Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy by Paula Berinstein Giveaway **Interview Added***

This is my stop during the blog tour for Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy by Paula Berinstein. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 18 till 31 July, you can view the complete tour schedule here.

Facebook group event
On 28 July, Paula Berinstein will do an event in the Blind Date With a Book Facebook Group. There will be giveaways, discussions and more!

Start this series for free!
You can get Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy for free at Amazon, B&N, Kobo or Smashwords!

Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy (Amanda Lester, Detective #1)
by Paula Berinstein
Genre: Mystery/ Detective/ Fantasy
Age category: Middle Grade

Blurb:
Amanda Lester wouldn’t be caught dead going into the family business. Her ancestor, Sherlock Holmes’s colleague Inspector G. Lestrade, is a twit. Nevertheless her parents refuse to see his flaws, and she’s going to a secret English school for the descendants of famous detectives whether she likes it or not.

When Amanda arrives at the dreaded school, she considers running away—until she and her new friends discover blood and weird pink substances in odd places. At first they’re not sure whether these oddities mean anything, but when Amanda’s father disappears and the cook is found dead with her head in a bag of sugar, they’re certain that crimes are taking place.

Now Amanda must embrace her destiny and uncover the truth. The only snag is that arch-villain Blixus Moriarty, a descendant of Holmes’s nemesis Professor James Moriarty, might be involved, and he doesn’t like nosy little girls interfering in his business.

You can find Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy on Goodreads

Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy is free now on all vendor sites! Grab your free copy here:
- Amazon
- Amazon Paperback
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- Smashwords

Get the box set with the first four books in this series!
Amanda Lester box set (Amanda Lester, Detective #1-4)
by Paula Berinstein
Genre: Mystery/ Detective/ Fantasy
Age category: Middle Grade/ Young Adult
Release Date: July 4, 2016

Blurb:
"Sherlock Holmes meets Nancy Drew meets Harry Potter."

This set includes all four Amanda Lester, Detective books from the first year at the Legatum Continuatum Enduring School for Detectives.

Book 1, Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy
Book 2, Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis
Book 3, Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle
Book 4, Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks' Secret

Amanda Lester wouldn’t be caught dead going into the family business. Her ancestor, Sherlock Holmes’s colleague Inspector G. Lestrade, is a twit. Nevertheless her parents refuse to see his flaws, and she’s going to a secret English school for the descendants of famous detectives whether she likes it or not.

When Amanda arrives at the dreaded school, she considers running away—until she and her new friends discover blood and weird pink substances in odd places. At first they’re not sure whether these oddities mean anything, but when Amanda’s father disappears and the cook is found dead with her head in a bag of sugar, they’re certain that crimes are taking place.

Now Amanda must embrace her destiny and uncover the truth. The only snag is that arch-villain Blixus Moriarty, a descendant of Holmes’s nemesis Professor James Moriarty, might be involved, and he doesn’t like nosy little girls interfering in his business.

Follow the exciting adventures of the girl who learned that sometimes you need to be part of something larger than yourself.

You can find Amanda Lester box set on Goodreads

You can buy the Amanda Lester box set here:
- Amazon
- Amazon UK

About the Author:
Paula Berinstein is nothing like Amanda. For one thing, she’s crazy about Sherlock Holmes. For another, she’s never wanted to be a filmmaker. In addition, compared to Amanda she’s a big chicken! And she wouldn’t mind going to a secret school at all. In fact, she’s hoping that some day she’ll get to build one.

You can find and contact Paula here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Paula's blog on Goodreads
- The Writing Show podcasts
- Newsletter


Interview

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I wrote some fiction in my twenties, but it wasn’t until my mid-forties that I realized I wanted to make writing a vocation. I had my own research business and I did a lot of work for screenwriters and novelists. After a while it dawned on me that they were having more fun than I was and I wanted to do what they did. This was in the mid-nineties, so I’ve been writing professionally for more than twenty years now. I’ve only been writing fiction for about three years though.

How long does it take you to write a book?

It depends on the book. The first Amanda book took two years to get going, meaning I was making notes during that time, then about five or six months to write once I started in earnest. That includes all the research I did (and still do). The other Amanda books have taken me maybe three months, not including the planning. The planning takes the longest, or feels like it does, anyway. All that creating something out of nothing does not go quickly.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

I write weekdays, starting at maybe 8:00 in the morning and going as long as I can. I don’t write during the evening or on the weekends anymore because I don’t have an office and it’s hard to write when someone else is around. I write best when I have the house to myself, which I do a couple of times a month. I really need an office.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I don’t know if this is exactly a quirk, but I hold conversations with myself in Word documents. I say things like, “What if I were to do such and such? Well, this would be the outcome, but that wouldn’t work because of this and that. How about this other idea? But if I do that, how do I deal with this?” Is that quirky?

How do books get published?

That’s quite a question! Let me see how concise I can be. Under the traditional method, a publisher puts up the financing and oversees the editing, production, and distribution of a book. They will do some marketing for you, but not as much as they used to. With self-publishing, the author does all that, often with the help of a self-publishing company such as CreateSpace or Lulu, which does the printing and some of the distribution for you. Large publishers now require that you go through a literary agent, who will work with you to get your book or proposal ready for submission to a publisher, negotiate your contract, etc. Some smaller publishers don’t require that an author go through an agent, but it depends on the publisher. Is that what you wanted to know?

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

The information and the ideas are largely separate. For the information I do research—more than you might think. For example, Clive Ng’s acoustic levitator, which lifts things via sound waves without touching them, really exists, or at least the phenomenon does. I’ve exaggerated it though. Also, pink sugar dust really does cause lethal explosions, and quartz and gold are often found together (that’s from the third Amanda Lester, Detective book, Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle). As far as the ideas are concerned, either they just pop into my head or I brainstorm. Sometimes it takes a long time for the right brainstorm to hit me. I do a lot of free association, which helps. I think of an idea or image and see what that calls to mind. That kind of thing.  

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

These days I read voraciously. Mostly I read mysteries, but I’ve branched out to other genres as well. I’m really enjoying Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction and of course Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander time-travel/historical fiction series. I used to sing and play the piano, do handcrafts, and play videogames, but all those have fallen by the wayside because of my reading. Except for mobile games. I love WordStreak and have gotten pretty decent at it. I’m still a disaster at Words with Friends, though. If you’d like to play either with me, I’d be delighted. Just let me know.

What does your family think of your writing?

My husband is very supportive. My mother doesn’t read my books.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

The fact that I had to become an architect! I absolutely could not write about the Legatum Continuatum Enduring School for Detectives without designing it, and I mean floor plans. Boy, was that difficult, both creatively and technically. I’m not good at using Illustrator or other drawing programs, so I drew the layouts in pencil and my husband drew them digitally. I am now facing a new prospect, though, and am looking forward to it this time. I need to design another school, and I’m not saying which one. Can’t wait!

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

Oh gosh, about fifteen, I think. I’ve written about nine nonfiction books. I’m on my sixth Amanda novel now, but only four have come out so far. Honestly, I think my favorite is Amanda Lester and the Red Spider Rumpus, which comes out in November of 2016. The reason is that a number of things the other books have been leading up to come together in this one, so it’s very exciting.

Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?

It kind of depends on where you stand at the moment, Vicky, but without knowing that, I would say read one of Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! screenwriting books and then come talk to me. It doesn’t matter whether you write novels, short stories, or screenplays. You will get so much out of those books.

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

I don’t, and I’d love to. That may be partly because my readers are tweens and young teens. It might also be because the books are still pretty new and it’s still early in the marketing process. But please, do contact me about Amanda!!!! I would love to hear from you!

Do you like to create books for adults?

I do, and I’m planning on doing a series for adults. I just don’t know what it’s going to be yet.

What do you think makes a good story?

Obstacles. But also, complex characters who want conflicting things. I also like a mix of action and dialog. Too much of one or the other makes a book dull.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

You’re going to laugh, but I wanted to be a lawyer because I loved Perry Mason. (I was a kid a looooong time ago.) Then I wanted to be an artist because I loved to draw. I tried to major in art in college, but when I couldn’t get the studio classes I needed, I switched to literature and never looked back.

What would you like my readers to know?

Writing is one of the hardest things you can ever do, but if it’s your dream, you should do it. Just be prepared to suffer. It’s worth it though.

Giveaway!
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy. Open International. These are the prizes you can win:
- One $40 Amazon gift card
- Two copies Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy (hardback edition)
- One copy Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: The Illustrated Edition (hardback)
- One Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Book 1 Audible – Unabridged, narrator Jim Dale
- One Nancy Drew videogame from Her Interactive (winner's choice).
- One surprise book, you pick the genre. Paperback only.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway