Interview with Bethany Crandell

I am super thrilled to have Bethany Crandell on my blog today for an interview. Bethany Crandell is the 2014 debut author of Summer On The Short Bus. 

Haven't heard of Summer On The Short Bus (and isn't the cover adorable)? Check it out

Publication Date: April 1st 2014  
Publisher:  Running Press Kids

Spoiled, Versace-clad Cricket Montgomery has seventeen years of pampering under her belt. So when her father decides to ship her off to a summer camp for disabled teens to help her learn some accountability, Cricket resigns herself to three weeks of handicapped hell.

Her sentence takes a bearable turn as she discovers the humor and likeability of the campers and grows close to fellow counselors. Now, if she can just convince a certain Zac Efron look-alike with amazing blue eyes that she finally realizes there's life after Gucci, this summer could turn out to be the best she's ever had.

Summer on the Short Bus is a very non-P.C., contemporary YA with a lot of attitude, tons of laughs, and a little life lesson along the way.

Now on to the interview with Bethany Crandell

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1.What inspired you to write Summer On The Short Bus? (How do you come up with the ideas?)  
I don’t know that I’d call this “inspiration”, but I’m often perplexed by the responses people give me and my family when we’re out with my youngest daughter. (She’s 8 and differently-abled) It varies between admiration, pity, confusion, disgust, delight and sometimes…nothing at all. I thought it would be fun/interesting to take a look at the life of disabled kids from an outsider’s perspective—an outsider who was honest and didn’t care if she was being politically correct about how she felt.

 

 

2. Do you have any writing quirks? 
*giggles* Um…yeah. I have several, but one of my dumbest is that I am a serial gum chewer when I write. Orbit spearmint is my drug of choice.

 

3. Do you write outlines before writing the book or do you just wing it? 
I definitely work off of an outline, but it’s loose. I find that when I’ve got something really tight early on, my characters rebel and take the book in an entirely different direction anyway. Giving them a wide berth seems to be the best way to get them moving in the direction I want them to go. Gentle prodding J

 

4. Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why? 
Eeeps! I don’t know! There are so many people it’s hard to choose. From a pure fascination/WTF perspective, I’d like to meet Adolf Hitler or Charles Manson. Not cause I have a fetish for serial killers, but because I think being around that kind of madness/insanity would be very…unsettling and force me to face something evil head on. It sounds ridiculous, but I think a lot of personal growth can come from putting yourself in those kinds of situations. (It’s okay to think I’m nuts right now—I do). And heading an entirely different direction: Walt Disney. We are huge Disney junkies at our house. (Living in San Diego has its benefits. We’re just 90 minute drive to the happiest place on earth!) He was a creative revolutionary and someone who never gave up even though people said he was nuts. Some days I feel like I can relate to that.

 

5. What is the last book you recommended to someone? 
THE HUNDRED, FALL OF THE WENTS by Jennifer Prescott. It reminds me a lot of The Narnia books: Adventure, mystery, intrigue…a true QUEST book!!

 

6. What are you hoping your readers will take away from your book?  
A good time. It’s easy to drill down for deeper meaning in this story: inclusion, respect, honesty, etc., and if people come away with an added sense of that—awesome. But in the end all I really want is for people to look back after a few hours and say, “Well, that was fun!”

Thanks again for inviting me over for a chat!
Thanks Bethany so much for stopping by!

About The Author:

Bethany lives in San Diego with her husband, two kiddos, (one of whom is differently-abled) and a chocolate lab who has no regard for personal space. She thinks that laughter is the best medicine, that avocados make the world go round, and that Jake Ryan is going to show up at her door any minute now….    

You can also find her on: Website | Twitter | Facebook