Lindsey Leavitt

If you haven't heard of Lindsey Leavitt and her brand new book Princess for Hire, well, all I have to say is WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN????

Here is her American cover

And the British one.

They're both great, but I really dig the retro British look.

Here's the description of Lindsey's book which I totally lifted from her website. Oh wait. Take a moment and look around on her super cool website. I'll give you a moment . . .

Didn't you love the "Old Hollywood / Starlet of the Month" section? Me too. Okay, back to the description of Princess for Hire:

Coming from Disney-Hyperion in March 2010 Egmont UK in February 2010

When a flawlessly dressed woman steps out of an

iridescent bubble and wants to know, like, now if you’d like to become a substitute princess, do you

a) run

b) faint

c) say Yes!

For Desi Bascomb, who’s been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life, the choice is a definite C–that is, once she can stop pinching herself. As her new agent Meredith explains, Desi has a rare magical ability: when she applies the ancient Egyptian formula “Royal Rouge,” she can transform temporarily into the exact lookalike of any princess who needs her subbing services. Dream come true, right?

Well, Desi soon discovers that subbing involves a lot more than wearing a tiara and waving at cameras. Like, what do you do when a bullying older sister puts you on a heinous crash diet? Or when the tribal villagers gather to watch you perform a ceremonial dance you don’t know? Or when a princess’s conflicted sweetheart shows up to break things off–and you know she would want you to change his mind?

In this hilarious, winning debut, one girl’s dream of glamour transforms into something bigger: the desire to make a positive impact. And an impact Desi makes, one royal fiasco at a time.

Sounds really great. Yes?

Lindsey was kind enough to grant us an interview, and she will be here in Oxford at Square Books, Jr. tomorrow from

4:00 to 6:00.

If you could cast Desi in the movie, who would you cast?

My new favorite TV show is Modern Family and I LOVE Ariel Winter, who plays the smart, snarky Alex.

The best part is she’s not 19 playing a 13-year-old, so even if the movie was in production for awhile, she’d still look like a teenager.

Are the princesses that Desi stands in for based on real life princesses?

Yes and no. All the countries and monarchies are fictional conglomerates of various cultures. I always note a vague region where these countries lie, but they aren’t based on one single country or person.

Now, the situations the girls face our situations any teen girl can encounter. I really wanted to show that every girl, peasant or princess, has their own drama to get through. Princesses just have the luxury of paying someone else to help out.

If you could stand in for a real royal, who would it be?

Queen Rania of Jordan. She’s a huge advocate for education and women’s rights. She’s gorgeous and smart and kind. But if I could do just one day, I’d hop into her wedding because she had the yummiest cake I’ve ever seen.

Oh, maybe I should have said something more profound and political, huh? Nevermind. Check out this cake. She had two of them and they got to cut it with a sword.

A

SWORD.

Why is it easier for Desi to fix the princesses lives and NOT her own?

Even though she's acting as someone else, it is still acting in a way. It's not Desi's reality. I mean, I always gave my girlfriends smashing boy tips, but couldn’t even talk to my own crush. Listening to yourself, to your own advice, takes courage and Desi finds that courage through walking in other girl’s shoes. Er, heels.

Name something strange that we would find on the floor of your car.

Oh, so this is the Make Other People Feel Good Because They Are Less Messy part of the interview, huh? I kid thee not, there is a banana peel there now that I didn’t pick up from this morning. Maybe yesterday morning. Also, library books I need to take back, a cup lid, gum wrappers and a tennis ball that keeps rolling out of my car (yet I just keep throwing it back in).

Thanks Lindsey!!

Sarah Frances and Katie