by Sandy Hall
5. The Runaway Bride
I love Donna, so sue me! I love this introduction of her, and I love that we don’t even see her again for a full season. But after all that Rose business (Don’t get me started on Rose—I can hardly talk about her, and that’s why she’s not featured often on this list. My pain is too real.) at the end of series two, this episode felt like a breath of fresh air. I was delighted by all those Santas with guns, too.
6. The Impossible Astronaut
This episode is brilliant, and I will fight anyone who disagrees.
7. The Eleventh Hour
The premier episode of my favorite Doctor? Of course it’s on this list. I’ll never look at fish fingers and custard the same way.
8. The Lodger
The Doctor gets locked out of the Tardis, and he goes to live with a random dude named Craig. Hilarity ensues. And there’s a creepy upstairs room, which is always a bonus!
9. New Earth
I’m putting this on the list so you get a decent taste of Ten and Rose. Lots of people love them. I did. UNTIL THEY RIPPED MY HEART OUT AND KICKED IT TO THE CURB. But it’s a quality episode, and there’s this whole thing with cat people and body swapping, and you can’t go wrong with any of that.
10. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
BECAUSE OF DONNA AND HOW MUCH I LOVE HER. NOT TO MENTION THE CREEPINESS. I wish I could someday get through a list of favorite anything without turning into a screaming, emotional fangirl about this show, but today is apparently not that day. I apologize for the misuse of caps lock. It is the only way I can express my feelings.
Signs Point to YES
Discussion Questions
1. Jane lucked out with her random babysitting job. What is the best summer job you ever had? Worst?
2. Jane plans to get a job instead of going to college, and figure things out from there. What do you think about this?
3. Teo feels like an outsider in his own family. Have you ever felt like this? If so, how did you deal with that?
4. Jane loves Doctor Who and writing fan fiction. Have you ever participated in fandom or reading/writing fan fiction?
5. Jane wishes she could sink through the floor after mentioning Teo’s “boy nipples.” Have you ever said or done something awkward in front of a crush?
6. Jane asks her Magic 8 Ball for advice and loves doing “cinematic serendipity.” Do you have any superstitions? Do you prefer to wing it or have definite plans?
7. Margo is terrified of coming out to her family. What advice would you give her?
8. Ravi has held a grudge against Jane for many years. Have you ever held a grudge like that?
9. After Teo tells Jane he’s not coming back, Jane jumps in the car to go get him. What would you have done?
10. Do you agree with Connie’s decision not to tell Teo about Jose? Or do you feel Teo’s reaction was justified?
A Coffee Date
with author Sandy Hall and her editor, Holly West
“Getting to Know You (a Little More!)”
Holly West (HW): What is your favorite word?
Sandy Hall (SH): Have we talked about this? Did you know to ask this question? Because I have five favorite words. They are haberdashery, insouciant, ennui, winsome, and ineffable.
HW: I like them. They’re so fun to say.
SH: They are! And all of them—aside from haberdashery, which is just sort of a really fun word—I really love to use all of them. Insouciant means “nonchalant.” But it’s not a nonchalant word! And ennui … it’s just great.
HW: Ennui is great.
SH: So yeah, I have five favorite words. I’m so happy you have no idea. I just love words. Oh, I also love pulchritudinous, which is the ugliest word for meaning “attractive.”
HW: Do you have any strange or funny habits? And if not now, when you were a kid?
SH: To this day, I can only eat candy in even numbers. I hate eating candy in odd numbers. I hate it. Like if I have one Altoid? No, I have two. If I have a Skittle? No, eighteen.
HW: I love that you count them.
SH: No, I do. I do. It is sort of all part of my bribery with my word count and stuff. It is sort of all part of that, but it’s been going on my whole life. I really just love to eat candy in even numbers. And I only like even numbers. I’m a little turned off by odd numbers.
HW: Interesting. I like multiples of five.
SH: I do like multiples of five. My birthday is the fifteenth. I feel okay about the number fifteen. But in general I shy away from odd numbers.
“The Swoon Reads Experience (Continues!)”
HW: Did publishing A Little Something Different change your life?
SH: Absolutely! In the best way possible. I got to quit my full-time job. But aside from that, it’s just amazing getting to meet so many people. It’s amazing feeling like I’m doing something that I really want to do. And I really do love being a librarian. I wouldn’t be doing it part-time now if I didn’t really love being a librarian. But the way writing happened and becoming an author and getting published happened just felt very natural, and I’m super thrilled to be here.
HW: What’s your favorite thing so far—because we hope to have many more books—about being a Swoon Reads author?
SH: Probably Holly. No, and I’m not even really joking. You make this all very easy, and I like having you as my point person and I can ask you every dumb question. Because I don’t have an agent, and I am very new at this, so you never make me feel stupid. And I do love my other authors. Even if we’re just Internet friends, I feel like I have a good, nice group that supports each other.
HW: *blushing* I love the Swoon Reads support group. It’s awesome. So we sent you on tour for A Little Something Different. What was the oddest thing that happened?
SH: You know, I think I’m so new at this that everything’s been just really nice and genuine. As a fangirl, I know I would say something super ridiculous if I met Darren Criss. But nothing super odd has happened. The weirdest thing was my roommate from college came to one of my signings and she brought me this huge wicker squirrel. I was like, “What am I going to do with this?!” It was awesome. But I had to FedEx it home because it wouldn’t fit in my suitcase. I’m hoping for lots of Magic 8 Balls out of this book. Or maybe they’ll give me Doctor Who stuff!
HW: That could be good. You could get fandom stuff out of it!
SH: I could work on that swag!
HW: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors on Swoon Reads?
SH: Listen to what people say to you. Read the comments, and read comments on other people’s books. Even on books that you’re not necessarily reading, read every comment you can find. Read every blog post. Take in all the information you can imagine. And don’t be afraid to promote yourself to your friends, your family, on Twitter.… I always see Swoon Reads will retweet when somebody says, “Check out my book on the site!” And you know what? Sometimes that’s all it takes, and it’s right there in front of you and someone wants to click on it. Promote yourself. Give yourself a leg up.
“The Next Phase of the Writing Life”
HW: Was the editing process different for you this time around?
SH: Yes, because I thought you were going to fire me. [Laughs]
HW: We were not going to fire you!
SH: It was different. For this book, I didn’t have quite the same vision for it that I had for A Little Something Different. It wasn’t written in a vacuum. It was pushed more, let’s say. In my head. I had to push at it. It didn’t just write itself. It wasn’t some kind of magical moment. And I kept waiting for some magical “eureka!” moment, and nothing ever came. Until the brainstorming phone call where we changed “Benj” to “Teo” and everything finally clicked into place!
HW: Where did you get your inspiration for Signs Point to Yes?
SH: From high school book club last summer. A lot of it came from them. I love, love, love neighborhood friendship, and people who were friends as kids who los
e touch. I think almost everybody could tell you about a boy who lived in their neighborhood, who they played with when they were eight and then never talked to again. It’s amazing that you still live in the same neighborhood, and you still go to high school together, and your parents still talk to each other, but you just never cross paths. I just really like that idea. And the kids gave me a lot of, “Oh, what if he’s a lifeguard?” and “What if she’s this?” And they all loved Doctor Who, so that’s how that got brought in.
HW: If you could have a reader remember one thing about your book, what would that be?
SH: Well, for A Little Something Different, I always, always, always just want people to think about how you have no idea what’s going on in someone else’s head. You could never, ever guess what’s happening in their life or behind the scenes. I think people can get way too wrapped up in what they’re seeing—and I know I do it—and not take in the full scope of things. I think for Signs Point to Yes, I’d like to go with “Don’t compare yourself to other people.” You’re going to do, in your time, what you want to do. I think that’s what Jane learned throughout the book, even if it’s not written out on the page. She didn’t have to be like Margo; she didn’t have to be what her mom wanted her to be. There’s no measuring stick.
It’s all fun and parties until someone falls in love.
APRIL 19, 2016
Rich-boy Caleb and struggling-artist Didi strike a bargain for a no-strings-attached summer relationship in this modern-day Gatsby.
By Friday of the following week, Didi had done only three things: eat, sleep, and paint. Not necessarily in that order.
She started by painting his eyes, trying to find the right shade of blue to match how she remembered them. Van Gogh had a thing for blue too. So many shades, so little time. Eventually she moved on to the contours of his face, combining flesh tones like an alchemist in search of the perfect mixture when re-creating the angles and planes. His hair was the toughest part. She had to blend several types of brown, trying to translate onto canvas the right texture of softness she imagined she would have felt if she had given in to combing her fingers through it at the dock that afternoon.
As far as muses went, Caleb Parker was frustrating. She couldn’t quite pin him down, and she knew she wouldn’t see him again. They might both live in Dodge Cove, but they were galaxies apart.
She was in the final stages of her third attempt when the doorbell rang. With a jolt, she pulled her hand away. Good thing the brush hadn’t made contact with the canvas yet, or there would have been a yellow streak across his face.
The bell rang again.
Aside from the occasional pizza delivery, the button beside the front door was hardly ever used. Had her mom forgotten her key or something? Not likely.
When a third ring reverberated through the house, she plunged the brush into the jar of turpentine she kept close and grabbed a filthy rag.
Another ring.
“Coming!” she yelled, rubbing the rag over her fingers to get as much paint off as she could. Despite neglecting the cleaning, her mother wouldn’t appreciate paint on the doorknob. Which reminded her: Must clean house.
As a final precaution, she rubbed her hand on her overalls. Once satisfied she wouldn’t leave any oily residue, she turned the lock. Only when the door was already halfway open did she remember her mother’s reminder of asking who it was first. Might be some rapist or home invader, she always said.
As a safety precaution, Didi warned in her most threatening voice, “If you’re here to rape me or invade my home, I have the nine and the one already dialed!” Then she threw the door wide open. Her lips formed an O when she recognized the person standing on the other side. “You’re not a rapist or home invader.”
A sexy smile accompanied a raised eyebrow and the removal of aviator sunglasses that revealed those blue eyes she had been dreaming of all week. Damn. They were a darker shade than she had first thought. Or maybe it was because the light was different on her front porch.
“I certainly hope not,” he said in a mild tone that quickly shifted to serious. “What kind of neighborhood do you live in that you’d have to ask if you’re about to get raped or invaded before opening the door?”
“The kind guys like you don’t usually frequent.” She took him all in. Blue-striped button-down with sleeves rolled up to his elbows tucked into mustard … “What are those pants called?”
He looked down. “Chinos?”
“I don’t know what those are, but you pull them off.” She crossed her arms and bit the tip of her pinky, enjoying the sight of him. Must have been the confidence in his stance and the way his eyes didn’t waver when he returned her assessing gaze. No guys like him at the public school she went to. In fact, guys like him got punched in the face where she went. Well, maybe not Caleb. He looked like he could hold his own in a fight. She’d have to feel for herself to make sure, but from the way the clothes sat content on his frame, she could tell he sported a tight, lean body girls drooled over. Her mouth certainly watered. She wasn’t ashamed to admit it. No harm in appreciating God-given beauty. She was a painter; she should know.
“What are you wearing?” he asked.
“My painting clothes,” she answered, still admiring him. How could she convince him to pose for her without seeming creepy?
“You paint?”
His tone confused her. “You’re surprised?”
“Yes. It’s something I didn’t expect.”
“There are many unexpected things about me.”
“I’m starting to realize that.”
“Should I even ask how you found me?”
A sheepish grin lifted the corners of his lips. “I asked Tony at the country club.”
“Ah.” Direct. She liked that about him too. She dropped her arms in favor of tucking her paint-smeared hands into her pockets, hiding the rag as she did so. “Since you’re here, you should know what my next question will be.”
The grin turned into a fuller smile, but no teeth. “I have a proposal for you.”
“A proposal?” Her eyebrow twitched. Any normal person would have slammed the door in his perfectly symmetrical face for being so weird. In her case, she found herself intrigued. Why not? It wasn’t like she had anything better to do that day besides painting and cleaning.
And job hunting, of course. But honestly, that wasn’t going so well. People just weren’t hiring. All the summer part-time gigs were taken already. Hence her being home.
“Can we talk inside?” he asked, pushing forward as if expecting her to give way.
She stood firm, barring him entrance. The house needed a general cleaning, and her paintings were drying in the living room. So hell to the no. Hanging out inside for this proposal of his? Not gonna happen.
Her stomach growled, making the decision for her. She stepped out, forcing him back.
“I figure if you want me to listen to your ‘proposal,’ you at least owe me lunch,” she said, pulling the door closed.
He raked those gorgeous eyes over her body again. He might as well have touched her from the way her skin pebbled from a single look. “Don’t you want to change first?” he suggested.
She looked down at her paint-stained overalls and tank top underneath. Even without a bra on she had considered herself pretty much dressed. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“I believe restaurants have a no flip-flop policy.” He pointed at her choice of footwear.
Lifting her foot, she examined the bright pink slipper. “These are my favorite pair too. And here I thought glitter was considered formal wear.”
“So you’re going to change?”
The hope in his voice made her want to mess with him. “Who said anything about restaurants? I don’t have to change for where we’re going.”
“And where is that?”
With a cheeky grin, she walked past him to … Jesus, even his car was gorgeous. White with black racing stripes, the Mustang was all hard lines
and lean muscle. Just like its driver. Sometimes money wasn’t half bad, she caught herself thinking. Caleb ran past her and opened the passenger door. She paused, eyebrow inching up.
“A gentleman,” she said.
He dropped his gaze. Was that pink on the tips of his ears? Her eyes brightened. Oh, he was hiding a blush. She made a mental note to make it a point to unsettle him whenever she got a chance.
Assuming she would get another chance.
“My mother always said it’s a man’s duty to make a woman happy,” he said, locking gazes with her again.
“And you think opening doors will do that?”
“Just get in.” There was that equally sexy frown she was growing fond of.
“My, you’re pushy.” She blew him a kiss before taking a seat. And just as he pushed the door closed, she added, “I like it.”
About the Author
Sandy Hall is the author of A Little Something Different and Signs Point to Yes. She is a teen librarian from New Jersey, where she was born and raised, and has a BA in Communication and a Master of Library and Information Science from Rutgers University. When she isn’t writing or teen librarian–ing, she enjoys reading, marathoning TV shows, and taking long scrolls through Tumblr.
sandywrites.tumblr.com. Or sign up for email updates here.
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