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“I just realized, I’m the Seinfeld of YA lit,” author Paula Chase says. “Taking tiny teen crisis and turning them into an entire book is my ‘thing.’ In her debut, So Not The Drama, Chase takes her Seinfeldian-style and turns a high school sociology project into a catalyst for good old-fashioned, light-hearted teen angst.
So Not The Drama [Kensington Books/Dafina for Young Readers] introduces readers ages 11+ to bright-eyed, optimist Mina Mooney, a high school freshman with nothing more on her mind than climbing the popularity ladder, until a sociology experiment to rid the world – or at least Del Rio Bay High School – of prejudice backfires. The project causes a rift between Mina and her best friend, Lizzie and sends Mina on a journey of exploration that’s both funny and eye-opening.
So Not The Drama is about the transition from middle to high school and the impact it can have on friendship.
Set to burst on the scene with her self-proclaimed Hip Lit, Chase takes readers back to high school where cliques reign supreme and going to class…a place to be seen.
The Buzz On The Book
“Contemporary friendship story, which revels in rich diversity of race, color and class.”
—Booklist
“Readers will like the genuine dialogue.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A multi-layered story…contemporary and thoughtful.”
—Little Willow of Bildungsroman
Paula Chase has written for Girls Life, Sweet 16 and Baltimore Magazine, among others. In addition to her background in corporate communications and public relations, she founded the Committed Black Women, a youth mentoring program for 14-17 year old girls. Her Del Rio Bay Clique series helped launch Kensington Books YA line and joins a burgeoning number of YA books targeted to multi-culti suburbanite teens. Chase calls her brand of teen literature, Hip Lit, a nod to the diversity spawned by the MTV-watching, 106 & Park-ing, pop culture hungry hip hop generation. The author lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters. Learn more about the series and author at www.paulachasehyman.com
Paula's Answers To My GCC Questions!
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?
My writing schedule recently changed. I used to be a night writer. But two months ago, I switched to mornings. Now, I get up anywhere between 6:30 and 7:00 and head into the office. I write until my youngest daughter wakes up. Normally I can get a good hour and a half in before the house is too full of her chatter. My goal is to get in at least 1,000 words a day. Some days I get more done. Some days less. But mornings are great because then I avoid that writer’s guilt, worrying if I’ll be too tired later on to push myself to write. Also, morning writing leaves me wanting to write more. So I find that, I’ll usually get in a few more words later in the day to capture thoughts as they come to me.
DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
Actually, I do. It was a Saturday morning. I was in a perfect sleep. The type where it feels like you could snooze for a few more hours. I went to turn over and the name, Mina Mooney, entered my head. I knew what she looked like and what made her tic. Soon other names popped up in my head and I popped out of bed and went into my office to write them down. Within thirty minutes I had a decent outline of characters and the places they lived. It felt very Sweet Valley High and I ran with it.
PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
My character, Jacinta, is the “sassy” chick. I love her! She’s outspoken, unafraid to hit you with her sarcastic wit and very grounded in reality. Jacinta is very much me as an adult. I wish I had been like her as a fourteen year old – so unconcerned with what others think about me.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE? Books. If I became really desperate, maybe I could write on the blank spaces in the books. Gotta tell you, that’s a darn hard choice.
BEER OR WINE? Wine, Merlot to be specific
CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Ohhh….depends on my mood. But nothing beats a good creamy vanilla cone
WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK? Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor
1 comment:
This sounds great! Just reading that description brought me back to my freshman days... you know, I have a tendency to say, "If only I knew how good I had it then, I wouldn't have stressed at ALL about any of that stuff." I think as adults, we tend to forget that the trials and tribulations of high school are every bit as real and vital as those we have at work and with families. Different problems, yes, but no less real.
I look forward to reading it! And great interview, too.
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