Contemporary Authors

• Dive Smack - 2018 Tor Teen, New York, NY

• Demetra Brodsky Home Page - https://www.demetrabrodsky.com/media-press/

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  DEMETRA BRODSKY
  DIVE SMACK • 2018 • TOR TEEN/MACMILLAN

  Short and Sweet

  Demetra Brodsky is an award-winning graphic designer & art director turned writer. She has a B.F.A. from The Massachusetts College of Art and Design and lives in Southern California with her family of four and two lovable rescue dogs where she is always trying to make more time for the beach. Dive Smack is dedicated to Pumpkin, the monarch butterfly she once saved from the brink of death. Once you read the book, you'll understand why.

  Long and Sassy

  When I was a student at The Massachusetts College of Art and Design, I was awarded The Leo Zolli Book Award, a distinction given to one senior annually upon graduation who showed a passion for self-directed learning. A passion that has never died and led me to switching careers. Before I became a writer, I was an Art Director and designer, and before that the Director of Exhibits and Creative Services for The Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, New York where I had a direct hand in telling the stories of every artifact and fossil on display. All of that came after working as coat-check girl, waitress, and replacement tooth maker in a dental lab (Creepy but true). I'm a first-generation Greek-American and did not grow up in a house filled with books other than the Greek mythologies and encyclopedias my whip-smart father coveted. Instead, I greedily borrowed stacks of novels from school libraries, gorging myself on Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Lois Duncan, and S.E. Hinton before moving on to V.C. Andrews and Stephen King. In fact, it was S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders that first put the idea of being a writer in my head. So much so that in middle school, I became convinced I would marry Ponyboy Curtis and live on his ranch, conflating the character in the story with the actor. I blame Tiger Beat Magazine for fueling my pre-teen fantasies. It was at that point, however, that I realized the transformative power of fiction. My first hand at storytelling took shape shortly after when I successfully convinced my parents I won a puppy in a spelling bee. Having lived in the United States for multiple decades, my parents have now been apprised of the truth behind that tall tale (err, tail) and the true workings of the American school system. I am a native of Massachusetts living in Southern California with my family of four and two lovable rescue dogs. One of whom is named . . . wait for it . . . Ponyboy Curtis after the fictional boy who made me fall in love with character first. To date, he has lived up to his name. The dog, not the man.

• Jean Book Nerd - http://www.jeanbooknerd.com/2018/06/demetra-brodsky-author-interview.html

  QUOTED: "Dive Smack is about Theo Mackey, a springboard diver who gets assigned a family history project at school that forces him to dig into his mother’s past where he uncovers things that he shouldn’t. It’s as much about his mother’s story as his own, but telling you more would ruin all the fun twists and surprises I have in store for readers. Just know that the springboard diving is used as a metaphor for Theo’s life spiraling out of control."
  "The town of Ellis Hollow got its name from a section of Ithaca, NY, a place where I once lived and befriended the Olympic springboard diver who helped me with the diving scenes."
  "I watched at least a hundred videos of Tom Daley, Kristian Ipsen, and Steele Johnson (yes, that’s his real name) to study their dives before writing those scenes and asking my friend Karen LaFace, a 1992 Olympic Springboard Diver to proof those sections."

  Demetra Brodsky Author Interview
  5:00 AM Demetra Brodsky Author Interview, Dive Smack, JBN, Jean Book Nerd Official Blog Tour 8 comments

  Photo Content from Demetra Brodsky

  Demetra Brodsky is an award-winning graphic designer & art director turned writer. She has a B.F.A. from The Massachusetts College of Art and Design and lives in Southern California with her family of four and two lovable rescue dogs where she is always trying to make more time for the beach. Dive Smack is dedicated to Pumpkin, the monarch butterfly she once saved from the brink of death. Once you read the book, you'll understand why.

  Hardcover: 336 pages
  Publisher: Tor Teen (June 19, 2018)
  Language: English
  ISBN-10: 0765396955
  ISBN-13: 978-0765396952

  Praise for DIVE SMACK

  "A tense psychological drama with a voice that pulls you in and a twist you won't see coming, Dive Smack is an instant Hitchcockian classic!" —Gretchen McNeil, author of Ten

  "A twisty, witty thriller readers will love puzzling through to the very end. A visceral, delightful debut." —Carrie Mesrobian, author of William C. Morris award finalist Sex & Violence

  "This riveting debut will plunge readers into an accelerating coil of twists and turns as if in free fall, plummeting them from a precipice as they cling to the dwindling hope of safe entry into the mysterious darkness below." —S.A. Bodeen, author of The Compound

  "Brodsky’s debut combines an engaging school story, filled with best friend shenanigans, first love, and a fascinating look at competitive diving, with a tense psychological mystery." —Booklist

  "In an impressive debut, Brodsky injects her teen drama with ambiguity, and a subtle hint of paranormal phenomena, leaving readers to guess at what’s really going on. Strong characters and a compelling mystery make this a real page-turner." —Publishers Weekly

  "A taut thriller with a twist ending that will blow your mind." —Kim Liggett, Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author of The Last Harvest

  "Complex, thrilling, and with a pitch-perfect narrative voice, Dive Smack will leave you on the edge of your seat and unable to put this one down." —C. Desir, author of Bleed Like Me

  "Heartbreaking, human and heroic, Dive Smack is a Perfect 10!" —Karen LaFace, 1992 USA Olympic Springboard Diver

  “A taut roller coaster of a thriller chock full of dark family secrets, twisty lies, and finally, the redeeming power of truth.” —Michelle Zink, author of This Wicked Game

  Was there a defining moment during your youth when you realized you wanted to be a writer?
  I lost my job in 2009 during the recession, like so many other people who were negatively affected, and decided to turn what some might see as a negative setback into an opportunity to follow a life long dream. My youngest daughter was devouring the Percy Jackson novels at the time. Being a first generation Greek American, I thought about how much I’ve always wanted to be an author, even though I was pushed by family as a teenager to do something they deemed more practical. I took the chance I had, for better or worse, to freelance and dive (pun acknowledge, not intended) into writing. I knew virtually nothing about writing a book. I had written poetry for years, though, so I set off for my local library and read as many books on the craft as I could carry, dedicated to changing my career and learning everything I could. The rest is a long string of workshops, rejections, and shelved manuscripts until I found myself here, debuting my first novel.

  Why is storytelling so important for all of us?
  Stories have been around since the beginning of man as a way to communicate concepts. The same holds true today. Stories give us hope and remind us we’re not alone in our feelings and struggles. They’re a powerful tool for developing imagination and allowing us to escape our lives in good times and bad. In stories, we can see ourselves as a fierce warrior, the queen, crusader, or the outspoken advocate for justice. We can imagine the stomach flutters of a delicious romance. One of the things I love most about books is that you can describe all five senses. I love films and television stories, too. Don’t get me wrong. But the description of how something tastes or smells; you just can’t get that same depth in film.

  What do you hope for people to be thinking after they read your novel?
  I hope readers will wonder how I tricked them in the final twist. What did they miss?

  Beyond your own work (of course), what is your all-time favorite book and why? Such a hard question because I have so many favorites, so I’m going to go with the book that made me realize I wanted to be a writer and that’s The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I still love it to this day. I remember sitting in the backseat with my library book on a road trip to The Cape with my parents, reading the scene about the fire at the church (Hey! Look at that! Ha! A fire scene; what do you know?). I felt so immersed in the story and the struggle of the brothers growing up without parents, the love they had for their friends and vice versa, that I put the book down and began to daydream about writing. Ponyboy Curtis was my first fictional crush. To be honest, we have a dog named Ponyboy, a sweet, sensitive boy that currently rivals his namesake in my heart.

  What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author?
  When I first started writing and querying and was getting encouraging rejections, Tera Lynn Childs, author of Oh. My. Gods., said to me, “Perseverance is the name of the game.” And she was 100% right. Never give up.

  In your book; DIVE SMACK, can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it?
  Dive Smack is about Theo Mackey, a springboard diver who gets assigned a family history project at school that forces him to dig into his mother’s past where he uncovers things that he shouldn’t. It’s as much about his mother’s story as his own, but telling you more would ruin all the fun twists and surprises I have in store for readers. Just know that the springboard diving is used as a metaphor for Theo’s life spiraling out of control.

  For those who are unfamiliar with Theo, how would you introduce him?
  “Hi, this is Theo. He’s an orphan looking to find out about his mom’s past, and a pretty stand up guy. I think you two should be friends.”

  What part of Iris did you enjoy writing the most?
  Oh, everything! She was so much fun and to write, but her family history was favorite to research and write because like Iris, I’m also the daughter of immigrants.

  What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?
  At the moment, my projects are slightly under wraps, but I can say I have a YA thriller about alien abduction out on submission at the moment, and I’m also working with my editor at Tor Teen on another thriller proposal about siblings, and maybe the end of the world as we know it. I’d tell you more, but . . . I’m a thriller writer and you know how that saying goes. But please, stay tuned for things to come

  If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
  I would want to introduce Iris to Hermione so she could convince her that divination is not so bad, after all.

  At a movie theater, which arm rest is yours?
  The right side. Always. And I have this quirk where if I’m taking a walk with someone, I like to walk on their left side. It’s weird, I know.

  What do you usually think about right before falling asleep?
  I try to give myself a few minutes to think about whatever project I’m working on. I think about the characters and what they might be doing in the next scene. It helps me to get to sleep, perchance to dream (Ha), and in the right mindset for getting to work first thing in the morning.

  If you could be born into history as any famous person who would it be and why?
  Frida Kahlo. She’s a total badass feminist and an incredible introspective artist with resilience and tenacity beyond measure. I have always been fascinated by her and would love, love, love to write a YA based on her life. In fact, I think I will.

  What is your favorite restaurant in town and why?
  Lobster West. It’s not so much a restaurant as a walk up counter. I love it because the owner has Maine Lobsters flown in to make their lobster rolls. Every time I eat there, I’m transported back to my home state. Lobster and New England seafood is my favorite.

  If you had to go back in time and change one thing, if you HAD to, even if you had “no regrets” what would it be?
  I’d prevent the Holocaust from happening.

  What were you doing at midnight last night?
  This is embarrassing, but I was watching An Extremely Goofy Movie with my grown daughter, laughing about how much she loved it when she was little. Especially, when the friend Bobby claps after a poetry reading and yells, “Arthur. Arthur Miller,” instead of bravo. That’s our favorite scene.

  What are you most passionate about today?
  Literacy. I’m a first generation Greek-American and bilingual. I went to Greek School for six years after regular school, just like in that movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I didn’t grow up in a houseful of books. In fact, my mother can’t read, so libraries and librarians were very important to me in my young life. Without them, I don’t know if I would have such a strong love for reading and writing. When I found out Dive Smack was a 2018 Junior Library Guild Selection, I broke down and cried. That designation means so much to me and I’m extremely grateful my debut novel was chosen. I’m currently looking into how to become a reading and literacy tutor in San Diego.

  Where can readers find you?
  Website: https://www.demetrabrodsky.com/
  Twitter: https://twitter.com/demetrabrodsky
  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/demetrabrodskyauthor/
  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32173182-dive-smack
  Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/demetrabrodsky/dive-smack-a-novel-2018/
  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/demebrodsky/

  TEN FACTS ABOUT DIVE SMACK – SUBMITTED CAREFULLY WITHOUT SPOILERS.
  1. Theo used to have this horrible girlfriend named Kendra Cromwell. Everyone hated her but me so she had to go.
  2. The town of Ellis Hollow got its name from a section of Ithaca, NY, a place where I once lived and befriended the Olympic springboard diver who helped me with the diving scenes.
  3. Green Hill Hospital is modeled after a real place, The Worcester State Hospital in the city where I was born.
  5. The Old Stone Church is a real place in Boylston, MA at the Wachusett Reservoir near where I grew up.
  6. The Cliff Jumping Scenes were inspired by the many gorges in Ithaca, NY. See #2.
  7. I watched at least a hundred videos of Tom Daley, Kristian Ipsen, and Steele Johnson (yes, that’s his real name) to study their dives before writing those scenes and asking my friend Karen LaFace, a 1992 Olympic Springboard Diver to proof those sections.
  8. Lois Duncan once gave me editorial notes on Dive Smack, and she really liked and helped me develop my villain.
  9. I watched so many clips of Dylan O’Brien to study his mannerisms for Chip that he’s easily my favorite character, both in my book and on Teen Wolf.
  10. The town underneath the reservoir is take from the real town buried under the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts. The how town of Ellis Hollow is taken from bits and pieces of the towns in and around Massachusetts where I was born and raised and Ithaca, NY, where I lived for seven years.
  BONUS: I wrote 13 drafts of Dive Smack between 2011 and 2017 and received over a hundred rejections combined from agents and editors.

  Theo Mackey only remembers one thing for certain about the fire that destroyed his home: he lit the match.

  Sure, it was an accident. But the blaze killed his mom and set his dad on a path to self-destruction. Everything else about that fateful night is full of gaping holes in Theo’s mind, for good reason. Maybe it’s better that way. As captain of the Ellis Hollow Diving Team, with straight A's and solid friends, he's only one semester away from securing a scholarship, and leaving his past behind.

  But when a family history project gets assigned at school, new memories come rushing to the surface, memories that make him question what he really knows about his family, the night of the fire, and if he can trust anyone—including himself.

  A 2018 JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION

• Germ - http://www.germmagazine.com/interview-with-author-demetra-brodsky/

  QUOTED: "The diving was inspired by a friend I had in New York who was an Olympic springboard diver, and I was always fascinated by Greg Louganis growing up. Diving as a metaphor for someone’s life spiraling out of control appealed to me. There aren’t that many sports books about springboard diving or water sports, and I wanted to bring something different into the marketplace."
  "The ADHD in the book is really inspired by both myself and my daughter. We put my daughter on this medication that I questioned. What if there was something different in these pills, something that had an opposite effect? Or [what if there was a] doctor that wasn’t a good person and was trying to do an experiment? That’s how those two [ideas] came together."
  "A Dive Smack is when a diver loses control of the dive completely and they land on their back. I thought landing flat on your back for something that you’ve done for your whole life was a good image for what happens to Theo when he finds out the truth about his own life."

  Interview with Author Demetra Brodsky: The World of YA Lit and Writing Thrillers for Teens
  Lit Tips & InterviewsJun 16, 2018
  Demetra Brodsky is the author behind the exciting, dark, and surprisingly funny new thriller Dive Smack, which releases on Tuesday, June 19th. Not only is Brodsky one of the most hilarious and down-to-earth authors I have had the chance of interviewing, but she is also very insightful, having plenty of advice for aspiring writers both young and old. Below I have included the highlights of our conversation at the Ontario Teen Book Festival as well as a short deleted scene provided by the author herself.

  What first inspired you to write about diving and mental illness in your debut novel, Dive Smack?
  The diving was inspired by a friend I had in New York who was an Olympic springboard diver, and I was always fascinated by Greg Louganis growing up. Diving as a metaphor for someone’s life spiraling out of control appealed to me. There aren’t that many sports books about springboard diving or water sports, and I wanted to bring something different into the marketplace.

  The ADHD in the book is really inspired by both myself and my daughter. We put my daughter on this medication that I questioned. What if there was something different in these pills, something that had an opposite effect? Or [what if there was a] doctor that wasn’t a good person and was trying to do an experiment? That’s how those two [ideas] came together.
  .

  How much research went into the diving terminology used throughout Dive Smack?
  So much research went into the diving [aspects of the novel]. I had [Dive Smack] proofread by Karen LaFace who was in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics for the USA, and she said I nailed it; you can’t get a better compliment than that from an Olympic springboard diver. I had to learn the scoring: how they score, what they subtract, what they add, and what they are looking for. I know more about springboard diving than anyone afraid of heights should ever know.
  .

  How would you describe the writing and publishing process for your debut?
  I started writing Dive Smack in 2011, and it’s coming out in 2018. I took feedback from a bunch of agents who were interested but didn’t think it was ready, and I wrote this book thirteen times, so it was a long, grueling process. I had actually given up on it and written something else, and I put this aside. But my friend who is also a writer, Robin Reul, was going on sub with a book and said, “Why don’t you sub with it again?” So I did a small revision on it and put it out on sub, and that’s how I found my agent.
  .

  Did you choose the title of this story, and were there other working titles during the process?
  Yes. There were no working titles; I called it Dive Smack from the get-go. A Dive Smack is when a diver loses control of the dive completely and they land on their back. I thought landing flat on your back for something that you’ve done for your whole life was a good image for what happens to Theo when he finds out the truth about his own life.
  .

  Do you have a favorite scene from Dive Smack without giving away spoilers?
  The title scene of the book when Theo smacks at the quarry with his friends. [This scene] is a good point for readers to see what’s really going on in his mind. I think it really brings everything [together]: the girl he loves, his best friend, and the stuff he is trying to hide from people. It’s like when you smack on water; you can’t hit the bottom, but it’s as close as a diver can get to hitting the bottom.
  .

  How would you describe writing from the point of view of a teenage boy?
  I thank my high school friend for that. I’m kind of a smart aleck and kind of a punk. It was really easy for me. But strangely, he just came to me as a boy. It never [even] occurred to me to write this from a girl’s perspective. I just embodied Theo. I don’t think the things he’s going through are gender specific.
  .

  How did you balance the humor and intensity found in Dive Smack?
  I feel like life is just a lot of things you just have to do and things coming at you. If you don’t make a joke, life can be a really sad thing. It can’t all be doom and gloom; you have to have that one character that is like, “It’s okay… we can go get whatever after this.” It’s just life; life doesn’t always have to be so dark.
  .

  Are you currently working on another book? If so, what details can you share?
  I am working on another book. All that I can say is that it’s about alien abduction and a wilderness therapy camp. I love [this] book. And I’m also working on a proposal with my editor at Tor Teen about a book about siblings who are preppers.
  .

  What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
  [Don’t] give up, and keep writing. Keep a notebook, and if you see something that you think is funny or strange, write things down that will help you. It is a very rare author that writes a first book and it gets published, so if an idea isn’t working and you love it, keep revising that story; learn, go to conferences, keep educating yourself.
  .

  Check out a deleted scene from Dive Smack:
  Sinister laughter echoes above me as I walk across a red tongue carpet, entering the Fun House through a giant clown’s mouth. The ride seems all too anxious to suck me into its belly by way of a revolving barrel, flashing and spinning with lights. I bump into the moving walls as I stumble to the middle, trying to keep my balance. I pause and give the situation some thought. I bet if I turn to face the wall and run like a hamster on a wheel, I can really get this thing spinning. Not that I’d get anywhere. But isn’t that the point of that contraption, to make that tiny creature think he’s getting somewhere when he isn’t.

  I find my footing and move toward a heavy black curtain at the end of the barrel where the ground is steadier. I look around, unsure what to do next. The circular edge of the barrel rotates and flashes around me like a hypnotic hula-hoop as I wait for a prompt that doesn’t come.

  I push a heavy black curtain aside and take a peek; there’s only darkness. I didn’t expect it to be so dark. Neon graffiti spray painted on the walls tells me to Go Back. Beware. I stare at the warning and the paint starts to drip down from the letters. I take a step back; shaking my head, then move forward. A slack-jawed skeleton hanging from a noose drops to eye-level and my heart jumps into the hollow between my collarbones. Hundreds of tiny black spiders scurry inside its deep eye sockets. I yelp, stumbling backward, and the heel of my running shoe catches on the lip of the barrel. I fall, flailing my arms, and land on my back. The spinning wall rubs my skin raw, and I groan from the fiery pain. I’m too busy scrambling to my feet, fighting the ride’s persistent effort to turn me into a bingo ball, to care if anyone outside heard me. Once I’m on steady on the platform, I lean over to catch my breath. Then I push the clattering bones aside.

  My heart thumps harder against my ribs as my mind starts playing to my fears: suffocation, isolation, and my greatest fear of all: fire. There are no visible exits in the adjoining hallway. My throat tightens. Is there enough air in this space? I hear heavy breathing and a heartbeat that’s not my own. Something bumps into me, pulls at my jacket, and I spin around.

  A few pinholes of red light ray across the space like lasers. One wrong move and I might be sliced to bits.

  I freeze and sinister laughter echoes from outside, mocking me, followed by a witch’s cackle.

  It’s just a ride, I tell myself. A mindtrip, like Chip said.

  The rays of light begin to retract and a reddish-brown demon illuminates on the far wall. Each vein in its massive, life-like wings pulsates with life as it rocks back and forth. I approach with caution, then startle when its holographic face morphs into a twisted version of my own.

  I glance over my shoulder for an alternate way out, but there’s nowhere to go. The wall behind me has slid forward, leaving only a foot of space between my demonic reflection and me. The unyielding, sporadic laughter grates on me. I extend my arm, hoping to activate another door, and the holograph demon dissipates through my fingers like smoke.

  The wall ahead opens with the metallic scraping of chains being dragged across the floor, daring me to step further into the abutting chamber.

  I duck under a web that swoops low in the middle. Insects zoom around inside. I can’t see them, but the hum of their wings drones like the faint buzz of chainsaws. And then they stop—abruptly—as if ensnared by the web.

  I stop, too, like another fly caught in the web of this awful ride.

  Shattered mirrors plaster the walls, giving me insect vision. My slightest movements magnified by my hundreds of reflections, covering the walls in a Mackey collage. Organ music continuously pipes into the tight space, heavy and menacing, rumbling my chest.

  I push a single shard of glass and it turns liquid beneath my hand and rushes down the wall. I turn and push the wall on the left and it melts too. Every wall I touch waterfalls, filling the space to my knees. I keep turning, looking for a spot that might trip the next passage, but water is already at my waist, quickly rising to my chest. My heart hammers in fierce beats in time with the music. I need to get out of here. I slosh forward; ready to push my way through a waterfall.

  Until I see the fin. Gliding around in the rising pool. I freeze and it circles me until it’s created a vortex. Any minute now I’ll be sucked down the hole. Swallowed alive. I close my eyes and wait for the worst.

  The sudden din of shattering glass echoes above me. My eyes snap open as the mirrored walls reappear, splitting open from the top like flower petals. Each one slides under the floor in an arc, cracking and groaning as rigidity fights flexibility.

  The water retreats and the first thing I notice is that I’m bone dry. Limbs intact.

  But not for long.

  Grey fog flows into to the space from the cracks in the floor like poisonous gas. I look over my shoulder and see Iris through the haze. She’s about to slip through a passage when a hand reaches out and grabs her by the hair. I shake my head, wondering if it’s just another holograph, or maybe a distortion caused by my own reflection, my own hand reaching out. I’m no longer sure what’s real.

  The organ dispatches a death march, several octaves below a round of tortured screams and the pounding of metal on metal. I hear my name being called through the racket and plow forward in that direction, searching for the passage Iris walked through. But there’s only a pane of mirrored glass. I turn back but nothing looks the same.

  I start to crouch down to catch my breath and a curtain slides open, exposing the outdoors. Finally. I speed walk toward the light with sinister laughter and fog chasing me through the exit. Once I’m on the metal scaffolding outside, I grip the railing and take a huge breath.

  Screw the Fun House.

  “You look like you saw a ghost in there.”

  I startle at the sound of Uncle Phil’s voice. He’s standing behind the trailer, sipping a cup of tea. The white tag floats in the air with a puff of his breath as he lifts the rim to his mouth

  “I don’t know what the hell happened in there. But it wasn’t fun.”

  Admitting that out loud to Uncle Phil makes me feel a little less nuts.

  Shrinks are sort of like priests for the non-religious—nothing beats a good confession—but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to spill my guts. One step at a time.

  “The fun in Fun House is something of a misnomer then,” he says.

QUOTED: "Delving into the unique world of competitive diving, Dive Smack offers both a teen drama and a fast-paced mystery that leaves readers guessing."

8/13/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
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Print Marked Items
Brodsky, Demetra. Dive Smack
Meghann Meeusen
Voice of Youth Advocates.
41.2 (June 2018): p53.
COPYRIGHT 2018 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
Brodsky, Demetra. Dive Smack. Tor Teen/ Macmillan, June 2018. 336p. $17.99. 978-07653-9695-2.
3Q * 4P * J * S
Being captain of his high school dive team means that Theo Mackey has to remain focused, not only to
make sure he has the perfect entry into the water, but also to live up to expectations. This is not easy,
though, as he also tries to unravel the secrets of his past, dealing with the grief of losing his mother to the
fire he believes he started and his father to a heart attack not long after that. Still, something else is
happening to Theo--something he cannot quite explain, but allows him to see glimpses into the future and
the past that make him wonder who he can trust and what more nefarious secrets might lie beneath the
surface of this life.
Delving into the unique world of competitive diving, Dive Smack offers both a teen drama and a fast-paced
mystery that leaves readers guessing what will happen next. The story combines intriguing elements, so that
just when readers may think it is headed in one direction, it shifts or pulls from a new genre. The text
weaves the pieces together with an intriguing secondary cast of characters, including Theo's Adderallprescribing
psychiatrist uncle; his alcoholic grandfather (who experiences a dramatic turn-around when he
realizes Theo needs him); and even a status-quo-breaking love interest who seems more and more mixed up
in the mysteries Theo faces over the course of the story. Readers looking for an adolescent psychological
thriller will not be disappointed. --Meghann Meeusen.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Meeusen, Meghann. "Brodsky, Demetra. Dive Smack." Voice of Youth Advocates, June 2018, p. 53. General
OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A545022879/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=1f01b97f. Accessed 13 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A545022879

QUOTED: "Brodsky's debut combines an engaging school story, filled with best-friend
shenanigans ... and a fascinating look at competitive diving."

8/13/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
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Dive Smack
Krista Hutley
Booklist.
114.17 (May 1, 2018): p40.
COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
Dive Smack.
By Demetra Brodsky.
June 2018. 336p. Tor Teen, $17.99 (9780765396952). Gr. 8-11.
In this strong psychological thriller, a school assignment sends golden boy Theo Mackey down the rabbit
hole of his family's twisted history. Theo is careful to appear confident, easygoing, and reliable, the way a
popular, straight-A student and star athlete should. Inside, though, he's still wracked with guilt over the only
thing he remembers about the night his mother died: he started the fire that killed her. When his teacher
assigns a family history project senior year, Theo has few resources. His father died last year, leaving his
family's history in only two hands: his alcoholic grandfather's and his father's best friend's, a psychiatrist
who's treating Theo for PTSD. Both of them seem to be working harder to keep Theo in the dark than help
him learn the truth. Theo's search dredges up buried memories, accompanied by scarily accurate
premonitions of danger. Brodsky's debut combines an engaging school story, filled with best-friend
shenanigans, first love, and a fascinating look at competitive diving, with a tense psychological mystery that
pivots reasonably well into the paranormal.--Krista Hutley
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Hutley, Krista. "Dive Smack." Booklist, 1 May 2018, p. 40. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A539647273/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=8b84b0b1.
Accessed 13 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A539647273

QUOTED: "Brodsky injects her teen drama with ambiguity."
"Strong characters and a compelling mystery make this a real page-turner."

8/13/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1534200307506 3/3
Dive Smack
Publishers Weekly.
265.17 (Apr. 23, 2018): p89.
COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Dive Smack
Demetra Brodsky. TorTeen/Doherty, $17.99
(336p) ISBN 978-0-7653-9695-2
In this amnesia-driven psychological thriller, an athlete is haunted by the slowly returning memories of the
fire that destroyed his home and killed his mother, a fire he believes he started. Springboard diver Theo just
wants to master his mother's favorite dive in the hope that this accomplishment will help get him into
Stanford. However, as he works with several classmates, including his crush, Iris, on a family-history
project for school, he discovers numerous mysteries surrounding his mother's life and death, and he starts to
wonder if his adoptive uncle, Dr. Phil Maddox, may know more than he lets on. Furthermore, Theo's
increasingly frequent visions of imminent events are eroding his performance in both school and on the
diving board. With Iris's help, Theo tries to uncover the truth linking his lost memories and the glimpses he
receives of the future before things spiral out of control. In an impressive debut, Brodsky injects her teen
drama with ambiguity, and a subtle hint of paranormal phenomena, leaving readers to guess at what's really
going on. Strong characters and a compelling mystery make this a real page-turner. Ages 12-up. Agent:
John Silbersack, Trident Media. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Dive Smack." Publishers Weekly, 23 Apr. 2018, p. 89. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A536532979/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=c7282d34.
Accessed 13 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A536532979

Meeusen, Meghann. "Brodsky, Demetra. Dive Smack." Voice of Youth Advocates, June 2018, p. 53. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A545022879/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 13 Aug. 2018. Hutley, Krista. "Dive Smack." Booklist, 1 May 2018, p. 40. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A539647273/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 13 Aug. 2018. "Dive Smack." Publishers Weekly, 23 Apr. 2018, p. 89. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A536532979/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF. Accessed 13 Aug. 2018.

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