About the Book:
Title: WHAT I
LOST
Author: Alexandra Ballard
Pub. Date: June 6, 2017
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Pages: 304
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
What
sixteen-year-old Elizabeth has lost so far: forty pounds, four jean sizes, a
boyfriend, and her peace of mind. As a result, she’s finally a size zero. She’s
also the newest resident at Wallingfield, a treatment center for girls like
her—girls with eating disorders. Elizabeth is determined to endure the program
so she can go back home, where she plans to start restricting her food intake
again.She’s pretty sure her mom, who has her own size-zero obsession, needs
treatment as much as she does. Maybe even more. Then Elizabeth begins receiving
mysterious packages. Are they from her ex-boyfriend, a secret admirer, or
someone playing a cruel trick?
This
eloquent debut novel rings with authenticity as it follows Elizabeth’s journey
to taking an active role in her recovery, hoping to get back all that she lost.
Today we welcome Alexandra for an interview!
1) Has writing always been your passion? If you had to choose another passion, what would it be?
I’ve always
loved to write, but it took me a long time to get up the courage to sit down
and start being an actual writer. I circled the idea for a long time, working
as a magazine editor and middle-school language-arts teacher before deciding to
go all-in. But even when I was not actually composing stories on my computer, I
was always asking What if? in my
head. Even now when I am cleaning or walking I’ll often talk out conversations
between imaginary people in my head. My two daughters roll their eyes at me and
always say, “Notebook, Mom, notebook!” when they catch me. But I think that
habit has given me a better ear for dialogue. And it’s a great way to make time
go by faster.
If I didn’t
write, I’d be a professional baker. I love working with my hands. When I left
my job as a teacher, I started a cake business in my kitchen, and I loved it.
But once Elizabeth, my main character, popped into my head, I felt compelled to
focus my time and energy on her. And then, when I got my book deal, it made
more sense to focus completely on my writing.
But I still
love to bake. It is my number-one stress release. Just last night I made
strawberry hand pies. Yum!
2) Your chosen to stand in front of a class and talk
about writing. What is the most important piece of advice you can give to these
young people as they start their journey?
I hate to
be so cliché, but my advice would be to just do it! Sit down every day, open
your computer or notebook, and write. When I was starting out, I had a hard
time committing to my daily writing. There were days when I looked for any
excuse or distraction to skip writing. And, without a book deal, it was hard to
take myself seriously.
So, I made a deal with myself. I’d sit
down in front of an open Word or Scrivener file every day. That’s it. But I had
to do it seven days a week. With the pressure off to create something great, it
was easier to start typing. Plus, it gets boring sitting in front of an empty
screen.
Another
piece of advice I’d give is to find a writing group or partner. I joined a
writing group early on and it was the best thing I could have done. Each week
we’d meet and write to prompts, then read what we wrote aloud. It was inspiring
and motivating for me to be with other writers, to hear their words. I wrote
almost all of the first draft of WHAT I LOST with them. I don’t know if I could
have done it alone.
3)If you could choose 3 historians to interview, who
would they be and why?
Well, I
don’t know about historians, but if I could interview famous historical
figures, here’s who I’d choose: Dorothy Day, Robert Coles, and Winston
Churchill. Dorothy Day and Churchill are dead, but Coles is still alive. I’d
love to get their impressions on the state of our world today and what they
think we should do about it. They are all such great thinkers and have done/did
so much to make the world a better place. All of them shared the ability to see
the bigger picture, which we could use more of these days.
4) You're traveling the world and you have to pick 5
uncommon places to visit, where do you choose to go?
1. The
Icehotel in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden
2. Donsol, Philippines,
to swim with whale sharks
3. Morocco
4. South
Africa
5. Tokyo
and Kyoto, Japan
5) Name the 5 most influential books you've ever read.
Hmmmm…..
That list
is always changing. I’ve read so many books over the years that moved me. When
I was in high school the book ANYWHERE BUT HERE by Mona Simpson stuck with me
for a long time. Stephen King’s
book ON WRITING has helped me be a better writer. Shel Silverstein’s books, but especially A LIGHT IN THE
ATTIC, showed me how much fun playing with words can be. The biography JULIA
CHILD: APPETITE FOR LIFE by Noel Riley Fitch and the memoir PERSONAL HISTORY by
Katherine Graham made me feel fierce and proud to be a woman.
6) If you could choose to interview just one author,
who would it be and what is the first thing you'd ask?
I’d
interview Joyce Carol Oates. She is so prolific, and her work is so high
quality. I’d want to ask how she writes so fast and so well.
7) What would you say your best writing habit is? your
worst?
My best
writing habit is that I write every day and that I’ve finally gotten into the
habit of actually saying that I am a writer. It is amazing how that helps with
moral on bad writing days. The worst is that I toggle between the project I’m
working on and social media incessantly, sometimes without even noticing. I’ve
had to install Freedom on my computer and hide my phone from myself.
8) Out of your top ten favorite books, one is chosen
to become a screen play, which one is it?
I would
love to see ANASTASIA KRUPNIK by Lois Lowry become a movie. Anastasia is such a
strong, brainy girl and it would be fascinating to see her world come to life
on the screen.
9) Do you have a special place where you like to
write?
My favorite
place to write is up in the Santa Cruz mountains at Mount Madonna, a yoga and
spiritual retreat center in Watsonville, California. It
has amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and is as peaceful and quiet a place as
you are likely to find anywhere. They serve delicious vegetarian food there and
when I can get away for a few days and immerse myself into my writing it is
like heaven. On a day-to-day basis I rotate between three or four coffee shops
where I live.
10) What is your brain food for writing?
Coffee!
Since I do almost all my writing in coffee shops I tend to drink a lot of it.
I’ve switched almost completely to decaf, because I need to sleep sometime. I
also eat a lot of baby carrots when I’m writing. I don’t know why. Maybe the
crunch? And of course, ice cream. There’s nothing like a bowl of Cherry Garcia
to get you through a deadline.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks so much for being here with us today, Alexandra!
Alexandra Ballard has worked as a magazine editor,
middle-school English teacher, freelance writer, and cake maker. She holds
master's from both Columbia (journalism) and Fordham (education) and spent ten
years in the classroom, beginning in the Bronx and ending up in the hills of
California. Today she writes full time and lives in the Bay Area with her
husband, two daughters, and two dogs. What I Lost is Alexandra's first novel.
Tour
Schedule:
Week One:
5/29/2017-YA and Wine- Interview
5/30/2017- Take Me Away To A Great Read- Review
5/31/2017- BookHounds YA- Guest Post
6/1/2017- Here's to Happy Endings- Review
6/2/2017- Eli to the nth- Excerpt
Week Two:
6/5/2017- Lisa Loves Literature- Review
6/6/2017- YA Book Madness- Guest Post
6/7/2017- The Cover Contessa- Interview
6/8/2017- Book Briefs- Review
6/9/2017- A Gingerly Review- Review
No comments:
Post a Comment