Resort Chat: Shari Maurer

The Book Resort is thrilled to have the incredible Shari Maurer over for a little dish.

Shari is one of the awesome tenners!

Ready? Let's go!


Me: What are you working on now? (If you can give us a hint!)

SM: I've gone back to a book I had written a little while ago to see if I can spiff it up a bit. It's like visiting with an old friend.


Me: Spiderman or Superman:

SM: Superman


Me: Wonder Woman or Batgirl:

SM: Wonder Woman


Me: Chunky or Smooth:

SM: Chunky


Me: Favorite flavor ice cream:

SM: Starbucks Java Chip or SoCo Creamery's Mexicali Chocolate


Me: Favorite ice cream topping:

SM: Peanut Butter Sauce. But only on vanilla frozen yogurt -- never on the Java Chip or Mexicali Chocolate (they are too perfect to need toppings)


Me: Subway or Taxi:

SM: Subway

Me: Broadway Show or Movie Theater:

SM: Movie Theater. I rarely get into the city for shows anymore. That said, I can't remember the last time I was in the movie theater.


Me: TiVO or DVR:

SM: We are new to DVR life so I haven't gotten the hang of it yet. But my kids tape every "Family Guy."


Me: Favorite vacation place:

SM: Very hard to choose. I've been to so many different, wonderful places. The top ones: Turks and Caicos, England, Italy, Colorado, Israel, Jamaica, The Berkshires, Paris... I could keep going. Each of my trips has been terrific in its own way.



Me: Next vacation destination:

SM: Cruise from LA to "Mexican Riviera". I'm not a big cruise fan, but we're going with some extended family members so it should be fun.

Me: Favorite NYC hotspot:

SM: Veniero's Bakery. Haven't been there in a while, though.



Me: Guilty Pleasure:

SM: It all goes back to Starbucks Java Chip and SoCo's Mexicali Chocolate Ice Cream.

Me: Good luck charm:

SM: I don't have one. Maybe I'd be luckier if I did.

Me: When you were a little girl, you thought you would grow up to be a….

SM: Supreme Court Justice or Academy Award Winning Screenwriter


Me: Last thing bought at the mall:

SM: Probably school supplies at Staples -- how boring is that?!


Me: Item on your grocery list:

SM: Pam (non-stick cooking spray). I hate it when things stick to the pan. I keep forgetting to buy this.


Me: French fries or Onion Rings:

SM: Can I cheat and say "Sweet Potato Fries?"

Me: Pizza: New York or Chicago?

SM: New York!!!

Me: Midnight snack:

SM: I never eat after dinner. Well, very, very rarely.


Me: Bookmark or dog ear?

SM: I'm guilty of the dog-ear.

Me: Read with dustjacket or remove it?

SM: Remove it.

Me; Ocean, Lake, Desert, Mountain:

SM: Ocean


Me: Favorite book:

SM: Tie: "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"

Me: Item you can't live without:

SM: I have a notebook where I write everything down: from story ideas to my "to do" list to notes I take as I talk to someone or am making travel plans or party plans -- basically it's every detail of my life. Wow, now that I said that, I better not lose it!


Me: Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?

SM: Hard to answer. Most writers I read are relatively well-known. That said, I am in a critique group with two writers, Jill Arabas and Dawn Buthorn, whose work I love and can't wait to see published one day.


Me: What kid or teen books made a difference in your world growing up?

SM: In 6th grade I read "Cheaper By the Dozen" by Ernestine Gilbreth Carey and Frank Gilbreth, Jr. I don't know what it was about the
SM: In 6th grade I read "Cheaper By the book, but I loved it. It was about the Gilbreth family and their 12 kids and growing up in that large family. I must have read it 12 times and even wound up adapting it for the 6th grade play. I wrote to Ernestine, who by then was an old woman and she wrote back. That was really cool.


Me: Where do you like to write your books (bed ~ coffee shop ~ an office)?

SM: I have an office in my house.


Me: Describe your ideal place to write:

SM: I love writing in my office with a cup of really good coffee and an absolutely empty house.


Me: What are you reading @ the moment?

SM: "The Ring" by Bobbie Pyron

Me: Where do you usually read?

SM: Everywhere: kitchen table, bed, car, park bench, subway... I'm not picky.


Me: Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?

SM: No.

Me: Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?

SM: No


About Shari:

I am a YA writer who grew up in New City, NY and came back to raise my family there. I went to undergrad at Duke University and grad school at NYU, studying English and Dramatic Writing and yelling loud at basketball games. After school, I spent six years at the Children’s Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop), working on international versions of Sesame Street and other kids’ programs. I met my husband, Mat, at sleepaway camp when we were 17 and there are times we still wish we were back at camp. My three kids, Lissie, Josh and Eric make me laugh and have been my biggest fans. Life is good.



Check out:

Shari's website

Shari on Twitter

Shari on Facebook

AuthorsNow!

The 10'ers 2010: A Book Odyssey


CHANGE OF HEART arrives from WestSide Books, Spring 2010

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Change of Heart~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a world where the most stressful thing seems to be winning a soccer game or what to wear in the morning, you take some really basic things for granted.

Like the love of your parents.

Or hanging with your friends.

Or the beating of your heart.

When you’re 16 years old, it never occurs to you that you might die. Emmi Miller’s got a fabulous life. She has tons of friends, does great in school and is an all-star soccer player who played in Europe last summer. It even looks like Sam Hunter, a totally cute baseball player, might be interested in her. And then she gets a virus. No biggy, right? Until the virus goes to her heart and weakens it so much that, without a transplant, Emmi will die.

Will Emmi get a heart in time? Is Sam too good to be true? What about her new friend Abe, who has also had a transplant and guides her through these scary times — is he just being supportive or is there more going on between them? And will Emmi realize it before it’s too late?


Unfortunaltely there is no cover for Change of Heart @ this time.