Get to know Amy…

Amy Goldman Koss has written 14 teen novels and four picture books. But just so you know — she has had and continues to enjoy her fair share of rejections and humiliations. 

Her latest teen novel is The Not-So-Great Depression. Please buy several copies to give out this Halloween instead of candy! To learn more, visit her blog. 

Let the conversation begin!

Would you rather publish a string of mainstream books or one classic?

A lovely string, like colorful beads… each one different, each some kid’s favorite book in all the world.  

If you could only write one more book, what would it be about?

It would probably be about friendship and powerlessness and sleepiness and love and hiccups and giggles and family and envy and sniffles and bug bites and salty snacks and the passage of time with a little sexual tension thrown in. 

Do you begin with character or plot?

I begin with restless impatience, and an idea that buzzes me relentlessly like a mosquito in the dark. 

Tell us about the book you’re working on.

It’s a slippery one. 

Describe your perfect day.

I wake up younger, taller, thinner and smarter with a clear, brilliant, funny, unpredictable understanding of my work in progress.  An idea so clear and perfect that I need not even jot it down. I tear myself out of my adoring husbands sexy, sleepy arms and pad to the balcony where hot coffee and boysenberry pie await. 

Then my loyal dog and I wander through my lush garden picking peaches, blueberries and figs for the cook to bake into pie for lunch.  Before I set down to work, I survey the empire, my children’s rooms are clean, as is their bathroom.  There is no laundry waiting for me, in fact there are no demands upon my time or attention at all. 

I turn on the computer. Look! An e-mail from my agent! Yes! I’ve sold another book. The advance is quite breathtaking…  

What advice would you give to new writers?

Throw the TV out the window and write.    

What was the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?

Eggs, if you think about it. 

What element would you add to your writing space if money wasn’t an issue? 

A masseuse.

How long do you take to write a book?

All day and then some! 

In grade school, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

A teenager like Barbie.                

What initially drew you to writing?

The lucky triple existence of language, paper, and the number 2 pencil.