Summer on the Short Bus by Bethany Crandell (Interview + Giveaway)

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Welcome to my tour stop on the Summer on the Short Bus blog Tour!

After reading the interview with Bethany, be sure to check out the giveaway!

Genre:	Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Publication.Date:	April 1, 2014
Pages:	256 (paperback)
Published By:	Running Press Kids
Website:	Bethany Crandell
	Summer on the Short Bus on Goodreads

Where to get:

Cricket Montgomery has been thrown under the short bus. Shipped off to a summer camp by her father, Cricket is forced to play babysitter to a bunch of whiny kids—or so she thinks. When she realizes this camp is actually for teens with special needs, Cricket doubts she has what it takes to endure twenty-four hours, let alone two weeks.

Thanks to her dangerously cute co-counselor, Quinn, there may be a slim chance for survival. However, between the campers’ unpredictability and disregard for personal space, Cricket’s limits get pushed. She will have to decide if suffering through her own handicapped hell is worth a summer romance—and losing her sanity.

(Goodreads)

Welcome to Bookish, Bethany!

Thank you! It’s so….fancy here *cautiously eyes the inordinate amount of clown statues in the room* (kidding)

Don't worry, the clowns won't get you. Except for maybe Rusty in the corner. I'd keep an eye on him if I were you. He can be . . . unpredictable. However, I'm excited to have you here with us today!

Glad to be here!

How would you describe the story of Summer on the Short Bus to those who haven’t heard of it yet?

It’s the story of a bitchy, self-absorbed girl who gets smacked with a reality check the summer before her senior year of high school. It’s irreverent, sarcastic, potentially offensive, and a whole lot of fun.

Well, if this interview is any indication of the fun we can expect from Summer on the Short Bus, you can definitely count me in! What is the hardest part of the writing process?

Trusting my gut and tuning out my inner editor.

Favorite part?

Eeeps! Those scenes that leave you giggling/crying/cringing/swooning [insert verb of choice] over your keyboard because you’ve managed to convey the exact feeling you were hoping to. Those are the days when you go to bed happy because you know you’ve done something amazing.

Trust me, those are the best scenes to read, too! If you could spend a day with one your characters, who would you choose, where would you go, and what would you talk about?

I would totally hang out with Claire, one of the campers from SUMMER ON THE SHORT BUS. She is absolutely hysterical and doesn’t care what anybody thinks about her--my kind of girl! We’d probably go to the mall and people watch (one of my favorite past times) while we snacked on Wetzel’s Pretzels and the free samples from See’s chocolates.

Do you recall any book bloopers? Edits that slipped through and made you go OMG! 

No bloopers, per se, but there was a conversation between me and my editor that had me laughing pretty hard. All of our edits are done through the track changes feature in Word, so you have an ongoing account of who said what. It started off with a line where Cricket says something about someone “taking a dump”. The rest of the convo went something like this:

Editor: I’m not sure that Cricket would use a word like “dump”. Does it seem too slang for her? 

Author: Well, Cricket might not use that word, but Bethany sure would :) I’ll change it. *Modifies the sentence to say, “taking a poop.”*

Editor: I changed my mind. That doesn’t look right. Go back to taking a dump. I can’t believe I get paid to have conversations like this.

This is why I adore my editor SO very much. *nods to the brilliant and easily amused Marlo Scrimizzi* 

That's definitely not an everyday conversation! What is the most awkward moment/question you have had since becoming an author? 

Oh, man…I found this more funny than awkward, but I was letting a friend know about my book deal (hadn’t seen her in a while) and she emailed back with, “Oh my God! Congratulations! I expect an autographed copy (hard cover, not paperback, if you please).” My book is only going paperback so, my response back to her was a lot of fun--for me, anyway. Ha! 

I'm sure she'll be just as thrilled with a signed paperback  :)  What is it like seeing your book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, etc?

Two parts exciting, one part terrifying. Having a book published is a huge accomplishment and something that I’m very proud of, but it’s also one of the scariest feelings in the world. Until publication day (or when the ARCs go out) you can still keep a watchful eye on your baby, but once it’s out the world it’s open season on all your hard work. 

Fill in the blanks: 

1) If I could live in any TV/movie/book universe, it would be . . . In a John Hughes film. Preferably one with Jake Ryan, but I won’t be picky. 

2) One time I spontaneously . . . Made beeping noises in the middle of church. I was about seven at the time and digital watches were new on the scene. The preacher (my dad!) was droning on and on, so I thought I’d entertain myself and the other church goers by pretending I was someone’s alarm going off. Much to my surprise, a “beep, beep, beep” by a seven year-old didn’t parrot the sound of the watch the way I hoped it would. That was the most painful stop-acting-up-in-church-you-dumb-kid pinch to the arm my mom has ever given me. 

3) I'm addicted to . . . Masterpiece Theatre, blackberries and Imagine Dragons. 

4) If I could tell the world just one thing, it'd be . . . Stop taking everything so seriously. 

5) If Summer on the Short Bus had a theme song it would be . . . LET IT GO. Not because it works for the book, but because there’s escaping that freaking song right now! 

6) The last book I bought was . . . DIVERGENT. Or…wait, maybe SPLAT THE CAT GOES TO BED. I honestly can’t remember--my children have stolen my memory and replaced it with stretch marks. 

I have to agree. Let It Go is everywhere. We listen to the radio at work and it was played twice within an hour. TWICE. It really is time to let . . . it . . . go. Anyway, thank you for taking the time to answer some questions, Bethany. You have a great sense of humor and I can't wait to see it come through in your writing.

Readers, be sure to enter the giveaway below for your chance to win your own copy of Summer on the Short Bus and some swag!

Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

I wish I had some mysterious secret to reveal about myself in hopes that you'd find me interesting...but I don't. When it comes to me, what you see is what you get. And what you get is an irreverent, sarcastic and emotional girl who writes stories about characters with these same traits.

I live in San Diego with my husband, two kiddos, and a chocolate lab who has no regard for personal space. I'm slightly obsessed with John Hughes and the wonderful collection of films he left behind, and I'm confident that Jake Ryan will be showing up on my doorstep any day now...

I firmly believe that prayer solves problems, and that laughter is the best medicine. Along with avocados. Avocados make the world a better place.

I'm represented by Rachael Dugas of Talcott Notch Literary Agency.

The Survival Kit comes with: A Camp I Can T-shirt (with an awesome logo designed by A.G. Howard), Quinn’s oh-so-sweet cinnamon treats, Cricket’s nostalgic pink peppermints, plus some other tidbits no camper can live without. You’ll also get some Short Bus swag.

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