High School Flashback Tour: Kay Cassidy
This is the last day to poke fun at the five us for the high school dorks we were, and here she is, The Mastermind behind this whole operation: Kay Cassidy, author of THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY.
'Sup, Kay?
The pic is of me on top of Die Zugspitze, the tallest mountain in Germany when I was 15. Those are the Alps behind me. And be sure not to miss the ginormous grandma-worthy sunglasses. I was uber-cool, I'm telling you. (Wait, why are you laughing?)
1) So, did you (or any of your friends) actually marry your high school sweetheart?
We actually had several marriages! I've never made it to any of my high school reunions, but I think they're all still happily married. I think that is seriously the coolest thing EVER.
2) What would your teenage self have thought of today’s technology? And what piece of technology would have been your favorite (email/cell phones/texting/digital cameras/MySpace/Twitter/Facebook…)?
My dad has been an early adapter of technology his whole life. He had the original Apple (and every one after that for a bazillion years), so I was always pretty comfortable with technology. Given that my entire school existence revolved about writing notes in school (is my mom reading this? I mean STUDYING), I have to think that email and texting would've been my entire world in high school.
3) What’s one thing you would have done differently (like a do-over)?
You know, I made a lot of mistakes in high school. There are quite a few do-overs I would love because I did something completely moronic that I would swear people are still laughing over (even though I know deep down I'm the only person who even remembers it). But the do-overs I'd like most? The ones where I hurt someone else, whether I meant to or not.
The biggest one was probably my first serious boyfriend. I broke up with him because we hit high school and it was the first time in four years I didn't make the cheerleading team. Which seems like, "So what?" but was actually a very big deal because it was a large part of who I was and suddenly, I didn't know who I was anymore. So there we were at this huge new school, my boyfriend was a football player, and everyone only knew me as "X's woman". That just devastated me. I couldn't stand the idea of being known only as the extension of someone else, even someone I adored, so I let my insecurity get the best of me. Which was really sad. I ended up cheering for the rest of high school – I only missed out that one season – but my boyfriend and I had been good friends before we started dating and we were never able to get that back. Sometimes you can't go back, you know? You just have to try to make better choices in the first place. So yeah, that's my big do-over if I could have one. (Wait, do we get one? Is that part of the tour??) *Kay rubs hands together with glee*
Kay’s book, THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY is all about girl-power (one of the things I loved most when I read it):
What a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn't want to wear it anymore?
Sixteen year old Jess Parker has always been an outsider. So when she receives an invitation to join The Cinderella Society, a secret society of the most popular girls in school, it's like something out of a fairy tale. Swept up by the Cindys' magical world of makeovers, and catching the eye of her Prince Charming, Jess feels like she's finally found her chance to fit in.
Then the Wickeds--led by Jess's arch-enemy--begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers there's more to being a Cindy than reinventing yourself on the outside. She has unknowingly become part of a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil, and now the Cindys in charge need Jess for a mission that could change everything.
Overwhelmed, Jess wonders if The Cinderella Society made a mistake in choosing her. Is it a coincidence her new boyfriend doesn't want to be seen with her in public? And is this glamorous, secret life even what she wants, or will she risk her own happy ending to live up to the expectations of her new sisters?
Today, Kay Cassidy is the author of teen fiction she wishes was based on her real life. She is the founder of the national Great Scavenger Hunt ContestTM reading program for kids and teens and the host of the inspirational Living Your FiveTM web project. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, movies, music, and reading. Lots and lots of reading. She hopes her debut YA novel, THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY (April 13, 2010 - Egmont), will help girls embrace their inner Cindy.
DON'T FORGET: On Friday, I’ll choose one random winner from all of the comments I receive on the interviews this week to win this AWESOME prize pack:
'Sup, Kay?
The pic is of me on top of Die Zugspitze, the tallest mountain in Germany when I was 15. Those are the Alps behind me. And be sure not to miss the ginormous grandma-worthy sunglasses. I was uber-cool, I'm telling you. (Wait, why are you laughing?)
1) So, did you (or any of your friends) actually marry your high school sweetheart?
We actually had several marriages! I've never made it to any of my high school reunions, but I think they're all still happily married. I think that is seriously the coolest thing EVER.
2) What would your teenage self have thought of today’s technology? And what piece of technology would have been your favorite (email/cell phones/texting/digital cameras/MySpace/Twitter/Facebook…)?
My dad has been an early adapter of technology his whole life. He had the original Apple (and every one after that for a bazillion years), so I was always pretty comfortable with technology. Given that my entire school existence revolved about writing notes in school (is my mom reading this? I mean STUDYING), I have to think that email and texting would've been my entire world in high school.
3) What’s one thing you would have done differently (like a do-over)?
You know, I made a lot of mistakes in high school. There are quite a few do-overs I would love because I did something completely moronic that I would swear people are still laughing over (even though I know deep down I'm the only person who even remembers it). But the do-overs I'd like most? The ones where I hurt someone else, whether I meant to or not.
The biggest one was probably my first serious boyfriend. I broke up with him because we hit high school and it was the first time in four years I didn't make the cheerleading team. Which seems like, "So what?" but was actually a very big deal because it was a large part of who I was and suddenly, I didn't know who I was anymore. So there we were at this huge new school, my boyfriend was a football player, and everyone only knew me as "X's woman". That just devastated me. I couldn't stand the idea of being known only as the extension of someone else, even someone I adored, so I let my insecurity get the best of me. Which was really sad. I ended up cheering for the rest of high school – I only missed out that one season – but my boyfriend and I had been good friends before we started dating and we were never able to get that back. Sometimes you can't go back, you know? You just have to try to make better choices in the first place. So yeah, that's my big do-over if I could have one. (Wait, do we get one? Is that part of the tour??) *Kay rubs hands together with glee*
Kay’s book, THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY is all about girl-power (one of the things I loved most when I read it):
What a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn't want to wear it anymore?
Sixteen year old Jess Parker has always been an outsider. So when she receives an invitation to join The Cinderella Society, a secret society of the most popular girls in school, it's like something out of a fairy tale. Swept up by the Cindys' magical world of makeovers, and catching the eye of her Prince Charming, Jess feels like she's finally found her chance to fit in.
Then the Wickeds--led by Jess's arch-enemy--begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers there's more to being a Cindy than reinventing yourself on the outside. She has unknowingly become part of a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil, and now the Cindys in charge need Jess for a mission that could change everything.
Overwhelmed, Jess wonders if The Cinderella Society made a mistake in choosing her. Is it a coincidence her new boyfriend doesn't want to be seen with her in public? And is this glamorous, secret life even what she wants, or will she risk her own happy ending to live up to the expectations of her new sisters?
Today, Kay Cassidy is the author of teen fiction she wishes was based on her real life. She is the founder of the national Great Scavenger Hunt ContestTM reading program for kids and teens and the host of the inspirational Living Your FiveTM web project. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, movies, music, and reading. Lots and lots of reading. She hopes her debut YA novel, THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY (April 13, 2010 - Egmont), will help girls embrace their inner Cindy.DON'T FORGET: On Friday, I’ll choose one random winner from all of the comments I receive on the interviews this week to win this AWESOME prize pack:
(Today’s the last day to enter, so check them all out all the blogs for your chance to win!!)
Kay Cassidy’s blog - Monday (5/17)
Jen Nadol's blog - Tuesday (5/18)
Christy Raedeke's blog - Wednesday (5/19)
Christina Gonzalez's blog - Thursday (5/20)
Comments
That picture with the Alps is AMAZING KAY. I spent some years in Germany and it certainly brought back memories of my late teens!! I used to go on walking holidays quite frequently in that area!
You seem to be EVERYWHERE at the moment Kay. I read you over at Shelli's yesterday.
Thanks again both of you!
Enjoyed your interview and thanks for being the mastermind behind it!!
I would go back and do a lot of things differently in high school...and well probably college too lol. :)
Thanks for the interview:D
Sorry to hear that you were known as "X's woman". That would really annoy me too.
Really appreciate that Kay shared this story with us though. :)
melissa[at]yabookshelf[dot]com