For aspiring artist Amanda Walsh, who only half-jokingly goes by the nickname Zero, the summer before college was supposed to be fun—plain and simple. Hanging out with her best friend Jenn, going to clubs, painting, and counting down the days until her escape. But when must-have scholarship money doesn't materialize, and she has a falling out with Jenn that can only be described as majorly awkward, and Zero's parents relationship goes from tense to relentless fighting, her prospects start looking as bleak and surreal as a painting by her idol Salvador Dali. Will life truly imitate art? Will her new, unexpected relationship with a punk skater boy who seems too good to be real and support from the unlikeliest of sources show Zero that she's so much more than a name.
Tom was born and raised in Arizona, where he lives with his wife. From the first time his second-grade teacher asked him to read to the first graders a short story he'd written, he was hooked. Writing fiction has been a part of his life ever since.
Tom has more than twenty-two years of theatre experience as an actor and director. He is the former Artistic Director of two companies: Is What It Is Theatre, a community theatre company; and Chyro Arts Venue, a mixed-use venue hosting theatre, live music, visual art, spoken word, independent film, and other arts. Tom is currently writing young adult fiction full time.
"The best part of the job is the school visits," he says. "I love meeting teachers, librarians, and students, talking about writing, publishing, and life in general. I write YA because for all the drama and trauma I went through in high school, it was still one of the best times of my life. When you're a student, anything is possible. The best stories are found in that time of life."
Tom is the author of PARTY, a YA novel told from 11 different points of view. His second YA novel, ZERO, is due out in Spring 2012.
