Between Two Lockers With Heather Hepler

It's only a week until Valentine's Day, and even though I'm not a huge fan (except for the chocolate), I've been all stoked since I read Heather Hepler's Love? Maybe a few weeks ago, which is about a girl who works in a candy store, aka LIVES MY DREAM. And now Heather is here with an interview to help get you in the mood for Valentine's Day, even if you're the biggest hater ever. Because at the very least, V-Day has candy! And the day after has half-price candy!

And even more exciting is you guys have a chance to win a copy of Love? Maybe of your very own! Two chances, at that. Well, two copies. Leave a comment and tell us your favorite candy to win!

THE ACTUAL BOOK RELATED QUESTIONS

Piper and her best friends are all so different. Piper's so cynical, Claire's a romantic, and Jillian's awesomely pragmatic and plainspoken. Are you a Piper, Claire or Jillian?

I tend to write one character that is like me on my better days (Claire -- hopeful, romantic, generous), one that is like me most days (Piper -- cynical, but loyal and caring), and one that I wish I were, but clearly am not (Jillian -- sassy, self-assured, and driven.)

What would make the best Valentine's Day ever for you? The worst?

The best Valentine's Day would be one where I could be with people I love (Oh and a lot of chocolate!) The worst? Hmmm lack of time with people I love and if someone discovers that there is no more chocolate in the world.

That WOULD be tragic!

You deal a lot with the idea of second chances. Is there a second chance in your life for which you're especially grateful, either granted or received?

Oh my goodness. My whole life is filled with second chances. (And third and fourth...) I think I'm most grateful for the people closest to me who give me unending chances even though I'm constantly putting my foot in my mouth, forgetting birthdays, eating the last cookie, and generally being difficult to love.

The whole time I read the book, I kept thinking, "I CAN'T BELIEVE Piper doesn't like candy!! What's wrong with her?" and then reaching into the giant bag of chocolates sitting next to me and getting another piece. What's your favorite candy? Or do you not like it either? And what's with the crazy candy flavors Jan and Piper invent -- have you ever had them, or did you invent them yourself?

Laughing. I decided to make Piper someone who didn't like sweets because that's something completely foreign to me. I love sweets. I'm not really big on candy -- gummy worms, jelly beans, Laffy Taffy, but I do love chocolate. My favorite is Junior Mints. The crazy flavors are partly from my imagination and partly from poking around on different candy websites like Vosages. The Kalamata Caramel Truffle was one of mine. I think it might actually be good. I've made truffles before, so maybe I should try this. If I do, I'll post it onto my website.

Oh, I hope so! That one was my favorite -- it would TOTALLY work.

Finally, most important in the "Nosy questions about yr personal life" category: How do you feel about the Atlanta Braves?

Well, I do know how you feel about them. I would have to say that I have a non-feeling. Honestly I just needed something that they boys could talk about that would be Atlanta relevant. I don't have enough information to form an opinion. I know almost nothing about baseball if it happened in the last twenty years. But! I do know a ton about baseball in the 60's and 70's. I had a good friend who was OBSESSED with baseball trivia. I guess a lot of information trickled in without me noticing it.

THE YA QUESTIONS

If your real life adolescence was a YA book...What would you, the main character, be like?

Quiet, definitely nerdy, very bookish, quirky.

Who is your secret crush?

Sigh. I'd like to think I'd be smart about it -- picking the great guy next door, but I fear I'd be a little like Piper. I'd probably get drawn into the cool guy like I actually did in high school. There was a Ben Donavan at my high school. (Although his name was David.) He seemed so 'other' like he was more evolved than the rest of us somehow.

What is your number #1 source of angst?

That I'm too shy to actually talk to HIM. I'm Sam in Sixteen Candles. All I can do is look mournfully at him across the room.

At what point would the reader pump his/her fist in victory?

Hopefully when I finally realized that He wasn't all that awesome. And that maybe the guy who actually likes me for who I am is the one I should be with. And he found me crying in the rain after the cool/jerky guy dumped me. And... well, it would be a happy ending.

And who would play you in the film adaptation?

I love Emma Watson, although I fear she'd be too old by then. I'd also love Saoirse Ronan... she's awesome.

Saoirse Ronan would be HONORED to rock these kneesocks.

THE SLUMBER PARTY Qs

What is your secret power?

I'm able to come up with analogies for most anything. It's sort of lame, but also fairly entertaining.

What is your #1 favorite food?

Tomato soup. (I know, but I just love the stuff.)

Tell me about your area of expertise.

I can write, bake, rewire a light fixture, build almost anything out of Lego's, and beat anyone at Memory Match. (Okay -- anyone under the age of twelve.)

If you could assemble your own Ocean's 11 of fictional characters, who would you pick and why?

•  Meg Murray (A Wrinkle in Time) because she's stubborn and tough.

•  Hermione (Harry Potter 1-7) because she's smart and strong and bossy. And she can do magic!

•  Coraline Jones (Coraline) because of her curiosity (and in the movie version -- because she has blue hair.)

•  Lucy Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia) because she is compassionate, brave, and faithful.

•  Brian Robeson (Hatchet) because of his resourcefulness and strength.

•  Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice) because she is wickedly funny --the kind of girl you want to sit next to in gym class.

•  Sara Crewe (The Little Princess) because I want to be noble and kind even if I have to eat dry bread and live in a drafty attic.

•  Emma (Emma) because she's always falling into embarrassing situations.

•  Snow White -- embarrassing, but true.

•  Gandalf -- (Lord of the Rings Trilogy) because he's a wizard. Who doesn't want to be a wizard?

•  Paddington Bear -- He wears a floppy hat and a duffle coat and loves marmalade sandwiches.

This is actually an Ocean's Eleven straight from my top favorite books. Including Paddington!

What is your best karaoke song?

"Rockin' the Casbah" by The Clash -- Let's just say I ROCK the Casbah.

Tell me something scandalous!

No way. I'm a mom and an aunt now. My skeletons have to stay in the closet.

What is your favorite adult beverage?

Coffee. I'm not sure it's very 'adult', but I do like it a lot.

Plus, it's super easy to make coffee adult! Whisky, Bailey's ...

What book have you read the most number of times?

A Wrinkle in Time

Who is your "freebie"?

Rob Lowe. I know---but I could watch him in About Last Night over and over.

YA authors are so cool. Who would you give a BFF charm to?

E. Lockhart. Although I've never met her, she seems very cool.

Out of all of the characters you've written, which one do you most wish you could be?

Probably Tally from The Cupcake Queen. She's funny, smart, quirky and dyes her hair a million colors.

If you were invited to the FYA slumber party (and obvs, you ARE), what pajamas would you wear, and what is the most crucial snack food and/or movie you'd bring?

My sushi pajamas. Cliché, but I love them. I'd bring something with Nutella on/in it. Yum.

Nutella? You're TOTES invited.

And now it's time for everyone's favorite fortune telling game, MASH! Heather supplied three answers, and we supplied the fourth delightful choice. Let's see what's in the cards! The magic number was 17.

M A S H

Honeymoon
Susanville, California -- best known as the county seat and location of the medium security prison.
Kona, Hawaii -- Home of the Ironman
Gilroy, California -- How can you say no to the Garlic Festival?
Alexandria, Indiana -- Home of the Small Town USA Festival!

# of Kids
0
8 -- 1 biological and 7 adopted from my sister and her husband
2.4
17 feral cats

Job
Professor
Professional Lego builder
Hobo
Circus strong-lady

Income
(laughing)
1 kajillion dollars/yr
50,000 per year plus benefits
2.13/hr plus tips

Hometown
Pflugerville, California
Fairbanks, Alaska
Lucas, Texas
Paris, Tennessee

Pet
Two Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
One incredibly plush cat
A hamster named Scooter
Four dust bunnies

Car
A bright red Camaro that I won in a grocery store raffle
A '69 powder blue convertible Mustang
A dented 2001 Honda Accord
A motorized bicycle

Good luck toting your 2.4 kids around on a motorized bicycle! And I'm really wondering what sort of benefits a circus strong-lady gets. Anyone? Thanks for playing with us today, Heather!