CARIDAD FERRER: PART TWO! Caridad Ferrer ou can't help who your friends are. You just can't. I know that cliques have a bad name and a negative connotation. But to me, a clique is just a circle of people you feel most comfortable around. They're people who you literally clicked with for one reason or another. Well this chick is someone who I just click with. She likes music. I like music. She writes teen lit. I write teen lit. Her first book, Adios To My Old Life was about a reality TV show. I LOVE RTV. She posts a weekly photo of the yummiest cabana boys on her LJ. I loves cabana boys! She's Cuban American and I'm...not. But thanks to her, nenesita is now my most fave spanish word! She's also my first Clique Lounge two-timer. I mean... you know, this is her second round in the CL. She's back to talk a little bit about her next book, It's Not About The Accent. So say, hola, to Caridad Ferrer. My mija. TCL: If you could enter your MC into a MTV-style Celebrity Deathmatch, what protag would you want on your Celeb Deathmatch tag team and why? CF: Oh man... I'd probably want Virginia Sauter from Jennifer Echols' MAJOR CRUSH on the team with Caroline—I like girls who aren't afraid to fly in the face of convention—it shows a certain creativity and think out of the box attitude and Virginia's got that in spades! TCL: Shoes say a lot about a person, what type of shoe are you? CF: You know what I'm going to say, right? I'm a high-priced heel, preferably a really hot, pump with a catch your eye detail. It's my favorite combination—a classic style with an unexpected embellishment that sets it apart—it'll always be in style, but in your own individualistic manner. And they have to be comfortable! Marcello Toshi or Kate Spade, you know? TCL Says: Mmmmm Kate Spade TCL: What type of writer are you: plot-driven or character-driven? CF: Oh, I'm a combination of both, I think. The plots I create dictate the sort of character that's going to star in the story, but at the same time, the characters start taking on these lives of their own and start sending the plot off on these wild left turns to Albuquerque. It's an adventure, lemme tell ya. TCL: Word association time. What do you think when I say: Chick-lit—It's being called anything but Best seller—Nora Best Band Ever—The Police Most rockin' author—Barbara Samuel TCL Says: Anybody who loves The Police is aight with me! TCL: Name the Top 3 books on your To Be Read (TBR) List Rising Wind—Cindy Holby Moongazer—Marianne Mancusi Something Rotten—Alan Gratz TCL: If you had anything to do with it, what would the next hot lit trend be? CF: I'd love to see a trend towards books that bridge the gap between young adult and adult romance—books clearly aimed at late teens and twentysomethings. (Like the Shomi line for Dorchester, but across the board, with respect to genre, not just focusing on paranormal.) TCL: What celeb would you love to see play your MC on the big or small screen and why? CF: Hm... for Caroline, I always had Zoe Deschanel in mind because she looks equally pretty as a blonde and as a brunette. TCL: Whether it's because you admire their work or adore them, who's your author crush? CF: Oh, Barbara Samuel, on both counts. She's an amazing writer and amazing person—I wanna be a writer like her when I grow up! TCL: What TV show do you watch that you're ashamed to admit liking? CF: I don't that there's anything I watch that I'm all that ashamed of—maybe House Hunters on HGTV? It's like this sick game I play, trying to figure out which of the three houses the people are ultimately going to pick. Sometimes I'll catch snippets of My Super Sweet Sixteen and marvel at the train wreck that these girls are and wonder why on earth no one's ever said no to them. TCL: Tell the cliquesters why your book should be in their TBR list. Because it's all about exploring who you are and taking the opportunity to transform yourself, which I think a lot of us do, when we first go off to college—we all pretend to be different than how we were back at home. It's a chance to start fresh. Sometimes, it's a good thing, sometimes, not so much. I think Accent explores all of that and hopefully in surprising ways. * * * Summer's coming to a close ::sob, sob:: and sadly that will mean less reading time for the P-ster. But, I plan to go cop Accent and squeeze it in before my summer reading window closes. How 'bout you?