BLOG TOUR: INTERVIEW + GIVEAWAY: Just Like The Movies by Kelly Fiore

Author: Kelly Fiore
Publication: July 22, 2014
By: Bloomsbury/Walker Books For Young Readers
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Pretty and popular track star Marijke Monti is confident about almost everything – she’s got great friends, a great family, and she’s on her way to the State Track Championship. In fact, the only thing Marijke isn’t confident about is her relationship with Tommy Lawson.

Lily Spencer has spent her entire high school career preparing for the future – she’s participated in every extracurricular activity and volunteer committee she could. But, at home, she watches her mother go on date after date with dud-dudes, still searching for “the one.” Lily realizes that she’s about to graduate and still hasn’t even had a boyfriend.

While they live on each other’s periphery at school, Lily and Marijke never seemed to have much in common; but, after a coincidental meeting at the movie theater, Lily gets an idea – why can’t life be like a movie? Why can’t they set up their perfect romantic situations, just in time for their senior prom, using movie techniques?

Once the girls come up with the perfect plans, they commit themselves to being secret cohorts and, just like in the movies, drama ensues.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1) Just Like The Movies centers around popular movies from the 80s and 90s. If you had to pick a movie to describe the kind of day you're having right now, which one would you choose?
My son went to day camp for the first time today and I’m on pins and needles, waiting until the time comes to pick him up. I’m sort of a cross between the panicked mother in Home Alone and the frantic fish-dad in Finding Nemo. 

2) If teenage Kelly could star in any movie mentioned in the book, which one would she choose and why?

Ugh. Teenage Kelly was a hot mess. Um, I think she probably would choose Easy A because she would have loved Olive’s ballsy, take-no-prisoners attitude and because Penn Badgley is super-hot.

3) What is the last movie you saw and loved?

Endless Love – ADORBS. In the theater, the last movie I saw was The Lego Movie and that was super-cute, too.

4) What is the best piece of writing advice you've been given?

Author Jen Jacobson said this at a conference and it really resonated with me – “Anything that happens fast in real life, you should write slowly with lots of details and specifics. Anything that happens slowly in real life you can gloss over and be less specific.” It doesn’t work in every case, but I’ve reminded myself of this a lot lately and it hasn’t steered me wrong.

5) I ask all of my blog guests this one...brownies, pie or cupcakes? 
Brownies. I LOVE BROWNIES. (Although, interestingly, I had a cupcake “company” – meaning me in my kitchen – for a couple years. I made wedding cupcakes, which was a ton of fun and a ton of work!)

Thanks, Kelly!



About the Author

Kelly Fiore has a BA in English from Salisbury University and an MFA in Poetry from West Virginia University. She received an Individual Artist Award from the Maryland State Arts Council in 2005 and 2009. Kelly’s poetry has appeared in Small Spiral Notebook, Samzidada, Mid Atlantic Review, Connotation Press, and the Grolier Annual Review. Her first young adult novel, Taste Test, was released in August 2013 from Bloomsbury USA. Forthcoming books include Just Like the Movies, again from Bloomsbury, in 2014 and The People Vs. Cecelia Price from HarperTeen in 2015.

Kelly teaches college composition in Maryland, where she lives with her husband and son. You can connect with Kelly at her website (www.kellyfiorewrites.com), on Twitter (@kellyannfiore), on Tumblr (kellyfiore.tumblr.com), or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KellyFioreYAAuthor).

GIVEAWAY

1 finished copy of JUST LIKE THE MOVIES 

U.S. Only

Must be 13 years old to enter/Void where prohibited.

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