Lindsey Leavitt - The TeenBookCon Interview

Hey guys, today we’re going to be speaking with the fantastic Lindsey Leavitt. She’ll be at TeenBookCon on April 9^th, but until then, you can get to know her a bit here with our Q&A. Let’s get to it…

TeenBookCon:  What was your inspiration for writing Sean Griswold's Head?

Lindsey Leavitt:  I had a dream.

Which is a writerly cliche right up there with Every Author Is Rich and Famous/We All Drink Gallons of Coffee a Day/We Live in Our Pajamas (okay, not cliched. Documented fact)

But that's how this idea started--a dream. I was sitting in my 10th grade English class, listening to Mr. Dunn go on about... something. I don't know---it was Charlie Brown speak. Anyway, I felt super anxious about something, like to the point of tears, and I had to figure out a way to settle down. I didn't know why I was upset, but I knew the reason had something to do with home. I didn't want to go back there, I just wanted something to distract me. Anyway, I pulled out a pencil and looked up and there was a boy with blond hair who sat in front of me. For whatever reason, I knew his name was Sean Griswold. And I thought, hmmmm, I should write a poem about his head.

And then I woke up.

I know. Lame dream. No tightrope walkers, no kissing, not even a nice brownie sundae. But that name, Sean Griswold, was so imprinted on my conscious that I kept thinking about him all day, and about the girl I embodied in my dream. What was her deal? How did she know Sean? And why was she writing such awful poetry?

I wrote down that poem, which has since been lost, and even tried writing the first chapter in free verse. When I went back to the story the next day, I rewrote the beginning with Payton's first Focus Exercise. And on the top of the paper, in my very own spiraled notebook, I titled the quirky little idea SEAN GRISWOLD'S HEAD.

TBC:  Do you listen to music or do any other special thing to get in the mood of a particular character when you're writing?

LL:  I listen to quiet. It's a lovely sound, one I don't hear much during the day whilst chasing my three children. And if I must do music, it's "Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel. On repeat.

I'm kind of a let's-sit-down-and-do-this-thing kind of author, but sometimes if I'm having a hard time getting into the groove, I'll write a letter to my character, or have a character write a letter to me, or write a scene like a script--pure dialogue. It helps me to get words down so I can, you know, get better words down.

TBC:  What are your top three "Books to have if stranded on a desert island"?

LL:  HATCHET by Gary Paulsen

ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS by Scott O'Dell

HOW TO GET OFF A DESERTED ISLAND by That guy who made it off the desert island.

TBC:  Do you have any upcoming book projects you can tell us about?

LL:  THE ROYAL TREATMENT, the second book in the PRINCES FOR HIRE series, comes out May 3, 2011 and the third and final (still untitled) book will follow next year.

In the contemporary vein, my next project is called AUTHENTICALLY VINTAGE, about a girl who decides to go vintage - foreswearing 21st century technology and accomplishing the goals her grandma set for herself at 16 - when she discovers her boyfriend cheating on her with a cyber wife in his online Authentic Life game, in the process figuring out the truths and illusions of life and love, both in the nostalgic past and in the very real now. (my agent wrote that. I suck at summaries).

TBC:  Sounds like you’ve got your hands full! Well, we can’t wait to meet you at TeenBookCon on Saturday! Thanks so much, Lindsey, for talking with us and letting everyone get to know you just a bit better today!

Lindsey Leavitt is the author of Princess for Hire, Sean Griswold's Head and the upcoming book The Royal Treatment. Find her on Twitter.

Lindsey will be speaking on The Lighter Side, with Some Bumps Along the Way panel with Deb Caletti, Stephanie Perkins, and Kristen Tracy.

Thanks for stopping by today to read the blog. We’ll see you on the 9^th!