Kate Messner: THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z

2009 Deb Kate Messner’s new new novel, THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z gives dysfunctional family a whole new meaning…see what I mean?

Gianna Zales has a lot on her plate this fall – a father who drives her to school in the family hearse, a mother who’s turned into the junk food police, a little brother who thinks he’s a member of the paparazzi, and a grandmother who leaves false teeth in the refrigerator. Worst of all, she’s left her 7th grade leaf collection to do at the last minute. It’s a monster project, and Gianna will miss cross-country sectionals if she doesn’t meet the deadline. She’ll need the help of her geeky friend, Zig, and some brilliant ideas of her own to pull it off.

Does that not sound adorable???

Kate dropped by to answer a few questions about superstardom, social networking, and to give some advice to would-be-authors:

Okay...and, we’re off:

1) Would you rather be the Bestselling Rockstar Author or an Acclaimed Literary Award Winner?

Am I allowed to say neither one? I'd love for my books to make a difference to kids who need those particular stories. As a teacher, I work with kids every day, and I know how the right book at the right time can make all the difference in their lives as readers. I'm more about the readers than the lists or awards committees (though those are nice, too!).

2) Make people laugh, cry, or hide under the covers?

Laugh and cry. Several people have told me THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z made them do both, and that's the highest praise I can imagine.

3) Retire early or just keep writing from your beach house(s)?

Oh keep writing. And I'm going to keep teaching, too. Both these careers are a part of who I am.

4) FaceBook or MySpace?

Facebook. And Twitter. I'm KateMessner in both of those places, and I'm happy to have teacher/reader/librarian friends!

5) After a period, one space or two?

Two. It's a hard habit to break.

And your bonus question: What ONE WORD of advice would give to any aspiring writer?

WRITE. (Dreaming is important, too, but if you don't sit down and commit to writing, then all the dreaming in the world isn't going to get your book written.)

All right, that last one was WAY more than one word, but that’s what you get when you ask a *writer* a question! Plus, I’ll let it slide, cuz her answer was great!

To find out more about Kate, and her books, check out her website at http://www.katemessner.com/! (without the exclamation mark, of course)