Author Interview: Deborah Blumenthal

Today, I'm excited to feature my first author interview and today I'm speaking with author and journalist, Deborah Blumenthal. Please welcome her as she shares a little about herself, her writing, and something a little crazy she's done. =)

So, without further ado...

If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?
Probably something in the medical field. I’m fascinated with health and when I was in primary school, I thought about being a pathologist.

Are you an early bird or a night owl?
Definitely an early bird.

Which TV shows can you absolutely not miss every week?
I was addicted to The Newsroom, and Homeland, but they're now finished for the season. I was also a huge fan of In Treatment.

Name your favorite: Dessert, City, Season, Actor, Actress, Band/Singer, Color, Cuisine.
Red velvet cake, New York City (then Venice), fall, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, (who died far too young, in recent days), Adele, green, Italian cuisine.

How long have you been a writer?
Over 25 years. I started out writing for The New York Times, and then, when I had my first child, began writing children’s books and adult novels.

What do you think is the hardest thing about being a writer?
You need to be a self-starter and get yourself into the chair. It’s so easy to fritter away time when you’re your own boss. You can lose half a day on email, doing online shopping, or on Facebook, so you really have to be disciplined.

What’s Your Writing Process/Schedule like?
I usually start in the morning, after breakfast, and wor

k until noon, then have lunch and take out the dog. Then I’ll either go back to work or to the gym, and then work until dinner. If things are going well, I might work for a couple of hours after dinner.

Out of all of the stories you’ve written so far, what would be your favorite and why?
I’m really happy with MAFIA GIRL, my latest young adult novel. I loved living in the head of Gia, the daughter of a mob boss. I felt that I inhabited her more than any other character I’ve ever created.

Tell us about something crazy that you’ve done.

When I was 21, a girlfriend and I hitchhiked from Rome, all the way down to southern Italy and back, a completely insane thing to do.

**Upcoming release: MAFIA GIRL**
"What's in a name? Everything… if you have my name." At her exclusive Manhattan high school, seventeen-year-old Gia is the most hated/loved girl in school. Why? Her father doesn't have a boss. He is the boss--the capo di tutti cappi, boss of all bosses. Not that Gia cares. But life gets complicated when she meets a cop she calls "Officer Hottie" and feels a surprising chemistry. Then Vogue magazine wants to feature Gia in a fashion spread about real-life bad girls. On top of this, she's running for class president. Can Gia step out from under her dad's shadow and show everyone there's more to her than "Mafia Girl"?

 

Buy it now!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound

Deborah Blumenthal is an award-winning journalist and nutritionist who now divides her time between writing children's books and adult novels. She has been a regular contributor to The New York Times (including four years as the Sunday New York Times Magazine beauty columnist), and a home design columnist for Long Island Newsday. Her latest picture book, THE BLUE HOUSE DOG, was the winner of the Missouri Show Me Readers Award for 2012-2013. Her latest YA novel, MAFIA GIRL, will be published in March of 2014 by Albert Whitman & Co. Blumenthal lives in New York City. Visit her on the web at www.deborahblumenthal.com.

 

 Thanks Deborah for dropping by and sharing yourself and work with us!