Author Interview: Meredith Zeitlin

Hello all,

Today, I have a awesome author interview with Meredith Zeitlin, who wrote Freshmen Year and Other Unnatural Disasters. (Again, I <3 that title.) I reviewed the book (which is adorable), and you can read it here!

On to the fun....

1. What made you start writing? I come from a family of writers, and it's always just been something I did. I used to write poems and stories, then in high school I wrote for the school paper and was eventually its Editor in Chief. In college I was in a twelve-person TV and Film writing program, and after I graduated I wrote reviews and op-ed pieces for a variety of papers and online "magazines." Freshman Year... is the first major project I ever completed and decided to move forward with, though.
2. Do you listen to music while you write? Or do you have to complete quiet? OR something in between? When I'm in the "just dumping everything I can think of on the page" phase, I usually have the TV on or, if I'm in a hardcore writing mood, I listen to scores from musicals. My number one pick is "Once On This Island," by Ahrens and Flaherty. But when I'm polishing or editing, I need total silence to focus. 
3. What has been your favorite moment so far since you’ve been published? (or that led up to you being published) Oh, there have been quite a few... I think the number one, though, happened at the book release party. I read an excerpt from the book, and I was really nervous, so I was totally concentrating on not falling over in a terrified heap. Then, at the key moment (a big reveal moment for Kelsey) every single person there - and there were about a hundred - gasped out loud, simultaneously. It was so spontaneous that it surprised everyone - especially me. I started giggling and couldn't stop. It was surreal and it was amazing.
4. What’s the best piece of writing advice you’d give to a newbie YA writer? Write. Don't think about writing, or worry that it won't be good, or wait for the perfect time... just write. Write everything and don't censor yourself. THEN, when you have it all down, you can worry about what you've got. 
5. If you had to choose a song to go with Freshmen Year and Other Unnatural Disasters, what would it be? "Upside Down," by Paloma Faith. It's like the song was written just for the book - listen to the lyrics!

Thank you SO much, Meredith. I loved hearing your answers, and great photo!

If you'd like to find out more about Meredith, check out her:

Website
Twitter
Facebook page

Also, in case your in short supply of interview with author's cats, you can find one with Meredith's cats below, along with Meredith's song of choice, aka your next "song to write by" of the day....

Cat Interview:

Meredith's song to write by:

Nice choice :)