The BookExpo America Authors Reading Club

Two months ago, at BookExpo America, I conducted an interview with Pat Conroy and Patrick Hennessey touching upon the books they have coming out later this year: Conroy’s My Reading Life and Hennessey’s The Junior Officers Reading Club. I was delighted by the opportunity to take part in this conversation; over the course of fifty minutes, I heard some wonderful, inspiring stories from both authors—and being on hand as Conroy, who has been connecting with readers for four decades, dispensed some powerful advice to Hennessey on the eve of his American debut (his memoir is already out in the U.K.).

I hope you enjoy watching (or listening to) this interview as much as I enjoyed participating in it. And thank you to BookExpoCast.com for sharing this event, and many other events that took place at this year’s convention, with us.

18 July 2010 | interviews |

Sarah Mlynowski & the All-True Gimme a Call Backstory

I’ve been friends with Sarah Mlynowski from the start of her writing career, when she was making the transition from Harlequin staffer to full-time novelist, so I was delighted earlier this year to see that her status in the YA market had been given a boost by a flurry of buzz over the #gimmeacall hashtag, as hundreds of readers (and authors) tweeted about what they would say to their younger selves if they could reach back in time and leave that message. Which is, as it happens, the premise of Gimme A Call, her new novel. Sarah is in the midst of a blog tour to promote the book (which you can follow through its Facebook fan page), and here she shares the honest-to-goodness truth about the story’s origins.

I have a secret.

When people ask me where the idea for Gimme a Call came from I make stuff up.

Some background: The story is about Devi Banks, a seventeen-year-old high school senior who accidentally drops her cell phone in a fountain at the mall while wishing she could change her past. After fishing it out, she discovers that the only person she can call is herself—as a high school freshman, at age 14.

“So, Sarah, how did you come up with the idea for Gimme a Call?”

“Well,” I say, smiling at the pretend-memory. “I was writing a new book. And when I say ‘writing,’ I mean staring at my ceiling, desperately trying to figure out how to fix a scene that was not working.” The writers in the audience chuckle and nod knowingly. “And I thought…if only Future Me would e-mail over the finished draft.” Ta da!

What do you think? Would you buy it? Too rehearsed?

(more…)

14 July 2010 | guest authors |