My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters

Is this a great title or what?? In my case, it would be My Big Butt and Other Natural Disasters. But. I digress.

About My Big Nose And Other Natural Disasters

Seventeen-year-old Jory Michaels wakes up on the first day of summer vacation with her same old big nose, no passion in her life (in the creative sense of the word), and all signs still pointing to her dying a virgin. In spite of her driving record (it was an accident!), Jory gets a job delivering flowers and cakes to Reno's casinos and wedding chapels. She also comes up with a new summer goal: saving for a life-altering nose job. She and her new nose will attract a fabulous boyfriend. Jory survives various summer disasters like doing yoga after sampling Mom's Cabbage Soup Diet, enforced-mother-bonding-with-crazy-nose-obsessed-daughter night, and discovering Tyler's big secret. But will she learn to accept herself and maybe even find her passion, in the creative (AND romantic!) sense of the word?

Now for my OFFICIAL DEB QUESTIONS!!

How did you come up with the fab idea for MY BIG NOSE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS and how long did it take you to write it?

My initial idea came from real life experiences--a horrible high school job disaster and my dislike of my own nose. I wrote the book during National Novel Writing Month. And then spent some time on revisions.

Nano is so great for getting stuff done Now..writing for teens must bring back alot of memories... tell us about something traumatizing and/or embarrassing that happened to you when you were a teen?

So many to choose from! At the end of my freshman year I tried out for the dance team. I'm not very athletic and I didn't have too much dance experience, but I wanted to wear one of those cute little skirts. Plus, my mom (a teacher at the time) was the coach. At tryouts, I went to ask my mom a question. For some reason, she thought I needed, ahem, feminine supplies. She handed me a few quarters. Argh! She wasn't even listening to me. I stuck the quarters in my pocket and forgot about them.

Until it was my turn. And the music started for the kick routine. Clink. Clink. Clink. Legs flying, arms flapping like a sick chicken, quarters jingling in my pocket--it was disastrous! I did not make the team.

(I did make the team as a sophomore after a humbling year of my curvy self taking ballet lessons with prepubertal girls--but that's another story.)

Well. You tried and that counts for something!!What would be the worst thing that could happen to Jory?

Having to wear a big bandaid across her nose (I know because this has happened to me--more than once).

Gah!!If someone close to you wanted to write a book, like a child or a loved one, what would you tell them?

Do it! Just start putting words on paper and don't stop until you're finished. You can make it good later on. What are you waiting for? Get started!

A woman of action, excellent. Lastly what do you think your Jory will do for a living when she's grown up?

I think Jory will do something creative--maybe graphic design. But she'd also make a great psychologist!

Thanks for stopping by Sydney. The book sounds like a must read!!! I know I've got it on my TO BUY list!!

MORE ABOUT SYDNEY
Sydney Salter held a variety of jobs before becoming a full-time writer, including her brief stint delivering pies and flowers, wrecking vans, and destroying wedding cakes in Reno, Nevada. Sydney now lives in Utah with her husband, two daughters, two cats, and two big Bernese Mountain dogs. She loves reading, writing, traveling, and, of course, baking and decorating cakes (but not driving them anywhere).