We've been peeping in and out of Tom Leveen's author board all week during his visit to chat about manicpixiedreamgirl!
Here's what we learned about Tom:
- Tom and his main character Ty have some things in common, like writing
- Tom doesn't really listen to music when he's writing anymore
- manicpixiedreamgirl was motivated and partially inspired by stuff that happened to Tom in high school
- The friendship and one-sided romance between Ty and Becky is partially based on a similar experience Tom had
- While not autobiographical, manicpixiedreamgirl is emotionally factual
- Tom was in the speech and drama department and involved in theater all throughout high school!
- Tom's best high school memory was writing a play, 102, and eventually overseeing it being performed
- John D. Fitzgerald of the Great Brain series is Tom's favorite authors
- Tom records a lot of notes when he's not writing at a desk (like when he's driving)
- The idea of Becky (the MDPG) came from a real person, Tom's first crush
- Tom's advice for new writers: do theater, even if it isn't acting or directing - it'll help with dialogue
- When in high school, Tom wanted to be like John Bender from the movie The Breakfast Club
- Tom's favorite writing spot is a little indie cafe near his house: it's not too busy and he has "his" table
- When Tom has writer's block, he just writes something else - the key is to keep writing
- Tom chose to have the title be one word to reflect the "quirky" stock character it's based on
- Tom's favorite movie is The 13th Warrior with Antonio Banderas
- Tom's must-haves when writing: few distractions, coffee or a drink of some sort, and the space to pace
- Tom didn't know he was writing YA until he started looking for an agent, who filled him in
- In high school, Tom's favorite writer was Stephen King
- When writing, Tom outlines but also free-writes: he initially just writes whatever he can like crazy, and then goes back and forms an outline on what he already has
- Tom combats distractions by creating a designated writing space
- For Tom, the most fun part about being an author is going to school and talking to readers
- When Tom signed up with his first agent, he cried. When Tom first sold his first book Party, he just sat there dumbfounded, reading over his notes in shock
- If Tom could be any fictional charater, he'd be Leo from Stargirl, just so he could meet Stargirl and Archie
- Tom writes realistic fiction because he likes character-driven stuff, including the melodrama
- Tom's earlier works were geared towards horror
- Tom's second book, Zero, was written in 1993, but was published in 2012
That's just a little of what we learned about Tom! To learn more about manicpixiedreamgirl and what Tom was like in high school, visit his board here! If you're curious about manicpixiedreamgirl but haven't been able to get a copy yet, read our Buzz Blogger review!
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes has also been guest posting on our blog all week about her new book, Promises to Keep, so read through her posts!
Next week, author Erin Vincent is visiting to chat about her book, Grief Girl! We're giving away ARCs so visit Erin's board and leave a question to enter to win!
When young writers ask for my advice, I often tell them: Don't write for money. Don't write for fame. Don't write because you want to get published. Write because you love writing. I live by that advice, too. I love to write. I love creating characters, and learning their stories. I love discovering new cultures. 
