I'm very happy to have author Laura Scahefer here today for an interview and giveaway. Schaefer wrote Notes to Self under the pen name Avery Sawyer. You can read my review of this wonerful book HERE
Welcome Laura!
Q. What three words best describe Notes to Self?
quiet, soulful, emotional
Q. What inspired the story behind Notes to Self?
The story was inspired by a Facebook meme called 25 Things about Me. I thought it was so interesting how millions of people took the time to create these lists. We all have this deep wish to be known and noticed. I asked myself what occurrence would give a list greater weight and arrived at a traumatic brain injury. If you couldn't remember who you were, writing notes about yourself and your past would be even more necessary and poignant.
Q. Did you have to do a great deal of research before writing this book, specifically regarding brain injuries?
I did do a lot of research. There are several great books out there about brain injuries and people's recoveries. One of the main things I learned is that experiences vary a lot. Learning this made it easier for me to begin writing.
Q. I love the characters in this book, especially Robin! Are any of your characters based on real people? On yourself?
Thank you. Yes, Robin is based in part on myself. I'm observant like she is and I have to make myself participate in the world around me sometimes. I understand her struggle. The other characters are a combination of people I know or have met.
Q. Do you any plans to revisit these characters in future books? (I really hope you do!)
I wouldn't rule it out, but I don't have any immediate plans to do so. I'd like to get started on a whole new novel about a girl exploring her past lives. I'm also devoting a lot of time to my travel guides for kids, a series called Planet Explorers.
Q. I have to ask, where did the pen name Avery Sawyer come from?
Avery was on a list of names I sent to all my friends, and it was the most popular name by far. Sawyer was a nice last name because it's a bit literary (thanks, Mark Twain), and it's the name of a main street in the city I grew up in (Oshkosh, Wisconsin). I like the sound of "Avery Sawyer" and I like how it looks in print. Voila!
Q. Who’s your favorite literary villain…who do you just love to hate or hate to love?
Great question! I'd say Captain Hook from Peter Pan or President Snow from The Hunger Games trilogy.
Q. If you could magically transport yourself into ANY made up world from ANY book/movie/tv show which would it be and what would you do there?
I'd transport myself into the world of Moulin Rouge or maybe more recently the midnight 1920's world in Midnight in Paris. Apparently I want to go to France, but only to the Paris of the past. I'd dance and chat up authors, of course! (In perfect French, since this is a fantasy).
If you could magically transport ANY character from ANY book/movie/tv show into your world, who would it be?
Elizabeth Bennet...I think she'd adjust to our modern world quite well. I'd totally read her blog.
Q. What’s the one book you wish you wrote?
The Hunger Games
Q. What’s the one book you think everybody should read at least once in their life?
Find the author: Website / Goodreads / TwitterLaura loves to write almost as much as she likes to drink tea. She got her start as a contributor to the University of Wisconsin’s student paper The Daily Cardinal and went on to write regularly for The Princeton Review and Match.com. Laura is the author of The Secret Ingredient (Simon & Schuster 2011), The Teashop Girls (Simon & Schuster 2008), and Man with Farm Seeks Woman with Tractor (Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2005). Writing as Avery Sawyer, Laura recently released the YA novel Notes to Self. She is also the author and publisher of Planet Explorers travel guides for kids. Laura lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her fiance and enormous cat Ramona.
Laura has generously offered one ebook copy of Notes to Self, in the winner's choice of format, to give away!
Giveaway will run from 1/17 - 1/22 at 11:59pm ET
Open Internationally
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- Must be 13 or older to enter
- One main entry per person
- Winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours
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I loved the Great Gatsby! Of all the required reading in high school, The Great Gatsby was the only book I read all the way through. Twice, in fact! I read it in 10th grade and then again in 12th grade when I moved to a new state.
ReplyDelete- Jackie
After reading your review I am really excited about this one! I love how the author came up with the idea for the story too.
ReplyDeleteI bet Elizabeth Bennet's blog would be awesome. :) Fun interview!
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of this book:) Thanks for the giveaway!:D
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the awesome interview and giveaway!!! :))
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