Friday, December 28, 2007

3rd MOST ENTERTAINING BOOK of 2007 IS...

HOLLYWOOD NOBODY by LISA SAMSON!

Hollywood Nobody is a book that caught me by surprise. I didn't expect to love it, but I did. You take unique settings (movie sets in remote places), unique people (Scotty Dawn - a 15 year old, homeschooling, Christian girl moving around with her single mom Charley who does food art on movies and all the other crazy, unique people around her), unique writing style (most chapters incorporate an entry from her blog, Hollywood Nobody and then go on in regular writing style) and very unique circumstances (that I can't really go into without revealing the whole plot :-) and you get a book that is really a page turner! I was thrilled to find out that we will be seeing Scotty Dawn and Charley in more Hollywood Nobody books as you will see in the interview - so now lets meet Lisa Samson...


1) Sometimes people think of authors as being bigger than life and not "real", so I thought we would start off with a very important question, one that will show people just how real you are! "What dessert can you not resist when it is time to indulge?"

Apple Crisp with ice cream. Or. Peach cobbler. Actually any kind of cobbler. And I like pie. Peach, blackberry, blueberry. I love crust and sugary, fruity syrup.

2) Talk about an original book - a celebrity blogger that happens to be 15, a homeschooler, and doesn't exactly have a regular life - I have to ask - what was your inspiration?

My own insanity? Honestly, it just popped into my head almost in an instant. I was sitting in a parking lot at a convention having been approached by NavPress to quite possibly do a YA series and "Have you got any ideas?" Uh, the answer to that would be, "No." So I took out my computer and bam, it just kind of downloaded. I feel like I can't take much credit for it, to be honest!

3) This book is a comedy, drama and mystery all wrapped up in one. Was it difficult to write in a style that switched back and forth between blogging, dialog and regular writing?

I'm horribly ADD. This was a dream come true! The fact is, I get easily bored with writing, so I have to switch it up. A lot.

4) Hollywood Nobody is listed as teen fiction contemporary, but I think most women would love this book, am I just a kid at heart or does this book have a wider audience than originally indicated?

It's "officially" intended for 16 - 20 year olds, but I knew younger kids would read it too. And I wanted it to transcend, honestly, to women as well. I wanted to write a smart book. By that I mean, one that presupposes the reader is an intelligent girl/young woman. I hope that's what happened. My 18-year-old daughter was with me every step of the way too. She was an enormous help.

5) How many more Hollywood Nobody books will be in this series?

Three more. Finding Hollywood Nobody (Who is the biker guy?) Romancing Hollywood Nobody. (Romance abounds for Scotty and Charley!) And finally, Discovering Hollywood Nobody. (What really happened to Babette? And Seth? Isn't he a little old for Scotty?)

6) What other projects
are you working on for after the Hollywood Nobody series is wrapped up?

I'm turning the screenplay of the recent motion picture Bella into a novel. This is very different for me. And then, back to my one-a-year adult novel. My yearly novel is truly my art. Although, I do enjoy the other projects. My next book to release is Embrace Me, from Thomas Nelson, a novel that deals with image and power and religion.

My website is www.lisasamson.com, and you can buy my books at any online bookseller, Amazon, B&N, and Christianbook.com.

To win a copy of Hollywood Nobody, leave a comment on this post - if you've already read it be sure to tell us all what you thought - Good Luck! You can check out the 1st chapter of this book on a previous post I did in November - its really good.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hadn't heard of this book until reading your blog. It looks really interesting for not only me, but for my teen nieces as well!

Mary
mjkeltch@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I posted the above, but forgot to ask to be entered into the drawing.

Thanks!
Mary

Ausjenny said...

Please enter me this sound like a fun book.
ausjenny [at] gmail . com

Pamela J said...

The element of surprise is something worth reading. To be kept on my toes and take unexpected turns is a very enjoyable thing to read. Please enter me in your drawing. I'd love to 'taste' the book for myself. Thanks. Pam
cepjwms at yahoo dot com

Goat Gal said...

This sounds fascinating! I would really like to be entered in this draw.

Altered by Jenn said...

WOW, looks a that will be a book, I won't be able to put down while reading. Please enter me. ~Jenn

alteredbyjenn at mail dot com

Hannah said...

i'd love to win a copy of this book! hsmuda[at]gmail[dot]com
thanks!

hippmom said...

Please enter my name in the drawing. I'm always looking for Christian lit that I can read then pass on to my daughter.

angelahipp (at) charter (dot) net

Anonymous said...

I just found this blog! :-)
The book sounds great - please enter my name!
debbygerth(at)earthlink(dot)net

Lora Lease said...

Another book that sounds like it could be enjoyed by me and Kaitlyn. Thank you so much for doing this, Janna... I am always looking for REALLY good books to read, and love getting suggestions.
Please enter me in the contest.
Lora

Anonymous said...

This sounds like a great book. I'm so happy that you're doing this list because now I have some new authors to try.

ravensfree@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Checking in your blog. Count me in your contest.

Shannon R-Sweetnessandsass (PBS)

Anonymous said...

I'd love to have a chance to read this.
Pioneerheart from PBS

Anonymous said...

I don't normally do blogs, but this is GREAT! Thanks for doing this for us! I would love to be considered for this book. You can reach me at rboatman@cox.net Thanks! Renee'