C. J. Omololu might have a hard name for me to remember (I’ve typed Omululu and Omololulu so far), but her new young adult novel, Dirty Little Secrets, is unforgettable. Here me now, believe me after you’ve read it, it will knock your socks off. I read a lot of books, but when I finished this incredible one, I just sat in my chair, stunned by the sheer amazingness of it (yes, I made up that word, but it works).

I have since handed this book off to two teens who totally agree with me (my favourite kind of teens) and also love this book. It is available February 2nd, but you can pre-order it now, and as soon as you’re done reading this interview, I expect you to all go buy it. And if you can’t afford to buy it, then request it at your library. I was going to give away my ARC, but umm…actually…I can’t part with it. I really can’t! So, sorry all…just go buy it. You’ll only be sorry if you don’t!

And now for the interview with C. J. (aka Cynthia).

1. What’s your favourite website? I’m guessing you mean website that aren’t about shopping. I spend a lot of time on The Tenners at http://community.livejournal.com/10_ers/ and at the writer’s message board at http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php. I read a lot of writing-related blogs too, mainly to keep up with what’s going on in YA.
2. What are your hobbies that don’t have to do with writing? That question makes me realize that I need to get some. I like photography and I made silver jewelry for a while.
3. What do you read in the bathroom? Catalogues. I dream about all the stuff I’m not going to buy.
4. What’s the riskiest thing you ever did and how did it work out for you? Marrying my husband when I’d said all along I didn’t believe in marriage. We’ve been together almost 16 years, so it looks like it turned out pretty well.
5. What author or book have you recently discovered that you want the world to know about? Ooh, can I do two? I’m going to anyway 😉 Two Tenner books that I just LOVE are Jen Nadol’s The Mark which is just coming out at the end of January and Jaclyn Dolamore’s Magic Under Glass that is also just out. Both are fabulous reads! Full disclosure – we all have the same publisher, but I actually bought my copies and I’d recommend them no matter who published them.
6. If you could live anywhere for a year, where would it be? Someplace with a beach – Mexico or Hawaii. My husband says I’d go island-crazy and want to leave, but I highly doubt that.
7. What’s the coolest writing-thing that’s happened to you since you sold your first book? I was at a writer’s conference just after Dirty Little Secrets sold, and during break I found myself standing next to an agent who was speaking that day. I started to introduce myself (I have no fear of talking to people I don’t know as you can see) when she stopped me and said, “I know who you are.” Totally thrilling.
8. Go on, give us some writing advice. You know you want to! Sit down every day, open up the file (or notebook) that contains your story and do just a little bit of work on it. The hardest part of writing is ignoring all of the excuses for not doing it.

Thanks Cynthia! Oh, and by the way, readers? She also has a picture book for young readers that looks pretty cool. Stop by her website for more info on her and her books!

P.S. Sorry this is posting so late. The power has been out all morning.