#TSOLG Paperback Palooza: Five Random Questions with Sarah Darer Littman

Sarah Darer Littman, 
strumming about Summer...

Less than two weeks to our Author Palooza on April 19th at the Huntington Public Library. YOU CAN CLICK THIS LINK TO REGISTER!

Several amazing MG and YA 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, over the past few weeks, I've been asking 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 and I've been sharing  their answers (and chiming in with a few of my own in pink ...)

Up today with her five random answers to Five Random Questions is guest author Sarah Darer Littman, 

author of WANT TO GO PRIVATE? 

and the forthcoming BACKLASH,  

and several other amazing novels for tweens and teens. Sarah is also a smart and eloquent journalist, and you should follow and read her everywhere possible!

You can read all about Sarah HERE. 

Before we get started with Sarah's five answers, here's a favorite writing quote of hers that helps her stay motivated and focused: 

“The main rule of the writer is never to pity your manuscript. If you see something you know is no good, throw it away and begin again. A lot of writers have failed because they have too much pity. They have already worked so much that they cannot just throw it away. But I say the wastepaper basket is the writer’s best friend.” -Isaac Bashevis Singer

Now on to Five Random Questions with Sarah Darer Littman... 

1. What's one of your silliest memories from childhood? 

My late father was involved with espionage (although we didn’t know it at the time) so we had all sorts of code words and phrases. One particularly silly one was if our Pekinese, Ming (the Merciless) had pooped on a walk, the phrase was “Mr. Brown left a parcel.”

  

              

2.  What's the dumbest thing you ever did?

There isn’t enough space on this blog to list all the dumb things I have done. It’s really amazing that *I* survived to adulthood - or, quite frankly, that I am still surviving as an adult.  But the important thing is to keep learning from your dumb mistakes.

3. Okay, we can't milk specifics there, so... what's the cruelest/funniest thing you ever did to a sibling?

I put my younger sister in my doll carriage and started pushing her down our long and graded driveway. And then, oops, I let go of the handle. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, I SWEAR! And then there was a pothole and the end of the driveway, and the carriage wheel hit the pothole and…yep, my younger sister went flying. 

But I wasn’t as bad as my older brother, who tricked my younger sister into the washing basket at the top of the stairs pretending it was a roller coaster - and then pushed her down. 

Frankly, it’s amazing my younger sister survived to adulthood. But she did - and she’s amazing and smart and funny and has two amazing smart and funny kids of her own!

4. What unique skill do you possess?

This isn’t a unique skill, but I have an extremely ANNOYING skill of having a song for every occasion, and an extremely awful tuneless voice to sing it in. This is the cross my children must bear, and they bear it with loud and frequent complaints. 

5. What did you want to be when you grew up?

The first thing I ever remember wanting to be was an airline stewardess. That’s what they were called then, because I’m old. It’s funny because now I hate flying, but I think my desire was more about the fact that I love going to new places and experiencing different cultures and meeting people who might live and think differently than I do, but looking for our common experiences. I thought about a career in the State Department when I was in college. 

In high school, I knew I wanted to be a writer but Dad said “You’ll never make a living as an English major.” 

It took me 38 years and hospitalization for a breakdown before I finally found the courage to listen to high school me and follow my dream. 

Sarah, what a brave, honest answer to share. Thank you. As for the stewardess part, me too (and me too on the ix-nay on the eyeing-flay now...) except for me, I think it was more about the outfits they wore back then. So glamorous! (I'm old too!)

So, there you have it. . . some advice and a few random things about author Sarah Darer Littman. Hope you'll check out all of her books, and if you're anywhere local, that 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 is open! 

And don't forget to order a paperback copy of THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO if you can't come to the Palooza to get a signed one!

xox gae

SUMMER turns one. . .

B&N Carle Place Long Island

Good lord but time flies.

Noting today's date for some other reason this morning,

I just realized that it's the one-year anniversary of the official release of my second novel, THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO 

which also nearly coincides with its official paperback release March 31st, 

though the paperback has already begun popping up on shelves everywhere.

It's been a wonderful book year.

I've gotten some amazing critical reviews from the likes of the New York Times Book Review (!!!), School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews, I won another Nerdy Book Club Award for best Young Adult fiction (!!! -- that's two gold statuettes on my mantle) and, most importantly, received some truly lovely and moving emails and tweets from tween and teen readers who have connected deeply with the Frankies. 

And, why YES! Boys do love THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO!

I even have more than one photo to prove it:

I've also visited with some amazing schools and book clubs both via Skype and in person and done some really awesome events where it's hard to decide the best part: the readers or the other amazing authors I have the privilege to meet and read with!   

Like reader Francesca who was super excited to read a book with a main character named after her!

Like new pal, Alan Katz, author of the Take Me Out to the Bathtub books 

and the forthcoming, The Day the Mustache Took Over...

Seriously, I love the look on his face there. . . and the admiration is mutual. . . 

and like the extraordinary Léna Roy, Wendy Corsi Staub, Barbara Dee, Nora Raleigh Baskin and many others!

... and I must say, seeing that New York Times Book Review quote on the back of the paperback is pretty darn amazing!

I'm super hopeful with the release of the paperback this week that my book will find its way into the hands of even more readers. If you have read it and loved it, I remind you again how helpful on line reviews are to an author and to keeping their book in the public eye.

As for the coming months, my calendar is chockfull of events and appearances, including my paperback release PALOOZA & writers workshop (join the page even if you can't join us in person!) and the AUTHORS UNLIMITED BOOK FESTIVAL.

I hope you'll join me when you can, and share my titles with your friends.

With gratitude,

xox

gae

#TSOLG Paperback Palooza: Five Random Questions with Henry Clark

Author Henry Clark, digging for Summer... 

pssst... notwithstanding the official 3/31 "on sale" date, the TSOLG paperback seems to be available everywhere now... so please go buy your copy, tell two friends, etc.

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 on April 29th at the Huntington Public Library.

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 at least five random questions from a big list I provided. Many of their answers are quite entertaining! You'll see! 

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

Up today, guest author and fellow Long Islander Henry Clark, author of WHAT WE FOUND IN THE SOFA AND HOW IT SAVED THE WORLD and the forthcoming 

THE BOOK THAT PROVES TIME TRAVEL HAPPENS! 

You can read all about Henry HERE.  And you can watch his recent interview with Betsy Bird of Fuse 8 HERE!

Henry's favorite piece of writing advice: 

"Write what you want to read. If you're lucky, other readers will have similar tastes."

I love that, don't you?

Now on to Five Random Questions... (p.s. between you and me, I'm doubting any of Henry's answers are true...)

1. Do you have a nickname? 

No. (After Dr. Julius No, the villain in the eponymous James Bond thriller. It's an unfortunate nickname, in that it sometimes leads to confusion when people ask me if I have a nickname.)

  

              

2.  What's the cruelest/funniest thing you ever did to a sibling?

I'm an only child, so the sibling thing never came up. I did once, however, put an imaginary whoopee cushion on the chair of my imaginary friend. I had to make the farting noise myself, though, so it sort of backfired.

3. Worst did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer. Instead, I spent thirty years working for the Nassau County Department of Parks and Rec. This has severely hampered my other goal, to become a motivational speaker.

4. Grossest thing you ever ate?

Squid in its own ink. I later felt remorse, realizing I had probably eaten a cephalopod with literary ambitions.

5. ... one thing we might see on your bucket list?

Live forever.

So, there you have it. . . some advice and a few random things about author Henry Clark you still don't actually know. No? Hope you'll check out his 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 don't forget to grab your copy of THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO. 

xox gae

#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