Q & A with Kay Cassidy, author of The Cinderella Society

I am SUPER excited that we have Kay Cassidy answering our questions about her upcoming book The Cinderella Society.

Here's a little about Kay:

Kay Cassidy is the author of teen fiction she wishes was based on her real life. She is the founder of the national Great Scavenger Hunt ContestTM reading program for kids and teens and the host of the inspirational Living Your FiveTM web project. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, movies, music, and reading. Lots and lots of reading. She hopes her debut YA novel, THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY (April 13, 2010 - Egmont), will help girls embrace their inner Cindy.

We hope you enjoy this Q & A and that you'll enjoy The Cinderella Society! And please stop back tomorrow (3/20) for a chance to win a copy of The Cinderella Society!

1. Can you give us a brief overview of the series as a whole? Does the series have a name?

The series is called The Cinderella Society, the same as the title of book 1. The series is about Jess's adventures in the Sisterhood and how she comes into her own as a Cindy as she battles the Wickeds. She's only discovered the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the society and the battle between the Cindys and the Wickeds is about to take a whole new direction.

2. I liked how you made Jess flawed; she has bumps along the way and she is still trying to find her way in the world, showing that life isn’t always easy. Was it a conscious choice to have Jess take the imperfect path and if so how important was it to you to show a more realistic view of how people grow and evolve?

Oh, absolutely! I think characters who are too perfect are boring and, well, pretty unrealistic. We all make mistakes along the way--raising my hand here!--and Jess is no exception. Especially since she's thrown into a world that she's really not prepared for. I give her huge props for stepping up to the plate, flaws and missteps and all.

3. If you were given a Cindy task, what would they have you do?

Organize the leader office! LOL Not that it's a disaster by any means, but I'm a huge organizing girl, so I would be all over a job like that. :-) I would also be good in a behind the scenes job like Sarah Jane's. That would be right up my alley. I love getting into nitty gritty research to figure out how to fix a problem. And the Cindys have a little problem on their hands, as you know. ;-)

4. What advice do you have for girls who are dealing with a lot of wicked chatter (negative thoughts)?

Repeat after me: "No Wicked chatter!" :-) Wicked chatter is something everyone deals with, girls and women alike. (Boys and men too!) Fortunately, it's something we can control. You are the only one putting that chatter in your head, so you also have the authority to banish it. You are too important to be swimming in Wicked chatter!

5. Will we see more of Ryan in book 2? Will he continue to grow into his “charming” status?

Oh, Ryan is absolutely a key player in book 2, CINDY ON A MISSION (coming Spring 2011). Ryan is such a great guy, but he's been dealing with things that could cause anyone to lose their way if they weren't careful. What will happen between Ryan and Jess--and Ryan and Lexy--remains to be seen. But rest assured, there will be plenty of hunky Ryan Steele to come!