Writerly Wednesday Welcomes Molly Zenk

Welcome to another Writerly Wednesday.  Today’s guest is Molly Zenk and who could resist 90 Cats?  

AUTHOR BIO:

MOLLY ZENK was born in Minnesota, grew up in Florida, lived briefly in Tennessee, before finally settling in Colorado. She graduated from Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL with degrees in Secondary Education, English, and Creative Writing. She spent six years using those degrees teaching High School English, Poetry, and Creative Writing before going on “hiatus” to focus on being a stay-at-home/work-at-home Mom. Molly is the author of two historical fiction novels – Chasing Byron (Highland Press, 2008) and Unheard Melodies: Confessions Of A Poetic Muse (Wings Press, 2008) about Lord Byron and John Keats. Chasing Byron is used in classrooms to make the Romantic Poets accessible to at risk kids and reluctant readers. Unheard Melodies was nominated for Best Book Of 2008 by Long And Short Reviews. 90 Cats… is Molly’s third novel and the first in a four book series. Molly is married to a Mathematician/Software Engineer who complains about there not being enough “math” or info about him in her author bio. They live in Arvada, CO with their young children, one dog, and one cat.

AUTHOR LINKS:

website – http://mollyzenk.webs.com
FB – http://www.facebook.com/mollyzenk
myspace – http://www.myspace.com/mjlz

90 CATS AND NO LITTER BOX IN SIGHT
By: Molly Zenk

BLURB:

They’re perfect for each other…even if she doesn’t know it yet.

Glynis Kirby’s love life stinks. Her boyfriend dumped her for another guy. Her next-door-neighbor held her hostage on prom night. And now she’s been trapped in a Porta-Potty by a monkey with a switchblade. And she’s not even going to talk about her date with the poly sci major with the Pocket Ouiji Board. Maybe she really is desperate enough to take everyone’s advice—including her mother’s (ugh!)—and date the dashing Daniel Bond.

Corin Lancashire runs the popular blog site mydreamgirl.com where he chronicles his less than stellar attempts to get noticed by his dream girl, Glynis Kirby. After taking the “all girls think stripteases are hot” advice from a reader, and discovering that “all girls but Glynis think stripteases are hot,” Corin disables the comments feature on his blog and takes matters into his own hands to build a friendship-crawling-toward-relationship with his dream girl. But competing with the charming, suave, and well-dressed Daniel is a hazard Corin didn’t anticipate, and neither is the information he digs up on Daniel that could threaten Glynis’s life…

BUY LINKS:

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EXCERPT:

Corin grabs my arm and spins me around to face him before I’m safe in the halls of the Math Department. Not many guys will follow you in there. It’s like a Geek Den where everyone is too wrapped up in their research and books and whiteboards to think to ask a girl out on a date and I’m pretty sure that’s what Corin was planning to do before the stripping and the singing.
“Who put you up to this?” I demand. “Who? Was it Kathy? My mom? Who put you up to this?”
“No one,” Corin protests. “No one put me up to anything. I just… I just needed a way to get your attention. I could tell you were about to leave so I… I’m not like this normally, I swear,” he adds. “It’s just, well, uh… It’s just that I thought of so many things to say to you and when the time came to actually say them, I blanked out and did the first thing I could think of. You don’t need to Baker Act me or anything. I’m really just a shy guy.”
“Shy guys don’t strip in public.”
“They do when they take really bad advice from people on the Internet.” Corin runs a hand through his Doctor McDreamy hair before raising his pale eyebrows and giving me McDreamy eyes to go along with his McDreamy hair. “You’re probably not going to believe this, Glynis, but I’m not a freak or a stalker. I’m completely harmless. Really.”
“You have yet to convince me of that, Crazy Bus Boy.”
“Does that mean I get another shot?” He perks up at the thought. “You can call me whatever nick-names you want—good or bad—just give me another shot. I’ll be boringly normal from here on out. I promise.”
I take an unconscious step closer to Corin as he’s talking because, the strangest thing happens as I’m looking up at his bright, hopeful face and coaxing smile. I feel safe. For the first time in almost a year, I feel safe.
“Get off the bus tomorrow at my stop and you’ll have that shot.”
What’s the harm in giving the guy a little crumb of hope? Maybe if he has hope, so will I.

Interview

1.        In three days, all power will go off, everywhere for a very long time.  What will you include in your author survival kit?   A pack of pens and several notebooks. I’m used to typing everything now, but can write any ideas, novel scenes, short stories, etc long hand if I need to.

2.       Where did the idea for the work you are promoting arise? 90 Cats started its life as a college short story assignment about 13 years ago. Eventually, I converted it to a novel. The characters were originally older, but once I aged them down to college age, everything clicked and it was a breeze to write.

3.       What do you like to read? Young Adult (mostly with a strong romantic element) and historical fiction.

4.       Tell us about the most exciting place you have ever visited? I’m a big anglophile and a Keatsian, so adored my trip to England, seeing poet’s corner in Westminster Abbey but — mostly of all — visiting Hampstead Heath and Wentworth Place (now Keats House). To know that’s where Keats created his greatest works really inspired me.

5.       What is the most mundane, day to day, thing you can share about yourself? Like most mothers with small children, my day revolves around their schedule — getting them ready for school, packing lunches, waiting for the school bus, etc. When I have a little time to myself, I relax with music or TV and writing (when I’m inspired).

6.       What scares you the most? Something happening to my kids.

7.       Tell us anything but keep it G rated.  I’ve had two literary agents.  One I cut ties with after 2 years,  the other left the business.  I’m hesitant about getting back in the query pool because of my past experiences.   When I am ready to rejoin the agented ranks,  I’m hoping third time is the charm.