Teen Author Tuesday Presents Amy Fellner Dominy and OyMG!

I'm excited to welcome another 2011 debut author to the blog! Amy Fellner Dominy's contemporary YA novel, OyMG was released from Walker/Bloomsbury May 10, 2011. It is aimed at ages 11 to 16.

Welcome, Amy! Can you tell me about your book in seven words or less?

Jewish girl. Christian camp. Holy moly. 

Haha. Sounds great! Other than your main character, who's a favorite character of yours in your debut novel and why?

I can’t believe I’m going to pass on the hot guy, but I have to admit that my favorite character is Zeydeh, Ellie’s grandpa. (Zeydeh is the Yiddish word for grandfather.) He’s grouchy and prickly. He spouts Yiddish curse words and talks to ghosts. And his heart is pure gold. He and Ellie have an amazing connection full of love and respect. It’s one of my greatest regrets that Zeydeh is imaginary. He’s the grandpa I would have loved to have. 

Can you tell my readers a little more about yourself, Amy?

Random facts: I got sick on vanilla frosting when I was a kid, and I still don’t like it. I hate to shop but I love to buy shoes. I do triathlons—races where you swim, bike and run. I talk out loud while I write. 

 

And here's a little pic, so you can envision her talking while she writes!

What's been the most surprising thing about your path to publication so far, Amy?

How much I didn’t know. Every step of the way has held surprises: copyedits, first pass pages, marketing expectations, ARCs, cover jackets. I’ve discovered that a sale isn’t an end. It’s just another beginning.

So true. What's one piece of writing advice you would give to aspiring authors?

Finish. It’s amazingly difficult to actually finish a work-in-progress. I’m not sure why that is, but it’s true. (Which is why many writers have a lot of beginnings and no endings.) My advice is to write all the way to the end. To finish whatever you’re working on. That, in itself, is a huge accomplishment. 

Great advice! Are you swept up with promotion for your debut book right now or can you give us a sentence or two about something new you're working on?

My next book is titled Audition and Subtraction, and it’ll be out fall 2012, from Walker & Company. (I’m so glad to continue working with my editor!) It’s about fourteen-year-old Tatum who could suddenly lose her spot in District Honor Band—and her best friend—when a new guy transfers to her school. Friendships change and romance develops in unexpected places.

Sounds great! What did you write when you were a teen? Did you journal? Write poetry? Write overly literary or emotional stories? Or avoid writing altogether?

Besides keeping a diary, I also wrote a lot of stories as a teen. It appears I had a darker bent in those days. My first chapter book was titled, Cecelia and the Coffin of Blood. 

What's the last book you read that you really loved?

The first book that comes to mind is Something Like Hope by Shawn Goodman. It’s a new debut and a powerful story about a girl in juvenile detention. I couldn’t put it down, and neither could my daughter. 

If readers want to find out more about you and your writing, Amy, where should they look?

Website: www.amyfellnerdominy.com, Facebook: www.facebook.com/amyfellnerdominyauthor, Twitter: http://twitter.com/amydominy,

And for a sneak peek of OyMG, watch my book trailer here on YouTube. 

Thanks so much for visiting, Amy, and all the very best with your launch! I can't wait to read it!