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Leah Hoffman-Ross just moved to New York and she wants her new friends to think she’s a typical thirteen-year-old. But Leah has a secret: she doesn’t have a father, she has a donor. Before Leah was born, her mother went to Lyon’s Reproductive Services and picked Donor 730. Now Leah has a stepfather and a little brother, and her mom thinks that they should be all the family Leah needs.

Despite her attempts to fit in and be normal, Leah can’t help but feel like something is missing. When she finds the link to the Lyon’s Sibling Registry, Leah knows she has to see if she has any half-siblings. And when she discovers that one of the other kids from Donor 730 is a girl her age, Leah will do anything to meet her—even if she has to hide it from everybody else.

While writing MY SO-CALLED FAMILY, did you ever have a moment of “Oh, my gosh. I don’t know if I can do this!”?

Writing a book is really daunting – at least it is for me. And the worst part is the middle of it. The beginning comes rather easily, and the end is exciting just because I’m so close to being done, but the middle is always a struggle for me. Around chapter 7 or 8 of this book, I started to worry that I wouldn’t be able to get through it. And the feeling lasted an awfully long time. I wish it was just a moment, but I tortured myself much longer than that – weeks, months! Even now, when I hold the book in hands, I can’t believe it is real. I can’t believe I made it to the end.

Which character in MY SO-CALLED FAMILY was the easiest to write? The most difficult?

Charlie was probably the easiest character to write and I had a blast with him.  Being an older sister myself,

 it seemed very natural to give Leah a younger sibling (although she has a brother and I grew up with

a sister).  And even though Charlie is only five years old, some of the things he says came directly out

 of my friends’ mouths.  He’s very smart for his age – Leah mentions that Charlie has a genius IQ –

so I hope my friends don’t mind that I gave their lines to a kindergartener.  As for most difficult – there

wasn’t a character that was most difficult for me, there were just some scenes that were harder to write

 than others.

You’re a part of the Class of 2k8, you blog and do other types of online and in-person marketing. Do you think it’s important for authors to promote their own books?

I think so – this is my first book, so I don’t really have the experience yet to know what works and what doesn’t. But I do think it’s important to stand behind your work. And being a part of the online community has certainly introduced me to a lot of other writers, which has been invaluable. For example, I got to meet (at least in the virtual sense) the spectacular Jessica Burkhart!

Your parents divorced when you were nine. Does this affect how you write for kids or ever influence the topics you choose?

Divorce and single parenthood are recurring themes in my books – I think it’s easier for me to imagine families like that because I didn’t grow up in a house with two parents. I lived with my mom and my sister in New York, and my dad lived across the country in California. It was a very emotionally charged time. This was back when it was fairly expensive to make long distance phone calls. We didn’t have a lot of money, and in the beginning my dad would call us once a week. There was always great anticipation for Saturday mornings, when my dad would call. I remember wanting to reach through the phone. I think that’s part of the reason why I write for kids – because I remember so much about that time in my life.

The idea for MY SO-CALLED FAMILY came from a segment I watched on “The Today Show,” and I don’t think my parents’ divorce was a big influence on the book. But the narrator of my next book, POSITIVELY, has divorced parents. And my middle grade novel that comes out in 2010, SINCERELY, SOPHIE/SINCERELY, KATIE, is in part about a sixth grader whose parents decide to separate.

Tell us about your work with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

Thanks for asking me about it.  The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) is amazing!  

It was founded in 1988 by three remarkable women – Elizabeth Glaser, Susie Zeegen, and Susan DeLaurentis. 

I learned about it nearly 18 years ago, when I was 13 years old.  I read an article about Elizabeth Glaser in People Magazine.  

She was married to the actor Paul Michael Glaser.  But she was also a mother who was infected with AIDS, and she had unknowingly

passed the disease onto her two children.  After her daughter died, Elizabeth and her friends started the Foundation to try and save 

Elizabeth’s son.  I thought it was one of the most incredible and hopeful stories I had ever heard, and I began sending monthly donations

from my baby-sitting money.  

Over the years my involvement has grown – I’ve volunteered at the Foundation’s office and at

different events, got my friends and family involved, and helped organize benefits to raise money for

pediatric AIDS research.  And Elizabeth’s son, Jake, is now twenty-four years old and a very good friend

of mine.

What was the writing process like for MY SO-CALLED FAMILY?

I wrote MY SO-CALLED FAMILY while I was still practicing law, so it was basically written on the

 weekends.  I wouldn’t set my alarm clock, but as soon as I woke up in the morning, I would turn my

computer on.  I tried to finish a chapter each weekend.  

What’s next for you? Share!

I just finished going through the copy edits for my next book, POSITIVELY, which comes out September 8, 2009

– it’s about a 13 year old girl named Emerson who is living with HIV.  It was a very tough, emotional book

 to write, but I’m really proud of it.  And I’ve just started working on a new book about a girl who lives

with her mother and sister, and is transplanted from New York City to Lancaster, PA (Amish Country!)

for the summer.  

About Courtney:

Courtney Sheinmel grew up in California and New York. Her debut middle grade novel, My So-Called Family (Simon & Schuster, October 21, 2008), follows eighth grader Leah Hoffman-Ross, who has a donor instead of a father, and goes in search of her half-siblings. Courtney is also the author of Positively (September 8, 2009), and Sincerely, Sophie/Sincerely, Katie (Fall 2010). She lives in New York City.

Visit her Website and blog for more! Find My So-Called Family here!

About the book:

Benjamin and his best friend Andy love being different from the other kids. They like being able to read each other’s minds and use their telekinesis to play tricks. In fact, they are getting set to spend their entire summer doing just that when Benjamin's mirror starts talking. Suddenly, he's looking at eight weeks of summer school someplace which can only be reached by a teleporter hidden in his hallway. And the summer only gets stranger.

At school, Benjamin discovers he isn't really human but something called a telegen. It turns out the powers he always thought made him special only make him normal. But then the mysterious Emerald Tablet chooses him as its champion, and all chances of an uneventful summer (well, as uneventful as summer school on a hidden, submerged continent can be) disappear.

Where did you get the idea for The Emerald Tablet?

Bad 80s TV! Seriously :)

The idea of kids having extra sensory powers came from a show I used to watch in the early 80s called The Power of Matthew Star (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Powers_of_Matthew_Star). Matthew Star was uber-good looking, from another planet, and had awesome powers. Something about this show stuck with me—how he was a kid who acted like a normal teenager but had these extra abilities he had to hide from the general population. I wanted to have powers like that, and I think kids these days do, also.

What was your writing process for this novel?

In writing, I get out a first draft normally as fast as I can. In the case of The Emerald Tablet, the first draft took about 3 months but was followed with a couple years of revisions (interspersed with writing the next two books in the trilogy).

I relish revisions. Love them. Especially when I get awesome feedback like I received from my editor. When I get feedback about adding scenes, moving things around, and cutting, I get excited, view it as a challenge, and dig in!

What’s the best thing about being a debut author?

All my friends are so excited for me. I think there’s probably nothing like a first book. With authors who’ve written 20 books, I can’t imagine people sending them emails, telling them how excited they are. But with a first book, everyone is excited! I’m guessing more on the 20^th book it’s like:

Author: “I have a book coming out next month.”

Friend: “Another one?”

Author: “Yep.”

Friend: “Did you see the manicure I got yesterday?”

Author: Sigh.

Your bio says you’ve read Gone with the Wind seven times. What do you like so much about the book?

The clothes! I wanted to wear the big hoop skirts and talk like Scarlett O’Hara. And also, with Gone With the Wind, there was the movie. I loved seeing how things were left out of the movie that seemed important in the book. Scarlett had two other children in the book for Pete’s sake. I was astounded and fascinated to see no mention of them in the movie. I couldn’t believe they were allowed to do that!

Are you at all like your characters? If so, how?

Of course, I think there’s a part of me (or who I want to be) in all my characters. But of the five kids in The

Emerald Tablet I’m the most like Heidi Dylan. She’s this spunky girl who says what’s on her mind. She’s not the prettiest girl in the world. She’s not the best at everything. Heck, she can hardly lift a brick with telekinesis. But she can read minds like no one’s business. And in Book 3…well, you’ll just have to wait to find out :)

The cover for The Emerald Tablet is gorgeous! What was your reaction when you first saw it?

Thanks! It was like falling in love all over again. I got my cover at the beginning of the year, but it was a totally different cover. The ARC cover was gold with the earth in the middle and characters from the Lemurian alphabet around the sides. About in May my publisher told me there was going to be a different cover. I looked around on a stock photo site and saw the picture of Bangkok at night. I sent the link to the publisher, and I guess they liked it because it’s the one used on the cover of The Emerald Tablet.

Each time I see it, I love it even more! The colors are just so outstanding.

What book are you reading now?

Two currently:

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (JB Note: I still need to read this!)

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray (JB Note: I heart this series!)

What’s next for you? Spill!

The second book in The Forgotten Worlds series, The Navel of the World, is scheduled for publication in Fall 2009, and the third, The Necropolis, is scheduled for publication in Fall 2010.

I’m working on a MG urban fantasy series with an Egyptian theme and also on a YA urban fantasy more based in mythology.

P. J. Hoover grew up in Virginia visiting museums and dreaming of finding Atlantis. Prior to writing full time, PJ worked as an electrical engineer in Austin, Texas, where she lives with her husband, two children, Yorkshire terrier, and two tortoises—King Tort and Nefertorti.

More information about PJ Hoover and her books can be found at www.pjhoover.com.

Find P.J.'s blog at http://pjhoover.blogspot.com and purchase THE EMERALD TABLET here!

About THE POSSIBILITIES OF SAINTHOOD:



Antonia Lucia Labella has two secrets: at fifteen, she's still waiting

for her first kiss, and she wants to be a saint. An official one. Seem

strange? Well, to Antonia, saints are royalty, and she wants her chance

at being a princess. All her life she's kept company with these kings

and queens of small favors, knowing exactly whom to pray to on every

occasion. Unfortunately, the two events Antonia's prayed for seem

equally unlikely to happen. It's not for lack of trying. For how long

has she been hoping to gain the attention of the love of her life-- the

tall, dark, and so good-looking Andy Rotellini? Too long to mention. And

every month for the last eight years, Antonia has sent a petition to

the Vatican proposing a new patron saint and bravely offering herself

for the post. So what if she's not dead?



But as Antonia learns, in matters of the heart and sainthood, things

are about as straightforward as wound-up linguini, and sometimes you

need to recognize the signs.

THE POSSIBILITIES OF SAINTHOOD got a glowing review from Gregory Maguire (insert fan girl squee here!). What was your first thought when you read the blurb?

Um, Eeeeeee!!!!!!! OHMIGOSH, Gregory Maguire (who I adore) liked my novel! (And thanks for the accompanying squee…) I was so stunned when I saw that beautiful blurb he wrote, with all its allusions and clever references to the novel. For a couple of weeks (and still occasionally), I wandered around excitedly repeating to friends willing to humor me, “Behold! My book is apparently a rare bloom according to Gregory Maguire!”

Probably the most special part of the blurb—and this almost makes me cry thinking about it even now—was the end which says, “Let us rejoice and be glad.” I assume he is alluding to a popular church hymn (and keep meaning to write and ask him but am afraid of sounding cheesy) called “This is the day,” which repeats that bit of the blurb many times in the lyrics. The reason it makes me all teary is because my mother used to sing that hymn all the time when I was growing up and when she was cooking in the kitchen. I can hear her voice clear as a bell when I read that lyric. THE POSSIBILITIES OF SAINTHOOD is dedicated in memory of my mother, so it was almost eery wonderful to have his blurb end that way.

What qualities of Antonia do you see in yourself? What does she possess that you don’t and wish you did?

Antonia is boy crazy and I was so boy crazy when I was in high school! She is also very invested in the relationships in her life—be they with family or her best friend or her potential loves, even if some of those people drive her crazy sometimes. That’s very Italian of her and, as a fellow Italian, I love my friends and family dearly and surely drive them mad because of this occasionally.

We are both very passionate about life—which can lead to good things but also tricky situations. (And for those of you who have read the story—EVERYONE keeps asking me if this one particular scene, probably the most ridiculous one I wrote, is autobiographical. NO!!! It isn’t! I can’t believe people keep asking me about it—you’d/you’ll know if you read the book—everybody brings it up after they finish. I SWEAR it is complete and utter fiction. Totally made up. Really.)

(JB note: I did read it and LOVED IT! I can't wait for the sequel!!)

What I wish I had that Antonia does is this unbridled optimism—she reaches for living sainthood which is really an impossible, even a ridiculous quest—and she goes after it with so much energy, so much persistence. I wish I was that diligent. She also works so hard—at school, at her family’s Italian market, helping her Ma and Gram keep things together. Antonia’s a bit of a rock in her Italian immigrant family and sometimes I wish I had more of that steadiness.

In addition to being a novelist, you’re also a freelance writer. Did your freelance background help you on your path to publication for THE POSSIBILITIES OF SAINTHOOD?

You know, the funny thing is, I assumed that all the freelance writing I do for different newspapers, magazines, blogs, and book review publications would be a huge factor in whether or not a house would want to buy my novel. In the adult nonfiction world, it’s all about who you’ve written for, what kinds of pieces (op-eds? features?), how those contacts will help get the word out about your book.

Turns out: it doesn’t matter at all! I mean, I think my editor finds it interesting that I do all this freelance, but all anyone cares about with novels is the actual novel (shocking, I know). Is it good or not? Period. That scared me to death. I couldn’t believe somebody actually wanted my story for my story’s sake alone and not for what’s on my CV. It’s refreshing really, now that I got past my debut!

You’re an assistant professor of religion at Boston University. How do you juggle teaching, writing and all of your other activities?

Um, with great difficulty. I wish I was better at juggling! My friends and just about everyone else who has ever written me an email knows that I am very slow to respond. And sometimes I wish I would simplify my life (or that, I don’t know, Oprah would come and show me how I can simplify it). But then, I love everything I do! I love being a professor, teaching, writing in so many different genres, and speaking to different groups and audiences. I feel lucky to have so many opportunities.

And then, sometimes I just feel really tired and watch hours and hours, I mean, we are talking marathon hours of television. Anything with vampires. Entire seasons of Buffy. I have so much guilty pleasure TV it’s embarrassing. (I’m not sure it helps with the juggling, but I sure do love watching!)

What was the easiest thing about writing THE POSSIBILITIES OF SAINTHOOD? The hardest?

Capturing Antonia’s voice was by far the easiest part, and the most exciting. The strength of her voice in my mind was what compelled me to write the story in the first place. I’ve jokingly started conversations with other writers that go something like... “So…is it just me or do you hear the voices of your characters, too?” only to find out that I am in good company on that front—lots of fiction authors talk about how they can hear their characters talking away. I loved how strong Antonia’s voice was when I was writing since it made working on the first draft so much fun.

The hardest part was definitely the revising and editing process. I love the experience of a story just pouring out on the page during that first draft, but I find the second and third (and fourth and fifth!) drafts really grueling even though they are so important. Lucky me I have a dream editor, Frances Foster at FSG. She’s kinda my heroine.

What was the most surprising thing you learned about being a debut author?

That there are so many other debut novelists and it’s such a welcoming world. I love meeting all these other writers (like you Jessica :)) who are coming out with their first novels. Everyone is so supportive. I’ve made lots of new friends.

If you could speak to a roomful of aspiring writers who want to freelance and write novels, what advice would you give them?

Well, it would be two different types of advice.

For freelance—to start small and be committed to whatever publication that gives you your first break. Once you have your foot in the door it always leads to other opportunities. At first you say yes to everything, and then suddenly you find yourself with more work that you can handle.

For novels…wow. I’m new at it myself so it’s strange to think of being in a position to give advice. The only thing I can say is finish the story first. Then you know you can do it. You may not publish your first novel (I mean, I didn’t—I have all sorts of other stuff I’d tried sitting on my laptop), but if you truly love writing and keep at it, something will come…

What’s next for you? Give us the scoop!

A sequel to THE POSSIBILITIES OF SAINTHOOD is next! (I think…unless FSG switches it with my “other next” novel.) The second book is called THE PATRON SAINT OF KISSING. The third novel I have with FSG—which I’m not ready to talk about in terms of specific content—is so dark compared to Antonia’s story. I’m a little nervous to have written something that is such a departure from the upbeat humor of POSSIBIITIES. But maybe (hopefully!) people will like it anyway…

Thank you so much, Jessica, for having me as a guest on your blog! These were great, fun questions. I had a blast answering them.

About Donna:



DONNA FREITAS is a professor at Boston University and the author of

Killing the Imposter God: Phillip Pullman's Spiritual Imagination in 

His Dark Materials and Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, 

Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on America's College Campuses. She

also contributes to a variety of newspapers and magazines, including

The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and

Beliefnet. She loves to write, is very Italian, and enjoys splitting

her time between Boston and New York City.



Find Donna online at www.donnafreitas.com.



Order her book here!