Sunday, March 1, 2015

1st Day of 31 books in 31 days- Peter Lerangis


Welcome to the  first official day of 31 books in 31 days. If you aren't familiar with the project please click on the frequently asked questions page. The gist of the program is that you can win cool prizes for reading interesting books. Its that simple.


So lets get started! Read to the end of the interview for how you can win an autographed book and a 50$ giftcard.


Our first author Peter Lerangis wrote the Seven Wonders Series, which Rick Riordan calls "a high octane mix of modern adventure and ancient secrets." 
        

Featured Book 

(on sale today for 1.99)



He has also ghost-written books in the Babysitters Club series and Sweet Valley High. He is one of the authors of the 39 Clues series. He wrote Drama Club; WTF; and Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am.






Additionally, he has written more books than you can count, but he took time out of his busy schedule to answer our interview questions.

Hello Peter,

Firstly, I want to say I love your books, especially the Baby Sitter’s club books. You have written some of  my favorites.


Who was your favorite author as a child? Why did this author have an impact on you?


My big five:

Edgar Allan Poe for his mastery of suspense, deeply layered settings and foreboding atmosphere.

Jack London because his stories about the Far North could make me shiver in sweltering hot weather.

Walter R. Brooks because he wrote a series, Freddy the Pig, that kept me coming back for more.

Ray Bradbury for his boundless imagination.

Dr. Seuss for his fearless use of words..

That is a really diverse list of books for a child! I know you read Young adult or middle grade books now. In an interview you mentioned John Greene, Suzanne Collins, and Libba Gray, what series is currently your favorite? Why?

For me, picking a favorite book or series is like picking a favorite son or daughter.  I love too many of them.  But right now I’m being blown away by M. T. Anderson’s Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing.

What fictional YA world terrifies you the most? Why?

 The world described by that same M. T. Anderson in FEED, because when he wrote it the concepts seemed so speculative, and now that world is almost here.

Why do you write YA and MG books?

 I don’t know how to do anything else quite so well.  I think my imagination opened wide when I was the age of YA and MG readers, and I never lost that sense of wonder and excitement.  It’s a world of the mind I enjoy living in.



I know the feeling. 


I read somewhere that you have penned over 160 books, of which one are you the proudest? Why?


 Again, absolutes are impossible for me, but these are on my short list:

 The entire Seven Wonders series, because it represents several ideas I've always dreamed of writing about: the Wonders, Atlantis, and a big isolation mystery.

The Sword Thief, because that book began my 39 Clues adventure.

Smiler’s Bones, because the story felt so close to my heart.

Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am, because it was a difficult book to write on a difficult topic (traumatic brain injury on a young soldier), but it ended up being a glorious writing experience and it gave me a chance to work with one of the greatest writers I know (and one of my mentors), Harry Mazer.

So many more, too, but I’ll stop here.


Tell us a little about your latest release, The Tomb of Shadows? How is it different from other books in its genre?


 The Tomb of Shadows gave me a chance to create an Underworld with a strange and miraculous connection to our world, populated by zombies, and who doesn't like zombies?

Our heroes, Jack, Aly, and Cass, having endured the defection of their friend Marco, now must make a potentially dangerous connection with the real world.  To save themselves they must reveal their secret to one of their parents and risk forcing the end of their mission.  At the end of the book Jack is forced to make an impossible decision: allow someone he loves to die, or sacrifice himself.  It’s nonstop action and the most emotional book in the series.

 I think the difference between Seven Wonders and other series is in the complex mix of historical settings, ancient myths, a ticking clock to survival, the constant unfolding of new mysteries, and the interplay between four very different personalities.

Thank you for participating.

Additional Books by Peter 









Peter's book the Colossus Rises is the featured book of the day. To win an autographed book from Peter and a 50$ giftcard 
-Read Colossus Rises (5 pts)
-Read a book by Peter (4 pts)
or/and
Follow Peter on twitter (2 pts)
 - Follow Peter on facebook (2 pts)










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