The Interview
In the form of a tweet, how would you describe No Angel?
Boy thinks life at an all-girls school will be heavenly, but it's hell on earth. And he's the angel sent to fix things. Help!
Fang Girl focused on vampires, while No Angel takes on demons and angels. Which do you prefer to write about, and what was it like switching from fangs to wings?
My favourite book is always the one I've just written, so at the moment angels have the advantage! But in both books, I had a lot of fun going back to original sources to find weird traits that don't tend to show up in modern paranormal romances. In Fang Girl, my vampires are extreme obsessive-compulsives, based on a bit of European folklore about being able to get away from vampires by distracting them with poppy seeds to count (no, really). You'll have to read No Angel to find out what extremely inconvenient angelic traits start to afflict the main character!
According to the synopsis, the MC, Rafael Angelos, ends up at what appears to be an all-girls school. Is this hinting at some fun comedy and possible romance?
Absolutely! Raffi is of course convinced that every girl will want to get into his pants, and he'll have his pick of the babes. Unfortunately for him, turns out the hottest girl in the school wants to kill him, the prettiest girl is the daughter of the incredibly terrifying Headmistress (and is more interested in slaying demons than romance), and while he does have a fan club, they're entirely prepubescent. And that's just the start of his troubles...
Would you rather spend the day with a demon or an angel?
Having spent a lot of time reading old medieval manuscripts for descriptions of angels, I can safely say that meeting either would cause me to run for my life in the other direction screaming "OH DEAR GOD, THE EYES, THE EYEEEEEES!"
At least demons have a vested interest in appearing human and vaguely attractive. And there's at least one demon in No Angel who I'd love to hang out with!
What are five fun facts about No Angel?
- In order to keep track of all the characters classes, I made timetables for them in Google Calendar… and then forgot to delete the calendars after I'd finished the book. I was greatly puzzled when Google started bombarding me with reminders to get to my history class!
- One of the main girl characters, Faith, knows full well that she's the heroine in a paranormal romance story. Unfortunately, she doesn't know that she's the heroine in one of MY paranormal romance stories...
- My favourite character in the book is the Headmistress, who gets to say all the things teachers WISH they could say to their students.
- Despite all the moms in the story being kind of, um, problematic, it's dedicated to my mother. I apologised to her for the subject matter in advance, in the Acknowledgements at the end of Fang Girl. (and this shows you how far in advance the publishing industry works…)
- I'm pretty certain it's the only paranormal romance that will teach you higher-dimensional geometry. (Wait! Come back! There are no equations, I promise!) Chapter 29 contains a deliberate mistake in this area - I will send a prize to the first person who can tell me what it is!
What's next for you?
I'm currently writing a YA dystopian comedy. No, really. The working title is Escaping Utopia, and it's about a boy called Adam who, like all 16 year olds in this far-future society, receives his government-appointed Soulmate - an android perfectly designed to fulfil his every emotional and physical need. Unfortunately, rather than being his perfect partner, she tries to kill him on sight. Hijinks ensue!
(for those wondering about a Fang Girl sequel - I'd love to do one, but at the moment sales of the first book aren't hot enough for my publisher to commission a sequel. This could change if my books start flying off shelves, of course… *hint hint*)
Using the letters of ANGEL, how would you describe yourself?
Absent-minded
Not a serial killer (unless fictional characters count)
Geeky
Eclectic
Likely to spend far too much money on books per month
… unless you meant as an anagram, in which case, er, ANGLE? AN LEG? I give up.
Favorite angel book/movie?
Without a doubt, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
Favorite demon book/movie?
The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan. For reasons that are a complete and utter spoiler, so all I can say is: Go read it.
Clowns. Yay or nay?
OH DEAR GOD KILL IT WITH FIRE
[Beauty and the Bookshelf: That may be the best answer an author's ever given to me for an interview question.]
The Book
Author: Helen Keeble
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publishing Date: October 8, 2013
Pages: 352
Goodreads | Amazon
| Barnes & Noble
Rafael Angelos just got handed the greatest gift any teenage boy could ever dream of. Upon arriving at his new boarding school for senior year, he discovered that he is the ONLY male student. But what should have been a godsend isn't exactly heaven on Earth.
Raffi's about to learn that St. Mary's is actually a hub for demons-and that he was summoned to the school by someone expecting him to save the day. Raffi knows he's no angel-but it's pretty hard to deny that there's some higher plan at work when he wakes up one morning to discover a glowing circle around his head.
Helen Keeble's debut novel, Fang Girl, has been praised for its pitch-perfect teen voice, and VOYA called it "refreshing and reminiscent of Louise Rennison's Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series." No Angel brings you angels and demons like you've never seen them-complete with the wry humor of Vladimir Tod, sinfully irreverent romance, and some hilariously demonic teenage dilemmas.
The Author
Helen Keeble is not, and never has been, a vampire. She has however been a teenager. She grew up partly in America and partly in England, which has left her with an unidentifiable accent and a fondness for peanut butter crackers washed down with a nice cup of tea. She now lives in West Sussex, England, with her husband, daughter, two cats, and a variable number of fish. To the best of her knowledge, none of the fish are undead.
The Giveaway
Goodreads | Amazon
| Barnes & Noble
Rafael Angelos just got handed the greatest gift any teenage boy could ever dream of. Upon arriving at his new boarding school for senior year, he discovered that he is the ONLY male student. But what should have been a godsend isn't exactly heaven on Earth.
Raffi's about to learn that St. Mary's is actually a hub for demons-and that he was summoned to the school by someone expecting him to save the day. Raffi knows he's no angel-but it's pretty hard to deny that there's some higher plan at work when he wakes up one morning to discover a glowing circle around his head.
Helen Keeble's debut novel, Fang Girl, has been praised for its pitch-perfect teen voice, and VOYA called it "refreshing and reminiscent of Louise Rennison's Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series." No Angel brings you angels and demons like you've never seen them-complete with the wry humor of Vladimir Tod, sinfully irreverent romance, and some hilariously demonic teenage dilemmas.
The Author
Helen Keeble is not, and never has been, a vampire. She has however been a teenager. She grew up partly in America and partly in England, which has left her with an unidentifiable accent and a fondness for peanut butter crackers washed down with a nice cup of tea. She now lives in West Sussex, England, with her husband, daughter, two cats, and a variable number of fish. To the best of her knowledge, none of the fish are undead.The Giveaway
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