15, soon to be 16 books in a variety of genres. She writes the SISTERS EIGHT series with her husband (and new TFCer, Greg Logsted) and daughter. SISTERS EIGHT is a super fun middle grade series that's "Part Snickett, Part Dahl, The Logsteds have just celebrated the release of the latest SISTERS EIGHT installment, MARCIA'S MADNESS.

Coming soon is Lauren's next Young Adult novel, THE EDUCATION OF BET, set in Victorian England wherein the 16-year-old heroine pretends to be a boy in order to get a proper education.

To promote the books, Lauren had a genius idea. Instead of the same interviews popping up all over the web, she decided to do a one-question blog tour. I'm happy to welcome the tour to my blog today and to ask my one burning question:

You write a wide range of genres, some at the same time. How do you switch gears when you're writing?

You know, I get asked so frequently about my genre-switching ways that I'm beginning to feel like the oddest woman in the world. Well, maybe not the oddest, but close. Early on in my career, my editor at RDI and I were trying to decide on what my second book for them would be, and I sent her three books to choose from. She called me up and said that if she hadn't seen the same name under the titles of each book, she'd never believe that they were all written by the same person. OK, so maybe some people would think that odd. But it all makes perfect sense to me. I don't eat the same food all day long every day. I'm capable of watching serious political shows, "General Hospital," "American Idol" and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" all within the same 24-hour time period, even though they're vastly different in tone and content. And I can read a comedic adult novel, followed by a teen vampire novel, followed by a classic, followed by a nonfiction account of mountain climbing; I love mountain-climbing books. So why wouldn't it make sense that I could genre-switch? To me, I don't think of myself as an adult writer or a YA writer, a contemporary or historical writer, or even as a commercial or a literary writer. I think of myself as a writer, full stop. As such, I get an idea and I simply follow where the idea takes me.

On August 31, I have another YA novel coming out that some would call a huge departure from my previous YA work. It's called The Twin's Daughter and it's about a teenage girl in Victorian England who discovers that her gorgeous high-society mother has an identical twin who was raised in the workhouse. How is it a departure? Well, size for one. It's twice as long as any of my previous YAs, all of which have been more minimalist by design. It's almost much darker. Yes, there is a romance within the book, but there's also mystery, intrigue and an incredibly violent act. Did I mention that it's a suspense novel? It is. So, once again, if you now took any three of my YA novels and lined them up, you'd probably scratch your head saying, "Really? The same person wrote this contemporary comedy and this re-visioned fairy tale and this Victorian suspense novel?"

OK, you've got me. I've finally convinced even me: I am odd. But at least I'm having a good time and I hope readers are too.

You can follow Lauren's tour by checking out these links:

Yesterday, Carrie asked, "When you, Jackie and Greg first imagined the Sisters 8 Series, did you plan out each sister's talent and gift?" Find the answer here.

Tomorrow, Shon Bacon asks, "How do your roles as woman, wife, and mother affect what and how you write?" Check out the answer tomorrow here.

FREEBIE FRIDAY On The Road - Logsted Edition

Guten tag! I'm writing to you today from beautiful Heidelberg. It's absolutely stunning here... but COLD. I don't mind too much, though. It's been a great trip so far. I even got to meet book blogger Lenore in Frankfurt for an evening of sushi and laughs along with her DH Daniel and their friend (whose name I will misspell even though it is simple and she told me how to spell it - but I claim jet-lag induced memory loss.) Edited to add: It's Weina! Sorry about that, Weina! (I cheated and looked at Lenore's post about our fab night out...)

Meanwhile, I'm shivering under my federbett, but very happy to bring you a unique Freebie Friday today with my online friend, agency and Teen Fiction Cafe sister, Lauren-Baratz Logsted, along with her husband Greg Logsted and daughter Jackie Logsted.
In celebration of the recent release of the first two books in their SISTERS EIGHT series (which Kirkus Reviews calls "tales of thrills, suspense and hijinks should satisfy adventure-seeking young readers") and Greg's latest release, SOMETHING HAPPENED ("Shockingly real" according to TeenReads Too), the Logsteds are providing the Freebies today. Yes, that was plural. Details after the interview:

What inspired you to write SISTERS EIGHT and make it a family project?

LBL: In December 2006, when our daughter Jackie was still just six years old, a blizzard stranded us in Colorado for 10 days with neither TV nor other kids for her to play with. Near the end, desperate for new things to do, I remembered that I'd always wanted to write something Jackie could read since she's always been so proud of my career but the subject matter of my books was too mature. So I asked what she'd like in a story. Being an only child, she wanted a book about sisters. When asked how many, she said eight. When asked what ages, she said one thru eight. Then I decided to make them octuplets, all three of us brainstormed the concept of girls whose parents go missing one New Year's Eve, and Greg started mixing in things like talking refrigerators and flying watering cans.

Can you tell us a little bit about your writing process as a family?

LBL: Basically, I'm "The Pen." We talk first about what needs to go into each book, then I write a chapter, after which we all read it together and Greg and Jackie tell me what works, what doesn't work, and then we brainstorm the chapter to come. We also have editorial breakfasts and lunches where we go out to eat, talk about future books, and I come home with napkins covered with hasty scribbles shoved in my handbag. It's actually a lot of fun. Oh, and when edits or proof pages come from our publisher, we all go over everything - Jackie knows what STET is and she's not afraid to use it!

Jackie, what's it like to be a published author? What do your friends at school think?

JL: It's cool! They've heard the first three books in the series - Mommy came to read to us - and they like it. They try to get information out of me about future books and sometimes I can't help it - I tell them!

Greg, your book SOMETHING HAPPENED was also just recently released. What inspired you to write that book?

GL: Basically, just reading the morning paper. It seemed for a while all you ever read about was how some hot young teacher was caught having an affair with a thirteen-year-old boy. It made me wonder what happened between these two people in the beginning, what was it that led them down this path.

What can you tell us about your next release (which I think looks way cool) ALIBI JUNIOR HIGH?

GL: I'm very excited about ALIBI JUNIOR HIGH. It's going to be my first hardcover! ALIBI is much more 'action packed' then my last book. It's about a thirteen-year-old boy, Cody Saron, who's spent his whole life living with his CIA agent father. He's traveled the world, speaks five languages, is a martial arts blackbelt, has been home-schooled to almost a college level of education. He's done everything except try to fit in with other kids his own age. That's exactly what he has to do after someone tries to kill him and his dad at a cafe bombing in Chile. After the carnage of that day his dad decides it's no longer safe for Cody to work with him anymore and he sends Cody to Connecticut to live with his aunt until he can find out who's after him and why. Cody thinks that after everything he's been through going to some small town junior high will be easy, a piece of cake, nothing to worry about...boy, is he ever wrong!

Lauren, please dazzle the readers with the number of releases you had in 2008.

LBL: Um, five. Should I be feeling as self-conscious as I am right now?

No way! But you can tell us what to look forward to from you in 2009.

Only three books! At least as far as I know. Books 2 and 3 in THE SISTERS EIGHT series - GEORGIA'S GREATNESS and JACKIE'S JOKES - and my next YA novel, CRAZY BEAUTIFUL, which is a contemporary he-said/she-said retelling of Beauty & the Beast involving a gorgeous girl and a boy with hooks for hands who meet on their first day at a new school.

How do you get it all done?

I'm a lunatic. Also, I just work really hard, treating my writing like a full-time job. If you sit in front of the keyboard for nine hours a day, words are bound to come out.

What excites you? (Collectively or individually)

LBL: File this under pathetic: Each day, when I tick off the last item on that day's to-do list, I become ecstatically excited. See? I told you it was pathetic.
GL: The unexpected surprise that turns out to be something fantasic.

JL: All the ideas we have for THE SISTERS EIGHT that I've never seen in any other books.

What turns you off?

LBL: Me, when I get crabby or dissatisfied with the world. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I can't stand being around me.

GL: People who stand really close to you when they talk.

JL: Mean people.

If you could invite anyone you wanted - living or dead - to hang out with you at a weekend retreat, who would you invite and why?

LBL: My two best girlfriends. They don't really know each other but I've known one for 32 years and the other for 22 years. I think it'd be a hoot.

GL: Oh, it might be fun to go deep-sea fishing and have a few beers with Ernest Hemingway.
JL: Nastya, because she's my best friend.

What's your favorite quote?

LBL: "We know what we are, but know not what we may be." Ophelia, from Shakespeare's Hamlet. Of course if you ask me again tomorrow, I'll say something different.

GL: "Time goes, you say? Ah no! Alas, Time stays, we go." Henry Austin Dobon, The Paradox of Time, 1875.

JL: "That makes no Hooonga!" [Jackie's mom here to say, Please note: "Hooonga" is a word Jackie's friend Tess made up, it really is spelled that way - capital H and triple 'o' - and it means "sense." Just thought you'd like to know!]

Milk Chocolate or Dark?

LBL: Milk! GL: MILK! JL: MILK!

And now for the freebie - to be entered to win a copy of SISTERS EIGHT book one, ANNIE'S ADVENTURES or SOMETHING HAPPENED, leave a reply below, telling me what you would write about if you could write a book with your family (or best friends.) Keep it PG, please!

This contest will remain open until Inauguration Day! (Tuesday, January 20)