Our Sweet Six: An Interview with Robin Mellom, author of DITCHED

Today we're hanging out with Robin Mellom, the kind and funny and crazy-talented author of the YA novel, DITCHED. 

Before we gets into the Sweet Six scoop, I have a cool confession. Two, actually. First, I grew up with Robin, and know how sweet she is IN REAL LIFE.:) Then, as life tends to go, we lost touch after high school. We reconnected recently (on Twitter of all places!) and how crazy is it that we both are YA authors? But cooler still is the fact that I read DITCHED and totally loved it . . . before I knew it was written by Robin. I didn't recognize her married name, and went I finally put two and two together--that Robin Mellom was the same Robin I grew up with (her maiden name is a Valentine sekrit :D)--I was over-the-mooon happy for her. BECAUSE IT'S THAT GOOD. :)

So let's talk DITCHED! :) Here's a sneak peek:

There's a girl.
Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels? Not her thing. That said, she never expected her best friend, Ian Clark, to ask her.

And there's a boy.
Ian, who always passed her the baseball bat, handle first.
Ian, who knew exactly when she needed red licorice.
Ian, who promised her the most amazing night at prom.

Then there's a ditch.
But when Justina is ditched, figuratively and literally, she must piece together--stain-by-stain on her thrift store dress--exactly how she ended up dateless...with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven.

To get the whole store, Justina will have to face the boy who ditched her. Can losing out at her prom ultimately lead to finding true love?

Yes, DITCHED as awesome and funny and sweet as it sounds.:) Ready to meet Robin? Let's go!

1) Robin, tell us about your book!

In DITCHED: A LOVE STORY, a 16-year-old girl finds herself lying in a ditch the morning after her prom with no memory of the last twelve hours, which includes a disappearing prom date and a punk Tinkerbell tattoo. She must piece together—stain-by-stain on her thrift store dress—exactly how she ended up dateless…with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven. But to get to the whole story, Justina will have to face the boy who ditched her. Can losing out at her prom ultimately lead to finding true love?

2) What scene in your book do you LOVE the most?

I had the most fun writing the scene that takes place in a tattoo parlor. I visited several different shops so I could set the right tone and include details that would make the moment realistic. The main character has a conversation with Fritz, the owner of the tattoo parlor, and it’s the turning point where she discovers what her date is really thinking. SO. MUCH. FUN!

(Interviewer's note: I LOVED THIS SCENE! *sits on hands so I don't spoil it* :D)

3) If you had to pick a character you LOVE (and not your own!), who would you pick and why?

I adore Bridget Jones. She’s snarky and vulnerable and flawed and funny. And I’d love to hang out with her. (Or smoke a ciggy with her.)


4) What's the craziest/most memorable valentine you've ever received?

In grade school, a boy once wove a ring out of some blades of grass and gave it to me. He said, “Here. I made this for you.” What more could a girl want??

(Interviewer's note: Robin, I'm dying to ask you who gave you this thoughtful gift. He was green before green was cool.:) lol) 

5) If you were a Brach's Heart, what phrase would be written on you?

“READ ME”


6) The all-important choice: flowers or candy?

Candy! Because when you’re on deadline and it’s midnight and you still have hours of work to do, stuffing your face with flowers doesn’t do much good.

So right Robin! Thank you SO much for hanging out with us today and talking about DITCHED. Such a fun read!

But wait...there's more.:) Robin is not just a YA author, she writes awesome middle grade too. Check out the cover of her first MG novel, THE CLASSROOM: The Epic Documentary of a Not-Yet-Epic Kid

Cool, right? And the second book in this series, THE CLASSROOM: Student Council Smackdown! releases June 25, 2013 from Disney-Hyperion. Perfect summer reading for your middle grade crew!

Alright sweet peeps, here's a little more about the awesomeness that is Robin Mellom:

Robin has taught grades 5 through 8 and has a master's degree in education. She lives with her husband and son on the Central Coast of California. The avocados there are AMAZING.:)

Want to contact Robin or learn more about her books? You can find her here:

Her website

Facebook

Twitter

Email

Thanks again Robin!  *sends huge Valentine hugs from all the Valentine crew*