Saundra Mitchell: SHADOWED SUMMER

Saundra Mitchell's SHADOWED SUMMER is one of the releases that I ran out to buy when it came out last month. I’m reading this book now, and I love Saundra’s (or should I say Iris’s) voice. It’s authentic and lyrically Southern, it’s sort of reminiscent of Scout Finch. And I love the way Saundra uses a few masterfully chosen words to draw you in.

Let me show you:

Wind kissed my ear, cool and soft, and I heard a voice.

It sounded like clover tastes, green and new and sweet.

Here's the story:

Nothing ever happened in Ondine, Louisiana, not even the summer Elijah Landry disappeared. His mother knew he ascended to heaven, the police believed he ran away, and his girlfriend thought he was murdered.

Decades later, certain she saw his ghost in the town cemetery, fourteen-year-old Iris Rhame is determined to find out the truth behind "The Incident With the Landry Boy."

Enlisting the help of her best friend Collette, and forced to endure the company of Collette's latest crush, Ben, Iris spends a summer digging into the past and stirring old ghosts, in search of a boy she never knew.

What she doesn't realize is that in a town as small as Ondine, every secret is a family secret.

And the Author:

A screenwriter and author, Saundra Mitchell penned the screenplays for the Fresh Films and Girls in the Director's Chair short film series. Her short story "Ready to Wear" was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her first feature film, Revenge Ends, debuted on the festival circuit in 2008. In her free time, she enjoys ghost hunting, papermaking, and spending time with her husband and her two children.

And you guys know the interview. . .

I’ll ask you five questions plus one bonus. Feel free to elaborate as much as you want (except, of course, for the bonus question!).

Here we go:

1) Would you rather be the Bestselling Rockstar Author or an Acclaimed Literary Award Winner?

Can I be the rockstar until the recession is over, and then convert to award-winner?

2) Make people laugh, cry, or hide under the covers?

I'd just like to make people feel something, although a good laugh is harder, and it doesn't last as long. There's something ephemeral there. I don't know if that recommends it, or dissuades me. But I think it's true, anyway.

3) Retire early or just keep writing from your beach house(s)?

There's no stopping. I once told my agent that all I want to do is publish one book a year for the rest of my life, and I meant that entirely.

4) FaceBook or MySpace?

Facebook. I'm allergic to glittertext.

5) After a period, one space or two?

One. Jeez louise, that's an entire character space wasted if you use two! That adds up! Paper is expensive and precious!

And your bonus question: What ONE WORD of advice would give to any aspiring writer?

Edit.

(Definitely edit!!!)

Thanks for stopping by Saundra!

To find out more about Saundra and her books, check out her website at http://www.saundramitchell.com/.