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About Danielle

Danielle lives in NY. Before turning to YA, she worked in television & was nominated for several Daytime Emmy's. Dorothy Must Die is her first novel.

Title: Dorothy Must Die

Author: Danielle Paige

Publishing Date: 1st April 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.

What happened? Dorothy.

They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.

I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.

I've been trained to fight.

And I have a mission

1. How did you get into writing?

I thought was going to be a serious journalist or the next Anna   Wintour, but I took an internship at a soap opera (Guiding Light) my senior year in college and I ended up getting scriptwriting there. I always gravitated toward teen stories and love YA, so after I left the soap I wanted to try it. And here I am on the Yellow Brick Road.

2. When starting a book how much of it comes straight from your imagination and how much is research?

I read all the Baum books again and tried to use all my favorite places and characters from the books. But as you can see, those characters and places are very much changed. 

3. Who is your favourite character you have written and why?

Dorothy! I loved her in the original books and I love her now. Finding Dorothy's dark side was a challenge, but so much fun. 

4. Do you go into a book knowing how you want it to end?

Yes, I really like to have an ending nailed down before I start, there is a lot of action and subterfuge in Oz - if I didn't know what was going to happen it would just be a hot mess! That said, sometimes characters tell you what they have to do and the story has to adjust! 

5. What 5 books would you recommend for your readers?

1. Broken Hearted by Amelia Kahaney 
2. Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
3. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
4. Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins
5. End Times by Anna Schumacher

#5Questions

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About Courtney

Courtney C. Stevens grew up in Kentucky and lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She is an adjunct professor and a former youth minister. Her other skills include playing hide-and-seek, climbing trees, and being an Olympic torch bearer.

Title: Faking Normal

Author: Courtney Stevens

Publishing Date: 25th Febuary 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books

Alexi Littrell hasn't told anyone what happened to her over the summer. Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does.

When Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend in "the Kool-Aid Kid," who has secrets of his own. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally face the truth.

A searing, poignant book, Faking Normal is the extraordinary debut novel from an exciting new author-Courtney C. Stevens.

1. How did you get into writing?

It's more like writing got into me. I've been writing/storytelling most of my life. I got serious about writing a novel after a really cool dream. I woke up with a strong image and wanted to know what happened before and what happened afterward. That was my first book. I love it for what it taught me and for being the spark that led to my dream career.

2. When starting a book how much of it comes straight from your imagination and how much is research?

Great question. Research is an important part of any book as is imagination. For me, my research is based in my education. My undergraduate and graduate degrees are in counseling and human services. I was lucky enough to study a field where healing and hope and listening are a priority. I believe these themes show up in the worlds I create in fiction.

3. Who is your favourite character you have written and why?

Bodee is my favorite character.

He was the best gift I could give to a girl who had been through Alexi's circumstances. She needed a boy who would love her any way, teach her that not everyone is a taker, and believe that everything broken in her had redemptive possibilities. You gotta a love a guy like that. 

4. Do you go into a book knowing how you want it to end?

I go into a book hoping I will leave a character better than I found her/him.

5. What 5 books would you recommend for your readers?

This list changes all the time as I love to read and recommend books. For right now, I would recommend:

1. Winger by Andrew Smith

2. I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

3. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

4. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

5. Panic by Lauren Oliver