Nina Malkin Author Interview

Book Nerd Author Interview

Nina Malkin is the author of five YA novels, one novella, and an adult memoir. Before turning to books, Nina was a journalist specializing in entertainment, pop culture, and lifestyles. She has held executive positions as an editor and writer at Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Teen People, and her work has appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Seventeen, Real Simple, In Style, and numerous other publications. A New York native, Nina lives in Brooklyn with her musician husband and assorted felines. Find out more at ninamalkin.com and follow her on Twitter at @SwoonAuthor.

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Tell us your latest news.

Aside from the long-awaited release of SWEAR, I’m pretty #^%&%@(!*ing excited about how “You Throw the Dice” came out! Lyrics tend to find their way into all my novels, but this is the first time they’ve come to fruition as a bona fide record—interpreted by the lovely and talented singer/guitarist Rony Corcos. Bluesy yet catchy and totally cool! Plus, although it sonically encapsulates the situation between Candice Reagan Moskow, AKA Dice, and Sinclair Youngblood Powers, AKA Sin, at a certain moment in time, anyone who ever found herself in a frustrating romance can relate. Check it out on my website or on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qoln2P5fEdY) and let me know what you think!

Tell me a bit about yourself.

I read. I write. I rock.

What is your favorite food?

It’s hard to commit to a favorite anything. Especially food, and especially now, since as I answer these questions I’m visiting family down south, indulging in deep fried cupcakes and pork products at every meal. So by the time this interview runs, my favorite food will probably be my go-to detox vegetable of choice: broccoli.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Third grade.

Who or what has influenced your writing, and in what way?

It feels as though everything somehow filters through to the writing. A good friend, a bad fight, a crazy dream, a stupid decision, a sweet kiss, a bitter betrayal. All that stuff is certainly in both SWOON and SWEAR. Hence the expression: It’s all fodder.

What were your feelings when your first novel was accepted?

Elation. Though I made my living as a journalist, I always dabbled in fiction. Too bad my early attempts were so self-indulgent, no one would’ve been entertained by that stuff except me, and maybe a couple of cats. My first novels—6X: The Uncensored Confessions and 6X: Loud, Fast and Out of Control—went to auction, which in my case means two publishers were bidding on them. That was really exciting, especially since book one wasn’t even written yet; I’d only done a proposal and a few chapters. By then I was so in love with my characters, I was thrilled that I’d have the opportunity to see it through. That same elation returns every time I have a book accepted. One, I get to eat—and I love to eat. And two, it means another chance to connect with people. Publishing is sharing thoughts and feelings with others who also have thoughts and feelings, and to me, that’s magic.

Did you learn anything from writing Swear and what was it?

Trust your subconscious. It will take you to some crazy places.

What was your favorite chapter to write and why?

The scene where Sin and Dice reunite in the flesh for the first time. Why? Read it — you’ll know!

What question are you never asked in interviews but wish you were?

“Do you know any homeless felines who need good homes, and can we take at least two of them?”

What new author has grasped your interest?

For the most part I read dead people and verbose, crotchety English guys—sorry! But I’m open to suggestion if anyone wants to recommend someone. 

Any recent appearances that you would like to share with us about/any upcoming ones?

I’m reading at the Bronx Library Center a few days after SWEAR comes out. I’m psyched because I led a literary ‘zine workshop there a few years ago, and the kids I met inspired me to delve the paranormal—that’s what they were into. I’d never written anything spooky before, but once I started SWOON I knew I’d found the fit for my imagination. So reading at Bronx Library Center will be my way of giving back. Then, on October 28th at 9PM—the Friday night before Halloween—Eve’s Fan Garden will be hosting readers’ chance to chat with Dice from SWOON and SWEAR and Claire, the heroine of Christine Johnson’s Claire de Lune and its sequel Nocturne. Please join us!

Where did you get your idea for Swear?

Ideas are always swimming around in the subconscious. So a number of concepts for a sequel to SWOON were in competition with concepts for other novels, songs and journalism pieces, not to mention recipes, craft projects and assorted personal fantasies. Then I “met” a girl from Sinclair Youngblood Powers’ past. Her name is Antonia Forsythe, and I saw her like a vision—doomed, damned, determined, dead. She started telling me her story, and I became fascinated by the issue of whether or not it’s wise, or even possible, to swear your love.

If you could leave your readers with one legacy, what would you want it to be?

Love. Take the risk. Odds are you’ll be hurt, and like it or not you’ll inflict your share of heartache too. But it’s worth it—the thrill of new love, the torment of lost love, the bliss of lasting love—it’s all worth it. That, I swear!

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SIN IS COMING...PREPARE TO SWOON

Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing even happens in Swoon, Connecticut...until Dice's perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly dies in a fall from an old tree and her spirit interwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge and while Pen is obvious to the possession, Dice is all too aware of Sin. She's intesely drawn to him but not at all crazy abolut the havoc he's wreaking.

Determined to exorcise the demon, Dice accidentally sets Sin loose, gives him flesh, makes him formidable. Now she must destroy an even more potent and irresistible adversary before the whole town succumbs to Sin's will. Only trouble is, she's in love with him.

What do you do when the boy of your dreams is too bad to be true?

A promise broken. A bond betrayed.

It’s been six months since ghost-turned golem Sinclair Youngblood Powers confessed his love, stole Dice's heart, and disappeared from Swoon, perhaps from existence. Despite the hurt, Dice has been moving steadily toward ordinary. Dreams of Sin still plague and pleasure her sleep, and the mark of Sin's love remains on her skin, still sore. But Dice has been throwing herself into music, finding solace in song and sometimes even in the arms of her band mate, Tosh. Life seems almost…normal. The last thing Dice wants is to mess with anything remotely supernatural. But when her best friend’s boyfriend goes missing, Dice has no choice but to become very much involved. She knows that his disappearance was no accident, and it somehow has everything to do with Sin. Because Dice can feel it: Sin is back. And the promises and deceptions he left in his wake have returned to haunt him.


What do you do when an oath of devotion threatens to destroy the one you love?

You can purchase Swoon & Swear at these following retailers.

Click LINKS below:

SWOON

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Book Depository

SWEAR

Barnes & Noble

Amazon
Book Depository

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And now, The Giveaways. 

Thank you Simon & Schuster for making this giveaway possible.

1 Signed Paperback Copy of Swoon By Nina Malkin

1 Signed Hardback Copy of Swear by Nina Malkin

Winner:

Jill Kim

***If you're an Author and would like to do an Interview and Giveaway, you can e-mail me at jeanbooknerd@gmail.com****