#TSOLG Paperback Palooza: Five Random Questions with Selene Castrovilla

Selene, soaking in some Summer.

To celebrate the paperback release of THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO on March 31st, I'm super excited to announce that I am hosting a reading and writing (!!) Author Palooza at the Huntington Public Library on April 19th, 2015.

Several other amazing kidlit, MG and young adult authors will be joining me for the fun and hands-on writers workshop, and I thought it would be nice to get to know them -- and me -- a little in the weeks leading up to the event. 

You may read all about the event HERE on the facebook event page, and even if you can't come to the event live, please join the event page and follow along in the fun.

So, on to the getting-to-know-them part of the festivities... 

I've asked the guest authors to share their favorite piece of writing advice (or quotes that have helped or inspired them) as well as to answer five random questions from a big list I provided. Many of their answers are quite entertaining! You'll see! 

Over the next several weeks, I will share their answers here (and may even chime in with my own answer to the occasional question in pink ...)

So, first up today, guest author and fellow Long Islander Selene Castrovilla, author of MELT, THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, SAVED BY THE MUSIC and several other books for children and teens. You can read all about Selene HERE. 

Her newest novel, MELT, a dark and edgy YA was described by Kirkus reviews as, 

You can "look inside" MELT HERE.

"A fresh, emotionally complex bildungsroman of young American love that looks long and hard at violence, and at what can overcome it.” 

I'm in the middle of MELT now and loving it, though know it's a dark and edgy story to read...  
If you want to follow Selene on Twitter you should do so @SCastrovilla and on facebook HERE.

Okay, here we go:

Selene's favorite piece of writing (and life) advice: 

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't –you're right.”  -Henry Ford

(I love that one too!)

... and, this one: 

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

-Michelangelo

Now on to Five Random Questions...

1. What's your silliest childhood memory? 

One of my silliest memories was starting a singing duo with my friend Miriam. We called it “The Scarecrow and Selene” inspired by “The Captain and Tennille.” She wore a purple straw hat we for some reason had, and I wore a flannel, flowered nightgown. We sang the songs which came on some solid gold hits of the 70's album I'd ordered from TV. Thank goodness performances were limited to my living room.

  

              - funny, I have an eerily similar one with my sister, except we were Sonny & Cher. . . you don't need to know more. 

2.  What's the grossest food you ever ate?

Frogs' legs, in France.

3. Worst job you ever had?

I was a gas station attendant. It was smelly, and I had to pump gas in the pouring rain. Also, the uniform was unflattering. I was a freshman in college, and boy was this job motivation to stay in school!I don't have any secrets. I've written about them all. Oh, maybe one: I often pretended to play the flute during band recitals, because I was afraid I would make a mistake.

4. Most embarrassing thing. . . ?

I could never do gymnastics in gym. I sucked at everything in gym, but gymnastics was the worst, because it was one person at a time and everyone was watching. Over and over I had to run up to that horse thing, and I could never make it across. Once the gym teacher kept me hanging over the edge, and pointed out my purple socks to everyone. I felt humiliated, not because he showed my socks but because of the way he was prolonging my embarrassment. It was also pretty bad when they picked teams for sports games. I was always one of the last people on the side, and the captains would sigh when they were forced to take me. I could write a book just about gym. It would be a sad book.

 - oh that would be a sad book and is a very sad tale! (*hugs teenage Selene*) And, seriously, what the eff is it about gym class...?!?

However, I will say that suck as I may have at everything else, I was a gymnast as a kid, but was HORRIBLE at team sports, and, so, was picked last for the teams too! If you slow-pitched a ball to me (then and now still) I could hit zero pitches out of ten. Possibly, negative one. p.s. Selene, you'll notice I put all your answers in purple! 

5. What's your most useless skill/ability?

I can sing the preamble to the Constitution (learned on School House Rock.)

All waiting on Summer...

So, there you have it. . . some advice and a few random things about Selene. Hope you'll check out all her books, and if you're anywhere local, you'll join us at the Huntington Public Library on April 19th for the reading, book signing and, if you're a tween or teen writer, the hands-on writers workshop with all these fabulous authors! Registration begins April 6th! And, If you haven't read THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO yet, or want to gift a copy to someone you love, please preorder a paperback copy. 

Nothing makes an author happier (or helps more!) than preorders. . .  

xox gae