Book Giveaway and AUTHOR CHAT with Greg Neri, Author of Surf Mules AND CONTEST!

EXTENDED UNTIL 4 p.m. Pacific/Monday:
WINNER announced today!

Put on your creative caps people because we’re back with another Judge Super E Bookgiveaway Contest! Like the SHIVER giveaway please leave in comments a sentence, ANY SENTENCE: dialog, description, whatever with the phrase SURF MULES in it! Lucky for us, Greg’s title has lots of potential for whacky entries. ONE winner gets a SIGNED copy of Greg’s latest awesome book and another winner the AUDIO BOOK! (Tip: it helps to remember the judge is a six year old boy with surprisingly literary tastes.)

Good luck!

Hey Greg, congrats on SURF MULES…what is the story?

Two surfers graduating from high school become embroiled in a world of disorganized crime. The crime in this case is muling pot across country for a local dealer, a quick and easy summer job that quickly turns into a roadtrip into the heart of darkness. It’s a coming of age story about that transition from adolescence to adulthood, particularly tricky amongst surfers who refuse to grow up. It’s also the story of a friendship on the brink of disaster.

How did you get the idea?

Years ago, I befriended some actual surf mules and the stories they told me were so outrageously entertaining, I thought there’s a great story in there. I was a filmmaker at the time and worked on a script with a friend of mine on the subject but it never happened. Then about 5 years ago, I encountered a surfer’s funeral on the beach. A young kid had died in a surfing accident and 4 generations of surfers turned out to celebrate his life. I was quite taken by it and just wrote a short story that captured the scene. But my writer’s group liked it so much, they kept asking for more, until they tricked me into writing a novel! Somehow the idea of muling came into play and before I knew it, I was writing a teen novel about surfing drug traffickers! Sometimes the characters lead you to places you could not have possibly planned for…

This is your debut YA fiction, but not your debut, how are your books different?
My first published book for teens, Chess Rumble, was a middle grade illustrated free verse novella (deep breath). My first written book, Yummy, is a the middle grade graphic novel that will hopefully emerge in the next year. So this is my first real novel and my first book without pictures!

I am a big fan of Zombicorns who’d eat either Edward or Jacob. No distinction there.

What was your revision process like?

Good god, I went all Barton Fink at the end. I almost lost it but I somehow survived. Had I not already written another novel in between revisions, I might not have tried it again. The first rounds were pretty straight forward, no big deal. But at the 11th hour and on a very tight deadline while I was away in Europe, we agreed to lose 50-70 pages and that’s where I enter the 8th circle of Dante’s Inferno known as revision hell. But it only made me stronger, and the novel became tighter and definitely better. I almost think that experience will make revising easier in the future, like I grew a thicker skin. At least, that’s what I hope.

Your book trailer is awesome! How did you create that?

Years ago, I was a filmmaker and was in the movie trailer business for all the studios. So coming up with a good preview concept has always been in my blood. I called in all my filmmaker friends and favors to make trailers for both Chess Rumble and Surf Mules. I am extremely proud of the results and get to show them off everytime I do school visits. It’s almost like showing off my short films as an opening act to my books.

What’s up next?

Got several projects coming out: YUMMY, that long in the works graphic novel will finally see light of day early next year, then in 2011, my follow-up Putnam novel CAUGHT and later, from Candlewick, an illustrated novella called GHETTO COWBOY. I am also attempting my first picture book text…

Thanks for much for coming on, Greg.