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"Do you have to have sex to have a baby?" It's a question that ten-year-old Tali Nay asked the office assistant at her elementary school after the woman had done her best to explain how it all happened to a roomful of confused girls. Or maybe Tali was the only one who was confused. It's entirely possible, for if there's anything she knew at this point in her schooling, it was that she—without fail—was the last to know about anything interesting. Take her first day of kindergarten, where it turned out that every other kid already knew which letters were the vowels. Her first lesson as a student was consequently one of humiliation, and her second—only slightly less important—was that puking in a classroom tends to start a chain reaction. A refreshingly honest deep-dive into what we actually take away from a public education, this hilarious and heartfelt memoir captures the things we learn in school that are never part of any lesson plan yet somehow have the biggest impact upon the shaping of our perceptions over the years we spend in a classroom. Things like competition, failure, scandal, popularity, disillusionment, triumph, guilt, and, of course, throwing up in public. From the glorious to the gloriously awkward, this everyman tale is a story of growing up, one semester at a time
Available at Amazon.co.uk
What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?
"Do you have to have sex to have a baby?" It's a question that ten-year-old Tali Nay asked the office assistant at her elementary school after the woman had done her best to explain how it all happened to a roomful of confused girls. Or maybe Tali was the only one who was confused. It's entirely possible, for if there's anything she knew at this point in her schooling, it was that she—without fail—was the last to know about anything interesting. Take her first day of kindergarten, where it turned out that every other kid already knew which letters were the vowels. Her first lesson as a student was consequently one of humiliation, and her second—only slightly less important—was that puking in a classroom tends to start a chain reaction. A refreshingly honest deep-dive into what we actually take away from a public education, this hilarious and heartfelt memoir captures the things we learn in school that are never part of any lesson plan yet somehow have the biggest impact upon the shaping of our perceptions over the years we spend in a classroom. Things like competition, failure, scandal, popularity, disillusionment, triumph, guilt, and, of course, throwing up in public. From the glorious to the gloriously awkward, this everyman tale is a story of growing up, one semester at a time
Available at Amazon.co.uk
What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?
Tali Nay. I was born in California, raised in
Oregon, and now I live in Cleveland, Ohio.
Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did
you want to be?
I always knew I liked English classes better than
any others. English as a major was an easy choice for me. I always knew I would
write on the side, but I think what I always wanted to be was a teacher. Funny
how things don’t work out…and also how they do.
When did you first consider yourself as a
"writer"?
Not until this book, really. One of the employees
at the bookstore where I had my release party said while we were planning it,
“We just LOVE author events!” And I thought, “Wow, I’m an author!”
Do you work another job as well as your writing
work?
I do. I have a full-time job in the never-dull
world of Corporate America.
What is the name of your latest book, and if you
had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?
It’s called Schooled, and it’s a
memoir-ish collection of the things we learn in school that have nothing to do
with textbooks. Life-learning, so to speak.
What can we expect from you in the future? ie
More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?
I have more memoirs planned. Several, in fact.
Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part
of a series?
My memoirs won’t be a series, per se. In that they
will be about completely different topics. But I do plan on writing more books
along the same lines (memoirs we can all relate to).
What made you decide to write memoirs?
Part of it was I realized when I graduated from
college that the majority of my life had been spent in a classroom, and much of
my journal and personal history writing had to do with things that had happened
in school. I realized that putting together a collection of vignettes about
school would actually make a nice theme for a book. From there I realized there
were a few more themes I could write about, and the whole idea of the “Everyman
Memoir” came to me. See, memoirs are usually about things and people that
fascinate us because of the uniqueness of their experiences. My life isn’t
particularly fascinating or unique, but I felt there was room in the market for
some universal themes and stories we can all relate to.
Do you have a certain routine you have for writing?
ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?
I really don’t. But I do need quiet, focused time
when I write. But other than that, the words flow pretty well for me no matter
when I sit down to write them. I write in short vignettes, and after finishing
one I print it out and add it to the stack. So I split my “writing” time
between writing (new vignettes) and editing (reading through the stack of
vignettes already printed). So by the time the book is done, I’ve already read
through each vignette countless times.
How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs
for your book/books?Who designed the Cover of your books?
The title came when I was almost done with the
book. And as for the cover, I worked with a really great designer at VMC Art
& Design. We talked about the look I was going for, and she gave me several
options to choose from. I simply picked the one I liked best.
What do you think makes a book a really good?
The books I like best are the ones I don’t want to
put down. I prefer books that are both funny and poignant, books that are
relatable, books that inspire me or at least leave me feeling better for having
read them.
What do you do to unwind and relax? Do you have a
hobby?
Writing is usually what I do to relax, but I also
enjoy playing guitar. And I’m currently studying gemology because I find
gemstones as fascinating as they are beautiful.
Which format of book do you prefer, ebook,hardback,
or paperback?
I like physical books better and always will. I
don’t even own an e-reader.
What is your favourite book and Why? Have you
read it more than once?
Frankenstein is probably my all-time favorite, and
I’d say my favorite contemporary story is Peace Like a River.
Do you have a favourite genre of book?
Memoirs. I love reading about real life.
Is there anything in your book/books you would
change now if you could and what would it be?
I think I might have taken out a few details about
certain people. The catch-22 with memoirs is that total honesty is pretty
crucial, yet it’s impossible to be totally honest without selling a few people
out…or at least hurting some feelings. And that’s been a bit hard for me to
deal with. Not that the book is in any way
vindictive. Still, I think I may have chosen to leave out a few things.
Where can readers follow you?
My website, www.talinaybooks.com
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