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Blog Tour: Author Interview: Lisa Burstein “Pretty Amy”
Today, I’d like to welcome Lisa Burstein to Every Free Chance!!!! Lisa is the author of Pretty Amy, her debut novel that is now available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Lisa’s Bio
Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University and is glad to finally have it be worth more than the paper it was printed on. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats. Pretty Amy is her first novel. She never went to her senior prom.
She wrote her first story when she was in second grade. It was a Thanksgiving tale from the point of view of the turkey from freezer to oven to plate. It was scandalous.
Interview with Lisa Burstein
1. Why did you become a writer? Being a writer was a way for me to say everything I was too afraid to say out loud. Also I love it. It is truly an honor to get to do what you love.
2. Who has been your biggest inspiration for writing? This might sound stupid, but my mother. She is a very creative person- she has a business where she writes toasts and bar mitzvah candlelightings- and she always fostered my creativity. She always believed I could be a published author and that steadfast belief really inspired to keep going even when it looked like it was not going to happen.
3. If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing as a career? Probably a lawyer.
4. What kind of research did you have to do while writing Pretty Amy? I sat in a courtroom all day, just to get the feeling of being at an arraignment. I also had to do a lot of research on NY state drug laws. They are confusing ;).
5. Which character was your favorite to write about? Which was your least favorite? Cassie, she is so fun to write, because she had NO filter. She just says whatever she wants and it is usually hilarious. I don’t have a character that was my least favorite, I love all my characters, otherwise they wouldn’t be in my books :).
6. Which character in Pretty Amy do you relate to the most? Why? Amy. Just like her I had such a desire to belong, to fit in, to have people who understood me. I wanted that so badly and I guess I never felt like adults understood that. It was most of the reason I wrote PRETTY AMY. If I’d had it when I was in high school I feel like I would have been able to understand my feelings better. I wouldn’t have felt so alone. That feeling was something I never admitted to anyone, not even my friends and I wanted to let teens know it’s okay to feel lonely even surrounded by friends and family.
7. How long did it take you to write Pretty Amy? What was your writing process like? Well PRETTY AMY was rewritten several times, we’re talking over years, but the fast version is: I got my agent in May of 2011 and had interest in August of 2011 for a revise and resubmit. I revised and resubmitted and it sold to that editor in November of 2011. But really like I said it took years to get this book right.
8. In one sentence, tell us why we should read your book. PRETTY AMY is the book I wish I had when I was in high school.
9. Who is/are your favorite author(s)? I love Courtney Summers, Sara Zarr, John Green, Margaret Atwood and Deb Caletti, any author who is willing to be raw and real.
10. What are you currently reading? My Super Sweet 16th Century by, Rachel Harris. Loving it!
