ALAN Online

This installment of New Voices is an interview with author Tanya Lee Stone, whose debut novel, A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl, was recently published by Random House/Wendy Lamb Books to excellent reviews.  Tanya’s presence on the web can be felt at  www.tanyastone.com and on her blog at tanyaleestone.livejournal.com .

{mosimage}Can you describe A BAD BOY CAN BE GOOD FOR A GIRL (Wendy Lamb Books, 2006) for our readers?

 A BAD BOY CAN BE GOOD FOR A GIRL is about three very different girls who all encounter the same bad boy throughout the course of a year. Each has an unpleasant experience with him, and each grows from it, learning more about who they are–and who they want to be–through the choices they make. It is a fairly intimate look at the time of life when girls head into their first serious intimate relationships–both emotionally and physically.

 Who were your favorite authors growing up? Who are your favorite authors today?

 When I was little, I wanted to be Pippi Longstocking, so I admired Astrid Lindgren, and I adored Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume, too. As I got a bit older, Madeline L'Engle and Ursula LeGuin made a big impression on me, as well as Norton Juster's PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH. My Mom was an elementary school librarian, though, so choosing just a few books was difficult. I was one of those kids staggering under a stack of books on my way out the library door.

Now I read a combination of children's and adult. My son turned me on to Kenneth Oppel this past year. I love Jane Austen, Flannery O'Connor, Marge Piercy, and I've had a thing for Vladimir Nabokov since college. I've been reading a lot of poetry and nonfiction lately–specifically, poetry by Billy Collins and Mary Roach's books STIFF and SPOOK, as well as Daniel Mendelsohn's THE LOST, which I'm reading right now.

 How do you approach a new story? Some authors plan, some don't. Some outline, some don't…

 My natural instinct is to plunge right in and be driven by the voice of the main character. When I am truly lost in a manuscript, that is what is happening. For me, it feels very similar to the process of becoming a character you are portraying in a play. I grew up going to theater camps, as well as performing arts high school, and writing is very reminiscent of those times for me. I have tried to outline plots before, but the problem I run into is that once I know what is going to happen I am not as caught up in the process of discovery as when I am listening to the character and going where she takes me.

Is there anything special you like to wear or do while you write? Where is your favorite place to write?

I am a working Mom, so mornings are off to a bustling start–making breakfasts, packing lunches, searching for articles of clothing, etc.. Once they are on the bus, I tend to sit right down and get started. Which usually means I am in my pajamas until I decide to take a break! I now have a wonderful room with windows on all sides, a desk, an armchair, and my laptop. It's a room designated for reading and writing and it has become my favorite place to write, most definitely.

 What are your plans for your next novel? Can you give us a peek?

It's too nascent at the moment, but I can give you a peek at a book I'm ensconsed in and finding really exciting. It is called ALMOST ASTRONAUTS: The Story of the Mercury 13 Women, and is the real-life drama of the ladies who began astronaut training in 1961 until NASA pulled the plug on them. My editor on this project is Marc Aronson, for Candlewick, and I'm loving every minute of it. 

Are you interested in visiting libraries or schools? If so, how can interested teachers and librarians contact you?

 Oh yes, I love doing visits. I find kids very rejuvenating. Interested teachers and librarians can either email me directly at tanyastone@tanyastone.com or email my booking agent, Sharron McElmeel at mcelmeel@mcelmeel.com

 What is a question you wish interviewers would ask-but never do?

 Where should I send the chocolate?