Please share a little about yourself, your genres,
any other pen names you use.
I was born and raised in Southern California and
still live there to this day. I’m married to my best friend, and we were blessed
with three small children. I primarily focus on three genres: Young Adult,
Picture Books and Children’s Biographies of inspirational, notable figures. I
don’t have any pen names, but if I did I would use Sandy Zuko for my pen name.
Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming
release.
In 2010, I wrote a book entitled “Cutters Don’t
Cry,” about a teen named Charity who self-harms. In that book, there’s a
chapter about Charity’s best friend, Kaylee. It was my favorite chapter to
write in “Cutters” because I found Kaylee so intriguing and fascinating. After
I finished writing the chapter, I still wanted to learn more about her. That’s
when I knew right away who my next book would be about.
“Kaylee: The What If?” Game tells the story of a teenage girl who attempts
suicide after experiencing debilitating panic attacks. While in the psych ward
of the hospital, she begins examining the recent events in her life that led to
her emotional and physical breakdown.
Are you a mom ?
Yes. I have a 5-year-old
son, 3-year-old son and 22-month-old daughter. They keep me very busy!
If yes do you find it hard to juggle writing and
parenting?
It’s not easy. I find time to write while being a full-time mom. When
I’m writing a book, I spend the day with my children and write furiously when
they go to sleep for the night. I’ve always been a night owl and have always
done my best writing while the rest of the world sleeps, so it works out. I’m
lucky that I can sometimes go a month at a time on about 2-3 hours of sleep a
night. Toward the end of a book, I’ve been known to pull several all-nighters
to get more work done, but I always regret that decision in the morning!
Have you ever based your book or characters on
actual events or people from your own life?
– Oh sure…all the time. Charity in
“Cutters Don’t Cry” was based on my personal experience with cutting. Charity’s
life wasn’t mine but many of her thoughts and insights were. A lot of the
supporting characters in “Kaylee” were partially based on people I know, but
Kaylee wasn’t based on me. I’m not that cool.
What would your readers be surprised to learn about
you?
I was diagnosed with a moderate level of ADD about
ten years ago. I always suspected I had it, especially because getting through
school and even college was extraordinarily difficult for me. I’d feel like I
was crawling out of my skin during my classes and couldn’t wait for them to end.
I have a horrible attention span from everything from carrying on a
conversation to being very forgetful in my day-to-day activities. People often
think I’m aloof but it’s because I have to force myself to stay focused and
actively listen in every situation. It can be a challenge sometimes. And yes,
I’m sure there’s a book in me somewhere about it. J
When you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have
any hobbies or guilty pleasures?
If you’d have asked me six years ago, I would have
said that I love long drives, read all the time and try to see a stage musical
every month. Life has changed since I’ve had children. Now when I have free
time, I take them out somewhere, like a picnic, museum or an animated movie.
The other day we went to the drive-in. There were three children in the front
seat of the car watching Mr. Peabody & Sherman, and my husband and I sat in
the back seat. It was quite the experience. By the end of the night, our car
had popcorn everywhere!
Which series do you wish you had written?
Does Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli count? I absolutely
loved the first book especially. The author nailed the pain of adolescence in
middle school and how your actions, or lack of actions, can haunt you the rest
of your life. It’s a heartbreaking book.
Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that
you haven’t tackled yet?
I am in the beginning stages of writing a juvenile
mystery novel. Mysteries were my favorite genre when I first became an avid
reader as a young girl. I really liked Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew and the Meg
series. I’m so excited (and scared!) to tackle that genre next.
What is next for you? Do you have any scheduled
upcoming releases or works in progress?
I’m working on my third SoCal book, “Life Before
Elmo”, right now. It’s the story of a teenage mother who make a connection with
someone online. Other than that, I’ll be appearing at a few different book
festivals throughout the year and enjoying time with my family.
Kaylee: The “What If?” Game
The SoCal Series
Book 2
Christine Dzidrums
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Creative Media
Date of Publication: 03/05/2014
ISBN: 978-0983539346
ASIN: 1394180171
Number of pages: 172
Word Count: 27,114
Cover Artist: Joseph Dzidrums
Book Description:
“I play the 'What If?' Game all the time. It's a cruel, vicious cycle.” In the follow-up to Cutters Don't Cry, meet free spirit Kaylee McMathews, the most popular girl in school. But when the teenager suffers a devastating loss, her sunny personality turns dark as she struggles with debilitating panic attacks and unresolved anger. Can Kaylee repair her broken spirit or will she forever remain a changed person?
About the Author:
Christine Dzidrums holds a bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts from California State University, Fullerton. She has written biographies on many inspiring women: Joannie Rochette, Yuna Kim, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, The Fierce Five, Gabby Douglas, Sutton Foster, Kelly Clarkson, Idina Menzel and Missy Franklin. Christine’s first novel, Cutters Don’t Cry, won a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award. She also wrote the tween book Fair Youth and the beginning reader books Future Presidents Club and the Princess Dessabelle series. Ms. Dzidrums lives in Southern California with her husband, three children and two dogs.
https://twitter.com/ChristineWriter @ChristineWriter
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