Title: The Smartest Girl in the Room
Series: The New Pioneers, Book One
Author: Deborah
Nam-Krane
Published: March
29th, 2013
Word Count: 85,000
Genre: Romance, Chick Lit
Content Warning: Brief
references to adult situations and minor adult language
Recommended Age: 14+
Synopsis: Nineteen
year old Emily wants her college diploma fast, and she's going to get it. But
when the perfect night with perfect Mitch leads her to a broken heart, Emily is
blind to her vulnerability. When the person she cares about the most is hurt as
a result, Emily's ambition gives way to more than a little ruthlessness. She's
going to use her smarts to take care of herself and protect the people she
loves, and everyone else had better stay out of her way. But shouldn't the
smartest girl everyone knows realize that the ones she'd cross the line for
would do the same for her?
Title: The Family You Choose
Series: The New Pioneers, Book Two
Author: Deborah Nam-Krane
Published: September 10th, 2013
Genre: Romance, Chick Lit
Synopsis: Miranda Harel has been in love with her guardian
Alex Sheldon since she was five years old, and Michael Abbot has despised them
both for just as long. When Miranda finds out why she wants both men out of her
life for good and questions everything she believed about where and who she
came from. Finding out the truth will break her heart. Without family or true
love, will her friends be enough? The Family You Choose is Book Two in The New
Pioneers Series
About the Author:
Deborah
Nam-Krane was born in New York, raised in Cambridge and went to school in
Boston. You’re forgiven for assuming she’s prejudiced toward anything city or
urban. She’s been writing in one way or another since she was eight years old
(and telling stories well before that). She first met some of the characters in
this story when she was thirteen years old, but it took two decades- and a
couple of other characters- to get the story just right. In 2012 she wrote the
History section of her sister Suzanne Nam’s Moon Thailand (Moon Handbooks). A
blogger since 2006, she can be found in a number of places. Please check http://writtenbydeb.blogspot.com for more information and to join her mailing
list.
Interview between Keira Kroft and Deborah Nam-Krane
Welcome to Keira’s Corner, where there is always chocolate,
and lots and lots of coffee.
Keira: You have a
story out entitled The Smartest Girl in
the Room. What is that about?
Nineteen year old Emily is ambitious with a capital A. She
wants her college diploma ASAP, and she's going to get it. But while Emily can
handle getting kicked out of her mother's house, a broken heart and a lying
boyfriend, when the person she cares about the most is hurt, suddenly she's
more than a little ruthless. Emily's doing a very good job convincing everyone
that she can get everything done on her own, but aren't smart people supposed
to know when it's okay to ask for help?
Keira: What made
you choose that title?
I have somehow convinced people that I'm very intelligent,
which in a lot of ways is great but in other ways exhausting. It seems that
smart people- and especially smart women- aren't allowed to like things like
soap operas or romance. When we read and when we write, we're supposed to be deep.
The title is relevant to the book- Emily is very intelligent-
but it's also a wink to all of the other smart women who like to read romance
and chick lit.
Finally, it's a reference to a saying a small-businesswoman
once said to me: "You never want to be the smartest person in any
room." The corollary: if you're the smartest person in the room…go find
another room.
Keira: How many
books have you written?
As of this writing, I've written five books, and two of them
I feel so good about I'm actually letting other people read them. The Smartest Girl in the Room was
followed by The Family You Choose,
and my editor has both The China Doll
and Let's Move On… in her queue. I'm
working on the fifth installment in The New Pioneers series, but in between
that I also drafted…wait for it…a guide to homeschooling in a city on a very
limited budget. (Which, I know, doesn't exactly scream Romance or Chick Lit,
but that's how I roll.)
Keira: We have a
special place for unpublished writers in our hearts, here at Keira’s Corner. So
what advice would you give to an unpublished writer?
· Your stories
are all about your characters. Spend your time "getting to know them"
and it will make your job much easier.
· Keep reading,
keep writing and keep editing.
· Don't worry
about your story being perfect; get it out onto paper and then perfect it.
· Find an editor
you can work with, and know that there are a lot of them out there, and at many
different price points. We may scrimp on a lot of things (like marketing!), but
an editor should be the thing we plan
on spending money on.
Keira: What do you
wear, to write?
I know there are people who think writing in your pyjamas is
the best thing ever, but I need to do things like shower and change my clothes
to get into the groove. Otherwise it feels like I haven't really begun my day.
Having said that, I would prefer to wear something like yoga pants or soft
jeans to anything structured.
Keira: Is writing
your only talent?
I've been told I can carry a tune by most people, but if you
ask my musician daughters, they might not agree.
Keira: What time
of day, do you write best?
First thing in the morning and last thing at night are a
little too stressful for me; between my children and my husband, something's
bound to drag my attention away. I feel like I hit my groove best between 11
and 2 or 3. I'm fully awake and my creative brain has had a couple of hours to
kick in.
Very specific, I know, which is why I usually take whatever
time I can get.
Keira: Please
share a particular detail about one
of characters, please.
Richard Hendrickson is the quiet, dependable big brother everyone's
always dreamed of having, particularly Emily. She can tell almost immediately
that he's had to bear more than most men his age, and that's something she can
relate to. But he's just waiting for the right person to help bring out his
lighter side, and the person who does so isn't the one you think it's going to
be when you first meet him.
Let’s get
personal…
Keira: Are you
married?
I have been married to the same man for over twenty years. We
had a whirlwind courtship. We knew each other for two years, but either he was
dating someone or I was. We finally started dating in March of 1993, and by
April we were married.
Keira: Do you have
children?
I have four children, two girls and twin boys (whom we were
sure were going to be one girl).
Keira: What is
your motto?
Good things come to those who wait, but better things come to
those who don't.
Keira: What do you
think you will be doing five years from now?
Writing my fifteenth book!
Keira: What is your ideal vacation spot?
Hawai'i! I went there when I was six years old, but the night
before I was badly burned on my thigh. Obviously I lived and I'm not that
scarred, but that meant that I couldn't go into the water. Still, I remember
the beautiful beaches and scenery. So my goal is to go back- and this time
actually go for a swim.
Keira: Scary
Movies or Happy Endings?
Happy Endings, Sad Endings, Cliffhangers- anything but a
Scary Movie! I'm still traumatized by having to sit through Pet Semetary when I was in high school.
*shudder*
Keira: What is your favorite food?
I love creamy pasta with mushrooms and broccoli.
Unfortunately, I'm a wheat-intolerant vegan. On top of that, one of my children
was recently diagnosed with soy, sesame and tree nut allergies- all things which
vegans sometimes use to make a cream sauce. So basically I'm down to the
broccoli and mushrooms, maybe with some rice.
Keira: What is
your guilty Pleasure?
Watching Days of Our Lives or The Bold and the Beautiful!
Keira: If you
could change one your physical feature? Would you? What would it be?
I used to want to have wavier hair- my hair is very dark and
very straight- but in my late twenties my sisters finally talked me out of it
by telling me what a pain in the neck it could be to get their hair to
"even out". Which just goes to my lazy nature- unless something is
affecting my health, I'm happy to let it be!
Keira: What are
you reading?
The Oracle of Delphi series by Diantha Jones. I'm not usually
into speculative fiction, but I make the exception for Greek myth fan-fiction.
A little something plucked from...The Smartest Girl in the Room
Short Excerpt from The Smartest Girl in the Room by Deborah Nam-Krane:
"Is there
some reason you want to keep me jacked up tonight?"
He leaned forward
and put his face in his hands. "I like talking to you, and I want to do it
as much as I can."
She held his eyes
for a moment. "Alright, but you can’t expect anything I say in another
hour to make any sense."
An hour and a
half into their conversation, she indeed lost her train of thought and stared
at him. He made a goofy face and she laughed. "You caught me."
"What were
you thinking?"
"That I
didn't enjoy myself this much the last time I stayed out this late."
"The last
time? How late did you stay up?"
"At least
until two."
"Then we're
staying until three, for sure."
"Only if you
get me another cannoli."
"Consider it
done." He took a deep breath. "And who were you with?"
"Another
girl." She paused. "Another heterosexual girl."
"Hmm. And
how old were you?"
"Fifteen."
"Really?"
"What?"
"I can’t
picture you up past your bedtime at that age."
"At that
age, I could have done anything I wanted to as long as I didn’t get picked up
by the police."
"Ah, you
were one of those lucky kids with permissive parents."
"Just one.
My parents were divorced by then, and the psychotically strict one left me with
the pathologically lax one."
"Sounds like
a good deal."
"I thought
so too, for the most part. Of course, I did question it when there wasn't any
food in the house."
Mitch laughed,
but Emily's expression didn't change. "I'm sorry," he said, sitting
up. "Food was always readily available in my house."
"Well, I
never starved."
"That must
have been rough."
Emily shrugged.
"Even when there was food, I tried to avoid being around my Mom that year.
That was when she married my stepfather, and it didn't matter if I was there or
not. I was a non-person."
"No, you
weren't." He took her hand. "And you're not now."
She squeezed
back, and he held on tighter. "I wish I could trust you, but you're sort
of exhausted and tired and who knows what you're going to say?"
"Then you're
going to have to let me say these things when I'm awake."
"Yeah?
Sorry, but I'm not going to believe you about anything until you get me that
second cannoli."
"Waiter!"
They talked until
the café closed at three. The charm of an early fall evening was over. It was just
cold now. Emily leaned against a building next to the restaurant, rubbing her
hands together. "Okay, buddy. It’s three o’clock, there are no trains for
a few hours and we’re out in the cold. What do you have in mind now?"
Mitch leaned over
her and put his hands on her shoulders, then gently rested his chin on her
forehead. She put her hands on his chest, just to keep warm, of course.
"Better?" he asked.
"Oh,
much." She tilted her head up to look at his smooth neck then hugged him.
"But I don’t think anyone is going to let us stay here all night."
"Are you
always like this?"
"Talkative?
Yes, it keeps me amused."
"You seem
like you’re worried someone’s going to send you to the principal’s
office."
"And I
suppose that’s served me well, because even during my darkest hours that never
happened."
"Hmm. And
I'm sure that made you a lot of friends."
"Some
friends aren't worth having."
"So were you
friend-free or just friend-less?"
"Friend-less."
"Mmm
hmm," he started playing with her hair. "And were all of them girls?"
"Once I grew
out of my gnome-state, I did manage to acquire a few friends of the
Y-chromosome persuasion."
"Just a
few?"
"And most of
them were just friends."
"How many
weren't?"
She looked up and
he backed away. "Why do you ask?"
"Typical
insecure guy stuff. I like to know who I'm being measured against."
"I think
you're projecting. How am I doing in comparison to everyone else?"
"You are in
a class all by yourself." He cleared his throat. "What about
me?"
She took his
hand. "Suffice to say, my taste in high school was so bad that, for the
most part, Joe Welles would have been a better boyfriend."
"The most
part," he repeated. "So who's my competition?"
She looked down
for a moment. "He sort of doesn't count. Really, he was just a friend, and
in some ways he wasn't even that."
"Oh, that's
so much worse."
She shook her
head. "It's not."
"Then why
does he even get considered?"
"Because he
was there for this one moment when everything seemed like it was as it should
be and I wasn't alone." She smiled at the memory. "The starry
night."
"There were
a lot of stars?"
She giggled.
"No, but I saw them anyway."
He came closer.
"So how am I stacking up so far?"
"I haven't
questioned my place in the world once tonight."
"So I'm the
male version of Zainab. I guess that's a start."
"Zainab's
great," she whispered, "but she doesn't make me see stars."
He moved in
closer still. "Em-"
She put her
fingers over his lips then smiled impishly. "No. This is sort of perfect
right now."
"Anyone ever
tell you you're a tease?"
"Anyone ever
tell you you're impatient?"
He put his hands
around her hips. "So how long do I have to wait?"
She suddenly
remembered Drew. "Someone from my favorite class is having a party on
Friday. Or he knows someone having a party-"
"Oh, it’s a
he. Your favorite person from your favorite class?"
Emily started
giggling. "No, I don’t think so. He’s kind of a dork."
"I write
some legislation with Joe and suddenly you think I’m all about dorks?"
"Ah, but if
you come to the party, you’ll also get to be with me. And, sorry, I cannot
promise the same if you choose Joe."
"Then I
would love to come to your friend’s party next Friday."
"It’s a date
then."
"It’s
another date."
Giveaway Details:
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