Friday, May 16, 2014

Corey Ann Haydu

Corey Ann Haydu, author of OCD Love Story, grew up in the Boston area but now lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she drinks mochas and uses a lot of Post-it notes, habits she picked up while earning her MFA at the New School.

Her new novel is Life by Committee.

Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Haydu's reply:
I just finished an incredible memoir, Fiction Ruined My Family by Jeanne Darst. I haven’t been this moved and this connected to a book in a long time. It reminded me of one of my very favorite books of all time, The Liar’s Club by Mary Karr. It’s about addiction, family dynamics, New York City, the life of a writer, huge literary figures and letting go. It’s at times hysterically funny and at other times heartbreakingly authentic and honest.

As a YA and MG writer I read a lot of YA and MG novels, but I’ve been needing a break from that recently. It was great to read something that gave me what I hope my books give some teens. A sense of real connection and the relief that someone has been through some of the things you yourself have been through. The magic of articulating the kind of pain that is challenging to articulate. This book was a huge gift in that way.
Learn more about the book and author at Corey Ann Haydu's website.

The Page 69 Test: OCD Love Story.

--Marshal Zeringue