Hi there! My name is Kari Lee Townsend, and I am the author of THE SAMANTHA GRANGER EXPERIMENT series. I am thrilled to be the guest blogger for today, especially on such a fantastic blog. I thought it would be fun to share with you all how I came up with the idea for FUSED, and what the most challenging parts of writing the first book were.
I am a mom of four children. My boys are 12, almost 14, and 16, and my daughter is 8 (poor babyJ) My kids LOVE their gadgets: everything from their x-box, to their I-pods, to their cell phones. Especially their cell phones! So much so I truly think they’re obsessed J Every time I turn around, their faces are staring down and their thumbs are flying as they send text after text after text until my eyes cross from just watching them.
One day I finally said, “If you’re not careful, you’ll turn into one of your gadgets!”
Huge light bulb moment for me, people. I thought OMG that would make a fabulous book, and voila, Samantha Granger was born. A techno superhero who goes by the name Digital Diva and has a GPS in her head, cell phone in her hand, camera in her eyes, and many more functions. Of course I then had to dedicate and thank my children over and over and over or risk never hearing the end of it. They love to inform me, “See, Mom. We told you technology rocks.” Seriously, though, I have to admit… they are the best brainstormers on the planet. They give me so many ideas for some really cool scenes.
Which brings me to the challenging parts of writing this book. As I said earlier, my children might be techno geniuses, but I definitely am not! I had to learn the lingo, figure out how to operate the gadgets, and really research the central nervous system. My background is in English. Science… not so much. I wanted the book to seem realistic, so I had the cell phone fuse with her spinal cord and take over for her brain in controlling her body. It was a blast making the scenes where she uses her powers seem like something from a CSI episode, where you can really visualize what’s going on inside her. However, keeping each “episode” fresh and unique was not easy. And as a twist, the cell phone isn’t just any cell phone, but you’ll have to read the book to discover the details J
Balancing the 911 rescues with the romance as well as trying to figure out who is after her, keep her identity a secret, and try to find a way to reverse her uniqueness was not easy. So much goes into pulling all the parts of a book together, but writing FUSED was so much fun, I’d do it over and over again in a heartbeat. Actually, I sort of am J Book two, FEARLESS, comes out in June of 2011, and book three, FREEDOM, comes out in November of 2011.
Thanks so much for having me, and I hope you all enjoy THE SAMANTHA GRANGER EXPERIMENT as much as I did. If so, write to me and tell me about it. I love to hear from my readers. And if you go on my website, I have some fun activities that go along with the book under the Fun Stuff tab. http://www.karileetownsend.com Enjoy, and don’t forget to embrace your inner diva!
The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused by Kari Lee Townsend Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (November 1st, 2010) Reading Level: Middle Grade Paperback: 192 pages After Sam is fused with her cell phone, she's ready to conquer the world! Or at least the 8th grade…
When Samantha Granger touches a meteor while talking on her cell phone, her life is changed forever: her body now has all the capabilities of her phone (GPS, phone, text, camera). She secretly calls herself a"Digital Diva" as she rushes to answer emergency calls. But will her identity be discovered when sparks fly (literally!) between her and Trevor, her dreamy crush? Samantha has to get a handle on her abilities and quick, because when Sam gets kidnapped and the entire town is in danger, she is the only one who can save them.
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