Lila’s The Star Shack is out this month, and we’re featuring it as one of our ‘book of the month’ reads. New York based Lila took time out from her busy launch month to answer a few questions for us..

When did you know you wanted to be an author and then how did you get into writing?

I have always been an avid reader, everything from Tolstoy to Twilight, and in the back of my mind was always the fantasy that one day I would write a book.  It took me a while and some really awful stories (don’t worry, the one where I try to recreate my own, fun-if-you-lived-it but so-boring-to- read boarding school experience has died a quiet death in my computer).  But with lots of helpful critique from friends, a fabulous editor and a whole lot of rewriting, I finally do have my book!

What advice would you give to any aspiring writers?

Write what’s in your heart.  It’s easy to look at trends and think, “Oh, I should write a vampire/dystopia/urban fantasy”, and if one of those is where your passion lies, by all means, do it!  But if your passion is something more quiet and literary, or a fun romance, just go ahead and write that.  There is always a place for a good book and that’s what you get when you write from the heart.

What was the inspiration behind The Star Shack, and how long did it take you to write it?

For The Star Shack, which takes place on the beach and features star crossed lovers who are actually the causes of those stars crossing (you might have to read the book for that to make sense!), I went with things I love.  I have always been a beach girl and I live for summers on Cape Cod and Fire Island, not to mention trips I’ve taken to beachy spots like Hawaii, Cartegena, St Croix and Santa Monica.  Astrology has always been an interest and then there’s the romance, and I am all about romance!  I guess you could say I took my own advice and went with my heart!

It took me about four months to write the first draft, then another couple of months of rewriting, first on my own, then with my editor.

What star sign are you and how much do you think astrology does play a part in our lives?

I am an Aquarius which has always made me happy, perhaps because we have a song!  I think things like astrology or Tarot cards or runes are most valuable in the insight they offer us into ourselves.  I am not big with predicting the future because I like surprises, but I found getting my own astrology chart done fascinating, just because of the things it told me about myself.  One theme that came up was my stubborn streak and while of course I’d noticed that I’m stubborn, seeing how it played out with other traits helped me understand places in my life where I was creating unnecessary frustration for myself.  It was insight that helped me make changes that made me happier.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am shifting gears and working on a tween mystery and boy, is it hard!  It is taking me forever…

What do you do with your time when you’re not writing?

I love to travel and see new places, especially spots with good beaches (you saw that one coming, right?)!  I am a big baseball fan and like to go to games at Yankee Stadium, and I am also a bit of a chocolate fanatic so I spend time checking out chocolate shops. Of course there’s reading and I’m also into dancing and trying out new restaurants in my wonderful hometown of NYC.

Thanks so much for having me on your blog!!

Hope you enjoyed our Q&A. You can follow Lila on twitter here, and The Star Shack is in our shop now – enjoy!

June already?! Well that can only mean one thing – we’re onto some new books for the month.. Hope you all enjoyed last month’s – there’s been a few chats in the forum about them so we know some of your views. If you’ve read them, do go share. We’re also excited, as today we get to pick the winners of all our launch month freebies – if it’s you, we’ll be in touch soon! And our review panel will be formed this week, too – it just gets better and better…!

Anyway, this month we’ll be reading and babbling about:

The Butterfly Lion – Michael Morpurgo

A lyrical and moving tale of a young boy growing up in Africa, and his lifelong friendship with a white lion. “All my life I’ll think you you, I promise I will. I won’t ever forget you.” Bertie rescues an orphaned white lion cub from the African veld. They are inseparable until Bertie is sent to boarding school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus. Bertie swears that one day they will see one another again, but it is the butterfly lion which ensures that their friendship will never be forgotten.

Find out more about the author at www.michaelmorpurgo.com.

The Dragonfly Pool – Eva Ibbotson

Tally Hamilton is furious to hear she is being sent from London to a horrid, stuffy boarding school in the countryside. And all because of the stupid war. But Delderton Hall is a far more interesting place than Tally ever imagined, and an exciting school trip to the beautiful and luscious kingdom of Bergania whisks Tally into an unexpected adventure . . . will she be able to save her new friend, Prince Tamil, before it’s too late?

We’ve added Eva’s page to one of our favourites on Facebook, so pop along to find out more.

The Star Shack – Lila Castle

Pete and Annabelle always believed they were a perfect pair-until junior year, when Annabelle became obsessed with astrology. Now they can hardly stand each other. Pete thinks Annabelle has become a total flake; she thinks he’s an uptight jerk. To prove her point, Annabelle dares Pete to open a summer business on the boardwalk giving advice based on the stars. ”You and me and an astrology booth. I dare you.” Annabelle knows Pete can never say no to a dare. Together they’ll run the Star Shack and read visitors’ charts for romance and see what happens. Will a simple dare lead to a summer to remember or to something even more?

Out this month, this is Lila’s debut novel. We’re following her on Twitter and will be bringing you our chat with her here soon.

Hopefully there’s something for everyone there. As always, we’ll enjoy reading all 3 anyway. All of them have been added to our shop now so go grab a copy and vote in our poll to tell us all which one you’ll be reading.

Happy reading!