Summer Reading with Katie Cotugno

Summer Reading Extravaganza with Katie Cotugno

In case you don't know already,  Katie is the author of How to Love (which I have personally read and enjoyed) and 99 Days (which I have not read yet). 

 

Today I have an awesome interview with Katie!

 

-Did you participate in library summer reading programs?

I did, every summer when I was a kid! And then when I was in high school and college I worked in a library and helped run them. 

 

-Did you write any of your books over the summer?

 I wrote 99 DAYS in 99 days, as a matter of fact! But it was summer into fall. 

 

-Top 5 book recommendations for summer?

Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer, Sarah Dessen's The Truth About Forever, Nina LaCour's Everything Leads to You, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Ann Brashares's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

 

-Why do you write YA contemporary and not fantasy/paranormal/adult?

I do write some adult, actually! But the draw of realistic contemporary has always been that I'm interested in exploring problems or issues I've bumped up against in my own life, or that my readers bump up against in theirs. 

 

 

 

About Katie:

Katie Cotugno went to Catholic school for thirteen years which makes her, as an adult, both extremely superstitious and prone to crushes on boys wearing blazers. She routinely finds herself talking about the romantic endeavors of characters on TV shows as if they actually exist in the world.
Katie is a Pushcart Prize nominee whose work has appeared in The Iowa Review, The Broadkill Review, The Apalachee Review, and Argestes, as well as on Nerve.com. Her first novel, HOW TO LOVE, is out now from Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins. 99 DAYS will follow next spring.
The great loves of Katie's life include child's pose, her little sister, and mozzarella and honey sandwiches. She lives in Boston with her husband, Tom

 

Katie's Social Media Links:

 

Goodreads  Website  Twitter

 

 

Katie's Books:

 

 

Monday YA Author Interview With Katie Cotugno + Giveaway

Katie Cotugno

Twitter - Goodreads - Website

 

Where are you from? I'm from half an hour outside New York City originally, but I've lived in Boston for ten years.

When and why did you begin writing? The first story I ever wrote was in my dad's office on his Macintosh Classic--I was six, he parked me there to keep me quiet while he was in a meeting. I started typing and basically never stopped.

What books have most influenced your life most? My favorite books are Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer, Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic, Richard Russo's Empire Falls, and Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. As a kid I loved the BSC books, and anything by Roald Dahl--Matilda in particular, I read like a dozen times.

What book are you reading now? I just finished Holly Black's White Cat, which I loved, and am about to start Zadie Smith's On Beauty, which I'm reading for Lesley University's MFA program. 

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? Every single member of the Fourteenery, natch. Seriously, what a bunch of smart, beautiful, unique debut novels--and debut novelists.

What was the hardest part of writing your book? Not being embarrassed. Believing that I had something to say. Sticking to it. 

Have you been an avid reader your entire life? (since you could read) I have, yeah! I used to come home from the library with like fifteen books at a time when I was elementary school. I was totally that kid.

What character in your books do you relate to most? Probably Reena, since I spent the most time with her, but she and I definitely have our differences.

What is your favorite sport to watch and or play? I'm so excited for the Olympics! I love figure skating, especially pairs.  
 
Favorite Movie? Almost Famous, always always always. 
 
Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
 
Puppy's or Kittens? Puppies!
 
Beach or Mountains? Beach. 
 
If you could be a color, what color would you be? Bright, screaming orange. 
 
Favorite Dessert? S'mores. 
 
If you could be a book character, what character would you be? Kay Thompson's Eloise, for sure. "Tomorrow I think I'll pour a pitcher of water down the mail chute."

Giveaway:

Katie is giving away a SIGNED copy of How to Love to one lucky winner!

Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter before entering.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

How to Love
Published October 1st 2013 by Balzer + Bray

Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.

After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?