Erin Dionne is Here!

Hi Everyone!

I’m a little late today, but better late than never! I’m thrilled to have the *absolutely hilarious* Erin Dionne on the blog. Her debut: MODELS DON’T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES was *so* funny, and one of those books I didn’t want to put down. But Erin is here for a different reason:

To celebrate the release of her latest: The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet.

Stay tuned: because Erin provides a perfect example of why it’s important to brush your teeth.

You know the routine!

About The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet.

Hamlet Kennedy just wants to be your average, happy, vanilla eighth grader. But with Shakespearean scholar parents who dress in Elizabethan regalia and generally go about in public as if it were the sixteenth century, that's not terribly easy. It gets worse when they decide that Hamlet's genius seven-year-old sister will attend middle school with her-- and even worse when the Shakespeare project is announced and her sister is named the new math tutor. By the time an in-class recitation reveals that our heroine is an extraordinary Shakespearean actress, Hamlet can no longer hide from the fact that she--like her family--is anything but average.

About Erin

Erin Dionne’s debut novel, Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies, was inspired by events that occurred in seventh grade, when she wore a scary peach bridesmaid dress in her cousin’s wedding and threw up on her gym teacher’s shoes (not at the same event). Although humiliating at the time, these experiences are working for her now. Erin lives outside of Boston with her husband and daughter, and a very insistent dog named Grafton. She roots for the Red Sox, teaches English at an art college, and sometimes eats chocolate cookies.

On to the Interview!

Me: What was the inspiration/where did you get the idea for this latest story, and when did you realize it could become a novel?

Erin: Truthfully? I got the idea for TOTAL TRAGEDY when I was brushing my teeth. I was scrubbing along, and all of a sudden, I thought, "What kind of parents name their DAUGHTER Hamlet?" From there, I was hooked on learning about this family. I knew right away there was potential for this to be a novel, but I had no idea what shape or form it would take.

Me: (lol) That is freakin awesome!! I love it! Now that you’re a seasoned author, if there is one thing you could go back and tell your “debut author” self, what would it be?

Erin: I'm still learning so much! I think I'd go back and tell her not to spread herself so thin; to focus and enjoy the time more. It's hard not to get caught up in every little detail about your book's experience in the world, though!

Me: Good advice! I’m always looking for new ways to tackle revisions. What is your tried and true revision strategy and why does it work?

Erin: I print every version of my manuscript out, 3-hole punch it, stick it in a binder, and make hand edits on it. Then I keep track of how many versions I've printed. This gives me some distance on the writing, literally lets me "see" the book in a different way from when it's on the computer screen, and also allows me to interact with the text.

Me: Awesome!

Readers . . . You can visit Erin at her home on the web: http://www.erindionne.com

And . . . The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet is officially on sale. You can buy it here: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780803732988

Thank you so much for stopping by, Erin!

Readers: Always brush your teeth, because you never know when inspiration will strike. You only have to floss the ones you want to keep.