Christmas Countdown: Day 4: Interview w/ Holly Cupala + Giveaway

So today is the 4th day of our Christmas Countdown! You guys must know that we're giving away copies of The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith, Adele Griffin's Picture of the Dead and Christy Raedake's Prophecy of Days, right? No? THEN HEAD OVER TO THIS POST AND HELP US CELEBRATE!

We have the awesome Holly Cupala as a guest in our blog, where she talks about her book, Tell Me A Secret and sharing something about what she's doing for Christmas. Read on!

About the author:

Holly Cupala wrote teen romance novels before she ever actually experienced teen romance. These days, her writing is less about tragedy and more about hope. TELL ME A SECRET is her first novel.

Ten percent of the author's proceeds go toward World Vision's Hope for Sexually Exploited Girls.

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What or who inspired you to write TMAS? Why?

The year I started TELL ME A SECRET was a very difficult one, with two significant losses. I almost quit writing because of it. Then I went to a conference a few months later, and a friend asked if I was thinking of writing about it. All of a sudden, the entire idea came to me, just landed in my lap, and I started writing it down as fast as I could. Miranda’s story isn’t my story, though my experiences inspired a lot of the emotions. The mystery and the relationships and the secrets…those all grew organically. Some of the secrets I didn’t even know until I typed them!


What do you hope readers will take away from your book?

I’ll let you in on a secret: most of the time, writers don’t even know this (often called the theme) until the book is finished, or very nearly finished. As I was writing, I would hit on some new layer and think, this is the theme…then later: no wait, this is the theme! I didn’t realize until reaching the end that the central messages are, you can’t find yourself in other people, and the past does not have to define the future. But then what I hope the most is that readers will take away what is most important to them.


Why do you write for teens?

Before I started writing Tell Me a Secret, I wrote all kinds of stories for different ages—none of them teens. When the idea came to me, I was terrified, both because I knew it would be a very intense story to write, and I didn’t know if teens would be interested. I’ve been amazed by the response and have made so many friends as a result! That has been astounding and wonderful.


What do you think is the role of secrets in our lives?

I think there are a continuum of secrets, ranging from harmless to dangerous, and it can be so difficult to determine where on that continuum someone else’s secret is. There are the obvious ones: physical abuse. Date rape. Life-threatening habits. But what about the subtle ones? Like emotional abuse? If a friend told me a secret, I would do my best to help my friend make healthy decisions and to stick by them as they dealt with the consequences. If a friend is sharing a secret with you, they may be asking for help. Trust your instincts.


How do you prepare for Christmas?

I’m a DIY girl like Miranda’s sister Xanda, so Christmas is all about making stuff—peppermint ice cream (my own secret recipe here: http://www.hollycupala.com/2009/12/homemade-peppermint-ice-cream.html), scarves, Christmas cards, collage art. Our house becomes a flurry of art and baking supplies all month.


As an author/writer, are you doing something special this Christmas?

Having a party! That, and making lots of Tell Me a Secret-related presents for the very kind people who have helped me along the way. In fact, I’m giving away a magnet set and a print of a secret-inspired collage I did on my website, www.hollycupala.com. I hope you’ll stop by!


Does your family have a Christmas tradition?

Lots of them—but maybe one of my favorites is making gifts and cards for friends. Also, the holidays are an excellent excuse to hone my candy-making skills…this year it’s soft caramels, almond rocha, and peppermint bark (so far).


Do you take advantage of the Christmas vacation and write?

I’m working on the copyedits for the second novel (Don’t Breathe a Word, coming in Fall 2011!) and just beginning to put down ideas for a third novel. But for the most part, it’s all crafts and outings and crayons with my little one home from school for the holidays. January is for working!


As a writer, do you think it would be better to gift books for Christmas? why? Have you ever done this before?

Every single year—I have four nieces and nephews, so whenever I go to an author event or a conference, I pick up signed books to give them. They have a seriously excellent collection! Everything from Jane Yolen to Meg Cabot to Brian Selznick to John Green. I also love to pass on my favorite books to people who I think will love them.


If you were to gift one book to any person, what book would it be?

I wish I could give a copy of Tell Me a Secret to everyone who wanted one! But we’re doing the next best thing: we produced an audiobook, read by the amazing, award-winning actress Jenna Lamia, and are releasing it as a free(!) serialized podcast at www.tellmeasecretnovel.com! So far we’ve released over half and will have the special edition full version available soon.

Watch the trailer for Tell Me A Secret:

And you can also listen to the free podcast here:

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You can find Holly here:

Author website
Tell Me A Secret official site
Tell Me A Secret Podcast
Twitter
Facebook author page

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FOR THE GIVEAWAY:

We are giving away a SIGNED copy of her debut novel, Tell Me A Secret! Holly, being the amazing person that she is, will be sending it to one lucky commenter. So leave her a thoughtful comment, okay?

Contest Rules:

Must be a follower.
Comment about the interview.
U.S. only!
Ends January 1, 2011!
Include your email address so I can contact you!

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