THE BEST AND THE WORST OF MIRIAM SPITZER FRANKLIN

I'm back today with one of my final Best & Worst author interviews *cries* but I don't think you'll be disappointed with my guest. Here, celebrating May, her book birthday month, please meet...

MIRIAM SPITZER FRANKLIN

​Miriam Spitzer Franklin has been sharing her love of reading and writing with her students for years as an elementary and middle school language arts teacher. Her debut novel, EXTRAORDINARY, was published by Skypony Press in 2015. She has published two other middle grade novels, CALL ME SUNFLOWER (2017) and EMILY OUT OF FOCUS, which comes out in Feb. 2019.

Miriam's hobbies include coaching her daughter's Odyssey of the Mind team, figure skating, and being passionate about environmental and animal rights causes. Miriam spent her childhood in New Jersey but currently lives with her husband, two daughters, and two pampered cats in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

Follow Miriam on Twitter here! 

​Last spring, Pansy chickened out on going to spring break camp, even though she’d promised her best friend, Anna, she’d go. It was just like when they went to get their hair cut for Locks of Love; only one of them walked out with a new hairstyle, and it wasn’t Pansy. But Pansy never got the chance to make it up to Anna. While at camp, Anna contracted meningitis and a dangerously high fever, and she hasn’t been the same since. Now all Pansy wants is her best friend back—not the silent girl in the wheelchair who has to go to a special school and who can’t do all the things Pansy used to chicken out of doing. So when Pansy discovers that Anna is getting a surgery that might cure her, Pansy realizes this is her chance—she’ll become the friend she always should have been. She’ll become the best friend Anna’s ever had—even if it means taking risks, trying new things (like those scary roller skates), and running herself ragged in the process.

Pansy’s chasing extraordinary, hoping she reaches it in time for her friend’s triumphant return. But what lies at the end of Pansy’s journey might not be exactly what she had expected—or wanted.

Extraordinary is a heartfelt, occasionally funny, coming-of-age middle grade novel by debut author Miriam Spitzer Franklin. It’s sure to appeal to fans of Cynthia Lord’s Rules and will inspire young friends to cherish the times they spend together. Every day should be lived like it’s extraordinary.

REVIEWS OF MIRIAM'S BOOKS... 

"An endearing story of friendship, heartache and triumph proves extraordinary things can happen when we least expect it."--Jennifer Murgia, author of Forest of Whispers and Castle of Signs 

"Readers will be both heartbroken and warmed by the way Sunny views the world and her attempts to change it. A relatable heroine with a noble cause that readers won't soon forget." --Erin Entrada Kelly, Newberry Award winner of the book, Hello Universe
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For more information and to purchase EXTRAORDINARY, visit: here and here and here! 

For more information and to purchase CALL ME SUNFLOWER, visit: here and here and here!

THE BEST & WORST OF MIRIAM

Best Book : Soooo hard to pick, but one of my all-time faves since I was a child is CHARLOTTE'S WEB. It never fails to amaze me, now matter how many times I've read it. A newer favorite? THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson. This book is pure poetry and is a story about things that matter: family, friendship, music, nature, joy, love, dealing with loss, and finding your best self.
 
Best Band: The Beatles
 
Best Animal: Cats, elephants, whales, otters, and Esther the Wonder Pig (if you don't know who she is, Google it!)
 
Best Food / Worst Food: One of my favorite treats is Cadbury Eggs but I can only eat them for a few months of the year! My worst choice is meat since I've been a vegetarian since my early teens.
 
Best Drink / Worst Drink: Diet Coke with Lime- a must-have when I'm writing / regular Coke
 
Best Alcoholic Drink: It's hard to choose a favorite but I usually drink red wine!
 
Best Friend: I've been lucky to have Liz as my best friend since college! We're very different but she's always been there for me and seems to know what I'm thinking before I put it into words. <3
 
Best Writing Moment: When I finally saw the email saying my debut novel, Extraordinary, had sold! It had been out with the last publisher for 8 months and my agent and I had parted ways so it was totally unexpected!
 
Best Childhood Memory: Going ice skating on Thursday nights at the outdoor rink in NJ with my friends. My dad, an engineer who wrote plays in his spare time, would sit on a bench in the warming area with the latest scene he'd written and a pen.  When we finished skating, I'd find him there, reading his words and laughing at his own jokes. He always bought me a Milky Way and a hot chocolate before we headed home.
 
Best Word / Worst Word: I'll state the obvious here:  Peace/War
 
Best Shop: Street Fair—my favorite hippie shop in Asheville, NC where I can find all my favorite skirts, barettes, earrings, and bumper stickers.
 
Best Sport: Ice skating
 
Best Saying: "The only way to guarantee failure is to quit."
 
Best Teacher: The best teacher I had was in 1st and 2nd grade. She encouraged me to write and asked me to go to the upper grades and share my stories.  The worst teacher I had was my 8th grade history teacher who gave me a zero when she fell asleep during my presentation. She'd also stand behind students while they were taking one of her challenging quizzes, cackling. Yes, she actually cackled. A real witch of a teacher! When I modeled a teacher after her in one of my manuscripts, I was told by everyone to tone her down because she wasn't realistic.
 
Best Time of Day / Worst Time of Day: Afternoon/morning
 
Best TV Show: Current favorite: This Is Us. Full of amazing writing and people you wish were family members. Each episode is a work of art. Bring a box of tissues.
 
Best Restaurant: Ben Tanh Vietnamese
 
Best Movie: HAROLD & MAUDE—I first saw this back in college and I will always remember how I walked out of the screening and it was raining outside, and while I'm usually not a fan of rain, I wanted to stop and feel the rain against my skin, feeling the joy of being alive. (Really! this movie will do this to you)
 
Best time of year: Fall
 
Best School Subject / Worst School Subject: Reading/Math