Spotlight on Megan Frazer

Today I am thrilled to welcome Megan Frazer, debut author of Secrets of Truth and Beauty, which actually releases today!

S: Dara, the main character in Secrets of Truth and Beauty, is a former beauty pageant contestant. Do you have any previous pageant experience?

M: No, not at all. But I have been fascinated by the pageant world for a long time. When I was around ten years old, my very-sporty friends and I went to see The Nutcracker and we sat behind Little Miss New Hampshire, and we were all rabidly curious. We grilled this poor girl, but she seemed to handle it well. As I got older, the child pageant world seemed less glamorous and more creepy.

S: Secrets of Truth and Beauty is your debut novel. What has been the most exciting aspect leading up to its release?

M: It's been really exciting to meet other writers, be it in person or online. I've met up with other YA and MG writers in Maine, which has been fantastic. I'm also part of the Debs, and it has been so wonderful to share successes and challenges. It's so cool that all over the country (the world, actually), there are people going through the same thing as me.

S: As a school librarian, what are the top 5 books you recommend to your students?

M: I like the way you phrased this! Asking my top 5 favorites would be impossible, but this I can do:

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart -- This book is perfect for girls, but especially smart girls who like to challenge the status quo (like Frankie herself).

John Green -- my personal favorite is An Abundance of Katherines, but I do try to figure out what the particular student is looking for at that moment. Usually once I get them to take one, they come back for the rest, and I always have the best discussions with students about them. There are no easy answers in his work, and he makes readers think.

It's Kind of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini -- Drug stories like The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Ellen Hopkins are always very popular. I feel like this book is in that vein, but goes in other directions, too. Plus, teens really like that he started writing as a teen and that this book was based on his own experiences.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray -- This is my go-to suggestion for kids looking for something after the Twilight series. Now I know there is a backlash for comparing any book with a paranormal element to Twilight, but part of being a librarian is teasing out what it is that someone liked about one book so you can recommend a new one. I feel like both series combine the paranormal with a wonderful sense of drama, and do find that teens who like one, also like the other.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers and The Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr -- I am totally cheating by combining these two, but I use them for the same purpose. First of all I love both of these books. But what makes them great as a librarian is that I can give them to any reader from a reluctant reader right through to the devours-ten-books-a-week reader. They are both high interest (a teen in prison! a 13 year old girl caught having sex by her dad!), but also very literary. Neither simply glances the surface of the serious issues they cover. They are both wonderful.

S: What inspires you most during the writing process?

M: Once I am in a story, my mind keeps firing. Things I see, read, or otherwise experience will make me see my work in progress in a new light and give me good ideas.

Fill in the blanks:

The autobiography I would be most curious to read would be written by Dorothy Parker (but this is definitely one of those ask me on a different day and get a different answer kind of questions).

The weirdest food combination I enjoy is goat cheese and chocolate! I just made these truffles for my launch party, and they are surprisingly delicious.

The song title that best describes my life is "32 Flavors" by Ani DiFranco.

Secrets of Truth and Beauty is a must read for everyone! Okay, it's probably skews more to girls, but I do think that the theme of family is universal.

Thank you Megan for participating in the Q & A, and I hope you have a wonderful release day!

For more information about Megan and/or Secrets of Truth and Beauty, visit her website.