Penguin Teen

Today we’re welcoming Susane Colasanti to the Penguin Teen Author Spotlight and we are unbelievably excited about it! Her newest novel, All I Need, comes out tomorrow, so you’ve got some time to hang out with Susane here before getting your copy. Susane is the expert on all things love and summer, so it’s the perfect time of year for this book. She’s such an expert that she’s hosting a “10 Rules for a Spectacular Summer” blog tour starting today! Find her first rule on Forever YA and check out the full schedule so you never miss a stop!

Name: Susane Colasanti

Novel: All I Need

Available: May 21, 2013

Who’s your favorite author, living or dead? Laurie Halse Anderson is my fave teen author. She is a phenomenal writer. She has such a beautiful, original writing style that hooks you from the first sentence. I enjoy books that focus on dialogue and action the way Laurie’s do. The emotional depth of her stories is remarkable.

What’s your favorite thing about your book? While I was writing my first novel, When It Happens, I loved using alternating girl/boy perspectives to tell both sides of the story. I always wondered what the boy was thinking when I read teen novels back in high school. Did he like the girl? What did he talk about with his friends? What did his room look like? I wanted to know the boy’s side of the story so desperately that I promised myself I would tell it if I ever wrote a teen novel. That’s why I was stoked to return to the alternating points-of-view style with All I Need.
Another thing that was so fun about writing All I Need was including a main boy character who is in college. I would have loved to read about characters in college when I was a teen! Opening the world of my characters in that way took this story to a whole other level. Hopefully my readers will enjoy the adventure as much as I did.

If you could spend one year on a deserted island with one character from literature, who would you choose?  Ponyboy Curtis from The Outsiders. Ponyboy understands about colors and sunsets and things. He is my ideal boy character: sensitive, introspective, and emotionally mature. I absolutely adore him.

Where do you write? I bought and renovated an apartment in downtown Manhattan last year. My goal was to find a place with lots of sunlight, sweet views, and an airy feel. I’ve been a full-time author for six years and I work at home. Working in a Zen environment inspires my writing. So I was in desperate need of an upgrade from my old place, which was tiny and dark and mentally constricting (although the West Village location was amazing!). When I found my new place, I knew it would make a peaceful writing oasis. My home office is set up next to a wall of windows facing south. There are big sky views above and birds chirping below. Natural light all day. Refreshing breezes. Space to breathe. Having a home office like this was a big dream of mine for so long. I’m stoked that the dream has become reality.

Who is your favorite hero or heroine of history? Martin Luther King, Jr. He advocated the advancement of civil rights while using a nonviolent approach. Violence only encourages more violence. Peaceful, intelligent action is the most effective technique for changing the world.

Do you tweet? What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever tweeted? Of course I tweet. What do I look like, a barbarian?

While that wasn’t my funniest tweet, it might have been up there. Oh, wait. I think it was more like:

I haven’t tweeted yet today. What am I, a barbarian?

The thing with Twitter is that it’s very noisy. Everyone wants to be heard. Everyone wants you to know what they’re having for breakfast and how bored they are at work and that they are Going to Bed Now. I try to tweet two or three times a day, but only if I have something interesting enough to say. And even then I am not that interesting.

What is your favorite season? Spring. The vernal equinox is my favorite day of the year. That first day of spring is usually still cold, but I don’t care. Just knowing it’s finally spring and the flowering trees will start blooming soon and the High Line will be abundant with green gorgeousness and daylight hours will continue to increase is enough to make me a very happy girl. I love the feelings of renewal and refreshed energy that spring brings.

If you could teleport anywhere in the known universe right now, where would you go? I’d probably swing by Pluto. Just to let him know there’s still love for his planetary status.

Do you have any writing rituals? Being an organization freak comes with a love of routine. Working at home can be distracting unless you have a writing routine down. I generally do online stuff in the morning – Facebook, fan page, Twitter, blog – and write in the afternoon. As far as specific rituals go, I find “butt in chair” to be all I need.

What is your idea of earthly happiness? Dreaming big and then turning those dreams into reality. This is true for all aspects of my life: work, home, relationships, health. Shaping my life into the ideal version of itself makes me really happy. The key is to enjoy the Now. When you’re working toward a goal, everything you do along the way is an important part of the journey, not just a stepping stone. When I’m one with the Now, not worrying about the past or anxious about the future, I feel an overwhelming sense of peaceful clarity. Connecting with wherever I am at the moment or whomever I’m with on a deeper level without feeling distracted is my idea of bliss.

Also Godiva chocolate. And tropical vacations where I can lay out by the pool sipping one of those fruity drinks with umbrellas sticking out of it. And a good book, of course.

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to? Dude. I scored front-row center seats to John Mayer at Madison Square Garden. Can I just tell you that it was one of the top five best nights of my life? I was right there. He played lots of my fave songs. He looked right at me three times. It was just…beyond epic. Experiences don’t usually exceed my expectations. This one totally did.

What are you currently working on? Right now I’m revising my eighth teen novel, which will be released next year. This summer I’ll be starting a super exciting project which will be announced soon. Please stay tuned for details!

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Thanks, Susane! We can always count on you to start the summer off right.

Need more summer inspiration? Our All I Need video on YouTube will definitely get you in the mood for the beach!

Want to chat with Susane? You’re in luck! Susane is doing a Featured Author Group chat on Goodreads TODAY (for more details, go here), and a Twitter chat with @PenguinTeen on Tuesday, May 28th from 7-8 PM Eastern (hashtag #allineed)! Mark your calendars!

You can find Susane on Twitter, her blog, Facebook, and her website.

Add All I Need to your “to-read” shelf on Goodreads!

Buy All I Need on May 21st from Penguin, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, your local, independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Walmart!