Thirteen Thursday with Rebecca Maizel

How excited are you? Because I'm excited. Today is the first segment of Thirteen Thursday and debut author Rebecca Maizel is going answer thirteen questions! (If you have questions for future interviews, please share them. I'm always looking for good ones and there are some GREAT interviews coming up. I promise) Reecca's novel, Infinite Days, was released on Tuesday.

On sale NOW. Go, get it! It's awesome!

The book: After centuries of terrorizing Europe, Lenah Beaudonte, with the help of the handsome Rhode, has been able to realize the dream of all vampires--to be human again. Now, as a raven-haired sixteen-year-old, Lenah believes her greatest challenge is fitting in at her new school. But the challenges have only begun. The vicious coven Lenah once ruled is threatening the new-found pleasures of her human life, including the one guy who makes her feel most alive, Justin. Can this ex-vamp survive in an alien time and place or will her past come back to haunt her...forever?

Rebecca's Bio: Rebecca Maizel graduated from Boston University and the Rhode Island College master’s program. She teaches community college in Rhode Island and is studying to receive her MFA from Vermont College.

Now, time for Thirteen Thursday! 


If you were an item on a Mexican restaurant menu, what would you be and why?

Oh boy. This is a fun question. I think I would be guacamole! It's paired well with a lot of things - chips, quesadillas...it takes a lot of ingredients to make guacamole really, really good. I like to think of myself as made up of a lot of ingredients. Am I putting too much thought into this? Probably. 

Everyone’s journey into writing is different. Tell us about yours. Was it something you always wanted to do or did it just happen?

Well, I think I was always a writer. As a kid I wrote stories in my free time. I loved it, I was a very creative kid. As I got older, I followed my instinct, I was a bartender at night for a decade so I could write during the day. I thought I wanted to be a screenwriter for a long time. But that's the thing, I've always had a love affair with words. You have to find your own path to writing but I think if language has always been a heartbeat in your world, it'll find a way to be a part of your every day life. 

What’s your favorite place to be and why?

Chatham, Cape Cod. One of the best places on earth. The water, the way it makes me feel. I can't explain it - it's a place that has a lot of sentimental meaning in my life. My family vacationed on the Cape, I fell in love a hundred times as a teenager on the cape. It means the world to me. 

What are your 6 favorite books —and why?
1. The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel - She is a genius. Pure freakin' genius.
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - JK Rowling (duh). **Spoilers ahead*** Best ending ever. When I got to the time turner, I freaked out.
3. Beating Heart - AM Jenkins - A mix of verse and prose. UNREAL. You have to read it if you enjoy verse novels. It completely changed the way I look at verse.
4. Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott - One of the best writing books ever written.
5. There's a Boy in the Girls Bathroom - Louis Sachar. Meant a lot to me as a kid.
6. Looking For Alaska - John Green - He makes me wish I could write even better.

You are on a desert island and you stumble upon an unlocked chest. You open it. What three things do you want to see inside?
1. Sun Tan Lotion
2. 10,000 disposable toothbrushes with toothpaste
3. Solar powered lap top with internet (books, music)

Tell us a secret that you’ve never told anyone else.
I have a huge crush on James Van Der Beek.

What’s the worst or best advice you’ve been given? (Personally and/or professionally--you can choose!)
The best? "You have to have a drive...and it has to consume you." - Oliver Stone when I was in college and waited in line after a lecture he gave in Boston. I do not know him personally except for this 2 minute exchange.

What advice would you give aspiring writers?
Never ever ever give up. Believe in your writing, be humble, take criticism well and keep at it until you bleed through your fingers onto your keyboard. Never burn your bridges.

What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
Interviewer: Can I get you a date with James Van Der Beek, Rebecca?
Me: Yes.

If you could work with any author who would it be?
Alice Hoffman. But I would be too busy freaking out.

Let’s talk about Infinite Days. How did you come up with that story, angle, idea? What were the best/hardest things about the story? What was your writing process for this novel?
People ask me this a lot and all I can tell you is that I started free writing one day, and BOOM there she was. I really wish I had lied when originally asked this question and said, I was walking down a flight of stairs, fell, hit my head, and BOOM there was this book, I HAD TO WRITE. No.

I was sitting in a library, free writing, drinking COFFFFEEEEE (I love coffee) and there was Lenah!

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Revision is key - let the characters drive the story. Don't let plot overtake your characters and their incredible desires.

What is one thing you want people to know about you and/or Infinite Days if that’s all they ever get to know?
This is a story about coming back to life - about coming out of the darkness. If you've ever done something in your past that you regret - you will understand Lenah. And hopefully, you'll fall a little bit in love with all the hot men in the book.



Thanks Rebecca for a great interview! You will, fall in love with the hot men. And the awesome, awesome book.


Now, comes the fun part. We have something to give away! Yay! What is it? A signed copy of Infinite Days! You have until 4 pm EST tomorrow (Friday) to enter the contest. I will announce the winner sometime tomorrow via email and a comment.  You MUST fill out the form below to be entered.

1. You must be a follower of my blog 

2. You must have a mailing address in the US or Canada

3. You must fill out the form below

- New followers who fill out the contest form will get one (1) entry.

- Old followers who fill out the contest form will get two (2) entries

For EXTRA entries:

- If you leave a comment on today's post you get one (1) extra entry 

- If you tweet a link to the contest you get two (2) additional entries.

- If you direct readers on your blog to this Thirteen Thursday entry you get four (4) additional entries.