Today I’m happy to welcome Kate Messner to my blog, to answer a few questions about her novel The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. I read Gianna in ARC form a while back and really enjoyed it. I think readers who love the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary (or more recent books like A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban or Rules by Cynthia Lord) would love this warm, richly imagined story, sparkling with quirky and, yes, brilliant details.
Q: Tell us about a scene or character from your novel that was especially easy (or especially difficult) to write.
A: The scene in the doctor’s office was the hardest for me but is one of my favorites now. Without giving too much away, it’s a huge turning point in the book and an emotional one that I hadn’t explored fully in the first draft. My editor asked me to go back, dig deeper, and rewrite it. I was writing in the library that day and remember sitting in the corner with tears rolling down my face when I finally felt like I’d gotten it right.
Q: What is your favorite (or one of your favorite) myths or fairy-tales, and why? Or alternately, what fairy-tale or myth do you dislike, and why?
A: Native American stories are usually my favorites because their heroines think for themselves and show courage and cleverness in solving problems (and defeating monsters and things like that). I’m not a big fan of fairy tales where the women sit around waiting to be rescued. Who has time for that?
Q: So, what has been the most exciting part of selling your book(s) and getting published so far?
A: I pretty much screamed when I found out that THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. was chosen for the Fall Kids Indie Next list. I’m a huge fan of independent bookstores in general and my local indies, Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne, VT and The Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid, NY, so having independent booksellers choose my book as one of the top choices for kids this fall was a terrific honor.
About The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z
Gianna Zales has a lot on her plate this fall – a father who drives her to school in the family hearse, a mother who’s turned into the junk food police, a little brother who thinks he’s a member of the paparazzi, and a grandmother who leaves false teeth in the refrigerator. Worst of all, she’s left her 7th grade leaf collection to do at the last minute. It’s a monster project, and Gianna will miss cross-country sectionals if she doesn’t meet the deadline. She’ll need the help of her geeky friend, Zig, and some brilliant ideas of her own to pull it off.
About Kate Messner
Kate Messner grew up in Medina, New York and graduated from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Communication with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. She worked as a television news producer and reporter in Syracuse, NY and then Burlington, VT, before going back to school to get a teaching degree. These days, Kate is a National Board Certified middle school English teacher. She has helped hundreds of kids work on leaf collection projects and likes sugar maples and catalpa leaves the best. Kate lives on Lake Champlain with her husband and kids and loves spending time in the woods.
Learn more about Kate at her website.
The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z is available now! I encourage you to shop at your local independent bookstore!
Tags: debs blog tour
