Monday, August 31, 2015

"Between the Notes"

Sharon Huss Roat grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and now lives in Delaware with her husband (who makes fonts), her son (who makes music), and her daughter (who makes believe!). She worked in public relations for twenty years before deciding what she really wanted to be when she grew up. Between the Notes is her debut novel. When she's not writing (or reading) books for young adults, you might find her planting vegetables in her backyard garden or sewing costumes for a school musical.

Roat applied the Page 69 Test to Between the Notes and reported the following:
From page 69:
I heard the distinctive rumble of Lennie’s Jeep and watched out the front window as he drove off. My chest unclenched the slightest bit, knowing he was gone. “You probably won’t have to go very far to get stuff for your police report.”

Mom raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

“Am I the only one who’s noticed that our neighbor is a drug dealer?”

“Mr. Lazarski?” Mom chuckled. “He’s sixty-five years old and disabled. I hardly think he’s dealing drugs…”

I peered out the kitchen window toward their little house. There was one broken-down car parked in the grass along the far side, and one of those prefab sheds shaped like a miniature barn. I’d seen Lennie coming and going from it, but nobody else had stepped out of the house.

“I wasn’t talking about Mr. Lazarski, Mom. I was talking about his son.”

Mom pulled a box of pasta from the cabinet. “Trust me. We checked everyone out thoroughly before moving here. It’s not a bad neighborhood, sweetie. No arrests, no incidents at all in the past year.”

“That just means they haven’t been caught yet,” I mumbled.
Page 69 is a conversation between protagonist Ivy and her mother. It’s a fairly good representation of their relationship, and definitely gives a glimpse into what’s happening in the book. The page reveals some tension between Ivy and Lennie, the boy next door, as well as her family’s financial hardship and her struggle adjusting to their new, more modest circumstances.
Visit Sharon Huss Roat's website.

--Marshal Zeringue