Gothamist interview with Carl Lennerz, Cursed by a Happy Childhood, Blogger, Publishing Insider

I first saw this book in a catalog insert at BEA and thought it sounded really touching, then I started emailing with Carl because I won a book in a contest from a HarperCollins newsletter he edits. Check out the interview and the excerpt and his Publishing Insider blog too! Here's my intro, click through for the interview:

Carl Lennertz is a true publishing insider, and he's got the blog of the same name to prove it to prove it. On the HarperCollins blog, he shares details about both the business of bookselling, as well as random news of contests, poetry, credit card advice, memories, and other miscellanea, or, in his words, "books, music, movies, the big picture, and absurd rants." A thirty-year veteran of the book industry, the 53-year-old Long Island native has worked at various bookstores, as well as Book Sense, Knopf and Random House, before landing at HarperCollins, where he serves as VP of Independent Retailing.

But what prompted him to make the leap to becoming an author was his daughter's impending entry into the often-tumultuous teenage years. He began recording mini life lessons for her, about everything from music to eyeglasses to jobs, jealousy, teachers, and time, and soon founds they might be applicable to other parents attempting to bridge the generation gap and share honest advice and memories without being patronizing or condescending. The result, Cursed by a Happy Childhood: Letters from a Dad to a Daughter, was originally published in 2004 with the subtitle "Tales of Growing Up, Then and Now," and was just released in paperback. Interspersed with his quick hits of wisdom are classic albums paired with each essay to add flavor to the piece. It's clear from reading this extended love letter to childhood⎯his own and his daughter's⎯that Lennertz cares passionately about letting kids grown and learn at their own pace, with a little help from books, music, and the community surrounding them. Gothamist emailed Lennertz about his parenting learning curve, city kids vs. rural kids, being a writing "impostor," and the mysterious art of predicting the next bestseller.