Jessica Anya Blau's books include The Summer of Naked Swim Parties, Drinking Closer to Home, and The Wonder Bread Summer.Her new novel is The Trouble with Lexie.
From Blau's Q&A with Caroline Leavitt:
What is it about prep schools that somehow intensifies everything that possibly could happen in our lives?Learn more about the book and author at Jessica Anya Blau's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.
Maybe it’s that when you take people out of the routines of home, family, parents and neighbors, they open up in a way they don’t usually. People reinvent themselves, recreate themselves and let loose when they’re away from home. You see this sort of group intensity/lunacy in adults when they go to conferences and writing colonies. They work hard, but they also play very hard—everything’s more charged up, your senses are sharper, you’re more engaged in what’s going on around you. Then, if you take that hyper-awareness, that openness, and couple it with hormones, exploration and close living quarters, there’s more drama than can fill a library of books.
Tell us about the writing of this particular book (I always think that each book is a whole different process.) What was different for you here?
Every book terrifies me. I can be overwhelmed with insecurities doubts, second-guesses. I have to continually talk myself into the work—remind myself that the process is what matters. I find great relief in...[read on]
Coffee with a Canine: Jessica Anya Blau and Pippa.
The Page 69 Test: The Wonder Bread Summer.
My Book, The Movie: The Wonder Bread Summer.
The Page 69 Test: The Trouble with Lexie.
My Book, The Movie: The Trouble with Lexie.
Writers Read: Jessica Anya Blau.
--Marshal Zeringue