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If you’ve been following our blog for awhile, you’ve read about Dana Middleton’s first book, The Infinity Year of Avalon James <\/em><\/a>(and if not take a look at the link).\u00a0Even though Open If You Dare<\/em> takes on a whole different genre it was just as good and couldn’t keep us from turning the pages. Dana graciously agreed to another interview with us and once again after the interview we decided that yes, in fact, we want to be friends with Dana and the characters she writes. Open If You Dare comes out tomorrow so pre-order today so you can read this awesome mystery, the perfect fall book!<\/p>\n 3 ?s about <\/b>Open If You Dare<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n What three words would you use to describe your book?<\/span><\/p>\n Mysterious, suspenseful, nostalgic. Not that nostalgia even exists for my target readers, but it was nostalgic for me. <\/span><\/p>\n Which character do you relate most to Birdie, Ally or Rose and why?<\/span><\/p>\n I relate most to Birdie, some to Ally, and not at all to Rose! Birdie is most like me. We like mysteries, we\u2019re weirdly brave sometimes, and also sometimes selfish. And we\u2019re very loyal friends. I played fast pitch softball so I was a little bit of a jock like Ally but definitely not as tough. Rose is an alien life-form to me. I have no idea where she came from and I think I\u2019d be a little scared of her if we met in person!<\/span><\/p>\n This book is a mystery, was your writing process different than when you wrote <\/span>The Infinity Year of Avalon James<\/span><\/i>?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Yes! Because it was a mystery how it was going to happen! And I mean that on many levels. First, I wrote <\/span>The Infinity Year of Avalon James<\/span><\/i> without the pressure of a publisher waiting for it. <\/span>Open If You Dare<\/span><\/i> was different because I\u2019d never written on a deadline before. I figured out quite quickly that I had to show up to the page almost every day or I might fail completely and never do it. Also, I\u2019d never written a mystery before (and it turned into quite a strange mystery) so I hope readers will go down that path with me. Afterwards, I swore I\u2019d never try a mystery again but lately, I\u2019ve begun to think it might be fun to attempt another one. Funny how time lets us see things differently!<\/span><\/p>\n 3 ?s about You<\/b><\/p>\n What is your \u201cgo-to\u201d kidlit book to give as a gift and why?<\/span><\/p>\n When You Reach Me<\/span><\/i> by Rebecca Stead. I love time travel. I love mystery. I love strong girl characters. This book is challenging to the reader and it\u2019s real in a way that makes you want to read it again and again. <\/span><\/p>\n Now that you\u2019ve written a mystery and realistic fiction\/fantasy (depending on the reader) books, is there another book genre you\u2019d like to explore and possibly write next?<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m working on that other book now. It\u2019s steeped heavily in the realistic fantasy camp. And I\u2019ve got a science fiction story up my sleeve that might come after that.<\/span><\/p>\n What does your workspace look like?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My work space is everywhere. I share an office with my husband but I rarely write there. I\u2019m often at our dining room table or at a local coffee shop tapping away among other writers. That\u2019s one thing I love about writing. I can do it anywhere!<\/span><\/p>\n Thank you Dana for taking the time to answer our questions! To learn more about Dana Middleton visit her website. <\/a>\u00a0Or follow her on Twitter <\/a>and Instagram.<\/a><\/p>\n\n