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WORK TITLE: The Stand-In
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S): Bloom, Steven Lawrence
BIRTHDATE: 1956
WEBSITE: http://www.stevenlbloom.com/
CITY:
STATE: MA
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0089237/ * http://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/2016/10/05/serena-chase-ya-recommended-read-the-stand-in-steve-bloom/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born 1956; married Jennifer; children: two daughters.
EDUCATION:Attended Brown University and the University of Southern California.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Producer and writer. Has produced films, including Tall Tale, The Sure Thing, and James and the Giant Peach.
AVOCATIONS:Tennis.
WRITINGS
The Stand-In has been optioned for film.
SIDELIGHTS
Steve Bloom is a writer and film and television producer. He has produced films, including James and the Giant Peach, Tall Tale, and The Sure Thing. Bloom attended the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, as well as Brown University.
In 2016, Bloom released his first novel, The Stand-In. The volume began as a film script, but it never went into production. Bloom decided to rework the story and publish it as a young adult novel. Ironically, The Stand-In was optioned for film not long after having been published. In an interview with Alix Reid, contributor to the Lerner Books Web site, Bloom explained that a conversation with one of his tennis buddies inspired the story. Referring to his friend, Bloom stated: “His daughter’s prom was coming up and she had her heart set on going but her date suddenly cancelled at the last minute. Her father asked if my daughter might know someone who could escort her instead. A loud bell went off that this was an idea worth writing about.” The protagonist of The Stand-In is a high school senior named Brooks Rattigan. Brooks’s father is a humble letter carrier, but Brooks has aspirations of upward social mobility. His near-future goal is to attend Columbia University. Brooks learns that his classmate’s cousin’s family might be willing to offer money in exchange for taking the cousin to her school’s homecoming dance. He tells his classmate that he will be the cousin’s date. The cousin’s parents are grateful to Brooks and give him 300 dollars. Brooks is thrilled with his windfall and decides to become The Stand-In. He begins marketing his services to date-less girls looking for someone to go with to parties and dances. Brooks quickly becomes busy, escorting girls to events every weekend. He earns enough to quit working at the local sandwich shop. Though Brooks is happy with the money he is earning, he discovers that his new job is not as easy as he thought it would be. Some of his dates prove to be difficult. The worst of the batch is the demanding Celia Lieberman. Meanwhile, he negotiates problems with his friends and deals with his crush on Shelby Pace.
Bloom discussed his similarities to Brooks in an interview with Cori Urban, writer on the Mass Live Web site. He stated: “My wife maintains we are one and the same, even though I’m four decades older! I readily admit to having most of Brooks’s bad qualities, and hope I have a few of his redeeming ones. In any event, I wanted an imperfect, flawed hero. Saints are boring.” In the same interview with Urban, Bloom commented on his book’s relatively light-hearted premise. He remarked: “So many of the current YA books I read as research are so turgid and tragic. … High school was plenty traumatic for me without me experiencing any of these things.”
The Stand-In received mixed assessments from critics. Voice of Youth Advocates reviewer Loryn Aman suggested: “The Stand-In has humor, romance, and a definite dose of fun, and is a good choice for reluctant readers willing to deal with the SAT vocabulary thrown in throughout the story.” “Heightened antics abound, but the jokes begin to languish as Bloom ticks off familiar boxes,” remarked a Publishers Weekly contributor. Ashley Leffel, critic in School Library Journal, commented: “This tale will resonate with young adults looking for a unique coming-of-age story.” A Kirkus Reviews writer described the volume as “a half-funny, half-tired novel with a fine protagonist to half-root for.” Writing on the Happy Ever After Web site, Serena Chase opined: “A fun read with which upper high school teens can relate, The Stand-In has a John Hughes-esque feel and several positive, subtle themes woven throughout”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, August 22, 2016, review of The Stand-In, p. 114.
School Library Journal, October, 2016, Ashley Leffel, review of The Stand-In, p. 108.
Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 2016, Aman Loryn, review of The Stand-In, p. 56.
ONLINE
Happy Ever After, http://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/ (October 5, 2016), Serena Chase, review of The Stand-In.
Kirkus Reviews Online, https://www.kirkusreviews.com/ (August 1, 2016), review of The Stand-In.
Lerner Books Web site, http://lernerbooks.blogspot.com/ (August 24, 2016), Alix Reid, author interview.
Mass Live, http://www.masslive.com/ (November 9, 2016), Cori Urban, author interview.
Steve Bloom Home Page, http://www.stevenlbloom.com/ (May 23, 2017).*
A screenwriter for TV and movies, Steve Bloom attended Brown University and the graduate film production program at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. Among his produced credits are the films “The Sure Thing,” “Tall Tale” and “James and the Giant Peach.” “The Stand-In” is his first novel. Bloom lives in western Massachusetts with his wife, Jennifer, and their French bulldog Ricky.
A screenwriter for TV and movies, Steve Bloom attended Brown University and the graduate film production program at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. Among his produced credits are "The Sure Thing," "Tall Tale" and "James and the Giant Peach." "The Stand-In" is his first novel. Bloom lives in western Massachusetts with his wife, Jennifer, and their bulldog, Ricky.
QUOTED: "My wife maintains we are one and the same, even though I'm four decades older! I readily admit to having most of Brooks's bad qualities, and hope I have a few of his redeeming ones. In any event, I wanted an imperfect, flawed hero. Saints are boring."
"So many of the current YA books I read as research are so turgid and tragic. ... High school was plenty traumatic for me without me experiencing any of these things."
'The Stand-In' from Amherst screenwriter Steve Bloom geared for young readers
By Cori Urban | Special to The Republican
on November 09, 2016 at 10:01 AM, updated November 09, 2016 at 10:07 AM
"The Stand-In" is Steve Bloom's debut book, and of course the Amherst writer hopes it is going to be a stand-out read for young adults - and even a movie.
"The Stand-In" began as a screenplay, which Bloom originally wrote almost 10 years ago. It was optioned a number of times by various movie production companies, including Warner Brothers.
"Although a succession of fairly big name actors and directors - including Zac Efron, Shia LaBeouf and Garry Marshall - were attached to the script over the years, it never quite got over the hump and got made," said Bloom, of Amherst.
He has been a working screenwriter for more than 30 years. His first screenplay, "The Sure Thing," went into production when he was just out of film school. Since then, he has received credits on eight produced movies but was employed by the studios to work on dozens more - originals, rewrites, adaptations. "I tried my hand at an array of genres, among them have been Young Adult stories. 'The Sure Thing' was a Young Adult movie and it became kind of sub-specialty," he said. "The teenage years remain a very rich and vivid time to me. My wife says it's because I haven't really grown up since then."
Though he still is involved in screenwriting, Bloom is trying to transition to being a book writer.
Increasingly, studios have become more conservative and reluctant to make "original" material - that is content not based on an underlying brand such as a pre-existing video game, TV series or book, he explained. So he decided to try to create a brand by turning the screenplay into a book. "My hope was that the book would be successful enough to be optioned by a film company, which would then hire me to write the screenplay - which already existed!"
Ironically, the day he got the publishing deal for the book, Awesomeness Films contacted him out of the blue about the script, which was optioned and purchased. The movie, he has been told, is currently ramping to go into production.
The book, "The Stand-In," came out Oct. 1 and features 17-year-old Brooks Rattigan, who really wants to go to Columbia University but doesn't quite have the funds to do so. When he agrees to be a stand-in Homecoming date for a friend's geeky but wealthy cousin, he realizes becoming a rent-a-date for the socially awkward could help him earn college money.
The author describes the book as comedy from a guy's point of view that girls can also relate to -- with a little social satire about a class system that is fast approaching a caste system.
Like many good ideas, the idea for the story "fell out of the sky," said Bloom, father of two daughters ages 27 and 24.
The Stand-In
He was playing tennis with an acquaintance whose daughter played on the same soccer team as one of his. "His daughter's prom was coming up and her date had suddenly canceled. His daughter really wanted to go, and he asked if me if my daughter knew anyone who might escort her. A stand-in," he recalled. "I asked myself what would happen if such a person did exist. Why would he do it on a regular basis? For money. Why would he need money? It snowballed from there."
Asked if he in any way relates to Brooks, Bloom responded in the affirmative. "My wife maintains we are one and the same, even though I'm four decades older! I readily admit to having most of Brooks's bad qualities, and hope I have a few of his redeeming ones. In any event, I wanted an imperfect, flawed hero. Saints are boring."
He hopes the message young adult readers get from this book is that they need to lighten up. "It's not as dire as it may seem," he said. "So many of the current YA books I read as research are so turgid and tragic. Cancer, addiction, physical deformities, sexual abuse, suicide, parents dying in fiery car crashes. High school was plenty traumatic for me without me experiencing any of these things."
Young Adult works he likes include "Youth In Revolt" by C.D. Payne and Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer" and "Huckleberry Finn," Sherman Alexie's "The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-Time Indian" and Jeff Kinney's books. "All are fun, funny and wise," he said.
And what are his top three things that make for a good Young Adult book: It should be involving, entertaining and thought provoking.
In the case of "The Stand-In," the Young Adult genre "kind of just chose me," Bloom said. "I had the screenplay and always thought there was something there worth continuing to pursue."
He is currently working on a middle-grade fantasy,"Gryff."
QUOTED: "His daughter’s prom was coming up and she had her heart set on going but her date suddenly cancelled at the last minute. Her father asked if my daughter might know someone who could escort her instead. A loud bell went off that this was an idea worth writing about."
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Q&A with Steve Bloom, author of THE STAND-IN
The Stand-In by Steve Bloom is set to hit the stores October 1st. It’s a hilarious rom-com, an antidote to some of the grimmer YAs out there, about blue-collar Brooks Rattigan, who becomes a stand-in date for the daughters of the elite who don’t have anyone to take them to the milestone parties of senior year. Brooks soon gets sucked into the world of privilege and perks, and starts cutting a few moral corners to be accepted by the one-percent crowd. Of course, because this is a funny book, with a hilarious protagonist, all turns out well, and Brooks ends up with the right girl on his arm.
I wanted to take the opportunity to interview the author, Steve Bloom, about the book, because it has such an unusual history.
First, Steve, how did the idea for this story come to you?
Years ago, I was playing tennis with an acquaintance of mine whose daughter was on a soccer team with my daughter. His daughter’s prom was coming up and she had her heart set on going but her date suddenly cancelled at the last minute. Her father asked if my daughter might know someone who could escort her instead. A loud bell went off that this was an idea worth writing about.
You initially wrote The Stand-In as a screenplay. What was the experience like of taking a screenplay and turning it into a book?
Challenging and liberating.
Challenging because I’d never written prose before and had to use new muscles I had to learn how to write new conventions, not to mention overcome some major insecurities. As a screenwriter, I’ve never perceived myself as a writer with a capital “W” which is how I think of book authors.
Liberating because the old rules I was used to no longer applied. Feature scripts are roughly 105-120 pages and fifty or so scenes long. Books have no set length. In screenplays, character is revealed through external action. Books allow you to go into your characters’ heads, to spell out how they’re thinking while they’re thinking it. There are no limits.
When you wrote The Stand-In as a book, did you make any significant changes?
Structurally not too much, but I was able to get to dig deeper into my characters and get to know them better. I added about one third brand new material. Mostly I added more about the college admissions process, a target I’ve had fixed in my sights for awhile now, particularly after going through it all over again with my daughters.
The book is now in production to be made into a movie. Can you tell us a little about that?
Strange but true story. Literally the week that I got the publishing deal with blessed Carolrhoda Lab for the novel -- years after I had written off the script -- I got an email out of the blue from the head of Awesomeness Films saying they wanted to option it. They have since purchased the screenplay and are currently in pre-production. So hopefully The Stand-In will be coming soon to a movie theater near you or at the very least to your nearest computer.
Thank you for your time, Steve! I absolutely adore the freshness of Brooks’s voice and the hilarious twists and turns of the plot, and find the ending completely satisfying. I’m excited that the book will soon get into the hands of readers!
By Alix Reid at 4:17 PM
QUOTED: "The Stand-In has humor, romance, and a definite dose of fun, and is a good choice for reluctant readers willing to deal with the SAT vocabulary thrown in throughout the story."
Bloom, Steve. The Stand-In
Loryn Aman
39.5 (Dec. 2016): p56.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
3Q * 2P * S
Bloom, Steve. The Stand-In. Carolrhoda Lab/Lerner, 2016. 360p. $18.99. 978-1-51241023-5.
Brooks Rattigan has one goal in mind: get in to Columbia. He knows it is a long shot; his verbal SAT score could use a serious boost, he does not have much in the way of extra-curriculars, and he comes from Pritchard, New Jersey, with a no-good, dope-smoking dad. Despite knowing the odds are not in his favor, Brooks is willing to do whatever it takes to make Columbia happen, and step one is finding a job that is better than working at the town's sandwich with his best friend Murf. So begins Brooks's lucrative position as "the stand-in." After offering to go to a winter formal with the wealthy cousin of a classmate, the calls start pouring in with offers to attend dances and parties with other wealthy socialites who, for one reason or another, are unable to secure a date on their own. Brooks is a natural, and before he knows it, every weekend is booked with an event to attend. All the while, he is focused on raising his SAT scores and obsessing over his looming Columbia application. Will Columbia be in his future? Will he draw a line about what he is willing to do for a quick buck?
The Stand-In has humor, romance, and a definite dose of fun, and is a good choice for reluctant readers willing to deal with the SAT vocabulary thrown in throughout the story. Brooks is not the most likeable character, but he is a male protagonist in a semi-romantic young adult title, which is not a common thing. Beyond that, the story itself feels a bit flat, plodding along from dance to dance. The story contains foul language, drug use, underage drinking, and descriptive sexual encounters. This is recommended for libraries looking for books that will appeal to those who want both an easy and a fun read, and, perhaps, those looking for a male lead in a romance.--Loryn Aman.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Aman, Loryn. "Bloom, Steve. The Stand-In." Voice of Youth Advocates, Dec. 2016, p. 56. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA474767907&it=r&asid=2f64c0b6275770b44a74e0180a955458. Accessed 3 May 2017.
QUOTED: "Heightened antics abound, but the jokes begin to languish as Bloom ticks off familiar boxes."
Gale Document Number: GALE|A474767907
The Stand-In
263.34 (Aug. 22, 2016): p114.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
The Stand-In
Steve Bloom. Carolrhoda Lab, $18.99 (360p) ISBN 978-1-5124-1023-5
A pity date with a friend's rich cousin leads high school senior Brooks Rattigan into a lucrative line of work, escorting young women to formal events. His clients are generally high-society nerds and social outcasts, a stark reminder of Brooks's blue-collar New Jersey upbringing and the future at Columbia University he's desperate to secure. In his debut novel, screenwriter Bloom gives Brooks a strikingly irreverent narrative voice, weaving a tale built around standard rom-com moments. As a classic antihero, Brooks proves himself to be shallow and deceptive time and again. His infatuation with gorgeous Shelby Pace is the stuff of teenage fantasies, but he's at his best with faux-date Celia Lieberman, who storms into his life like a cyclone. "Pretend you like me!" she pleads, worried her classmates will find out the truth about her date with Brooks. "I can't!" he protests. "It's beyond my range!" Heightened antics abound, but the jokes begin to languish as Bloom ticks off familiar boxes, including a makeover for Celia and a final scene of prom-night dance-floor harmony. Ages 13-up. Agent: Beth Davey, Davey Literary & Media. (Oct.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Stand-In." Publishers Weekly, 22 Aug. 2016, p. 114+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA461609383&it=r&asid=89fcc8a634d18b91d4c84fcae8d23d07. Accessed 3 May 2017.
QUOTED: "This tale will resonate with young adults looking for a unique coming-of-age story."
Gale Document Number: GALE|A461609383
Bloom, Steve. The Stand-In
Ashley Leffel
62.10 (Oct. 2016): p108.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
BLOOM, Steve. The Stand-In. 360p. ebook available. Carolrhoda Lab. Oct. 2016. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781512410235.
Gr 10 Up--Brooks Rattigan has a plan: do everything in his power to get into Columbia University and out of Pritchard, NJ. When Brooks overhears a classmate trying to find a date for his cousin to homecoming, he offers to take her and becomes The Stand-In. He quits his job at the local sub shop, and what started out as a onetime gesture of goodwill becomes a lucrative business. The teen spends his weekends taking girls to their dances and parties in an attempt to make them feel special and build his college fund. Will Brooks be able to handle college applications, a stoner dad, a slacker best friend, difficult clients, and the girl of his dreams? This tale will resonate with young adults looking for a unique coming-of-age story. The interactions between Brooks and his dates provide humor, hope, and a bit of romance. Plotlines about relationships with parents and friends offer additional depth to the narrative. Some of the threads are resolved a little too neatly and easily. Frequent drug use, language, and sexual content make this a book more suited for older teens. VERDICT A purchase for libraries where realistic fiction and coming-of-age titles are in demand.--Ashkey Leffel, Griffin Middle School, Frisco, TX
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Leffel, Ashley. "Bloom, Steve. The Stand-In." School Library Journal, Oct. 2016, p. 108. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA466166951&it=r&asid=20c1f462ebca2ed6644cc081b41f6ca1. Accessed 3 May 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A466166951
QUOTED: "A fun read with which upper high school teens can relate, The Stand-In has a John Hughes-esque feel and several positive, subtle themes woven throughout"
Must-read YA debut: 'The Stand-In' by Steve Bloom
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By: Serena Chase | October 5, 2016 12:00 am
the-stand-in-by-steve-bloom
The Stand-In by Steve Bloom
What it’s about (from publisher Carolrhoda Lab TM):
When Brooks volunteered to be a stand-in for Burdette’s cousin who got stood up for Homecoming, it was with the noblest of intentions helping a fellow human being, free of charge. But when he gets a tip of more than three hundred bucks, word spreads quickly and Brooks seizes the opportunity to offer his impeccable escort services to super-wealthy parents who want their daughters to experience those big social events of senior year.
Besides, Brooks could use the cash to hire a tutor to get admitted to Columbia University. So what if along the way he goes along with a few minor deceptions and cuts a few moral corners? What could be the harm?
Why you should read it: Don’t be surprised if you want to give angst-driven, hormone-raging point-of-view character Brooks a slap upside the head a time or two while reading, but even so … you can’t help but like the guy. Sure, he’s a totally self-absorbed, in-it-for-number-one type, but Brooks has a soft side beneath his blind ambition, and when he falls for a girl — truly *falls for her* instead of simply lusting after the image she represents in his ambition-skewed world view — he falls hard. It’s kind of adorable.
Laced with humor, heated sexual situations (but not what you might expect) and sex-driven internal boy thoughts that seem pretty darn authentic, this book also has pervasive casual drug use and should be considered reading for older, mature teens. A fun read with which upper high school teens can relate, The Stand-In has a John Hughes-esque feel and several positive, subtle themes woven throughout that will leave teen and adult YA readers with the good vibes of story satisfaction at the end.
Serena Chase is the author of the critically acclaimed Eyes of E’veria series. Book four, The Sunken Realm, is available now. Serena lives in Iowa with her husband and two teen daughters.
QUOTED: "a half-funny, half-tired novel with a fine protagonist to half-root for."
THE STAND-IN
by Steve Bloom
Age Range: 14 - 17
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KIRKUS REVIEW
A smart-aleck teenager who yearns to escape his dilapidated New Jersey town becomes a high school escort in Bloom’s debut novel.
Brooks Rattigan—a superficial yet hardworking letter carrier’s son in his final year of high school—is desperate to attain upper-middle-class comfort. After the white teen offers to take a schoolmate’s dateless cousin to homecoming and scores over 300 bucks from the girl’s grateful parents in the process, he decides to expand his impromptu dating service to secure his path to Columbia University. Soon, Brooks is in the stand-in business, offering himself to girls from affluent families for senior year’s most important social events. Complications come in the form of two girls: Celia Lieberman, a girl with overbearing parents, and Shelby Pace, a socialite goddess. Though the setup seems entertaining enough, the narrative fails to capitalize on its promise to dissect high-class society, underserving its satirical wit in favor of high-strung melodrama. As Brooks slips deeper into the evidently all-white world of the superrich, he finds it hard to balance his demanding, college-bound life with the lies he spins to fit in. Brooks starts off a likable character, but his progressively less-than-admirable behavior is exhausting after 200 pages. And that’s halfway through the novel.
A half-funny, half-tired novel with a fine protagonist to half-root for. (Fiction. 14-17)
Pub Date: Oct. 1st, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5124-1023-5
Page count: 360pp
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Review Posted Online: July 20th, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1st, 2016