A Prom to Remember
Sandy Hall
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: April 24th 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Love it or hate it, you’ll never forget it. In this heart-warming novel, Swoon Reads star, Sandy Hall, explores a classic high school celebration, capturing every relatable and hilarious teen milestone along the way.
Cora: Dating Perfect Boyfriend Jamie. Has NO IDEA how to break up with him…
Paisley: Anti-prom. Somehow nominated her anxiety-ridden best friend for prom king…
Henry: Hates social situations. Invited to prom by the most popular girl in school. SEND HELP!
Otis: Half of one of the cutest couples in his class. Not quite ready for a post-prom hotel room…
Lizzie: Shy. Excited to go to prom. With a boy. Whose name she doesn’t know.
Cameron: Loner. Over high school. Just wants to meet the mysterious girl who’s been leaving him notes…
Jacinta: Unnamed Nerd Girl #3. Determined to become the star of her own life, starting with prom…
Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan’s young adult imprint Swoon Reads, A Prom to Remember, from Sandy Hall (author of A Little Something Different), is a funny and cinematic look at the biggest dance of every high schooler’s life.
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Author Bio:
I’m a teen librarian from New Jersey where I was born and raised. I have a BA in Communication and a Master of Library and Information Science from Rutgers University. When I’m not writing, or teen librarian-ing, I enjoy reading, slot machines, marathoning TV shows, and long scrolls through Tumblr. A LITTLE SOMETHING DIFFERENT is my first novel.
GIVEAWAY!
Interview with Sandy Hall
What inspired you to write A Prom to Remember?
My editor actually gave me the idea to write a book that was like Love Actually plus the Prom. I thought it was a great idea, so I ran with it!
Which of your books was the hardest/easiest to write?
Everyone always says the second book is the hardest to write and they’re not wrong. Signs Point to Yes was SUCH a struggle. I just couldn’t get it right, no matter how many drafts we went through. My first book, A Little Something Different, was definitely the easiest since there were no expectations for it and back then I was just writing for myself.
Which of your characters is most like you?
I like to think there’s a little bit of me, or at least my experiences, in every character, but sometimes bigger stuff trickles in. For example, in PROM, Henry and Paisley are best friends. As I was reading it over for the millionth time, I realized that I had based their banter on the relationship I have with my friend Ryan. While neither of us is like Paisley or Henry, there’s definitely a vibe to the way they talk to each other that I lifted directly from my real life friendship.
How do you decide on character names?
I use nameberry.com pretty much exclusively. Rather than just alphabetical lists of names, it has a variety of lists of names grouped together like “Vintage names” or “Flower names” or “No nickname names.” It really helps when I know the vibe of the name I want but can’t come up with the right one.
What are you planning on writing next?
I have a book in with my editor that I can’t say too much about yet, but hopefully, if all goes well, it will be announced soon.
Any advice for aspiring authors?
Finish what you start! Don’t go back and edit until you get to the end.
What books/authors inspired you?
Too many to count! The first book that really made me want to be a writer, and believe that I could be a writer, was Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. Up until that point my book ideas hadn’t panned out, but that book really inspired me to try harder. Most recently it’s been The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. I’ve read it at least a dozen times. There’s something about the enemies to lovers trope that just gets me every time.
Did you always want to be an author?
Nope! As a kid I wanted to be everything from a teacher to an ophthalmologist to a pediatrician. In college, I wanted to be a speech therapist, but ended up getting a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science, so I worked as a childrens and teen librarian for a long time. It was only a few years ago that I decided to give writing a try.
What kind of music did you listen to while writing?
I can’t listen to anything with words while I’m writing, so usually it’s classical or even just white noise for me. Though lately, I’ve needed complete silence to get anything done.
Current favorite tv show?
Brooklyn 99 or This Is Us. Depends on whether I want to laugh or cry.
What’s your Hogwarts house?
Hufflepuff!
Other YA books you love? Give us some recs!
Most recently I read Let’s Talk About Love by my fellow Swoon Reads author Claire Kann. It was fantastic! Adorable and a little bit heartbreaking, pretty much everything you want from YA romance. Other favorites are definitely Alex Approximately by Jenn Bennett and The Only Thing Worst Than You is Me by Lily Anderson. Both of which feature my favorite enemies to lovers trope.
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