Andrea Pyros’ debut novel is My Year of Epic Rock. Andrea has worked as a magazine editor, celebrity interviewer, and cookie wrangler. A native of New York City, Andrea now lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her husband and their two children, one of whom has food allergies and the other of whom refuses to eat eggs even though he can. Visit her at www.andreapyros.com.
I started my book because I have a kid with food allergies and I wanted to explore what that might be like, since I can eat whatever I want. I finished it because I realized that the experience of feeling different during middle school is a universal one, whether or not you can have peanuts.
Best moment …
When my main character Nina and her friends form their rock band, The EpiPens.
Your special place to write …
My bed. I’m embarrassed to admit it when my desk is just a few feet away!
Necessary writing/creativity tool …
Reading always inspires me and gets me excited about my own work. But nothing beats a deadline for getting me back in front of my computer.
Favorite bookshop …
Oblong Books & Music in Rhinebeck, NY. Great books, helpful sales staff, and they hold all sorts of fun author events, too.
Currently reading …
The very funny Life of Zarf: The Trouble with Weasels by Rob Harrell. Zarf comes out the same day as my book does. It’s about trolls. (The under the bridge kind, not the rude Internet ones.)
All-time favorite children’s book you didn’t write…
It’s the first day of seventh grade, and Nina can’t wait for the year to be over. When her best friend ditches her to hang out with the popular new girl, Nina is banished to the undesirable peanut-free table. She thinks she’s finally found her feet when she forms a band with the other allergic kids called The EpiPens. But then a whole new set of middle school minefields head her way—like how to win her BFF back and what would happen if she finally kisses her crush for the first time after he’s just eaten a PB&J sandwich.
