Thursday, August 15, 2013

Interview with Angelina/Ace Hansen



So who is this little green guy? Well, I have it on good authority that this is Ace Hansen, and Ace has a funny MG novel out from MuseItUp Publishing called Julius Caesar Brown and the Green Gas Mystery! Yes, as you may surmise, Ace does have an alter-ego, and she is Angelina Hansen of the blog yascribe.
 
MH: First of all, Angelina (or should I say Ace?:)) congratulations on the release of your book. Humorous MG mystery written by an alien is quite different from your literary historical YA that I've had the pleasure of reading. Is this a new direction for you, or do you naturally have a wide range?
 
AH: I'm a neophiliac, which means I'm addicted to change, which means every project is completely unlike the last.

MH: So you DO have a wide range. Awesome! Do you view your MG writing as quite different from your YA writing, in general? How do you see Angelina's work vs. Ace's work?

AH: Most wouldn't believe the same person wrote both my YA and MG. That's why I use a pseudonym for the MG. Angelina's work is serious, bent toward the literary. Ace's work is outrageously funny.

MH: What was your inspiration for this story?

AH: A breath-mint commercial.

MH: LOL! A story's initial spark can be such a surprise, can't it? All it has to do is get our "what if?" thoughts working and we can go off in any direction! Is the book based on your childhood memories of being surrounded by boys? Did you set out to write a boy-friendly book?

AH:  Not really, but being surrounded by boys sure did give me a wacky sense of humor. I wrote this book for fun. Along the way, I discovered there's an 11-year-old boy inside of me.

MH: How long did the book take you to write? Was there a difference in this from your more literary (and more researched) work?

AH: This book was the fastest I ever wrote. Three months to draft it and there wasn't a whole lot of major revision to do.

MH: I'd love to know how JCB got his name. What significance does his name have? What impact on him?

AH: I'll let Julius explain it in his own words, taken as an excerpt from the first chapter:

Parents should think before naming their kids.

Before I was born, my parents got married and spent their honeymoon in this Italian city called Rome. Mom loved the story of how she stood in that giant stadium, the Coliseum, and decided if she ever had sons, she'd name them after those dead Roman ruler dudes, the Caesars. A year later, her first little Caesar arrived. Me. Julius Caesar Brown.

I stuffed my test into my backpack and waited for the bell to ring, cursing my mother. Why couldn't she have just named me John or David or Mike? 

MH: I've always thought parents should think before naming their kids, so he's got my sympathy. :) Ace/Angelina, where can readers get Julius Caesar Brown and the Green Gas Mystery?

AH: From the publisher, MuseItUp Publishing. The ebook is available as of July 12, 2013. The print book will be available before December 2013. It is also available on amazon.

MH: Can you give us any hints on WIPs?

AH: A time travel set in the Southwest. ^_^

MH: Will JCB solve more mysteries?

AH: He might! 

Congratulations again, Angelina/Ace, and I'm sure MGers looking for uproarious, kid-friendly stories will thank you! 

17 comments:

Andrea Mack said...

Thanks for the interview! This sounds like a fun story!

Unknown said...

This book sounds like a blast! Can't wait to read it...and then let my kids read it. :)

Vijaya said...

That was a great interview, Marcia and Ace/Angelina. I'm chuckling over very feminine, very beautiful Angelina with a little boy inside her. Ace has a great voice!

Congratulations!!!

Marcia said...

Andrea -- Yes, sometimes you've just got to let go and have fun, don't you?

Louise -- I hope you all enjoy it!

Vijaya -- Yes, Ace's voice really brings him to life, doesn't it? Discovering that we and others are multidimensional is always a treat.

Janet Johnson said...

Sounds like a fun book! And I love that Angelina has such diverse writing. Good for her. Wishing her lots of success as Ace. :)

Unknown said...

Thanks all of you for stopping by and sharing your encouraging comments. Ace gives you all great big sloppy green kisses!

Jaye Robin Brown said...

Ace and Julius are waiting on my Kindle app to read! Maybe I'll have some time here soon!

I like Vijaya's comment. As a beta reader for one of Angelina's YA novels, it is very cool to know how versatile she is!

Leandra Wallace said...

That little alien just looks like a whole lot of trouble! =)

Mirka Breen said...

Great to see Angelina here, Marcia. Her green guy is goofy grand! I wish them both much success.

Emily R. King said...

A commercial? Awesome! Sounds like a fun book!

cleemckenzie said...

The little green guy is a hoot!

Ruth Schiffmann said...

Great interview. Sounds like a fun read!

Marcia said...

Janet -- Yes! Diversity!

Angelina -- xx :)

Jaye -- Enjoy!

Leandra -- He does, doesn't he? But in a lovable, innocent sort of way. :)

Mirka -- I think the creation of Ace as the author, complete with author photo, is so cool. I don't know that I'd have thought of that!

Emily -- It very much does.

Lee -- Yep, it's hard to see him and not laugh.

Ruth -- Thanks!

Kelly Hashway said...

Fun interview. I've seen this book around a lot lately.

Anonymous said...

I have this book. It looked so fun I had to get it. Great interview.

Bish Denham said...

That sounds wonderfully fun! Congratulations Ace/Angelina.

Marcia said...

Kelly -- I think Ace is pretty memorable. :)

Medeia -- Hope you enjoy it!

Bish -- It's bound to be fun for lots of kids.