So Bea uses her math skills to come up with The Formula, a 100% mathematically guaranteed path to social happiness in high school. Now Gabe is on his way to becoming Student Body President, and Spencer is finally getting his art noticed. But when her boyfriend Jesse dumps her for Toile, the quirky new girl at school, Bea realizes it's time to use The Formula for herself. She'll be reinvented as the eccentric and lovable Trixie—a quintessential manic pixie dream girl—in order to win Jesse back and beat new-girl Toile at her own game.
Unfortunately, being a manic pixie dream girl isn't all it's cracked up to be, and “Trixie” is causing unexpected consequences for her friends. As The Formula begins to break down, can Bea find a way to reclaim her true identity and fix everything she's messed up? Or will the casualties of her manic pixie experiment go far deeper than she could possibly imagine?
According to your website bio, you are a a former coloratura soprano. What is a coloratura soprano, and in what ways, if any, has music influenced your writing?
In classical music, voice types are called "fachs" and different roles are categorized by a singer's voice type. A coloratura soprano is a fach, characterized by elaborate ornamentation and an extremely high range. Think The Queen of the Night from Mozart's "The Magic Flute" or Zerbinetta from Strauss's "Ariadne auf Naxos."
Unfortunately, I wasn't a very good coloratura soprano. Or at least, not good enough. But the lessons I learned about storytelling on stage have absolutely influenced my storytelling on the page. I actually teach workshops to show writers how to use acting methods, specifically the Stanislavski Technique, to help plot story.
What a wonderful way to teach writing! I love how you weave mathematics into Beatrice's story. In what ways do you hope readers can see themselves in her experiences?
I love writing about STEM girls in my books (3:59, GET EVEN and GET DIRTY all feature girls who love math and science) and my goal is to destigmatize these disciplines which for so long have been considered "for boys." You can be a normal, fun, functional member of high school society AND be into STEM fields without morphing into a The Big Bang Theory stereotype.
True that. I love the design of your website, as well as its usability. What recommendations, if any, do you have for authors looking to build and/or update their online platforms?
Branding is important. Website, Twitter, Official Facebook Page - they should all have the same look, the same content, and the same voice. That way, fans know they've found the real you immediately. You want a clean man page for your website where users can easily find what they're looking for: bio, info about your books, upcoming events. And if you have a newsletter, make sure the sign up page is right there front and center!
And a quick word about your bio: I have three versions on my website - long, short, and mini. When you're doing events, organizers and moderators are going to go to your website to find a bio to read. Give them options! Sometimes, they'll want to read the whole long shebang (if you're a keynote speaker, or a guest of honor, etc.) as an introduction, and other times, a short version will do (like if you're on a panel with four other authors). Make your bio easy to find, easy to download, and keep them updated!
Great bio tips! What are some of your current projects?
My next book comes out in the spring of 2018 with Disney/Freeform. It's called #MURDERTRENDING and it's set fifteen minutes in the future where a reality TV "star" turned President of the United States has sold the criminal justice system to a Hollywood producer and turned San Francisco's Treasure Island into Alcatraz 2.0, a penal colony where criminals are sent to live in a faux suburban environment and are hunted down by serial killers. Their deaths are filmed and streamed live on an app for people's phones and tablets. When a seventeen-year-old is falsley convicted of killing her stepsister and sentences to Alcatraz 2.0, she must stay alive long enough to figure out who framed her and why.
Did I mention it's a comedy? Well, a horror comedy. :)
Buy: BookPassage ~ Amazon.com ~ Barnes & Noble ~ IndieBound
For Gretchen McNeil's other books, go here.
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