Celebrating Snow Fright

Most people in the book business love Tuesdays because that’s when new books are released into the world. I particularly love Tuesdays when an author whose books my kids & I love has a new release. And when that author happens to be friend and Mixed-Up Files contributor Amie Borst, well, let’s just say it’s a banner Tuesday!

I was lucky enough to chat with Amie about Snow Fright, about writing with her daughter, and about all things pink and sparkly. Leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of Snow Fright!

JA: Cinderskella came out in 2013. How has writing three books with your daughter changed as she’s grown? 

AB: My daughter and I actually wrote Cinderskella in 2010 shortly before her 10th birthday, so by the time it was published in 2013 and we penned Little Dead Riding Hood in 2013/2014 we’d experienced quite a shift in our partnership. First, Bethanie wasn’t a child any more but had grown into a teenager. Second, her writing skills had also blossomed. And third, she was gaining independence. I could give her a prompt and ask her to write the scene and she’d churn out 2,000 words before I’d even sat down at my desk. When it came time to write Snow Fright she penned about half of it before we even really plotted together! Of course she was on track and her writing set the tone for the novel.

JA: Do you think you’ll continue to collaborate?

AB: She’s written at least four more novels on her own and I’ve ventured into solo works as well. So that’s hard to say. She’s a teenager now who is thinking about college and career choices. I’d love to write more stories with her but….hold on….I hear her groaning in the background. Okay. Never mind. That’s a no.

JA: What was your favorite part of writing Snow Fright? 

AB: I really do love collaborating with my daughter. She’s so smart and creative. And she’s freaking funny. The best part is that she’s so uninhibited. I’ll always think that something can’t be done and she’ll say, “Why not?” Turns out she’s right, of course. It can always be done.

I think the best part was developing the seven worms that live inside Sarah’s head. That was all Bethanie’s idea, of course, and I couldn’t imagine Snow Fright any other way.

JA: Do you and your daughter read a lot of the same books? Do you tend to agree or disagree on your favorites?

AB: We definitely have very similar literary tastes! Okay, I admit I’m not a Tolkien fan but when it comes to middle-grade books we share the same love for dark stories.

Author Amie Borst

JA: What’s on your bookshelf right now? Any fall releases you’re particularly excited about?

AB: Textbooks. I recently returned to school so I’m swimming in assignments. There is one class entirely dedicated to middle-grade novels (Classics in Children’s literature). That stack includes Winnie the Pooh, The Secret Garden, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Golden Compass, The Tale of Desperaux, Adam of the Road, Holes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Where the Red Fern Grows, Sounder, James and the Giant Peach, Harry Potter, and The Lightening Thief. I’m going to be very busy this semester!

As far as new releases, I’m excited to read Rose Cooper’s The Ungrateful Dead (sequel to I Text Dead People). Rumor has it I’m in the acknowledgements.

JA: When did your obsession with the color pink begin? Does your daughter share this love, or rebel against it? 

AB: Hahaha!! No, she most definitely does not share my passion for pink. She is the furthest thing from a girly-girl and according to her, pink is classified in the ultra-girly-girl category.

My earliest recollection for my pink passion came in first grade. I wore a pink dress to school almost every day. My teacher at the time nick-named me The Pink Lady. It just kind of stuck. I actually do like other colors, green being a close second, but I think my affinity for everything pink will live forever.

JA: What’s next for the Borst writing duo?

Chocolate. Chocolate is definitely next. Maybe cookies. Perhaps ice cream. But definitely chocolate.

JA: Cookies sound good! Congratulations on the launch of Snow Fright and best of luck, Amie! Readers, don’t forget to leave a comment below for your chance to win a copy of Snow Fright!

Amie Borst loves glitter, unicorns, and chocolate. But not at the same time. That would be weird. She’s a PAL member of the SCBWI as well as a founding and contributing member of The Mixed-Up Files…of Middle-Grade Authors. As a featured judge on Rate Your Story, she enjoys helping new writers find their voice. Amie is the author of the middle-grade series, Scarily Ever Laughter. The series, which she co-authored with her daughter, Bethanie, features fairy tale retellings with a twist. Cinderskella, Little Dead Riding Hood, and Snow Fright are published by Jolly Fish Press. Amie lives in Virginia with her three beautiful daughters, her handsome husband, and two cute dogs named Lily and Maggie. She wishes she could travel the country in a hot pink elevator but for now, her minivan will have to do.

You can find Amie on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram as well as her website www.amieborst.com and blog www.amieborst.blogspot.com. She also shares a website with her daughter www.amieandbethanieborst.com.

Julie Artz

JULIE ARTZ spent her childhood sneaking into wardrobes hoping to find Narnia. Now that she's older, people think that’s creepy, so she writes middle grade instead. Her stories for children feature the natural world, folklore, mythology, history, and all that is magical about those things. In addition to contributing to The Mixed Up Files, she works as a developmental editor for Author Accelerator, writes about local Washington history for Gatherings, contributes regularly to The Winged Pen, and is co-RA of SCBWI Western Washington. She is represented by Jennie Dunham of Dunham Lit.