Friday, December 7, 2012

Holiday Interview with Liz DeJesus & Giveaway


Welcome to the first interview of the 25 Authors of Christmas Blog Tour on our blog!

Today's featured author is Liz DeJesus, author of the YA fantasy novel "First Frost".




Summary of "First Frost"

Fairytales aren’t real…yeah…that’s exactly what Bianca thought. She was wrong.

For generations, the Frost family has run the Museum of Magical and Rare Artifacts, handing down guardianship from mother to daughter, always keeping their secrets to “family only.”

Gathered within museum’s walls is a collection dedicated to the Grimm fairy tales and to the rare items the family has acquired: Cinderella’s glass slipper, Snow White’s poisoned apple, the evil queen’s magic mirror, Sleeping Beauty’s enchanted spinning wheel…

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Frost wants none of it, dreaming instead of a career in art or photography or…well, anything except working in the family’s museum. She knows the items in the glass display cases are fakes because, of course, magic doesn’t really exist.

She’s about to find out how wrong she is.




Interview with Liz

Growing up, did your family have any Christmas traditions?
Well, I’m originally from Puerto Rico (I moved to Delaware in 1999 when I was 17 years old) and while we celebrate Christmas we also celebrate the Three Kings Day. And I remember getting my shoe box and going outside to gather big bunches of green grass to put underneath the bed. The idea is that you feed the Three Kings’ camels so that they can leave presents under your bed.

What would the perfect Christmas family dinner look like (or taste like) to you?
I love my mom’s cooking. We have a very Hispanic meal of rice and gandules (pigeon peas), pernil (pork shoulder), tostones (fried plantains) and a lot of deserts too. And since I have an American husband I try to combine some of his traditional meals with mine. And there is so much food on my table that you can’t even see the table cloth. But my favorite thing is to see my friends and family gathered at the table to share this wonderful meal.

What's your favorite part of celebrating Christmas?
The look on my son’s faces when they unwrap their presents. The fact that they still believe in magic.

If you were walking down the street and you heard Christmas music blasting out through a store window, what would be your first reaction?
To sing along. I always sign along to music everywhere I go. Doesn’t matter if I’m inside the store or outside. If I hear good music chances are I’m singing along to it.

Do you have any holiday plans for this year?
I love being home. So my plan is to watch every Christmas movie on TV, drink lots of hot chocolate and open presents. I like to keep it simple.

And if you could receive any gift, what would you want most this Christmas?
Sounds kinda cheesy, but all I want for Christmas is for my friends and family is peace, love and happiness.


About Liz DeJesus
Liz DeJesus was born on the tiny island of Puerto Rico. She is a novelist and a poet. She has been writing for as long as she was capable of holding a pen. She is the author of the novel Nina (Blu Phi'er Publishing, October 2007), The Jackets (Arte Publico Press, March 31st 2011) and First Frost (Musa Publishing, June 2012). Liz is currently working on a new novel.


Below is the entry form for the tour-wide giveaway. Be sure to enter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

6 comments:

  1. I would like to thank you so much for a fantastic giveaway, and a selection of two increadible books both of which i would love to have the oportunity of reading! On my Christmas wish list is a book. Simple as that. I am an avid reader and so having a book or book token as a Christmas present is all i could wish for (and then to review it & discuss it with other book lovers!).
    My favorite part of celebrating xmas...is spending time with the family and enjoying a nice traditional Christmas dinner- Turkey and all the trimmings. Yum!

    Thank you so much for this wonderful giveaway and i would like to wish you a very, merry Christmas! x
    Email: lfountain1(at)hotmail(dot)co(dot)uk
    GFC: lfountain1

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    1. It's always great to meet another reader.
      When it comes to presents, you can't go wrong with books, right? :)

      Hope we'll chat more about all the good books out there in the future.

      Wish you happy holidays!

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  2. Thanks for putting up the interview and giveaway!

    Brandi @ Bound 2 Astound

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    Replies
    1. It's a pleasure!
      Thanks for organizing the tour, it's great!

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  3. What a great interview and when children still believe it is so magical!

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    Replies
    1. :D Thank you for stopping by and reading the interview. That's one of the reasons why I love the holidays, children (especially my kids) make it fun for me again. :D

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