Team Rogue YA Grand Opening Giveaway!

Welcome to the grand opening of Team Rogue YA, a group dedicated to getting the word out about the wonderful young adult books releasing from Sky Pony Press in 2015 and 2016! We’re so glad you’re here, and to celebrate, we’ve asked each of the TRYA authors to answer a few quick questions about themselves and their books. And as a thank-you for stopping by, we’re giving away some query + first 5 page critiques to aspiring authors! Read the interviews below to learn about our authors, then check out the Rafflecopter link at the bottom of the post before April 1st, 2015 for your chance to win!

We asked each of our authors three questions…

Kate Ormand — THE WANDERERS (September 2015)

What’s one way you are similar to and different from your protagonist?

Good question! We’re both very aware of our actions and consequences. We run through options and outcomes before making decisions. But Flo is braver than me!

Fun fact about you:

I can never think of anything fun for fun facts. How about this? I scrapbook all my book stuff – deals, when they’re online, blurbs, (some!) reviews, covers, events, etc. Scrapbooks are fun, right? I even have stickers.

Fun fact about your book:

The Wanderers features a shapeshifter circus, with a horse shifter as its main character.

---

Natasha Sinel — THE FIX (September 2015)

What’s one way you are similar to and different from your protagonist?

Similar: We both have great friends, but we don’t always ask for help when we need it most.

Different: I never despised my mother! I may have rolled my eyes or snapped at her occasionally (I blame hormones), my mom and I have always been very close.

Fun fact about you:

I always secretly hope my kids will ask for help when they’re putting together Lego sets. Once they do, I take over, and they have to clear out, because I won’t stop until it’s finished.

Fun fact about your book:

I jettisoned a plotline that was originally a major piece of The Fix’s hook! Just before it went on submission, we realized that, because everything had changed so much after drafting and editing, the story line was no longer necessary to serve the main plot.

---

Ami Allen-Vath — PROM BITCH (November 2015)

What’s one way you are similar to and different from your protagonist?

My MC Bree & I have the same sense of humor and similar issues with anxiety.

Fun fact about you:

I’ve lived in nine different states, and my favorites are Minnesota, Georgia, and New York.

Fun fact about your book:

The original title for PROM BITCH was PROM B*TCH.

---

Sarah J. Schmitt — IT’S A WONDERFUL DEATH (Fall 2015)

What’s one way you are similar to and different from your protagonist?

This is easy! My protagonist and I both use our superpower of sarcasm with amazing precision. But RJ uses hers for evil where as I TRY to use mine for good. Or entertainment.

Fun fact about you:

Before I turned to the world of books I was planning on a career as a political operative. I wanted to be the female James Carville. I think it’s better that I went into writing!

Fun fact about your book:

There are several fun supporting characters such as, Death Himself who is a surfer and constantly checking the swells on Pipe, St. Peter, a wicked corn hole player, and an angel who is determined to give up his shiny halo in exchange for Death’s scythe.

---

Ava Jae — BEYOND THE RED (Spring 2016)

What’s one way you are similar to and different from your protagonist?

Both of Eros and Kora have varying levels of snark (which, to be honest, is something most of my protagonists share), largely because my inner monologue is a snarkmonster. If I’m not in a polite setting, I tend to be pretty outspokenly snarky, too. 😀

As for different, while Beyond the Red’s protagonists are both pretty badass at hand-to-hand combat, I’m not quite so talented.

Fun fact about you:

Even though I’m a second-generation American, my first language was Spanish, not English. However, due to an increasing use of English around my childhood home, my Spanish is now pretty atrocious—I can nail the accent no problem and I have a decent enough understanding, but my vocabulary and grammar are embarrassingly bad.

Fun fact about your book:

Speaking of languages, I made one up for Beyond the Red, complete with a separate alphabet. (No, I can’t speak it fluently, but I can pronounce all the words and phrases I made up. So yay.)

---

Sarah Glenn Marsh — FEAR THE DROWNING DEEP (Spring 2016)

What’s one way you are similar to and different from your protagonist?

My protagonist Bridey and I are both protective of our sisters. Bridey also shares my love of reading—though unfortunately for her, living on the Isle of Man in 1913, books are scarce! She has to make do with an encyclopedia of birds and the big book of sea monsters she borrowed from a witch.

Our biggest difference is that while Bridey’s terrified of the ocean that took her grandfather’s life, I absolutely love the beach. I’ve never been nervous about what’s hiding in the deep–though I’ll admit, I wear water shoes into the Atlantic because of the time a crab got hold of my big toe!

Fun fact about you:

I can trace my maternal grandmother’s line back to the Plantagenet Queens and Kings of England! One of my (many-times great) grandmothers was Queen Isabella, “The She-Wolf of France.”

Bonus fact: I was an extra in the movie Evan Almighty, playing one of Steve Carell’s neighbors!

Fun fact about your book:

In Fear the Drowning Deep, most of the characters believe in fairies. This is because many people on the Isle of Man really believed in fairies (or Mooinjer Veggey, as they’re known in the Manx language). That belief persists somewhat today, and it’s considered unlucky not to greet the fairies as you cross a particular bridge on the Isle!

---

Stephanie Kate Strohm — THE TAMING OF THE DREW (Spring 2016)

What’s one way you are similar to and different from your protagonist?

Just like my protagonist Cass, I LOVE Shakespeare! I spent three summers acting professionally at outdoor summer Shakespeare theaters, just like Shakespeare at Dunmore in Taming of the Drew. Our biggest difference is that Cass has no problem speaking her mind! I’ll do almost anything to avoid confrontation – sometimes I wish I had more of a temper like Cass!

Fun fact about you:
I’m a princess! I make appearances at birthday parties and other events as Cinderella and Rapunzel.

Fun fact about your book:
The giant squirrel mentioned in Taming of the Drew is real. You can see her if you’re ever at Lake Dunmore!

---

Rose Mannering — FEATHERS (Spring 2016)

What’s one way you are similar to and different from your protagonist?

In the novel that I am currently writing, Feathers, my main character is a boy called Ode and in many ways, I wish I could be more like him. He’s patient, kind and caring. Basically the perfect kind of guy ;). I guess we are similar in that we both have a pet dog, although mine is more domestic and his is a wild wolf.

Fun fact about you:

I used to model for a local fancy dress company. I think ‘model’ gives the wrong impression – I used to basically just dress up as a lobster/teddy bear/princess and they would take a photo for their catalogue. It was great fun!

Fun fact about your book:

I haven’t finished it yet – eek! Although I think that’s more worrying than fun…

---

Olivia Rivers — TONE DEAF (Spring 2016)

What’s one way you are similar to and different from your protagonist?

The most obvious similarity is that we’re both disabled. This was actually what started me writing the book. I couldn’t find disabled protagonists in other YA books, so I made the second-most-rebellious move of my life and decided to write my own. (The first-most-rebellious move was never finishing the Harry Potter series. Yes, I give you permission to slap me if we ever meet in person.) Anyway, the medical similarities between our disabilities are minimal; I have an autoimmune condition, while Ali is deaf. But it’s still safe to say we’ve shared some of the same challenges.

(A quick note I always like to make on this subject, so as to not mislead anyone: Many people in the Deaf community don’t consider themselves disabled. But Ali is very much deaf and not Deaf—meaning she’s spent the majority of her life hearing, and has had minimal exposure to the Deaf community. Hence her identifying as disabled.)

The differences between us are too numerous to count, but I think the most drastic is that Ali doesn’t like big dogs. On the other hand, I own two huge dogs who are my fluff babies, along with a cat who is convinced he’s a dog (except when he gets in trouble. Then he’s just convinced he’s invisible.)

Fun fact about you:

When I went to a private Catholic school, I used to smuggle banned books into class by slipping my Bible’s book jacket over their covers.

Fun fact about your book:

I started posting a first-draft of “Tone Deaf” a few years back on Wattpad.com. Somehow the chapters ended up gaining something like 900,000 hits, which was pretty fun. And more than a little cringe-inducing to think about, since it was first draft and not researched yet and reeeeeeally bad and how about we wrap this up before my face becomes a tomato…

Click here to enter the giveaway!