That’s the day the trouble started. The trouble that nearly ruined my life.
The trouble that turned me Dark.
The trouble that begs me for revenge.
Celia Door enters her freshman year of high school with giant boots, dark eyeliner, and a thirst for revenge against Sandy Firestone, the girl who did something unspeakable to Celia last year.
But then Celia meets Drake, the cool new kid from New York City who entrusts her with his deepest, darkest secret. When Celia’s quest for justice threatens her relationship with Drake, she’s forced to decide which is sweeter: revenge or friendship.
This debut novel from Karen Finneyfrock establishes her as a bright, bold, razor-sharp new voice for teens.
Karen Finneyfrock is a poet, novelist and teaching artist in Seattle, WA. Her young adult novel, The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door, is due from Viking Children’s Books on February 21, 2013.Her second book of poems, Ceremony for the Choking Ghost, was released on Write Bloody press in 2010. She is a former Writer-in-Residence at Richard Hugo House in Seattle and teaches for Seattle Arts and Lectures’ Writers-in-the-Schools program. In 2010, Karen traveled to Nepal as a Cultural Envoy through the US Department of State to perform and teach poetry and in 2011, she did a reading tour in Germany sponsored by the US Embassy.
Links:
Website: http://www.karenfinneyfrock.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karen.finneyfrock
Twitter: https://twitter.com/finneyfrockGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2736035.Karen_Finneyfrock
What’s the best advice you can give writers to help them develop their own unique voice and style?
Outside of being a writer and a poet, I’m a Teaching Artist. I’ve been teaching poetry, spoken word and fiction to all ages for nearly ten years. I’ve taught third graders to write memoir and I’ve helped retired people get back into writing poetry, but I primarily work with teens creating spoken word poems. In other words, this is a question I have spent time with and I have a lot to say.
I think we put too much emphasis on critique in our culture. I’ve seen this scene duplicated endlessly: an emerging artist begins to create work and immediately wants feedback on it. I’ve had writers come to me and say, “I really need your feedback on this. Be honest, the harsher the better.” And I think, “Whoa! Where did we get the idea that harsh critique makes an artist grow?”
I think that artists grow well is moist, dark environments. In other words, be extremely careful about who you share your work with while you are learning. Find positive, encouraging fellow writers who share some stylistic preference with you. Read and listen to each others work endlessly. I like Malcolm Gladwell’s idea that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at something. Write constantly and evaluate your own work before you seek outside criticism.
Thank you so much for being part of the tour!! :)
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