YA Joint Author Spotlight: Kim Chance, Olivia Cole, Amy Adelson & Emily Meyer

Jan. 26, 2018

This year, we will feature many debut MG and YA authors.  Because we have way more wonderful authors we'd like to spotlight than weekly spots, each month we will feature a joint spotlight on YA and/or MG authors.  

Welcome to our January YA Joint Author Spotlight! Today we feature:

•  Kim Chance, author of KEEPER (North Star Editions, Jan. 30)
• Olivia A. Cole, author of A CONSPIRACY OF STARS (Katherine Tegan Books Jan. 2); and 
• Emily Andelson & Emily Meyer, co-authors of LAYOVER (Crown Books for Young Readers, Feb. 6) 

Be sure to enter to win all three books!

KIM CHANCE

Author of KEEPER (North Star Editions, Jan. 30, 2018)

Tell us about your book: When Lainey Styles, an SAT whiz and bookworm, discovers she’s a Keeper—a witch with the exclusive ability to wield a powerful spell book that has been stolen by a malevolent wizard—she is forced to leave her life of college prep and studying behind to prepare for the biggest test of all: stealing back the book.

Who you'd cast for your book's movie: I actually created a Pinterest board for this! To see my dream cast for ALL my characters, go here.

One thing most people don't know about you: Oh goodness, this is a hard one! I'm a pretty open book, especially since I have a YouTube channel! Let me think...okay, got it! If I had to pick one thing that most people don't know about me, it's that I am deathly afraid of tornadoes--so much so that even a bad thunderstorm can cause me to have panic attack, even if I know there's no tornado outside. I grew up in Alabama (part of Tornado Alley), and I've had several very close calls in my lifetime. I've heard and felt a tornado hit very close to where I was and that's a sound that you never forget. Utterly terrifying! My greatest fear is dying in one.

Where to find you online: 

    YouTube: www.youtube.com/kimchance1
    Instagram: www.instagram.com/kimwritesbooks
    Twitter: www.twitter.com/_KimChance
    Facebook: www.facebook.com/kimwritesbooks
    Website: www.kimchance.com

Kim Chance is an English teacher from Alabama, currently residing in Michigan with her husband and three children. Kim is also a YouTuber who loves connecting with other writers. She posts videos at www.youtube.com/kimchance1 and is the creator of the #ChancetoConnect chat on Twitter. When not writing, Kim enjoys spending time with her family and two crazy dogs, binge-watching Netflix, fangirling over books, and making death-by-cheese casseroles. Keeper is her first young adult novel. 

OLIVIA COLE

Author of A CONSPIRACY OF STARS (Katherine Tegan Books Jan. 2)

© Deena Danielle Photography

Tell us about your book & what inspired it: A CONSPIRACY OF STARS is about a young woman on a planet that she sees as home, torn between the past that humans remember and the future she envisions. I started writing it after sitting on a bus and overhearing a mother express doubts about her daughter’s interest in science because she had “too many feelings.” The book is about science and the power of empathy.

Who you'd cast for your book's movie: I think they’d have to be new actors! I always envisioned Janelle Monae when I was writing Octavia, but I can’t immediately think of any teen actors with that vibe. Her best friend Alma could be Zendaya!

One thing most people don't know about you: I’m very shy. I think Twitter and other social media provides a gateway to people’s minds, and my particular approach to Twitter can be misleading.

Where people can find you online: @RantingOwl on Twitter and Instagram – I’m trying to get better about posting on the latter And of course www.oliviaacole.com! 

Olivia Cole is an author and blogger from Louisville, Kentucky. Her other books include PANTHER IN THE HIVEi and its sequel THE ROOSTER'S GARDEN. Writing has always been her one true love, but since she joined the faculty at Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts, teaching has become a close second. 

AMY ANDELSON & EMILY MEYER

Tell us about your book & its inspiration: LAYOVER tells the story of a blended family in freefall. When they find out their parents are going to tell them they’re getting divorced, Amos, Poppy and Flynn throw their credit cards and cellphones out outside of LAX and embark on a crazy three day adventure in LA.

We think best in motion, and came up with the idea for Layover on a drive up the California coast.

How you came to collaborate on this your book: We met in a modern dance class (for PE credit) when Emily was in the 8th grade and Amy was in 9th. We immediately bonded over the horror of having to wear head to toe spandex in the midst of your awkward adolescent years. Little did we know that we would build a career off of tapping into that feeling for years to come. We became screenwriters accidentally right after college and spent almost ten years writing coming of age movies before writing LAYOVER.

Who you'd cast for your book's movie: 

Amos – Timothy Chalamet

Flynn – Kiernan Shipka

Poppy – Abigail Breslin from Little Miss Sunshine

One thing most people don't know about you: Even though we wrote Step Up 3D we are actually terrible dancers!

Where people can find you online:

byamyandemily.com

Instagram: @by_amy_and_emily

Amy Andelson & Emily Meyer have been best friends since they met in a modern dance class in middle school. They penned Step Up 2 The Streets and Step Up 3D for Disney. They have written numerous projects, including Naomi & Ely’s No Kiss List, and numerous other TV and film projects. Their debut novel LAYOVER will be published in February 6 2018.

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