Women Who Rock Wednesday: Megan Kelley Hall

Welcome to Women Who Rock Wednesday! My day to shine the spotlight on amazing women in the world in the hopes that if you haven't already discovered them, you will check out what they do. Oh and I give out prizes too :)

This week my Girlfriends Cyber Circuit sister Megan Kelley Hall is making Women Who Rock Wednesday a stop on her GCC Tour for her brand new book, The Lost Sister, the second book in her Sisters of Misery series.

The Lost Sister takes a chilling look at what happens when hazing pushes someone too far...

Sisters are born, not chosen…

Maddie Crane is grappling with the disappearance of Cordelia LeClaire, and trying to escape the grasp of The Sisters of Misery—an insidious clique of the school’s most powerful girls, whose pranks have set off a chain of horrific events, and who have Maddie in their sights…

Beware the sister betrayed…

Now in a prestigious boarding school far away from her mysterious hometown of Hawthorne, Massachusetts , Maddie feels free from danger. But when an unmarked envelope arrives at her dorm containing a single ominous tarot card, Maddie realizes with terror that some secrets won’t stay buried. Knowing she must return to Hawthorne—a town still scarred by the evil of the Salem witch trials—Maddie prepares to face the fears of her past...and the wrath of the sister she wronged.

Megan Kelley Hall, 35, freelance writer and literary publicist living North of Boston, is the author of the SISTERS OF MISERY series. Her first novel, SISTERS OF MISERY, published by Kensington in August 2008 has received rave reviews by reviewers and readers alike. Hall also has an essay about her recent open heart surgery in former CNN anchor Daryn Kagan's anthology, What’s Possible! (Meredith Books, 2008). She is also a contributor to New York Times bestselling novelist Ellen Hopkins’ anthology, Flirtin’ with the Monster.
Hall has written articles for a variety of local and national magazines, including Elle, Glamour, Boston Magazine, Parenting, American Baby, Working Mother, The Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and several other publications.

She studied creative writing at Skidmore College under the Pulitzer-Prize winning author Steven Millhauser. Megan spends most of her time promoting her clients as a partner and founder of Kelley & Hall Book Publicity and Promotion, which she opened with her mother, Gloria Kelley, and sister, Jocelyn Maeve Kelley, over a few years ago. The company has run successful campaigns for authors, including New York Time's best-selling authors Jacquelyn Mitchard (Deep End of the Ocean), Michael Palmer (The First Patient and Extreme Measures), Brunonia Barry (The Lace Reader) and Lisa Genova (Still Alice).

You can find Megan online at a number of places: megankelleyhall.com, megankelleyhall.blogspot.com, sistersofmisery.com,and twitter.com/megankelleyhall.

But the best thing about Megan (besides her writing of course) is that we share the same true love... Johnny Depp. And we only fight over him a little bit :)

And now let's get to know Megan Women Who Rock Wednesday style with an interview:

Q: Please list five songs that would be on the soundtrack to your book and explain how they relate to your story or characters.

Megan: I’m in love with a song that I heard on the mini-series Harper’s Island this summer. It’s called Letters to the Sky by Civil Twilight. Fear and Building a Mystery by Sarah McLachlan, My Skin by Natalie Merchant, The Mummer’s Dance (or anything that has that Irish pipe sound to it.)

Q: Name some of your main character's favorite musicians or bands.

Megan: Cordelia would be into Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, Fleetwood Mac, Natalie Merchant. Maddie would most likely be a fan of teen angst music – basically all the music on Grey’s Anatomy (The Fray, John Mayor, Coldplay) Finn would love Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin.

Q: Who are some of your favorite musicians or bands?

Megan: I still am a huge fan of the Lemonheads, even though they broke up years ago. I’m still holding a candle for Evan Dando. I also am anxiously awaiting the album from Adam Lambert. I’m not typically a fan of American Idol, but I was so impressed by Adam’s musical talents. I’m convinced he’s going to be a music pioneer.

Q: Even though music plays in so heavily into my storytelling, I rarely can actually listen to it while I'm writing. Can you? How does music fit into your writing process?

Megan: I listen to it when I’m revising. I also listen to it when I’m stuck with writer’s block. Listening to music (not on my iPod or my own playlists) on the radio is great because it brings up different emotions and memories and mindsets.

Q: While music is my muse, I know other writers find their muse in theater, sports, art, the great outdoors, etc. What is your main muse?

Megan: My daughter, Piper. She was born 12 weeks early and weighed only 2.5 pounds at birth. Today she’s the most active and healthy six and half year old I’ve ever known. She is unstoppable. She’s already been in a movie (she had a small cameo in Paul Blart: Mall Cop), she excels in every sport, she’s an amazing artist and storyteller, and she wants to be a rock star (which I have no doubt that she will be one day). She defied all odds and I am constantly amazed by her.

Q: I have two questions that I always ask my Women Who Rock, the first is a two-parter. What was the first album you bought and the first concert you attended? Be honest, we don't judge, we like to see the roots of our women who rock!

Megan: My first record that I bought was a Shawn Cassidy 45. My first cassette purchases (I bought three at the same time and I still remember purchasing them at Caldor) were Squeeze, U2 and Depeche Mode. And my first actual CD was Madonna. I was never a big concert go-er, but my first concert was INXS. Another memorable concert was Stone Temple Pilots in London. I got thrown into the mosh pit by accident. I saw my life flash before my eyes as I was almost trampled by a swarm of Doc Martens. Luckily, I had a very large male friend who pulled me to safety--literally reached down and picked me up over his head and carried me from the pit (thanks, Josh!). Other bands I've seen live include Nirvana, Blind Melon and Steve Miller Band. The fact that three of the lead singers of concerts I've seen have killed themselves or OD'd is not lost on me. All I have to say is please be careful, Scott Weiland and Steve Miller.

Q: Tell us about your biggest rock star moment, perhaps it's a moment of real success in your career, a time when you met someone super cool and had that Wayne's World "I'm not worthy" moment, or just a time where you felt like you got the rock star treatment. I get a huge variety of answers for the questions, so it's pretty much whatever "rock star moment" means to you!

Megan: First of all, I will never be as much of a rock star as my daughter, who really is destined to be a rock star. She's so musically inclined, it's scary. She hears a song once and can sing it in perfect pitch, without missing a note or a word. I took piano lessons for almost 15 years and I'm still not as musically motivated as Piper. She was into kids songs for all of about two years and then as soon as she could talk, she wanted to BE Avril Lavigne. She's been obsessed with Avril since she was three and she is currently getting into Pink and Kelly Clarkson. She can't stand Hannah Montana, The Jonas Brothers, or anything geared toward kids (God forbid you ever put on The Wiggles when she's around). She's six, and yet she is already a rock star in her own mind. Since she was in the movie Paul Blart:Mall Cop as a featured extra, she is confused when people ask for my signature at book signings because she is technically "the movie star" and therefore should be giving autographs. (Duh!) When we went to see the movie at the theater, she wore a tiara (one of her many) and sunglasses and brought a pen just in case anyone wanted her autograph. Almost every t-shirt she owns has some form of a glittery guitar or a "Girls Rock" slogan on it. So, I personally have not had a "rock star" moment. I've had to live vicariously through Piper, which is fine with me, since I prefer to be behind the scenes...writing.

As for Wayne's World, I'm still waiting for that super cool meeting with your boyfriend and mine, Johnny Depp. That will be my ultimate "I'm not worthy" moment. No other celebrity could ever live up to that.

Thanks for touring me, Stephanie!

Well, thanks for coming, Megan! You rock and so does Piper! I love her sense of style!

Today's Contest:

Cool chick that she is, Megan is offering up a copy of her latest book, The Lost Sister to one lucky winner. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment about Megan's interview (or how cool her kid is!). But of course you can get extra entries too....

+1 for blogging and/or tweeting about this entry

+1 for blogging and/or tweeting about Megan's new book

Just note your extra entries in your comment as well as your email address.

I'll announce the winner nextWednesday the 26th, when our guest will be filmmaker April Mosqus who will tell you about her very cool project Before We Get To Seattle.