• The ECC Questionnaire

Sarah Mlynowski: Our 2014 Extreme Trivia Challenge Co-Host! | October 6, 2014

We didn’t think we could get more excited about trivia. Then Sarah Mlynowski signed on as our 11th Annual Extreme Trivia Challenge co-host! Sarah is author of the New York Times bestselling middle grade series Whatever After. Her books for teens include Bras & Broomsticks, Frogs & French Kisses, Spells & Sleeping Bags, and Parties & Potions (all in the Magic in Manhattan series), as well as Gimme A Call, Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn’t Have), and Don’t Event Think About It. We asked Sarah a few “get to know you” questions and you can meet her in real life on November 5th! Until then, study up!

You write novels for a wide range of age groups. How does your style differ when writing for YA vs. middle grade? Do you find one more difficult than the other?
I don’t think my style differs at all. I try to make all my novels fun, funny and girl-centric. Most of them are written in first-person present. The only real difference for me is length. I find series easier to write than stand-alones. The characters, tone and world are already created—I can just focus on story. My process is the same no matter what I’m working on. Brainstorm, outline, first draft (mostly dialogue), second draft (flesh out), third draft (clean up).

What children’s books influenced you as a child and teenager? Was there any particular writer you aspired to be like?
In the fourth grade, I laughed out loud when I read the first book in Gordon Korman’s Macdonald Hall series. A few months later, the author came to speak to my class. I found out that one, he was from Montreal, same as me, two, he wrote his first book when he was twelve years old. TWELVE. I was incredibly inspired, and decided that I would be a writer, too.

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer? What are some of the jobs you have had along the way as you developed your writing career?
Yes, I always knew. I sent my first novel to Bantam Books when I was in the fourth grade. It was called Lizzie Forshort. (The main character’s real name was Elizabeth but everyone called her Lizzie… for short!) And that’s the story of my first rejection letter. After I graduated from college, I worked at Mable’s Fables (a children’s bookstore in Toronto) and then in the marketing department at Harlequin Enterprises. Unfortunately, I never met Fabio. I did learn a ton about the business of publishing.

When you first began your writing career, what was the one thing you were most surprised to learn about the publishing industry?
I was surprised to learn about returns. Bookstores return SO MANY books. It’s so sad!

What books are on your must read list for the fall?
Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer and Not That Kind Of Girl by Lena Dunham.

Can you tell us anything about what you are working on now, or what you hope to take on as a future project?
I’m getting organized for the November launch of Whatever After #6: Cold As Ice, and I’m writing Whatever After #7: Beauty Queen. And very soon I’m going to start my new YA.

Anything else you want us to know about you before we meet you in the flesh?
Yes. Don’t worry about my last name. I’m not entirely sure how to pronounce Mlynowski, either.