Meet the Newbies: Meghan Rogers

Welcome to today’s stop on Meet the Newbies!! Today I am excited to be hosting Meghan Rogers, the author of  Crossing the Line which releases on April 12!!

Meghan’s Yearbook Entry!

Author Most Likely to Blow Off Homework for TV

Nickname: Megz, Meggers, Chloe

First Day of School: April 12th

Homeroom: Philomel/Penguin

Grade: Spy/Thriller

Extracurricular Activities: Red Cross Club (a/k/a: Masters of Disaster), Yearbook, Track and Field (but mostly field)

Favorite Class: Independent Study

Favorite Quote/Motto: “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” – J.K. Rowling

 

My Q&A With Megan!

** This was the prompt that I gave to ALL the authors- and I will answer them myself at the end of the event 😉 **

I figured that since this is called “Meet the Newbies”, it might be fun to go ahead and actually MEET you! But when I was coming up with questions, I thought about how being an author was really just one part of the bigger picture. With that in mind, I want to ask some questions about things that make you you.

As a  Teen

What was your high school experience like?

I had a great high school experience! In fact, sometimes I look back and wonder if I’m forgetting something huge because it still seems to have been a little too good and gone a little too smoothly to be true.

High school was when I figured out that I wanted to take writing seriously. At the end of my freshman year, I decided to write a book. I spent my sophomore year brainstorming my first book, which was going to be a trilogy, and then by my junior year I was ready to write. I wrote the first draft by hand then spent my senior year typing it up and making changes. An amazing teacher agreed to take me on as an independent study student so I would have the time I needed to work. I basically lived in her room for two and a half years—before school, after school, during school (times when I was supposed to be there, but also sometimes when I wasn’t). I can’t imagine what high school would have been for me without her and her classroom. It was a second home for my friends and me.

Outside of writing, I think what I was most known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and TV in general. I discovered Buffy at the end of my eighth grade year and I quickly became obsessed. I can’t even tell you how many times I manipulated a high school assignment to be about Buffy. Seriously, I lost track. I had a shirt that said “Buffy Geek and Proud”—I was all in. I even got random messages on social media years after I graduated (from people I hadn’t spoken to since graduation) that said things like, “Hey! I was flipping through the channels and found an episode of Buffy and thought of you.” That’s how synonymous I was with this show.

Buffy opened the floodgates of TV for me. In a lot of ways, I’ve always been more of a series girl. I love to get to know characters and follow their adventures for an extended period of time. I think that’s why I took to television. When I was in high school, streaming TV online and OnDemand didn’t exist so if you missed an episode when it aired, it could be almost impossible to catch up. DVRs were just coming out, but no one had them yet. If you needed to record a show, the best option was to use the VCR (yes, VCR) to tape it. I had three VCRs in my house and between them I would record a week’s worth of shows just in case I might miss one (I also had some shows that aired at the same time, so that helped with this problem too). It was pretty common to get panicked calls or texts from friends and classmates saying, “I’m missing The O.C. Can you bring the tape tomorrow?!” I still watch a lot of TV, but not nearly as much as I did back then.

**Shannon’s sidenote: I feel you about the VCRs Meghan, like, on a spiritual level. 

If you had the chance to go back and do it again, what would you change?

This is a tough question! I have always said that there is only one thing I wish I didn’t do in high school and that’s go to my junior prom. I never really wanted to go in the first place. I wasn’t someone who liked getting dressed up, dancing, or being stuck in a room with a large number of people for an extended period of time. But it was prom and I felt like it was something I should want to do. So I pushed myself to go. And I was bored and very much done with the whole thing by the time the dinner plates were taken away. Nothing bad (or all that great) happened. It was truly and simply not my thing.

I wish I didn’t go to prom because I wish I trusted my instincts and myself more back then. But at the same, this was the event where I learned to do just that. I thought that part of my reluctance to go was rooted in being intimidated by the event (this totally happens to me). I thought I’d like it once I got there. But I didn’t. My hesitancies weren’t based in reluctance. They were my instincts telling me that this was not an experience I would enjoy. I don’t ignore those instincts any more any more. I’ll push myself to do the things that intimidate me, as long as it’s for an experience I genuinely want to have, but not for one I feel like I’m supposed to want to have.

If I had the chance to go back and do it all again, I wouldn’t put myself through prom, but since I can’t go back, I’m glad I went, if only so now I don’t second guess or doubt my gut.

As an Author

What has been the most exciting part of the process so far? The most rewarding?

I don’t think there’s a part that hadn’t been exciting! Though, I did get unexpectedly overexcited the first time I saw I had a copyright. I don’t know why. I expected to get excited by my cover and the big stuff like that, but the copyright was a small thing that took me by surprise. As far as rewarding goes, I don’t think it gets any better than hearing from readers. It’s so cool to get emails and tweets from people who have either read the book and loved it, or love the idea and can’t wait to read.

What do you wish you knew before you started this adventure?

I wish I knew how wonderful everyone would I get to work with would be. I really expected at some point along the way that someone would tell me I had to do something to my book whether I liked it or not—but no one has. There have been a lot of thoughtful notes and suggestions—which I am always inclined to take because the people I work with are good at their jobs—but no one has told me that I have to do anything. I wish I knew this sooner so I’d have had one less thing to worry about.

As an Everyday Woman

What are a few things you simply cannot get through the day without?

Strong coffee. On most days I only have one cup in the morning, but if I don’t get it (or if it’s weak) I am useless!

Shannon’s Sidenote: Yep, definitely soulmates.

Describe the absolute perfect day for you- sky’s the limit!  

I think I’ve actually already had it! The year I signed with my agent I decided that if my book sold before my birthday, I wanted to go to Disney World with my family to celebrate and that I wanted to be in Magic Kingdom on my birthday. It sold, and we went! I got to ride Peter Pan’s Flight on my birthday, which is my favorite, and after a special Mickey birthday cupcake, Elsa froze the Cinderella’s Castle for me (yes, just for me!). So basically, my perfect day is on par with that of an eight-year-old. 😉

Shannon’s Sidenote: This is EPIC. 

As a  Reader

What book has made the most impact on your life (in any way, really) and how?

The Harry Potter series. Don’t make me pick just one! I had always loved stories and reading, but I had never been truly captivated until my fifth grade teacher started reading Chamber of Secrets out loud whenever there was free time. I was quickly transfixed and I bought the series shortly after she stared the book with us in class. It was the first time I remember devouring books. It’s the series that made me really want to read continuously and independently.

Is there a book that you could read over and over again and never get tired of?

Also Harry Potter. In fact, I did read it over and over and over all through middle school. It was pretty much the only thing I read back then. There were only three books out when I had first started so every time a new one came I’d just add it to the rotation. High school was all about Buffy the Vampire Slayer for me, but middle school belonged to Harry Potter.

Thanks so much for participating!

Thanks so much for having me! 🙂

---

Book & Author Info!

Crossing the Line by Meghan Rogers
Series: The Raven Files #1
Published by Philomel Books on April 12th 2016
Pages: 368

If Jason Bourne were a teenaged girl…

Jocelyn Steely was kidnapped as a child and raised in North Korea as a spy. When her agency sends her to the U.S. to infiltrate the very group her parents once worked for, Jocelyn jumps at the chance to turn double agent and finish off her kidnappers once and for all. She convinces the head of the American spy agency to trust her, but it’s not quite as simple as that: Jocelyn has to fight the withdrawal symptoms from the drug that the North Koreans used to keep her in line, and her new fellow spies refuse to trust their former adversary. Worst of all, there might be some new information to uncover about her parents - if she even wants to find out.

This action-packed spy thriller is part Gallagher Girls, part Alex Rider, and part Bourne Identity.

Today I have two giveaways to share! The first is the tour-wide giveaway for a finished copy of ANY of these fabulous books in the event, open internationally!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The second is thanks to author Meghan Rogers, how sweet is she for giving away a finished copy of Crossing the Line!? This one is US/Canada only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

So, are you excited for Meghan’s debut? What would your superlative have been in high school?