Visit with Natalie Standiford

www.nataliestandiford.com

I'm excited to be visiting today with author Natalie Standiford, whose latest release, CONFESSIONS OF THE SULLIVAN SISTERS, was just published by Scholastic on 9/1/10!



The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grandmother gathers the family and announces that she will soon die . . .and has cut the entire family out of her will. Since she is the source of almost all their income, this means they will soon be penniless.

Someone in the family has offended her deeply. If that person comes forward with a confession of her (or his) crime, submitted in writing to her lawyer by New Year's Day, she will reinstate the family in her will. Or at least consider it.

And so the confessions begin....

Be sure to check out TRT's review of the book right here!

I had the chance to ask Natalie a few questions about her life and writing, and I hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did!

If you could bring any character from one of your books to life, who would it be and why?

I'd bring Jonah Tate from HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT to life, because I'd like him to tell me what happens to him after the book ends.

Your own six-word memoir.

Baltimore childhood, NYC adulthood. Both good.

You have the chance to spend the day with any character from one of your favorite books. Who would you choose and why?

I'd love to spend a day in pre-Revolutionary Russia with Natasha Rostov from WAR AND PEACE—specifically, the day she goes to the ball and meets Prince Andrei. I'd like to see the world of the Russian aristocracy through her eyes before everything falls apart.

I'd love to hang out at a ball with Jane Austen's EMMA too, so we could whisper witty (snarky) remarks to each other about everybody else.

(Basically, I want to go to a ball.)

What was your favorite book growing up as a teen?

I didn't have one favorite, but THE SUN ALSO RISES by Ernest Hemingway had a big effect on me. It was so romantic: France, Spain, love, bull fighting, the 1920s . . .

When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a writer, but I wasn't sure it was possible, so I also considered being an interpreter, a translator, or a journalist—as long as I was working with words, I figured I'd be okay. Failing that, a back-up singer/go-go dancer.

Your favorite subject in high school – and your least favorite.

My favorite subjects were Russian and English. My least favorite was chemistry, even though I liked my chemistry teacher. Everyone else loved chemistry, but I just didn't get it.

The one book everyone in the world should read.

The Complete Shakespeare—plays and sonnets.

The book you wish you had written.

WEETZIE BAT by Francesca Lia Block—though I never could have written it, it's so beyond my powers. The language is so inventive and vivid.

Your five favorite reads from 2010 (books you read during the year; they do not have to have been published during 2010).

THE POSSESSED: ADVENTURES WITH RUSSIAN BOOKS AND THE PEOPLE WHO READ THEM by Elif Batuman
TALKING TO GIRLS ABOUT DURAN DURAN by Rob Sheffield
STITCHES by David Small
BROOKLYN by Colm Toibin
THE BOYS OF MY YOUTH by Jo Ann Beard

The 2010 release you’re most looking forward to reading.

RECOVERY ROAD by Blake Nelson. Though I think it's not coming out until spring 2011.

Your family has the chance to describe you for an interview. What ten words would they say describe you best?

Bossy, determined, easygoing, good in a crisis, cries easily, late-sleeper.

(I don't think I'm bossy but I'm pretty sure they do.)

You have the chance to go back and change a scene from one of your previous releases. What book would you choose, what scene would you change, and how would you alter it?

This is opening a terrible can of worms. I try not to second-guess my books this way once they're finished, because I could drive myself crazy. I'd never stop fixing things.

You’ve invented a new national holiday. What is it called, and what does it celebrate? (Plus, would we get the day off of school and work??)

National Sibling Appreciation Day. People who don't have brothers or sisters can dub their favorite friends as Official Siblings. Everyone gets the day off for a big sibling feast. Everyone has to make up a toast for each of her siblings, praising their good points. And siblings who don't get along must at least attempt to reconcile.

What is your astrological sign? How closely does it match your personality?

I'm a Scorpio. I think it matches my personality pretty closely, but my boyfriend doesn't agree. He thinks I'm not conniving enough to be a Scorpio. Shows how thoroughly I've fooled him.

You’re going off your diet for one day and only eating food from restaurants. What do you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? (Include the restaurant each meal comes from.)

I sort of eat this way in real life already. Breakfast: blintzes at Veselka in the East Village. Lunch: lobster rolls and chowder at Pearl Oyster Bar in Greenwich Village. Dinner: Oysters and something else yummy at Raoul's in SoHo.

What is your ultimate vacation destination?

The Mediterranean coast of Italy (say, Portofino).

The world has suffered from a one-day only loss of power. You have no cell phone, computer, lights, or anything else that requires a computer, cell battery, or electricity. What do you spend the day doing?

I lived through this when New York had a blackout a few years ago. Walking around NYC. Reading by daylight and later, by candlelight. And eating everything in my fridge before it spoils.

If you weren’t an author, what job would you be doing?

I'd be a literary translator or an editor.

You’re invited to a White House function, and you have the chance to give a 10-minute speech to the President and everyone else attending. What do you speak about?

I would speak about the waste and futility of war and remind everyone of the power of nonviolent resistance.

A movie is being made of ONE of your books. Which book is it, and who will star as the main characters?

I would love to see HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT made into a movie, starring Mia Wasikowska as Beatrice, Parker Posey as her mom, and Rory Culkin as Jonah. I'm flexible on the casting, though.

Remember those “classics” that you were made to read in high school English class? What was your favorite, and which title should students never have to be subjected to reading?

I loved most of the classics. My favorite was probably GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Charles Dickens. My least favorite was THE MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE by Thomas Hardy, though once I got into it I liked the soap-opera-ish plot well enough. I'd never say students should never be subjected to it—just because I didn't like it doesn't mean it won't resonate with someone else.

Someone tells you that you’ll never publish another book that you write. Do you still keep writing?

I would definitely keep writing, though probably not with the same discipline I have now.

A group of teens ask you the best way to become a published writer. How do you answer the question?

Read a lot, practice writing stories and, when you feel ready try a novel. Don't expect it to be great at first, and don’t expect to get published easily. But keep at it, keep working, and eventually you will. Most of all: finish your work. Finish your stories, finish your novel. They are of no use to anyone until you finish them.

**Thanks so much to Natalie for visiting with us today! Be sure to visit her website, listed above, or you can also find her at Facebook, on MySpace, at Twitter, or email her directly at natstand@aol.com. Also, visit Jane Sullivan's Blog and Twitter page, too!

Scholastic will be sending one lucky poster today a copy of CONFESSIONS OF THE SULLIVAN SISTERS, so be sure to leave any comments or questions you have for Natalie in the comments section. She'll be stopping by later today to see what we're discussing!