Catherine Gilbert Murdock's "Heaven Is Paved with Oreos"

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Catherine Gilbert Murdock grew up on a small farm in Connecticut and now lives in suburban Philadelphia with her husband, two brilliant unicycling children, several cats, and a one-acre yard that she is slowly transforming into a wee, but flourishing ecosystem. She is the author of several books, including the popular Dairy Queen series starring lovable heroine D. J. Schwenk, Princess Ben, and Wisdom's Kiss.

About her new novel, Heaven Is Paved with Oreos, from the publisher:

Fourteen-year-old Sarah Zorn intends to spend the Wisconsin summer with her “boyfriend” Curtis, waiting for a dead calf named Boris to decompose in time for the science fair. Her plans upend, however, when her fake-boyfriend strategy goes seriously awry just as her hippie Grandma Z invites her on a last-minute Roman holiday. As Sarah explores Italy’s ancient wonders, she can’t stop “boy-liking” Curtis ... or puzzling over her grandmother’s odd behavior. Written as Sarah’s journal, this satisfying middle grade novel navigates the murky waters of first love, friendship, and family with heart and good humor.

Here Murdock dreamcasts an adaptation of Heaven Is Paved with Oreos:

Ooooh, who would play my characters in a movie ... I love this.

Sarah would be played by a girl I met in Madison, Wisconsin, about four years ago. She's too old for the part now, and of course she's not a household name, but she had this wide-eyed wonder about the world, and writing, that I found absolutely charming. Think of an extremely young and innocent Heather Graham.

Z could be any number of amazing actresses of a certain age ... Diane Keaton, perhaps? This question is much harder than I thought it would be!

I do know one thing: Skandar Keynes would play Tips in Wisdom's Kiss, my last book. I'm pretty sure I wrote the part with him in mind.

Learn more about the book and author at Catherine Gilbert Murdock's website.

--Marshal Zeringue