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Currently I'm reading The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. Check out that cover. Exquisite. A beautiful cover for a beautiful book. 
 Jandy's book is available now, but I was lucky enough to snag an ARC at ALA Midwinter. The only reason I haven't finished it yet is that I had to leave it behind when I was honeymooning - I knew that I'd tear through it too quickly to make it worth the added weight in my suitcase. 

Now that I'm back, though, I'm burning through the pages in record time. Jandy's novel is a book about grief that brims with life, that takes a dark, despairing event and infuses it with color and feeling. I was blown away by the writing when I first heard Jandy read from her manuscript while we were still at school, and the novel does not disappoint. When waxing rhapsodic about it on Facebook one afternoon, I struck up a deal with another fellow alumn: I'd send the ARC to her when I was finished (it's coming, Em!), and it would become the VCFA version of the Traveling Pants.

Jandy's book has earned a lot of (well-deserved) buzz, and the enthusiasm she has found from her VCFA colleagues is as inspiring, to me, as her book itself is. I often find that as I writer, it's easy to spend one's time comparing your own "success" to that of other writers, feeling inadequate, or, at worst, worrying that writing is a zero-sum game; that one person's success is directly linked to another's. We are, after all, for the most part, an emotional internal bunch, we writers. 

No? Just me, then? Okay.
Regardless, what I perhaps appreciate most about my decision to pursue my MFA degree is the nurturing--and inspiring--community that I've discovered at VCFA. I am, in fact, the type of writer who believes in the power of objects, locations, routines. I like to write in the same quiet corner of my apartment, and when I arrive somewhere new, the first thing I do (no lie) is scope it out for a proper writing space. I've cobbled together workspaces in the most unlikely of far-flung locations. 

Vermont, though, is one enormous work space, one vast font of inspiration. It was for that reason that I decided to register for alumn Sarah Aronson and Cindy Faughnan's Seventh Annual Novel Writing Retreat this past weekend. 

*Note: I am a solitary person, particularly when in writing mode. Though I can be outgoing at parties and work functions, most of these events are contained, known quantities that are (mostly) on my own terms. I am *not* someone who bonds instantly with others, who can spend hours swapping pages and chit-chatting away like a rediscovered sleepaway camper. 
I am, in short, the least likely candidate for a low-residency MFA program, much less a weekend "writer's retreat." 

Why did I go, then? 
I went to VCFA because I wanted an MFA. Plain and simple. It was a personal goal thing, and it dovetailed nicely with the flexible schedule that fell into my lap when I decided to write full-time. I'll be honest: I wasn't much concerned with the externalities of the program - the residencies, I felt, were a necessary evil. Ten days of living, sleeping, eating, breathing, studying, and who knew what else with a cluster of strangers all bursting with camaraderie? 
Well, I'd deal. 

It's not that I am shy, per se, but more that I am the type who really needs to get the lay of the land before I can jump in. And so I did. I'm certain fellow classmates found me unf

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From the desk of author Jamie Ponti:

In one twenty-four hour period, I submitted the manuscript for Sea of Love, which will come out from Simon Pulse this December, my new book Prama was released in bookstores, and I got my first interview with Little Willow. That's pretty heady stuff for a guy who only got a 3 on the AP English test. I have dubbed it the YA Triple Play.

. . . and now, the interview, filled with references to Sea World, Shelby Woo, and serendipity.

The title of Prama makes me smile because I enjoy witty wordplay. Did you attend your high school prom?

I too enjoy witty wordplay and wish that I had come up with the title. I got it from my editor and I think she got it from her husband. I went to prom my junior and senior years. Both times I went with a friend and ended up having a good but not particularly memorable night. The main storyline in Prama was inspired by a formal I attended in college. It was the 80's and the theme was Moonlighting. I was set up on a blind date with a girl named Denise who had just broken up with her boyfriend. I agreed to go, but then considered backing out when I found out how much the tux rental was. It was college and $75 was a whole lot of money. My friend Eric was with me at the time and said, "But what if she's the one?" That, of course, made it impossible for me to back out.

Eric turned out to be something of an oracle, because I went, had a great time, and, this November, Denise and I will be celebrating our 19th wedding anniversary. It also created good karma for Eric who subsequently met his wife on a blind date. His wife is the actress Ming Na, so that's really good karma.

Wow! Congratulations! Which of the Prama characters would you most like to befriend?

I would love to know Rachel Buchanan. In the book, she is the editor of the school paper who did not plan on attending prom because she recently came to the realization that she was gay. But, much to her amazement, she is selected to prom court and feels like she should go. I like that the character is gay, but not in an After School Special kind of way. Her storyline is not about her sexuality; it is a universal teen story about self-identity and fitting in.

(This was something I liked about writing for the Mystery Files of Shelby Woo on Nickelodeon. Shelby was Chinese, but the show wasn't about a Chinese girl, it was just about a teenaged girl.)

So many of my friends and co-workers are gay, and it breaks my heart when they talk about the added difficulties they faced in high school. Their sexuality doesn't define them as adults and I'm sure it didn't as teenagers. But I'm also sure that, at times, it felt like it did. I wanted to write a character that they would recognize and, hopefully, one that gay teens might positively identify with. Likewise, I didn't want Rachel's sexuality to define her. I would love to know her because her personality is the one that is most in line with my own, only she is so much cooler than I ever was.

Animal Attraction was, in part, inspired by your past employment at Sea World. How long did you work there? What was the best part of your job?

My first ever real job was working at Sea World the summer after high school graduation. I worked at the Snack Encounter (next to the Shark Encounter) where I sold nachos and soft drinks. Despite the participation of Shamu, it was not what you'd call a whale of a job. Animal Attraction was actually much more inspired by the three summers I spent working at Walt Disney World. I worked in Frontierland where I dressed up like Davy Crockett and told jokes from the front of a 1,600 pound concrete/fiberglass canoe. It was a blast! I made great friends, got to flirt with girls from around the country and learned a lot about writing comedy.

During my three summers, I went around the Rivers of America and did my spiel over a thousand times - telling basically the same set of jokes each time. To keep from going crazy, I re-wrote them, added new ones, moved the punch lines around and tried different set ups. And, since I had a built in audience literally waiting in line, I was able to find out right away what worked and what didn't. I was also able to develop a conversational tone that I found made the jokes work much better than the Fozzie Bear here comes a punch line approach. That said, Fozzie is still one of my major influences. That conversational tone is the same one I write with today.

Somewhere between working at amusement parks and gracing the bookshelves, you traveled on Jojo's Circus, relived Clifford's Puppy Days, and wrote for The Mickey Mouse Show, The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, and The History Channel. What led you to television?

It was never my intention to write books at all. I was not a good reader growing up and didn't think I could read an entire book much less write one. I loved movies and TV and went straight from high school to the screenwriting program at USC. Atlantic Beach, Florida to South Central Los Angeles was quite the instant adjustment. I loved it and thought I would make a go at writing movies. Unfortunately, I graduated during a writer's strike. There was no work to be had and my loans were quickly coming due. I couldn't find work in LA and wound up coming back to Florida, where I co-wrote a screenplay that got optioned by Tri-Star. The movie never got made, but it opened up the doors for some TV work and I found that I was suited for television. Here's the secret: In television, the writers have more of a say, which makes it more fun.

The Mickey Mouse Club taped at Disney MGM so that was a natural and then Shelby Woo came through locally with Nickelodeon. Suddenly, I was a children's television writer. Much of the children's TV on the East Coast is animation, so I became a children's animation writer too. Friends go from show to show and bring their friends along. It's a really small writing community out here. Unfortunately, most of the TV work has left Florida, but I'm really not interested in moving anywhere else.

Are you still writing scripts and screenplays?

Not really. I think I've only written one screenplay since the one that got optioned to start my career. I get my TV production fix by working as a producer at the Golf Channel and really enjoy that. (Odd, when you consider I don't play golf.) For the last couple years, the writing I have focused on has been fiction writing. I think it is incredibly fun and I think it's well suited for my lifestyle.

How did you make the transition from television to books?

When I was writing for The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, I asked our network executive to see if the editors doing the Shelby books would consider using me. He laughed and told me something along the lines of they get real writers to do that. I persisted and eventually they said they'd look at a couple of chapters and an outline. I sent my sample to the lovely Julie Komorn at Simon and Schuster. Not only did she like it, we became really good friends. Unfortunately, she left publishing soon after but she has really been the one throughout who has put me in touch with people. I ended up writing three Shelby books and another for Allen Strange.

(A quick note about Shelby Woo: Woo hoo to Adam Busch!)

What or who encouraged you to write original novels?

A couple of years ago, Nickelodeon completely pulled out of Florida and I thought that I might just be at the end of my writing career. It was November, so I knew no one would be hiring before the start of the new year and I needed something to do so that when my wife and kids came home they didn't find me playing PlayStation. I decided to write Animal Attraction - which I originally called My Life as a Giant Beaver - about a girl whose summer job is to dress up like a giant beaver in a theme park. I wrote the first four chapters, put them in the mail, and celebrated Christmas with my family. In January, I got a call that they wanted me to write the book and I was a writer again.

Why publish as Jamie, rather than James? Was it your choice or the suggestion of an editor/publisher?

The thinking is that girls read much more than boys and are more likely to want a book written by a woman. This is especially true of the Ro-Coms, so my editor suggested I find something different than James. I didn't really want to come up with some ridiculous femme nom-de-plume like Veronica Kensington, so I went for Jamie because I thought it sounded kind of young and could be a woman's name or short for James. I also am a big fan of the movie Love, Actually and in the movie Colin Firth plays a writer named Jamie, so I thought, why not?

I try to have fun with it, especially in the About the Author blurbs. As I mentioned, the main storyline of Prama was inspired by my first date with my wife. With that in mind, I wrote about that in the About the Author and included the first photo ever taken of us. In it I'm wearing the $75 tux. But, since both of us are in the picture, I think most people will assume that she is Jamie and not me.

Your next Simon Pulse romantic comedy comes out in December. Who is sailing on Sea of Love?

Sea of Love is about a girl who had the great Upper East Side life only to have her father suffer a mid-life crisis, quit his job and use all the family money to buy a rundown hotel on a Florida beach. The story follows her during the six weeks from a New Year's Eve she spends all alone hiding out on the roof of the hotel to a Valentine's Day that is memorable to say the least.

What are your ten all-time favorite books?

Remember the part when I said I wasn't a good reader as a kid? It comes back to haunt me here. I did not read enough and I have never been able to catch up. To further complicate matters, I have trouble reading fiction while I'm writing and wind up reading a lot more non-fiction. I don't know if all of these are favorites, but they're all ones I'd gladly recommend.

Tourist Season by Carl Hiaasen - His books are unbelievably hilarious.

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe - I think he redefined non-fiction writing. As for his fiction, I'm a big fan of A Man in Full.

Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman - the all-time best explanation of Hollywood by a top screenwriter/novelist.

Encyclopedia Brown Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol - Okay, it's not a novel, but this is the book that hooked me on writing. My all time favorite memories of elementary school involve the Scholastic book orders coming in and my teacher handing me my newest Encyclopedia Brown book.

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg - Another kids book and probably my all-time favorite for sentimental reasons.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - It is beyond wonderful.

All the President's Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward - Watergate confused me while it was happening and as a ten year old I tried to check it out of the library. They wouldn't let me, but when I finally did get to read it ,it changed everything for me.

Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon - I am envious of his vocabulary.

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck - For me he is the quintessential American author. I could cheat and say Grapes of Wrath, but the truth is I never finished it.

Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand - I got stuck with it on a business trip and fell in love.

Just for the fun of it, here are my top 10 movies. I'm much better versed in film history and can provide a more compelling list.

All the President's Men
The Godfather (Parts I and II)
Some Like it Hot
Raising Arizona
The Bicycle Thieves
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Casablanca
Notorious
The 400 Blows
The Philadelphia Story

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March 14th through March 27th, Simon & Schuster is holding a Blogfest featuring a hundred Simon Pulse authors. According to the publisher, readers will be able to submit questions for the authors in advance. (I assume this will happen through the site, though interactive options aren't available there just yet.) S&S will then pick questions from that overflowing pool and post the authors' responses each day of the event.

Bookmark it now: http://www.pulseblogfest.com/

I was incredibly pleased that mediabistro/GalleyCat noted that this new event was inspired by the success of the 31 Flavorite Authors event held last October by readergirlz and YALSA. Thank you.

The authors scheduled to take part in Blogfest: Kim Antieau, Marc Aronson, Avi, Lauren Baratz-Logsted, Lauren Barnholdt, Hilari Bell, Phi Bildner, Franny Billingsley, Holly Black, Jennifer Bradbury, Kate Brian, Linda Buckley-Archer, Marina Budhos, Christian Burch, Deb Caletti, Janet Lee Carey, Cassandra Clare, Rachel Cohn, Rhody Cohon, Susan Cooper, Melissa de la Cruz, Stacia Deutsch, Allison van Diepen, Frances Dowell, Erin Downing, Sharon M. Draper, Kathleen Benner Duble, Kathleen Duey, Clare B. Dunkle, Jennifer Echols, Thomas Fahy, Susan Fletcher, E.R. Frank, Lorie Ann Grover, Randi Hacker , Margaret Peterson Haddix, Pete Hautman, Julie Hearn, Nancy Holder, Ellen Hopkins, James Howe, Jeffry W. Johnston, Cynthia Kadohata, Ronald Kidd, Annette Curtis Klause , Chris Krovatin, Nancy Krulik, Evan Kuhlman, Dakota Lane, Hope Larson, Richard Lewis, Julie Linker, Greg Logsted, D. Anne Love, Whitney Lyles, D.J. MacHale, Eric Marcus, Amanda Marrone, Kelly McClymer, Lisa McMann, Kai Meyer, Sarah Miller, Annabel Monaghan, Kate Morgenroth, Sarah Mussi, Donna Jo Napoli, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Ken Oppel, James A. Owen, Bronwen Pardes, Staton Rabin, Randi Reisfeld, Ashley Rhodes-Courter, Paul Ruditis, Alex Sanchez, Elizabeth Scott, Gloria Skurzynski, Brian Sloan, Tom Sniegoski, Sonya Sones, Todd Strasser, Wendy Toliver, Roderick Townley, Kristen Tracy, Adrienne Maria Vrettos, Judy Waite, Robin Wasserman, Scott Westerfeld, Matt Whyman, Elisabeth Wolfe, Bil Wright, Janet Ruth Young

The Blogfest website asks those with questions to contact [email protected]

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Colleen of Chasing Ray asked bloggers to name some books they are looking forward to reading this year. I have my eyes set on many forthcoming releases. Here are some highlights, including some titles I was fortunate enough to read in advance and others I can't wait to read:

January 2008
Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley - Recovery and self-discovery. (Read my review.)
I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder - This verse novel, Schroeder's debut, sounds literally haunting.
The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher - Growing up doesn't have to mean growing apart. (Read my review.)

February 2008
Crimes of the Sarahs by Kristen Tracy - Sure to be as quirky-funny as her previous novel Lost It.
The Squad: Perfect Cover and The Squad: Killer Spirit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - Spy cheerleaders = bring it on!

March 2008
42 Miles by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer - I adored her 2006 release Reaching for Sun.
The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti - I was truly fortunate to read this early. (Read my review.)
A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian - I read it, loved it, and passed it to one of my most discerning teen customers. We talked about it for a good half hour today. I think it's safe to say she loved it too.

April 2008
Feathered by Laura Kasischke - Utterly captivating and engrossing. I want to put this in the hands of adults and teens alike. (Read my review.)
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen - I have enjoyed all of Dessen's novels to date.
Wish You Were Here by Catherine Clark - An unexpected and unusual road trip. (Read my review.)
Zibby Payne & the Party Problem and Zibby Payne & the Trio Trouble by Alison Bell - The third and fourth books about a headstrong sixth grader that would become fast friendswith Ramona Quimby. (Read my reviews.)

May 2008
How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt - A solid story that will hopefully move others into action.
A Kiss Before the Apocalypse by Thomas E. Sniegoski - Tom's first solo adult novel!
Mind the Gap: A Novel of the Hidden Cities by
Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon - It's like Neverwhere, but with Golden touches and Tim trimmings.
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson - A family tries to keep up a hotel that's been passed down through the generations. This book has burnt food, fresh bagels, unicyclists, Hamlet, a former actress, and shiny things. What more could you want?
What Happens Here by Tara Altebrando - Perfect title for a story set in Vegas.

June 2008
A La Carte by Tanita S. Davis - I'm so excited for Tanita, I could burst.
Almost Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - I've been reading this series for decades.
House of Dance by Beth Kephart - I am a dancer. I am drawn towards books about dancers.

July 2008
Poison Ink by Christopher Golden - A new Golden thriller means a new chance to introduce him to teen and adult readers.

August 2008
The Brimstone Network by Tom Sniegoski - The start of a juvenile action-adventure/fantasy series.

September 2008
living dead girl by Elizabeth Scott - I've read two of Scott's novels and am anxious for more. She has three coming out this year: Perfect You comes out in March, Stealing Heaven in May, then ldg. The title has me, and you can thank Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel for that.

October 2008
My So-Called Family by Courtney Sheinmel - Debut novel for middle schoolers.

November 2008
Dog and Bear: Two's Company by Laura Vaccaro Seeger - This is the second book about these fun friends. The first book, simply titled Dog and Bear, had three adorable stories, one of which was meta-fiction. That's right - META-FICTION in a picture book! Loved it!

December 2008
I So Don't Do Mysteries by Barrie Summy - Mysteries and ghosts and rhinos, oh my!

For more titles, check out my entire list of books to read.

Blogs participating in today's highly anticipated round-up include:
Bildungsroman
Chasing Ray
Finding Wonderland
Fuse #8
The YA YA YAs

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Micol Ostow is a writer, a student, a runner, a dog owner, a Scrabble enthusiast, and a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Yes, you read that correctly. Now read the interview to find out how she manages to juggle it all.

You drew upon your Puerto Rican and Jewish heritage to write Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa. Tell us more about the story, and what else you and Emily have in common.

That's a good question! I think that because Emily and I share similar cultural backgrounds, people expect the story to be much more autobiographical than it actually is. Like Emily, I was raised Jewish (my mother converted before she married my father), but I have more contact with my Catholic family than Emily does. My mother's mother passed away a few years ago, and while it was very traumatic and emotional for all of us, as a catalyst, it sort of functioned exactly the opposite of Emily's grandmother's death.

When Emily's grandmother dies, Emily feels a sharp disconnect from her mother's family. When my grandmother was dying, though, our family came from all over (Florida, New York, Puerto Rico, and more) to be with her, and I was truly shocked to see how easily we banded together, despite the fact that some of us had never even met before! So that was very inspiring and comforting, and I think it's an experience that Emily finally comes to by the book's end, but maybe my road was a little more smoothly paved than hers, despite the sad events that set everything in motion.

You contributed a short story entitled First Last Kiss to the anthology First Kiss (Then Tell), which comes out in December. Is it fully autobiographical?

Not at all! Well, maybe a little bit. I definitely drew on the experience of that heartbreaking last kiss with a boyfriend or a crush, which of course, you never know is the going to be the last kiss at the time. Then afterwards, when you're replaying it, you torture yourself with a billion different scenarios of how much more dramatic and important and final you would have been, if only you'd known it was going to be your last chance or last memory.

But I'll leave it to you to identify the places wherein I took some poetic license. ;)

You have ghostwritten many titles. Would you encourage hopeful writers to accept ghostwriting opportunities or to pursue their own original fiction?

Ghostwriting has been very good to me! My first freelance gig was a novelization for the tv tie-in series "American Dreams," and it was a crash course in how to maintain some semblance of creativity when you're literally working straight from a script. Not to mention, the deadlines for mass-market series are brutal! As a former editor, as well, I can speak to the fact that series writing presents the additional challenge of requiring the writer to adhere to a series voice or style. That can be difficult even for the most talented of writers.

Writing for series -- whether it was "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," "Charmed," or "Trollz," has been a fun way to keep my writing skills sharp in between original projects. Not to mention, it's nice to do something productive with my insane pop-culture knowledge!

According to your bio, you are "half student, half writer, half chocolate, half peanut butter." Does this make you a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup?

Exactly. Although I am on a white-chocolate Reese's kick these days.

In all seriousness, how much of your writing and your studies overlap?

I think the only time that they don't directly overlap is when I have a grad school "packet" (monthly chunk of work) due. That's when I hunker down into deadline mode -- no outside contact, no clothing with zippers or buttons, no food or drink that isn't caffeinated. But all of the work that I do at Vermont (Vermont College of the Fine Arts) intersects with my interests and my craft, and my advisers have been kind enough to work with me on some of the projects I have under contract. So I've got some great feedback from some very keen minds going into the work that I've been publishing lately. And the very best thing about grad school is how much I get to READ. As an editor, you're always drowning in manuscripts. But for school, I'm required to submit a monthly bibliography. So I'm finally getting to spend time curled up on the sofa with great YA. How is that "work?" But it is!

How did you get involved in Media Bistro's fall '08 YA Writing Course?

I took the course myself a couple of years ago, when the brilliant and talented Kristen Kemp was the instructor. I wrote the Emily pitch and the first ten pages of the manuscript in the class, and sold it before the semester ended. So I think they considered me to be a "success story" (and eventually they sponsored my launch party, which was great of them). Kristen's had three babies since then (!) and was looking to pass the torch, and now that I'm a full-time freelance, I finally have the time to take on teaching. So far, so good! The students are very talented, so they're keeping me on my toes.

What other works do you have on the horizon?

Right now I'm working on a fall '08 election-themed project for Scholastic that should be a lot of fun. It's about a small-town girl whose father is the town Mayor and whose boyfriend is the student body president. She goes head-to-head with her boyfriend in the school election, and learns that her father may have tenuous connections to her platform. But it's all very chick-lit-y and light. And due in five minutes, which is why my friends and family will tell you that I've dropped off the face of the earth of late.

I also have a hybrid-graphic novel project tentatively called I'M WITH THE TRIBE coming out with Flux in spring '09. It's the story of three yeshiva boys who start a garage band, while one of the bandmates discovers a hidden talent for art. As a former Jewish day school girl, this is a project that's been a long time in the making, and very close to my heart. Also, my brother is working on the illustrations, so I've had a crash course in collaboration. Keep an eye out!

Anything else you care to share?

Support your local libraries and independent booksellers! And read read read!

I agree! Thanks, Micol.

Visit Micol in person today at NYPL's Teen Central Jewish Book Month panel featuring Micol Ostow, Judy Goldschmidt, David Levithan, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lisa Ann Sandell

Thursday, November 8th at 4 PM
Donnell Library Center
20 West 53rd Street
(212) 621-0619

Visit Micol online at her website (I hope you like it!) and blog.

Read my previous interview with Micol.

Today's WBBT Schedule
David Mack at Chasing Ray
Paul Volponi at The Ya Ya Yas
Elizabeth Knox at Shaken & Stirred
Ellen Emerson White at A Chair, A Fireplace and A Tea Cozy
Jack Gantos at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
David Levithan at Not Your Mother's Book Club
Micol Ostow at Bildungsroman
Laura Amy Schlitz at Miss Erin
Kerry Madden at Hip Writer Mama
Sherman Alexie at Interactive Reader

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I'm deep in pony-land (the land of people who do not listen and get angry about for no reason--not to be confused with My Little Pony Land, the place of sparkles and giggles), but I thought I'd post this news while I have a chance.

Kris Reisz posted on his site that Simon Pulse is offering ARCs and free novels to teens in return for getting their opinion. If you know a teen who might be interested they can download the application form here. Unfortunately it does not look like adults who like to read YA novels are allowed to apply.

Phooey.

Back to pony land I go.

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Whether it's performing in front of a camera, sharing a book with her young sons, or writing a tale of her own, Wendy Toliver likes being a part of a good story. Her debut teen novel, THE SECRET LIFE OF A TEENAGE SIREN, will be released as part of the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies this December.  Wendy and I recently talked about playacting, playing the flute, and playing the freelance game.

Congratulations on your forthcoming release.

Thank you, Little Willow! I am extremely excited and honored to be a Simon Pulse Rom Com author.

I love mythology. For readers who aren't familiar with the myth of the siren, care to explain, and share the basic premise of your novel?

According to Greek mythology, three Sirens lived on an island. They played beautiful music for passing sailors, luring them closer, right into a wall of deadly rocks. But when Odysseus heard their song and lived to tell about it, the Sirens threw themselves into the sea and drowned.
When I read that one of their bodies had been found washed up on a southern Italy shore, it got me thinking. What if one or two of the Sirens didn't drown after all? What if at least one had lived long enough to pass her Sea Nymph gene down to a daughter? What if that gene, after over 2,800 years, had somehow found its way into the chromosomes of Roxy Zimmerman, a plain Jane, fun-loving, 16 year-old band girl? And that is the premise of THE SECRET LIFE OF A TEENAGE SIREN.

The book cover, designed by Amy Saidens, reveals that Roxy plays the flute. Do you play any instruments?

I’m very pleased with the artwork on the cover. Thank you, Amy! I played the flute ages ago, as well as the piano. I still play the piano whenever I get the chance, but please don’t ask me to perform in front of anybody with ears. On the other hand, I’m a natural at the kazoo.

Did you write the book before or after you landed the book deal? Did the publisher approach you to be a part of this line?

First came the book, then came the deal.

Did you title your book before, after, or while writing it?

The title came while I was writing it. After Simon Pulse bought it, we thought about changing its title but in the end, everybody agreed to keep it THE SECRET LIFE OF A TEENAGE SIREN. I’m glad because I think it’s a perfect title.

You've also written non-fiction. Tell us a little more about your freelance work.

Let’s see … I wrote two books for Chapelle/Sterling’s Little Giant Encyclopedia series, one on wedding etiquette and one on inspirational quotes. I also helped write a number of how-to and decorating books for the same publisher. I’m a freelance cover copy writer for Hachette Book Group USA (formerly Warner Books) which is a blast. And from time to time I write magazine and newspaper articles and do advertising-type projects for local companies.

It sounds as if you have quite a menagerie of pets in your household, as well as some munchkins. Do your husband and little boys ever act as proofreaders?

Yes, we have a whole zoo here. No, they don’t proofread, but they’re very good about giving me a little writing time now and then. They’re my biggest fans (next to my mom). One of my favorite “author” days so far was talking to my first grader’s school about my job.

Rumor has it that you, like me, are a singer and an actress. (We have to make sure we don't make sailors crash on the rocks, though.) What has been your most rewarding experience or performance to date? Are you still pursuing either path?

Oooh! I bet you have more exciting stories than I do, but I admit it’s been a fun little hobby.

My most rewarding performance was probably acting in an episode of Touched by an Angel, which was produced right here in Utah. The audition, call backs, costume fitting, hair and makeup, private trailer room, reserved parking place, craft services, voice-overs, paychecks … all of this made me feel like a real star! Along with the regulars of the show (Valerie Bertinelli, Roma Downey, Della Reese, John Dye), I got to rub elbows with Jennifer Morrison who’s now starring on House.

I want to get back into acting someday, but with my young family and my writing, I’ve put it on the back burner. I’m sure Hollywood can wait a few more years. Ha ha!

Finally, what are your ten favorite books of all time?

Good question. I think we’re so lucky these days. Not only do we have all the classics, there are amazing new books hitting bookshelves every day. Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order:

1. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
2. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
3. Emma by Jane Austen
4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
5. Kissing Coyotes by Marcia Vaughan, illustrated by Kenneth J. Spengler
6. Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
7. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
8. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
9. Where the Wild Things Are written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak
10. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

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