Bookburger

clea hantman...between the buns

The world can pretty much be divided into two camps: those of us who love Valentine's Day, and those of us who hate it. Of course, what camp you fall into pretty much depends on whether you're in love or WAAY out of it. The good news: we all switch camps from year to year, and if your V-day happens to be lame this year, don't sweat it--next year is sure to be better! In the meantime, for anybody who's nursing a broken heart this V-day, here's a treat that's better than any old box of chocolates: 30 Days to Getting Over That Dork You Used to Call Your Boyfriend by Clea Hantman. This isn't a novel, burgerfolk--it's a real guide to putting a breakup behind you. We asked Clea to take our quiz. Here's what she said:

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?

I feel like such a pop-culture-obsessed, limelight-focused, glossy magazine-reading, child of the 70s because mostly I read books that are – ugh – popular. Is that lame?

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?

Really, the classics. Every single Roald Dahl book. I just loved James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox. I loved all the Laura Ingalls Wilder  books (I dreamed of living on a prairie.) Charlotte’s Web. The Littles. Later on though, when I was no longer a kid or teen myself (in years that is) I picked up Francesca Lia Block’s Weetzie Bat and it utterly rocked my world. I thought it was the most beautiful and exhilarating thing I’d read in years and it felt like it had oozed out of my own mind. After I read that, I wrote my first teen book.

Describe your ideal place to write.

Before anyone wakes up, coffee in hand, at my dining room table. Or a coffee shop, I love just sitting in someone else’s space, watching people go by and letting something someone does or something I overhear infuse my thoughts for the day.

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be on the "best of" episode, and one that would be on the blooper reel.

Theme Song: Liz Phair, 6’1”

Best of Episode: Falling for my husband and having my daughter.

Blooper Reel: I have this old Jeepster and it’s kind of perfect for me because it’s almost this miniature car but one day I was meeting my galfriends for dinner  and I had on these big clunky boots and I pulled into this old shut down bank parking lot and my boot got wedged between the brake and accelerator  and the car thrust forward — could have been truly AWFUL had someone, anyone been near by — but instead the only thing in front of me was a 4 foot high, 50 foot long brick wall. I hit it, it rumbled and shook and then came down, the whole 50 feet of it, like some cartoon explosion, all at once, with perfectly formed clouds of dust rising in the air. It was actually rather hilarious and truly good luck that all I demolished was a wall.  The bank never opened and they flattened the whole lot, so I guess in the end I did the property owners a small favor— one less thing to tear down.

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!

I’m sure there is but I’ve blocked it out. Oh, I worked at Mrs. Fields Cookies in my youth. The outfit escapes me, thankfully.

We'd like to name a burger in your honor.  What kind of fixins should it have?

Bacon. Ham. Cracklins. Lardons. It essentially would be a pig burger. I dream of becoming a vegetarian, but it will never happen. I love the pork products far too much.

carolyn mackler...between the buns

OK, we'll admit it. We burger-flippers are boy-crazy. We are guyaholics and we don't want to go to rehab (we say, no, no, no....) It's not that we're endorsing a boy-addicted lifestyle. It's just that we're having too much fun to quit.  So we knew we'd adore Carolyn Mackler's newest novel, Guyaholic.  This follow-up to her deliciously-titled Vegan Virgin Valentine centers on the same main character, the obsessive-yet-loveable V. The story makes some interesting connections between V's guy-chasing ways and her mother's. It's a quick read and it in our opinion it's entirely succulent (no that doesn't mean it sucks--it's our new, vintage-2008 way to say "it's real good"--like it?)

So anyhow, we asked Carolyn to take our fun and funky pop quiz. Here 'tis:

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?

I've been racking my brain and I actually think most people have heard of all my favorite writers (Megan McCafferty, Judy Blume, Nick Hornby, David Levithan, Rachel Cohn, Sarah Dessen).  Which is a great thing because it means they're getting the popular success they deserve.

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?

Anything by Judy Blume.  Autumn Street by Lois Lowry.  Anything by M.E. Kerr.  The Great Brain books.

Describe your ideal place to write.

At my desk in the corner of our bedroom (with a huge cup of coffee at my side).

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be on the "best of" episode, and one that would be on the blooper reel.

Theme song: "The Only Living Boy in New York" by Paul Simon.  (I'm a girl, but it still fits)
Best of: Getting married, having my son
Blooper reel: Junior High.  Can that please go in the trash bin?

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!

No uniform jobs.  However my current work-at-home writer uniform isn't exactly cool.  Sweats, T-shirt, and these UGLY blue slippers.  Boy, do I need new slippers.

We'd like to name a burger in your honor.  What kind of fixins should it have?

Veggie burger (I'm a vegetarian), swiss cheese, avocado, onion, lettuce, tomato, sprouts, ranch dressing.  Oh my god, YUM.

giveaway: The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists

We make to-do lists, shopping lists, wish lists...but somehow our lists just don't ROCK. The ones in this new book do....The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists is the handiwork of Handsome Dick Manitoba of the  Dictators and Amy Wallace of the original Book of Lists. They're billing this book as "Essential bathroom reading!!!! " but we like it at the breakfast table, actually. We loved learning how about The Pogues got their name and what Mario Batali's favorite pizzas in the world are. (What does that have to do with punk rock? According to this tome, pizza is the MOST punk rock food of all.)

Anyhow, we have a brand-new copy of The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists to give away....so lace up your Doc Martens and add a comment to this post to be automatically entered to win! [contest ended 1.2.2008] (Just kidding about the Doc Martens--you can be wearing fluffy bunny slippers and we'll still give you your prize if you win!)

Also, we figured we'd give our bookburger pop quiz to the punk authorities who penned this book. Both Amy Wallace and Handsome Dick answered....


Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?

Robert Aickman, Algernon Blackwood -- Edith Wharton --- you may know her -- Yasunari Kawabata who remains the only Japanese Nobel Prize for literature winner, T.E.D. Klein -- 4 stars. - Amy

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?

First horror -- Roald Dahl's grown-up then kid books; Peanuts; Dr. Seuss; a British fruitcake workaholic named Enid Blyton, who never hit over here. A Wrinkle in Time.  Ray Bradbury. "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster; and (HOW COULD I FORGET!): COMICS!  ALL KINDS, especially Marvel, early Dr. Strange, Fantastic Four, Spiderman, etc.  I was never without a comic in my hand and was allowed to read them at the dinner table.  That's how I acquired a very large vocabulary really young. Any dirty books I could steal from my parents' shelves. - Amy

Describe your ideal place to write.

In bed by hand. - Amy

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be on the "best of" episode, and one that would be on the blooper reel.

-The Handsome Dick Manitoba Program
"The Party Starts Now"
EPISODE..."HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE"
500 Rock and roll fans in Gijon, Spain,DEC. 1, 2006 singing , "Happy Birthday",in English, to my son Jake Koufax Manitoba on his birthday, while I was about to start singing "The American Ruse", with DKT/MC5.

BLOOPER EPISODE:  "One Too Many Quaaludes"...The band was at rehearsal already on Manhattan's west side,and didn't know where I was, and neither did I, 'cause I took one too many Quaaludes, and fell asleep on someone's floor...somewhere in Westchester with my pal Claire, from The Bronx. - HDM

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!

From the age of 19 to 29, I worked as a professional psychic reader.  Even got written up in Cosmopolitan Magazine.   I sometimes resorted to geeky crystal rings and a crystal ball, hippie clothes and mu-mu's, and Birkenstocks (even Earth Shoes!! Shame on me.)  I had a homemade smocked dress that was really the pits. - Amy

We'd like to name a burger in your honor.  What kind of fixins should
it have?

-THE PERFECT MANIBURGER...No fixins...Whether char-broiled or pan grilled...The right kind of meat(a decent amount of fat)...The right bun..Slightly toasted on the pan,w/seeds...A soft "classic" hamburger bun ONLY...Burger btwn. 4-7 OZ., NEVER BIGGER!...More is NOT BETTER in BURGERWORLD......rare to med-rare ONLY....A little ketchup and salt...If done right...That is the PERFECT BURGER and needs no fixins other than these two burger staples. - HDM

Mal Peet...between the buns

Mal Peet. We just love his name. Mal Peet. It sounds like some delicious dutch treat, something sprinkled with powdered sugar and chocolate sauce. Anyhow, he is most definitely not a baked goodie. Nope, he's the author of Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion and Betrayal--winner of the Carnegie medal no less--and of a brand-new novel, The Penalty, which is described as "a time-shifting thriller about a vanishing soccer star, occult secrets, and the dark history of slavery." Whoa....any guy who can make those elements work together has got to be some kind of genius, right?  So we put his genius to the test and gave him our much-feared and yet beloved Bookburger pop quiz....

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?  Gabriel Garcia Marquez, William Trevor, Russell Hoban, Donald Barthelme, Geraldine Mcaughrean (check out her Not the End of the World and The White Darkness)

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up? Back in the Stone Age when I was growing up, there wasn't really any teen writing. Between 10 and 13 I had a serious Biggles habit. Biggles (Captain James Bigglesworth) was a fighter pilot in World War I. The kind of plane he flew was a Sopwith Camel, which, incidentally, is what Snoopy flies in the Peanuts cartoon strips. After that, I guess I went straight on to adult stuff. I was into US crime fiction pretty quickly, and haven't grown out of it yet. I still love Elmore Leonard.

Describe your ideal place to write. The attic I write in now, but transported to some tropical paradise where lovely women with dark eyes bring me exotic cocktails every couple of hours and soothe my fevered brow.

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be on the "best of" episode, and one that would be on the blooper reel. Good Grief! Ummm... the theme tune would have to be 'So What?' by Miles Davis. That would be a good title for the series, come to think of it. I'm struggling to think of an event that wouldn't be on the blooper reel... Nope, can't do it.

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please! The Lord has been merciful to me when it comes to geekwear. Worst I've had, I think, was a dinky little waiter's jacket and a bow tie (in which I looked dead cool, as I remember). Mind you, you have to remember I haven't had a proper job for thirty years.

We'd like to name a burger in your honor.  What kind of fixins should
it have? Wow. I'm not worthy, but thanks. OK, I guess it would have to be the El Gato: free-range catburger (preferably from the one that yowls in my yard at night) with jalapeno chutney and lemon mayo, with dried chili flakes on the fries. Hot!!

Win a copy of TAMAR: A NOVEL OF ESPIONAGE, PASSION, AND BETRAYAL——signed by author Mal Peet! How? Easy! Just add a comment below...we'll pick a winner at random on Tuesday, November 20.  

cecily von ziegesar--between the buns

Gossip Girls hits the airwaves (or the cable tubes, actually) tomorrow and we here at bookburger intend to celebrate this MAJOR event in the history of YA series novels about nasty pretty rich girls with take-out sushi, sparkling cider, and foot massages from bookburger's resident boy toy...how bout you?

To commemorate the launch of the new series, we also bring you this exclusive interview with GG author Cecily von Ziegesar. Not only does she have a name befitting a fabulous Old World countess, but she also shops at Theory AND Target. She kindly agreed to answer our nosy survey questions....so take it away, C von Z...

First job: waitress at restaurant with roaches

Worst job: waitress at restaurant with roaches

Perfect date: walking all around NYC with____

Favorite place: Primrose Hill in London

Favorite NYC hotspot: My patio where I planted all these flowering trees and bamboo. I like to have friends over and hang out back there until the mosquitoes drive us indoors. 

Guilty pleasure: American Idol

Best friend’s first name: Pony Boy

Good luck charm: diamond earrings

When you were a little girl, you thought you would grow up to be a…. Writer, always. I wanted to be a ballet dancer too, and a horse back rider, but writing won out in the end.

All-time favorite American Idol: Kelly. I'm a huge fan.

Last thing I bought at the mall: I don’t do malls

Favorite designer: I don't just have one favorite designer. I have more like twenty. I like Diane von Furstenberg and Marc Jacobs and Theory and Issa and Celine. But I buy a lot of clothes at Target.  I just bought this amazing little black dress there by Patrick Robinson, one of those visiting designers that did a line just for Target. It fits so perfectly and it was only $27.99.

Favorite jeans: My favorite jeans are Joes Jeans and Imitation of Christ.

Favorite movie: It’s a Wonderful Life (I cry every time)

Biggest fashion blunder: white duck feather jacket

Next vacation destination: I'm going to Rio de Janeiro soon with just my husband. I'm very excited--I've always wanted to go to Brazil!  You won't catch me in one of those string thong bikini things though.  Hello?!

Item on your grocery list: beer

French fry dip: stupid question: ketchup

Astrological sign: Cancer

Favorite TV show: American Idol (I know: loser)

Lucky color: don’t have one, I’m fickle that way

Midnight snack: sleep

Celebrity crush: Madonna (she takes herself so seriously!)

Favorite book: The Great Gatsby

Item you can't live without: Fresh air? No really, I'm very low maintenance. But I like my watered-down grapefruit juice first thing in the morning, followed by two cups of very strong milky coffee. 

Mark Peter Hughes...between the buns

Not only can Mark Peter Hughes write an excellent YA novel, he can write an excellent title too: first,  I am the Wallpaper and now, Lemonade Mouth.  The latter, published last month, is a really lovely and rocking tale of a band formed in a Rhode Island high school. We at the burger urge you to consume this book! But first, read this:

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?
I’m a fan of David Yoo, who wrote this great novel called Girls for Breakfast.  I also love Paul Micou, Barbara O'Connor, Kim Ablon Whitney, Lara Zeises, and Laurie Stolarz.  Plus, I’m often amazed by the work that teens email to me as part of my online writing contests (markpeterhughes.com).  There are so many terrific undiscovered writers out there!

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?
So many!  I loved The Great Brain series by John Dennis Fitzgerald, which is about a very smart boy living with his family in Utah in the late 1800s.  I remember enjoying How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, and anything by Judy Blume.  I read a lot by Enid Blighton, too (Five Go Off In A Caravan, anyone?).  The Lorax by Dr. Seuss is still one of my absolute favorite books ever.

Describe your ideal place to write.
In a neighborhood café with a cup of strong coffee and no Internet connection.  Alternatively, as long as we’re talking ideal, how about sitting in a comfortable wicker chair on a porch overlooking a magnificent coffee plantation in Costa Rica, a gentle warm breeze occasionally carrying up the musical sounds of the village below?  That was an experience I actually had one glorious afternoon.  Sure, I didn’t get a lot of writing done, but who cared?

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be on the "best of" episode, and one that would be on the blooper reel.
The theme song would be “Where Is My Mind” by the Pixies not only because it’s a good question and a great song, but also because the Pixies are among the coolest of all time.  The “blooper” episode would have to include the day I played the clarinet in the middle school band concert.  I was so bad at the instrument that I decided to just pretend to play—throughout the entire concert I moved my fingers but didn’t actually make any sound.  My whole family was there watching.  After the concert, my grandmother proudly announced how great I’d played, and that she had been able to hear my clarinet above any of the others.  Another blooper would have to be that day in college when I fell and slid about 30-feet down a wet, muddy hillside in white pants mere moments before a much-anticipated visit to an all-girls college in Rochester, NY.  The “best of” episode would have to include scenes from the summer I worked at the town beach in Barrington, Rhode Island.  A lot of sitting around listening to music on the sand.  Probably not great television, but a lot of fun to live through.

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!
I worked at a Burger King one hot, humid summer, where my job involved standing over a vat of boiling fat while wearing a thick polyester shirt.  Another summer I worked at a factory that made chowder and stuffed clams.  I had to wear a hairnet and earplugs, and I stank of fish at the end of every day.  The odor was so strong that my sisters covered the car seat with plastic so that the smell wouldn’t soak into the fabric.

We'd like to name a burger in your honor.  What kind of fixins should it have?
Make mine an open-faced free-range organic turkey burger with chunky blue cheese dressing, lettuce, and a single thick-sliced tomato.  Add a tall frosty glass of lemonade too, please.

Thank you, Bookburger!

liane bonin...between the buns

Do you read every single cheesy celeb mag out there, every single week? Can you name all of Brangelina's children, in order, including the new kid? Do you know Anna Sophia Robb's shoe size and Miley Cyrus's toothpaste brand? Yes? Then we predict you'll adore Celebrity Skin: Fame Unlimited by Liane Bonin, out just last month and the first in a series of Hollywood novels. We asked the fame-brained Liane to take our pop quiz, and here's what she said:

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?

Well, that's definitely a trick question. I don't think most of my favorites are very obscure, but just yesterday someone asked me who Jack Kerouac was, so I guess obscure is increasingly relative. My favorites include Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man," Yukio Mishima's "Spring Snow," Frederic Exley's "A Fan's Notes" (the fact I have no love for sports makes that book all the more impressive), Thomas Wolfe's "You Can't Go Home Again," Carolyn See's "Making History," Elizabeth McCracken's "The Giant's House," Joe Connelly's "Bringing Out the Dead." There are more, of course, but you have to draw the line somewhere!

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?

Anything and everything by Paul Zindel or S.E. Hinton. "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles. Sometimes, Judy Blume.

Describe your ideal place to write.

Next to the fireplace at the Literati Cafe. Second place goes to any Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. An iced blended and the absence of a sock drawer crying out to be organized tends to make the writing go a little faster.

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be on the "best of" episode, and one that would be on the blooper reel.

"Strange Angels" by Laurie Anderson. It would probably be a horrible theme song for a TV show, but it's gorgeous and ethereal and plays in my head when I'm writing sometimes. An event that would be on the "best of" episode is my wedding day -- not only was I very happy, I've never looked so good. The blooper reel? I was in the midst of a scavenger hunt (don't ask), and in my rush to get back to home base I tried to climb into a car that wasn't mine. It wouldn't have been such a big deal, except the car just happened to be full of German tourists who looked absolutely terrified -- I think they thought I was trying to carjack them. 

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!
Ugh, yes. I had to wear a magnificently ugly red camp shirt when I was working as a cashier at a specialty grocery store in Boca Raton, Florida. It was a nightmarish job -- little old ladies would regularly tell me not to put their watermelons on top of their raspberries (so tempting, though), the guys behind the butcher counter liked to wave around skinned sheep heads, and my fellow cashiers were like the Plastics in "Mean Girls." On my last day I took great pleasure in waiting until the afternoon rush to toss in my shirt and walk out as my ex-co-workers squawked behind me.

We'd like to name a burger in your honor. What kind of fixins should it have? 
Blue cheese, veggie bacon (save Babe!), a slice of soy American cheese, avocado, grilled onions, a touch of garlic, and dollops of barbeque sauce and brown mustard. And the burger? Veggie or turkey, please!

between the buns with...margo rabb

Cures for Heartbreak is Margo Rabb's debut novel, and it's the kind of book that makes you feel she'll be around for a while. This New York writer tells us the story of a very New York girl who searches for love while coping with the death of her mom, the weirdness of her dad's new girlfriend, and a family history shadowed by the Holocaust. We think it's a beautiful read....so we asked Margo to take our pop quiz, and here's what she said:

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?

Zibby O’Neal, who wrote In Summer Light.  I first read it when I was seventeen, and afterward I wrote in my diary: “It’s one of the few books I’ve read about someone who’s my age which gives a teenager any bit of credit for the ability to think, to be mature—to not be an idiot.”

Laurie Colwin, the author of short stories, novels, and essays on cooking—Happy All the Time, Passion and Affect, and Home Cooking are a few of my favorites.

Betty Fussell, who wrote My Cooking Wars (I love food writers.)  It’s not only about food, but about being a wife and mother in the 1950s, and reading it made me incredibly grateful to be a woman in this era.

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. My best friend and I call ourselves Anne-heads, and a few summers ago we made a pilgrimage to Prince Edward Island, where the books are set. Anne is like a religious figure there.  Her image adorns everything from license plates to clothing, candy, soap and dinnerware; even her favorite drink, Raspberry Cordial, is sold at local convenience stores. We even went to a faux Anne village, and met a boy dressed up as Gilbert Blythe, Anne’s true love.  Life doesn’t get much better than that.

Describe your ideal place to write.
A quiet room with no phone, no email, and hopefully a view of the trees (not a thing you take for granted in New York City, where I grew up and still live.) A nice warm cat on the lap would be a plus, too. In fact, I think writer’s retreats should let you borrow a cat to keep your lap warm while you’re typing.

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be on the "best of" episode, and one that would be on the blooper reel.
The theme song at the moment would have to be “Who Needs Sleep?” since I gave birth to a baby girl three months ago.  The song is by Bare Naked Ladies, though I haven’t listened to them in ten years.

For the “best of” episode, I’m going to go with the time I was writing my novel in an old fishing shanty in Nantucket in October (the idea of writing in a shanty in Nantucket had sounded very romantic, but in reality it was cold and lonely), and my boyfriend (who is now my husband) surprised me by knocking on my door.  He’d flown all the way from New York City just to visit me for one night.  I felt like a character in a romance novel. 

The blooper reel: A long, long time ago I went on a date with a guy who told me, “Why should I read a book when I can just see the movie?”  Indeed.

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!
When I was a freshman in college I looked for a work-study job late and the only one I could find was on the grounds crew.  I’m five-foot-one and less than 100 pounds—not exactly muscle-clad maintenance-woman material.  I wore overalls—yuck—and shoveled gravel on the college walkways.  The guys on the crew let me off pretty easy though—eventually I became more of a mascot.

We'd like to name a burger in your honor.  What kind of fixins should
it have?
I’m going to go high-end here: there’s a burger made at one of the fancy restaurants in NYC that has both foie gras and black truffles and costs $69.  I’d like that to be my burger, because it sure beats White Castle.

Daria Snadowsky...between the buns

First, a confession: the first two times we posted about Daria Snadowsky and her debut novel, we SPELLED HER NAME WRONG. We wrote "Sand" instead of the infinitely more correct "Snad." Such are the perils of being a first-time author. However, after reading Anatomy of a Boyfriend, a can't-put-downable story with a candid and (to us) really true view of teen love and sex, we know will never again misspell this author's name. It will be branded in our minds, right next to that indelible cover image of the naked Ken doll...Anyhow, we asked Daria to take our pop quiz, and here's what she had to say.

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?

One of my favorites is Dr. Dorothy Tennov, author of the groundbreaking Love and Limerence: The Experience of Being in Love. It’s not a self-help book, but anyone who’s ever been in love to the point where it felt unhealthy and self-destructive would find this read comforting. Simone de Beauvoir said of this book, “Excellent. Of universal interest. It deals with the subject in an entirely new way.” This book was a huge inspiration behind Anatomy of a Boyfriend, which is why I dedicated it in part to Tennov (the other dedicatee is Judy Blume).

Another author I admire is Dan Elish, who spoke to my fifth-grade class at the Birch Wathen School back in ’89 about his middle-grade novel, The Worldwide Dessert Contest. He’s since written many others books, including the “lad lit” gem Nine Wives.

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?

When I was really little, I adored the Berenstain Bears. I appreciated how realistically they portrayed all the little difficulties experienced by every family, such as messy rooms, over-the-top birthday parties, or watching too much TV. I suspect those books are as reassuring to parents as they are to kids.

When I was 10, I read and was transformed by Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. I had never before or since identified with a character as strongly as I did with Margaret. Then when I was a teen, Blume’s Forever took on biblical proportions for me. I was shocked and delighted by how honest and frank the prose was. These books were my other main inspiration and are why I dedicated Anatomy of a Boyfriend to Blume.

Another favorite of mine during my teen years was Will the Nurse Make Me Take My Underwear Off? by Joel L. Schwartz, Aidan Macfarlane, and Ann McPherson. In diary form, this book follows 14-year-old pile of hormones Eric Mason through a host of physical and emotional trials. Brilliantly informative and hilarious.

Describe your ideal place to write.

I know it’s cliché, but I love bringing my laptop to coffee shops. Writing is often lonely, and the background buzz of other customers, not to mention the aroma of steaming lattes, makes me feel more in touch with the world than if I were home by myself.

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be on the “best of” episode, and one that would be on the blooper reel.

My song would be Joe Cocker’s rendition of The Beatles’ “With a Little Help from My Friends” because it’s the theme to one of my favorite TV shows, The Wonder Years. I related to the storylines and characters so closely that the episodes play like home videos to me.

My “best of” episode would be the evening of May 27, 2006. I had just gotten home from a mind-numbing bar exam study session when I plopped down at my desk and checked my e-mail. Nothing could have prepared me for the name I saw in my inbox—Judy Blume! Yes, the Judy Blume! A couple months earlier I had mailed her a mostly edited manuscript of Anatomy of a Boyfriend because I dedicated it to her, but I wasn’t expecting to hear back because she’s so busy. Well, not only did she read the book, she said she had trouble putting it down because she enjoyed it so much! It was simply the best e-mail I ever received and ever will receive.

My blooper reel would probably include Valentine’s Day of my sophomore year of college. My then-bf and I drove his car to the top floor of Emory’s Peavine parking deck so we could be alone, since our respective roommates were both home. We weren’t in the backseat for more than 20 seconds before a campus security officer, who was patrolling around in a golf cart, found us and told us to get lost. I’m not sure why my bf and I thought “getting lost” would be accomplished by merely driving the car down one level down and resuming our activities—I guess by that time all our blood had been diverted from our brains? Anyway, a minute later, we were both genuinely startled when the same officer reappeared and ordered my bf out of the car. The poor guy had to stand outside in the freezing cold in just his socks, shorts, and undershirt while the officer gave him a piece of his mind. Then the officer stuck his head through the car window and delivered the same tirade to me about how stupid we were to risk our safety by parking in an empty deck at night (and he was right, of course). I just remember being beyond mortified and ashamed, and I think this incident made the local police blotter that week. On the upside, it inspired one of my favorite chapters in Anatomy of a Boyfriend.

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!

So far all my jobs required just business casual attire, but I did once, for a job, have to guard a fellow employee who was wearing a geeky costume. The summer after high school I interned for a local radio station, and one day we threw a promotional event geared for children. We hired someone to dress up as the station mascot—a bright yellow dragon—and to mosey around the grounds and entertain the kids. As intern, it was my illustrious duty to stand directly behind the dragon at all times and to keep the starry-eyed younglings who were hounding him from grabbing the dragon’s tail. I leave that job skill off my résumé.

We'd like to name a burger in your honor. What kind of fixins should
it have?

My ultimate burger is simply the half-pound patty of heaven they serve at Port of Call, one of my favorite New Orleans dives. And instead of the cooks adding a slice of cheese while the burger’s still on the stovetop, they grate cheddar onto the meat just seconds before they serve it, so it’s actually melting and bubbling while you take your first few bites. It’s so juicy and savory as is, that lettuce, tomato, or any sort of condiment would only detract from the already ambrosial flavor. Just add a toasty bun, a side of baked potato, and a Shirley Temple to drink, and you’ve achieved gastric satiety, my friends.

Cecil Castellucci...between the buns

Punk poet of girl geekdom Cecil Castellucci has carved out a world all her own in novels like Boy Proof and Queen of Cool—a world populated by memorably quirky nerds and the people who either befriend or torment them. We predict '07 is going to be a big Cecil year...In May, she's got a graphic novel coming out from the new chick-targeted comics imprint Minx (we posted on this a while back), and a YA novel, Beige--which is all about NOT being beige. We grilled Cecil, and here's the juicy result:

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?
I'm a big fan of Walter Tevis.  He wrote one of my fave books that I read as a teen called Mockingbird.  It's about a robot that wants to commit suicide.  So amazing.   He also wrote The Man Who Fell to Earth.

I also adore James Tiptree, Jr.  Who wrote as a man but was really a woman.   Highlights include her short story collection Warm Worlds and Otherwise.  A great biography of her life just came out. 

And of course, two up and coming writers both of whom have novels coming out in 2007

Heather Tomlinson - The Swan Maiden (Holtzbrinck)

Jo Knowles  - Lessons from a Dead Girl (Candlewick)

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?
All of the All of a Kind Family books by Sydney Taylor

any of the Shoes books by Noel Streatfeld

The Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher

Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Anything by Jane Austen or the Brontes.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Candide by Voltaire

Describe your ideal place to write.
How about in Paris at a cafe with a moleskine notebook and a fountain pen in the 1920s.  Oh, you mean now?  A cafe, with wireless and working plugs and a good view out of a window or a fabulous porch so I can day dream.   Also, I like writing in bed, with my iPod blasting a great music piping out a soundtrack to go along with the words flowing onto the page.

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be on the "best of" episode, and one that would be on the blooper reel.
Theme Song:  What I'm Looking For by Brendan Benson

Best of Episode:  In which Cecil and her wacky gaggle of friends find an Atoll in the South Pacific and declare it to be their own country.  They call the country All Art All The Time (AAATT).  Hijinks and hilarity ensue when every one declares themselves King or Queen and no one gets any artistic work done.  Except Cecil, who declared herself the Fool and makes a great indie film documentary about the monarchy struggles in AAATT and wins an IFP award much to her friends total humiliation.  Eventually they get over it, have a laugh, and drink a lot of champagne at the awards parties. 

Episode Where We Jumped the Shark:  Cecil delivers her friend's baby in the back seat of a taxicab in the middle of a snowstorm in a very special holiday special of The Cecil Show.

Blooper Reel: Falling down, Slipping on a bananas, Tongue twisters, Bad dancing, Unfortunate static cling, Skirts accidentally tucked into hosiery, Broken high heels, Fashion Faux Pas and Failed Wooing of Gentlemen.

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!
Well, there were some ugly aprons that I had to wear working  at Swenson's Ice Cream Parlor and Pier One Imports.  Blech.  But the geekiest uniform that I ever wore was my elf outfit while working as a Christmas elf at Macy's Santaland.  Now you'd think that an Elf outfit would be FANTASTIC! But they didn't have an outfit that was small enough for me so it was ill fitting and the hat was very big.   So it was kind of fantastically geeky and also totally badly geeky.

We'd like to name a burger in your honor. What kind of fixins should
it have?
It should have cheese, avocado, onions, some kind of special mayo-lemon fancy spread and cilantro.   And it should have french fries with gravy on the side.  (and Poutine if possible)  (Poutine is french fries, gravy and cheese curds) (It's a Quebec thing)

SPECIAL BONUS QUESTIONS JUST FOR CECIL:

How did you get together with the folks at Minx? Did they find you or did you find them?

Shelly Bond at Vertigo, who was launching Minx got in touch with me.   I was very happy to be found.  She had edited one of my fave Vertigo titles, The Deadenders.  I had long wanted to write comic books, but didn't know how to go about doing it.  Happily Minx was putting feelers out to see if maybe a YA author would be interested as a potential person to write a book for the Minx line.  Happily, I'm the gal that got the call.

Are there some graphic novels that really inspire you?
Some titles off the top of my head are...

Dirty Plotte by Julie Doucet

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman. 

Maus by Art Spiegleman.

DMZ by Brian Wood

Gray Horses by Hope Larson

Fables by Bill Willingham

Y the Last Man by Brian K Vaughan

Sunset City by Rob Osborne

Do you have to be able to draw to do a graphic novel?
I do not draw at all. The Plain Janes is being drawn by an amazing artist, Jim Rugg, that I am so happy to be working with.  He did an excellent comic book called Street Angel, out on Slave Labor Graphics.   You don't have to know how to draw to write a graphic novel, much like you don't have to know how to draw to write a picture book.  It does help to have an appreciation for the visual.   

Any other news you can share about Minx and The Plain Janes?
Right now it's all very new, there is not much to share except that it's a book about four girls named Jane and how art is a wonderful thing.  I'm very proud of the book, and I'm hoping to hang out and write about these girls for a long time to come.   It's out in May 2007 on Minx and I'm super excited!

alyson noel...between the buns

"Sex and the City at 37,000 feet" is what Publisher's Weekly calls Alyson Noel's Fly Me to the Moon. Sure, it's ultra-light reading--but, if you ask us (and we think Beatrice's Ron Hogan would agree) this world can never have enough stories of flight attendants in love.  Alyson, who also penned this year's YA novel Laguna Cove, and last year's Art Geeks and Prom Queens, hopes to reach an older audience with this latest, due out on the day after Christmas. She's a busy jetsetter, and we're thrilled she touched down at Bookburger to take our little pop quiz...

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?

I LOVED Joseph Weisberg’s 10th Grade- so funny, poignant, and wonderful!   Also, Laura Moriarty’s The Center of Everything, Lori Jakiela’s Miss New York has Everything, Joy Nicholson’s The Tribes of Palos Verdes, Elisabeth Robinson’s The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters. . . I know there’s like a gazillion more, but that’s all I can think of at the moment!

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?

Anything by Judy Blume or Norma Klein could keep me tucked away and quiet for hours!  I read Deenie so many times the cover fell off!  But I kept it all these years- taped on cover and all!  Are you there God?  It’s me, Margaret, was passed to so many friends I eventually lost track of it.  Go Ask Alice was the one we hid from our moms (even though I didn’t really have to since my mom never censored!).  And reading Love is One of the Choices, French Postcards, and Forever made me feel so mature and grown up.  And then of course, Catcher in the Rye--one of the few books they made us read in school that I’ve gone back and read many times since.

Describe your ideal place to write.

At home, in my office, with the door closed, the blinds drawn, the ringer silenced, the TV off, and a full pot of coffee by my side.

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be on the "best of" episode, and one that would be on the blooper reel.

Everyday I Write The Book by Elvis Costello is definitely my theme song.

My “Best Of” episode features the day when Jon Stewart calls to ask me if I’ll be a guest on The Daily Show, Bono adds me to his e-mail forwarding list, Oprah sends me a text msg telling me I’m her next book club pic, commercial and literary authors stop sniping long enough to hug it out, and all across the planet diseases are cured, the hungry are fed, poverty is erased, rainbows appear, birds chirp, animals frolic, and all are at peace.  That day hasn’t actually happened yet, but I’m waiting. . .

My “Blooper Reel” shows the all too real clip of me, sitting at my desk, at 4:30 in the afternoon, in coffee stained pajamas, still not showered.

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!

Um, does spending over ten years clad in a head to toe, highly flammable, polyester ensemble, with plastic wings, support hose, little fake pearl earrings, and fugly pumps count?  I traveled the world in that get up, working as a flight attendant for Delta Airlines!  And I wrote a book about it called Fly Me to the Moon.

We'd like to name a burger in your honor.  What kind of fixins should
it have?

Ah, that’s so sweet!  Okay, let’s start with organic, free range turkey, a generous dollop of guacamole, a couple slices of melted manchego cheese, two stips of crispy, organic, free range, turkey bacon, a thick slice of tomato, and a whole grain bun.  And if you could pile some fat fries on the side, and throw in an icy cold Arnold Palmer, I’ll be eternally grateful!

Thanks Bookburger!!

laura ruby...between the buns

Laura Ruby is doing double-duty these days, with a YA novel, Good Girls, that came out this fall, and a book of interconnected stories aimed at slightly older readers due to pop on January 4. The latter is I'm Not Julia Roberts—and we burger-flippers can totally relate, because we are not Julia Roberts either. Not even close. Laura's book is a funny-but-wrenching read about a group of families trying to cope with life in the wake of divorce. Sound familiar? You'll want to pick it up.  Laura recently bared her soul in our pop quiz ...and requested to have a pizza named in her honor rather than the traditional burger! We do love a rebel...

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?

Matt Ruff.  In 1988, when he was in his early 20s, he wrote Fool on the Hill — which is this insane, fabulous fantasy set on the campus of Cornell University.  It has everything: randy sprites, evil rats, religious dogs, cynical cats, kick-ass chicks, writers, dragons, Tolkien, Shakespeare, and a mysterious guy named Mr. Sunshine who seems to be orchestrating the whole thing with the help of a band of typing monkeys.  Big fun. 

And just a few years ago, Ruff released Set This House in Order, which is a brilliant, complex, moving love story about a man with multiple personality disorder who meets a woman with multiple personality disorder.  Very different from his first book, more serious, more tragic, but just as amazing. 

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?

One of my favorite books was Allegra Maud Goldman by Edith Konecky.   It was absolutely hilarious; I read it over and over again.  I'm not sure if it's in print anymore, but it should be.

I was also fond of Judy Blume's Deenie and, of course, Forever.  Lois Duncan's Summer of Fear and Lois Lowry's Summer to Die. I adored The Outsiders and The Catcher in the Rye.   In high school, I devoured everything Stephen King ever wrote, but I also loved reading the plays Waiting for Godot (Beckett) and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Stoppard).

Describe your ideal place to write.

My office, which is a total wreck, but I love it.  It's got hundreds of books (for reading when one should be writing).  It's got two computers (for internet surfing and song downloads).  It's got a window (for daydreaming).  And it's got two cats (for much needed writing advice).

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be on the "best of" episode, and one that would be on the blooper reel.

Theme song: "A Girl In Trouble (is a temporary thing)" by Romeo Void.

Best of:  Meeting the husband in New Orleans.  In a bar.  On Bourbon Street.  (I swear no beads were involved).  We danced to a funk band till the wee hours of the morning and then talked children's books.  And yes, it was as perfect as it sounds. 

Blooper:  His name was Paul.  And that's all I'm saying.

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!

In college, I was a waitress at a place called "Stuff Yer Face" which required a T-shirt with the words "Stuff Yer Face" scrawled across the chest.  And  yeah, the frat boys had a field day with that one.

We'd like to name a burger in your honor.  What kind of fixins should it have?

Alas, Bookburger, the "Laura" burger would actually be a pizza with extra cheese, spinach and those little mushrooms out of a can.

Highly unorthodox, Laura...but for you, anything!

Niki Burnham...between the buns

We have loved men named Georg (no, not George--definitely not George!--GEORG...pronounced gay-org) ever since we first saw The Sound of Music. Seriously, Christopher Plummer as Captain Georg von Trapp is the very model of a smokin' man-in-uniform, don't you agree? Remember how the Baroness purrs his name..."oh Georg..." The more we see that movie, the more we wish she had nabbed him. We're kind of over the chirpy nun.

ANYHOW...Niki Burnham's YA novels Royally Jacked, Spin Control, and the latest, Do-Over (or Doover, as we like to call it) are all about a sweet young American girl who meets a hot Euro-prince named GEORG in a ski resort in the Alps. Can't get much more fabulous than that...until complications ensue. These are seriously fun novels (and see her site for other books she's penned). We're fans, so we asked Niki to pop on by and take our pop quiz...and she did:

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?

I really enjoy reading Lynda Sandoval and Alyson Noel.  They both write books I stay up until 3 am to
finish.  People have probably heard of them, though. 

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?

I thought Trixie Belden was the bomb.  She solved mysteries, she defied her brothers when they were
being jerks even though she loved 'em like crazy, she had fantastic friends, and she got the cute (and smart!) guy in the end.  What's NOT to like? 

Describe your ideal place to write.

Anywhere that I have coffee and decent back support is good.  Also, I need to make sure I'm giving off sufficient, "don't talk to me vibes" that I'm left alone. I hate when I'm mid-paragraph and someone wants to chat.

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be on the "best of" episode,
and one that would be on the blooper reel.

While I would like to think of my life having a sweeping soundtrack by John Williams (think Star Wars, etc.), I'd probably have some silly ditty about moving around a lot.  Not Movin' On Up, like The
Jeffersons, but moving AROUND.  My dad was in the army, so I moved all over the place as a kid, and
I still travel a lot.

Highlight reel:  Meeting my husband (there would be an "ooohh!" on the laugh track.)

Blooper reel:  Just yesterday, my cat threw up in my laundry basket.  It's quite disturbing to pull
clothes out of your laundry basket to wash them, then see they're stuck together with this nasty
mystery goop.

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!

I worked food service at a fancy hotel in New York during my college breaks.  I had to wear a disgusting black polyester dress, a white apron, and these ugly white nursing shoes.  The shoes would get food and glop all over them and I had to clean 'em every night.  And even when I got them clean, they looked revolting.  I hated walking into the dining room to serve people in those shoes.  I always felt like I should apologize.  Something along the lines of, "I know puffy white shoes do not
go with a black waitress dress, but I am compelled to wear these by the management.  If the shoes have ruined your appetite, I apologize."

The worst part of all was that I had to pay for those shoes out of my own pocket and they were
pricey.

We'd like to name a burger in your honor.  What kind of fixins should it have?

Oh, yummy.  A FOOD question!!  Set me up with a quarter pound of organic beef on a toasted bun. Top it with lettuce, a thick slice of garden-grown tomato, and swiss cheese.  Some spicy mustard would finish it off perfectly.  If anyone wants to join me, I'd recommend a garden salad and a tall glass of pink lemonade as accompaniment.

Perfect Niki! No doover necessary...

alice hoffman...between the buns

Best-selling mega-novelist Alice Hoffman is one of our all-time faves. Her writing melts the earthly and the supernatural into a delicious fondue that that you'll want to dip into again and again. And because she's written fifteen novels, you can! (yeah, we skipped breakfast this morning, how'd you guess?). Her most recent offering is Incantation, a haunting YA story set during the 15th-century Spanish Inquisition. Not the MOST fun period in history, but Ms. Hoffman makes it a unforgettable place to visit. So what makes this super-successful and beloved writer tick? We decided to go ask Alice...

Who are your favorite writers that most people have never heard of?

All of these are well known, but maybe not to everyone:  Shirley Jackson (We Have Always Lived in the Castle). I love fantasy so Ray Bradbury, Charles DeLint, Kelly Link. Emily Bronte!!!!! Favorite of all time.

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?

The Catcher in the  Rye. All of Edward Eager's magic books, especially Half Magic,   Wuthering Heights,  "The Lottery" (short story)

What one thing do you wish you could say to your 15-year-old self?

Have more fun! Don't worry so much!!! Don't trust someone just because they say they're your friend. Go to Paris.

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song.

"Bring Me to Life", or anything by Amy Lee.

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!

Worked in a movie theatre, Bullocks Department store, a Hospital in the X ray dept, a book factory, a clothing store, typing notes in a sex clinic -- but none needed a uniform!!!

We'd like to name a burger in your honor.  What kind of fixins should
it have?

It should have everything, but hold the burger. (Unless it's soy).

SO-EASY-ITS-SPOOKY GIVEAWAY: We've got three copies of Incantation to bestow upon hungry readers. The first three people to email us a photo of themselves wearing a Halloween costume will get  'em! (US residents only, please!)

Maureen Johnson...between the buns

Maureen Johnson (or MoJo, as we like to call her) wrote a lovely novel, just released in paperback, called  13 Little Blue Envelopes, which has its teen heroine traveling through Europe on a very personal quest. Now she's got a new book out, Devilish. It's a YA take on Faust, complete with soul-selling, Catholic-school shenanigans, and other naughty & nifty twists. We think Devilish is delish, and so we asked MoJo to dish with us. Here's what she said.

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?

I’d like to think these writers are commonly known, but just in case they’re not:

Christopher Isherwood, who wrote The Berlin Stories, as well as several other amazing books.

Patrick Dennis, whose Auntie Mame books should be read by everyone

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?

Two always stick out. The first is The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. I was completed obsessed with that book.

The other one is The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois. I must have read this when I was really small and I loved it. But then I couldn’t quite remember for a while if this was something I read or I dreamed . . . a story about people who live on an island full of diamonds, each family owns a restaurant, the ground shakes. I was describing it to someone years later, and they knew it instantly. So I ran out and got a copy, and it all came rushing back—the illustrations, the balloons, the restaurants and diamonds.

Describe your ideal place to write.

I like a little noise around me, but not too much. And I don’t like to have too great of a view. I prefer tables to desks, so I can spread out my pages.

My dream is to find some kind of coffee place that has decent tables, good music, and someone to watch your computer so you can get up and wander around. Do such places exist? I would love to know.

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be
on the "best of" episode, and one that would be on the blooper reel.

Theme song: I think I’d like “Weapon of Choice” by Fatboy Slim (the one with the Christopher Walken dancing video), because you need something catchy.

Best of: Day two, freshman year of high school. A school assembly. We were generally being berated by the principal for being idiots simply because we were new, and how we were generously being given three more days to memorize and master the school’s endless, Kafkaesque list of rules.  I am already slightly terrified, because I’m not Catholic and this school is very strange and unfamiliar to me. (Plus, right by the front door, there is a picture of nuns being mowed down by machine guns and falling into a mass grave. That’s the school’s welcome mat. Really.)

Suddenly, my best friend (seated next to me) is seized by the Muse of Comedy and begins buzzing in my ear the single most hilarious commentary that I have ever heard in my life. I am trying not to laugh. Tears are running down my face. I claw at her leg and beg her to stop. She says she can’t, she’s been possessed. I hiss that we are about to get kicked out of the school after 48 hours, which has to be a record. She says she can’t help that. I start smacking her as much as I can without being seen. Nothing will stop her. I stab her with my pen. She only gets funnier.

The principal stops, stares right at us, and says that she is—at this very moment—witnessing the single most egregious violation of behavior, ever. I more or less die at that point, and my soul leaves my body halfway. I am 100% certain that we are about to be expelled, possibly taken out and killed. To this day, I cannot entirely explain why this did not happen. This experience, however, would set the tone for the next four years of my life, which is honestly a lot more fun than it sounds. (And I turned the school into St. Teresa’s Prep School for Girls, the setting of Devilish.)

Blooper reel: Me, aged four, singing the song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Old Oak Tree” (as performed by Tony Orlando and Dawn) into the suction tube of a vacuum cleaner. So excited am I by this performance that I run around the vacuum in circles as I sing, then I trip over the cord and snap my arm in two. I was a smart kid.

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!

Several. There were certainly a lot of aprons involved. When I first moved to New York to go to grad school, I worked in a haunted house theme restaurant. I had to wear an Indiana Jones hat and a shirt with a big skull on it. I also had a nametag that said my name was Dixie. (I honestly can’t repeat the jokes that came with that.)

We'd like to name a burger in your honor.  What kind of fixins should it have?

Veggie burger please. I’ll have mine with roasted red pepper, avocado, and Monterrey Jack. Pickles on the side. And all the condiments in the house.

Tanya Lee Stone...between the buns

Since Tanya Lee Stone's novel, A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl, is written in verse, we actually thought about writing this introduction in verse...but we don't have much rhythm, so we didn't. Instead we'll just say that this debut novel is a very frank look at the love life of teens, and a great story too...we asked Tanya to take our pop quiz, and here are her very frank answers...

Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?

My Dad, A. Harris Stone. He published a bunch of great science books for kids in the 60 and 70s, including a beautiful environmental picture book called The Last Free Bird.

What kid or teen books rocked your world growing up?

As a little kid, there were two: Where the Wild Things Are and Harold and the Purple Crayon. A little later, Amelia Bedelia!

In middle school: Forever and a collection of short stories called The Diamond Bird and Other Tales.

As a teen: Confederacy of Dunces. Still Life with Woodpecker. Valley of the Dolls. (Um, that last one wasn't on any reading lists, and I pretty much had to hide it. Lots of dogeared pages.)

Describe your ideal place to write.

I grew up on the beach and now I'm landlocked, so I'm constantly craving an open expanse of water. I'd love a bright airy ocean view with an uncluttered desk and no interruptions. Anybody?

Your life is a TV series. Name the theme song, one event that would be
on the "best of" episode, and one that would be on the blooper reel.

It might be a bit slow for a theme song, but the lyrics blast. Carly Simon's Give Me All Night.

I have no need of half of anything.
No half time, no half a man's attention.
Give me all the earth and sky
And at the same time, add a new dimension....

Don't give me fountains, I need waterfalls
And when I cry, my tears'll fill an ocean
The pain of love I'll accept it all
As long as you'll join me in that emotion...

For the "Best Of" episode: Verklempt writer is recuperating--okay, hiding--under the covers after grueling visit from [close relative who shall not be named] and ignoring the phone, which keeps ringing and ringing and ringing. I finally pick up, in case of emergency. It's my agent, telling me Wendy Lamb loves A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl and wants to talk to me!

Blooper? I can do blooper. My friend Sarah Aronson (fab writer) and I went out the wrong gate of a hotel pool, and found ourselves on a ledge 15 feet above the sidewalk with the gate locked behind us. The only choice (other then risking limbs and jumping) was to climb back over the tall, spikily topped fence--in our bathing suits. It was NOT graceful. By the time we got down on the other side we were laughing so hard it's a miracle we didn't wet our pants. Just at that major Lucy and Ethel moment, Norton Juster sauntered over and asked us what was so funny. You'd think two writers could have mustered something clever to say in the presence of greatness; instead we just looked at each other and burst out laughing all over again. Knuckleheads!

Burger-flippers want to know: have you ever had a job that required you to wear a geeky uniform? Details, please!

It wasn't exactly a uniform, since I didn't have to wear it every day. But when I worked at an aquarium, and it was time to clean the harbor seal tank or help the veterinarian handle those cute (wild, sharp-toothed) creatures, on went the thigh-high rubber boots and rubber gloves that went up past the elbow. Attractive!

We'd like to name a burger in your honor.  What kind of fixins should it have?

Medium rare. With cheddar cheese, barbecue sauce, and an onion ring. Overdone thick-cut fries on the side, please. Mmmm, Potato-ey. Thanks, BookBurger!