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Today I have the pleasure of talking with Rebecca Fjelland Davis about her new book Chasing Alliecat, which was released February 2011 by Flux.Ìý

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[image error]ÌýDumped with relatives in a small Minnesota town for the summer, Sadie Lester is relying on her mountain bike to save her from total boredom. Then she meets Allie, a spiky-haired off-road mountain biker who's training for a major race. Allie leads Sadie and Joe, a cute fellow cyclist, up and down Mount Kato, and the three become close friends. But the exhilarating rush comes to a halt when they find a priest in the woods, badly beaten and near death. After calling for help, Allie disappears from their lives.

As they sear ch for Allie and try to find out why she left so suddenly, Sadie and Joe discover more about Allie's past, including her connection to the priest. Only on the day of the big race does Sadie finally learn the complete, startling truth about Allie—and the terrible secret that forced her into hiding.

Welcome Rebecca!

Chasing AllieCat sounds like a great combination of adventure and mystery. Without giving away any big spoilers, can you tell us something that we wouldn't get from the synopsis and trailer?

The story is about friendship, and it's about the price of friendship that matters. I wanted to create an adventure with a mystery involved, but I wanted the characters to have a lot of depth and to be challenged as people, and to grow as a result of what happens in the story. One reviewer said, "Steig Larsson meets Judy Blume," and I couldn't be happier with that!

You are an amazing bike rider! I see you are the two-time women's champion at the National 24-Hour Challenge in Michigan. How did being a bike rider affect the way you wrote Chasing Alleycat? Do you see any of yourself as a rider in Sadie?

Thanks, Kelly. Yes, to me, biking is so much fun that I wanted to convey the rush that comes with riding a lot and riding well. I guess that makes it easy to write in some ways. I think in words, even when I ride, so describing rides comes easily on one hand. On the other hand, it's excruciatingly hard to be sure that it's right. I have readers who are semi-pro bike racers, who ride a lot, and every single moment of the biking had to ring true, or it would turn them off. So in that sense, it was really hard, and it was a big responsibility to carry it off accurately. Some of those scenes--like the one where Allie has a flat tire--took a long time to write, to be sure every tiny detail was just right.

And yes, I do see myself in Sadie. I'm more like Sadie than any of the other characters, both as a person and as a biker.

How did you find a balance between the mystery and the competition in this novel?

That's a great question. I think the hardest part was to strike a balance: so somebody who could care less about biking stays interested, and doesn't want to put the book down, wanting to find out what happens next; but die-hard cyclists also have to be engaged, entranced with the competitive riding, and not want to put the book down, either. Finding that balance, and adding mystery to make sure the pace of the action keeps flying along, cutting places that slowed the story down...all that revision made this a long process in order to get it right. In the final draft, though, I feel as if I got it. The balance is good, and I'm getting good responses from non-cyclists and cyclists alike.Ìý

What's your favorite line from Chasing Alleycat?

"Ride through the chicken." It's silly, but it's true. That's what Allie says to Sadie when Sadie talks about being chicken to race her mountain bike. That's one of the reasons that biking is a great metaphor for all of life. We all have to "ride through" the parts of life where we're "chicken," and if we are chasing our dreams, we have to do it often.

You write everything from children's picture books to short stories to young adult novels. Do you have a favorite and how did you come to write across different age levels?

My favorite, by far, is young adult. I love that YA readers want characters who feel like friends, with whom they want to spend time. I love that YA readers want action and a fast-paced story, and they want a little romance. All that makes for a fun story to write. It also makes me have to revise quite a bit because I want it to be entirely engaging on all those levels.

Also, the definition of YA has changed in the last ten years. It used to be age 12-18. Now it's 12-13 and up. That's because so many adults have discovered the great stories to be found in the YA category!

What's up next for you writing-wise?

I'm actually writing a murder mystery set during the depression in North Dakota--but this story will be upper middle grade instead of YA. That's only because the character is twelve, and he really can't be older than that for this story. A lot of the elements that I mentioned in the question before are there, though. As soon as I'm done with that story, I've got to finish another YA book. I have about 100 pages written of that--it's more heavily romance. It's set in Iowa, and the teenage couple has to deal with racial and religious prejudice. There's plenty of action, and hopefully plenty of humor along with the drama, too.

Just for fun:

Cookies or cupcakes?Ìý

Cupcakes (cream cheese frosting, anyone?)

Bike or run? (As if I don't already know the answer!)

Ha! (Actually, before I started biking so much, I ran six marathons, including Boston)--but now the answer is unquestionably BIKE!

Write or read?

Actually, hard as I try, I cannot separate the two. If I didn't read, I wouldn't love writing. I have to write. It's sort of like breathing--or biking--for me.ÌýSo I absolutely can't answer one without the other.

Favorite book of all time?

To Kill a Mockingbird. I keep thinking something new will replace it, but nothing ever does. I love that book, and I've read it at least six times.

Thank you Rebecca for telling us a little about yourself and Chasing Alliecat.Ìý

Find Rebecca on the web:

I'll leave you with the trailer. Be sure to get your copy of Chasing Alliecat.

It's Mishmash time! Here's what's on my mind:

My PB proof I got my galley proof in the mail on Saturday, and I've been staring at my book and just holding it in my hands ever since. Such an amazing feeling! I was going to post a picture here, but I decided to hold off a little bit.One Lovely Blog Award I received this award for the second time. Thank you to Mikki from for nominating me. Since I've already passed this award on, I'm just going to thank Mikki this time.New cell phones I have to get a new phone, and I don't like any of them. Ugh!Chasing Alliecat I'll be interviewing Rebecca Fjelland Davis on Wednesday about her new release, Chasing Alliecat. Get ready because Rebecca is amazing!Snakes Yuck, yuck, and yuck! I went into a pet store and they had tons, including a huge yellow one. I didn't need to see any of them and am going to have nightmares for weeks now.

That's it for me. Your turn! What's on your mind today?

Before I get into my post for today I want to thank everyone for their great suggestions for MG books. I'm going to compile a list and post a page for recommended books for MG and YA. So thank you!

Moving on to today's topic. I fall in love with characters when I read. I miss them when I put the book down. I often wish I could pull them from the pages and insert them in the real world. Which made me think. If I could take those characters and create my own circle of friends from them, who would I choose?

In no particular order, here's what I decided:

StarkÌý(from the House of Night series) -- I love him! He's is the tough guy with the heart of gold. He'd do anything to protect the people he cares about.

Percy JacksonÌý(from the Percy Jackson series) --ÌýWhat I really like about him is that he doesn't pretend to be perfect, even when he thinks he is the chosen one. And how awesome is his power over water?

Alex Rider (from the Alex Rider series) A spy for a friend would be very cool. Of course he nearly gets his friends killed all the time, so there is a downside to this one!

Kate Wetherall (from the Mysterious Benedict Society) I mean she carries a bucket everywhere! That's a great conversation piece at a party. Plus all the gadgets and odd things she carries in the bucket would come in handy quite often.

Max (from the Maximum Ride series) Who wouldn't want a friend who could fly and kick some major you-know-what at the same time?

I could keep going but I'll stop at five (for now). Your turn. Which characters would you want to be friends with?

I've been picking up some good middle grade books lately--because you know my TBR list isn't long enough. Yeah, right! I've been away from middle grade for a little while because the YA selection has been incredible. So diving back into the shelves of MG means I'm going back a few years to play catch up on what I've missed. So here's what I found:

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I've always wanted to read The 39 Clues books, and I love Rick Riordan, so that was a must. And if you don't know who Sammy Keyes is, then you haven't read middle grade. Well, for some reason I couldn't let it go with that. I searched the shelves and found Chasing Vermeer.

You may have read this before since it's from 2004, but if you haven't and you're looking for a fun middle grade mystery, check this out. You won't be sorry. I read this first and devoured it. It's a mystery, and it teeters on fantasy. There are things that are left up to you to decide whether they are of the fantasy/paranormal nature or if they weren't real. Loved that! The clues and the pacing were great. Also, there are two main characters, a boy and a girl, so it really appeals to both genders, which is always a plus.

What great MG novels have you read lately (new or old)? Or if you haven't been reading MG, what books are you looking forward to?

Happy first Monday in March! It's Mishmash time.

Travel mugs I just bought a new travel mug to use when I'm working on my laptop. I don't trust myself not to spill using a regular mug. Perfect solution!Sleeping with books Last night, my daughter and I both feel asleep with books in our beds. Of course she had a whole pile of books to my Kindle.Tents Why are they so much fun? We've had a Scooby tent up in our living room all weekend, and my daughter has practically lived in it.24 hours of writing I need a day where I can just write. I have so many things I'm working on, and I can't seem to get to all of them.Chipping nails My nails grow freakishly fast, which is a good thing because this weather is making them chip left and right.Why is my mind always so scattered on Monday mornings? What's on your mind today?

**I just found out my book is being featured on Author's Book Corner! YAY! Click to check it out. And thanks to the ladies at Author's Book Corner for featuring MAY THE BEST DOG WIN.**

Welcome everyone from the She Writes Blogger Ball Redux! If you aren't a member of She Writes, then you should definitely check it out. And welcome to all my other followers as well.

As part of the blog hop, we are supposed to write a "getting to know you" post. Well, I thought I'd make it more interesting by posting some facts about me with a few weird things thrown in. Why? Because I'm not at all afraid to embarrass myself. Enjoy!

I write books and short stories for children of all ages--picture books, middle grade, and young adult. I love it all!My first book MAY THE BEST DOG WIN is coming out this Spring!I can't live without massive amounts of coffee in the morning.I think dessert should come before the meal.I can say the alphabet faster backwards than forwards. Yes, I know. It's a talent that will make me millions.I can hitchhike with my big toe. Yet another money-making talent.I blog every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday about all things writing and reading.My favorite number is 8 because it's looks the same upside-down and right side up.Your turn! Do you have any strange talents or weird things you'd like to share about yourself? (I know you do!)
Please check out some of the other blogs in the blogger ball by clicking the bookcase below. Thanks for stopping by!Ìý

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I'm planning two books right now that are part of a trilogy. The first book is written, and I wanted to outline and write synopses for the next two.

I thought, No problem. Umm, yeah. I got two paragraphs into my synopsis before I got detail happy. I had snip-its of dialogue, foreshadowing, etc. pouring onto the screen. What did I do? I opened a blank document and tried again, thinking I'll save my first attempt to use when I write my chapter summaries.

Well, I didn't do much better the second time around. And I now have the opening lines of my manuscript. Yay, right? Sure. Except I'm trying to write a synopsis.

Here's what I learned. I need to let my ideas flow and write down everything that comes to me. I'll write the full synopsis later. This is just how my brain works, and resisting isn't going to help.

How do you plan a new manuscript? Can you write a brief synopsis or even a full synopsis beforehand? Or do you find yourself suddenly spouting dialogue clips like I do?

Oh, for those of you who don't know, I set up a Facebook fan page. Please feel free to check it out and "like" me.

Monday always comes around quickly. Here's today's mishmash:

Overwhelming TBR list I can't decide what to read next! My To Be Read list is out of control!Ice cream cake Is there any dessert better than this? I've been known to eat it for breakfast, too.6th sense My daughter has an amazing 6th sense. She makes predictions, and she's never wrong. It's weirdly awesome, and I wish I could do it.Liar Society I'm really looking forward to the release of this book on March 1.Guess Who My daughter got this game for her birthday, and we played it six times. I lost all six times. Still fun though!My mind is all over the place this morning! How about yours? What's your Monday Mishmash?

I'm actually not talking about writing in the strictest sense here. I'm talking about being flexible and realizing that there are a lot of things in the world of publishing that are not in our control.

I've been fortunate because my first picture book is coming out through an amazing independent publisher that has kept me in the loop every step of the way. I was allowed to give input on certain things that I know a lot of other authors would die to be able to do. I'm very lucky.

So when I found out that my picture book cover was changing slightly, I simply sat back and went with the flow. Did anyone actually believe that? Okay, so here's the real truth. My first response was, "But I love my cover!" Then I thought, "I already have all my promotional items with the original cover image on them!" Well, I opened the file containing my new cover, and it's not much different. There's more color and a different font. So all my promotional items are still usable. Big sigh of relief. Here's the new cover, although you may have spotted it elsewhere on this site:

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Lesson learned? I need to relax and go with the flow.

Your turn. What have you stressed out about lately instead of simply going with the flow?

I had a post all set to go but it looks like I've received another award. Vallyn fromÌýÌýhas generously given me the One Lovely Blog Award. Thank you, Vallyn!

Here are the rules for this award:

Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and their blog link.Pass the award on to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered.Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

15 blogs! That's a lot, but luckily I follow a lot. Here are the next lucky winners I've chosen:

1. C.M. Villani ofÌý

2. Tabitha Olson ofÌý

3. Legacy Devine of

4. Pam van Hylckama Vlieg ofÌý

5. Courtney Rene of

6. Allyn Stotz of

7. Molly Blaisdell ofÌý

8. J. Ro ofÌý

9. Ruth Donnelly ofÌý

10. Angela Ackerman ofÌý

11. Natasha Hanover ofÌý

12. Fi Phillips ofÌý

13. Meg Waite Clayton ofÌý

14. Laura Chesterson ofÌý

15. Tracey Neithercott ofÌý

BESs

Congrats to the winners and thanks again, Vallyn!