Archives for September 2012

Q: Is that your real hair color?

A: Yes.

Q: Is Cherry your real last name?

A: (sigh) Yes.

Q: Did you know that your last name matches your hair?

A: Shockingly, you are not the first person to point that out to me.

Q: HEY! Did you know BOTH your last name AND your hair match the title of your first book?

A: (bangs head on wall) YES.

Q: Is that French fry place from RED real?

A: Sadly, no. I’m so sorry.

Q: How do I get ARCs of your books for review purposes?

A: All of my books are available for purchase, so there are no more ARCs! If you’d like to review them, you can buy your very own hardcover/paperback/e-book or borrow them from your local library.

Q: Are any of your books part of a series?

A: No. All of my books are unrelated stand-alones. I have no plans to write a series.

Q: Where do you get your ideas?

A: EVERYWHERE. Seriously, just look around. The world is a shockingly weird place.

Q: I’m an aspiring writer! Will you read and critique my work?

A: In addition to writing my own books, I work as a freelance editor, and I do take individual clients! I do developmental editing (which focuses on big-picture stuff regarding your plot, characters, world building, voice, magic system, etc.), copy editing (which focuses on grammar, punctuation, spelling, readability, and continuity), and query critiques. If you’d like to discuss a specific project or hear about my rates, please write to me through the Contact Me page on this site!

Q: I’m about to be published! Will you blurb my book?

A: Maybe! All blurb requests should go through my agent, Holly Root. You can contact her at holly@rootliterary.com.

Q: Is that character based on me?

A: No.

Q: Okay, I know you have to say that, but really, is she—

A: No. Nobody in any of my books is based on anyone I know in real life. I promise.

Q: Is this train going to Brooklyn?

A: *looks around* Umm… you’re on your own with this one, friend. Sorry.

Q: Is that your real hair color?

A: Yes.

Q: Is Cherry your real last name?

A: (sigh) Yes.

Q: Did you know that your last name matches your hair?

A: Shockingly, you are not the first person to point that out to me.

Q: HEY! Did you know BOTH your last name AND your hair match the title of your first book?

A: (bangs head on wall) YES.

Q: Is that French fry place from RED real?

A: Sadly, no. I’m so sorry.

Q: How do I get ARCs of your books for review purposes?

A: All of my books are available for purchase, so there are no more ARCs! If you’d like to review them, you can buy your very own hardcover/paperback/e-book or borrow them from your local library.

Q: Are any of your books part of a series?

A: No. All of my books are unrelated stand-alones. I have no plans to write a series.

Q: Where do you get your ideas?

A: EVERYWHERE. Seriously, just look around. The world is a shockingly weird place.

Q: I’m an aspiring writer! Will you read and critique my work?

A: In addition to writing my own books, I work as a freelance editor, and I do take individual clients! I do developmental editing (which focuses on big-picture stuff regarding your plot, characters, world building, voice, magic system, etc.), copy editing (which focuses on grammar, punctuation, spelling, readability, and continuity), and query critiques. If you’d like to discuss a specific project or hear about my rates, please write to me through the Contact Me page on this site!

Q: I’m about to be published! Will you blurb my book?

A: Maybe! All blurb requests should go through my agent, Holly Root. You can contact her at holly@rootliterary.com.

Q: Is that character based on me?

A: No.

Q: Okay, I know you have to say that, but really, is she—

A: No. Nobody in any of my books is based on anyone I know in real life. I promise.

Q: Is this train going to Brooklyn?

A: *looks around* Umm… you’re on your own with this one, friend. Sorry.

When Abby enters sixth grade at her new boarding school, Brookside Academy, she is determined to reinvent herself. She sheds her shy personality and starts playing the part of confident, bubbly, popular “Abbi.” She quickly learns about the Committee, an all-powerful student organization that controls nearly every aspect of extracurricular life. Whatever you do, you don’t want to be on the Committee’s bad side.

Abby’s older sister, Sydney, is in eighth grade at Brookside. At home she was always a loner, but Abby is shocked to discover that Sydney has also crafted herself into a new person at school—she’s the president of the Committee, and she rules the entire student body through intimidation.

Each sister is a threat to the success of the other’s new personality, and things grow heated as Abby and Sydney try to outmaneuver each other for power and influence. But both girls have hidden motives, and they soon find themselves hopelessly tangled in a web of lies, schemes, and blackmail.

But it turns out that people, much like dogs, aren’t always easy to control, and Ella’s perfect plan isn’t as foolproof as she expects. Will she manage to bring her divided life together in time for her moment in the spotlight?

 

 

Q: Is that your real hair color?

A: Yes.

Q: Is Cherry your real last name?

A: (sigh) Yes.

Q: Did you know that your last name matches your hair?

A: Shockingly, you are not the first person to point that out to me.

Q: HEY! Did you know BOTH your last name AND your hair match the title of your first book?

A: (bangs head on wall) YES.

Q: Is that French fry place from RED real?

A: Sadly, no. I’m so sorry.

Q: How do I get ARCs of your books for review purposes?

A: Red, For Real, The Classy Crooks Club, Look Both Ways, Willows vs. Wolverines, Best. Night. Ever., The Pros of Cons, and Ella Unleashed are on shelves now, so there are no more ARCs available! If you’d like to review them, you can purchase your very own hardcover/paperback/e-book or borrow them from your local library. If you’d like an ARC of She’s the Liar, let me know, and I’ll contact my publicist at Scholastic.

 

Q: Are any of your books part of a series?

A: No. All of my books are unrelated stand-alones. I have no plans to write a series.

Q: Why does it take SO LONG for your books to come out?

A: Trust me, nobody would be happier than me if I could write flawless first drafts, turn them in, and magically have them on the shelves a month later. But in reality, a lot has to happen behind the scenes before a book is ready for publication—rounds and rounds of edits and proofreading, layout, cover design, sales and marketing, and all kinds of other stuff I don’t even know about/understand. But I promise I’m always working hard on new things for you to read!

Q: Where do you get your ideas?

A: EVERYWHERE. Seriously, just look around. The world is a shockingly weird place.

Q: I’m an aspiring writer! Will you read and critique my work?

A: Unfortunately, there aren’t enough hours in the day for me to read and critique work I didn’t specifically ask to see. I have a large network of critique partners with whom I exchange manuscripts, and between their work and my own writing, I’m pretty swamped. I’m excited that you’re writing, though, and I encourage you to keep at it! If you’d like to ask me a question about the writing process, contact me, and I’d be happy to answer.

Q: I’m about to be published! Will you blurb my book?

A: Maybe! All blurb requests should go through my agent, Holly Root. You can contact her at holly@rootliterary.com.

Q: Is that character based on me?

A: No.

Q: Okay, I know you have to say that, but really, is she—

A: No. Nobody in any of my books is based on anyone I know in real life. I promise.

Q: Is this train going to Brooklyn?

A: *looks around* Umm… you’re on your own with this one, friend. Sorry.

Here’s the important stuff:

I grew up in Evanston, IL, then went to Harvard and got a degree in photography. (Yes, that is possible. Though they like to call the visual arts “Visual and Environmental Studies,” for some unknown reason.) Then I spent the next three years as a freelance lighting designer for various theaters throughout the Northeast. Eventually I got tired of hanging out on ladders and wrestling with faulty electrical equipment for eighty hours a week while being paid virtually nothing, so I spent the next four years working as a photographer for the Metropolitan Opera. Now I live in Brooklyn with my cats, Vivian, and write full-time. I’m represented by Holly Root at Root Literary.

And here’s some less important stuff:

If I had to pick a superpower, I’d choose teleportation. My favorite dinosaur is the Stegosaurus. I once commissioned a song about the proper use of fire extinguishers. I can do the complete “Thriller” dance, which I hope will help me blend in during the zombie apocalypse. If I could only eat foods beginning with one letter for the rest of my life, I would choose the letter P. I keep detailed spreadsheets to track every book I buy and read. Someone once dumped a bucket of water onto my head from her fire escape because she felt I was talking too loudly outside her apartment. If you make me cookies, I’ll love you forever. (Actually, let’s be honest… I’ll probably love you forever if you just buy me cookies.)

Here’s the important stuff:

I grew up in Evanston, IL, then went to Harvard and got a degree in photography. (Yes, that is possible. Though they like to call the visual arts “Visual and Environmental Studies,” for some unknown reason.) Then I spent the next three years as a freelance lighting designer for various theaters throughout the Northeast. Eventually I got tired of hanging out on ladders and wrestling with faulty electrical equipment for eighty hours a week while being paid virtually nothing, so I spent the next four years working as a photographer for the Metropolitan Opera. Now I live in Brooklyn with my cats, Vivian, and write full-time. I’m represented by Holly Root at Root Literary.

And here’s some less important stuff:

If I had to pick a superpower, I’d choose teleportation. My favorite dinosaur is the Stegosaurus. I once commissioned a song about the proper use of fire extinguishers. I can do the complete “Thriller” dance, which I hope will help me blend in during the zombie apocalypse. If I could only eat foods beginning with one letter for the rest of my life, I would choose the letter P. I keep detailed spreadsheets to track every book I buy and read. Someone once dumped a bucket of water onto my head from her fire escape because she felt I was talking too loudly outside her apartment. If you make me cookies, I’ll love you forever. (Actually, let’s be honest… I’ll probably love you forever if you just buy me cookies.)

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No events schedule right now. Check back soon!

 

 

When Abby enters sixth grade at her new boarding school, Brookside Academy, she is determined to reinvent herself. She sheds her shy personality and starts playing the part of confident, bubbly, popular “Abbi.” She quickly learns about the Committee, an all-powerful student organization that controls nearly every aspect of extracurricular life. Whatever you do, you don’t want to be on the Committee’s bad side.

Abby’s older sister, Sydney, is in eighth grade at Brookside. At home she was always a loner, but Abby is shocked to discover that Sydney has also crafted herself into a new person at school—she’s the president of the Committee, and she rules the entire student body through intimidation.

Each sister is a threat to the success of the other’s new personality, and things grow heated as Abby and Sydney try to outmaneuver each other for power and influence. But both girls have hidden motives, and they soon find themselves hopelessly tangled in a web of lies, schemes, and blackmail.

But it turns out that people, much like dogs, aren’t always easy to control, and Ella’s perfect plan isn’t as foolproof as she expects. Will she manage to bring her divided life together in time for her moment in the spotlight?