In the fifth grade, I was
too afraid to talk to a boy I had a crush on. So, I wrote out and entire
conversation of witty comments on the palm of my hand. What I didn’t expect was
that my hands would sweat and that blue ink would end up everywhere: on my
desk, on my clothes on my face. Yup, I made a great impression on my
crush that day.
Also, I don’t know if you would call this sneaky, but the most disreputable thing I ever did was go on a date with Steve-O from Jackass. This was way before he got on the show and was just a sweet (albeit hyper) kid from U Miami. I was a nice girl from Skidmore visiting some friends. Anyway, the date consisted of him taking me to Subway for dinner, watching him skateboard with his friends and then listening to a Jerky Boys CD in his friend’s dorm room. Now my deepest, darkest secret is finally revealed!
2. Tell me the sneakiest thing that happens in your new book.
There are too many to tell. Those Sisters of Misery have lots of tricks up their Lilly Pulitzer sleeves.
3. Are you a prankster? Tell me a story.
My little sister will never let me forget about the time I hid under her bed when she was younger and as she hopped up into bed, I reached out and grabbed her foot. She’s 29 and she still can’t go to sleep without checking under her bed. No exaggeration. Sorry, Jocelyn!
I also remember freaking my family out when they were watching THE LOST BOYS when it first came out on video. The part where the vampires jumped out of the fireplace and into the house that the Corey’s had barricaded themselves into, I timed it so that I jumped out from behind the Venetian blinds at that exact moment. I think my dad threw a pillow at me. I don’t know what was more frightening: the fact that I tried to scare my family half to death or the fact that my dad was going to protect his family by throwing a pillow.
4. Were you in any clubs or societies in high
school? Did any of those club activities make it into your novels?
The only activity that made it into my novel was the field hockey team I was on in high school. I also grew up as a member of a Yacht Club very similar to the Crestwood Yacht club in Sisters of Misery (but that’s the closest I’ve ever gotten to being in a group like the “Sisters of Misery.” I hope I never come across a group of girls like that!
5. Do you consider yourself a feminist? Why, or why
not?
I was a few credits shy of having a women’s studies minor in college. I took the courses mainly because I was really interested in writing by women that weren’t included in the traditional English Lit classes. There seem to be more “dead male authors” than “dead female authors” in most high school and college curriculums, which is unfortunate.
6. How does your answer to question 5 show up in your new book?
The story revolves around three generations of women. The villains in the book are girls and women and, to some extent, the heroes are women. Men are very much in the back burner of this story, although many of the decisions and fights and disagreements are BECAUSE of men. Isn’t that always the way?
7. The club in my book is called The Loyal Order of
the Basset Hounds. If you were to found a secret society, what would it be
called, and what would its mission be?
The Secret Society of the Sleepers, because we could
all use a good night’s sleep. The world would be a much happier place if we all
got more rest and relaxation.
