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.
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