What Megan Crane loves about the 80's...plus a book giveaway

**Giveaway is now closed**

Megan Crane is a New Jersey native who was hoping to star on Broadway as Evita. She eventually became a novelist and is known for "Frenemies," "Names My Sisters Call Me," "English as a Second Language" and "Everyone Else's Girl." She now lives in L.A. with a dog, three cats and her husband and is still hoping for a chance to star on Broadway. Her latest novel is a fun look at nostalgia called "I Love the 80's." She's here to talk about her 80's memories and is giving away three copies of this new novel to readers anywhere in the world. "I Love the 80's" is being released in the UK tomorrow. (It can also be purchased on BookDepository.com with no shipping fees.)

If you like what you've read here, check out Megan's blog that she shares with her literary alter-ego, Caitlin Crews. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

MA: What was your favorite fashion fad/trend from the 80's?
MC: I remember really liking to wear as many Swatch watches as I could fit on my arm. Why did I do that? I have no idea. I think I would also wear eight hundred Madonna-like black rubber bracelets on the other arm. I thought this was extremely cool in the eighth grade.

MA: What is your funniest memory from growing up in the 80's?
MC: Aren't all memories from the 80s kind of funny--and sad? I can't decide if I think the decade was so odd because it spanned the conscious part of my youth, or if it was universally ridiculous. I lean toward the latter.

MA: What is one thing that you remember about the 80's that you think others would not remember so easily?
MC: Well, all my personal drama, of course. Happily, that's all mine!

MA: What was your favorite 80's sitcom?
MC: The Golden Girls. I just loved them.

MA: What is one thing from the 80's that you wish were still around today?
MC: My youthful skin. I miss it so.

MP: What is your favorite 80's song?
MC: This is a hard question to answer. I think I have to go with "Save A Prayer" by Duran Duran for the sake of argument (although, really, there are so many choices). That one always works. Such a great song. One of the best things about writing this book was putting together my Eighties music playlist. It's amazing how many of those songs stand up today!

MP: Which 80's movie could you watch over and over again? Why?
MC: Any John Hughes movie. Or any early John Cusack movie. Why? Because they defined my teenaged life!

MP: What inspired you to write a book that is set in the 80's?
MC: A while back, I ended up watching a bunch of 80s videos on YouTube. It was so much fun. I still know all the words to "Club Tropicana" and "Wham! Rap." I still get chills when "Save A Prayer" starts playing. How could you not? I wallowed in my long-dormant crushes on singers like Simon LeBon, Sting (circa Dream of the Blue Turtles), and George Michael.

And I thought, what if one of them had died way back in the day, at the height of their glory? And what if one of the teenage girls who were So In Love With Them They Owned The Six Foot Poster and All the B-Sides grew up still loving them that much? And what if one fine night, that obsessed fan girl (now, say, in her 30s) found herself transported through time to New York in 1987 and got to meet this man of her dreams--who only she knew was destined to die horribly in just over a month?

So, obviously, I had to write that book.

MP: What was one of your favorite activities in the 80's?
MC: My favorite thing to do in the 80s was to write my books in the black and white notebooks I carried everywhere. I wrote in class. I wrote at home. I wrote wrote wrote. It never occurred to me that anything would come of it.

MP: What was your favorite toy, game, or doll in the 80's?
MC: I had a couple of cabbage patch kids. And a pound puppy. (The stuffed animal.) I liked Glamor Gals. I always wanted all the Strawberry Shortcake dolls, but I never got them. Or Barbie. My mother was opposed to Barbie. It just occurred to me to wonder what happened to all those toys... Huh.

Special thanks to Megan for answering our questions and taking everyone on a trip through time, as well as offering the books for the giveaway!


How to win "I Love the 80's":
Please comment below with your e-mail address.
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1. Please tell us: What is one thing from the 80's that you wish were still around today?
2. Please tell us: What is your favorite trend or fad from the 80's?
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Giveaway ends Sunday, March 20th at midnight EST