Friday, January 8, 2010

Triple Tenner Extravaganza: Lindsay Eland

Today is the start of the Triple Tenner extravaganza week! Lindsay Eland and Jackie Dolamore will be making stops here on LiyanaLand, whereas Bree Despain will stop by The Frenetic Reader this week.

What exactly is so special about these triple threats?
1) They're authors. Jackie Dolamore is the author of Magic Under Glass; Lindsay Eland is the author of Scones and Sensibility; Bree Despain is the author of The Dark Divine.
2) They're part of The Tenners, and they're one of four Tenners making their debut in 2009, after Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush debuted in October.
3) They share the same release date: 22 December 2009!


Phew! That was exciting, I think I might hyperventilate. 2010 is so close! Here to kick things off is Lindsay Eland.



Hi Lindsay! Thanks for the interview. What inspired you to write Scones and Sensibility? It’s unlike any book I’ve ever read.



I was inspired by my memories of my own childhood when my bosom friend, Becca, and I would act out the scene in Anne of Green Gables where Anne and Diana exchanged locks of hair to always remember each other by. I have also always loved pretending or imagining that I was living in another time , and I think there are a lot of 9-99 year olds that are still like this…myself being one of them.


Were you originally a fan of Jane Austen, or was it part of the research?
Yes, I was a huge fan of Jane Austen, though I have to admit that I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time only five years ago. After I finished it though, I devoured the rest of her books in just a few weeks!

Tell us more about research for Scones and Sensibility.
My research for Scones was so much fun, because I sat down and read each of Jane Austen’s novels. I also did some research at the library and online about Jane, her books, and the Regency Era.

Okay, tell us the first thing (it can be a word, a phrase, a sentence, etc) that comes into your mind when you see this:
Jane Austen: strong, romantic, elegant
Steampunk: fun and steamy and punkish…hahahaha
Victorian Era: those beautiful long dresses
Scones: chocolate chips
Pride and Prejudice: Mr. Darcy
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: hilarious
Tenners: awesome debut writers
Rumour: yucky
Envy: red
Internet: must-have
Twitter: that tweeting noise it makes every time I get an update
Book bloggers: wonderful supporters of authors and books

Polly is unlike any 12 year old I’ve ever read about. Polly’s voice is really strong and unique, and it’s funny to hear her speak ‘normally’... well, for this century. Her parents really have great taste in names! Okay, that was just a random comment.

Is this just a phase for her, or really something that she loves?

It is something that she really does love and though much of it will pass away as she gets older, she is so confident in herself and in who she is, that a lot of it will always remain because that is really and truly who she is.

Were you like Polly when you were 12?
Wonderful question. I think that I would’ve been Polly if I had had the guts and confidence to truly embrace the things that I loved most and the things that captured my heart and attention. But I don’t regret who I was at all. And now that I’m confident in who I am, I think I’m more like Polly than ever, though I’d never, ever attempt to matchmake!

Do YOU have any recipes you’d like to recommend to us? *g*
Why yes! This is one of my favorites, and though it looks long …it’s really easy and delicious!

Utterly Romantic Chocolate Eclairs!
Ingredients for the eclairs:
1 cup water
1/2 cup STICK butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1. Heat oven to 400
2. Heat water and butter to a boil in saucepan. Stir in flour; reduce heat to love and stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat.
3. Beat eggs in all at one and continue beating until the mixture becomes smooth. Drop heaping spoonfuls of the dough onto a cookie sheet into finger shape. Bake 30-35 minutes or until they are puffed and golden. Cool completely. Cut off top of eclair and pull out any strands of soft dough. Fill with cream filling and pour chocolate frosting over each one.
Ingredients for cream filling:
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups milk
2 large egg yolks, slightly beaten in another bowl
2 tablespoons stick butter

Ooh, I'm hungry. What are five good to know facts about you?
1. I love animals
2. I’m extremely sentimental
3. I love cold, cloudy days
4. I take an odd pleasure in vacuuming
5. I hopelessly believe in true love

Do you like scones?
Hmmm….yes with an iced mocha or a hot tea nearby.

The cover is gorgeous. Did you have any say in it?
I did, though my wonderful agent was the real advocate for the changes we wanted to happen on the first mock-ups and my editor and the entire marketing team at both Egmont and Randoma House were wonderful. And here’s a little known fact: the fabulous illustrator of Scones, Jeanine Henderson, was very good friends with my cousin in High School! Talk about a small world!

What was your first reaction when you saw it?
“I LOVE it!” and “Is this really, really, really for real? Really?”

Thanks for this interview, Lindsay! Anything you’d like to say to the readers?
Thanks so much for having me, Liyana! And I hope that everyone has just as much fun reading Scones and Sensibility as I had in writing it!

Stalkerage:
Lindsay Eland
Twitter


Cross-posted at: LiyanaLand! on 20 December 2009.

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