Awesome Authors: Eileen Cook

Today we're talking with debut YA author Eileen Cook. Apparently she loves dreaming up scandals and watching old movies, so she'd fit right in with Spencer and her crowd.

Author bio, in her words: Eileen Cook spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer. Eileen’s first book, a romantic comedy, Unpredictable was released in February 2008. Her next book, a young adult novel, What Would Emma Do?, was released December 2008.
You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.

What's your favorite thing about blogging? I love having a regular connection with readers that provides that immediate feedback. Writing books from the start of an idea to bookshelf is a looooong process. Blogging lets me fill that gap. Plus, I come across all kinds of odds and ends (like a hamster powered paper shredder) that I feel the need to share with others. I see it as a form of public service.

What's the difference between a blog and a diary?
My mom can see the blog. For that matter so can the rest of the world, so I try to keep any deep dark abiding dark secrets in my diary alone.

Spencer Grace Kelly, the main character in GoldenGirl, is named after her distant relative, the Princess of Monaco. What’s your favorite Grace Kelly movie, and why? I LOVE classic movies. I have a near un-natural relationship with the Turner Movie Channel. Some of my favorites are the Thin Man series. As for Grace Kelly, I love Dial M for Murder and Rear Window. Oh, and High Society. In fact, I pretty much liked all of them.

GoldenGirl is full of scandals and exposed secrets. What was the biggest scandal at your high school? Did your classmates discover any of your deep, dark secrets? My deep dark secret was that almost all of my scandals occurred in my imagination. In my mind, I had a very exciting life full of passionate romance, daring adventure, and ill advised risk taking. In real life I was far more boring. I was a part of a group that played a lot of pranks. We used to steal school mascots and that type of thing, but alas no scandals. However, there is always time, so who knows what I might get up to now.

What are your most recent books? What new projects are you working on now? My current book is What Would Emma Do? It explores what can happen if you kiss your best friend's boyfriend. (I told you I was full of scandals in my imagination.) I am currently working on another YA project (still untitled). It is a story of betrayal, the art of revenge, and classic movies. I had a ton of fun coming up with the various revenge plans. It turns out that I have a deep and abiding evil side. Who knew?