Visit with S.T. Underdahl

http://www.susanunderdahl.com/

Today we're visiting with author S.T. Underdahl, whose latest YA release, REMEMBER THIS, was published by Flux on 9/8/08!



Remember this: I love you . . .

Lucy Kellogg is looking forward to a great summer: her fearless best friend, Sukie, has talked her into trying out for the cheer team, and her witty and worldly grandmother, Nana Lucy, is coming to visit. But an errant toe touch jump during tryouts leads to public humiliation, and a controversial (but totally hot) boy from the past turns up, threatening Lucy's friendship with Sukie.

Meanwhile, things are changing with Nana Lucy. Now the woman who always told her, "Remember this: I love you," is forgetting everything—even her granddaughter. A scary close call ultimately forces Lucy to face her worst fears-and, as one Lucy fades, another comes into her own . . .

**I had the chance Ms. Underdahl a few questions about her life and writing, so enjoy!

Your own six-word memoir.

“She often chose ‘funny’ over ‘appropriate.’”

Twitter your newest or upcoming release in 140 characters or less.

“The War at Home tops the NY Times Bestseller list for the twenty-third consecutive week!”

What was your favorite book growing up as a teen?

Wow, as if there could be only ONE! My best friend, Susan Degele, and I, used to ride our bikes to the library every week and check out ten books apiece. On the ride home, we’d stop by the grocery store and buy as much candy as we could afford (which was a lot, since candy bars were 15 cents and pretty much everything else was less) and then we’d go home, lie around, eat candy and read for hours. Pure bliss!

When I was younger, JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH and THE SECRET GARDEN were completely magical stories, and by the time I hit middle school, Judy Blume was a favorite (making out, training bras, and wet dreams…totally scandalous!). I also read a lot of Beverly Cleary (ELLEN TEBBITS), Scott Corbett (THE LIMERICK TRICK), and Marilyn Sachs (VERONICA GANZ). I was terribly excited to finally become old enough to start checking out books from the Adult section of the library, but when the time finally came I climbed the stairs to the Adult floor of the library and found that the selection was a big disappointment. Consequently, I often returned to the Young Adult section to re-read my favorites. I never thought of it before, but perhaps that’s why I was destined to become a YA author!

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

I wanted to be a psychologist. To be honest, though, if I really would have been thinking about what I truly loved in life (books, books, and more books), I think I might have had aspirations to be a writer.

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

Favorite: Creative Writing
Least favorite: Chemistry…it’s still a complete mystery to me.

The one book everyone in the world should read.

Obviously it’s a toss-up between THE OTHER SISTER and REMEMBER THIS, two fabulous reads from S.T. Underdahl. Hopefully later, THE WAR AT HOME.

The book you wish you had written.

LAST DAYS OF SUMMER by Steve Kluger. It opened my eyes to all the possible ways one can tell a story, and the ending made me cry, which is unheard of… I’m SO not a crier! As far as I’m concerned, it’s beautiful, effortless, literary perfection.

If your mom wrote the author profile for the jacket of your next book, what would she write?

Susan Thompson Underdahl’s family is very proud, if a bit baffled, by her accomplishments, because her room was always a terrible mess and her piano teacher once described her by saying “Susan is very talented,…but very lazy.”

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

On the positive side: Creative, smart, funny, dependable, organized, thoughtful
Maybe not so good: Phone-phobic, a worry-wart, a micro-manager, and… tired.

Using the letters J L W (my initials!), create the title of your next bestseller. (For example, Jumping Love Walrus.)

I live in North Dakota and today we’re in the middle of the season’s first blizzard, so all I can think of is:

“(I) Just Loathe Winter”

What is your astrological sign and how closely does it match your personality?

Well, I’m a Cancer, a designation which has always made me uneasy. Why do I have to be the only sign named after a terrible disease?

Supposedly, Cancers are moody, overly-sensitive homebodies. Although I’d love to be able to tell you, “No way! I’m an even-keeled, easy-going adventure-seeker!” I am completely a moody, overly-sensitive homebody. My biggest priority is protecting and nurturing my family, and although I enjoy traveling from time to time, I’m always happiest to be coming home.

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.)

1) Breakfast would most certainly involve doughnuts, probably a maple long-john and a cherry-filled Bismarck from a regular doughnut shop like Dunkin’ Doughnuts. (I’m even feeling diet guilt as I type this.)

2) Lunch: Some kind of wonderful soup like Curried Corn and Crab chowder made by my ex-husband, a thick slice of pumpernickel bread (or TWO), and a side of sweet potato fries from the Toasted Frog here in Grand Forks.

3) Dinner: Medium hot order of curried chicken from The Lotus (Vietnamese restaurant in St. Paul, MN.), a BIG diet Coke, and possibly more sweet potato fries. For dessert, a doughnut (raised).

4) Bedtime Snack: A combination plate of leftover raised doughnuts and sweet potato fries. Maybe a Pepto-Bismal chaser.

You’ve invented a new national holiday. What is it called, and what does it celebrate?

National Doughnut Day…free doughnuts for everyone!

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?

Although my fingers would initially be tingling from keyboard withdrawal, I’d likely be curled up somewhere reading. When it got dark, I’d light a candle and continue reading.

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

Ha, I AM doing that job! I’m a clinical neuropsychologist, working with people who suffer from dementia and traumatic brain injuries. Even if I wasn’t working in this particular specialty, I think I’d inevitably be some kind of psychologist. People, their experiences, and the ways in which they respond to them are just completely fascinating to me. (And yes, as you might guess, I’m addicted to reality tv.)

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?

Nothing. No matter what I’ve planned to say, I am rendered speechless by my huge crush on President Obama.

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

It would be THE WAR AT HOME, the last book I wrote (not on shelves yet). It’s about a passive emo kid named Dov (let’s see…I picture Zac Efron) who has to unexpectedly deal with the effects of war on his older, previously-perfect brother (played by the darling Mark Salling from Glee) who returns home from fighting in Afghanistan.

The paranormal genre is big in teen/YA literature right now. Most bestsellers feature vampires, werewolves, faeries, angels, or the like as a main character. In your opinion, why are teens currently fascinated with all things paranormal?

I think that it’s because there are so many complicated, difficult things happening in the real world, reading about the paranormal provides an opportunity to escape from all that, to imagine what could happen if reality was suspended and anything could happen. Plus, something about vampires is kind of sexy. Werewolves not so much.

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 remember enjoying A TALE OF TWO CITIES much more than I expected to, but I recall that THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE was a struggle. Another book that stands out in memory was ALIVE!, the story of the Uraguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes mountains and the survivors had to resort to cannibalism in order to survive. That book actually gave me nightmares!

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

While I’d like to say, “Of course, I’m DRIVEN to write!”, I think that any writer does his or her best work with an audience in mind. Without that, well…as they say, “if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make any sound?” Similarly, if I write a book but no one will ever read it or be affected by it, what’s the point?

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

1) Read, read, and read some more. While you do, make a point to pay attention to the story’s arc, pacing and the way the dialog enhances or detracts from the story.

2) Write, write, and write some more: practice applying what you’ve learned to your own story-telling. Think about participating in the annual National Write a Novel in a Month event (aka NaNoWriMo) in November to learn how to write without censoring yourself in order to cough up the first draft/hairball that you will later polish and perfect.

3) Screw up your courage and share your work with someone whose opinions you respect and who will be honest in helping you edit what you’ve created.

4) Send it out there: Check out The Writer's Market to see where you might best submit your work: an updated edition comes out every year and is available in most libraries and bookstores.

**Thanks so much to Susan for visiting with us today! Be sure to check out her website, listed above, and to leave any comments or questions you have for her in the comments section - she'll be stopping by later today to see what we're discussing!