WE HEAR THE DEAD...(insert scary music)...with Dianne Salreni and a giveaway

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I have a special guest for the spookiest holiday of the year...Please welcome Dianne Salerni!
 I have nine quick questions for Dianne...and she has some really cool news...plus I am giving away my gently used copy of her book WE HEAR THE DEAD (which is awesome) and a signed book mark for her upcoming release of THE CAGED GRAVES.

Dianne, whendid you begin writing?I’ve been writing since before I couldwrite. I illustrated my first book, THE GIRL AND THE DRAGON, and my father tookdictation for the text. I think I was about 4 years old. But if you want toknow when I started my quest for publication, I’ll have to cite my unsuccessfulsubmissions to Isaac Asimov’s ScienceFiction Magazine in high school and my husband’s attempts to get two(really awful) children’s books published when I first got married.
Doyou have an agent? If so, who?My agent is Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger, and she isamazing.
Canyou tell us the journey WE HEAR THE DEAD (Which is totally awesome!) took until it reached publication?Originally, I had an idea about writinga MG book about séance frauds. But when I started researching séances, tryingto learn more about them, I kept coming across the story of the Fox sisters,who are credited with the invention of spiritualism. When I learned that one ofthe teenaged sisters became embroiled in an ill-fated celebrity romance, I decidedI had to write this story. So, ultimately I switched from a MG humorous tale toa YA historical romance. Originally, I self-published the book (back in 2007when this was still taboo), and the good reviews attracted the attention ofSourcebooks, who offered a traditional publishing contract. In 2010, the bookwas published with a fresh edit and a new title.
(Here's a link to the book trailer....cool stuff)
Isthere anything special you would like to share about WE HEAR THE DEAD???Yes! Around the same time Sourcebookscontacted me about publishing rights, an independent Hollywood producer emailedme after stumbling across my indie book on Amazon. I ended up selling her afilm option in a separate deal – which may now be coming to fruition. Theproducer, Amy Green, has acquired funding through her company ARC49Entertainment, to produce a film short, tentatively titled THE SPIRIT GAME.Hopefully I will have more information to share about the film and castinglater this fall!
Whendoes your next book, THE CAGED GRAVE, come out?  THE CAGED GRAVES comes out in May 2013from Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and it is my firstagented deal. THE CAGED GRAVES is about 17-year old Verity Boone, who returnsto her hometown in 1867 to take part in an arranged marriage, only to discoverher mother’s grave confined in a cage outside the cemetery walls and the secretbehind her death likely to put Verity in a grave right beside it.
Whatone thing would you say to prepublished (I love that term. It sounds so much better than unpublished.) authors?Do not EVER give up – and do not stopwriting! Persevere with your projects, but not to the point of excluding newprojects and even new genres. If I were to make a list of the manuscripts I’vewritten, you would find that the first ones written were not necessarily thefirst ones sold, and my biggest deal is not in the genre/audience I startedwith.
Doyou have any special news you’d like to share???HarperCollins has just bought my MGfantasy THE EIGHTH DAY in a 3 book deal, proving the point I made above. THEEIGHTH DAY is about a mysteriously orphaned boy who discovers a secret dayhidden between Wednesday and Thursday and a reclusive girl living next door whoexists only on that eighth day, hiding from people who’d use her to destroy theregular seven.
Whatis your favorite holiday?Summer vacation. That counts as a prettyimportant holiday when you’re a teacher trying to become an author.
Onelast question and it’s an important one: What is your favorite kind of cheese?Sharon, how can I possibly choose? Itdepends on what I’m eating it with, or if I’m eating it alone, and what kind ofmood I’m in. There’s extra sharp Vermont cheddar, baby Swiss, mozzarella,shaved Parmesan, feta and port wine cheddar – and goat cheese with honey is alocal specialty in southeastern Pennsylvania.Thanks so much for having me here today,Sharon!**********************************
I so appreciate Dianne for being here with us.  If you haven't checked out her blog, please hop over...If you would like to check out her author website here it is.
If you don't win my copy of Dianne's book and the signed bookmark on November 8th, here is a link where you can purchase it... (It's really good...but you guys know I'm a sucker for historical fiction...)