I started reading YA when I taught high school, mainly because I would see the kids talking about a particular book and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It became something of a habit.
What’s the last YA book you read?
The Grisha Trilogy. I loved it. And when I say "loved it" I mean, called my best friend, told her I was coming over with a pile of books that she had to read right away so we could gush together. (She loved them, too.)
I read before bed. Which sometimes turns into an all-nighter.
What draws you to a book?
Friend recommendation. Then cover. Never, ever has a review or a blurb sold me on a book. When I read the Hunger Games, I had a former student who knew me fairly well push it into my hands saying, "Promise me you'll just read it and not look at the back cover." I trusted her and started at page one. She was right, if I had read the back I never would have picked it up, but once I started reading I was in love.

Yes. Absolutely. Sometimes I need to get away and want to go back into a book I know that I love. It's like comfort food, in a way. I've re-read ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS at least three times. Paris? Yes, please.
I think a few have really encouraged me to push the bounds of where YA can and will go, which makes me all the more eager to get back to the laptop and keep writing.
Which books do you find yourself recommending over and over again?
GONE GIRL and DARK PLACES. Not YA, not by a long shot, but they are books that I tell everyone about. In the YA world, I end up pushing the Bardugo, anything by Huntley Fitzpatrick, Kristan Cashore, Holly Black, and the list goes on and on.
graduated from Bryn Mawr College, got her Masters of Teaching from Quinnipiac University, and taught high school for five years before becoming a full-time mom and writer. She has lived in Texas, New York, New Jersey and Spain. Currently, she lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children. T. L. Costa is her first novel. To learn more, please visit: PLAYING TYLERtlcosta.com |