2009 DEB, CYNTHEA LIU!!!

Last week I blogged about some schoolchildren in Oklahoma who need our help. Well, you can thank today’s Debs’ Tour guest for organizing the whole shindig to help those kids. Cynthea Liu is one of those amazing individuals who never sleeps.

Really. Never. Sleeps.

She is, of course, a Deb, but PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE is not her first novel to release this year. Her first novel, THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA was released in February this year. She also has a nonfiction book out called WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS: A CRASH COURSE (how to write, revise, and publish your kid's or teen book with children's book publishers).

And she has a toddler.

Sleep? Seriously. It’s overrated anyway, right?

I just bought Cynthea’s new book, PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE, to read with my daughter, check out how fun it sounds:

Twelve-year-old Paris Pan's life is a mess. She's just moved to a tiny town in Nowheresville, Oklahoma; her family life is a comical disaster; her new friends are more like frenemies; and the boy she has a crush on is a dork. Things couldn't possibly get worse, until she discovers that a girl mysteriously died years ago while taking a seventh-grade rite of passage–the Dare– right near Paris's new house. So when Paris starts hearing strange noises coming from the creepy run-down shed in her backyard, she thinks they could be a message from the ghost of a girl. But while she has no plans to make contact with the great beyond, her two new friends have other thoughts. Everyone who's anyone takes the Dare, and now it's Paris's turn.

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

Wow. Good question. Bestselling Rockstar Author, only because Snoop (http://www.writingforchildrenandteens.com/about-me/snoop-zone/) (my manager) would never let me answer differently.

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

ALL THREE! Read Paris Pan Takes the Dare: I hope it accomplishes at least a couple of those.

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

Keep writing from that beach house. Though I would prefer a cabin in the woods. In Maine. During the winter.

4) FaceBook or MySpace?

Facebook all the way. MySpace freaks me out.

5) After a period, one space or two?

One. I'm a firm believer in moving into the 21st century.

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

HOPE. I encourage everyone to watch the PARIS PAN behind-the-scenes movie to see why I think the word is soooo important. Not just for writers, but for everyone, kids included. http://www.cynthealiu.com/movie/Thanks for the interview!

To find out more about Cynthea, and her books, check out her website at www.cynthealiu.com!