A little info about the book:
Amy is fine living in
the shadows of beautiful Lila and uber-cool Cassie, because at least
she’s somewhat beautiful and uber-cool by association. But when their
dates stand them up for prom, and the girls take matters into their own
hands—earning them a night in jail outfitted in satin, stilettos, and
Spanx—Amy discovers even a prom spent in handcuffs might be better than
the humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” now filling up her summer.
Worse, with Lila and Cassie parentally banned, Amy feels like she has
nothing—like she is nothing.
Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over.
Navigating unlikely alliances with her new coworker, two very different boys, and possibly even her parents, Amy struggles to decide if it’s worth being a best friend when it makes you a public enemy. Bringing readers along on an often hilarious and heartwarming journey, Amy finds that maybe getting a life only happens once you think your life is over.
INTERVIEW
Hi Lisa! I'm so glad to have you here on my blog. Welcome to A Nook Full of Books.
Thank you, so glad to be here :)
Thank you, so glad to be here :)
What's the inspiration behind Pretty Amy?
I was arrested during my senior year of high school, not for the same reason Amy was, but that was where the kernel came from. I also knew I wanted to write a "shocking" book from a teenage girl's point of view. I feel like you can get away with your character being a murderer, or a jerk, or just a smart ass more easily if your book isn't contemporary and I wanted to try to break that mold with PRETTY AMY. I also wanted to write a contemporary YA book that was about what real teens go through. I feel like teenage girl's lives are complex and I hoped to show that in PRETTY AMY.
I was arrested during my senior year of high school, not for the same reason Amy was, but that was where the kernel came from. I also knew I wanted to write a "shocking" book from a teenage girl's point of view. I feel like you can get away with your character being a murderer, or a jerk, or just a smart ass more easily if your book isn't contemporary and I wanted to try to break that mold with PRETTY AMY. I also wanted to write a contemporary YA book that was about what real teens go through. I feel like teenage girl's lives are complex and I hoped to show that in PRETTY AMY.
There are so many high school stories, how does Pretty Amy stand out?
I think what makes it stand out is how much it seems to be resonating with readers. How many of them are able to see Amy in themselves or in a friend of theirs. What I love about Amy is her universality. One reviewer mentioned recently that I was able to put all the insecurities of the modern teenage girl in one character. Yup, that's Amy.
If Amy was to befriend one character from another book, who would that be?
Nick Twisp from Youth in Revolt.
What's your favorite genre among YA books besides contemporary?
I guess dystopian. I loved the Hunger Games.
And some of your favorite YA writers?
I love Courtney Summers, Sara Zarr, John Green and Deb Caletti, any author who is willing to be raw and real.
Was it hard to write a book?
YES! VERY! well it wasn't hard to write, but it was definitely hard to publish :).
What does the process of writing look like in your case? Any special rituals?
Well I work full time, so usually its after work and on weekends. I write on legal pads longhand and when I type up first drafts, I usually do it without punctuation. Both these methods help me write quickly and also help me get to that place when you forget you are writing. This "place" is essential for writing real and raw, which I feel like gives me my best work. It is one of the things that I feel like people have really been responding to in PRETTY AMY, that i don't sugar-coat things, I get to places in my work that are sometimes uncomfortable, but are undeniably real. My only ritual is total silence :).
What would you like to say to all the aspiring writers who don't have enough confidence to publish their writing?
PRETTY AMY got rejected A LOT, but somehow I knew it was an important story and one that teen girls needed to read. That was what kept me going. I guess I would say believe in your work it's the only thing that will keep you going.
Any plans for next books?
A companion novel to PRETTY AMY, titled DEAR CASSIE about the aftermath of the girls’ arrest and its effect told through diary entries of Amy’s best friend Cassie. I'm about 1/5 of the way through and what I can say is, if you liked the humor and edge in PRETTY AMY, you will love Cassie's story.
Thanks for the interview, Lisa. I wish you all the best with the promotion of Pretty Amy! Any final words to the readers?
Only that I hope you have as much fun reading PRETTY AMY as I had writing it!
Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Fiction from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University and is glad to finally have it be worth more than the paper it was printed on. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats. Pretty Amy is her first novel. She never went to her senior prom.
My review of Pretty Amy will be posted on A Nook Full of Books closer to the release date, so stay tuned!
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