Q&A with LeAnn Neal Reilly discussion

Thanks for joining me on GoodReads for a discussion of my novel The Mermaid's Pendant. I'm looking forward to talking about the characters and the story with you. Please introduce yourself and share an interesting anecdote (or two). I'll start with a "FAQ" about me to get started.

10 Random Things About LeAnn Neal Reilly

1. She wrote an opinion column for her college newspaper emulating the style of Pulitzer-winning Chicago columnist Mike Royko. Her fictional alter ego drank outrageous coffee drinks instead of hanging out at a bar conversing with Slats Grobnik.

2. During an internship as an information designer at an international design firm, LeAnn used an Italian dictionary to suggest names for a teakettle by Copco. Yes, she’s responsible for the “Renata,” which is (was?) the epitome in elegant kitchenware.

3. LeAnn worked for a multimedia startup writing technical material (scripts and manuals) and as an assistant for a research lab in a school of computer science. She beat a CS professor, a CS staff programmer, and two or three CS grad students at the logic game SET. LeAnn quit while ahead.

4. Her first query letter was sent at eight by her big brother for an illustrated fairy tale. As she recalls, it was about a princess enchanted as a flower who waited for a prince to rescue her. Needless to say, that’s when she got her first rejection.

5. LeAnn home schools three children, which explains why she’s a bit dazed most of the time.

6. Her secret reading vice is romance novels. She also loves YA novels, classics, and historical fiction. She’s reading her way through history to make up for her poor education.

7. Her biggest fear: public speaking. She has recorded herself reading from her novel THE MERMAID’S PENDANT however to give her grateful readers the ability to avoid listening to her in person.

8. She’s waited tables, something she believes EVERYONE should have to do.

9. Her biggest peeve: unflushed toilets. Biggest perpetrators of this heinous crime: her kids.

10. Her favorite authors: Shakespeare and Jane Austen. If she had only three books to take with her on a desert island, she’d want her copy of Shakespeare’s complete works and a collection of Austen’s novels.

Hello,
I'm a fan of YA novels too, in fact, I just finished reading Theodora Twist by Melissa Senate. I thought it was a great, easy read!
I really look forward to reading The Mermaid's Pendant.
I'm going to follow your example LeAnn:

10 Random things about me...

1. I've never sat down to write anything structured other than papers for school and college, but I have plans to attempt to write a chick lit novel. I'm currently reading See Jane Write: A Girl's Guide to Writing Chick Lit in order to figure out the best way to actually go about doing it.

2. No internships yet either. Though I am currently working on my BA in Early Childhood Education that I'll have to do an internship for.

3. Right now (and for the last 7+ years) I'm making ends meet as an Admin. Asst. I work for a company that owns 200+ malls throughout the US and I work at a field location (aka - mall office). No, it's not as cool as it sounds, or at least as I thought it sounded when I applied for the position.

4. I am the moderator of another group on GoodReads for fans of the books/authors published by Red Dress Ink - no longer publishing. :(

5. I have a soon (as in eight days) to be five-year-old daughter who thinks she knows more than I do which is how she can be my greatest cause of joy and frustration at the same time. ;)

6. I don't have a secret reading vice, I read mostly chick lit with other genres thrown in here and there, i.e. thrillers, mysteries, memoirs, etc.

7. My biggest fear (other than raising a kid) is spiders. Can't stand 'em. I don't even like to see pictures of them, it makes my skin crawl. Yech!

8. I've never waited tables (my mom always said I didn't have the personality for that), but I have worked two different food service jobs. My first official job (at age 13) was working for a mom & pop Dairy-Queen-type of place called Margie's. And I've also worked at the food station at Target. Loads of fun......uh, not exactly.

9. My biggest peeve: things out of place - I am hugely anal when it comes to things being in there place. If it's not where I expect it to be, I freak out trying to find it. Especially if I'm running late, which is most of the time thanks to the aforementioned almost five-year-old.

10. My most favorite author is Dean Koontz. I have been reading his books for 18 years, probably not the best thing for a 12 year old to read, but I balanced it out with Baby Sitter's Club books. LOL! Other favorites are Carole Matthews, Sarah Mlynowski, Sophie Kinsella, and her sister, Gemma Townly, etc., etc. I could keep going on and on....

"9. Her biggest peeve: unflushed toilets. Biggest perpetrators of this heinous crime: her kids."

The most *annoying* perpetrators of that crime: people who don't flush public restroom toilets but do use those toilet liner tissue things (and, of course, leave them on the seat for the next person to deal with). Hypocrisy at its finest.

"Hello, I'm a fan of YA novels too, in fact, I just finished reading Theodora Twist by Melissa Senate."

Have you read The Hunger Games and its sequel, Catching Fire? SO good. Best YA books I've read since Harry Potter.

Jenn wrote: "Have you read The Hunger Games and its sequel, Catching Fire?..."

I haven't but a friend of mine did and she said they were great! I didn't realize they were YA though.

Okay, introducing myself:
I'm Jenn, 28, and I live in southern California with my husband and 3-month-old son.
An anecdote:
I once had a fish, Jean-Claude, that spent the majority of its life dislodging the fake plants from the floor of its tank. I'd wake up to find these weeds floating at the top of the tank and I'd have to get my arm all wet anchoring them down again. That's how I started off most of my mornings for about two years, until Jean-Claude died.

Stacy wrote: "3. Right now (and for the last 7+ years) I'm making ends meet as an Admin. Asst. I work for a company that owns 200+ malls throughout the US and I work at a field location (aka - mall office). No, it's not as cool as it sounds, or at least as I thought it sounded when I applied for the position."

I worked for a mall management office during college. A friend's mother got me the job or I never would have known it existed. I answered phones mostly and ran errands and gossiped with the two women in the office.

Jenn wrote: ""9. Her biggest peeve: unflushed toilets. Biggest perpetrators of this heinous crime: her kids."

The most *annoying* perpetrators of that crime: people who don't flush public restroom toilets bu..."

Okay, my kids annoy me, but honestly, unflushed public toilets disgust me even more. At least I know my kids and exasperation is the main response.

Hi, I'm Guitarchick, I prefre to abbbreviate it as GC. Just saves time.

Anyway, since you all seem to be doing ten random things about yourselves, I will too.

1. I am starting an all girl rock band with my friends.
2. I write novels in my spare time and am trying to soak up some knowledge here.
3. I am homeschooled to insanity
4. I occasionaly sit up in my room and draw pictures of Quidditch matches.
5. I sctibbled all over my copy of Lord of the Rings owing to the fact that I was seven at the time and thought it was cool (I really regret that)
6. I won a couple spelling bees.
7. I've been to see the band Heart
8.I play French Horn, guitar, violin, piano, and electric bass.
9. I have been described as very eclectic, strange, and out of the ordinary.
10. I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Jenn wrote: "Okay, introducing myself:
I'm Jenn, 28, and I live in southern California with my husband and 3-month-old son.
An anecdote:
I once had a fish, Jean-Claude, that spent the majority of its life di..."

LOL, my daughter wanted fish when she was two, so we got two fish....they didn't last very long. I'm not sure why, maybe because I was too cheap to buy an actual fish tank and used a flower vase instead?

LeAnn wrote: "Stacy wrote: "3. Right now (and for the last 7+ years) I'm making ends meet as an Admin. Asst. I work for a company that owns 200+ malls throughout the US and I work at a field location (aka - mall..."

I never knew mall offices existed either until I got this job. Funny that you mention gossiping, our general manager keeps yelling at all of us for doing just that. But in my opinion, it's not gossip if it's true. ;)

Guitar Chick-Dolly Dagger wrote: "Hi, I'm Guitarchick, I prefre to abbbreviate it as GC. Just saves time.

Anyway, since you all seem to be doing ten random things about yourselves, I will too.

1. I am starting an all girl roc..."

Good luck on the band, that sounds really cool! And good luck with the writing too.
I think being described as eclectic, strange, and out of the ordinary is a good thing. :) I've been told many times that I am very unique. ;)

I'm a writer and a Realtor who is tired of the way the government keeps interfering with the housing recovery starting with the bank bailouts to the current legislation governing private financing for owner-occupied homes.

I enjoy reading any good book, from women's fiction to current event's non-fiction, and everything in between.

Welcome, Angela!

Hi! I'm Laura. I used to run a bookstore which fulfilled my obsession with reading books and owning them (which could probably rival a small bookstore), until I got pregnant with my 2nd child who put me in the hospital 3 times, so therefore i had to quit. So, now I fulfill my obsession here on goodreads and shopping clearance tables. But, I have a wonderful 9 month old boy, I wouldn't trade for the world, and his 8 year old brother who is the light of my life.
I love reading anything historical fiction or chick lit as long as it isn't chick fluff.

Welcome, Laura!

Hi girls! I agree with you on the Chick Fluff stuff.

Hi! I'm Sally and I love to read. I work from home for an insurance company. I have been married for 12 years to the love of my life and I have a little yorkshire terrier who is quite the handful. I read anything I can get my hands. I have read the Twilight series 5 times as well as the Harry Potter series. I'm just now finishing up the Fablehaven series and getting ready to read the new series by Rick Riordan. I have also read the first two books in The Hunger Games series. I also love chick lit, books about different culturals, particularly Asia, and alot of the classics. Every once in a while, I enjoy a good suspense thriller or a "feel good" book. My husband tease's me that we are constantly buying bookshelves for all of my books. I just have too many that I am not willing to part with.

Welcome, Sally!

Laura wrote: "Hi! I'm Laura. I used to run a bookstore which fulfilled my obsession with reading books and owning them (which could probably rival a small bookstore), until I got pregnant with my 2nd child who p..."

Sorry to hear you had a rough pregnancy, but I'm glad to hear that your son is well.
I would love to own a new & used bookstore. Between a friend of mine and myself, I think we have enough books to stock one! LOL!

Sally wrote: "Hi! I'm Sally and I love to read. I work from home for an insurance company. I have been married for 12 years to the love of my life and I have a little yorkshire terrier who is quite the handful. ..."

I can't imagine how many books I'd have if I saved all of mine. I'm not one to re-read so I recycle them by putting them on swapping websites. Right now, I have over 450 books on my bookshelves at home to be read.

First of all, thanks for sponsoring this giveaway! Whether or not I win a copy, I am definitely looking forward to reading your book this summer! I have a special fondness for fairy tales and retellings.

Now for introductions. My name is Hannah and I've been in love with books since even before I could read. My BA is in English, but I've worked in Energy, Finance, and Healthcare. I've never been a career-minded person, so I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. I've recently been toying with the idea of going back to school to study history and/or women's studies.

I'm married to the absolutely most wonderful husband in the entire world. He's my perfect complement. We both love to travel but haven't had much opportunity to do so (bad economy, lengthy unemployment, etc.). We did live in Japan for several months after we got married, which counts for something. Now we're settled back in Southeast Pennsylvania.

When I'm not working or reading I enjoy crafting, shopping, and playing World of Warcraft.

Welcome, Hannah!

I know what you mean about figuring out what I wanted to do when I grew up. I always wanted to write a book, but that seemed so impractical that I kept looking for other more pragmatic careers. But I have a terrible time pursuing work that doesn't mean anything to me, so I came back to writing books.

Hi I'm Valerie. Happily married and mother of 4. Right now I've a 8 month old baby and I love to read while I'm nursing her. So I go through a LOT of books. Usually I go for YA fairytales and the like, but I also love to read biographies and Jane Austen, of course, historical fiction, etc, etc.
And, like Hannah, thank you, LeAnn, for the book giveaway. Very generous! This is my first time in a reading group, and it's been fun so far.

Valerie wrote: "Hi I'm Valerie. Happily married and mother of 4. Right now I've a 8 month old baby and I love to read while I'm nursing her. So I go through a LOT of books. Usually I go for YA fairytales and t..."

Congratulations (belated) on your addition. I have three children and can remember enjoying that chance to read while nursing. Actually, I spent a lot of time thinking about my novel while nursing -- and planning my garden. Being forced to sit still for long minutes is a very good thing for anyone wanting to develop their imagination!

CJ here. (more interesting than Connie) Just stumbled on this site because it said Giveaway, and I love to get books, and this book intrigues me.

About me: 1. Grandmother of 13, almost 15, mother of six. All will soon live far away from home.
2. Love to read (goes without saying) and my favorite jobs were library clerk in the Tillamook County Library at 19 and clerk in the childrens room atBoise Public Library as a newlywed.
3. Married to a great, old grandfather-type who didn't appreciate my reading obsession when he had no clean shirts to wear to work. He reads a lot now that he is retired.
4. Have run the gambit on hobbies: sewing, quilting, gardening and beading being the most avid. When I open my own library there will be a corner for fabric, pots and beads. Long life/many collections.
5. Have a Kindle now--great for air travel to carry multiple books, miss the 'smell' of books--love that.
6. Faves of classics: Good Earth, Exodus, Grapes of Wrath, Dr. Zivago--stories of pathos with great characters.
7. Today: White Oleander, Secret Life of Bees, that type of growing up with angst--I see a pattern here.
8. Love SciFi and fantasy. Like local author Shannon Hale. So, so on local Stephanie Meyers--prefer The Host.
9. Love to write; wrote many stories in my 30's, fleshed out a couple of novels, but the short story was my favorite. A phase that didn't stick.
10. College dropout, managed a couple of large chain fabric stores. Preferred to be stay at home mom.

This book group will be great. I belong to one that meets regularly. Love to get new ideas for reading.

Connie wrote: "CJ here. (more interesting than Connie) Just stumbled on this site because it said Giveaway, and I love to get books, and this book intrigues me.

About me: 1. Grandmother of 13, almost 15,..."

Welcome, Connie! You sound like a mix between me and my mom. She was the sewing and quilting person (She made my wedding gown and the quilt on my bed) while I'm the gardening, beading, reading and writing one. Welcome to the group.

Hi, I am happily married with a son who is 7 but really love reading any kind of fantasy book.

Welcome, Brenda! Fantasy is a pretty big category. Are you a traditional fantasy or more of a hybrid fantasy reader?

I would probably say that I enjoy both the classics as well as titles such as Harry Potter, Charlie Bone Series, Edge Chronicles, Rick Riordan fan and many many more.

So mostly YA and middle grade books? Have you ever read Neil Gaiman or Orson Scott Card or Charles de Lint? They're all adult fantasy writers.(I read both kinds. I have three kids so I've enjoyed reading books that they would read that I might not have picked up before.)

Hmm can't say that I have read those yet will have to give them a try.

Scott Card's Enchantment is close to YA, but I don't think it's categorized that way. Gaiman's Stardust is considered YA and he has children's books (which I haven't read), even comic books (haven't read these either). I enjoyed some of his adult titles, but I haven't read everything he's written.

I did forget Gaiman wrote Coraline which I thought was pretty dark but the two you mentioned look interesting.