The book’s first title was 25 THINGS ABOUT ME. It started when my fiancé said the 2009 Facebook meme (does anyone remember that?) would make a good novel. I began thinking about a reason someone would want to write or revisit a list like this. Almost right away, I landed on the idea that my main character didn’t know who she was anymore, and the concept of a traumatic brain injury grew from that. TBIs have been in the news a lot lately and I was really interested in exploring how it would feel to have one. The 30 foot fall just gave a reason for the injury. The interesting thing is, most 15 year olds don’t experience TBIs, but most of them struggle with identity anyway. That’s why I think the book’s concept will connect with readers. It is about one girl deciding who she is and what really matters, something everyone has to do.
In the book NOTES TO SELF, is there a message that you want readers to know?
Life isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth living. Also, we have choices every day. The most powerful thing I think a person can learn as they grow up (at any age) is that you make your life what it is. No one else can do that for you, even if you want them to or expect them to.
Is there any truth to this book as it contained real places and rides?
Yes, Fun Towne is based on a real place in Kissimmee, Florida called Old Town. I’ve been there many times. There is a real Sling Shot ride.
What books have most influenced your life?
It’s hard to pick just a few. I love Curtis Sittenfeld’s writing (she wrote Prep). If I could magically write like anyone, it would be her.
What book are you reading right now?
I’m just finishing The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and I hope to start The Night Circus soon.
Can you share a little of what is going on in your life at this moment?
It’s a really exciting time! I just got engaged to my boyfriend, and we’re planning a small wedding for next summer. I’m also hoping to start a new novel soon about a girl exploring her past lives. Finally, I’m working a lot on my Planet Explorers series, which is a group of travel books for kids.
I noticed on Amazon when I was doing my review for Notes to Self that you had published a few books with Simon & Schuster (THE TEASHOP GIRLS and THE SECRET INGREDIENT). Why didn’t you get this book published with them as well?
My editor at Simon & Schuster did read NOTES TO SELF, but decided to pass on publishing it. NOTES is a very, very different book than my TEASHOP novels, so I completely understood and respected her decision. I hope to do other middle grade novels with Simon & Schuster in the future, but I couldn’t let NOTES stay on my hard drive. I’m in love with the story, and I put so much of my heart and soul into it that I just had to release it.
Where in the world do you reside at this moment? *Im in florida about 45 minutes from where the book took place which I thought was cool*
I live in Madison, Wisconsin. It’s a wonderful college town, but winters are quite long here.
What was the hardest thing about writing this book?
I did a lot of research about brain injuries in the beginning, a topic I know virtually nothing about. Getting the medical details right was tough, because it’s possible to have a wide variety of experiences, treatments and outcomes when it comes to TBIs.
Another interesting part about writing the book was coming up for air after I’d been working on it for several hours. I know I was a lot quieter than normal after particularly intense writing days, because I was so much in the world of the book and in the minds of my characters that it was hard to participate in the real world again afterward.
What advice would you give people who want to be an author as well as those of us that review books?
If you’re serious about wanting to become an author, read everything you can get your hands on, write often, and don’t give up. Your first novel probably won’t be good, unless you spend several years revising it. Keep writing, give your material to critique partners, refine and revise and do it all over again. Read classic literature, not just the latest book releases.
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