Debutante of the Month: Miranda Kenneally

de·but
-noun: A person's first appearance or performance in a particular role.

Welcome to author Miranda Kenneally's debutante ball...

       

Miranda Kenneally enters the ballroom wearing a whimsical hello kitty dress. Escorting her is actor Sam Worthington.
And now (mostly) ladies and (a few) gentlemen, I introduce to you...Miranda Kenneally! *cue applause* This new author in the literature realm is debuting this month with her book Catching Jordan.

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.

As guests begin entering for the party, the DJ gets to work!

The setting of your party: If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? Australia. I’ve always wanted to visit the Great Barrier Reef and the Outback, and after reading all of Melina Marchetta’s books, I’m dying to visit Australia.

The guest list: Who are the top three authors (dead or alive) that you would like to meet? JK Rowling, Sarah Dessen, and Orson Scott Card.

The menu: What do you consider your "brain food", the snacks that kept you going while you wrote your novel? Mexican food! Nearly every weekend, I go out for chips and queso and margaritas and think about my plots and characters.

The deb's high heels: If you could step into someone else's shoes for a day, who would it be and why? Author/editor David Levithan. I would love to see and read the manuscripts that come across his desk every day.

The table centerpiece: What's the #1 thing that you can't go anywhere without? Caffeine in my bloodstream! I’m sort of addicted. Can caffeine be a centerpiece? Hmm. The other thing I can’t go anywhere without is a wifi signal, and I don’t think that can be a centerpiece either. :)

Now it's time for the debutante and her date to share their first dance! What song has stuck with you through life? “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney. It really is the perfect, heartfelt song.

We have a special guest tonight at the ball...Jordan from Catching Jordan! Jordan, what was your favorite scene from the novel you starred in? Probably the scene in home ec class, where my best friend Henry and I are told we’re “married” and have to take care of an electronic baby for an entire week. Henry is the mom and I’m the dad. Thanks for having me at the ball, but dances aren’t really my thing. I’m gonna go to Jiffy Burger for a milkshake now. Bye!

The heartfelt speech: How has the publishing process changed you? What have you learned from your experiences? I’ve always gone after my dreams and done what I’ve wanted to do, but publishing is probably the biggest thing I’ve ever done. When I first started seriously writing, I think a lot of people around me were skeptical. I don’t think everyone necessarily believed I could get published. I’m so glad I stuck with it. I think that’s the biggest takeaway about publishing – you just never know what’s possible until you put yourself out there.

The future: Now that you are officially introduced to society, what's next? Do you plan to write another book? Yes! I’m working on two companions to Catching Jordan: Playing Parker (fall 2012) and Bad, Bad Thing (spring 2013). Parker is about a girl who falls for the coach of the school baseball team, and Bad, Bad Thing is about a girl who can’t get over the roll she played in helping her best friend to get an abortion. Also, I’m the editor of the Dear Teen Me anthology, to be published in fall 2012.

To  finish up this debutante ball, Miranda is letting me host a fun contest! One of you lucky blog readers will get the chance to name a character in her next book Bad, Bad Thing.

Contest Details:
Ends on December 31. Open internationally.
Two extra entries to those of you that spread the word about this interview & contest (via twitter, facebook, blog post, sidebar, etc).
One winner will be randomly picked and emailed.
Fill out the form linked below to enter; comments are very appreciated but don't count as entries.

Click here to fill out the entry form!

FIND MIRANDA ONLINE: Website | Goodreads | Twitter