Interview with YA author Naomi Rabinowitz

Today's guest is young adult author Naomi Rabinowitz. She's doing a virtual book tour for her novel Revenge of a Band Geek Gone Bad.

As part of the tour, Naomi is raffling off a prize pack that contains and e-book, CD, and earrings. You can enter at the bottom of the interview. Also, if you'd like more chances to win, you can visit her other tour stops. 

Bio:
Naomi Rabinowitz has always loved being creative. Raised in Nesconset, NY -- a suburb on Long Island -- she was introduced to the arts at an early age. Her mother, Joyce, is a pianist; her father, Melvin, plays piano and guitar; her grandmother, Esther, was a talented knitter; her late grandfather, Morris, was a violinist; her late great uncle, Sid Robin, was a well-known jazz musician, who penned the lyrics to the popular big band hit, "Undecided."

Naomi's parents, who were both teachers, frequently took her to museums and concerts. During their summers off, her family traveled. By the time she was 15, Naomi had been to several European countries, as well as China, Japan, Israel, Egypt, Russia and Mexico.

Naomi's love for writing emerged when she was in the second grade and her poem, "The Four Seasons," won first prize in a local literary competition. She became interested in journalism in junior high when her English class was selected to write for Newsday's "Kidsday" column.

She had as much passion for music. Though she began playing piano when she was three, she switched to her "true" instrument, the flute, when she was nine and eventually added tenor sax and clarinet to her list so that she could play in jazz band. She performed in almost every musical group from wind ensemble to orchestra (but never marching band!). In 2008, she released her jazz album FLUTE PATH.

Naomi received a B.A. in English from Binghamton University and an M.A. in magazine journalism from Syracuse University. From 1998-2012, she worked as a reporter/editor for national TV magazine Soap Opera Digest.

These days, Naomi writes, plays jazz flute and designs jewelry for her businesses Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations. She lives in Queens, NY with her husband, Jonathan, and their cat, Maya.

Welcome, Naomi. Please tell us about your current release:
Revenge of a Band Geek Gone Bad follows the story of the 15-year-old narrator, Melinda, a self-proclaimed "loser," who believes that the only thing that she has going for her is that she's first chair flute in band. Unfortunately, she botches an audition and loses her seat to her longtime rival, Kathy, who's one of the popular kids.

After, Mel is approached by troublemaking trumpet prodigy Josh, who's had his own problems with Kathy. He persuades Melinda to team up with him so that they can take down Kathy. Mel reluctantly agrees, but is drawn to Josh because he's good-looking and charismatic. They become friends and fall in love, but eventually Josh's schemes get to be too much for Mel. She has to decide how far she's willing to go to win her fight and if staying with Josh is worth it.

Though teen romance is a big part of Band Geek  the story is so much more than that. It's really Melinda's coming-of-age tale as she deals with family problems, issues with her friends and yes, her first love. Josh and Mel are the main characters, but theirs isn't the only tale that I tell: we also get to know Mel's parents, her band conductor, her best friend, Lana, and her nemesis, Kathy. It's a story about Melinda's WORLD in addition to it being just about her life.

What inspired you to write this book?
Well, I was a band geek myself. I've play flute for 30 years and was in my high school band -- and I had my own flute rival to contend with. She wasn't a bully like Kathy is to Melinda, but the competition was still pretty intense! There are many YA stories that focus on the pressures that athletes face, but I wanted to write one that reflected what I'd experienced as a musician. 

As for the love story aspect of my novel, I initially based Josh on my husband, Jon, who was a bad boy in high school. I wondered if we would've gotten along as teens and that "What if?" became the basis for creating Josh and Mel's relationship. However, once I began actually writing Mel and Josh, they took on lives of their own.

Excerpt:

Josh followed me into the hallway and fell into step beside me.  "How'd you like to get your seat back?" he asked.  Only he said it really quickly so it sounded more like "Howdylikegetaseatack?"

    "Huh?" 

    "How'd you like to get your seat back?" he said more slowly.  "How'd you like to knock Kathy back down to second chair —- or even lower than that?"

    I sighed and kept walking.  "I'm not really sure I'm the person you want."

    "The Hindemith Sonata," he blurted, snapping his fingers.  "That's what you played last year at the band recital.  It was very good."

    I stopped walking, surprised by the compliment.  "Thanks."

    "Kathy played a Mozart piece and wasn't nearly as good as you," he went on.  "I remember that, too.  That's how I know she shouldn't have beaten you today."

    I was beginning to understand why Josh was so popular; he had this way of making you feel at ease and like everything you say is important.  My initial nervousness at being around him washed away.  Yet I wasn't entirely convinced that this guy was on my side.  How could I trust someone who tormented Mr. Francis on almost a daily basis?

    He bit his lip and was quiet for a moment.  "Look, I have some issues with Kathy, too," he admitted.  "I asked her out this summer at a party we were both at.  And you know what she did?  She didn't just say no.  She spilled a large Coke on my head in front of everyone and then posted photos of me online.  Can you believe that?"

    I’d missed seeing these photos, but couldn't help laughing at the thought of him dripping with Coke, his ego shattered.  I covered my mouth so he couldn't see me, but he did.  "Yeah, yeah, it was hilarious," he said, rolling his eyes.  "She apparently had some boyfriend there with her who I didn't know about so she was mad at me for daring to approach her.  But she didn't have to be such a beyotch.”  He shook his head, obviously still pained by the memory.  "My point is, she messed with me and now she messed with you.  If we don’t stop her, she’ll do it to someone else."

    "I guess.  But to be fair, Kathy didn't really do anything today," I said.  "It was Mr. Francis who flipped out and I should probably be thankful that he didn't make me last chair."

    Josh's blue eyes narrowed.  "So you think Kathy's innocent in this?  Oh, please.  Who do you think snapped your spring out of place?

    "What?"  This hadn't even crossed my mind.  Could Kathy have done that to me?  No, there was no way.  The spring was really small and she would've had to have gotten really close to my instrument in order to do that.  "She didn't," I said.  "If she did, I would've felt it."

    Josh held up the wallet which I kept in my purse.  "You didn't feel me taking this.”

    I angrily snatched it out of his hand and stuffed it back into my bag.  I then realized I'd been so busy listening to Josh  that I'd missed my bus.  "Damn it!"  I muttered.

    "What?"  He held up his hands.  "I swear, I didn't take anything from your wallet!"

    "No, it's not that," I explained.  "I missed my bus."

    Josh smiled.  "Hey, no problem.  I can give you a ride."

    "Really?  It's no big deal.  I can just walk..."

    "Well, I don't think you can really walk in those jeans."

    He was right.  I didn't need everyone else to see my granny panties and I could be doing worse things than riding home with a hot guy.  "Okay, thanks."

    "But there's just one condition," he said, as we made our way to the parking lot.  "In exchange for this ride, you give me just one chance to help you get your seat back.  If it doesn't work or you don't like what I'm doing, I'll leave you alone."

    "I don't know..."

    "Oh, come on.  I gave you my jacket.  I'm giving you a ride home... it's the least you can do.  Do it for the guy who got a bucket of soda dumped over him?"

    I laughed despite myself.  "Okay, one chance."

    "Oh, good!"  he said, clapping his hands.  "Let's get ready to bring Kathy down." 

What exciting story are you working on next?
I've just begun work on my next novel, which is also going to be a YA book. This one is going to take place in college and is going to focus on the friendship between a straight girl and a gay guy. It's going to be another love story, only in this case, that love will be platonic. 

I'd also like to write a sequel to Band Geek from Josh's point of view, but am still working out the details on that one. Writing from the guy's perspective will be an interesting challenge!

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I was 8 years old and in the second grade. My teacher entered my poem into a local competition and I won first prize for my age group. Until that point, I'd loved making up poems and stories, but I now realized that people were actually interested in what I had to say.

I wrote my first full-scale novel when I was 12. It was about the goings-on in my elementary school's band. While it didn't directly inspire Band Geek  I've always been determined to do something that combined my love of writing and music. Writing ABOUT music is the best way to do that!

Do you write full time? If not, what do you do other than write, and how do you find time to write?
I work for myself full-time, but actually have several different businesses. For 14 years, I wrote for Soap Opera Digest magazine, but was laid off in March. After that, I decided to become my own boss and am involved in a bunch of different projects. I make and sell my own jewelry online and at craft fairs; my main jewelry business is called Naomi's Designs and my children's line is MayaGirl Creations. I also take jewelry classes and write articles for HubPages. Plus, I have a jewelry blog and my author blog.

Finding time to actually sit down and write my novels can be tough, but I try to put in at least an hour a day. I wrote Band Geek while I was still working at SOD and would wake up early so that I could finish a chapter before work. Now I'm fortunate in that I have some more freedom in my schedule, but I still need to schedule a block of time specifically for writing. Between writing novels and designing jewelry, I sometimes feel like I have a split personality, but I love what I'm doing.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Hmmm... I tend to get my best ideas when I'm doing something mindless. If I'm having some writers' block, I like to take a few minutes to play a simple video games like Tetris, where I can let my mind go and daydream. For some reason, this helps me refocus.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As I said earlier, I've always wanted to be a writer. Once I got older, I focused on journalism instead of creative writing because that seemed as if it would be a more lucrative path to follow, but I've dreamed of writing novels for as long as I can remember. 

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I'm very project-minded and am constantly trying new things. Writing will always be my first love, but there are so many other things that I want to try my hand at. Keep an eye out for me because you never know what I'll be doing next! 

Ways to connect with me: Facebook | Blog | Amazon

Thanks, Naomi!

Readers, here's where you can enter to win the prize pack:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview with 'crafty' memoir writer Kathryn Vercillo

Photo credit:
Julie Michelle Photography

Kathryn Vercillo is joining the blog today to give us a glimpse into her non-fiction book, Crochet Saved My Life.

Bio: 

Kathryn Vercillo is a San Francisco based author who has recently self-published a new title called Crochet Saved My Life. Prior to this title she published two books with Schiffer Publishing (Ghosts of San Francisco and Ghosts of Alcatraz) and self-published a book of short articles about women who crochet. Kathryn runs the blog Crochet Concupiscence, where she writes about all things related to the craft of crochet. She believes that sharing true personal stories connects people and wants to develop her career further in this vein.

Welcome, Kathryn. Please tell us about your current release.

Crochet Saved My Life is a book about the health benefits of crochet. The book includes my own mini-memoir of using hands-on crafting to heal after a lifelong battle with depression. It also includes the true stories of nearly two dozen other women who found that a hands-on creative hobby was crucial to helping them in healing from a diverse array of ailments including PTSD, OCD, pregnancy complications and chronic pain conditions. Although the book is about crochet, the stories are widely accessible for both men and women who enjoy a variety of different crafts and hobbies.

What inspired you to write this book?

I believe that each individual has a unique personal story and that sharing the story is not only cathartic but also leads to better connections with others. I believe in the value of this. I survived a really tough battle with depression and knew that an honest portrayal of this would be beneficial to myself and others. I was having some success with my crochet blog and so chose to tell the story specifically through the lens of how this craft helped me in my recovery.

As I began to do research I started to hear from many amazing women who shared the intimate details of their own difficult experiences with me. I felt that they’d entrusted me to be a channel for sharing their stories and this further inspired the direction the book took.

  

Excerpt from the Introduction of Crochet Saved My Life

By Kathryn Vercillo

Crochet saved my life.

I realize that this sounds completely absurd … or at the very least like a great exaggeration. I assure you, however, that it is the truest way I can possibly describe the role that crochet played in assisting me in moving through the deepest period of depression I had ever experienced. Without it, I may not have lived.

Prior to this terrible period, I had suffered with undiagnosed, sometimes debilitating, always untreated depression for nearly fifteen years. I didn’t know that depression was the problem and I certainly didn’t know how to deal with it. The delay in diagnosis was due in large part to stubbornness. I was very anti-medication, mostly anti-psychologists and believed that whatever was wrong was something I could solve on my own. The delay also had to do with my youth (I was a young teen when the problem started), a lack of self-awareness and an abundance of intelligence and creativity that made me generally keep going in some form despite many tough battles with deep sadness. In later years, I did try to reach out for help but the professionals I worked with didn’t properly diagnose me or help me in any way.

All of this is to say that by the time that I reached the desperate stage of readiness where I would accept any help of any kind (despite feeling certain that nothing could ever help) the problem was nearly out of control. I was barely functioning. I cried most of the day every day. I could hardly move. I could hardly breathe. The idea of trying to make doctors’ appointments or hold down “real” jobs was so far-fetched it may as well have filtered into my mind in another language. I couldn’t do almost anything and yet the one thing that I could do was to move a crochet hook back and forth through yarn, repeatedly pulling one loop through the next to create fabric out of air so thin I could barely breathe in it. Since it was one of the only things that I could do, it became imperative to my mental health that I go ahead and do it. When I first started to crochet, that feeling of temporary relief from the muted chaos of depression was the only reason I was crocheting.

Of course, crochet alone could never have taken me out of that desperate place. It is a craft, not a cure-all for serious illness. And yet I am also fairly certain that I could never have loosened myself from the grip of that depression without crochet. I was stuck in between that proverbial rock and a hard place and my crochet hook served as a crowbar to begin prying me out of that difficult space. I hardly knew that it was happening and yet that hook dug deep down into the core of my being and lifted me into a space where I could once again begin to breathe. In the most basic and obvious way possible I was creating a life for myself simply through the act of creating.

A year later, breathing and healing, I was not only crocheting but also beginning to live my life again. I was beginning to meet other people who also enjoyed literally crafting a life for themselves. I had been a professional blogger/ freelance writer for approximately ten years and found the medium comfortable so I decided to start a crochet blog where I found an expansive community of like-minded crafty people. As I began to share my thoughts and feelings with this community, I began to see that I was not the only one who felt that crochet had been critical to saving one’s mental health. In fact, it became obvious to me that it is more often than not the case that crocheters feel that they experience some personal health benefits from the craft although that may not be their main motivation for crocheting.

Crochet heals. Crochet saves lives.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I am working on a book of creativity exercises for crocheters designed to help people use the craft to heal and improve their everyday quality of life through a more creative approach to crafting. It is due for an early 2013 release.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I honestly can’t remember a time when I didn’t write. I was always writing. But there were levels of accepting myself as a “writer”. When I won my first poetry prize from a zine in my early 20’s I felt like I’d accomplished something as a writer. When I started getting paid to do writing work (also in my early twenties) and started actually putting “writer” as my occupation on my taxes was another landmark. When I published my first book I felt like a real author. But it’s taken about ten years of full-time writing work and the publishing of this first book that truly came from my own heart and mind to really, fully, 100% embrace that I’m a writer, every day, forever.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I’ve been a full-time writer for about a decade. I work primarily on my own projects now – my blogs, this most recent book and the next book. I supplement this with a little bit of freelance work, mostly doing articles for a few websites that I’ve been working with for a long time. I enjoy taking random writing jobs now and then to broaden my experience.

Every once in awhile I’ll also do a non-writing job such as pet care or I’ll participate in a paid focus group (I did one for a craft-related phone app earlier this year). I do it for a little extra cash but I also do it because I believe in constantly expanding the scope of personal experience to grow as a writer and as a person.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I like really cheap pens for longhand journal writing and I’m super particular about the ones I like (a certain type of Papermate).

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer! But many other things as well … a teacher, a lawyer, a fashion designer, a psychologist … The funny thing is that I’ve done all of those things to some extent. I’ve worked as a teacher at a charter school. I started law school before realizing I didn’t want to be a lawyer after all. I make clothing using my crochet skills. I have an educational background in social work and psychology, read widely on those topics and would like to do higher education in psychology. I really believe that as a writer you must also be many other things, maybe not as a career but to be a well-rounded person with lots of experience to write from!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

As an indie author it is really immensely helpful when readers support my work, whether they buy a copy of a book for a friend or write a positive review on Amazon or spread the word about my blog on Facebook. Every little bit really does make a difference in my life and career. So thank you to everyone who has done that!

Thanks for being here today, Kathryn. 

Readers, here are more ways to connect with Kathryn include:

CreateSpace Page

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