What is Making Pretty About?
Montana and her sister, Arizona, are named after the mountainous states their mother left them for. But Montana is a New York City girl through and through, and as the city heats up, she’s stepping into the most intense summer of her life.
With Arizona wrapped up in her college world and their father distracted by yet another divorce, Montana’s been immersing herself in an intoxicating new friendship with a girl from her acting class. Karissa is bold, imperfectly beautiful, and unafraid of being vulnerable. She’s everything Montana would like to become. But the friendship with Karissa is driving a wedge between Montana and her sister, and the more of her own secrets Karissa reveals, the more Montana has to wonder if Karissa’s someone she can really trust.
In the midst of her uncertainty, Montana finds a heady distraction in Bernardo. He’s serious and spontaneous, and he looks at Montana in the way she wants to be seen. For the first time, Montana understands how you can become both lost and found in somebody else. But when that love becomes everything, where does it leave the rest of her imperfect life?
With Arizona wrapped up in her college world and their father distracted by yet another divorce, Montana’s been immersing herself in an intoxicating new friendship with a girl from her acting class. Karissa is bold, imperfectly beautiful, and unafraid of being vulnerable. She’s everything Montana would like to become. But the friendship with Karissa is driving a wedge between Montana and her sister, and the more of her own secrets Karissa reveals, the more Montana has to wonder if Karissa’s someone she can really trust.
In the midst of her uncertainty, Montana finds a heady distraction in Bernardo. He’s serious and spontaneous, and he looks at Montana in the way she wants to be seen. For the first time, Montana understands how you can become both lost and found in somebody else. But when that love becomes everything, where does it leave the rest of her imperfect life?
Who is Corey Ann Haydu?
is the author of YA novels, OCD LOVE STORY, LIFE BY COMMITTEE, MAKING PRETTY, the middle grade novel, RULES FOR STEALING STARS and the upcoming YA novel THE CAREFUL UNDRESSING OF LOVE. Her second middle grade novel, THE SOMEDAY SUITCASE comes out in June 2017. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and The New School’s Writing for Children MFA program, Corey has been working in children’s publishing since 2009.
In 2013, Corey was chosen as one of Publisher Weekly’s Flying Starts. Her books have been Junior Library Guild Selections, Indie Next Selections, and BCCB Blue Ribbon Selections.
Corey also teaches YA Novel Writing with Mediabistro and adapted her debut novel, OCD LOVE STORY into a high school play, which had its first run in Fall 2015.
Corey lives in Brooklyn with her dog, her fiance, and a wide selection of cheese.
The Interview!!!
1.) What inspired the names for your characters, and why did you chose them?
I like to have characters with names that are a little quirky. I think some of this comes from having a not super common name myself. I don't know many other female Coreys, and it took me a LONG time to grow into the name-- I used to really want a super girly name, and I didn't feel like my name fit me at all. Now I love it. I try to find names that feel a little like that. Names that have a personality all their own. In MAKING PRETTY, I liked the idea of names that matched for the sisters, and that their names are what they have left from their mother.
2.) In your novel Making Pretty, there is a lot of emphasis on plastic surgery and the believe that it can enhance women. Do you think this is a growing problem in our society for just women or for people as a whole, and is that why you chose to write about it?
I think it's an incredibly complicated thing, which is why I chose to support it. Part of feminism is respecting all women's choices, and not shaming anyone for doing things that you yourself might not do. That said, I struggle to understand plastic surgery and what it means for women and specifically for young girls. I really resist the idea that the closer you get to "average" or "perfect" the better you are. I can't abide my that sort of thinking. I also think, living in a patriarchy, we can't pretend that those ideals are heavily dictated by the male gaze. That's certainly troubling. This gets even more troubling when you consider what those beauty standards mean for women of color.
I read a lot about beauty standards as a college student, and those books and articles informed my thinking. I still struggle with wanting to accept myself AND sometimes wishing I was closer to the idea of perfect in my head. And the energy it takes to obsess about the way I look is energy I so wish I could spend elsewhere. I wanted to write about all of that. And I thought a girl with a plastic surgeon father was a perfect way to do that. Not only are society's expectations on Montana, her own father is looking at her with a critical eye. It's a lot for one girl to carry.
3.) Love seems to be the happy ending of Making Pretty, do you think love can always rebuild relationships?
Good question! I'm not a person who would ever say love is "enough". Love is one part of a relationship-- of any kind of relationship. I think Montana is trying to learn about what exactly love means in MAKING PRETTY, and how much of her life it should take up.
4.)How do you think the characters became their self's, and why was it so important that Arizona and Montana see eye to eye again?
So much changes in your teenage years, and while Arizona and Montana were on the same path when they were younger, their differences became more obvious as time went on. So much happened in their family-- that constant shifting around of step mothers affected them both differently. I also think that Arizona going to college changed everything. Not just for Arizona, who got to start her own life, but for Montana who had to learn to navigate her complicated relationship with her father alone. I was the younger sibling growing up as well, and I do think one of the biggest adjustments ever as a younger sibling is when the older sibling leaves home and you're left to figure out your family on your own.
5.) What would you like to say to your readers?
Really just THANK YOU. I wrote for years and year just for myself, and it is such a huge gift to get to write for actual readers now. I hope anyone who picks up by books will give the characters a chance to be flawed and make mistakes and to have complicated relationships. I know it's easy to judge other people and particularly characters in books, but I think it's interesting, as a reader and as a person, to try to understand the WHY when people-- real or fictional-- do things that you wouldn't do yourself.
6.) How do you define yourself?
I don't think I've ever been asked that before! As a feminist, as a person interested in compassion, and as someone who always wants to dig deeper. My parents always taught me that curiosity was more important than things like good grades or being perfect. So I think above almost anything else I'm curious.
Hope you enjoyed!!!
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