This week YA Author Elizabeth Foscue took over our Twitter as a part of our weekly Thursday Twitter Takeover. Elizabeth Foscue is the author of Pest (See YEM’s interview of Elizabeth Foscue here.) See highlights from the takeover below.
Hi, I’m @ElizabethFoscue and I’m taking over this account for the afternoon to tell you all about myself, my book, Pest, and answer any questions you might have about writing, pests, or anything else. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll write you some fiction. #YAauthortakeover
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) March 10, 2022
I wrote Pest because a very talented friend, Patrick Weaver, sent me a poem as a joke. It was parody of Robert W. Service’s “Shooting of Dan McGrew” but the characters in Patrick’s poem mine guano instead of gold. It's hilarious and brilliant. Here’s a bit of it. pic.twitter.com/uV4nuvh5S4
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) March 10, 2022
As it happens, the first time I ever read “The Shooting of Dan McGrew” was in a book by Charlotte McLeod called The Grub-And-Stakers Pinch a Poke. I thought if she could write a cozy mystery novel around the original, perhaps I could write a YA mystery around Patrick’s. pic.twitter.com/LxxAXfPiMl
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) March 10, 2022
Of course, every mystery needs a sleuth and (in this age of Ring doorbells) every sleuth needs one of two things: Veronica Mars-level sneaking skills or a good excuse for snooping around where they don’t belong.
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) March 10, 2022
And so began the story of Hallie Mayhew, high school senior and busy girl. Santa Barbara may be paradise, but for Hal, it’s just a fancy place to work.
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) March 10, 2022
Hal also helps out with her mom’s koi pond service. This is an unpaid gig but she does it to keep the peace between her bickering, divorced parents. My thanks to the koi feeding staff at @HyattHB for answering all my weird questions about fish weights and fin rot. pic.twitter.com/bMbrboFBuf
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) March 10, 2022
Imagine one person working all these side gigs—while attending high school—and you’ll get a sense of what Hal is facing as she stumbles through the lavish estates of Montecito and mean streets of Santa Barbara in pursuit of college scholarships, justice, and maybe even romance.
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) March 10, 2022
I had entirely too much fun writing that restaurant concept into the book. My gopher buddy/muse is from @Funko Pop’s Caddyshack collection and I grew up with the movie.
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) March 10, 2022
Coincidentally, the Danny character in Caddyshack—like Hal—spends most of the movie in pursuit of a college scholarship (for caddies.) That scholarship was based on a real scholarship offered to caddies at the Indian Hill Country Club outside of Chicago.
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) March 10, 2022
Something in the book that is real? The boy-next-door’s yard. Spencer may not exist, but his fabulous pool certainly does. It belongs to some neighbors, and it is—as described—lovely, well-heated, and surrounded by a substantial wall. pic.twitter.com/pIuD63deeS
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) March 10, 2022
Friends, my time is nearly up, and I could use a snack. Many, many thanks to @YoungEntMag for letting me borrow their twitter this afternoon.
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) March 10, 2022
If you’d like to learn more about Pest (or pre-order it!) you can do so at any of the usual places, particularly @chaucersbooks https://t.co/ahcEhK4SJZ or @turnerpub https://t.co/bvTj3JKawn . And feel free to DM me with questions @Elizabethfoscue . Bye! pic.twitter.com/gIS43Irs0H
— Young Entertainment Magazine (@YoungEntmag) March 10, 2022
