Today I’m happy to welcome Jon Skovron to my blog, to answer a few questions about his debut YA novel Struts & Frets. I am eagerly looking forward to getting my own copy this very weekend, when I get to meet up with Jon and several other debut authors at Books of Wonder for a holiday book signing and Q&A. I am especially excited about Struts & Frets because I have a soft spot for books about teen musicians, and because of this blurb:
“Struts & Frets will feel instantly authentic to anyone who’s ever felt the pride and shame of being an outsider” –Cory Doctorow (author of Little Brother and co-founder of BoingBoing.net)
Q: Tell us about a scene or character from your novel that was especially easy (or especially difficult) to write.
A: All of the dialogue between Sammy and his best friend Rick flowed so easily. Their humor, their rhythms. Honestly, I think I could write an entire novel of nothing by their conversations, although I don’t think anyone but me would be entertained by that much snarky teen boy goofiness.
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: I love so many of them, but one of my all time favorites is Cinderella. The real story. The one where the stepmother cuts off parts of the stepsisters feet to try to get them to fit into the glass slipper. Yeah, dude. That’s the way I like my fairy tales. Grimm.
Q: So, what has been the most exciting part of selling your book(s) and getting published so far?
A: So far, holding an actual final hardback copy of my book in my hand. Not gonna lie, I got a little misty.
About Struts & Frets
More than anything, Sammy wants to play guitar in a famous indie rock band. The problem is that his front man is a jerk who can’t sing, his bassist is a burn-out who can’t remember the songs, and his drummer is just out to lunch. But Sammy needs this band because it’s the only good thing he’s got going. His father skipped out before he was born, his mother is an overworked therapist with a drinking problem, his grandfather is slowly losing his mind to Alzheimer’s, and the girl of his dreams is dating his jerk lead singer.
Now that jerk lead singer has entered them in a Battle of the Bands contest to win free studio time and guaranteed radio play. Sammy has two weeks to get them to sound like a real band, or face public humiliation in front of the entire local indie music scene.
About Jon Skovron
Jon Skovron is an insatiable music geek who can play eight instruments, but none of them well. He was born in Columbus, Ohio, has lived all over the US, and now resides with his wife and two sons in Washington, DC. His short stories and reviews have appeared in publications like Jim Baen’s Universe and Internet Review of Science Fiction. Struts and Frets is his first novel.
Learn more about Jon at his website.
Struts & Frets is available now! I encourage you to shop at your local independent bookstore!
Tags: debs blog tour
