Dazzling Debs: PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE
Imagine having not one, but TWO, books release in the same year. It’s like having twins: twice as nice and twice as much work. Cynthea Liu is one hard-working and lucky lady, and today we’re celebrating the release of her title PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE. Buy it, read it, and dream some day of having the kind of talent, drive and organization that Cynthea has!
About Paris Pan Takes the Dare
Twelve-year-old Paris Pan's life is a mess. She's just moved to a tiny town in Nowheresville, Oklahoma; her family life is a comical disaster; her new friends are more like frenemies; and the boy she has a crush on is a dork. Things couldn't possibly get worse, until she discovers that a girl mysteriously died years ago while taking a seventh-grade rite of passage-the Dare- right near Paris's new house. So when Paris starts hearing strange noises coming from the creepy run-down shed in her backyard, she thinks they could be a message from the ghost of a girl. But while she has no plans to make contact with the great beyond, her two new friends have other thoughts. Everyone who's anyone takes the Dare, and now it's Paris's turn.
Cynthea answered my three fave questions:
--I think teen books can, and should, be read by grown-ups. Tell my grandma Grace why she should read your book.
Dear Grandma Grace,
Do you like a good mystery, fraught with suspense, violin cases, and China dolls? Perhaps, you've given Pam a doll when she was a child. See what such a lovely gift can do to a child in PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE. :)
--What would your 16-year-old self say if she read your book?
Dang, was I messed up when I was twelve-years-old.
--I am fascinated by writers' inspirations. Tell me about a real-life setting that found its way into your book.
PARIS PAN is set in rural Oklahoma. When I was young, I spent some time living in the woods, without a yard. Just our house nestled in the trees. Unlike Paris though, I loved living there. I had a fabulous time exploring the woods, though I would freak myself out whenever I found some random object on the ground. Something Someone had put there. So it makes perfect sense that in the book, slightly freakish discoveries are made while wandering the woods. Oooooh!
And finally, all about Cynthea Liu:
Cynthea spent her formative years in Oklahoma and Texas where she was a Whiz Quiz member, an Academic Decathloner, and a spelling bee champion. (Yes, she was very popular.) After attending college on the East coast, she worked at a corporate job where she mastered PowerPoint and racked up thousands of frequent flyer miles. Eventually, she traded in her suit for sweats to do the fun stuff-writing for children. In addition to PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE and THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA, Cynthea's nonfiction book WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS: A CRASH COURSE (how to write, revise, and publish your kid's or teen book with children's book publishers) is available in paperback.