Featured Blogger (11): Mya of Dissecting Perfection!

You might remember Mya of Dissecting Perfection from winning my Support Teen Lit giveaway with her fantastic entry how she keeps on reading even while traveling everywhere. A while later she asked me to contribute to this awesome Summer YA Playlist that a lot of other bloggers and authors have contributed to! (You should check it out--lots of new songs for your summer playlist there!) Well, as I've gotten to know her more and more, she really struck me as a kindred spirit of sorts. Read this interview to find out why. :)

1. Welcome, Mya! Tell us about yourself in a few short sentences.

I’m not a teen anymore but you won’t catch anyone calling me an adult either! I’m a student and a research assistant – basically a science geek who loves to write. I’m a photographer but am deathly afraid of being photographed. I want to grow up to be a radio show host, an author, the next American Idol, a magazine editor, Nigella Lawson, a New Yorker, or Steph Su ;o)

2. Oh hah hah hah, you're hilarious, Mya. :P Tell us about your blog. When did you start it and why? Where did the name come from? What interesting things can visitors expect?

Dissecting Perfection is only a few months old in practice, but it was actually born years ago. I went to a women’s college, so my friends and I spent a lot of time talking about icky, girly things like feelings and guys and clothes, only in a more intellectual context. One day someone started talking about how all these fictitious lawyers would make a great substitute for her law student and world-class douchebag of a boyfriend at the time, and that sparked a whole discussion about how popular fictitious characters would fare as real-life guys. That got my brain rolling for a “hot-or-not” for fiction. I get less time to write character profiles these days, but that was the basic premise for the blog initially! There will be more, I promise. In the meantime, visitors can enjoy my incredibly amateur-ish reviews, which are more my thoughts on a book and recommendations from a friend. As for the name, I think my blog’s banner explains it better than words could!

3. A while ago you compiled a summer music playlist from the recommendations of authors and bloggers. How important is music to you, and how do you see it affecting your life?

Oooh, that playlist was marvelous fun. Music is my life! I know that’s a cliché thing to say these days, but I really and truly couldn’t function without music. I have to have something playing in my lab, while I write, while I read, while I drive… even as I fall asleep. Every song evokes a certain feeling, and every song tells a story, no matter how many times you listen to it. I’m kind of the female equivalent of Owen Armstrong (Just Listen), anger management issues included! Also, I’m insanely bad at making friends, so my friends are usually people who connect with me based on my playlists or my jukebox picks. As Owen said: “[…]music is the great uniter. An incredible force. Something that people who differ on everything and anything else can have in common.”

4. Aw, that's a nice quote. (And also, I can't believe you actually found a quote to use in your interview, you crazy nerdy person, hehehe.) Quick! Name 3 favorite books and why you think everyone should read them.

Oh God, three?! That’s just evil. Okay 3 books (not including series), real quick:

• If I Stay – Gayle Forman: This was one of the books you sent me! I think it’s an absolutely gorgeous, thought-provoking novel that applies to anyone who’s experienced any kind of loss or failure. Do you give up or do you pick up the pieces and fight on? It’s a stunner, and a guaranteed tearjerker!

• Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne: Okay, don’t laugh. I’m dead serious about this one. It’s one of the very few books from my childhood that I’ve kept (alongside my Dr. Seuss collection) and I bought a copy for each of my sisters when they finished the first grade. Why? Because Christopher Robin’s the kid in all of us, and it’s a lifelong reassurance that having a healthy imagination and hare-brained ideas is actually a good thing. Forget Disney, this is the real essence of Pooh!

• My Sister’s Keeper – Jodi Picoult: When I was growing up, John Grisham and law stories were a huge part of my life. So when I first heard about Jodi Picoult, I was immediately drawn to her work, because it’s essentially Grisham with a slightly more feminine, emotional touch. My Sister’s Keeper is one of her best novels ever, notable for its multiple POVs, stunning dialogue and an absolutely heartbreaking premise. Read this BEFORE you watch the movie, I beg you!


5. As you wrote in your winning entry for my giveaway, you've had an unusual childhood, traveling the world constantly. What are some of the best things you got out of your unique experience?

That’s a no-brainer. My favorite part of traveling was always the people I met and the amazing friends I made. I still have “best friends” in all parts of the world, and I’m insanely grateful for every single one of them. They’ve made me who I am today. Being able to share thoughts on books, music and life in general with all kinds of people all over the world – that’s what I live for, even on the web.

6. What is your dream pet?

Sigh. I love animals (especially puppies!). But I can’t have pets because of a) my dad’s allergies, and b) how much I travel *sadface*. My sister adopted a kitty for a while not long ago, though, and I loved him to pieces for the month he got to live with us! My dream pet, I guess, would be anything that’s easy to transport overseas (sea monkeys, perhaps?)

7. Sea monkeys are definitely transportable. They're hard to kill off, too. :) Which current YA author would you love to meet, and what would you talk to him or her about?

Oh wow, there’s so many I’d like to meet. I’d probably be too starstruck to do more than stare at them in awe, though. J.K. Rowling, Diana Peterfreund, Sarah Dessen, Melissa Walker or Megan McCafferty because they’re old favorites. Jenn Echols, Cindy Pon, Sarah MacLean, Gayle Forman, Saundra Mitchell, etc because I’m in total awe of them and their work. Almost ALLLLLL of the Tenners because I have about a million questions for each of them. Trish Doller because I want to steal her (still unpublished) book and also to extricate the details of this mysterious sekrit Team Llama project she has going on… (I heart llamas, FYI)

8. What are some things you just LOVE to receive for presents? :)

LOL umm, hey, let me think about that for a while =P BOOKS! ALWAYS! But I enjoy electronic gadgets, watches, pens and bags, too. (In that order) Plane tickets are nice, too.

9. And finally, tell us 2 interesting/strange things about yourself that can spark conversation.

I can speak 8 languages and have 18 different accents (bonus: when I panic, I think/speak in everything at once!). And I started first grade at the age of 3.5, which was the first time I found out I was a girl, not a guy. (In my defense, I had the horrendous haircut and the clothes that had me and many strangers fooled. Plus all of my older cousins are guys, and they were the only possible species of children that I knew at that age!)

Thank you Steph! I had a fantastic time answering all these questions! You are amazing. ☺

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No, thank YOU, Mya! That was much fun to read! She has several giveaways going on right now that you might be interested in, and Tenners, she's a huge supporter of you guys! Stop by Dissecting Perfection and tell her I say hello! :)