The Debutante Ball Welcomes Kendare Blake! (Giveaway!)

We’re thrilled to have Kendare Blake join us at the Ball today as the first guest of the 2012 Debs!

Kendare Blake lives and writes in Lynnwood, Washington, with a studious husband and two very critical cats. Her brain absorbs very little math, but lots and lots of movie trivia.

Anna Dressed in Blood, a young adult horror novel, came out on August 30th from Tor Teen. It centers on a ghost hunter, and the strongest ghost he’s ever faced. It’s just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story.

Anna is Kendare’s debut novel, and is already getting some great buzz! Get a load of this:

“Abundantly original, marvelously inventive and enormous fun, this can stand alongside the best horror fiction out there. We demand sequels.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Kendare has graciously agreed to give away a signed copy of her book to a lucky Debutante Ball commenter! (US only, please. She’s unable to ship internationally.)

Kendare Blake Takes the Deb Interview!

What’s the strangest job you’ve ever had?

I sold garbage door to door one summer. I mean, not literally garbage, but garbage service. Like, “Hey, how do you like the way your trash is handled?” And then they’d say, “Huh?” and I would discreetly put my toe in the door and wedge it open. This job did not last long.

 

Talk about one book that made an impact on you.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. I read it in a cubicle when I was supposed to be working. And I had to read the first page three, maybe four times before I understood what the heck he was talking about. But then…OM! Like a Zen moment. It’s an amazing book, both philosophical and literary. Kundera became an immediate philosophical sensei. The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a meditation on existence, on significance, and it is jaw-dropping. All of his work is like that. And he’s very old now, and it’s weird to think that someday sooner than I would like, he’s going to be gone. Am I a crazy Kundera stalker? Yes I am.

 

What is your advice for aspiring writers?

Same advice, every time. Read. Read and more read. And then of course, ah yes, READ! After that, consider taking a writing course, workshop style. I’m not saying you have to take a class on writing to be able to write. Of course not. But there’s something about the immersion and collaborative spirit of a small, close knit workshop of writers analyzing not only their own work, but the work of others. It’s like briefly pulling the curtain back and seeing the puppet strings and set workings. And then whoosh! the curtain drops back and it’s all just magic again.

 

Anna Dressed in BloodWhat’s your next big thing?

I’ve got a new project going on sub soon. I wish I could talk about it but at this point just thinking about it makes me nervous and nauseous. But, I can tell you that the sequel to Anna Dressed in Blood is called Girl of Nightmares, and it’s going into edits this week. It picks up a few months after Anna leaves off.

 

Share something that’s always guaranteed to make you laugh.

That would be my brother and husband. I love dumb humor, and all things strange and ridiculous, and they are both strange, and ridiculous.

 

 

Thank you so much for spending some time with us today, Kendare!

If you’d like to learn more, visit Kendare’s website! You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Don’t forget to leave a comment to win your very own signed copy of Anna Dressed in Blood!

19 Replies to “The Debutante Ball Welcomes Kendare Blake! (Giveaway!)”

  1. The novel sounds cool, and since I’m a YA enthusiast (and aspiring writer), it’s right down my alley. And you live in Lynnwood! Wow! I just moved to Georgia from Monroe, not half an hour from you… what a strange connection.

    The book cover is beautifully creepy–

  2. Hi Kendare! Thanks again for accepting our invitation to the Ball. And for writing such a fantastic book in the first place. I’m so happy it’s out there in the world now and other readers will have the chance to find out what a gripping tale it is. (Also glad I got to sneak a read in early — hooray for ARCs!)

    Can’t wait for the sequel! I wish you much success with your writing career. 🙂

  4. Welcome, Kendare!Thanks so much for coming over–we’re so thrilled to have you on the dance floor!

    ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD sounds truly fantastic and, as Joanne said, what a great cover. I think I can speak for readers everywhere when I say I’m glad you got out of the garbage sales business and moved to writing full-time!

    Congratulations on your release!

  5. Wow, your book sounds awesome…what a great Kirkus review too. Congratulations! I’m embarrassed to say that that I have a copy of the Unbearable Lightness of Being…and never cracked it open. *going to attic to blow dust off it*
    Thanks!

  6. What a gorgeous cover!

    Glad to hear mine is the only brain that does not absorb anything useful. I think of this when a song I haven’t heard in years comes on and I can sing every stinking word. This is why I will never amount to anything.

    Thank you for coming to the Ball, and congratulations!

  8. Great interview. Sounds like a great book, been hearing lots of wonderful things about it. Im looking forward to reading it.

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

  13. I love thrilling horror stories. I’ve just read my first ever Bentley Little book and he’s supposed to be the master of the genre; even Stephen King says so.
    Your book sounds really good. I’d love to say I’m trying to win it for my granddaughter, but I’d be lying. My granddaughter avoids anything that might contribute to her nightmares, and I welcome any that can make me dream an entire novel.
    Good luck on your debut!

  14. Hi, Kendare! I’ve heard nothing but good things about Anna Dressed in Blood — so many good things, in fact, that despite being a card-carrying Scaredy Cat, I’m dying to read it. In the daytime, of course.

    With all the lights on.

Comments are closed.