ELLY SWARTZ INTERVIEW AND FINDING PERFECT

Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have debut author Elly Swartz here to share about her MG contemporary FINDING PERFECT. Molly sounds like an awesome main character, and she certainly has many internal and external issues to grapple with.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads: 

To Molly Nathans, perfect is:

• The number four
• The tip of a newly sharpened number two pencil
• A crisp, white pad of paper
• Her neatly aligned glass animal figurines

What’s not perfect is Molly’s mother leaving the family to take a faraway job with the promise to return in one year. Molly knows that promises are often broken, so she hatches a plan to bring her mother home: Win the Lakeville Middle School Slam Poetry Contest. The winner is honored at a fancy banquet with table cloths. Molly’s sure her mother would never miss that. Right…?

But as time goes on, writing and reciting slam poetry become harder. Actually, everything becomes harder as new habits appear, and counting, cleaning, and organizing are not enough to keep Molly’s world from spinning out of control.

Hi Elly! Thanks so much for joining us.

1.Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

I grew up in Yardley, a small town in Pennsylvania. At the time, there were many cornfields and cows. I lived in a red, brick house on Queens Drive with my mom, dad, two older brothers and dogs (first Missy and later Sam). My childhood was a happy one with many laughs, family dinners and crooked birthday cakes. 

Years later, in my home in Brookline, MA there are still many laughs, family dinners and crooked birthday cakes. However, now the faces around the table are my awesome husband and two wonderful sons who are tall, often bearded and in their 20’s. And the youngest member of the family, not at the dinner table, is Lucy the beagle. Over the years, our family has also included a pygmy hedgehog, gerbils, a hamster, fish and a few other dogs. 

I love writing for children, but I didn’t take a direct path to that career. I weaved and bobbed through many unique opportunities on my way to becoming a writer.  I studied psychology at Boston University and got my JD at Georgetown University School of Law.  I was a ride operator at Sesame Place, spent time working in a furniture store, was a messenger, law library assistant, legal author, litigator, legal research and writing professor and college essay adviser.

One summer I decided to seize the moment and do something I’d been longing to do for a while. I wanted to write a story. A real, beginning, middle and end kind of story. And, not long after I sat down to write, I got the first sign that, indeed, this was the right path for me.

I opened a piece of Bazooka Joe gum and wrapped around my sugary, pink delight was a fortune that read, “You have the ability to become outstanding in literature.”  Now I’m a dedicated Bazooka gum fan and have read many fortunes, but never had I nor have I since received a fortune such as that.  I keep this fortune tacked on the bulletin board next to my desk in my office. A touch of unexpected inspiration!

2. I can't believe how many writers I've met (me included) who are lawyers who change professions and become writers and authors like you. Where did you get the idea for your story?

One day, I woke up with Molly in my head. I could see her so vividly and she refused to leave until I told her story. At the time, I knew a number of adults and children who I was very close with who had OCD. I was awed by the disconnect between how they saw themselves and the world saw them. I spent the next seven years researching OCD, writing Molly’s story, and working with OCD pediatric specialists to authenticate the manifestation, discovery and treatment of Molly’s symptoms. Molly has been with me for a long time. And, even now, years after I’ve written the last page, she remains tucked in a very special place in my heart.

3. Molly sounds like a fantastic character who has a lot to hard issues to deal with, made harder due to her OCD. And reviewers have really connected with her. Share a bit about her and what her character development was like.

As shared, Molly just showed up one day. And, there was no long walk, hard work day, sunny day on the beach that would erase her from my thoughts. So after some time researching OCD, I began to write Molly’s story. When I first started, Finding Perfect (then called Wish) was written in alternating 1^st person POV chapters between Molly and Hannah. I got to know Molly through both her and Hannah’s eyes. The way Molly saw herself was very different from the way Hannah saw her. It was in this discrepancy that I found the heart of Molly.

I learned quickly that Molly had an unwavering love for family, and a strength she did not

know that she possessed. It was this hidden strength and vulnerability that I fell in love with. Her character was so clear, but incredibly challenging to write. It was difficult going to the dark places where Molly found herself. As the author (and a mom), I wanted to reach in, help her, give her a hug, and tell her she wasn’t alone. But, I knew I couldn’t. I knew she had to help herself. She had to realize that she had both the courage and the strength. And, in the end, she learned that she had both.

4. So interesting how you learned about Molly through Hannah's eyes but ultimately dropped that POV. This is in part an issue book. How did you balance this out in the story without sounding too preachy? What advice do you have for other writers writing a similar type of book?

            Let me start by saying thank you. I worked very hard not to sound didactic. In fact, while writing this story, I took two years off from trying to get published and worked solely on voice, character and the craft of writing. I needed to understand what it truly meant to convey sentiment in an organic and authentic manner.

My advice to others would be to dig deep into your character. Leave the mom/parent/teacher/caregiver hat at the door and write like you’re wrapped in the head of your twelve-year-old. Write like you’re sending a coded message. Write from your heart. And then practice, practice, practice!

5. You are so dedicated to getting the craft of writing and message right. What was a challenge you faced in working with your editor or agent on revisions to FINDING PEFECT and how did you overcome them?

            I actually loved the revision process. My agent and editor were incredibly communicative and supportive. My only challenge was simply that my initial editor, Angie Chen, left the publishing house to pursue other endeavors. And, while I missed her, and I still do, she’s amazing, I now work with Joy Peskin, another rockstar, super smart editor. So, I feel truly fortunate.

6.  Your agent is Tricia Lawrence. How did she become your agent and what was your road to publication like?

            My road to publication has been well-traveled. I sat down to write my first book in the summer of 2001. Finding Perfect was the 5^th book I had written. Through the years I had received many no’s/nopes/almosts. No is never easy to hear, but it is what pushed me to work harder, get better, be better. And, along the No Trail I met an amazing community of incredibly supportive writers and educators.

Finding Perfect is the book I submitted to Trish. It was around Thanksgiving when I received an email from her saying she wanted to represent me. I am beyond grateful to be navigating the world of publishing with her by my side.

7. Your story is a good lesson to other writers to not give up. Your book is scheduled to be released during OCD Foundation’s OCD Awareness week. How are you tying into this and how are you using this issue in terms of your book marketing?

It is less about marketing and more about hoping to connect with the half a million US children who suffer from OCD. (www.iocdf.org). Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can be isolating. My hope is that Finding Perfect, along with other similar books, can help remove the stigma of mental illness, and enable kids to recognize they’re not alone. The pages in a book are sometimes where kids feel truly connected. And, when children feel seen, heard and understood, the obstacles to learning, engaging and connecting can begin to dissolve.

I truly hope that Finding Perfect allows kids like Molly to feel less isolated, and enables kids who are not like Molly to understand, empathize, and connect. After all, no one is just one thing!

8. Share something that has surprised you in the year leading up to your book release. What advice do you have for other authors looking to debut in the next 3 to 12 months?

            I would say just about everything has surprised me in the last year! But maybe most surprising has been the amazing community of educators and librarians who have reached out during this process. Truly, they are the most gracious, kind, dedicated group of people. Their love of their students and their love of reading is palpable and wonderfully contagious. They have been supportive and kind and welcoming to me, Molly, and Finding Perfect.

            My advice, get on social media, and Twitter, in particular. Meet the educators who are talking books. Introduce yourself, engage. Connect with other debut authors. Create a community. Find your people. And read. 

9. What are you working on now?

I am in the middle of a few new projects. I am revising a middle grade novel about an 11-year-old named Frankie. A story about family with a splash of mystery. I am super excited about this project, and while I can’t share more at this time, I can say, stay tuned. Good news coming!

I am also diving into the picture book world and kicking off another new middle grade.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Elly. You can find Elly at www.ellyswartz.com, on Twitter @ellyswartz or Facebook.

Also be sure to check out Finding Perfect’s

Curriculum Guide

http://images.macmillan.com/folio-assets/teachers-guides/9780374303129TG.pdf

and Audio Trailer

https://soundcloud.com/user-476350870/perfect-is

Links to purchase Finding Perfect:

http://amzn.com/0374303126

http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780374303129

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-perfect-elly-swartz/1122889663?ean=9780374303129

Elly has generously offered a copy of FINDING PERFECT for a giveaway.  To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment through October 29th.  If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This is an international giveaway.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday was started by Shannon Messenger. You can find the participating blogs on her blog.

Here's what's coming up:

On Friday I'll be participating in the Spooktacular Book Giveaway Hop.

Next Monday Maya Rock, who provides editorial services, will be doing a guest post with a query critique giveaway.

The Monday after that I have debut author Jill Diamond and her agent Jennifer Rolfe here with a guest post and giveaway of Jill's MG mystery LOU LOU AND PEA AND THE MURAL MYSTERY.

 Hope to see you on Friday!