BLOGOVERSARY: Lisa Mangum with After Hello


Welcome to the first guest post for my BLOGOVERSARY! 
To see the entire schedule for the celebration, go here.

I'm super excited to welcome Lisa Mangum today! Her book, After Hello, was one of my favorite reads from last year. You can read my review here. Her characters travel all over New York City in the space of one day and so she's answering a few questions and sharing her top NYC spots. She also contributed a copy of her book and some swag (including some bookmarks and some official After Hello sugar packets (for trading :) ) to the giveaway. If you've read After Hello, then you know all about the significance of those sugar packets. :) 

So go on and read about her book, check out what she has to say, and enter the giveaway at the bottom (if you haven't already). We'd love it if you left a comment too! 

After Hello
by Lisa Mangum
YA Contemporary
Hardcover272 Pages
August 21st, 2012 by Shadow Mountain                  

Summary

What if the first day of your relationship was the only day you had?

Seventeen-year-old Sara is a seeker. She’s always on the lookout for the perfect moment to capture with her ever-present, point-and-shoot camera, especially on her first trip to New York City.

Sam is a finder. He has a knack for finding what other people can’t—a first-edition book or the last two tickets to a sold-out Broadway show. In New York, there is always something interesting to find.

When Sam and Sara’s paths cross, neither one of them is prepared for what they will find out about each other—and about themselves when they form an unlikely partnership in search of a seemingly elusive work of art. They have one day to find the impossible. Fate brought their talents together, but what happens when time runs out? Will love be able to overcome fate? This new novel from award-winning author Lisa Mangum explores what happens after hello.

      


Author Interview & Top Ten NYC Spots

Hello, Lisa! Thanks for taking time to come visit with us today in celebration of my Blogoversary!

Thanks! I’m happy to be here.

I’ve read all four of the YA books you’ve published: The Hourglass Door, The Golden Spiral, The Forgotten Locket, and After Hello

The Hourglass Door (Hourglass Door, #1) The Golden Spiral (Hourglass Door, #2) The Forgotten Locket (Hourglass Door, #3) 

After Hello is in a completely different subgenre from The Hourglass Door series. Why did you decide to switch genres?

I love writing for YA readers, and I loved writing the Hourglass Door trilogy, but after four years of thinking of nothing but Abby and Dante, I wanted to think about a shorter book. I also wanted to challenge myself to see if I could write a stand-alone novel. Plus, having dealt with time travel in the trilogy, I also wanted to challenge myself to write a book that covers a single 24-hour period.

It definitely makes sense. I would love to have another book following After Hello, but I guess I'll just have to re-read the story several times to get more of Sara and Sam. 

Have you found the writing/publishing experience to be any different from one book to another?

Absolutely! I’ve written four books now, and the process for each book has been completely different. I wrote Hourglass Door out of order—chronologically—and I wrote Golden Spiral in 20-minute increments, and I wrote Forgotten Locket start to finish in huge marathon writing sessions (like 18-hour days, 7 days a week). I wrote a large section of After Hello during a writer’s retreat in the mountains.

But even though the process or method has changed from book to book, one thing hasn’t changed: the passion for the story. I’ve felt connected to my characters and my stories from the very beginning of each project, and that connection keeps me excited to work.

I love the setting in After Hello, as well as the story! What inspired you to write the story and have it take place in New York?

My husband and I visited New York for the first time a couple of years ago, and I instantly fell in love with the city. I loved the energy that bubbles up everywhere you go in the city.

When I decided to write a story that would take place in a single 24-hour timeframe, I needed a setting where things could be happening all day and all night. Since New York is “The City That Never Sleeps” I thought it was a good place for Sam and Sara to explore.

As far as what inspired me to write the story—don’t laugh, but I had a dream. I woke up one Saturday morning with the first scene of After Hello in my head. I saw the moment where Sara sees Sam walking away from her and she takes his picture. Of course, I didn’t know who they were at the time, or what they were doing, but I couldn’t wait to find out the answers. I started writing down the story that same day.

I won't laugh. That is amazing and I'm so glad that you followed through on your dream to see what happened to those characters! 

Do you have any favorite reads from last year and/or books that you are most looking forward to reading this year?

I keep pretty good track of my reading lists on GoodReads.com. My top five favorite books from last year are (in no particular order):

The Voice of the Fire by Alan Moore
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Age of the Miracles of Karen Thompson Walker
World War Z by Max Brooks
Reached by Ally Condie


Voice of the Fire Gone Girl The Age of Miracles
World War Z: by Max Brooks (Expert Book Review) Reached (Matched, #3) Just My Type: A Book About Fonts

I’m currently reading Just My Type by Simon Garfield. It’s a nonfiction book about the history of fonts and typefaces.

You have a fairly diverse set of books there. Just My Type sounds interesting. I love fonts, so that actually sounds like something I might pick up.

Will you share with us any hints as to what book(s) you’re currently working on?

I’m currently working on a new love story. (It’s only a week old, so we’ll see how it goes!) I also have another contemporary YA in the works and a fantasy story with faeries has been a lot of fun to write. There’s never a shortage of ideas!

Well, I am excited to hear you've got three in the works. I can't wait to see where they go and get to read them in the future!

There are so many things I have found in literature that have inspired me. Would you share something that you’ve read or written that has inspired you?

One thing that has inspired me is a book entitled Drawing Out the Dragons by James A. Owen. I heard him speak at a conference a couple of years ago and was blown away by his work. I’ve since gotten to know him and count him as a dear friend. One of the main messages of his book is “I believe in you.” I often feel the nervousness and uncertainty that seems to plague many writers (Is my writing any good? Will anybody like it? What am I even doing?), but when those fears creep in, I stop and think “I believe in you.” It helps because it reminds me that not only do I have friends and family who believe in me, but I also have me: I believe in me.

That is one book I've been hearing about lately. I need to go grab a copy.

With After Hello set in NYC, I just have to ask: What are your Top Ten NYC Spots?


1. Ground Zero

2. Top of the Rock observation deck

3. Ellis Island

4. Walking the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset

5. Times Square

6. Central Park

7. Any gelato shop in Little Italy

8. St. John's Cathedral

9. Grand Central Station

10. Parson's: The New School of Design (because I'm a huge Project Runway fan :)

I haven't been to NYC yet, but I'm definitely planning on going in the future. 

Thanks, again, Lisa for stopping by!

Thanks for having me visit. I always enjoy talking about books!


About the Author

Lisa Mangum has loved and worked with books ever since elementary school, when she volunteered at the school library during recess. Her first paying job was shelving books at the Sandy Library. She worked for five years at Waldenbooks while she attended the University of Utah, graduating with honors with a degree in English. An avid reader of all genres, she has worked in the publishing department for Deseret Book since 1997.

Besides books, Lisa loves movies, sunsets, spending time with her family, trips to Disneyland, and vanilla ice cream topped with fresh raspberries. She lives in Taylorsville, Utah, with her husband, Tracy. She is the author of The Hourglass Door (which was named the 2009 YA Book of the Year by ForeWord Reviews), The Golden Spiral, The Forgotten Locket and After Hello.




The first giveaway is for US Continental entrants ONLY and this is what you can win:
- A copy of Bound by Prophecy and Shifting Fate by Melissa Wright + Prize Pack
- ARC of The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith
- Copy of Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
- Copy of Meant to be Mine (releasing in April and will be delivered then) by Becky Wade
- Copy of After Hello + Swag
- Copy of Pivot Point or Split Second by Kasie West (winner's choice)
- Signed paperback of Echo in Time by C.J. Hill
- ARC of Friends and Traitors by C.J. Hill
- Signed copy of The Art of Wishing or Signed ARC of The Fourth Wish by Lindsay Ribar (winner's choice)

The second giveaway is for International entrants ONLY.
- One book by a participating Blogoversary author (authors listed on the schedule above) of $15 USD or less from the Book Depository (winner's choice). Book Depository must ship to you for free to be eligible.
- ebook (Kindle or Nook) of Dear Mr. Knightley
- ebook (Kindle or Nook) of Slayers by C.J. Hill

All my usual requirements apply.
Ends February 28th.

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