It has been said that playing favorites isn't nice, but sometimes it's impossible not to! Join me weekly at The Hiding Spot as I share a favorite author... and the author shares a few favorite things of their own.
Natalie Standiford
Genre: Contemporary YA
Books:
How to Say Goodbye in Robot (2009) Review
Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters (September 2010)
The Dating Game (Book 1-6)
Why I Love Her Writing?
Natalie Standiford writes about the misfit, broken-hearted robot that we all are. Or have been. Or will be.
MY FAVORITES
I'm ridiculously excited about Standiford's upcoming novel, Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters, but I'll always love How to Say Goodbye in Robot! Every time I see that bright pink cover I think about Jonah, Bea, and all the other unique and unforgettable characters from the novel. Robot may be the only novel that I completely adore that doesn't have a romantic plot line, which says something about Standiford's writing and her ability to form deep connections between characters. It's particularly impressive that said connection is between a girl and a boy... Often, in YA, even the most platonic relationship will veer into romance.Character: Jonas
Jonas is one of my all-time favorite characters... so much so that, for me, he nearly stole the show from Bea. I loved Bea - she was wonderful narrator - but I found myself counting the pages until Jonas reappeared. I've always had a soft spot for characters that tug at your heartstrings, and Jonas was yanking incredibly hard.
Quote: "I felt like you could open a door in my hollow, tin chest--just flip it open, easy--and see my heart throbbing, raw and bloody and sore. You could even reach in and squish it if you wanted to. I didn't want anyone getting close enough to open that door and see that mess." - Pg 251 of How to Say Goodbye in Robot
Do you even need me to explain why this quote is amazing? Who doesn't feel this way at one time or another during their life?
THE FAVORITE FAVORS
I'm the kind of person who finds it hard to choose favorites, but when it comes to color I've known for sure since babyhood and never wavered: blue. I had a blue blanket which I was very attached to, and I'm sure that had a big influence on me. Also, I have blue eyes, and blue looks good on me. My favorite element is water and I love the evening sky. So blue it is.
Jumbo lump crab from Chesapeake blue crabs. (Blue again!) I know it's a cliche that Marylanders love crabmeat but what can I say? It's just so delicious. And cliches have to come from somewhere.
Candy: Chuckles.
Most people I know think I'm crazy. They do not like Chuckles. But I find them not only delicious but soothing. To me they're like medicine. They make my stomach feel good. And the name is delightfully awful.
Movie: Annie Hall
I first saw ANNIE HALL when I was 14 and I decided then and there that I wanted to move to New York and live in Woody Allen's world of intellectual neurotics. That world was mostly gone by the time I got here but it's still a great movie. Why doesn't anyone make poignant romantic comedies anymore?
Word: This constantly changes, but for the moment, for today, my favorite word is "Superb."
I find it funny the way that b sneaks onto the end, and it's fun to say. It makes your lips feel rubbery (as does the word "rubbery"). Superb! Runner-up: Smackdown. Sounds like what it is.
For more information about Natalie and her novels
check out the links below:
Natalie's upcoming novel, Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters will be available in September 2010! I can't wait to read her next offering, which sounds intriguing and has a wonderful cover.
Description (GoodReads):
The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grandmother gathers the family and announces that she will soon die . . .and has cut the entire family out of her will. Since she is the source of almost all their income, this means they will soon be penniless.
Someone in the family has offended her deeply. If that person comes forward with a confession of her (or his) crime, submitted in writing to her lawyer by New Year's Day, she will reinstate the family in her will. Or at least consider it.
And so the confessions begin....
The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grandmother gathers the family and announces that she will soon die . . .and has cut the entire family out of her will. Since she is the source of almost all their income, this means they will soon be penniless.
Someone in the family has offended her deeply. If that person comes forward with a confession of her (or his) crime, submitted in writing to her lawyer by New Year's Day, she will reinstate the family in her will. Or at least consider it.
And so the confessions begin....
