POSSUMS ARE AWESOME.

ASK: Today, I pop my head out of my writing cave for a great cause. My good friend Jen K. Blom is launching her Middle Grade book, POSSUM SUMMER, and is having an awesome World Blog Tour where I answer some questions and she answers some questions, so read on to find out secrets about both of us. For the record, I would like to say I have a lot of possums where I live and I do think they are awesome. Except sometimes their eyes freak me out. And their tails. And their little teeth. I mean, not like I ever got close up and looked right at their teeth. . .

JKB: Dude, go back to your cave. You're on a tight deadline. I can take it from here.

ASK: You mean I can't procrastinate here for a minute by writing a fake dialogue between us? Something witty?

JKB: If you really want. But that would be counterproductive. I mean, this isn't really about you.

ASK: But isn't everything about me?

JKB: *smacks Amy* Go to your cave. Write your book.

ASK: *Rubs head and slinks back to windowless cave*

Welcome to the POSSUMS ARE AWESOME blog tour for the middle-grade book, POSSUM SUMMER, coming out THIS MONTH HOLY COW! 
(Have you preordered yet?)

The fabulous, prize-winning and super all round girl A.S. King, she of the pirates and ghosts, allowed me to hijack her blog for today. (She is so awesome) And she's got a secure new fan in my P!

First off, a little about the book:

a lonely kid.

an orphaned baby possum.

a dad that says no way.

how do you keep that kind of secret?

and what happens when you’re found out?

Here we go!

ASK: When you write, do you wear shoes?

JKB: Nope!

Wait. You want more? *g* I never liked shoes. If I didn't have to, I wouldn't wear them anywhere, but it gets gross in town. So I wear them. Outside. But inside, I am a shoeless barbarian.

ASK: What was your favorite toy as a kid?

JKB: I had a cookie monster I loved more than my sister, brother, mother and father most of the time. Don't judge.

ASK: What experiences in your own life helped you write POSSUM SUMMER?

JKB: Well, my pet possum helped me, by giving me the shape of things to come. (Did you get the BSG reference?) (No?) (Oh.) And I lived on a farm, so I know the sorts of hijinks that can ensue when a rather determined girl decides to try and hide a wild animal she's decided to have as her pet.

Princess: It's the PIRATE LADY! Hi, PIRATE LADY!

JKB: P, look. You be nice here.

P: When am I not nice? I am the nicest kid you will ever see! Really! What's you like to eat, Miss King? Probably something cool, because you're the PIRATE LADY.

ASK: My favorite meal is corn pie. Toss in apple dumplings for dessert and you've got my dream meal.

P: What's corn pie? Do pirates eat it? That sounds good! You wouldn't believe the things people eat around the internet. Raw fish was the worst of it. Corn pie sounds do-able. What do you like to do as an activity, then?

ASK: I love to write. But that's too easy...so I love to do sudoku and work out. But not at the same time.

P: What. In. The. World. Is. Sudoku. *looks it up* Word games! You know, that sounds neat! My teacher says I have a problem with silent consonants. Maybe that would help! What's really intresting about you, Miss King?

ASK: My most distinguishing feature is kind of obvious. I am ten feet tall and made out of metal. So I kind of stick out in a crowd. 

P: W-O-W. Really? You're a syborg? *JKB points out it is C-yborg, not S-yborg* No? Are you a centurion from Battlestar Galactica? No? *sigh* Don't matter. You are one funny lady. I drawed you as the best animal I know:

P: You are the only person that could be a hoot owl convincingly, as Jen says. There is nobody better qualified to be one. Have you ever heard a hoot owl? They have the nicest hoot in the bottoms. Why, one night I --

**scuffle**

JKB: Thanks, man, for having me by! I appreciate it!

Jen K. Blom writes a

bout animals, the land, and kids, not necessarily in that order. Her debut, POSSUM SUMMER, is available March 2011.

Just the thing to give to a kid to start their summer of reading off right! (Available from your local indie, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, or Book Depository!)

Seen the book trailer yet?

Want more POSSUMS ARE AWESOME blog tour tidbits? Go here and knock yourself out!