Bio: Tara Kelly
Name: Tara Kelly
'10 Book Title: HARMONIC FEEDBACK
Publisher: Henry Holt BYR
Favorite Bit of Writing Advice: I wrote this motto on every page of my notebooks in junior high and it has inspired me ever since: There is no limit to the imagination.
Favorite and least favorite part of writing:
Favorite:
1. Dialogue is rad. I even love editing it down so it has the perfect amount of snap and gives away just enough about my characters. Seriously, I'd be happy writing a book that consists of nothing but chat conversations. But I won't...at least not entirely.
2. Character development--I love letting my characters shape the story and create their own conflicts.
3. I'm also a huge sucker for romance scenes. But shh--don't tell anyone!
Least favorite:
1. Setting. I admit--I'm a setting skimmer. Even as a reader, I tend to gloss over the description of the town to get to the dialogue and action.
2. Writing any kind of synopsis. Do I really need to explain why? =)
Outline or Let it fly? Let it fly and then trim and shape like crazy.
5 things about me:
1. I'm a one-girl band, and I love the creative freedom. I sing, play guitar, bass, keyboards and produce. I played drums in high school, but I'm definitely a melody feign.
2. My debut novel was inspired by my younger brother who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD. I also have ADHD--which is kind of like the halfway point between NT and Asperger's. Or so I've been told. If I've learned anything about these acronyms, it's that one size will never fit all.
3. I graduated from UCSC with a degree in Film and Digital Media, and I'm currently a freelance web designer and music producer. I've been a graphic designer for the news, a teacher at an art college, a Mac (the computer) specialist, and a video editor. Before graduating college, I was a technical recruiter and a legal assistant. What can I say, I like variety.
4. Despite my lust for all that is artistic, writing was my first love and will always come first. The rest is inspiration.
5. I don't have kids, but I love my two cats and my bf(and his two cats) dearly. They make my house a warm and comfy place to write.
Synopsis:
Doctors have pinned 16-year-old Drea Horvath with everything from ADHD to Asperger’s Syndrome. She has an obsession with sound design, a tendency to blurt out whatever she’s thinking, and a problem making friends, but likes to think of this as following her own rhythm in a confusing world.
Drea is hesitant to befriend purple-haired Naomi Quinn, her teenage neighbor with a kamikaze personality. But Naomi is the first person to treat her like she isn’t a world class dork. Then there’s Justin Rocca, the persistent boy in her film class who has a comeback for every snide remark she makes. If she has learned anything from her mom, it’s that boys are trouble.
Still, Drea bonds with both of them when she discovers Naomi's love for drums and Justin's piano prodigy status, and the three form a trip-hop band. Fearing that her new friends will find out about her disabilities, Drea makes up stories about boyfriends she never had--all in an effort to seem 'normal'. Then Justin reveals a disturbing secret about his past, and Naomi runs away with her drug dealer ex-boyfriend--a guy she swore she'd cut out of her life. When Drea finds Naomi unconscious in an abandoned house, she questions what 'normal' really means.
'10 Book Title: HARMONIC FEEDBACK
Publisher: Henry Holt BYR
Favorite Bit of Writing Advice: I wrote this motto on every page of my notebooks in junior high and it has inspired me ever since: There is no limit to the imagination.
Favorite and least favorite part of writing:
Favorite:
1. Dialogue is rad. I even love editing it down so it has the perfect amount of snap and gives away just enough about my characters. Seriously, I'd be happy writing a book that consists of nothing but chat conversations. But I won't...at least not entirely.
2. Character development--I love letting my characters shape the story and create their own conflicts.
3. I'm also a huge sucker for romance scenes. But shh--don't tell anyone!
Least favorite:
1. Setting. I admit--I'm a setting skimmer. Even as a reader, I tend to gloss over the description of the town to get to the dialogue and action.
2. Writing any kind of synopsis. Do I really need to explain why? =)
Outline or Let it fly? Let it fly and then trim and shape like crazy.
5 things about me:
1. I'm a one-girl band, and I love the creative freedom. I sing, play guitar, bass, keyboards and produce. I played drums in high school, but I'm definitely a melody feign.
2. My debut novel was inspired by my younger brother who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD. I also have ADHD--which is kind of like the halfway point between NT and Asperger's. Or so I've been told. If I've learned anything about these acronyms, it's that one size will never fit all.
3. I graduated from UCSC with a degree in Film and Digital Media, and I'm currently a freelance web designer and music producer. I've been a graphic designer for the news, a teacher at an art college, a Mac (the computer) specialist, and a video editor. Before graduating college, I was a technical recruiter and a legal assistant. What can I say, I like variety.
4. Despite my lust for all that is artistic, writing was my first love and will always come first. The rest is inspiration.
5. I don't have kids, but I love my two cats and my bf(and his two cats) dearly. They make my house a warm and comfy place to write.
Synopsis:
Doctors have pinned 16-year-old Drea Horvath with everything from ADHD to Asperger’s Syndrome. She has an obsession with sound design, a tendency to blurt out whatever she’s thinking, and a problem making friends, but likes to think of this as following her own rhythm in a confusing world.
Drea is hesitant to befriend purple-haired Naomi Quinn, her teenage neighbor with a kamikaze personality. But Naomi is the first person to treat her like she isn’t a world class dork. Then there’s Justin Rocca, the persistent boy in her film class who has a comeback for every snide remark she makes. If she has learned anything from her mom, it’s that boys are trouble.
Still, Drea bonds with both of them when she discovers Naomi's love for drums and Justin's piano prodigy status, and the three form a trip-hop band. Fearing that her new friends will find out about her disabilities, Drea makes up stories about boyfriends she never had--all in an effort to seem 'normal'. Then Justin reveals a disturbing secret about his past, and Naomi runs away with her drug dealer ex-boyfriend--a guy she swore she'd cut out of her life. When Drea finds Naomi unconscious in an abandoned house, she questions what 'normal' really means.