It is our pleasure to have with us today Alexandra Diaz, author of Of All Stupid Things which was released in December. Alexandra shares with us how growing up and being home-schooled shows up in her writing. Thanks so much Alexandra, take it away…

“How Home-Schooling Inspired My Writing”

My schooling was quite unconventional compared to my friends. While my friends rode off to first grade in a yellow school bus, I went to a Montessori school where they didn’t know what grades (neither years nor marks) meant. In high school when kids stayed up late to study for tests, I was up all night with a goat in labor. In many ways I envied the “normal” childhood of others and wanted very much to be a part of it. Or at least the idealized part of it: high school drama (both on and off stage), the teachers passionate about their boring subjects, friendships, and the overall sense of belonging to the “school community”.

To make up for that, all the stories I wrote as a teen had a strong school life. It was my way of experiencing and relishing in what I didn’t have. The initial idea might be triggered by something I read or saw, but then my imagination would take it from there and fully develop the character and situation. I still work very much the same way, building on something that I find intriguing or interesting and seeing where it goes. That’s one of the greatest things of having a good imagination is that I can take a simple idea and run with it. The result makes me feel like I lived through it, making up for the fact that my life was/is very different.

Had I really wanted to, I could have gone to public school. Even though my mom was against it, I would have found a way. But even then, I knew that school was more interesting in my head than in reality. And I did ultimately enjoy the liberty I experienced through my alternative schooling. I guess I always figured it’s better to have something kept mysterious and intriguing than to realize that it’s none of the above.

About Alexandra:

Alexandra Diaz is a Cuban-American spending her time between Bath, England, Santa Fe, NM, and the rest of the world. She has an MA in Writing for Young People and has led various workshops since she was fourteen. As a result of being home-schooled for most of high school, she’s fascinated by teenage school life and the drama that occurs in those quarters. One of the reasons she writes is to experience life in someone else’s shoes. She is a “jenny of all trades” having worked as a nanny, teacher, film extra, tour guide, and dairy goat judge (seriously) among several other jobs. In addition to traversing the world, she enjoys hiking, swing dancing, and the prospect of flying. Find out more at : http://alexandra-diaz.com/

About Of All Stupid Things:

When a rumor starts circulating that Tara’s boyfriend has been with one of the guy cheerleaders, the innuendo doesn’t just hurt Tara. It marks the beginning of the end for three lifelong friends.

Tara’s training for a marathon, but also running from her fear of abandonment from her father.


Whitney Blaire seems to have everything, but an empty mansion and absentee parents leave her looking for her own value in the wrong places.


And Pinkie has a compulsive need to mother everyone to make up for the mama she’s never stopped missing.


Then the new girl arrives in school and Tara starts to feel things she’s never felt for before for a girl. Can the girls’ friendship survive when all the rules have changed?

Places to buy:
amazon.com
barnesandnoble.com
bookdepository.com
chapters.indigo.ca

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