It’s Monday, and after a full week devoted to Mockingjay, it’s time to *try* to move forward. And what’s the #1 best way to treat TEABS? KEEP READING MORE AWESOME BOOKS!!!! (and drinking cocktails, but that’s a given)
If you saw my review of Natalie Standiford’s Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters, you’ll know that I’ve already given my BFF charm to this book AND all of its characters! With its release this Wednesday, you’ll all soon be handing out charms of your very own to Norrie, Jane and Sassy, but today, we have Natalie Standiford herself here, answering all of our hard-hitting questions!
Ms. Standiford took time out of her incredibly busy schedule to talk to us, and I’m sure that after reading this, you’ll all (like us) be planning slumber parties, just so you can invite her!
ACTUAL BOOK RELATED QUESTIONS:
My granny was a tough bird, and Almighty (though way more mean- at least at times- and powerful) reminded me of how I saw her when I was young. What/who was your inspiration for the character of Almighty?
Whoah! I certainly hope you learned how to hold a knife! Ah, actually that sounds like many a thing my mom would have said. So good to see that chauvinistic ideals are still being perpetuated…
Reading a book in epistolary form can be tiresome. Was it a struggle to tell the story in this form? And was it difficult to keep the sisters’ voices distinct?
Easy for you, maybe…
If this is not the loveliest author picture (and author) you've ever seen, then Peeta doesn't bake.
THE YA QUESTIONS
If your real life adolescence was a YA book…What would you, the main character, be like?
She would be the nice quiet girl everyone thinks is very conventional and proper who turns out actually to be kind of wild and even a little odd. Like Carey Mulligan’s character in AN EDUCATION. Or Natalie Sterling in Siobhan Vivian’s NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL, but without the political ambitions. (Siobhan, how did you know?)
Who is your secret crush?
The smart boy who is too shy to ask me out.
What is your number #1 source of angst?
My life is so safe and dull! Everyone I know is so freaking nice! I want to go out into the world and LIVE, dammit!
At what point would the reader pump his/her fist in victory?
When I finally move to New York and land my first job in publishing, skipping up Third Avenue singing Elvis Costello’s “Every Day I Write the Book” and not caring who hears me.
And who would play you in the film adaptation?
People have said I look like Karen Black (yikes: Horror Queen) and Patricia Arquette. I think it’s the close-together eyes. Anyway, you mentioned that Carey Mulligan would be good playing Norrie and that’s a brilliant idea, so I’m going to steal it and make her play Young Natalie Standiford too.
OMG! The sass! You are DEFINITELY coming to our slumber party!!!!
THE SLUMBER PARTY Qs:
What is your secret power?
I can name all 50 states and all 44 U.S. Presidents in alphabetical order (it’s my insomnia cure). I’m also good at spotting celebrities in the wild.
What is your #1 favorite food?
Blue crabs: jumbo lump backfin with nothing but a little Old Bay spice.
Sweet jesus, lady, you have good taste!
Tell me about your area of expertise.
I know more than a person should about Soviet gymnasts from the 1970s. Ludmilla Turishcheva forever!
Also, I’m no expert but I play bass in a rock band.
Awesome! Actually, readers, get this: Natalie is not only in a rock band, but it’s a rock band made up of YA authors! And it’s called Tiger Beat!!!!!
If you could assemble your own Ocean’s 11 of fictional characters, who would you pick?
Frankie Landau-Banks from THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS as the Idea Girl
Margot Roth Spiegelman from PAPER TOWNS as the Detail Girl
Francie from THE BLONDE OF THE JOKE as the Inside Girl
Gonzo from GOING BOVINE: explosives
Holly Golightly from BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S: getaway
Tiny Cooper from WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON: bankroll
Enid from GHOST WORLD: surveillance
Jay Gatsby from THE GREAT GATSBY: high roller
The Zhang Ziyi character from CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON as the Chinese acrobat (this is perhaps a bit literal-minded, but she was amazing)
Bart Simpson as the Rookie pickpocket
Is that 11 yet? If not, throw in Cassandra from I CAPTURE THE CASTLE just because I love her.
This is a pretty literary gang and we’d probably get caught…but think how much fun we could have together in jail.
Wow. You have officially come up with the BEST. TEAM. EVER.
What is your best karaoke song?
“Sugar Town” by Nancy Sinatra. (I sang it before (500) Days of Summer came out–Zooey Deschanel stole it from me.) Unfortunately, a lot of karaoke places don’t have it, so I’m forced to default to “Dream On” by Aerosmith, which is way harder.
Tell me something scandalous!
Not sure if this is scandalous, exactly, but when I was 19 and home from college for the summer my parents and I fought constantly about whether my curfew should be 4 AM or 4:30 AM.
What is your favorite adult beverage?
Red wine
What book have you read the most number of times?
I’ve never counted, but these are all up there: FRANNY AND ZOOEY by J.D. Salinger, the story “The Dead” from DUBLINERS by James Joyce, STUART LITTLE by E.B. White, and LITTLE BEAR by Else Holmelund Minarik.
Who is your “freebie”?
This question is very embarrassing. I’m going to go with Young Bob Dylan.
YA authors are so cool. Who would you give a BFF charm to?
Libba Bray. First, she’s so amazing and multi-talented you just want to be around her and hope some of it rubs off. Second, she’s my band sister and band sisters are forever (Tiger Beat!). And third, I want to get into her cow suit.
Out of all of the characters you’ve written, which one do you most wish you could be?
Norrie Sullivan. She finds true love, even though it’s inconvenient. And I think she has a kind of natural glamour.
If you were invited to the FYA slumber party (and obvs, you ARE), what pajamas would you wear, and what is the most crucial snack food and/or movie you’d bring?
I’d wear blue Chinese silk pajamas and I’d bring ANNIE HALL to watch, because it’s got everything: humor, romance, heartache, and making fun of L.A. My snack would be spearmint leaves (the candy, not the actual leaves).
And now it’s time for the life-changing game of MASH! Give us three choices for each category, we’ll pick one each for the ‘bad’ choices, pick a random number, and predict your future!
Mansion
Apartment
Shack
House
Spouse:
John Krasinski
Robert Downey, Jr.
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Randy Quaid
Honeymoon:
Barcelona
Zanzibar
California coast
Arkadelphia
# of Kids:
0
1
3
7
Job:
writer
movie star
astronaut
rodeo clown
Income:
millionsbillions
good karma
35k
Hometown:
NYC
Paris
San Francisco
Jersey Shore
Pet:
cat
dog
leopard
sea horse
Car:
Mini-Cooper
Old Volvo from the 60s
Mercedes sedan
Hummer
Um, wow! This game really worked out for you! Say hi to John for us!
And since Natalie didn’t have this pic ready for our prom post, she included this bonus for us!
If we hadn't made it official before now, we LOVE you!
Thanks so much for hanging out at the lockers with us, Natalie! Be sure to get your copy of Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters this Wednesday!
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
nat standiford, WE LOVE YOU!!!! thank you so much for being SO AWESOME!!
natalie. NATALIE. i thought you were awesome the first time i read “how to say good-bye in robot.” then you got even MORE awesome when i discovered tiger beat. THEN you agreed to hang out with me and jenny whilst on a PUB CRAWL and my mind was pretty much blown. i thought, “there is no way i can love this woman more.”
and then you went and did this interview. WTF ARE YOU TRYING TO DO? KILL ME WITH MY OWN ADORATION OF YOU? because i am v. v. close to exploding with swimfannery.
don’t even ask how i’m gonna be even close to normal the next time we hang out. cos WE ARE HANGING OUT AGAIN RIGHT?!!
totally!!!
Um, Tiger Beat is the best possible name for your band. For any band, really. Ms. Standiford, I raise my glass to you.
Thank you, gurls! This was so much fun!!! Thanks for making MASH work out so beautifully for me! I’m really looking forward to my bold new future. Can’t wait to drive that Volvo! But first I’d better get to work elbowing Emily Blunt out of the way.
love, love, love,
Natalie
The MASH game was the best addition!
Wait! Is that Danny F. as your prom date? Love the interview. I’m coming to the slumber party!
Hi Barb! Yes, that’s Danny F., all 6’5″ of him. xo
I remember that prom and Danny. Great interview Natalie. Count me in for the slumber party too!
um natalie’s adoring public demands a JUICY PROM STORY PLZ.
Honestly, I barely remember that prom. Not sure why. Senior prom is another story, but my lipses are sealed.
once, JUST ONCE, i’d like to see someone end up as a rodeo clown in mash. sigh.
also, francie from blonde of the joke is the BEST INSIDE GIRL EVER! i love all your answers. and annie hall! great movie. i can’t wait to read the sullivan sisters!
Omigod, Tiger Beat?? YA Authors are officially the awesomest. Ever. And I love that Libba Bray has a cow suit. I like cows.
And I adore Oceans 11 Lists. You should make a topic in the caf for it, possibly under the same group as introductions. I’ve been working on mine for a while, and I’m pretty pleased with it (except I didn’t confine myself to YA characters – I chose from literally everyone ever, real or imagined). Great call on Holly Golightly – I want to be her.
As my TEABS actually seem to be getting worse (thank you anyway for the Peeta reference!), this is really helping to take the edge off. I’m currently reading Enduring Love for my A-Level English Lit class, and it’s beautifully written, and my copy has Daniel Craig on the cover, which never hurts, but I’m missing the swoon and excitement and general youth of YA – so I’m reading “Sweethearts” and “Rebel Angels” as soon as I’m done.
Rebel Angels? I guess you’re not talking about the Robertson Davies novel about that weird Canadian town…though you should read that one too.
Haha, no actually, though I’ll check it out. Rebel Angels is the book that comes after A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray…