Interview with Christina Uss for The Colossus of Roads

The Colossus of Roads

by Christina Uss
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson Books
Release Date: May 5th 2020

Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction

Synopsis:

Eleven-year-old Rick Rusek is determined to improve the traffic conditions in Los Angeles-- his parent's failing delivery catering service, Smotch, depends on it.

"Traffic is a puzzle with one correct solution. And I've got to solve it!"

Rick has been studying maps and traffic patterns for years, and devises solutions to improve Los Angeles' notoriously terrible traffic that he calls his Snarl Solutions. He has big ideas, but not enough resources-- until his artistic friend, Mila brings him to a Girl Scout meeting.

Every week at Miss Diamond's art studio, the scouts paint recycled traffic signs with their own designs. The signs will be hung all over Los Angeles to beautify the city with art. But Rick, The Colossus of Roads, has ulterior motives . . . He will restore the signs to their original glory and find a way to install them strategically to rectify the traffic. Anything can be hung with duct tape!

But of course, it's not that easy. SPLAT (Stop Poor LA Traffic), BLAM (Bike-Loving Amazing Mamas), and the TCD (Traffic Calming Division) have their own methods of curing the city's dilemma and will undermine Rick's efforts however they can.

Will Rick be able to clear the notorious traffic problem on Sepulveda Pass in time for his parents to deliver Polish food to the movie studio and land the catering contract they need to keep their company afloat?

Written by Christina Uss, the acclaimed author of The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle, which was selected for the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List and was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the year.

Can you briefly describe THE COLOSSUS OF ROADS and its characters?

This is the story of a boy and his talking stomach who decide to fix all the worst traffic problems in Los Angeles in order to save the family business.

The main character, Rick Rusek, has an unusual talent: he can see how to make traffic move smoothly and perfectly. (He also has an unusual habit of talking to his carsick stomach and vividly imagining his stomach talks back.) Too bad no one else seems to find Rick’s traffic talent interesting or worthwhile, because constant traffic jams look like they might ruin his family’s food catering business.

Luckily, his quiet and artistic neighbour Mila Herrera belongs to a Girl Scout Troop who is doing a city-wide street art project using old road signs, and Rick devises a plan to use the road signs to move 300,000 cars out of the way of his family’s future. He’ll need Mila’s help, plus that of her grandmother Abuelita, the best driver in L.A.

If Rick can succeed, maybe everyone will see that he’s not some strange carsick kid. He’s one of the seven wonders of Los Angeles. He’s the Colossus of Roads.

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?

I love Rick to pieces because he believes in himself. Despite hitting huge setbacks, he keeps finding ways to move forward with his peculiar plans. I equally love his wobbly but brave stomach, who is always there with words of encouragement and impulsive advice, especially about cheeseburgers and doughnuts.

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?

The first nugget of an idea came from living with my husband in Los Angeles, where he was born and raised. Whenever we drove together and encountered traffic snarls, he’d read the traffic like an animal tracker, explaining what caused the slow-down, why, and when it would clear up. It was creepy how he was always right! When I asked how he did it, he said, “When you’ve been in traffic your whole life, you just get a sense for these things.” I thought: what if there were a kid born with a talent for reading traffic? How would that play out for him? Would anyone care? And what if that kid got a chance to actually use his talent to fix a major traffic jam, secretly and spectacularly?

Another inspiration for writing COLOSSUS came from my son. I told him I was proud of him for accomplishing a task he found difficult and didn’t enjoy, and he said, “I wish you were proud of me for the things I actually like doing.” That really struck me. I’m sure kids everywhere wish their families appreciated when they used their innate talents to do things they find fun. That helped me envision Rick’s family dynamic, because at the beginning of the book, his parents don’t see the value in his traffic talent.

I do hope the COLOSSUS story gives readers faith that they’ll find places to use their talents, whatever they are, to make a positive difference in the world.

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?

I’ve got to break the rules and pick two: First, “This Is Me” from the movie soundtrack to The Greatest Showman for all the characters in my book who want to stand up and be recognized for the things they can do well. Second, “Take It to the Limit” by the Eagles for the line “Put me on a highway, and show me a sign, and take it to the limit one more time,” to represent Rick not giving up on his idea of using road signs to protect the good things in his life.

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?

We’d have to do a casting call for Rick and find a nice Polish boy who looks like my dad did when he was young, and for Mila we’d need to find a girl so shy she hardly want to get in front of the cameras. I want Jack Black to play Rick’s stomach’s voice. I’d like Rita Moreno to play Abuelita, but she’d have to eat a TON of cake to get ready for the role.

What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?

The perfect place to go read my book would be at In-N-Out Burger, especially in southern California. You can order any flavour milkshake you want, but you have to order a cheeseburger to go with it.

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish THE COLOSSUS OF ROADS?

Another book about a California character who takes on a task most kids wouldn’t dream of is THE HOUSE THAT LOU BUILT by Mae Respicio. And the funny ALL FOUR STARS series by Tara Dairman has a main character with a passion and special talent that her family doesn’t understand one bit.

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?

For me, the hardest part of writing is when I have to show my work to other people and find ways to use their constructive criticism to make my story better. I’m super-sensitive, and it can feel like any criticism of a story I love is like someone telling me my beautiful new baby isn’t good enough.

What’s next for you?

I have another book coming out next year, ERIK VS. EVERYTHING, about a boy whose motto is “Avoid Stuff” while his family wants him to bring out his inner Viking. I’m also hard at work on some more tremendously odd middle-grade stories with happy endings–stay tuned!

Christina Uss has ridden her bicycle across the United States both lengthwise and widthwise, and has worked as an adventure tour guide in fifteen states, leading cyclists of all ages through various mountains’ majesty and all kinds of fruited plains.

Even more than pedaling across state lines, Christina loves books, especially ones that remind us all that the world is wonderful, weird place. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her family and will always wave hello if she sees you out riding.

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Interview with Don Zolidis for War and Speech

War and Speech

by Don Zolidis
Publisher: Little Brown
Release Date: May 5th 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Synopsis:

Not everyone can be a winner...

Sydney Williams knows this better than anyone. After her white-collar- criminal dad is sent to prison, Sydney fails almost all of her classes and moves into a dingy apartment with her mom, who can barely support them with her minimum-wage job at the mall. 

A new school promises a fresh start. Except Eaganville isn’t exactly like other high schools. It's ruled with an iron fist by a speech team that embodies the most extreme winner-takes-all philosophy.

Sydney is befriended by a group of fellow misfits, each of whom has been personally victimized by the speech team. It turns out Sydney is the perfect plant to take down the speech team from within. 

With the help of her co-conspirators, Sydney throws herself into making Nationals in speech, where she will be poised to topple the corrupt regime. But what happens when Sydney realizes she actually has a shot at . . . winning? Sydney lost everything because of her dad’s obsession with being on top. Winning at speech might just be her ticket out of a life of loserdom. Can she really walk away from that?

Can you briefly describe WAR AND SPEECH and its characters?

WAR AND SPEECH is the story of Sydney, who decides to join the top-rated Speech and Debate team in the country in order to destroy it from the inside out. 

Sydney is funny, brutally honest, and has a mouth that gets her in a lot of trouble. She has a strong bullshit detector and a keen sense of fairness. Her father is in prison for tax evasion, and her life has cratered big time – she now lives in a tiny apartment with her mom and her new boyfriend, and just about everything she counted on has disappeared. She can be a bit bitter. 

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?

Lakshmi is probably my favorite character in the book. She’s a basketball star, and in any other school would be popular. Unfortunately, she attends a school for the arts where no one cares about sports, and her teammates recite spoken word poetry during the games. 

Lakshmi is fierce and strong and values her time. She doesn’t have time for nonsense and moves through the world like she owns the place. Sydney says she wants to be Lakshmi when she grows up. Me too. 

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?

I wanted to write a book about Speech and Debate, since it’s a really fun activity that hasn’t been seen a lot in YA books. I also wanted to do a plucky underdog story where the underdog’s goal is destruction, rather than winning. 

I actually took a lot of inspiration from the Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, and Eight movies. It’s a motley group of conspirators trying to do the impossible and managing to pull it off. 

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?

This question is so hard! When I’m writing, I usually try to only listen to music that seems like it’s in my character’s voice. And then I listen to that artist continuously for the writing process. For this book, I listened to Sharon Van Etten and Courtney Barnett. I think Courtney really gets at Sydney’s irascible, raw voice. Her song “Help Your Self” is a great encapsulation of Sydney’s personal philosophy. 

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?

Is it cliché to say Beanie Feldstein? I think Beanie Feldstein would make a brilliant Sydney. She’s smart, she’s funny, and she’s ready to do something outrageous. I might also cast Tom Holland (although he’s maybe a little too good-looking) as Elijah, who becomes Sydney’s love interest. 

What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?

Um… this is a YA book, so I probably can’t say a shot of whiskey or something. I mean I could, but I might be sending the wrong signal to my readers. 

I think, ultimately, this is a really fun caper-style book. So it would go really well with some carefully plotted crimes and/or shenanigans. I’m gonna go with a smoothie and light crime. 

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish WAR AND SPEECH?

My first novel, THE SEVEN TORMENTS OF AMY AND CRAIG (A LOVE STORY) is a bit more of a rom-com than a caper, but it’s also hilarious and heart-wrenching. Another kindred writing soul would be Katie Henry, who writes viciously funny and thoughtful books. Check out LET’S CALL IT A DOOMSDAY and HERETICS ANONYMOUS. 

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?

Coming up with the spine of the story is always the most challenging part for me. I’m naturally a playwright, so writing dialogue is always breezy and fun. But finding and honing the right skeleton to hang the story on is a struggle. 

Also, what people are wearing. I have no idea what people wear. Ever. 

What’s next for you?

I just finished a new novel, I HEARD YOU WERE DEAD, which is about a boy who’s recovered from leukemia. He returns to his old high school and manages to fall in love with a girl and her brother.

Don Zolidis grew up in Wisconsin, went to college in Minnesota, and is mostly known for being a really funny playwright. For the past five years, he’s been the most-produced playwright in American schools. His more than one hundred published plays have been performed tens of thousands of times, and have appeared in sixty-four different countries. He currently splits his time between New York and Texas, and has two adorable boys who will someday read this book and have a lot of questions. He aspires to owning a dog. His first novel was The Seven Torments of Amy and Craig.

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Interview with Lian Dolan for The Sweeney Sisters

The Sweeney Sisters

by Lian Dolan

Publisher: William Morrow

Release Date: April 28th 2020

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary

Synopsis:

An accomplished storyteller returns with her biggest, boldest, most entertaining novel yet—a hilarious, heartfelt story about books, love, sisterhood, and the surprises we discover in our DNA that combines the wit of Jonathan Tropper with the heart of Susan Wiggs.

Maggie, Eliza, and Tricia Sweeney grew up as a happy threesome in the idyllic seaside town of Southport, Connecticut. But their mother’s death from cancer fifteen years ago tarnished their golden-hued memories, and the sisters drifted apart. Their one touchstone is their father, Bill Sweeney, an internationally famous literary lion and college professor universally adored by critics, publishers, and book lovers. When Bill dies unexpectedly one cool June night, his shell-shocked daughters return to their childhood home. They aren’t quite sure what the future holds without their larger-than-life father, but they do know how to throw an Irish wake to honor a man of his stature.

But as guests pay their respects and reminisce, one stranger, emboldened by whiskey, has crashed the party. It turns out that she too is a Sweeney sister.

When Washington, DC based journalist Serena Tucker had her DNA tested on a whim a few weeks earlier, she learned she had a 50% genetic match with a childhood neighbor—Maggie Sweeney of Southport, Connecticut. It seems Serena’s chilly WASP mother, Birdie, had a history with Bill Sweeney—one that has remained totally secret until now.

Once the shock wears off, questions abound. What does this mean for William’s literary legacy? Where is the unfinished memoir he’s stashed away, and what will it reveal? And how will a fourth Sweeney sister—a blond among redheads—fit into their story?

By turns revealing, insightful, and uproarious, The Sweeney Sisters is equal parts cautionary tale and celebration—a festive and heartfelt look at what truly makes a family.

Can you briefly describe THE SWEENEY SISTERS and its characters?

The Sweeney Sisters is the story of three sisters—Liza, Maggie and Tricia—who are have the same parents but very different lives. They grew up in the small town of Southport, Connecticut with a poet mother and a father who was a very famous novelist, a literary lion. When their father dies unexpectantly, they discover the existence of a fourth Sweeney sister, Serena. Together, they figure out what sisterhood really means and if and how they’ll move forward together. But it’s not all seriousness! There is summer and romance and some dogs. 

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?

I’m the youngest of eight siblings and the youngest of five sisters, so my natural bias is towards youngest siblings. Tricia is the youngest Sweeney sister and though she is a super-disciplined and competitive runner and lawyer (Nothing like me), she is always comfortable taking the leads with her older siblings (Me all day). So, while I love all the characters in this book, I feel the most protective of Tricia. 

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?

I wanted to write a book about sisterhood and then saw a post on Facebook about siblings who’d recently discovered each other, thanks to an over the counter DNA test. There were lot of positive comments and thumbs ups and it made me think, “Would it be thumbs up if some secret sibling just showed up mid-way through your life?” I thought the idea of a ‘new’ sibling showing up and trying to break into a group of sisters would create a contemporary and layered look at what it really means to be someone’s sister. 

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?

I love this question because I listened to a lot of music while writing the book, trying to get into the head of the characters and the mood of different eras from the Seventies to today. There are also musical artists referenced in the book from Jay-Z to The Spice Girls to Ani DeFranco to The Goo Goo Dolls. And to capture all of that, I created a playlist at Spotify called Music Inspired by The Sweeney Sisters. But one song really sticks with me and that’s Van Morrison’s Into the Mystic. It’s a critical part of a critical scene and really captures the swagger of the Sweeneys. Plus, it’s an unbelievably great song. 

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?

I am truly terrible at the casting game. For my previous books, this was the question that always stumped me on tour. My writing brain doesn’t work that way—except with this book. The three Sweeneys are all redheads and the secret sister is a blond. Nothing would make me happier than to have real life sisters Rooney and Kate Mara step into the roles of Serena, the outsider and the blond, and Tricia, the youngest. I think Bryce Dallas Howard would be a great Maggie. And Emma Stone would be a perfectly perfect Liza. How about Jessica Chastain as the mother, Maeve? And there are some great smaller roles for older actresses. With the male characters, let’s find some super cute unknown for Tim and I like Himash Patel from Yesterday as Raj. And in the critical role of Bill Sweeney, literary rock star with issues, please, oh, please let it be Brad Pitt. 

What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?

The book is set in the real town of Southport, Connecticut, a charming, preppy, seaside town. So, the perfect Sweeney Sisters book date would include a spot near the water and a gin & tonic. 

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish THE SWEENEY SISTERS?

For more sisters, The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine or Jane Green’s The Sunshine Sisters, both stories set in Fairfield County, Connecticut. And both classics of the genre. For a satisfying multi-generational tale, Well-behaved Indian Women by Saumaya Dave comes out this summer. I read an advanced copy and I loved it. 

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?

Sitting in a chair for a year. Truly. It takes a long time to craft a 90,000-word novel. That can be demoralizing when you are starting a new book, that it’s going to take many hours in a chair to get the words on the page, even if you see the story clearly in your head from Day One. I think new writers underestimate the time and the discipline it requires to finish a manuscript. 

What’s next for you?

Playing around with a few ideas. Including a mystery set in Rome or the multi-character story of a middle-aged dance troupe set in Southern California.

Lian Dolan is a writer and talker. She’s the author of two Los Angeles Times best-selling novels, Helen of Pasadena and Elizabeth the First Wife published by Prospect Park Books. Her next novel, The Sweeney Sisters, will be published in 2020 by William Morrow. She’s a regular humor columnist for Pasadena Magazine and has previously written monthly columns for O, The Oprah Magazine and Working Mother Magazine. She’s also written for TV, radio and websites.

Lian is the producer and host of Satellite Sisters, the award-winning talk show she created with her four real sisters. On Satellite Sisters, she’s interviewed everyone from Nora Ephron to Madeleine Albright to Big Bird. Satellite Sisters began life as a syndicated radio show and is now a top-rated podcast for women. The recent book by the Satellite Sisters, You’re the Best: A Celebration of Friendship, is popular with book clubs.

A popular speaker who combines humor and heart, Lian has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CBS Sunday Morning and The Today Show and many local TV stations. She’s been a featured speaker at the LA Times Festival of Books, the Santa Barbara Celebrity Authors Lunch, the Literary Guild of Orange County Festival of Women Authors and dozens of other events at libraries, book stores, schools and women’s organizations across the country. In 2020, she’ll be on the faculty of the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop.

Lian graduated from Pomona College with a degree in Classics. She lives in Pasadena, California with her husband, two sons and a big German shepherd.

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