Today, we have an interview with Andrea Pyros, the author of My Year of Epic Rock.
What was the hardest thing about writing this book?
Honestly, sitting down and focusing long enough each day to really write. I can get distracted—by my kids, or errands, or finding out why the dog is barking (answer: it’s a squirrel) or my other freelance writing assignments, so making the time to prioritize writing was sometimes hard. Once I get started, though, it all seems to happen.
Which scene in the book is your favorite?
The first time The EpiPens meet up after school to practice playing music together. I love what a disaster it is, but also that they realize they really do like spending time together and hanging out.
Which part of the book was the easiest to write?
The food allergy scenes. I have a child with food allergies, so I think about allergies a lot. Stuff with Nina around food seemed to come so naturally, because we live it in our house each and every day.
Which actors would play the main characters in the movie version of the book?
Oh, wow, tough question! I’m not sure but I can say that my favorite young adult actor on TV is China Anne McClain. She’s the star of A.N.T. Farm and I think she’s totally adorable and fun to watch.
Which songs would be on the soundtrack of the movie version of the book?
Definitely Nick Lowe’s Cruel to Be Kind, which makes an appearance in My Year of Epic Rock. Sure, the video looks a little—okay, a lot—dated but that song remains killer.
Any future books in the works?
Yes, I’m working on a second middle grade novel. It’s about a girl whose mother gets breast cancer. I was 11 when my mother was diagnosed with the disease, and it was a scary and confusing time. I wish I had a book then to let me know I wasn’t the only one out there going through that experience, so I hope this book will be that for other kids.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Andrea Pyros is an experienced writer and editor who has worked extensively for both print and online publications. With particular expertise writing for teens and young women, Andrea covers topics pertaining to health and nutrition, pop culture and entertainment, beauty and fashion, and relationships.
She’s held senior-level positions at such major media companies as CondeNast, USA, and Bauer Publications, and her freelance articles have appeared in Fitness, Rosie Magazine Online, LifetimeTV.com, MSNBC.com, The Mary-Kate and Ashley website, Twist, Bust and elsewhere. Andrea also does copywriting for clients such as ENannySource.com, Comedy Central, and Institutional Investor.
Though she certainly doesn’t claim to have invented the Internet, she and three friends did launch one of the first websites to speak to 20-something women in the 1990s: GIRLS ON FILM. GIRLS ON FILM received attention from Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, The New York Times and others, and led to the publication of the GIRLS ON FILM book, published by HarperCollins.
Andrea earned her undergraduate degree at Vassar College and her master’s from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, where she specialized in emerging media. She lives in Rhinebeck, New York, with her husband, their two children, and the family pug.
Follow me on Twitter @AndreaPyros
or visit www.andreapyros.com
ABOUT THE BOOK:
It’s the first day of seventh grade, and Nina can’t wait for the year to be over. When her best friend ditches her to hang out with the popular new girl, Nina is banished to the undesirable peanut-free table. She thinks she’s finally found her feet when she forms a band with the other allergic kids called The EpiPens. But then a whole new set of middle school minefields head her way!
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