Celebrating Debutantes 2016: Cherry by Lindsey Rosin (Author Interview + Playlist + Giveaway)

Hi guys! It's been a rainy week here in Manila. I hope the weather is better there, wherever you are on Earth. Today, I'm thrilled to feature Cherry by Lindsey Rosin! I like the simple white and pink cover. Don't you? Lindsey is visiting the blog to share a playlist and to answer some questions for an interview. Ready? 

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First off, the playlist! It's called Zoe Got Some and is related to Cherry.


What or who inspired you to write Cherry?
I’m inspired by anything that moves me emotionally. High school friendships and relationships are incredibly emotional. I think it’s something about that time of life and all the new experiences and how it feels like it’s the beginning and end of everything all at once. I also like to say that my spirit animal is a teenage girl, so I’m always looking for opportunities to tell teenage stories and female stories – and anything about frozen yogurt. Cherry is sort of the perfect storm of all of that. I also drew a lot on my personal experiences while writing the book, my relationships with my best girl friends and the boys in my life and the awesome/awkward/awful sexual experiences I’ve had along the way.

Could you tell us about the background behind the title of the book, Cherry?
Yes! So, I absolutely love the title, but I have to give credit to my good friend, sometimes writing partner and YA author, Aaron Karo for coming up with it. He’s incredibly good at coming up with titles – for books, movies, TV shows; it’s really a gift. When I first told him about the book proposal I was working on, I knew I wanted the title to be something fun and simple that could capture the mood of the book. Aaron said Cherry and the rest is history. I think it’s perfect.

Do you have a writing ritual that you do before/after writing?
I do not have a writing ritual. I wish I did because maybe it would help me start writing quicker and be less distracted. I really do believe that writing is 3% writing and 97% not being distracted by the Internet. Two unusual things about my writing process are that 1) I tend to write a lot by hand. I’ll write my first drafts in notebooks or just on lined pads of paper before typing them into the computer. I find it feels less permanent to just write it by hand as opposed to seeing it in black and white on the screen so it allows me to push through the shitty first drafts much faster. And then 2) my favorite time to write is between midnight and five or six in the morning. I love that the world is quiet and no one is distracting me (haha, not even the internet.) I’ve always been a night owl, so I think my brain just works better during that time.

How different was the initial manuscript of the book from the final manuscript? What changed?
The initial manuscript is probably about 60% the same as the final draft. I had fabulous editors at Simon Pulse – hi Jen and Sarah! – who really helped me find the pace and rhythm of the story. I’d only written plays and screenplays before Cherry, so I trusted their notes and guidance quite a bit throughout the process. One big change that I can talk about without giving away any spoilers has to do with the POV of the book. It’s written in third person and the narrator is sort of omniscient, all-knowing, but we do get to go inside the heads of the four girls. Originally, we were going inside the heads of a lot of the other characters and the boys they interact with, but it was a lot of people’s thoughts and feelings to keep track of, so I’m glad we trimmed it back to just the four girls.

Which character is your favorite? Why?
Ah! There’s a little bit of me, and bits of a lot of people I love, and a whole lot of my imagination mixed into all four of the main characters, Layla, Zoe, Emma and Alex. It’d be impossible to pick just one. Who’s your favorite? I’m hoping people can relate a little bit to all of them, but also maybe find one that they identify with most.

Thank you, Lindsey!

About the Author:

Photo Credit: Claire Leahy

LINDSEY ROSIN is a professional writer/director/producer and fourth generation Los Angeles native. In the past year, she has written television pilots for Lionsgate, CBS Studios, Sony, MTV, CBS, and NBC. Most recently she co-executive produced the “Cruel Intentions” television pilot (for NBC), which she also wrote along with Roger Kumble (the writer/director of the original film) and Jordan Ross.

Lindsey’s debut novel Cherry, a story about four teenage girls who make a pact to lose their virginity before high school graduation, will be published by Simon & Schuster’s YA Imprint, Simon Pulse, on 08/16/16 and Hot Key Books in The U.K. on 08/25/16.

Under her Sucker Love Productions banner, Lindsey directed and co-developed Cruel Intentions: The Musical, which enjoyed a sold-out run in Los Angeles in the spring and summer of 2015, and is currently working to bring the production to an off-Broadway venue in New York City. Lindsey also directed The Unauthorized O.C. Musical, a sold-out, one-night only event in August 2015, and will be directing The Unauthorized Friday Night Lights Musical sometime in 2016.

Lindsey graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania as an English Major with a concentration in dramatic writing. While at Penn, Lindsey won the University’s Judy Lee Award for Dramatic Writing for three consecutive years (2005-2007) and was the winner of a senior capstone award for her writing achievements. Additionally, Lindsey is an alumnus of The Excelano Project, Penn’s premiere spoken word poetry group. Under her direction, the group took first place at the National Collegiate Poetry Slam in 2007. Lindsey began her writing career as a playwright, having won numerous statewide and nationwide playwriting competitions, and continues to be a mentor and judge for the Harvard-Westlake One-Act play festival, happily supporting her alma mater.

Lindsey drinks vanilla lattes, wears Converse tennis shoes and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Josh, and their adorable poodle mix named Dodger. She is repped by ICM, Underground Films and Management, Foundry Literary and Media and Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown.


Find Lindsey: Website| Twitter 

Book Description:

Expected publication: August 16th 2016 by Simon Pulse

In this honest, frank, and funny debut novel, four best friends make a pact during their senior year of high school to lose their virginities—and end up finding friendship, love, and self-discovery along the way.

To be honest, the sex pact wasn’t always part of the plan.

Layla started it. She announced it super casually to the rest of the girls between bites of frozen yogurt, as if it was just simply another addition to her massive, ever-evolving To Do List. She is determined to have sex for the first time before the end of high school. Initially, the rest of the crew is scandalized, but, once they all admit to wanting to lose their v-cards too, they embark on a quest to do the deed together... separately.

Layla’s got it in the bag. Her serious boyfriend, Logan, has been asking for months.

Alex has already done it. Or so she says.

Emma doesn’t know what the fuss is all about, but sure, she’ll give it a shot.

And Zoe, well, Zoe can’t even say the o word without bursting into giggles.

Will everything go according to plan? Probably not. But at least the girls have each other every hilarious, heart-warming, cringe-inducing step of the way.

From debut author Lindsey Rosin, Cherry is a coming-of-age, laugh-out-loud tale of first times, last chances, and the enduring friendships that make it all worthwhile.

Giveaway

Thanks to Lindsey for this giveaway!
What's up for grabs: Copy of Cherry

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full schedule and links to the posts!