Lauren Myracle is the NYTimes bestselling author of TTYL and TTFN, and now, L8R, G8R. And she is my friend! So I will tell you how to say her name: MYracle, like that is MY knee you're squeezing, and have we been introduced?
We are writing a book together with Sarah Mlynowski that is coming out next year. It is called How To Be Bad. At least, right now it is.

Lauren's new book for younger readers is Twelve, and it's the sequel to Eleven. I heard her read from it at Books of Wonder last week. It is seriously, seriously funny. Which made me think I should invite her to take the first ever Dramarama Musical Theater Interview, which is a new feature on my blog!

I was not sorry I asked her. She wrote a boob song lyric that made me laugh outloud.

So here it is! THE FIRST-EVER DRAMARAMA MUSICAL THEATER INTERVIEW
Questions by me, answers by Lauren Myracle

1. You were in a play in high school, weren't you? Tell me all about it.

Well, I *wanted* to be a big drama stud, but I wasn't. Sadly. But I did play the lead in the 9th/10th grade production of Cheaper by the Dozen. And I was supposed to cry at one point, and I couldn't, and my drama teacher got very sarcastic and biting and said, "Do you want ME to make you cry?" It worked, but I never respected her after that.

2. Give me song lyric that makes you laugh. Preferably from a show, but I'll cut you some slack if whatever you quote is funny.

Okay, well, this doesn't make me laugh, but it makes me cry, which is close, right? Only, it doesn't *really* make me cry. It makes me cry in a symbolic way, and it meant a lot to me as a teenager. It's from HAIR, and it's all about social injustice, and how we need to care about issues, yes, but also about plain old individual people. Ready?

Do you only care about the bleeding crowd?
How about a needing friend?
I need a friend!

E: Oh, that one makes me cry, too! I love Hair.

3. If you've seen a show on Broadway, what was your first one? Whom did you go with, who was the star, what did you think of it?

Hmm, hmm. Must have been Les Mis, in London, with my fam. I thought some of the songs were boring and monotonic to be *perfectly* honest, but I found the show itself to be way powerful.

4. What's your showbiz fantasy?

To see E. doing the can-can with Justine, Cecil and Maryrose.

5. Which Broadway diva are you, deep inside? And why? Ethel Merman, Carol Burnett, Nell Carter, Kristin Chenoweth, Bernadette Peters, Julie Andrews, Bebe Neuwirth, Audra McDonald, Carol Channing, Mary Martin, Barbra Streisand? Or someone else?

Oh, God, that would be Carol Burnett, because she's fabulous and funny (which I strive to be), but she's also a little goofy-looking (which I most definitely am). Definitely not the beauty queen type!

6. Write me a nice little song lyric for the book you're promoting right now. Please.

You goof. Well, okay, from TWELVE:

I grew myself some boobs.
They're little starter boobs.
They flop around all night,
But in the day I bind them tight.
In a bra! In a bra! In. . .a. . . bra!!!!!!
(Oh, pah.)

There you have it--my one-minute masterpiece! ;)

E: Thanks, Lauren!