Contemporary Authors

• The Nightmare Affair Tor Teen (New York, NY), 2013
• The Nightmare Dilemma Tor Teen (New York, NY), 2014
• The Nightmare Charade Tor Teen (New York, NY), 2015
• Avalon Balzer + Bray (New York, NY), 2014
• Polaris Balzer + Bray (New York, NY), 2015

• Onyx & Ivory - 2018 Balzer + Bray, New York

• Mindee Arnett - http://www.mindeearnett.com/about/

  About Me
  Hello! Welcome to the internet home of YA author Mindee Arnett. That’s me! I write Young Adult Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror. I’m the author of the The Arkwell Academy Series, a contemporary fantasy, the sci-fi thriller Avalon, and my upcoming high fantasy Onyx & Ivory. Be sure to follow the links to my twitter, Facebook, tumblr, or my newsletter sign up. I love chatting with readers.

  Official Bio
  Mindee Arnett is the author of the critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller Avalon as well as the Arkwell Academy series and the upcoming Onyx and Ivory. An avid eventer, she lives on a farm near Dayton, Ohio with her husband, two kids, and assorted animals. When not telling tales of magic, the supernatural, or outer space, she can be found on a horse, trying to jump anything that will stand still.

  A literacy advocate, Mindee is available for school and library visits, both in person and online, as well as writing workshops for both teens and adults. For more information on available presentations, click here.

  NOTE TO READERS AND REVIEWERS
  I’m one of those authors who doesn’t have a google alert on myself or my books. I don’t visit review sites. Mostly, because I believe those places are for readers, not authors. That said, if you want to make sure I know what you think about my work (especially if, you know, you like it) feel free to drop me a line at mindeearnett@gmail.com or visit some of my other social media places.

  Some Random (and slightly fun/weird) Facts About Me:
  Some of the biggest influences on my writing are J.K. Rowling, Maggie Stiefvater, Stephen King, Roald Dahl, C.S. Lewis, Joss Whedon, and Jennifer Roberson.

  My love for reading started at an early age. Very early.

  I wrote 4 novels before signing with Suzie and selling The Nightmare Affair. I only submitted 1 of those novels and received dozens of rejections letters. Moral of the story: Keep writing, keep trying.

  My best friend in the whole world is my big sister, Amanda. One of her hobbies is painting horse portraits like the one below.

  Horseback riding is my therapy. I’ve ridden all my life, and I now primarily compete in Eventing:

  `

  I have a BA and MA in English Literature from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

  fullsizerender-2

  I believe in ghosts, aliens, angels, demons, God…and the Winchester Brothers.

  Whedonite, Whovian, and lover of all things Veronica Mars.

  Gamer. My current obsession is Destiny (XBox One).

  Born again Christian.

  I once was in training to be an amatuer boxer until I broke my nose sparring. Twice. Yeouch.

  My license plate holder reads: Leaf on the Wind, Wash is my Co-Pilot (and if you know what this means, you and I can definitely be friends.

  Apparently, I’m the world’s most comfortable animal sofa.

  In high school, I sometimes did Civil War Reenacting, which might make me the biggest geek ever. But, come on, hoop skirts, ballroom dancing? What’s not to love about that?

  If you’d like to cyber stalk me, check out my contact page.

• Mindee Arnett - https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B008UU0CE6/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1?redirectedFromKindleDbs=true

  Mindee Arnett is the author of two forthcoming young adult series. The first book in her contemporary fantasy series, The Nightmare Affair is forthcoming March 2013 from Tor Teen (Macmillan) while her YA sci-fi thriller, Finding Eden (tentative title) will debut Winter 2014 from Balzer+Bray (HarperCollins). She lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. She’s addicted to jumping horses and telling tales of magic, the macabre, and outer space.

  Her short stories have appeared in various magazines, including Happy, and she has received an honorable mention in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 2008. She has a Master of Arts in English literature with an emphasis in Creative Writing. She is represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary and Media. She also blogs and tweets. Find her online at www.mindeearnett.com.

• Hypable - https://www.hypable.com/hypable-exclusive-author-interview-mindee-arnett/

  WRITTEN BY MICHAL SCHICK | 12:00 PM EDT, FEBRUARY 26, 2013
  Hypable Exclusive Author Interview: Mindee Arnett
  Hypable
  NEXT ARTICLE FIRST LOOK AT MAGNUS BANE FROM 'THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS'
  BOOKSFEATURES
  Mindee Arnett is the author of the young adult fantasy thriller The Nightmare Affair, which will hit bookstores in March. Mindee lives in Ohio with her husband, children, and many animals. She has participated in Civil War reennactments, broken her nose twice, and loves riding horses.

  Could you tell us five random facts about yourself?

  1. I’m a Whedonite and Whovian.

  2. I’m also horse crazy and equal parts cat person, dog person.

  3. Both my kids were born on the same day, two years apart. And no, it wasn’t planned.

  4. After college, I went through a period when I really wanted to become a police officer. Then I realized that I would never have the heart to give someone a speeding ticket. Not to mention that I’m vertically challenged.

  5. My main character and I share the same vice for Mountain Dew.

  Tell us about your journey to becoming a writer.

  I wrote my first short story in the sixth grade as a homework assignment. I’d always been an avid reader, but never before had it occurred to me that I could write my own stories. Needless to say that assignment changed my life. I’ve been writing ever since. I kept at the shorts through high school and into college, eventually publishing a couple. Then during graduate school I decided to give novel writing a go. Four trunk novels later, I wrote The Nightmare Affair.

  What has surprised you about writing and publishing?

  Probably how slow it is. I’d heard that before, but you don’t really understand what it means until you’ve gone through the long wait for your first novel to be published.

  Why do you feel drawn to the stories you write?

  I am a sci-fi/fantasy loving geek to the core. I cut my teeth on Star Trek and Star Wars, loving them both equally. I still know The Neverending Story, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth by heart, and my reccurring nightmare as a child was of Medusa from Clash of the Titans living in my basement. I guess it’s safe to say I never grew out of that love. If anything, it’s grown even stronger.

  What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author?

  She will kill me for saying this, but the hardest was after my mom read The Nightmare Affair for the first time and told me she hated it. She didn’t actually mean it — it was a very bad attempt at a joke. What she was really saying was that the book wasn’t for her. She’s a huge mystery reader with little interest in fantasy. We joke about it now, but it was still a tough moment. I think it helped prepare me for reviews.

  What has been the best compliment you’ve received?

  The very first time I ever spoke to my agent on the phone when she told me that she basically wanted to write fan-fiction about The Nightmare Affair because she loved it so much. That was the day she offered representation. Pretty much the best day of my writing life.

  Where’s your favorite place to write?

  My absolute favorite is the back deck at my house, after dark during the summer. We have a pretty awesome water feature out there — a large koi pond and a small creek that attracts a lot of bullfrogs. It’s pretty magical.

  The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

  What is one thing you wish you’d known when you sat down to write your novel?

  The correct usage of ‘which’ and ‘that.’ At least, I think my copy editor wishes I had known it. I’m kidding, mostly. I don’t really have an answer to that question.

  How do you approach writing villains or antagonists?

  Once I’ve identified the villain, something that doesn’t always happen right away, I do my best to try and understand why they’re bad, what their character motivation is. I have a really hard time embracing villains that are just fundamentally evil. For me, I’m drawn to villains who earnestly believe in their own righteousness and goodness. Like Magneto. He’s one bad dude, no doubt, but his logic and motivations are chillingly understandable.

  How do you construct the world and tonal environment of your story?

  I’m a build-as-I-go writer when it comes to creating the world, and most of it is driven by my characters and their backstory. In The Nightmare Affair, for instance, there is a lot of racial-like conflict among the various groups of magickind, and the primary reason why it’s there is because my main character, Dusty, is half-human, half-nightmare. I had to answer the question of what kind of world would produce a person like that.

  Which is easier to write: The first line or the last line?

  Definitely the last. I love endings. I’m all about the payoff.

  What is your favorite chapter or scene you’ve written recently?

  My favorite scene in The Nightmare Affair is definitely the climax, which takes place in chapters 23 and 24. My favorite recent scene is the very last one in the sequel to The Nightmare Affair. I can’t really say anything about it, other than that it gave me all the feels in a big way.

  Which one YA novel do you wish you had when you were a teen?

  The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, along with the sequel, Days of Blood and Starlight. The story, the language, the locale, is all breathtaking. And as a teen I would’ve been obsessed by the tragic love affair between Akiva and Karou. I even might be a little obsessed with it as an adult.

  Do you have things you need in order to write (i.e. coffee, cupcakes, music)?

  This is the most boring answer ever, but the truth is the only thing I need to write is sleep. Being tired is the kiss of death for me when it comes to trying to engage my imagination.

  What are you working on now?

  I’m expecting edits for the sequel to The Nightmare Affair any day, and in the
  meantime I’m drafting the prequel novella to my YA sci-fi thriller Avalon, which debuts winter 2014 from Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins).

  Bonus Question! Would you rather be a book or a computer?

  This is totally sacrilege, but I’d have to go with computer. But only becomes a computer has the ability to store thousands of books on it — best of both worlds.

  Thanks for speaking with us, Mindee!

  Thanks so much for having me here!

  About ‘The Nightmare Affair’:
  Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

  Literally.

  Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

  Then Eli’s dream comes true.

  Now Dusty has to follow the clues — both within Eli’s dreams and out of them — to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

  For more about Mindee Arnett:
  You can follow Mindee on Facebook, on Tumblr, and on Twitter as @MindeeArnett. You can find more information and contact her through her website, MindeeArnett.com

  The Nightmare Affair (the first in the Arkwell Academy series) will be released on March 5, and is available for pre-order from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers. The first chapter is available to read at Tor.com. Mindee’s next novel, Avalon, will be released in 2014.

  Fan of our book coverage? Why not join our Hypable Books Facebook group!

  We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
  Why not submit an article to Hypable?

• Diabolical Plots - http://www.diabolicalplots.com/interview-mindee-arnett/

  26 May 2014 ~ 4 COMMENTS

  Interview: Mindee Arnett
  Interviews
  interviewed by Carl Slaughter

  marnett_authorphoto_small

  Mindee Arnett has had 3 novels published in less than a year, plus a prequel novella ebook, and is on the verge of publishing a sequel. She specializes in YA, writes both sci fi and fantasy, and receives rave reviews from fellow speculative fiction authors. Her debut novel was nominated for the Young Adult Library Services Association top 10. She is a fan of Josh Whedon, Veronica Mars, Firefly, Doctor Who, and Mumford and Sons. Her license plate holder says, “Leaf on the Wind, Wash is my Co-Pilot”; and if you know what that means, she can definitely be friends.

  16-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare. Literally. Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough, but when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder. The setting is Arkwell. And then his dream comes true. Now Dusty has to follow the clues,both within Eli’s dreams and out of them,to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

  CARL SLAUGHTER: I seldom meet a premise/setup that intrigues me as much as The Nightmare Affair. How long did you kick around ideas and put together elements before it all gelled?

  MINDEE ARNETT: Thanks, so nice to hear. The surprising truth is that The Nightmare Affair jelled pretty quickly, although I more or less stumbled over the idea. I was actually searching for a new monster to use in a short story I was working on at the time. I wrote a lot of horror short fiction before moving onto novels. In this search, I came across the painting “The Nightmare” by Henry Fuseli. I’d seen the painting before, of course, but for some reason when I saw it this time I began to wonder what it would be like if the image were reversed,if the woman in the painting was sitting on the demon’s chest. Then I wondered what it would be like to be a nightmare, to live a life where you have to spend your nights sitting on people’s chests. Very weird and a little bit funny, I decided. And just like that, Dusty Everhart was born. I wanted to explore the humor, awkwardness, and scariness of this type of creature.

  CS: You’ve had 3 novels published in less than a year. Plus a prequel. And you’re on the verge of publishing a sequel. Being a wife and mother and having a day job, how do you crank out the volume, not to mention all that blogging and promotion you’ve been doing?

  MA: My other car is a TARDIS. Kidding. The answer to that question is that I don’t really have an answer. What it comes down to is this: if you really want something, you go for it, no matter what. You make time. You sacrifice. The only advice I have to give is to get enough sleep. That sounds glib, I know, but I honestly mean it. I think the ability for having maximum output in your day starts with good sleep. You’ve got to take care of the body if you want the mind and imagination to have the fuel to work at its best. And, of course, you’ve got to learn how to turn away from the distractions and focus.

  CS: The conventional wisdom in the writing community is that you have to write a million words before you have to right stuff to be a successful author. How many words did you type before you wrote a marketable story? How many stories?

  MA: I don’t have an exact count, but I would say it’s probably close to that million word mark. I’ve written dozens and dozens of short stories, and before publishing The Nightmare Affair, I wrote 4 complete novels that ranged in length from 90,000 words to 160,000. That’s about half a million right there.

  CS: Conventional wisdom also says build a strong resume of short fiction with pro paying magazines before breaking into novels. How did you leap frog that process?

  MA: I didn’t, not entirely. No, I don’t have a lot of “pro” sales, but I did place several short stories in semi-pro and literary magazines. I learned how to submit, to write a query letter, and to handle rejection. And even more than that, I spent a good many years focusing entirely on short stories. While I don’t think you have to learn how to write short stories, I think doing so provides innumerable benefits for any writer. Short stories are where you get a feel for the language, how to be concise, how to write prose that has an emotional impact. These are useful skills to have when you move onto novels, especially because longer fiction requires a whole new set of skills to master.

  CS: How did getting a Bachelor and Master’s in English literature with an emphasis on creative writing help/hinder your career as a speculative fiction novelist?

  MA: It was definitely a help and not a hindrance. At a minimum, these degrees gave me a legitimate reason to pursue writing. So much of being an “aspiring” writer is like taking a long journey in the dark with only a flashlight to see by. There’s a lot of unknown, a lot of “why are you wasting your time” attitude from the outside world. But my degrees came with that built-in support that the idea of pursuing fiction is legitimate. It gave me permission. Also, most of my teachers wrote speculative fiction as well. So at no point was I made to feel less because I wanted to write horror or fantasy or sci-fi. I do think that’s an important point to make. At no time was I made to feel that genre fiction is somehow less worthy than literary.

  CS: You said of Avalon and Nightmare Affair: “Basically, if you like one, you’ll probably like the other, despite their differences.” Avalon is sci fi space action. The Nightmare Affair is fantasy detective. Where’s the overlap in readership?

  MA: Well, perhaps I’m just hoping there are people like me out there who love both sci-fi and fantasy. I’m a genre junkie in general. But seriously, I think the stories share a similar feel. They’re fast-paced, have lots of action, some snarky humor, some scary moments, and so on.

  CS: The Nightmare Affair is about a being that feeds on dreams, a fairly exotic creature in fantasy literature. Why not vampire, werewolf, witch, etc, which are all the rage in print and on screen?

  MA: Those stories have been done. A lot. And I didn’t have anything new to offer about those creatures, although all three you mentioned are present in The Nightmare Affair. But really, I’m a firm believer that the story chooses the writer and not the other way around.

  CS: Do you present Dusty primarily as a teen, a student, a romantic, a nightmare, or a detective?

  MA: All of the above. In the beginning Dusty is very much a teen and student. Both the romance and the detective elements build slowly through the first book and into the next one and so on.

  CS: What character development do you use to convince readers that a 16 year old can whip a crew even younger than himself into a highly effective team of mercenary thieves that target the most highly valued and therefore most securely protected merchandise in the galaxy?

  MA: The answer to that one is the teens in Avalon aren’t responsible for it. Instead they’ve been recruited, trained, and controlled by their crime lord boss, a ruthless guy with lots of resources at his disposal. Also, the fact that they’re teens plays a big part in what they’re able to do. People underestimate teenagers all the time. This oversight allows Jeth and his crew to be so effective.

  CS: You said of reviews: “I have never read them and I have no regret.” Why boycott reviews?

  MA: Very simply, reviews are not for authors; they’re for readers. But more specifically, as an author, I prefer to get my feedback and criticism from vetted sources, people I trust, respect, admire and so on, people who are there to help me do the best job I can like my agent, editors, and critique partners. With most reviews, aside from the professional ones, the reviewers could be anybody. Writing is a hard art and a hard business, both. For me, I have to protect both my sanity and my creative drive. This means filtering out the outside world so I can focus on the inner world of my stories.

  CS: How much of your promotion time is solo, how much is tag teaming with other New Leaf authors, and how much is tag teaming with other Tor authors? Who do you tag team with? Are they all YA writers? Are they all speculative fiction writers?

  MA: Honestly, most of my promotion is solo, at least the online stuff. But most of my in-person events are with other writers. So far they’ve all been other YA writers, some with Tor, some with New Leaf, and some just regional authors that live near me.

  CS: Your agent is Suzie Townsend of New Leaf agency, who was recently interviewed here at Diabolical Plots. Describe your life as a writer if you had no agent. Describe your life as a writer if Suzie were not your agent.

  MA: If I didn’t have an agent, I wouldn’t be able to do half of what I do in terms of writing. My agent takes care of the business side, which allows me time to focus primarily on the creative side. She also serves as a filter on all the craziness that comes with this business. She helps me keep things in perspective. My life before I had an agent was all pipe dreams and wishes. Agents hold a lot of the keys to the kingdom, as such, when it comes to publishing. They have the contacts and the know-how. They are essential for a writer’s career. I really can’t describe how my career would be with a different agent, and I don’t want to imagine it. Not all agents are created equal, and Suzie is by far one of the best. She’s professional, responsive, supportive, and super smart about the business. I wouldn’t trade her for a different agent ever, not by choice.

  CS: Why Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Jennifer Roberson? Not familiar with Roald Dahl. Why is Joss Whedon the only screen writer on your list? Why Veronica Mars? Why Doctor Who?

  MA: The short answer here is that these writers tell the kinds of stories that speak to me. With King, well, he’s such a great storyteller. His stories are so real and vivid. And they’re scary. I love horror, both to read and especially to write. I’ve always been fond of the supernatural and the macabre. With Tolkien it’s all about the world-building. I think he’s what every writer of fantasy and sci-fi aspires to when it comes to creating a fictional world. I mean, the guy wrote whole languages. He was beyond brilliant. For Lewis, I love the carefree fantasy and the sense of adventure. Jennifer Roberson was the first writer that made me want to be a writer. Her stories were the first adult fiction I ever read, and her prose is beautiful and romantic. To this day, I still go back and re-read her stuff. Roald Dahl was like a precursor to King. His stories are both gruesome and fun. I consumed them with a voracious appetite as a kid, and I still love them as a grownup.

  The deal with Joss Whedon is the same as the others. He tells the kind of stories I want to experience. My favorite part about Joss is the mix of humor and tragedy. The man makes me cry,a lot,but never before he’s made me laughed. Really, I want all my stories to be like that.

  Again, Veronica Mars is about amazing storytelling but also amazing characters. Veronica Mars is smart, funny, and tough. Also, Rob Bell, the writer and creator of Veronica Mars is really what makes it so amazing.

  And for Doctor Who, I pretty much agree with everything you have to say on the subject. I think my favorite part is the show’s sense of fun. Anything can happen. It’s always surprising, often funny, often terrifying, and most importantly,emotionally moving. Doctor Who has more heart than any other show out there.

  CS: Why Mumford and Sons, because of the tunes, the lyrics, or the band members?

  MA: I love them because of the music and the lyrics. The combination of both speaks to my soul. I’m a huge fan of folk music, and the banjo in particular. Combine that with lyrics that are mind-blowing, literary, and emotionally gripping, and you’ve got something, magical. They are also amazing in concert. Seriously, the best I’ve ever seen.

  CS: What does “Leaf on the Wind, Wash is My Co-Pilot” mean?

  MA: This is a quote from the movie Serenity by Joss Whedon, the follow-up to the short-lived, tragically cancelled Firefly. I can’t say a lot more than that without spoilers. But this quote makes you laugh when you first hear it, and then boom,punch in the gut. Hard. It’s a classic Whedon moment. I still want to cry just thinking about it.

  For Mindee’s writing advice, check out her blog below and look for these topics:

  — The Myth of the Crappy First Draft
  — The Elevator Pitch
  — “and then” versus “therefore” and “but”
  — World building
  — Cover letters
  — Sequels
  — SUSPENSE
  — “write deep.”
  — Writer depression.

  Carl_eagleCarl Slaughter is a man of the world. For the last decade, he has traveled the globe as an ESL teacher in 17 countries on 3 continents, collecting souvenir paintings from China, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and Egypt, as well as dresses from Egypt, and masks from Kenya, along the way. He spends a ridiculous amount of time and an alarming amount of money in bookstores. He has a large ESL book review website, an exhaustive FAQ about teaching English in China, and a collection of 75 English language newspapers from 15 countries.

• Lil Book Lovers - https://lilbooklovers.wordpress.com/2018/06/15/mindee-arnett/

  Exclusive Interview with Mindee Arnett, YA SFF Author of Onyx & Ivory
  PUBLISHED ON June 15, 2018 by Kester (from LILbooKlovers)
  [Kester Nucum is a high school student]
  Hi guys! I am a HUGE fantasy fan now. I used to have a strong dislike for the genre, but I’ve magically been converted as I read more books full of magic. One of the street teams I have been really active in this year is the Relay Riders for Mindee Arnett’s latest book Onyx & Ivory, which is super epic. Check out my review here on why you should read it! Today I invited Mindee on the blog to talk about Onyx & Ivory, and I hope you enjoy this interview!

  About the BookOnyx and Ivory

  They call her Traitor Kate. It’s a title Kate Brighton inherited from her father after he tried to assassinate the high king of Rime. Cast out of the noble class, she now works for the royal courier service. Only those most skilled ride for the Relay and only the fastest survive, for when night falls, the nightdrakes—deadly flightless dragons—come out to hunt. Fortunately, Kate has a secret edge: she is a wilder, born with forbidden magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals.

  And it’s this magic that leads her to a caravan mysteriously massacred by drakes in broad daylight—the only survivor Corwin Tormane, the son of the king. Her first love, the boy she swore to forget, after he condemned her father to death. With their paths once more entangled, Kate and Corwin uncover secrets, both past and present, to face this new threat of drakes who attack in the daylight and the darker menace behind them.

  Acclaimed author Mindee Arnett’s stunning new novel thrusts readers into a beautiful, expansive, and dangerous new world—one where trust is rare, magic is commonplace, and little is as it seems.Goodreads

  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound | Book Depository

  Mindee Arnett Interview

  1. Why do you love writing? When did you first have a love for writing, and how was it formed?

  My love for writing grew out of my love for reading and story in general. As a child, I started off telling myself elaborate stories with my toys, and when I hit the sixth grade my teacher gave me my first short story writing assignment. Once I figured out that “story” was an actual world I could get to just by putting my pen to paper, I knew I wanted to go there again and again. And that’s why I love it so much—it’s an escape into another world.

  2. What are your favorite books, genres, and authors? Which ones have impacted you and your writing style the most?

  Gosh, I have so many. Early on my biggest influence was adult fantasy writer Jennifer Roberson. Before her I loved Roald Dahl, Walter Farley, and C.S. Lewis. Nowadays one of my favorite writers is Maggie Stiefvater. I adored her Raven Cycle series as well as The Scorpio Races, and I find her writing very inspirational.

  3. What do you do when you’re not writing? Is writing a part-time or full-time job?

  Writing is a full-time job for any writer that’s actively publishing. But for me, I do have to hold down a regular full-time job in addition to the books. That definitely keeps me very busy, but in my free time I’m either hanging out with my family or riding my horses.Onyx and Ivory

  4. Your latest YA fantasy novel Onyx & Ivory, which released from Balzer and Bray back in mid-May, is set in two points of view: Kate, an outcasted Relay Rider who possesses an outlawed magic, and Corwin, a crown prince scarred by past failures and mistakes. What are some of the biggest challenges of writing in the points of view of two unique characters? Would you consider yourself to be more like Kate or Corwin, and why?

  Going into the book, I honestly had no idea how hard it is to write two points of view. I learned a lot about that process through this book—although I’ve still got plenty to learn. One unique thing about the story is that Kate and Corwin both have complete story arcs that intersect with one another but also standalone. Of the two, I relate to Kate a little more than Corwin. If only because she is a perpetual outsider. She never feels like she belongs in any of the groups she inhabits, and that’s a feeling I know well. I suffer from imposter syndrome so much. I also relate to Kate in how she has a troubled history with her father.

  5. How did your devotion to horses and experiences in horseback riding and eventing influence Onyx & Ivory? Would you be a Relay Rider if you had the chance to be one?

  If I lived in Rime, I would definitely want to be a Relay Rider. Since it’s still a pretty patriarchal society, I think the risk of being a rider would be worth it to have that freedom. My own riding definitely had a heavy influence on the book. Even more than eventing, the sport I do now, a lot of it came from endurance riding, the sport I competed in growing up. Endurance riding is long distance racing, with races starting out typically around 25 miles and going up to 100 in a day. I didn’t do those long ones, but I did plenty of 25 and 40 mile rides and that experience helped create the Relay.

  6. The magic system is probably my favorite element of a fantasy novel. Why do you believe magic and imaginative realms have such a universal appeal to readers? What kind of magic would you have in the Kingdom of Rime?

  I have a feeling I would be a magist. By default, their magic requires a lot of study and a sort of academic and workmanlike approach to magic as they imbue spells on everyday objects. That sort of studious approach definitely fits my nature. I think the appeal in magic is that it makes the mundane extraordinary. We live lives of incredible repetition and sameness, but the magic in fantasy creates a break from that, a chance to see the world as something new.

  7. How was writing Onyx & Ivory different from writing The Arkwell Academy series or the Avalon series? In what ways has your writing process evolved since your first book?The Nightmare Affair

  My process has evolved tremendously since those early books and I think the later books are the better for it. Going into my first published book, The Nightmare Affair, I really had no idea what I was doing. I wrote on instinct and made a lot of mistakes. These days, I’ve armed myself with a lot of knowledge about story structure just the overall craft of storytelling. Instead of just following my instincts without any real sense of why they’re there, I can now look at those instincts with a greater understanding of why they work (or don’t) within the overall craft of storytelling. It’s very empowering.

  8. As an author of both the futuristic and the fantastic, if you could only choose one, would you rather read and write only fantasy or science fiction for the rest of your life?Avalon

  If I really truly had to choose—and thank goodness, I don’t—I would have to go with fantasy. Fantasy was my first love. And as much as I love spaceships, I love horses more. I also tend to have more fantasy ideas than sci-fi, but I enjoy writing in both areas equally. And in reality, I don’t think there’s honestly that much difference between them. They both deal with the fantastical.

  9. How would you “sort” your characters into Hogwarts houses?

  Wow, that’s a tough one. I think Kate and Corwin would both be in Gryffindor. Bonner would be in Hufflepuff, Signe would be Slytherin and Raith would be in Ravenclaw.

  10. How has writing Onyx & Ivory impacted and changed you as a person?

  Every book changes you just as every life experience does. With Onyx & Ivory I’ve learned how to better navigate the good and bad in publishing, the constant ups and downs.

  11. What could we look forward to in the sequel to Onyx & Ivory? Are there any secrets you could share with us about your upcoming novel?

  Oh, I’m so excited to start sharing news. We’ll be revealing the title this month, but I’m not sure yet about the synopsis. We’ve got a long while to go on edits at this point still. [Spoiler alert] I will say book 2 starts off with Kate and Corwin heading to Seva to retrieve Kate’s little brother. But of course things don’t go as well as they planned. In fact, things take a real nosedive, followed by a huge crash and burn—and then we flash forward to a whole year later.

  12. Before you go, would you like to share any advice you have to any aspiring authors or writers?

  My first advice is to make the decision right now to not give up. You’ll have all sorts of reasons to quit along the way, but don’t. Quitting is the only real failure there is. My second piece of advice is to study the craft. This isn’t something I did, and I regret it to this day. I didn’t realize how many awesome books and podcasts and websites there were out there to learn the craft of storytelling when I started, and I’ve been working hard to correct that. And lastly, protect your love of writing at all costs. Remember that’s the real reason you’re doing this—to get those stories out of your head and on the page. Make publishing the goal, but remember that it’s never the prize. The only true prize is the story itself.

  Thanks so much, Mindee, for coming onto the blog!!! It was my pleasure to serve under you as a Relay Rider!

  About the AuthorMindee Arnett

  Mindee Arnett is the author of the critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller Avalon as well the Arkwell Academy series. An avid eventer, she lives on a farm near Dayton, Ohio with her husband, two kids, and assorted animals. When not telling tales of magic, the supernatural, or outer space, she can be found on a horse, trying to jump anything that will stand still. Onyx and Ivory is her first foray into high fantasy. Find her on the web at mindeearnett.com.

  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Goodreads

  Happy Reading!

  + J.M.J.

  ~ Kester

  Have you read Onyx & Ivory? Do you like YA fantasy?

  Comment below, or find me in one of my social media pages, and let’s chat!

  Email | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Bloglovin

• Mrs Jenny Reads - https://mrsjennyreads.wordpress.com/2014/12/31/interview-with-mindee-arnett/

  INTERVIEW WITH MINDEE ARNETT!
  PUBLISHED DECEMBER 31, 2014 BY MRSJENNYREADS
  My latest e-mail interview is with Mindee Arnett, author of The Arkwell Academy, Avalon, and Polaris.

  1. What is your favorite book?

  My all-time favorite book is the Harry Potter series. Yes, I cheat and claim all seven. But I have so many other books that are my favorite too, like The Raven Cycle Series by Maggie Stiefvater, The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I really could go on forever…

  2. What is your favorite genre to write?

  My favorite genre, the one that comes the most naturally to me is fantasy. But I love sci-fi and horror as well. Oh and mysteries. I’m pretty ecletic when it comes to writing. About the only genre that doesn’t hold much interest to me in terms of writing is contemporary. I need a little magic or tech in my stories.

  3. Your books are 2015’s most anticipated for myself and others, are there any other plans for a
  new installment or new book?
  Both of my series are ending in 2015. The final book in the Arkwell Academy books, The Nightmare Charade, comes out August 4th. But I do have a high fantasy series in the works as well as a post apocalyptic. I also hope to write a spin-off novel to Avalon.
  -Mindee will also be at Southern Kentucky book fest, which is perfect because I am from Louisville! I plan to get all my copies signed and buy extra ones so I don’t damage them! 🙂 Check it out! http://www.sokybookfest.org/
  Don’t forget Polaris comes out
  January 20th 2015 !
  20455682
  Thank you so much Mindee for responding to my questions!

• Pingwing's Bookshelf - http://pingwings.ca/author-interview-mindee-arnett/

  February 20th, 2014 by Pingwing
  Author Interview: Mindee Arnett
  By Mindee Arnett
  Also by this author: The Nightmare Affair, Avalon, The Nightmare Dilemma
  Following yesterday’s Waiting on Wednesday post, today I have the wonderful pleasure of sharing an interview with Mindee Arnett about her upcoming book, The Nightmare Dilemma! I read and loved The Nightmare Affair last year, and was so so excited to hear that there would be a sequel!

  The book will be out March 4, 2014. Here is the gorgeous cover and the summary from Goodreads:

  The Nightmare DilemmaThe second in a thrilling new fantastical mystery series

  Dusty Everhart might be able to predict the future through the dreams of her crush, Eli Booker, but that doesn’t make her life even remotely easy. When one of her mermaid friends is viciously assaulted and left for dead, and the school’s jokester, Lance Rathbone, is accused of the crime, Dusty’s as shocked as everybody else. Lance needs Dusty to prove his innocence by finding the real attacker, but that’s easier asked than done. Eli’s dreams are no help, more nightmares than prophecies.

  To make matters worse, Dusty’s ex-boyfriend has just been acquitted of conspiracy and is now back at school, reminding Dusty of why she fell for him in the first place. The Magi Senate needs Dusty to get close to him, to discover his real motives. But this order infuriates Eli, who has started his own campaign for Dusty’s heart.

  As Dusty takes on both cases, she begins to suspect they’re connected to something bigger. And there’s something very wrong with Eli’s dreams, signs that point to a darker plot than they could have ever imagined.

  It sounds great! I was fortunate to receive an e-ARC from the publisher, but I want to make sure I have the hardcover on my bookshelf beside The Nightmare Affair because they are going to look so awesome together!

  And now, on to the interview!

  1. Do you have any involvement or input with the covers? They’re beautiful and they perfectly match the feel of the book!

  Thank you! I adore them, too. I did have some consulting rights in the Nightmare books and my Avalon editor asked for my opinion on those books as well. But to be honest, both were so completely awesome that I had very little to say other than I love it! And really, it’s been my experience so far that my editors really want me to love the cover as much as they do. I’ve been very fortunate.

  2. When working on The Nightmare Affair, did you have an idea where you wanted to take the story with the sequel? Were you even anticipating writing a sequel when you were writing?

  I definitely had an idea of where was going. When I wrote the first book I had hoped for the sequel. Actually, in a perfect world I’ll get to write 4 books total. For now there’s definitely going to be 3.

  3. I was so intrigued by the idea of the character being a nightmare. It’s such a unique premise! What sort of research did you do to prepare to write?

  Mostly I researched folklore on nightmares as well as the other magical creatures in the story. I also tend to do a lot of research for the names I use, both for characters and for places, objects, etc.

  4. Dusty has only recently learned about magickind and her abilities. Will she/we be discovering more about that world in The Nightmare Dilemma?

  Absolutely! I introduce some new spells in Dilemma, and we learn some new things about her ability to predict the future in Eli’s dreams as well as about the other types of magickind that inhabit the world.

  5. I loved the idea of the animation effect! What sort of animation personality do you think some of your electronics would take on?

  Well, when I wrote the first draft of Affair, I had a really old cell phone at the time that had a loose battery. So it would keep shutting off at random moments. This is pretty much where the personality of Dusty’s phone comes from. At present, I have an iPhone. It’s really short on memory, so I think it would have an “old-timers” personality and be really forgetful about stuff.

  6. If you could choose, which magickind would you be?

  Definitely a nightmare. A siren would be awesome too, as I think you’ll find out in Dilemma when I reveal some of Selene’s secrets.

  7. You have both The Nightmare Dilemma and Avalon coming out [in 2014]! Are you just full of story ideas?? Do you work on only one book at a time, or are you able to work on multiple stories?

  I’m definitely full of ideas. I have probably 4 or 5 ideas in the works at present. But I only work on one book at time if I can manage it. Right now I’ve been in a pattern of writing the first draft of one book in a series and then working on edits for a book in the other series. The back and forth is kind of nice because it keeps both series fresh for me.

  8. Avalon is sci-fi and The Nightmare Affair has elements of fantasy and paranormal – are there other genres you’d like to explore and try writing?

  I have a YA high fantasy in the works that I’m very excited about it. I also plan on doing a horror soon and possibly an adult mystery. Really, I’m a fan of all genres.

  9. What is your writing process? Do you outline heavily, go in with a general idea of the story/mystery and see where it takes you, or some other way?

  I don’t outline at all. I consider myself a pantser who likes to stop and ask for directions. What this means is I just sit down and start writing a book, but I stop along the way to do “sanity checks.” These involve asking myself questions of why what’s happening is happening. If I can’t answer those questions right away then I’ll take some time to figure out the answer before proceeding. This method helps me keep the mystery/surprise of the story while also keeping it on track. Too often if I don’t do these sanity checks the story will go off the rails.

  Thanks so much for such a wonderful interview!

  Thank you Mindee for taking the time to answer my questions!

• Adventures in YA Publishing - http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2018/05/mindee-arnett-author-of-onyx-ivory-on.html

  Wednesday, May 16, 2018
  0Mindee Arnett, author of ONYX & IVORY, on changing up your writing process
  We're delighted to have Mindee Arnett join us to share more about her latest novel, ONYX & IVORY.

  Mindee, what did this book teach you about writing or about yourself?

  I learned so much during the writing process for this book, way more than any other so far. Part of the reason for that is that I did so much wrong in the early drafts. This is my first book with multiple points of view, and I went into that structure believing I knew how to do it. I was wrong. So, so wrong. But fortunately, my editor was able to give me just the right advice on how to fix the issues with it. But it took a lot of painful and strenuous rewriting. That said, what I primary learned is how critical it is to know two things when starting a story. First, you need to know your character’s arc. Or, when writing multiple-POV, all the arcs. Second, you need to know your antagonist’s motivations clearly and early. These two pieces—character arc and character motivation—are critically when writing a multiple POV book. Well, they’re critical in every book, of course, but a little easier to get a handle on in a single POV book.

  How long or hard was your road to publication? How many books did you write before this one, and how many never got published?

  Like most it was a long, hard slog. I started off writing short stories in the sixth grade, and I focused on those all the way through college. I even managed to publish a few shorts. Then finally I turned my hand to my true love—novels. For some insane reason, I started writing my first book while working on my master’s degree. I completed it, revised it, and sent it out to agents and editors, only to receive universal rejections across the board. I then shelved the book and started on the next one to the same result—and the next one, and the next. I wrote four complete novels only to have everyone rejected. Before starting my fifth book, I decided that I needed to make a change in my writing process. Before, I simply sat down and wrote, completely by the seat of my pants. But for the fifth book, I decided to go into with a plan. Rather than rush through, I carefully planned things out as I went. This proved to be the magic formula. That book became the one that landed me my agent and my first book deal.

  Was there an AHA! moment along your road to publication where something suddenly sank in and you felt you had the key to writing a novel? What was it?

  For sure, as I mentioned above, the key for me was realizing that being a complete pantser didn’t work for me. I had made the mistake of taking Stephen King’s writing advice in On Writing completely to heart. Although it’s a great book, King makes it seem like that to be a good writing all you need to do is just sit down and write your book. I felt that if I did any kind of planning or outlining at all that the book would be wooden and predictable. I was wrong (and he is wrong as well). I’ve since learned that all writers outline. We all do. Some of us do it by writing a first full draft like King. And some of us do it in actual outline form. The key to breaking through is to find the process that works for you. That said, if the process you’ve been using hasn’t gotten you through the door yet, then it’s time to change things up. Try a new approach and see if that doesn’t prove to be the solution.

  What advice would you most like to pass along to other writers?

  The most important advice I think any writer needs to hear is that you must protect your love of the story itself. In this business, there is a lot of discouragement. Even once you’ve been published, the discouragement and rejections don’t go away. In fact, they get harder. You’ve got to learn to love the writing process simply for the story itself and not for anything else. The story never disappoints or rejects. Not when it comes from you.

  What are you working on now?

  Up next, I’ve got the sequel and conclusion to Onyx & Ivory. Right now I’m in the early stages of a pretty amazing collaboration on a YA contemporary fantasy/paranormal, and I’m also doing prewriting for a middle grade fantasy. I hope to have more to share soon.

  ABOUT THE BOOK
  Onyx & Ivory
  by Mindee Arnett
  Hardcover
  Balzer + Bray
  Released 5/15/2018

  They call her Traitor Kate. It’s a title Kate Brighton inherited from her father after he tried to assassinate the high king of Rime.

  Cast out of the nobility, Kate now works for the royal courier service. Only the most skilled ride for the Relay and only the fastest survive, for when night falls, the drakes—deadly flightless dragons—come out to hunt. Fortunately, Kate has a secret edge: She is a wilder, born with forbidden magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals.

  And it’s this magic that leads her to a caravan massacred by drakes in broad daylight—the only survivor Corwin Tormaine, the son of the king. Her first love, the boy she swore to forget after he condemned her father to death.

  With their paths once more entangled, Kate and Corwin must put the past behind them to face this new threat and an even darker menace stirring in the kingdom.

  Purchase Onyx & Ivory at Amazon
  Purchase Onyx & Ivory at IndieBound
  View Onyx & Ivory on Goodreads

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Mindee Arnett is the author of the critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller Avalon as well as the Arkwell Academy series and the upcoming Onyx and Ivory. An avid eventer, she lives on a farm near Dayton, Ohio with her husband, two kids, and assorted animals. When not telling tales of magic, the supernatural, or outer space, she can be found on a horse, trying to jump anything that will stand still.

  A literacy advocate, Mindee is available for school and library visits, both in person and online, as well as writing workshops for both teens and adults. For more information on available presentations, click here.

  ---

  Have you had a chance to read ONYX & IVORY yet? What form do your outlines take? Do you protect your love of the story? Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!

  Happy Reading,

  Jocelyn, Halli, Martina, Charlotte, Anisaa, Erin, Susan, Shelly, Kelly, Laura, Emily, and Lori Ann
  Tweet this! Posted by Jocelyn Rish at 6:00 AM
  Labels: YA Author Interviews

• Bookish - https://www.bookish.com/articles/mindee-arnett-talks-doctor-who-and-worldbuilding-for-yasci-fi-novel-avalon/

  Mindee Arnett Talks Doctor Who and Worldbuilding for YA/Sci-Fi Novel Avalon
  AuthorsYoung AdultSam Adler Jan 21, 2014 0

  Author Mindee Arnett has been immersed in the world of sci-fi/fantasy since she was a young girl, cutting her teeth with the big names like Star Trek and The Chronicles of Narnia. Her new young adult/sci-fi thriller, Avalon, takes place in a far-off future where the technology has advanced but the politics seem all too familiar. In this interview, Arnett discusses the book,Doctor Who, and worldbuilding.

  Bookish: Avalon takes place in a future where the government is just as corrupt as the crime bosses. This is similar to what happened in big cities like New York and Chicago in the 20th century with the Mafia. When writing, were you conscious of the historical parallels, or did that come out organically? Do you think it’s important to look at the past when writing about the future?

  Source: We Heart It

  Mindee Arnett: Yes and yes, actually. I think it’s absolutely important to look at the past. So much of what we’re seeing now is a repeat of what’s come before. I don’t think I started off completely aware of the parallel, but certainly the more I wrote, the clearer it became to me. I think the very nature of having an, if not corrupt, then overly powerful government, is what enables organized crime to flourish. In the 20th century, the federal government established a far greater power over the American people than ever before. The same thing has happened in the world of Avalon, where the government agency has a monopoly on the tech that enables space travel.

  Bookish: Speaking of history, you were a participant in Civil War reenactments in high school. What brought you into that world?

  MA: I came into the world of reenacting a little by accident. I started dating a guy who was into it. Not that he had to try very hard to get me to participate. The moment I knew it was a thing, I wanted to do it. I love history, and am automatically drawn to anything old. I even bought a home that was built in 1892.

  Bookish: Would you ever consider writing historical fiction?

  MA: Given the time to research, I would love to write a historical novel, although I would have a heck of a time picking my favorite time period!

  Bookish: In your bio, you mention that you’re a fan of Joss Whedon and Doctor Who. SFF is clearly a passion of yours inside and out of your writing. Is there a moment from your childhood, perhaps a book or film, that you remember distinctly as the beginning of your love for that genre?

  MA: There wasn’t a specific moment, but I’m pretty sure that I was hooked on Star Wars and Star Trek before I could even read or write. My dad is a big sci-fi fan, and he had the VHS tapes. I would watch them over and over again. Later, I added movies like The Neverending Story, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and the original Clash of the Titans. I also cut my reading teeth on the Oz books,The Chronicles of Narnia, and Roald Dahl.

  Bookish: Very often in SFF, the success of a story hinges on worldbuilding. How did you approach building the world of Avalon and what advice do you have for authors who struggle with this?

  MA: I world build mostly from “the bottom up,” as it’s called, starting with my characters and defining the world through what they know and see. Most writers I know do it this way. It’s a far easier route than building from “the top down,” as it’s called, where a writer will start by defining all the large social/economical/geographical elements of the world first before moving down to character level.

  Bottom-up is a very organic way to worldbuild, but it can be extremely problematic if not done thoroughly. If a writer only relies on what the characters know on a surface level, then the world can end up feeling thin and unbelievable to readers. Characters, like real people, are generally pretty ignorant of the world around them. For example, I can drive a car, use a computer, text message on my phone, but I have very little understanding of how it all works (on a technical level) and even more so why it works. My characters are the same way, and, to be honest, they’re perfectly happy with this ignorance.

  We writers, on the other hand, must not be happy with only having a basic/surface-level understanding of the worlds we are building. Instead, the writer needs to constantly ask why, how,what each time a character identifies something new about the world. Very little of what the writer knows about the world will end up in the story, but the writer should still know it nonetheless. Readers can tell when the writer doesn’t know. The story will out. So, I guess my advice is don’t skimp on fleshing out the world. Be the complete authority on it.

  Source: Tumblr/natusik0000

  Bookish: If you could write a story in a sci-fi/fantasy universe created by another author, which universe and what author would that be?

  MA: I’m afraid this isn’t a very current example, but I would love to write stories set in the Tiger and Del universe written by Jennifer Roberson. Roberson was one of my earliest influences as a writer, and I absolutely love the novel Sword Dancer. In this fantasy world, sword dancers are single combat mercenaries hired by kings and other politicos to settle disputes, and some of the swords are imbued with magical powers. It’s such a simple premise, but I adore it. Always have.

  Bookish: Do you have a favorite indie bookstore?

  MA: My favorite independent bookstore is Joseph–Beth. I frequent the Cincinnati store.

  Mindee Arnett lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. She’s addicted to jumping horses and telling tales of magic, the macabre, and outer space. She has far more dreams than nightmares.

  TAGSINTERVIEW

  Sam Adler

• YA Books Central - http://www.yabookscentral.com/blog/author-of-the-week-chat-with-mindee-arnett-onyx-ivory-plus-giveaway

  The Official YABC Blog
  All things news, updates, giveaways, and other goodies on Young Adult (and Kids!) Books Central.

  Search...
  Home Categories Tags Authors Archives Calendar
  Font size: + – Subscribe to this blog post Report Print
  Author Of The Week: Chat with Mindee Arnett (Onyx & Ivory), Plus Giveaway!!
  Monday, 30 April 2018 Beth Edwards, Assistant Blog Manager Giveaways News & Updates 744 Hits 15 Comments
  unnamed-1
  Welcome to our weekly special feature post, Author Of The Week!!

  Each week we will be interviewing a different YA author and highlighting their upcoming release!

  We will also be hosting a giveaway of the book we are highlighting!!

  Introducing Mindee Arnett, YABC's Author of the Week!!

  Mindee Arnett is the author of the critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller Avalon as well the Arkwell Academy series. An avid eventer, she lives on a farm near Dayton, Ohio with her husband, two kids, and assorted animals. When not telling tales of magic, the supernatural, or outer space, she can be found on a horse, trying to jump anything that will stand still. Onyx and Ivory is her first foray into high fantasy.

  Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

  Meet Onyx & Ivory!

  They call her Traitor Kate. It’s a title Kate Brighton inherited from her father after he tried to assassinate the high king of Rime. Cast out of the noble class, she now works for the royal courier service. Only those most skilled ride for the Relay and only the fastest survive, for when night falls, the nightdrakes—deadly flightless dragons—come out to hunt. Fortunately, Kate has a secret edge: she is a wilder, born with forbidden magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals.

  And it’s this magic that leads her to a caravan mysteriously massacred by drakes in broad daylight—the only survivor Corwin Tormane, the son of the king. Her first love, the boy she swore to forget, after he condemned her father to death. With their paths once more entangled, Kate and Corwin uncover secrets, both past and present, to face this new threat of drakes who attack in the daylight and the darker menace behind them.

  Acclaimed author Mindee Arnett’s stunning new novel thrusts readers into a beautiful, expansive, and dangerous new world—one where trust is rare, magic is commonplace, and little is as it seems.

  Amazon * B & N * Indiebound

  ~ Interview ~

  YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?

  The idea for Onyx & Ivory came out of workshop I did back in 2012 as part of WriteOnCon, I was asked to present a blogpost on world-building, and as part of that, I decided to create a new a world as an exercise. I imagined this world as the “Pony Express” meets “Pitch Black.” I wasn’t planning at the time to actually write a story set there, but the appeal of the world proved irresistible.

  YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?

  I adore both of my main characters, Kate and Corwin, but my favorite character to write is Signe Leth. This is Kate’s best friend. She’s brassy and bold and completely sure of herself at every step. She never doubts, never fears. That’s probably why she’s so much fun for me to write—I worry and fret about pretty much everything, but how I would love to be like Signe instead.

  YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?

  Oh this question…it burns. The novel definitely came first, and the official title came much, much later (emphasis on the much). My original title for the book was Traitor Kate, based on one of the main characters, Kate Brighton. I decided to change it for two reasons, the first being that as we started editing the novel, Corwin’s character became just as strong and prominent as Kate’s. The story is equally his, and the title need to reflect that. The second reason is that whenever I talked about the book at events, people would mishear “Traitor” as “Trader,” which in turn made me think Trader Joe and that just wasn’t right at all. It took us a long time to decide on Onyx & Ivory, but I love the title now, although to tell the truth, I still refer to it as Traitor Kate sometimes.

  YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you've learned as a writer from then to now?

  By far the most important thing I’ve learned is that you need to study the craft of story itself and you need to have an understanding of story structure. Well, let me qualify that—it behooves you to understand story structure. My first few books were written with no true understanding on my part about story structure. I wrote on instinct, one honed from years of reading and practice writing, but still one blissfully ignorant about the underlying values and mechanics at work in my stories. As a beginning writer, I took Stephen King’s advice in On Writing to heart—that you can and should just sit down and write your story. That it’ll magically flow out of you and be wonderful. I’ve since learned that I write better, faster, and more solidly by having an understanding of structure in my writer’s “toolbox.”

  YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?

  All of it. Seriously. It’s gorgeous, and easily my favorite of all my covers so far. But if I had to choose one element, I would go with the tree itself. I have an ongoing love affair with trees. I think they’re one of the best examples of the divine in our human, oridinary world. When you consider how long they live, how big they grow, they’re like these silent, ever-observing guardians.

  YABC: What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2017-2018?

  I absolutely can’t wait to read Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. I adored Uprooted. I love the sort of fairy tale fantasy. By the time this interview appears, I will have already read my other most anticipated read—Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. It’s the conclusion of the Illuminae Files. These books are a visceral and emotional experience both and not to be missed.

  YABC: What’s up next for you?

  Up next for me is the sequel and conclusion to Onyx & Ivory, and after that I’m working on my own fairy tale fantasy in the vein of Uprooted.

  YABC: Which part of the writing process do you enjoy more: Drafting or Revising?

  For me, it’s actually both since I revise as I go. I definitely feel like drafting is harder though, which is probably why I start off each writing session revising instead. This helps me get warmed up for the drafting part.

  YABC: Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?

  Friends of Ferdinand (https://friendsofferdinand.com/). It’s a Thoroughbred race horse rescue program, named after the 1986 winner of the Kentucky Derby, who was sold overseas and then eventually sent to slaughter. FFI rescues these horses, retrains them, and offers them up for adoptions. My riding coach is the primary trainer for FFI. It’s a great organization that gives these horses a chance at a second career with loving owners.

  Onyx & Ivory

  By: Mindee Arnett

  Publisher: Balzer + Bray

  Release Date: May 15th, 2018

• Literary Rambles - http://www.literaryrambles.com/2013/03/mindee-arnett-interview-and-nightmare.html

  CURRENT GIVEAWAYS
  Here are my current Giveaway Contests

  Write With Fey Giveaway through July 5th
  Colleen Oefelein Query Critique through July 14th
  Just Couldn't Put It Down Giveaway Hop through July 14th
  WHERE THE WATERMELONS GROW through July 14th
  HEART OF THORNS through July 21st

  Upcoming Agent Spotlights and Query Critique Giveaways

  Larissa Helena Agent Spotlight Interview on 9/10/2018

  MINDEE ARNETT INTERVIEW AND THE NIGHTMARE AFFAIR GIVEAWAY
  Happy Monday, Everyone! Hope you had a Happy St. Patrick's Day if you celebrate. I'm happy. I actually got some writing done this weekend.

  So first, I have a few winners to announce.

  The winner of LET THE SKY FALL is Rachel Morgan!

  The winner of MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE is Rosi!

  And the winner of MY EPIC FAIRY TALE FAIL is Sheri Larsen!

  Congrats! E-mail me your addresses so I can get your books sent to you. Please e-mail me by the end of Wednesday or I'll have to pick another winner.

  Today I’m excited to interview debut author Mindee Arnett about her book, THE NIGHTMARE AFFAIR, which released on March 5th. I really, really liked this book and couldn’t put it down. I read it in about 24 hours and that included going to work that day. I loved the magical world of witchkind, darkkind, and naturekind. It has just the right balance between magical and being in this world. And I was gripped in watching Dusty and Eli as they tried to solve the mystery of the murders. Dusty’s nightmare powers are definitely unique and I enjoyed learning about them and her new world.

  Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

  Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

  Literally.

  Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

  Then Eli’s dream comes true.

  Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

  Hi Mindee. Thanks so much for joining us.

  Thanks for having me! I’m very excited to be here.

  1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

  Let’s see, I’m a horse crazy, Whedonite-Whovian, and I wrote my first short story in the sixth grade after my teacher gave us an assignment to write a story off a writing prompt she provided. It was love at first sentence. Never before had it occurred to me that I, an ordinary girl who harbored a desperate love of reading, could tell my own stories. This moment, this realization was like when Diggory first discovers the Wood Between the Worlds in The Magician’s Nephew of the Chronicles of Narnia. My eyes were opened to the reality that there really is a place where countless new worlds are just waiting to be discovered.

  I wrote countless short stories after that, all the way through high school and college, eventually publishing a number of them in small press and semi-pro magazines. During graduate school I turned to novels. My first attempt was…not so good. But I kept at it, eventually writing The Nightmare Affair.

  2. So awesome that you’ve been writing since you were a kid. I read that the inspiration for your story came in part from a picture. Share how you came up with the ideas for your story.

  The picture part is definitely true. I was on Wikipedia, researching monsters to use in a short story. A couple of clicks into it, I stumbled across the famous Henry Fuseli painting “The Nightmare” that shows a demonic creature sitting on the chest of a sleeping woman. I took one look at it and wondered what would happen if the situation were reserved, if the woman was sitting on the demon’s chest—or more specifically, if the woman was sitting on a man’s chest. I asked myself what would happen if a nightmare wasn’t something hideous and scary but an ordinary girl. And just like that, Dusty was born.

  3. It always amazes me how ideas for stories are all around us. And this is a perfect example of this. I loved the world building. The magical world you created of the witchkind, who are witches, psychics, and wizards, darkkind, who are demons, werewolves, and nightmares, and naturekind, who are fairies, dryad and mermaids, has just the right ratio of different magical beings without overwhelming us. What was your world building process like and what tips can you share with the rest of us?

  I love world building. I actually did a fairly lengthy post on the subject for WriteOnCon last year. My biggest tip for successful world building is to question everything. Every element of your world should have a reason for being the way it is and for being present in your story, and you, the writer, should know those reasons. When I first started writing novel length fiction, I used to put in anything I felt like, completely willy-nilly. But I eventually learned that this is recipe for plot holes, inconsistencies, and overall bad writing. With The Nightmare Affair, I examined and reexamined every world building element before putting it in.

  The trick is to be very pragmatic about it. Ask yourself the practical questions. For example, if you have a teenage character that drives a really nice sports car, you need to know who bought the car, who pays for the insurance, how the character gets money to put fuel in the tank, and so on. These are pretty boring questions, I know, but very important in terms of making your story feel real to the reader. Answering these questions will naturally inform you about who your characters are, why they do what they do, and how they fit into the world at large.

  4. That’s a great tip. I’m going to be sure to use it in the future. Who was the most challenging character to write and why? What did you learn from the process?

  Eli was definitely the hardest. He is a good guy and those are hard to write and still make interesting. Being a good looking boy is never enough. He had to be dynamic and fun, charming. The biggest lesson I learned from him is that your leading man needs to be in the spotlight as much as possible. Give him the best lines, the best moves in the action sequences, anything to make him shine.

  5. I hadn’t thought of it that way, but it is true that it’s hard to make someone who’s a great person interesting. And you’re right, it’s important to have him/her in the story a lot. I love that you combined the fantasy and mystery elements. What are some of your tips on plotting the mystery part of the story?

  My answer to this is the same with world building: question everything. Be your story’s biggest skeptic. Assume that in your first draft the bad guy is completely obvious, and then work on making him not so. Do the same with your “clues.” They should be subtle and nuanced with possible meanings and interpretations. Speaking of clues, these are your map that will lead the MC to the solution. Be sure to use lots of red herrings, and the more suspects the better.

  6. Okay, I read that you submitted less than 10 queries and were offered representation a week after querying Suzie Townsend. Then you got a 3 book deal a month later. It sounds like a very good dream. Tell us how it all happened.

  Sure. I started writing the first draft of The Nightmare Affair August of 2010 and finished February 2011. I then took it through a couple of revisions with the help of some awesome critique partners I’d recently connected with before finally sending out query letters to agents in late May. I sent my query to Suzie on May 26, and she requested the full manuscript on June 1. Naturally, I sent it right away, completely thrilled and terrified. Three days later, Suzie sent me another e-mail stating how much she liked it and if we could have a phone chat. We set it up the following Monday, June 9, and Suzie offered representation over the phone. A few days later, the deal was done, and we started on a round of edits for The Nightmare Affair. By the first week of July, or thereabouts, the book went out on submission. Seventeen days later, I had a 3 book offer on the table from Tor Teen.

  Now, this all sounds totally amazing, and it is—it was a dream come true and my head it still spinning from how fast it all went down—but I’m far from overnight success. I spent years practicing and learning, including four “trunk” novels.

  7. Wow! Even with all the prior years of practice, that’s an amazing road to publication we’d all love to experience. What are you doing to market your book and what things did you do in the year leading up to your book release that you’re really glad you did?

  Honestly, most of the marketing I’ve done for my book has been reactive. The majority of the interviews and guest posts I’ve done have been because the blogger/host has asked me to participate. Before writing The Nightmare Affair, I wasn’t very connected to the blogosphere. I’m much more immersed now, but not enough to feel confident in reaching out to blogs or anything. Fortunately, I’ve gotten a lot of support from Tor and my wonderful agency, New Leaf Literary. They are both finding lots of awesome opportunities for me.

  The one thing I’m very glad I did was to start connecting online with other writer as well as bloggers and readers. I started off by friending/following my critique partners who introduced me to their friends and so on. Establishing these relationships early and then building on them has made a huge difference. I spend way more time chatting with people about our shared love of reading, TV shows, movies and so on than I do about my own book. But whenever I do have book related news, they’re there to help me celebrate. It’s awesome.

  8. That’s great your publisher and agency are helping you. And being friends with other vs. selling yourself sounds like an important component of marketing. You’re on Twitter. How should aspiring authors use it best and do you have any recommendations on how to use it the year leading up to your book release?

  My advice mirrors what I said in the previous question. Twitter should be about connecting with people over shared interests and not about just trying to promote yourself and your book. That’s the biggest mistake I see people make. They’ll start a twitter account, post things randomly, always about their book or themselves, and never really take the time to interact with people. This is not how Twitter works. Well, I guess if you’re Justin Bieber that might work, but for most of us, you’ve got to build your presence through give and take. It should be a fun, social activity and not a constant sales pitch.

  9. I’ve heard that complaint about Twitter from other authors too—that people just use it to promote themselves. What are you working on now?

  Aside from the sequel to The Nightmare Affair, I’m currently, at work on the prequel to my sci-fi novel AVALON which debuts Winter 2014 from Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins).

  Thanks Mindee for sharing all your great advice. Good luck with your book. You can find Mindee at:
  Website
  Twitter
  Facebook
  Tumblr
  Goodreads

  Mindee and her publisher, Tor, have generously offered an book for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment by midnight on March 30th. I’ll announce the winner on April 1st.

  If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. International entries are welcome.

  And don't forget to end my other contests, including for THE CULLING, a YA dystopian, THE RUNAWAY KING, a YA fantasy (one of my favorite books this year), and SKY JUMPERS, a MG dystopian I'm dying to read. (The contest for this ends Wednesday, so hurry to enter this one.)

  Here's what's coming up:

  Tomorrow, Maria Dismondy is sharing a Tuesday tip on how to launch a successful book launch and giving away a copy of THE POTATO CHIP CHAMP, her new picture book.

  On Saturday, I'm participating in the Kick Butt Characters Book Giveaway Hop. I have lots of great book choices for you.

  Next Monday, I’m super excited to have Jenny Lundquist back to share her new middle grade book, PLASTIC POLLY, with an ARC giveaway. It’s a contemporary story about a girl who’s in the popular crowd who wants to find who she’s really is. Jenny so nailed middle grade life and it made me realize how much I love contemporary stories. Like Jennifer Nielsen, Jenny’s become one of my favorite authors.

  Then, next Thursday I’m interviewing Jessica Shirvington and giving away a copy of EMBLAZE, the third book in her paranormal series. I’m super excited because I learned what an amazing career she’s had as an author in a relatively short period of time while preparing for her interview. It’s really inspiring to hear her story.

  And don't forget our Tuesday Tips and Casey's Thursday agent spotlights.

  Hope to see you on Saturday!

  Posted by Natalie Aguirre on Monday, March 18, 2013

• Twitter@Mindee Arnett -

  July 31, 2018
  Sequel to Onyx & Ivory is Shadow & Flame, coming summer 2018.

7/15/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1531694651579 1/15
Print Marked Items
Arnett, Mindee: ONYX & IVORY
Kirkus Reviews.
(Mar. 1, 2018):
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Arnett, Mindee ONYX & IVORY Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins (Young Adult Fiction) $17.99 5, 15 ISBN:
978-0-06-265266-9
A traitor's daughter contends with her painful past and dangerous future in this series opener.
Nineteen-year-old "Traitor Kate" Brighton tries to outrun her father's infamy as a Relay rider in the
kingdom of Rime. Rider life is tough, especially with a new onslaught of ravenous drakes, but Kate loves
horses, with whom she shares a forbidden "wilder" magical bond, risking the attention of the Inquisition.
When an unexpected encounter reunites Kate with "Errant Prince" Corwin, she returns to the city of
Norgard determined to protect the wilders and uncover the reason for her father's treason. Meanwhile, conarrator
Corwin renews his rivalry with his brother, Edwin, and must compete against him for the crown.
Blond, blue-eyed Corwin and black-haired, golden-skinned Kate are typical tormented protagonists, but
some of the secondary characters mercifully compensate for this angst-y duo. The setting is <>, describing revolvers as revolutionary but newspapers and pocket watches as familiar, and
plot loopholes, geographic inconsistencies, and political history are all too often (and not always
successfully) obscured by magic. Arnett (The Nightmare Charade, 2015, etc.) notably draws attention to
<>, elements often downplayed in fantasy novels, but otherwise offers <>. There is some <> in secondary characters.
A reluctant-rebel riff on "Cinderella," with more horses. (Fantasy. 14-18)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Arnett, Mindee: ONYX & IVORY." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2018. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A528959814/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=e9ab7a8f.
Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A528959814
7/15/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1531694651579 2/15
Onyx and Ivory
Publishers Weekly.
265.13 (Mar. 26, 2018): p122.
COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Onyx and Ivory
Mindee Arnett. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99 (512p) ISBN 978-0-06-265266-9
Arnett (Polaris) offers a gripping story of two people's search for courage and answers in a chaotic world.
Kate Brighton was branded a traitor after her father tried to assassinate the king. Then the man she loved let
her father be executed, and the kingdom increased persecution of "wilders," those with magic tied to the
four elements and spirit. Kate is one of those beings; she possesses the ability to influence the minds of
animals. Adding further challenges, nightdrakes (flightless dragons) are attacking more frequently, and
Kate's first love, Prince Corwin, returns. Corwin wants her help to figure out why the drakes are attacking in
broad daylight now, and he asks Kate to return with him to Norgard, her home, where she can find answers
about her father. Kate hopes the journey will bring <>, even as her rekindled friendship with
Corwin<> and unrealistic dreams of the future, and the threat of invasion by a
conquering nation looms. Arnett <> that create momentum for subsequent books. Ages 14-up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf
Literary & Media. (May)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Onyx and Ivory." Publishers Weekly, 26 Mar. 2018, p. 122. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A532997252/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=808b9500.
Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A532997252
7/15/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1531694651579 3/15
Onyx and Ivory
Maggie Reagan
Booklist.
114.14 (Mar. 15, 2018): p71.
COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
Onyx and Ivory.
By Mindee Arnett.
May 2018. 512p. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99 (9780062652669). Gr. 9-12.
Once a member of the nobility, Kate Brighton's life changed dramatically when her father, the master of
horse, tried to assassinate the high king. Nine years after her father's execution, Kate keeps her head down,
working for the Relay to carry messages via horseback across dangerous terrain. Kate, one of the few
female riders, is both helped and hindered by her wilder gift: she can touch and influence the minds of
animals, but those powers are illegal and punishable by death. When a chance encounter leads Kate to
Corwin, the son of the high king and Kate's former love, she finds herself face-to-face with the past she's
tried to escape. But tensions elsewhere are boiling over: deadly nightdrakes have begun attacking during the
day, and conflicts between the wilders and their oppressors are coming to a head.>>Part political thriller, part
fantasy epic>>, this is<< a high-octane adventure that untangles issues of choice, bias, and injustice>>. There's
special appeal for animal-lovers, but this series starter will suit any high-fantasy fan.--Maggie Reagan
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Reagan, Maggie. "Onyx and Ivory." Booklist, 15 Mar. 2018, p. 71. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A533094592/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=fe6c3433.
Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A533094592
7/15/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1531694651579 4/15
Arnett, Mindee: AVALON
Kirkus Reviews.
(Nov. 1, 2013):
COPYRIGHT 2013 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Arnett, Mindee AVALON Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins (Children's Fiction) $17.99 1, 21 ISBN: 978-0-06-
223559-6
Action-packed space opera tells the laws of physics to sit down and shut up, to no particular detriment.
Seventeen-year-old Jeth and his band of thieves operate under the iron thumb of interstellar crime lord
Hammer, who treats traitors and resisters to brutal beatings and mind-erasing brain implants. Pulling jobs
for Hammer is Jeth's only way to buy back his late parents' spaceship and keep his 13-year-old sister out of
prostitution. The current assignment requires retrieving a missing spaceship from a Bermuda Triangle-ish
area of space where ships malfunction and disappear. Jeth's crew travels there via "metaspace," but this is
no hard science fiction: "Metatech" and "metadrives" receive an eventual explanation that's mostly handwaving,
while things that should be difficult (rerouting power from one ship to another) or dangerous (a
character moves through open space by pushing off a spaceship "as if he were diving") are easy-peasy.
Arnett's fast-paced plot spotlights gun battles, twists and memorably grotesque damage to spaceships and
bodies. As Jeth makes unsavory deals and repeatedly finds himself betrayed, a threat to billions of lives
connects with his personal mission. Thoughtful readers (or anyone who's seen Star Trek) will wonder
whether the implied sequel will address a core moral atrocity at the root of metatech that this volume
ignores. There's no subtlety and barely any science in this science fiction, but there is lots of action.
(Science fiction. 14 & up)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Arnett, Mindee: AVALON." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Nov. 2013. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A347271119/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=13cb3f2b.
Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A347271119
7/15/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1531694651579 5/15
Arnett, Mindee. Avalon
Nicola McDonald
Voice of Youth Advocates.
36.6 (Feb. 2014): p67.
COPYRIGHT 2014 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
3Q * 3P * J * S
Arnett, Mindee. Avalon. Balzer + Bray/ HarperCollins, 2014. 432p. $17.99. 978-0-06-223559-6.
Jeth Seagrave, referred to as Boss by the teenage mercenaries whom he leads, is working towards earning
enough money to buy back his parents' ship, the Avalon. His most recent job, however, presented some
complications that have him second-guessing himself and his hopes for a better future. Immediately upon
his return from the job that changed his thinking, Jeth and his crew are sent to complete another job, but this
time they are headed into the Belgrave Quadrant, a dangerous dungeon-like place where many
unexplainable things have happened, and where his parents disappeared years ago. Though with reservation,
Jeth and his crew trod on, keeping in mind the goal of getting back the Avalon, but what they discover in
the Belgrave Quadrant leads to even more questions and distrust.
Secrets, betrayal, family, team work, and love are all at the heart of Arnett's book. It is a plot-filled story
with twists and turns that will keep readers guessing about what will come next. Still, a more detailed
description of this sci-fi world Arnett has created would have allowed for a livelier and more interesting
reading experience. Additionally, too much explaining of dialogue and not enough character development
prevent connection with characters on a deeper level. Avalon is suitable for readers who enjoy science
fiction and action stories.--Nicola McDonald.
McDonald, Nicola
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
McDonald, Nicola. "Arnett, Mindee. Avalon." Voice of Youth Advocates, Feb. 2014, p. 67. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A424529692/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=dff7f039.
Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A424529692
7/15/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1531694651579 6/15
Arnett, Mindee: THE NIGHTMARE
DILEMMA
Kirkus Reviews.
(Feb. 1, 2014):
COPYRIGHT 2014 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Arnett, Mindee THE NIGHTMARE DILEMMA Tor (Children's Fiction) $17.99 3, 4 ISBN: 978-0-7653-
3334-6
In a fast-moving and easily digestible magical school story, Destiny "Dusty" Everhart, a teen who can enter
others' dreams, investigates an attack on a mermaid classmate. Nearly all the students at Arkwell Academy
are magickind, from seductive sirens and hot-tempered rage demons to fairies and dryads. Since Dusty and
her friends helped break The Will, a spell that restricted the use of magic, in The Nightmare Affair (2013),
magical altercations among students of different species are beginning to break out. Paul, Dusty's former
boyfriend and minion of the villainous Marrow in the previous volume, has been released from jail, and
Dusty is worried about seeing him again. Meanwhile, Dusty and her close friend Eli search the latter's
dreams for clues about magical attacks on classmates and stubbornly refuse to discuss the few smoldering
kisses they've shared. There's plenty of action to keep readers engaged, and frequent exposition-in the form
of narrative asides and dialogue-helps readers keep track of the many characters and rules of magic. The
prose is more serviceable than artful, and some lines are downright clunky ("As if in contrast to my bleak
mood, the weather outside had taken a pleasant turn toward nice"). Nothing too deep, but good fun for fans
of romance, fantasy and magical boarding school escapades. (Fantasy. 12-18)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Arnett, Mindee: THE NIGHTMARE DILEMMA." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2014. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A357032888/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=d46943a3.
Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A357032888
7/15/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1531694651579 7/15
Arnett, Mindee: THE NIGHTMARE
CHARADE
Kirkus Reviews.
(June 15, 2015):
COPYRIGHT 2015 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Arnett, Mindee THE NIGHTMARE CHARADE Tor (Children's Fiction) $18.99 8, 4 ISBN: 978-0-7653-
3335-3
For Destiny "Dusty" Everhart, a dream-feeding Nightmare, junior year at Arkwell Academy means magical
visions, forbidden romance, and a final battle with the malevolent Marrow. After a summer apart, Dusty is
thrilled to see her dream-seer partner and romantic interest Eli Booker. But because of a curse foreseen by
Lady Elaine, chief adviser to the Magi Senate, a network of school officials and gruff security personnel is
deployed to keep their relationship strictly business. Adding to the frustration and confusion, Dusty's
mother--usually haughty and self-centered--is desperate and on the run after being accused of a murder
Dusty is certain she didn't commit. Meanwhile, the clandestine Dept. of Intelligence for Magikind Secrecy
recruits Dusty and Eli to recover a stolen magical artifact called the Death's Heart under a magically binding
nondisclosure agreement with uncomfortable, though harmless, tongue-tying effects. Like its two
predecessors, this volume hits all the notes of a magical boarding school adventure: secret identities,
classroom mishaps, betrayals, after-hours high jinks, and mortal peril at the hands of a spell-wielding
megalomaniac. Some storylines come with a few too many twists and turns, but the climactic scene delivers
tension, romance, and a resolution that satisfies. A rollicking series conclusion. (Fantasy. 12-18)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Arnett, Mindee: THE NIGHTMARE CHARADE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2015. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A417619381/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=0dc6a91c.
Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A417619381
7/15/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1531694651579 8/15
Arnett, Mindee. Polaris: Avalon, Book 2
Lauren Straub
Voice of Youth Advocates.
39.1 (Apr. 2016): p70.
COPYRIGHT 2016 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
4Q * 2P * J
Arnett, Mindee. Polaris: Avalon, Book 2. Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2016. 432p. $9.99 Trade pb. 978-0-
062-23563-3.
This second installment plunges readers into a dangerous scheme by Jeth Seagrave and his team of young
thieves, including his two sisters, Lizzie and Cora. Suspense and sorrow ensue within the first chapters, as
the majority of the group narrowly escapes being captured by bounty hunters employed by the Interstellar
Transport Authority (ITA). Jeth and Avalon's passengers lose hope in their quest to find Jeth's mother,
Marion, who is being held by the ITA for her secrets regarding the planet Empyria. Jeth's father and a
pregnant Marion discovered Empyria, home of the Pyreans--biological organisms that create a doorway
between the physical world and metaspace, used by the ITA for space travel. However, Jeth's father died
protecting Empyria's coordinates, and Marion refused to give in to the ITA's torture. An interesting turn of
events comes about when Jeth discovers that he must work with a previous enemy, Daxton Price, in order to
ensure that the rest of his family and the Pyreans remain safe from the ill intentions of the ITA.
Avid readers of science fiction will be able to pick up the plot line without having read the first installment,
Avalon (HarperCollins, 2014/VOYA February 2014). Arnett brings in enough detail and description about
characters' backstories and the context of this world, which builds reading comprehension and inference
skills in young readers. The story is heavily based on Jeth's first-person point of view, somewhat detracting
from the action, as readers spend a lot of time in his head as he weighs the consequences of his potential
actions. Central ideas of good and evil, morality, inner strength, personal responsibility, and power in this
science fictional world allow readers to make connections between other texts, the world, and themselves. --
Lauren Straub.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Straub, Lauren. "Arnett, Mindee. Polaris: Avalon, Book 2." Voice of Youth Advocates, Apr. 2016, p. 70.
General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A450504923/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=0828ea37. Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A450504923
7/15/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1531694651579 9/15
Avalon
Debbie Carton
Booklist.
110.11 (Feb. 1, 2014): p63.
COPYRIGHT 2014 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
Avalon. By Mindee Arnett. Feb. 2014. 432p. HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray, $17.99 (9780062235596). Gr. 8-
11.
Arnett's fast-paced space western combines S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders (1967) with television's Firefly in
what appears to be the beginning of a promising series. We meet a motley crew of renegade orphan teen
mercenaries who form their own family by choice. Their mission is to steal metatech, the mysterious force
that allows interplanetary travel faster than the speed of light. Seventeen-year-old Jeth leads the gang of
teen metatech thieves, who work for the villainous Hammer Dafoe. Jeth and his 13-year-old sister, Lizzie,
lost their space-surveying parents seven years ago, when the Interstellar Transit Authority executed their
parents for unspecified "treason." Jeth's primary objective is to buy the family's legendary spaceship, the
Avalon, from Hammer, escape his despotic reign, and establish a quiet existence away from Hammer and
the Interstellar Transit Authority. But nothing is going to come easy, and the appearance of a strange,
possibly alien child and a beautiful, fierce teen scientist further complicate matters. It's not a deep read, but
it's a riveting one, and sci-fi fans will gulp it down in one sitting and ask for more.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Carton, Debbie. "Avalon." Booklist, 1 Feb. 2014, p. 63. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A358698971/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=2316de80.
Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A358698971
7/15/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1531694651579 10/15
The Nightmare Dilemma
Children's Bookwatch.
(May 2014):
COPYRIGHT 2014 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
Full Text:
The Nightmare Dilemma
Mindee Arnett
TOR Teen
c/o Tor/Forge Books
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
9780765333346 $17.99 www.tor-forge.com
The Nightmare Dilemma tells of Dusty, whose life is complicated enough when one of her mermaid friends
is assaulted and left for dead. Lance is accused of the crime and wants Dusty to prove his innocence by
finding the real attacker--but Dusty's ability to access dreams isn't helping, especially as they have entered
the realm of nightmares. Add more complexities and Dusty begins to suspect a bigger picture that could
ultimately destroy everything. Mature teens will find this a gripping and unusual read, absolutely
impossible to predict or put down.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Nightmare Dilemma." Children's Bookwatch, May 2014. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A370754273/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=4bc0e7c5.
Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A370754273
7/15/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1531694651579 11/15
Read-alikes in a galaxy not so far away
Julia Smith
Booklist.
112.1 (Sept. 1, 2015): p114.
COPYRIGHT 2015 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
Once those Imperial clones invade your imagination (or those cuddly Ewoks take your heart), it's hard to
think about much else. Not to worry, young Jedi, a fleet of books there is; filled with space adventures,
gadgets, and high-octane battles they are; and satisfy your Star Wars craving they will.
Avalon. By Mindee Arnett. 2014. HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray, $17.99 (9780062235596). Gr. 8-11.
Arnett's fast-paced space western combines S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders (1967) with television's Firefly,
wherein a motley crew of renegade teen mercenaries attempt to steal metatech, the mysterious force that
allows interplanetary travel faster than the speed of light. A villainous despot, spaceships, and a larger quest
for freedom makes for a riveting sci-fi adventure.
Entangled. By Amy Rose Capetta. 2013. Houghton, $17.99 (9780544087446). Gr. 8-10.
Cade is a human in a world of fantastic and freaky aliens, an antisocial girl who plays screaming electric
guitar. Her adventure starts when she traipses across the universe to find her other half, a boy named Xan,
and save him from the villainous Unmakers. Along the way, she joins a ragtag space crew, whose members
have interesting backgrounds of their own. A Han Solo-like outlaw vibe runs through Capetta's story, and
her enticing world building is bolstered by convincing physics and hard science.
Hunt for the Hydra. By Jason Fry. 2014. Harper, $16.99 (9780062230201). Gr. 4-7.
Life on the starship Shadow Comet is never dull. As privateers for the Jovian Union, the Hashoone family
makes its living by seizing the cargoes of enemy craft. After discovering a suspicious passenger aboard a
captured ship, the Jovian Union enlists the Comet and her crew to help the government stop a cleverly
disguised plot against the Jovian people. Mixing old-fashioned swashbuckling with laser cannons and
politics, this book is an exciting read with a dash of intrigue--think Star Wars meets Treasure Island.
The Lost Planet. By Rachel Searles. 2014. Feiwel and Friends, $15.99 (9781250038791). Gr. 5-8.
7/15/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1531694651579 12/15
Terrifying monsters, cold androids, and intriguing mysteries abound here. Chase Garrety awakens on a
planet he doesn't know and with his life up to now a complete blank. The only thing he can remember is a
secret message, but what does it mean and who is it for? Chase's search for answers takes him across the
planets of the Federation, bringing him new friends, old enemies, and more problems than he knows what to
do with. An exciting, intergalactic escapade.
Missile Mouse: The Star Crusher. By Jake Parker. Illus. by the author. 2010. Scholastic/Graphix, $21.99
(9780545117142). Gr. 3-6.
Missile Mouse, or MM to his friends, is an agent in the Galactic Security Agency and the kind of gruff loner
ideal for deep-space adventuring. After he botches a solo mission, he partners up with a hotshot young agent
to rescue a scientist who knows how to construct a black-hole-generating doomsday device. Owing much to
Star Wars and the Halo video games, Parker's illustrations and animation-quality characters make for
uncluttered action sequences. The able mix of humor and urgency makes for a solid space caper.
The Planet Thieves. By Dan Krokos. 2013.Tor, $15.99 (9780765334282). Gr. 4-6.
In a straight-up space opera featuring lots of fighting and high-tech gimmicks (light sabers!), a teen cadet
named Mason finds himself in charge of a battleship and playing an important role in Earth's losing battle
against a stronger enemy, the Tremists. His labors are only beginning, though, because the Tremists have
seized his ship's secret weapon and a colony planet turns out to hold a potentially devastating threat to both
races.
Randoms. By David Liss. 2015. Simon & Schuster, $17.99 (9781481445719). Gr. 5-8.
Zeke Reynolds is a sci-fi movie buff and comics nerd who can't believe that he's been chosen to represent
Earth in a secret mission involving the Confederation of United Planets. This novel is every Trekkie's
dream, filled with starships, superpowers, different technologies, and alien creatures. First in a series, this
exhilarating read and addictive space saga will have no trouble hooking sci-fi fans.
Spacejackers. By Huw Powell. 2015. Bloomsbury, $16.99 (9781619635159). Gr. 4-6.
A lad with a shadowy past falls in with a crew of cutlass-wielding space pirates in this fun interstellar yarn.
A sudden attack sends purple-eyed preteen Jake Cutler fleeing from planet Remota aboard a rickety space
scow crewed by the renowned if rather ragged Space Dogs. The exploits of Jake and his motley allies
include rescuing a kidnapped girl from a distant galaxy, escaping from a mob at a Mafia-owned spaceport,
7/15/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1531694651579 13/15
battling a giant space squid, almost falling into a black hole, and discovering the fabled, hidden planet
Altus.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Smith, Julia. "Read-alikes in a galaxy not so far away." Booklist, 1 Sept. 2015, p. 114. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A430716971/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=0f04db63.
Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A430716971
7/15/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1531694651579 14/15
The Nightmare Affair
John Peters
Booklist.
109.13 (Mar. 1, 2013): p62.
COPYRIGHT 2013 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
The Nightmare Affair. By Mindee Arnett. Mar. 2013. 368p. Tor Teen, $17.99 (9780765333339). Gr. 6-9.
A half-muggle teenager acquires new powers, meets hunky boys, and saves the world. As if it's not bad
enough that Dusty, being a Nightmare, has to straddle sleeping "ordinaries" to feed on the mystic matter that
powers their dreams, her latest assigned victim turns out to be Eli, alpha male from her old high school.
Worse yet, when she's in his head, his dreams become true visions--of, for instance, a classmate's brutal
murder. Arnett surrounds her smart-mouthed but mildly insecure narrator with a cast of student sirens,
demons, wizards, and other magical sorts at Arkwell Academy (think Hogwarts, only in Ohio) and, not to
mention the customary sniping between rivals, romantic complications, snogging, and parental headbutting,
dishes up hard tests of courage and character as Dusty and allies expose a dark plot to break the
governing spell that keeps magickind from taking over the planet. The paranormal dramedy tropes are well
worn, but the author adds a few twists to them and provides adequate, if not complete, closure. --John
Peters
Peters, John
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Peters, John. "The Nightmare Affair." Booklist, 1 Mar. 2013, p. 62. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A322479535/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=5595148b.
Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A322479535
7/15/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1531694651579 15/15
Arnett, Mindee: POLARIS
Kirkus Reviews.
(Nov. 15, 2014):
COPYRIGHT 2014 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Arnett, Mindee POLARIS Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins (Children's Fiction) $17.99 1, 20 ISBN: 978-0-06-
223562-6
Jeth and his band of interstellar thieves tackle their most dangerous mission yet.Usually, Jeth chooses his
gang's escapades himself, even while they're busy evading the Interstellar Transport Authority, the most
powerful entity in the universe. The ITA's pursuing Jeth for events from eight months ago (Avalon, 2014).
But when crime lord Dax seizes the gang and assigns them to destroy something enormous on First-Earth,
there's no refusing--not only because Jeth's long-disappeared mother is involved, but because Dax slides a
brain implant into Jeth's head. The implant increases his strength, but it also bends Jeth's will to Dax's--and
leaves him going through withdrawal when it's removed. This far-future space opera provides twists and
turns aplenty, though the science is very soft: Brain implants that threaten a person's selfhood slide in and
out of the skull easy as pie; extraterrestrials called Pyreans enable spaceships to jump through metaspace
and humans to communicate brain to brain. Humanity's enslavement of those Pyreans lies at the story's
core, but the text soft-pedals the atrocity; Jeth himself initially finds the Pyreans "a remarkable life-form, so
useful." Emotions feature more heavily here than in Avalon, which is unfortunate, because Arnett's rugged,
macho narration ("Every second he sat here helpless was torture"; Jeth's girlfriend is "all blond hair and pale
skin") can't pull them off. Slapdash science and little complexity--read for bang-'em-up action. (Science
fiction. 14 & up)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Arnett, Mindee: POLARIS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2014. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A389797550/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=968ef5c4.
Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A389797550