Blog Tour: Heather Duffy-Stone!!

Okay, my next blog tour guest is Heather Duffy-Stone, whose book This is What I Want to Tell You debuted on March 1!! I am so eager to pick this one up.

Here’s a blurb about This is What I Want to Tell You:

The stories people tell are always about the things we left behind, and about the things we wish we could do again. The real story isn't about what you know; it's about what you wish you knew then. When my brother and my best friend fell in love—that was the end of everything I knew.

Fraternal twins Nadio and Noelle share a close connection—and as Noelle's best friend since they were five, Keeley Shipley fit perfectly into their world. But everything changes after Keeley spends the summer before junior year at Oxford. When Keeley returns, Nadio falls in love with her. Noelle, ripped apart by resentment, sees her as an ungrateful rich girl. But Keeley has a painful story that she can't tell yet. As Nadio and Keeley hide their romance, Noelle dives into something of her own—a destructive affair with an older boy.

Beautifully presented by dual narrators in a haunting stream of memories, this is the deeply moving story of how secrets can consume a friendship—and how love can heal it.

Aaaaaand, a little about author Heather Duffy-Stone:

Heather Duffy Stone writes stories and essays that are mostly inspired by high school—either her own or someone else’s. This Is What I Want to Tell You is her first novel. She has lived in Vermont, England, Los Angeles, rural New York and Rome, Italy. For now she cooks, sleeps, explores, writes and teaches in Brooklyn, New York. Check her out on the web at http://www.heatherduffystone.com.

You can visit your local bookstore, or go to Amazon HERE to buy a copy of her book online!

And now, onto the vastly important 3 interview questions:

1--What was the spark of inspiration for this story? Tell us what event, or idea, or dream got this book started.

Two things, really. One was this class of students I had a few years ago when I was teaching in Rome. We were reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and they were doing a lot of their own writing. It was one of the greatest classes I’ve ever taught in some ways, because the book brought out a lot of truth. I wanted to tell a story that could do that. The other inspiration is the character of Parker. He’s an amalgamation of all of the things I’ve fallen for. I wanted to write about how you can fall for something so hard, and it may not be good for you, but it shapes who you are.

2--What food did you looooove getting from the cafeteria at lunch in high school, and why? (or if you didn't eat cafeteria food, what was your favorite brown-bag lunch?)

I went to boarding school so every meal was in the cafeteria. I was a vegetarian too… I loved pizza days. But we also had fresh baked bread and every time the loaves would come out of the oven, all steamy and doughy, fifty girls would descend upon the cutting board. It was so good...

3--What is your absolute favorite part of being a writer?

Just making things up, all day long. I love when I have a conversation, or see a reflection in a window or watch a couple talking on the street and suddenly I get an idea and a story starts to grow… I just love that feeling, that exhilaration.

Thanks for coming to my blog, Heather--I hope you sell a ton of copies!!!