Author Spotlight: Tricia Rayburn

 Please Welcome:

 Tricia Rayburn author of Siren and

the Maggie Bean books.

1) Could you tell us a bit about yourself.

Tricia: Sure! I'm the author of several books for 'tweens and teens, including the Maggie Bean books, Ruby's Slippers and the Siren trilogy. I live on eastern Long Island with my husband and crazy shih tzu.

2) What was the inspiration for writing Siren?

Tricia: Siren was inspired by my somewhat recently developed fear of all creatures of the deep. Jellyfish, crabs, sharks, you name it--if lives underwater, I'm not a fan! This newfound fear made me think about what else might be lurking beneath the surface, and the idea for Siren grew from there.

3) Were there any personal experiences that went in to writing Siren?

Tricia: Yup! See above. :)

4) Was Vanessa's character based on anyone or was she a purely made up character?

Tricia: Vanessa's fears were definitely based on some of my own; like her, I don't particularly like the dark, heights, or flying. But besides that, she's a one-of-a-kind!

5) How many books do you plan on having in your Siren series?

Tricia: There are currently three books planned. The sequel will be out next summer, and the third book the summer after that.

6) What do you plan on doing in the future?

Tricia: I have lots of ideas for middle grade and young adult books, so I hope to keep working on those!

7) What are you reading right now?

I recently finished Mockingjay and am about to start The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama.

8) Who are a few of your favorite authors?

Tricia: Suzanne Collins, Sarah Dessen, John Green, Alice Hoffman, and Barbara Kingsolver.

Thanks so much for having me!

Tricia Rayburn, author of the MAGGIE BEAN books (S&S), RUBY'S SLIPPERS (S&S), and the SIREN trilogy (Egmont USA).

Visit me online at http://www.triciarayburn.blogspot.com/!

See my review of Siren HERE!