Read My Lips by Teri Brown

READ MY LIPS

by Teri Brown

Commercial Young Adult
Simon Pulse
www.TeriBrownWrites.com

2 Signed Copies will be given away on Friday, August 21, 2009!



About the Book:

Serena just wants to fly under the radar at her new school. But Serena is deaf, and she can read lips really well-even across the busy cafeteria. So when the popular girls discover her talent, there's no turning back.

From skater chick to cookie-cutter prep, Serena's identity has done a 180...almost. She still wants to date Miller, the school rebel, and she's not ready to trade her hoodies for pink tees just yet. But she is rising through the ranks in the school's most exclusive clique.

With each new secret she uncovers, Serena feels pressure to find out more. Reading lips has always been her greatest talent, but now Serena just feels like a gigantic snoop...




Read our exclusive interview with Teri Brown!

1) READ MY LIPS sounds like such a great concept. How did you come up with the idea?

My neice is profoundly deaf and my mother-in-law was very active in the Alexander Graham Bell Association. The idea stemmed from conversations I had with her regarding deaf education. I knew there weren’t a lot of books out there that had a deaf main character and I knew I wanted to write one.

2) Your main character, Serena, is deaf and can read lips. What kind of research did you have to do to bring Serena to life on the page?

My Mother in Law was my main source of information. When the family discovered that Kari was deaf, she did a lot of research regarding deaf education. She and my sister-inlaw decided that Oralism (learning to speak and read lips as opposed to Total Communication which uses sign and speaking,) was the way they wanted to go. There is a lot of controversy in the deaf culture concerning these two methods and I sidestepped that in the book. I also spoke to my niece quite a bit, as well as doing a lot of reading.

3) If you could have the talent of lip reading for one day, what would you do? Where would you go? Who would you spy on?

I’m really torn on that one. Part of me thinks I should go to Washington DC and see what the movers and shakers in our government were really up to! But the other side of me would rather go to the Oscars and get the real dirt on what happens when all the stars get together.

4) What was your favorite part of writing this book? Your least favorite part?

My favorite part was creating Miller. So many girls have written to me and asked if Miller were a real guy. I wish! Sorry, but he’s not. Just a fantasy. I think my least favorite part was getting into the emotions of feeling like a misfit. Way to close to my own highschool experience for comfort!

5) Any more books in the works?

I have a book on submission now concerning a girl who loves modified cars. Sort of a Fast and the Furious meets a Sarah Dessen novel. I’m currently working on a book about teen pregnancy. I always have ideas… it’s finding the time to write them that’s hard!

About the Author:

Visit Teri Brown's web site at: www.TeriBrownWrites.com

**Please enter to win using the form on the left side bar of our website. Comments left on the post, while appreciated, are not used as entry. Thanks!