A big welcome to
Tiffany Schmidt
whose debut novel
Send Me A Sign
releases on October 2, 2012
from Bloomsbury / Walker
Mia is always looking for signs. A sign that she should get serious with her soccer-captain boyfriend. A sign that she’ll get the grades to make it into an Ivy-league school. One sign she didn’t expect to look for was: “Will I survive cancer?” It’s a question her friends would never understand, prompting Mia to keep her illness a secret. The only one who knows is her lifelong best friend, Gyver, who is poised to be so much more. Mia is determined to survive, but when you have so much going your way, there is so much more to lose. From debut author Tiffany Schmidt comes a heart-wrenching and ultimately uplifting story of one girl’s search for signs of life in the face of death.
Tiffany Schmidt is a YA writer / reader, living and creating mischief in Doylestown, PA. Married to St. Matt, mother of impish twin boys, and chaser of mischievous puggles. She is represented by Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.
Her debut novel, Send me a Sign, releases on October 2, 2012 and Bright Before Sunrise will follow Winter, 2014.
(picture and text from
www.tiffanyschmidt.com)
Today Tiffany is here to share her thoughts on Books and Memories...
What book makes you think of...your childhood?
Anne of Green Gables. I was the luckiest child in the world because I spent part of each childhood summer on Prince Edward Island. But beyond just sharing a location with Anne, I share her unintentional mishief-magnet ways as well. And her over-active imagination. I don't have her red hair, though I always wished I did and couldn't understand how she'd possibly want to trade it! She totally deserved it when the hair-dye turned it green!
What book makes you think of...your scariest memory?
Any of the Baby-sitter's Club Mysteries --because my scariest memory occurred one of the first times I babysat. I was so proud to be graduating from mother's helpering that I didn't factor in that this job was in an old house. Next to a graveyard. At night. I'd forgotten a book and needed something to hide the creaky old-house noises, so turned on the TV. Single White Female sounded like a cute romantic comedy. It's not. Cue two hours of terror and a VERY embarrassing tearful call to the parents when I started hearing scary moaning sounds -- yup, it was totally the baby fussing... I didn't realize the monitor was hidden by the curtain on the window ledge behind the couch.
What book makes you think of...your road to publication?
Savvy. This may sound like a strange pick, but just hang with me for a second. Like Mibs, I had an end goal in sight -- granted mine was publication and hers was discovering her savvy. But we each had something we were fixated on, but not so fixated that we couldn't enjoy our journeys. Mine was full of unexpected, magical moments and so many, many fabulous people. While I didn't gain an extra-special ability along the way, I certainly felt like a superhero when Send Me A Sign sold.
What book makes you think of...your family?
Beezus and Ramona mashed up with Superfudge. For one thing, there were four kids in my family: my older sister, me, and then my two younger brothers. And for another, while my older sister, and older-younger brother are good, my youngest brother and I seemed to be wired for mischief and driving our siblings crazy. It wasn't usually intentional, but like Fudge and Ramona, trouble found us. Often.
What book makes you think of...high school?
Flowers in the Attic (cringe). This book made me feel so grown up and scandalous. My friends and I passed it around and giggled and whispered. Our mothers rolled their eyes and tried not to laugh. Also, A Separate Peace --- this was assigned for English class, but I was so captivated by it that I couldn't stop reading. I finished the book in chemistry class while I was supposed to be watching a movie. When the teacher turned the lights back on, I had a hard time explaining why a movie about chemical reactions had me bawling my eyes out.
What book makes you think of...snow days?
The Vampire Academy series. These books do have quite a few mentions of snow -- in fact, part of book 2 (Frostbite) takes place at a ski lodge -- but that's not why they remind me of winter. I started VA #1 during a snow day a few years ago. It was unexpected, so I hadn't brought home extra grading or planning to keep me company. Instead I made cocoa and read the book cover to cover. Downloaded #2, and read that too. Mother Nature cooperated by sending MORE snow the next day and, although I had to take breaks to shovel and refill my cocoa mug, I was able to make through the first four books before I had to step back in the classroom.
Thank you so much Tiffany!
