Hello all! What a wonderful Tuesday isn't it?
Today I have the one and only Lorraine Zago Rosenthal with me! *Cue clapping and happy music* Recently you might have seen my review for Rosenthal's YA debut OTHER WORDS FOR LOVE
Lorraine was sweet enough to ask me to do a blog tour with her and I am ever excited!
Ari Mitchell feels invisible at her Brooklyn high school. Her hair is too flat, her style too preppy, and her personality too quiet. And outside school, Ari feels outshined by her beautiful, confident best friend, Summer. Their friendship is as complex and confusing as Ari’s relationship with her troubled older sister, Evelyn, a former teenage mom whose handsome firefighter husband fills Ari’s head with guilty fantasies.
When an unexpected inheritance enables Ari to transfer to an elite Manhattan prep school, she makes a wealthy new friend, Leigh. Leigh introduces Ari to the glamorous side of New York—and to her gorgeous cousin, Blake. Ari doesn't think she stands a chance, but amazingly, Blake asks her out. As their romance heats up, they find themselves involved in an intense, consuming relationship. Ari’s family worries that she is losing touch with the important things in life, like family, hard work, and planning for the future. Meanwhile, Summer warns her that what she feels for Blake is just an infatuation. Not real love. But Ari’s world is awash with new colors, filled with a freshness and an excitement she hasn’t felt in years.
When misfortune befalls Blake’s family, he pulls away, and Ari's world drains of color. As she struggles to get over the breakup, Ari must finally ask herself: were their feelings true love . . . or something else?
Click
HERE to see my ARC review!
I was born and raised in New York City, where I went to high school in Queens at St. Francis Prep: www.sfponline. I graduated from the University of South Florida in Tampa: www.usf.edu with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Education. I also earned a Master's degree in English, with a concentration in American and British Literature, from Northern Kentucky University: www.nku.edu which is located just across the bridge from Cincinnati.
In addition to writing, I enjoy reading, exercising, and spending time with my husband. I'm also a movie buff and an amateur film critic.
Other Words for Love is my first novel. I'm currently working on another YA novel that is also set in NYC.
Interview:
Hi Lorraine, thank's for stopping by! Can you tell us a little about yourself? You’re welcome, Leilani! A little about me: I’m originally from New York; I love to write and read fiction; I’m a huge film fan; and I wrote a YA novel called OTHER WORDS FOR LOVE.
Can you tell us a little about Other Words For Love? OTHER WORDS FOR LOVE is about a middle-class high school girl (Ari) from Brooklyn who becomes involved in an intense relationship with a wealthy college student (Blake) from the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and her struggle to deal with equally intense emotions when things turn out differently than she had planned. The story also delves into Ari’s complex relationships with her best friend, Summer, and with Ari’s family—especially with her sister, Evelyn, who is a former teen mom. To make things even more complicated, Ari has a serious crush on Evelyn’s husband.
Out of all the things to write, why YA Contemp?I write in the YA contemporary genre because I love creating realistic stories that feature teen protagonists. The teen years are an exciting, frustrating, and complicated time that contain rich material for an author and can spark many story ideas. I enjoy creating teen characters and watching them change and grow.
Was there anything that inspired the book?
My characters are what inspire me most, and the idea of Ari and her family was the genesis of this novel. I was also inspired by the concept of “limerence,” which pertains to the intense emotional highs and lows a person can experience when involved in a romantic relationship.
Did you have the entire book in mind when writing it? Or did it all come and go as you wrote? I had the majority of the story in mind while I was writing it, and I had a very clear vision of the major scenes. However, while I was writing, some things changed and I came up with new ideas in the process. But overall, the finished product is almost exactly what I had envisioned when I began writing the novel.
What is your favorite thing about being an official author so far?
My favorite thing is the amazing feedback I’ve been getting from people who have read my book. I hoped that readers would love Ari and her story as much as I do, and it’s so fulfilling to hear that people have connected with her and have such positive feelings about her. I’m completely overwhelmed by the wonderful interaction I have had with readers, and I really enjoy hearing from them! I’m so grateful for all the support I’ve been given by readers and book bloggers.
If you could change one thing about your book would you? I’m completely satisfied with the finished product, and I wouldn’t change a thing!
How did you pick the names of your characters?
I absolutely love naming characters! It’s one of the most fun parts of writing a novel. I typically choose names that reflect something about the character—for example, their cultural background or personality. In OTHER WORDS FOR LOVE, I named Ari’s sister “Evelyn” because it’s a delicate and elegant name—and although Evelyn has a delicate and elegant face, her personality is completely opposite. In this case, I chose a name that is somewhat ironic because it reflects her exterior but not her interior. I chose the name Ariadne for my main character because I wanted her to have a unique name that she didn’t appreciate and therefore shortened. The novel mentions that the name was chosen by Ari’s mother, who always insists upon calling Ari by her full name. This is a reflection of the mother’s personality—she picked that name and she’s sticking to it, regardless of what Ari wants.
If you could spend one day with any character from a book, who would it be and why? I would love to meet Mattie Ross from the novel (and movie) TRUE GRIT. I admire her tenacity, her bravery, and her ability to overcome adversity. I’d love to tell her how incredible I think she is!
Favorites:Book? It’s hard to pick just one, but I’ll say THE CATCHER IN THE RYE.
Song? That’s a tough one! I like so many songs. I’ll just narrow it down to one that’s on my OTHER WORDS FOR LOVE playlist because it was very inspirational to me: BREATHE YOUR NAME by Sixpence None the Richer.
Color? Pink
Place? NYC
Author? Another tough question! There are too many to narrow it down to just one, but I’ll choose Judy Blume because she was one of the first YA authors to portray young female characters in an honest way. I also appreciate all the work she’s done to fight censorship in YA literature.
Thank you so much for stopping by Lorraine! It was a pleasure interviewing you and I was so happy that I received an ARC of your book and I hope to get an ARC of any of your upcoming books!!
OTHER WORDS FOR LOVE is not on sale! Go buy it!!!!
