photo by Jennie Slade
REALLY SHORT Bio
I write books, chase kids, and eat cookies. Sometimes exclusively, sometimes simultaneously.
REGULAR Bio
Lindsey Leavitt is a former elementary school teacher and present-day writer/mom to three (mostly) adorable little girls. She is married to her high-school lab partner and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is the author of the PRINCESS FOR HIRE series and SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD.
She also feels weird writing about herself in third person.
LONG Bio
Okay, back to me. I like to list. So here are five random things about me…
1. People always raise an eyebrow when I tell them I grew up in Las Vegas, like my suburban childhood must be riddled with scandal. Sorry to disappoint, but I lived in a nice tract home, played catch with my brothers in our cul-de-sac, and rode my bike to get chili dogs at the mini mart down by the development’s man-made lake. So OK, some of my field trips were at hotels. And it was pretty cool to see an Elvis impersonator at our fourth grade career day. And when I wore a white dress to Prom and walked through the casino to get to a show, people might have clapped because they assumed I’d just gotten married. But the rest? Normalville.
2. I’m the second of five kids. Since my only sister is eight years younger than me, I pretty much grew up around boys. Based on some of my childhood pictures, I may have even thought I was male. I preferred my softball t-shirt to a dress, baseball cards to dolls, and considered a dip in the swimming pool an adequete bath. Hygiene note: a cholrinated swimming pool that everyone pees in IS NOT going to get you clean, kids.
So of course I find it vastly amusing that my first book is pink with make-up and jewelry on the cover. Ten-year-old Lindsey would be very confused.
3. I might be in the minority of YA authors here, but I really liked being a teenager. In high school, I participated in sports, theater, student council, honor society…. yeah, I was that hyper girl you wanted to dial down. Or punch (PSA: Don’t punch your classmates). Mostly, I loved how everything was new and my perspective on the world was constantly shifting, thanks largely to the literature I read, which ranged from Vonnegut to scandalous romance novels.
That doesn’t mean I didn’t have my own drama. I spent way too much time in front of the mirror wishing I had longer hair/a cuter nose/skinnier ankles. I stressed out major on things I couldn’t control. Still, if I could go back for a day, I would (if anything just to tell teenaged Lindsey the poofy bangs were NOT A GOOD IDEA).
4. I’ve been lucky to have three of the best jobs in the world. I went to school to be an elementary school teacher and taught for a couple of years. I loved how every year–every DAY–involved something new. And I LOVED the literature I shared with my students. Reading and discussing books was my favorite part of the job.
When I had my oldest daughter, I decided to switch to part-time substitute teaching so I could stay home with my baby. Thing is, my baby enjoyed long naps (that’s my girl) so I found myself with time and the desire to take on something impossible. I started to write during her naps. Then I did it at night. Then I did it every spare moment I could, until now, years later, I have three babies and three books with three more on the way (Books! NOT BABIES). Best part? If I don’t get dressed or leave my comfy writing chair, that usually means I’ve had a productive day.
5. Ummm, bios are hard to write. I think I covered the basics. It’s not like I’m going to mention the embarrassing stuff, like when I peed my pants two days in a row in first grade. Or the time I was carrying a bunch of pies in the high school quad, TRIPPED, then had to pay for the smooshed treats. Oh, and don’t get me started on the time I thought I’d hung up the phone after talking to this boy I liked. I proceeded to tell my friend how hot I thought he was, and of course, he was still sitting there on the phone, listening to my lameness.
Maybe I should stop now.
PRESS KIT
Interviews: If you are interested in writing an article about me, please contact me at
contact at lindsey leavitt dot com
and we can set up an interview–phone, email, skype or in person local.
Book Info:
THE ROYAL TREATMENT
ISBN: 978-1423121930
Disney*Hyperion
$16.99 * ages 10 up
Publication date: May 3, 2011
SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD
Bloomsbury
ISBN 978-1-59990-498-6
16.99 * Ages 12 and up
Publication date: March 1, 2011
PRINCESS FOR HIRE
Disney-Hyperion
ISBN 978-1-4231-2192-3
$16.99 • Ages 10 and up
Publication date: March 16, 2010
Downloads
PRINCESS FOR HIRE Cover High Resolution
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