Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Elise Stokes - HBS Author's Spotlight

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on Young Adult Author Elise Stokes. She is the creator of the Cassidy Jones Adventure series.

Author Genre: Young Adult

Website: Cassidy Jones Adventures
Twitter: @CassidyJonesAdv
E-Mail: elise_stokes@yahoo.com
LinkedIn: Check Out LinkedIn
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest



Author Description: Elise Stokes lives in Washington State, with her husband and four children. She was an elementary school teacher before becoming a full-time mom. With a daughter in middle school and two in high school, Elise’s understanding of the challenges facing girls in that age range inspired her to create a series that will motivate girls to value individualism, courage, integrity, and intelligence. The stories in Cassidy Jones Adventures are fun and relatable, and a bit edgy without taking the reader uncomfortably out of bounds. Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula and Cassidy Jones and Vulcan's Gift are the first two books in the series. Seattle, Washington

SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author
I noticed during my research you’re using traditional marketing like book signings, radio interviews, giveaways and library access. With your target audience being in the young mobile generation, how much does Twitter (10K followers) and Facebook fit into your marketing plans?
Twitter is my primary marketing tool, but you have to understand the culture to get the most out of it. If you’re not taking the time to look through feed and engage with other members, you’re missing an opportunity to connect with fans and develop some really cool relationships worldwide, and, yes, you can get to know someone in a 140 characters or less.

Taking the time to click a link, make a comment, or support another member with a retweet is reciprocal. What you put into it, you get back, just like any relationship. If you’re blasting your promos and disappearing, no one will care. Sales are a result of becoming a familiar face. Mine moved to a new plateau once I made an effort to get to know other tweeters.

Is it fun to write in the genre you do with teenagers around? Do they get involved in the plot, etc? Is one of them a boy and now does he deal with the girl’s involvement?
They certainly provide some great material. It’s funny. A writer’s characters become real to them and to those closest to them. My family and I talk about my characters as if they’re good friends. One time when my husband and I were doing dishes, I cracked a joke. He looked at me with surprise and remarked, “You said that just like Cassidy would.”

Regarding input, all four of my children have strong opinions of where the storyline should go and which boy Cassidy should choose. Their friends do as well. A friend of my fourteen-year-old wrote me a two page persuasive letter of why Cassidy and Emery should be together. She had some good points. I’ll definitely keep them in mind.

Will we see Cassidy Jones do the hat trick soon? Any news?
Cassidy Jones and the Seventh Attendant will be released late winter/early spring. I’m enjoying writing it. I finally get to develop characters I’ve been thinking about for over two years. A lot changes for Cassidy in her third adventure.

I loved your series book trailer. (link under each book description) Did you do it yourself or did you have help? Please reference the source so we can give credit with a link to their information.
Thank you. I love it, too. My husband gets the credit. He spent hours timing the music to fan art that young readers submitted for the video. He did a fantastic job showcasing their amazing creations. Goes without saying, the trailer is very special to me. I love seeing my characters as these talented young artists do, and I’m honored they were inspired to draw them.


Author's Book List
Cassidy Jones and Vulcan's Gift
(Cassidy Jones Adventures, Book Two)
An Ancient Secret Has Come To Life, And Everyone On The Planet Is At Risk...

Two months after being infected with a strange retrovirus, Cassidy Jones continues to live a double life while she struggles to master her newly gained superpowers. High school has become the only normal thing left in her life--except for tall, dark, and handsome Emery Phillips, who shadows her every move, making sure she doesn't reveal her secret. Then an overnight sleepover at Catamount Mountain Zoo takes a menacing turn, putting everything at risk.
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Book Trailer: Cassidy Jones and Vulcan's Gift
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Amazon Buy Page
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Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula
(Cassidy Jones Adventures, Book One)
Something Strange Has Happened To Cassidy Jones, And Her Life May Never Be The Same Again... Fourteen-year-old Cassidy Jones wakes up the morning after a minor accident in the laboratory of a world-renowned geneticist to discover that her body has undergone some bizarre physical changes. Her senses, strength, and speed have been radically enhanced. After exploring her newfound abilities, Cassidy learns that the geneticist, Professor Serena Phillips, is missing and that foul play is suspected. Terrified that her physical changes and Professor Phillips' disappearance are somehow connected, Cassidy decides to keep her strange transformation a secret. That is, until she meets the professor's brilliant and mysterious fifteen-year-old son, Emery. An unlikely duo, they set out to find Emery's mother, who is key in explaining Cassidy's newly acquired superpowers. Their lives are put at risk when they find themselves embroiled in a dangerous, action-packed adventure. Soon they are forced to confront a maniacal villain willing to do anything - including murder - to reach his own ambitious goals.
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Book Trailer: Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula
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Amazon Buy Page -- Barnes and Noble Buy Page
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Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the HBS Author's Spotlight plus the blog: eBook Author's Corner

2 comments:

  1. This is wonderful, James! Thank you so much for the opportunity. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. You write great answers and great books, Elise.

    ReplyDelete