I haven’t quite stopped hyperventilating over the fact that the lovely Jeaniene Frost, author of The Night Huntress series and The Night Huntress World series granted me an interview. I was so nervous (even through e-mail) that I managed to head desk, palm face, pencil eye myself many times while trying to organize my questions. Luckily for me, Ms. Frost pretended not to notice my interview fail, and was so extremely wonderful at getting back to me! And not only that, she came bearing gifts in the form of our favorite things: Bones…er…Books!!!
So without further ado, please welcome Jeaniene Frost and make sure to check out the amazing book giveaway below!
1. You write a lot about vampires, ghouls and demons, but what is something that truly frightens you?
Demonic entities scare the hell out of me (pun intended but it’s true). Back in the eighties I saw the original Amityville Horror and a movie called The Entity. Both of those scared me off of watching demon movies for the next twenty years. Last year, without knowing what the plot was about beforehand, I saw Paranormal Activity…and slept with the light on for the next six months.
2. Do you celebrate Halloween? If so, what do you usually do for the occasion?
I do celebrate it, but in a low key way. My husband and I usually watch horror movies and hand out candy to trick-or-treaters. This year, though, we’re doing something exciting – we’re going to New Orleans and spending Halloween weekend there. We’ll be at the Anne Rice Fanclub’s Memnoch Resurrection ball, plus checking out the local haunted houses and going on ghost tours. I can’t wait!
3. If you could be any one of your characters for a day, who would you be and why?
Denise, because she can shapeshift into anyone/anything now, plus eat all she wants without gaining any weight 
.
4. One thing that always has me marveling over your books is the way you write dialogue for your vampires. Is it still challenging to put yourself in such a ‘formal’ mind set while you are writing?
Mencheres’s point of view was probably the most challenging to write. He’s beyond ancient, so the goal was to reflect his unique perspective of having lived several millennia without him coming across as too unrelatable to readers. Bones, Cat, and Vlad are probably the ones whose dialog and personalities come easiest to me. I don’t know why. I can just “hear” them in my mind more clearly than a lot of my other characters.
5. Of Bones and Co. who is the most like to: dress up for Halloween, stay at home and pass out candy to trick or treaters, watch chick flicks, watch vampire movies, read Jane Austen, and read contemporary fiction?
Dress up for Halloween: Ian. He’d think it was hysterical to put on a costume and “pretend” to scare people since scaring people is something he does for real on a regular basis.
Stay at home and pass out candy: Cat. With how tumultuous her life is, she’d love doing something so “normal” as that.
Watch chick flicks: Bones. He’s always looking for more research material to anticipate and understand the feminine psyche, lol.
Watch vampire movies: Vlad. He’s a movie buff, and he’d do it so he could scornfully point out everything that the movies got wrong about his kind – and about the Dracula persona.
Read Jane Austen: Spade. He loves the classics.
Read contemporary fiction: Denise. She likes to live in the now, so contemporaries would be her fiction of choice.
6. Recently, you posted a powerful and emotional message titled, “Speak”ing out, in which you included a very personal story. Can you tell us more about why you wanted to address the controversy regarding banned books?
There are some issues that hit closer to home than others for me. Seeing the scornful and utterly incorrect labeling of a novel about rape and its terrible emotional aftereffects being called “soft porn” and “immoral” (I’m referencing Scroggins’ argument for why SPEAK should be banned from a particular school’s curriculum) made me so upset that it took several drafts before I could write a post that didn’t devolve into a profanity-laced rant. Likening the crime of rape to something that’s immoral not because the perpetrator is committing a horrible crime, but because it’s too sexually stimulating for “good” parents to let their teens read about (the definition of pornography, according to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, is “the depiction of erotic behavior in pictures or writing intended to cause sexual excitement”) is a brutal slap in the face to everyone who’s survived a completed or attempted sexual assault. Since I fall into the latter category, as my post “Speak”ing out” detailed, I felt that even though the topic was controversial, I simply could not stay silent.
I was stunned by all the replies I received via email, Twitter, Facebook, my website blog, and LiveJournal saying, in paraphrase, “That happened to me, too. And I was too ashamed to tell anyone about it at the time.” The reported statistics for attempted or completed sexual assault are 1 in 6 for females *, and considering all the women who don’t report incidents, I’d imagine those statistics are only the tip of the iceberg. So what Scroggins is doing by attempting to ban a novel that lets assault survivors know what happened to them is NOT their fault and they are not alone is akin to telling them to keep their suffering to themselves. As evidenced by the hundreds of blog posts and comments that went up in protest of Scroggins’ statements, that’s just not going to happen.
* http://www.rainn.org/statistics
Jeaniene Frost is offering five (5) copies of SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson. To enter, simply leave a comment with your name and contact e-mail address. Open to Everyone! Ends 10/7 at Midnight (CST). Winner will be selected using random.org and will be announced on Friday, October 8th.
Texas sized hugs to Ms. Frost for the interview and giveaway! Bones, if you happen to see this message, my Movie Club’s next theme is Chick Flick movie night. Just Sayin’ *winks*
Posted at 1:00 pm • Labels: 2010, author interview, banned books, giveaway, Jeaniene Frost, Night Huntress, Trick or Treat for Books
O Em GEEE! I loved this interview
Totally sweet! Enter me please!
Name: Savannah
E-mail: bwithbite (at) gmail (dot) com
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Love the contest!Great interview! THANK YOU!
Misha
mishamary@gmail.com
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Great Interview Missie! I loved your questions, so different from the usual stuff! Hugs, tm
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I would love to read the book. Wow..Great contest =) Thanks so much!
darlyn22 at gmail dot com
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I didn't read books written by her yet, but she does sound lovely <3 "Denise, because she can shapeshift into anyone/anything now, plus eat all she wants without gaining any weight ;-)" lol.
Nathalia Monteiro
iieonegai(at)hotmail(dot)com
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Great Interview! I can understand why you were nervous.
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Great interview Missie!! loved question 5!!
I would love a chance to win Speak, I have not read it yet either. Hopefully Canadians are eligible.
*High five girlie* you did us JF fans proud!
inkbella77@gmail.com
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Thanks for the giveaway!
Please enter me.
lucybeugelingramos@gmail.com
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Great interview! Thanks for the giveaway.
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OMG MEads, I LOVED this interview! Not fail at all!! I loved the question about the characters, and the fact that Bones would be the most likely to watch a chick flick. HAAA! This interview gave me new insight on Jeaniene and our beloved characters, and I'm so proud of you I could Squee all over myself!!
XOXO
Oh, and of course…enter me please!!!
Kristin
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Wow!
Count me in please.
k_anon[at]hotmail[dot]co[dot]uk
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Fantastic interview – very impressive! She is a fantastic author and quite the exceptional and generous women too!
contestmom AT hotmail DOT com
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very well done interview, Missie. Good questions and she handled them with grace and good humor. Loved it.
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kala b
thewishfullamb@yahoo.com tysm
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Thanks!
Vilija,
xlacrimax at gmail dot com
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Wow. Great questions Meads and I loved JF's replies. She is my favorite author at the moment and everything she writes -being books, blogs, posts on the Frost Cemetery or tweets- just make me love her more and more.
As for SPEAK, I had never heard of it, Greece does feel like another planet sometimes. I wonder if I'll find it in the bookstores or I'll have to order it… Anyway. I too have been subjected to sexual molestation as a child (although thankfully it was restricted to touching) and I had to keep my mouth shut as the offender was part of the family. Over the years I've come to meet/talk with so many women with similar or worse experiences that makes me think the 1 to 6 ratio above is rather an 1 to 3 ratio… and that's me being optimistic.
No one should be silenced like this. The less we talk about it, the more it happens. And the more the victims feel like it's their fault, something they should be ashamed of, when clearly it only shows how strong women are when they not only survive but learn to live with experiences like these on their backs. And of course women are not the only ones to have to go through such traumatic experiences -men do too but it's even harder for them to SPEAK.
I'm glad to know that while efforts to ban the book have been made people fight back.
xx
svmaddict (svmaddict AT gmail DOT com)
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This comment has been removed by the author.
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I'd love to read Speak. I looked for it in my bookstore and i didn't find it. Thank you so much Jeaniene and Missie.
dani dot prmr @ hotmail.com
Jaz.parks
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*sqees like the nerdy booklover that she is* I love this interview!!! YAY!! Jeaniene Frost!!!! OMG!!! Woot!! Sorry now that I am done..Please enter me in the contest.
darkhuntress75@hotmail.com
Thank You for sharing the interview and the contest!!
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Awesome interview, enter me please
natcleary at gmail dot com
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Loved the interview…Frost is my Favorite Author!!
taylorcjn@gmail.com
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Awesome interview, Missie!
I told the librarians at the library I used to work at about SPEAK and other banned books, JF's brilliant blog post, Speak Loudly on Twitter and directed the librarian in charge of YA books to the posts about the matter to your blog and other blogs. She was shocked to hear about it and told me she'd make sure they'd buy SPEAK. Of course, it's all a matter of funds whenever they make new purchases, but she seemed genuine in her promise to get the book.
Greenabsinthia (Ditte) djthe1andonly@greenabsinthiabookblog.com
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Awesome interiew, I loved the film 'Speak' so I would love to read it.
Please enter me in the contest. Thank you. <3
mystrygirl95@gmail.com
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Awewsome interview! Thanks for the contest!
Kaitlyn Vega
email kayquin(at)Yahoo(dot)com
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Wonderful Interview! Thankyou for the contest also.
velvethubler at yahoo.com
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Great interview!
Jennifer Griffin
jgriffin1018@gmail.com
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Wow, excellent interview! =)
jennifer.l.dempsey[at]gmail[dot]com
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It was fun reading what her characters would do for Halloween.
sgiden at verizon.net
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Awws, I can't believe she gets scared when watching thrillers and horror movies..!
That's so cute!! Then again, I am totally a freak because my brother has instilled to me love for everything scary and creepy! *g*
Thanks for hosting this interview, it was so fun!
I would love to enter the contest!
yvantis@hotmail.com
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Meads – Excellent interview! I too liked question #5 and enjoyed Jeaniene's insightful answers. You are so lucky to have interviewed her, and I thought you asked great questions.
I haven't yet read “Speak”, and would love to be entered in the contest. I would love to share it with my teenager, too. May she never have to experience it first-hand.
angela-roehrich AT comcast DOT net.
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Sigh…I love Jeaniene Frost Books.
I really enjoyed the blog she wrote on Speak. Although I have yet to read it, and sounds like something I should read.
DanielleBull@gmail.com
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Fantastic interview!! I haven't read Speak as of yet and think I need to move it up in my TBR.
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Great interview and generous giveaway!
stephaniet117 at yahoo dot com
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wow, what an awesome giveaway!
lindsaydevine (at) bellsouth (dot) net
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I'm so happy for you! I'd be squeeing too!
Great interview. I wanna see Ian in his costume.
Great giveaway.
Plus, with those statistics I've always said… no matter who you are, you do know someone who has been assaulted. Sad.
books (dot) things (at) yahoo (dot) com
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Great interview!!!
beemanmil@live.com
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Great interview and awesome giveaway!
chanel_leigh@hotmail.com
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Meads, you did a great job with the interview! I would have been so nervous, I doubt I could have spelled my own name. And I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Frost's answers — she seems like such a delightful person. And I can't say enough how much I love her books *cough* *Bones and Mencheres* *oough* and can't wait until February!
Thank you both for sharing this wonderful interlude!
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Great interview. Great giveaway!!!
Please enter me.
Jennifer L.
wildlower(at)gmail(dot)com
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Ooo!
Yadie
decoy.stars@gmail.com
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Love Jeaniene Frost and all of her characters. Thanks for sharing the interview.
Christine S
phakopsora1@aol.com
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I loved the part of the interview about what each character would be doing on Halloween. And I can totally see Vlad watching vampire movies. Now he just needs someone to watch them with *raised eyebrow*
Would love to win a copy of Speak. Ashleigh C. Email:rebakah_cooper@yahoo.com
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Cool interview. Please enter me. Thank you.
PICK ME PICK ME PICK ME PICK ME PICK ME PICK ME!!! lol
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i heard of the controversy concerning that book and was wqually outragedd. every women and even some men have the right to know these things. the hit tv drama Law and Order: SVU is completely based on of sexual crimes, if its perfectly ok airing that show for many years why cant we read this book! sign me upp!!
Alysha B
xo143shadow95@comcast.net
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I'd love to win this book.
Skk25@aol.com
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Awesome interview! I'd be squeeing like a nerdy fangirl too! Hehe…
Thanks for the giveaway Jeaniene and Missie!
folksohana at gmail dot com
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I love this author. I cannot live without my night huntress novels! Bones and Cat are great characters!
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Lol, loved this interview. I can totally see Ian dressing up to scare people for Halloween, and Bones watching chick flicks.
Speak sounds like an amazing book, I'd love to enter.
Res498(AT)aol.com
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What a fun interview! No worries about the nerves; these were some great questions. I recently finished “First Drop of Crimson” and loved it! I love the scenario of Vlad watching vampire movies. Ha! Thank you for the giveaway.
kimbog09@gmail.com
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Great interview!
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Oh my goodness! I have been wanting Speak!!!
Enter me PLEASE
Natalie
iwouldratherbereading@gmail.com
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Very nice interview…..
Count me in….please. Thanks.
babysaffron@gmail.com
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I'd love to play please
lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com
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Chelsea
Collegekidcbl@yahoo.com
Speak was my very first favorite book. It helped make me the reader I am today. I read while I was in middle school so it was from the library. I'd love to own it!
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Great review. Thanks for the chance to win Speak!
tabbylewis at hotmail.com
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Please count me in.
simplystacieblog at gmail dot com
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I am a passionate supporter of Speak, and I highly recommend that everyone reads it! Not just for women, but for men, too – young men especially, as the author has reported that teenage boys sometimes have a hard time understanding why the main character has such a difficult time coping. Please advocate this book being on the shelves at your local library and schools!
“But censoring books that deal with difficult, adolescent issues does not protect anybody. Quite the opposite. It leaves kids in the darkness and makes them vulnerable. Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance. Our children cannot afford to have the truth of the world withheld from them.”
-Laurie Halse Anderson
Excellent interview!! I can't wait for February!! The new book comes out exactly one month after my wedding, so thanks, Jeaniene, for the perfect gift, haha!! I , too, would love for Vlad to find a little love in his life!
-Lindsay, simplelittlethoughts[at]gmail[dot]com
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great interview from a great author
lena,
zettlchen@gmx.at
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What a great opportunity
)
Name: lea U.
Lea_ulbort@live.de
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Sounds interesting. Am curious which myterious reason keeps her from talking!
Sarah W.
goldie-mail@web.de
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The more I read about Jeaniene, the more I want to meet her!
Cathy S.
clscha3@gmail.com
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Great interview and great contest!
Thanks so much
Lu
chidoryx AT hotmail DOT com
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Thanks for the oportunity
fairy dot morgaine at gmail dot com
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Thanks for the interview and the chance of a book!!!!!
Sheila
Moobooblake AT yahoo DOT com
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How excited! I'd loved to be entered for the giveaway of Speak, I've been wanting to read this for a while but I haven't had the chance~
thanks, stephanie s
chep33@aol.com
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Those were awesome questions, M! My fave was asking who would be most likely to…
Great responses and a great interview! *squeeee*
You know my contact email if I'm lucky enough to win!
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Count me in please!!
Would love to Win
LOVE YOUR BOOKS!!!!
Thanks for this website get a lot of new material from it
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Oh, I would to win a copy!
n.dematos@gmail.com
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Erm, ate a word. love*
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What a great interview;-) I would love to win Speak I have heard so much about it.
forceofstars(at)yahoo(dot)dk
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Great interview, Meads.
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Great interview. Would love to win a copy of Speak. Thanks. techtard20(at)gmail(dot)com
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