Interview with Julie Kraut

www.juliekraut.com

Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

Post-college. In college I was in a comedy troupe that wrote and performed original sketches. I adored my time with the troupe, but didn’t realize how much I enjoyed the actual writing process until I graduated and missed putting my ideas on paper and sharing them. So that’s when I started really cranking it out with the writing.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

I had an atypical and lucky path. I was working in publishing and wound up sharing an idea that a friend and I had been working on with an editor bud over lunch. She was interested, I sent her the proposal for Hot Mess, and she bought it. It was pinch-myself-easy and I just felt so fortunate.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

Here’s the official description:

Laney Parker is a city girl through and through. For her, summertime means stepping out of her itchy gray school uniform and into a season of tanning at rooftop swimming pools, brunching at sidewalk cafes, and—as soon as the parents leave for the Hamptons—partying at her classmates’ apartments.

But this summer Laney’s mother has other plans for Laney. It’s called Camp Timber Trails and rustic doesn’t even begin to describe the un-air-conditioned log cabin nightmare. Laney is way out of her element—the in-crowd is anything but cool, popularity seems to be determined by swimming skills, and the activities seem more like boot camp than summer camp.

Splattered with tie dye fall out, stripped of her cell, and going through Diet Coke withdrawal, Laney is barely hanging on. Being declared the biggest loser of the bunk is one thing, but when she realizes her summer crush is untouchably uncrushable in the real world, she starts to wonder, can camp cool possibly translate to cool cool?

Summer camp might just turn this city girl’s world upside down!

Here’s my one-liner pitch:

A fun fish-out-water summer story that’ll make you laugh out loud. Guaranteed.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

My parents. Their work ethic and support have been my biggest inspiration.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

Great question! My family couldn’t be more supportive or cuter about how proud they are. My little brother is such a wonderful cheerleader and totally my secret question plant during readings when everyone else is too embarrassed to start the Q&A session. My mom is just adorable with how much she wants to celebrate my success. My dad brags about me so much that I’m not sure how anyone else can squeeze anything about their own lives into conversations with him. And my grandparents gave out copies of my first book as party favors at their anniversary party last year. There’s no way I could be related to more supportive people.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Bagels and ice cream. Not together…but actually, maybe I should try that.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Check my e-mail (it’s an addiction)
Wipe the mascara from under my eyes and promise myself that tonight I’ll actually take off my eye make up properly
Chug some coffee

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

My cheerleading gear. I was varsity captain my senior year. It’s a shocking fact to most people I meet now.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Purple. It’s my fave.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Raphael from Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles. “Cool but Rude” is a phenomenal personal slogan.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Right now, Sneezey dwarf…damn you allergies!

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

Me, this time, next year. I’m just so curious about where I’m going that I’d be willing to waste the opportunity to be present for the invention of DNA mapping, erasable pens, pizza and other globally influential developments to find out.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I have the worst musical taste on the planet. If it weren’t for friends forcing me to listen to good stuff, I’d probably respond to this question with the Electric Slide. Right now, I’m way into a song by Ida Maria that a friend sent me. And I never, ever listen to music when I write. It makes it too hard for me to think.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

Jon & Kate Plus 8 (before the divorce, now I’m not so sure)
Real Housewives (any season)
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List
Gossip Girl

Little Miss Sunshine is probably the movie that I’ve re-watched the most times.

I saw the Hangover two weeks ago. Stupid genius at its best.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Trust that what should happen will and don’t sweat the rest.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

Wish I could say, but I’m crazy superstitious about announcing projects before they’re sold. I’ll post all news to JulieKraut.com as it breaks.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!

No, thank YOU!