{Interview & Giveaway} Aimee Friedman

Aimee surprised me with her different take on a Mermaid story (left me questioning & Needing MORE) and I am happy to have her here for an Interview & Giveaway!

Interview

1. Best part of being a YA author.

Without a doubt, hearing from readers. I've found that readers of YA tend to be incredibly passionate and engaged. Hearing that my book has inspired someone or ignited someone's love of reading is so wonderfully rewarding and thrilling. 

2. Did you ever consider a more closed ending for Sea Change?

I always wanted to make the ending open to interpretation. In many ways Sea Change is a story about mystery and uncertainty-- about Miranda realizing that not everything in life can have answers. So I wanted Miranda's ending--whether or not it was a "happy ending" to reflect that.

I will say I have gotten countless emails and Tweets begging me for a sequel, though! I don't have plans to write one right now, but that could always change!


3. What do you have with you everywhere you go?
Hand sanitzer-- I'm a bit of a germophobe!

4. When did you realize that you wanted to be an author?

I can't remember a time when I wasn't writing. It was my absolute favorite thing to do growing up. I filled endless notebooks with stories. As soon as I realized one could make a career out of what I did for fun, I knew that was the path I wanted to follow.

5. Mermaids or Myth?

Myth! I love all the enchantment surrounding mythologies, legends, and superstitions. There are so many myths to explore and to expand into stories.

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Aimee Friedman (born 1979) is the author of several young adult novels published by Scholastic Inc. and S&S. Her novels South Beach (2004) (a New York Times bestseller), French Kiss (2005), and Hollywood Hills (2007) focus on the scandalous adventures of on-again, off-again best friends Holly Jacobson and Alexa St. Laurent. A Novel Idea (2005) is a romantic comedy about a teenager who starts a book club in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Friedman wrote one of the four stories in the holiday collection Mistletoe (2006), which also features stories by Nina Malkin, Hailey Abbott, and Melissa de la Cruz. Friedman wrote a short story, "Three Fates" for the book 21 Proms. Recently, Friedman has also published, along with artist Christine Norrie, a graphic novel entitled Breaking Up which details the complicated dynamics of Junior year in an arts school in New York.
Aimee Friedman grew up in Queens, New York, attended Bronx High School of Science, and graduated in 2001 with a BA in English from Vassar College. She currently resides in Manhattan. She went to a dance school with her older sister

Giveaway 

Aimee has kindly offered up a signed copy of Sea Change!!  

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