YABC: What surprised you most while writing your latest book?
Sarah Dooley: My cats. Seriously. I would get so engrossed in Sasha’s world while writing FREE VERSE that it was never difficult for the cats to startle me by jumping onto the keyboard, knocking over my coffee, or crashing into my feet.
But if you’re wondering what about the book itself surprised me, it was that an entire section would be written in verse. I had no idea Sasha was going to dive into her poetry notebook until it was happening.
YABC: If you could live in any fantasy world, which one would it be?
SD: Oh, I would live at Hogwarts! Absolutely. I would ride a hippogriff and read thousands of enchanted books from the library. Although I already get to do that second part!
YABC: Do you have a mantra that gets you through the drafting phase?
SD: “You only have to write the first paragraph. After that, if it’s not fun, you can stop.” (It’s almost never not fun after the first paragraph!)
YABC: What is your favorite hobby when you’re not writing?
SD: I’m a runner and a horseback rider. It troubles me that I can currently run further on foot than I can convince my horse to carry me.
YABC: Which character gave you the most trouble when writing your latest book?
SD: I think doing Shirley justice was the most difficult part. I love the character of Shirley, and it was tough to get her across on the page the way I could see and hear her in my head.
YABC: Do you enjoy writing to music? If so, do you have a go‐to playlist?
SD: I enjoy writing to white noise, preferably rain. Although I typically do make a playlist for each book, it’s for the times when I’m on a run, thinking about the story. When it’s time to actually write, I need the quiet.
YABC: Which part of the writing process do you enjoy more: Drafting or Revising?
SD: I love writing first drafts, and quickly! The don’t‐slow‐down, don’t‐look‐back attitude is fun and freeing. Unfortunately, it does mean that my editor and I have our work cut out for us when it’s time to go back and figure out how to connect all the dots! Revising, though, is its own sort of fun. It’s neat to go back into a story after taking a break from it, moving things around and writing new scenes. It’s like visiting old friends.
Meet Free Verse!
A moving, bittersweet tale reminiscent of Sharon Creech’s Walk Two Moons set in a West Virginia coal‐ mining town
When her brother dies in a fire, Sasha Harless has no one left, and nowhere to turn. After her father died in the mines and her mother ran off, he was her last caretaker. They’d always dreamed of leaving Caboose, West Virginia together someday, but instead she’s in foster care, feeling more stuck and broken than ever.
But then Sasha discovers family she didn’t know she had, and she finally has something to hold onto, especially sweet little Mikey, who’s just as broken as she is. Sasha even makes her first friend at school, and is slowly learning to cope with her brother’s death through writing poetry, finding a new way to express herself when spoken words just won’t do. But when tragedy strikes the mine her cousin works in, Sasha fears the worst and takes Mikey and runs, with no plans to return. In this sensitive and poignant portrayal, Sarah Dooley shows us that life, like poetry, doesn’t always take the form you intend.
Meet Sarah Dooley!
Sarah Dooley has lived in an assortment of small West Virginia towns, each of which she grew to love. Winner of the 2012 PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship for Free Verse (available March 15, 2016 from G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers), she has written two previous novels for middle‐grade readers. Sarah is a former special education teacher who now provides treatment to children with autism. She lives in Huntington, West Virginia, where she inadvertently collects cats. She’s a 2006 graduate of Marshall University.
Free Verse
By: Sarah Dooley
Release Date: March 15, 2016
*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*
Two winners will receive one copy of Free Verse. (US only).
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I love free verse, I am amazed at what can be said inside a novel told in free verse. I am excited to read this one. I also love the cover, so fresh looking and bright.
Free verse sounds great ♡ thank you
Free verse sounds like an amazing book, plus the cover is cute!
Free Verse sounds like it’s going to be great!
ughh this book sounds so good and plus it has a great cover!!!!:):):):):)
I love the cover and the colors used. Free Verse sounds like an amazing novel.
I love the cover and the fact Gary Schmidt (one of my favorite authors) commented right on it! I think this book will be an emotional and satisfying read for me.