Crossroads Blog Tour Day 6: Jeri Smith-Ready

We're already on day 6 The Crossroads Blog Tour! If you're not familiar with how the tour works, you can check out my kick off post here, and then be sure to visit The Crossroads Tour main page for a full list of participating authors and bloggers as well as details on prizes, giveaways, and collecting the mystery clues!

Today I'm very excited to welcome Jeri Smith-Ready to the blog! On a random side note, I just want to say that from a design perspective, the covers of her books make me very happy, I think they're absolutely stunning and eye-catching. Before I digress further, on to the questions...




How do you choose your character names? Do you name a character first, or do you create their overall personality and then come up with a fitting name?

I have to know the protagonist’s name before I can start writing. It usually hits me all of a sudden. For instance, Aura’s name …well, I'm sort of embarrassed to admit this, but I named Aura after the Saturn car. Okay, I didn't name her after the car, but when I saw a commercial for it, I said, "OMG, that's my main character's name!" The story idea had been percolating in the back of my mind for a couple of years but I hadn't started writing it. Having the name really jump-started the brainstorming process.

I feel like I should buy an Aura in gratitude. ;-p


Halloween – Dress up and go all out, or no?

Usually we go to our friends’ house, give out candy to trick or treaters, then watch cheesy horror movies and eat pizza and candy.

Name one thing you can’t get through your day without.

Caffeine! Usually coffee, but strong tea will do in a pinch, especially if it’s afternoon. There’s something about tea that just makes life better.

Can you tell us a little about writing a series? Do you have each book planned out, or do you see what happens as you start writing?

It really depends. I usually have a general idea where the series is going to end up, but how I get there unfolds as I write. And sometimes, the end of the series will evolve as I write each book, as I get to know the characters and the world better and better. It’s fun to go back and read my rough outlines for my series and compare the real result to what I imagined years ago. Usually I go, “What was I thinking?”

A big thanks to Jeri for taking the time to answer my questions! The next book in the Shade series, Shift, releases May 3, 2011 from Simon Pulse. For more information on Jeri and both her young adult and adult novels, you can find here here:

Website
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SHADE (from Goodreads)

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding--and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.