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WORK TITLE: Just a Normal Tuesday
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.kimturrisi.com/
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COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1662891/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
| LC control no.: | no2017059644 |
|---|---|
| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/no2017059644 |
| HEADING: | Turrisi, Kim |
| 000 | 01331nz a2200205n 450 |
| 001 | 10447830 |
| 005 | 20170510073516.0 |
| 008 | 170509n| azannaabn |n aaa c |
| 010 | __ |a no2017059644 |
| 035 | __ |a (OCoLC)oca10799375 |
| 040 | __ |a UOr |b eng |e rda |c UOr |
| 100 | 1_ |a Turrisi, Kim |
| 370 | __ |a Hawaii |e Los Angeles (Calif.) |f Tallahassee (Fla.) |2 naf |
| 372 | __ |a Marketing |a Children’s literature |a Young adult fiction |2 lcsh |
| 373 | __ |a Florida State University |a ABC Family (Television network) |a Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators |2 naf |
| 374 | __ |a Screenwriters |a Novelists |2 lcsh |
| 375 | __ |a female |
| 377 | __ |a eng |
| 670 | __ |a Turrisi, Kim. Just a normal Tuesday, 2017: |b title page (Kim Turrisi) back cover flap (Kim Turrisi, a graduate of Florida State University, worked in film and television winning a Daytime Emmy for a web series she created and wrote; she also wrote for ABC Family’s webisode series Pretty dirty secrets, the online companion piece to Pretty little liars; lives in the Los Angeles area working as Director of Special Projects for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators; born in Hawaii; enjoys reading, writing, and her dogs.) |
| 670 | __ |a imdb.com, via WWW, 8 May 2017 |b (Kim Turrisi won the Outstanding Special Class Short Format Daytime Emmy in 2011 for Venice the series.) |
PERSONAL
Born in HI.
EDUCATION:Received degree from Florida State University.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author. Columbia-Tri-Star, development executive. Producer of Between the White Lines, 2004, and executive producer of Venice the Series, 2009-2012.
Society of Book Writers and Illustrators, Director of Special Projects. Appeared on Today.
AVOCATIONS:Her dogs, collecting socks, Vans, and Chuck Taylors, reading, writing.
AWARDS:Daytime Emmy, 2011, for Venice the Series.
WRITINGS
Pretty Dirty Secrets, 2012; Pretty Little Liars, “This Is a Dark Ride,” 2012; Venice the Series, 2009-2010.
SIDELIGHTS
Kim Turrisi has spent the majority of her professional career working within the television and film industry, working her way up from assistant positions to writing and producing her own programs. She is responsible for such works as Pretty Dirty Secrets and Venice the Series, the latter of which earned a Daytime Emmy. Turrisi is also aligned with the Society of Book Writers and Illustrators, for which she works as their Director of Special Projects.
Just a Normal Tuesday is Turrisi’s literary debut. The novel centers around a young girl by the name of Kai, who finds herself struggling severely in the face of a traumatic personal tragedy. Kai spent her life adoring and looking up to her elder sister, Jen. Jen has always been successful, supportive of Kai, and happy—but one fateful day destroys everything Kai thought she knew about Jen in one instant. Kai returns home one day to find a set of suicide notes addressed to Kai and the rest of their family, written by Jen. Alarmed, Kai tries her best to save Jen, but it is far too late. Now Kai is left to try to pick up her own pieces, but she finds herself unable to move on from what has happened. Her emotions cycle through confusion, grief, and anger about Jen’s decision. Kai turns to drugs and drinking to try to soothe her suffering, leading her parents to worry. To help her, they ship Kai off to a special camp designed for teenagers dealing with insurmountable grief. It is there that Kai finally begins to piece things together, make sense of the overwhelming emotions she has been carrying for so long, and accept her life as it is now.
Resource Links contributor Leslie Vermeer remarked: “It will … make appealing reading for teens who like modern problem fiction and for adults who enjoy emotionally resonant YA novels.” In an issue of Voice of Youth Advocates, Ellen Frank commented: “Anyone who has suffered a loss and does not know how to move forward will find help within this novel.” A writer in Kirkus Reviews said: “Inspired by the author’s own loss of a sister to suicide, it’s sensitive and uplifting without being sappy.” On the Lit Buzz website, one reviewer said: “I can only imagine the positive impact and engaging discussion that could happen if Just a Normal Tuesday was required reading for all high school students.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2017, review of Just a Normal Tuesday.
Resource Links, June, 2017, Leslie Vermeer, review of Just a Normal Tuesday, p. 29.
Voice of Youth Advocates, June, 2017, Ellen Frank, review of Just a Normal Tuesday, p. 73.
ONLINE
Brazos Bookstore, http://www.brazosbookstore.com/ (May 3, 2018), “Writing Close to the Heart: Joy Interviews Kim Turrisi,” author interview.
Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com/ (May 3, 2018), author profile.
Kim Turrisi Website, http://www.kimturrisi.com (May 3, 2018), author profile.
Lit Buzz, http://www.thelitbuzz.com/ (May 3, 2018), review of Just a Normal Tuesday.
A graduate of Florida State University, Kim Turrisi began her career in film and television. After a year of on-set production (getting coffee, wrangling actors and taking lunch orders) Kim segued to the development side of the business. First working as a development executive at Columbia-Tri-Star and eventually shepherding many projects in family entertainment for Disney, Viacom and Hallmark.
Kim created and wrote an online web series for which she won a Daytime Emmy. She wrote for ABC Family's webisode series, PRETTY DIRTY SECRETS, an internet companion piece to smash hit PRETTY LITTLE LIARS.
While she’s always been a voracious reader and writer, she never thought about writing for teens until she immersed herself in the children’s publishing world as the Director of Special Projects for the Society of Book writers and Illustrators. There, reading children’s literature is a big part of her job.
Her debut Young Adult novel JUST A NORMAL TUESDAY is loosely based on the author's own experience, the debut YA novel follows 16-year-old Kai as she struggles through the emotional aftermath of her sister's suicide. Kai spends a month at grief camp, discovering a roadmap to piecing her broken heart back together.
One of Kim’s favorite parts of the writing process is to create playlists for her characters that she listens to when she writes. When she revises her manuscripts, she’s generally in mismatched plaid and her desk is riddled with junk food. She collects Chuck Taylor’s, Van’s, and has a killer sock collection.
Born in Hawaii, she credits her love of travel to her life as an Air Force brat moving every two years. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found obsessing over her dogs, Riley and Rocco.
Represented by Tricia Lawrence at EMLA
Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @kimmyt22
Kim Turrisi
Biography
Mini Bio (1)
Kim Turrisi is a writer and producer, known for Venice the Series (2009), Pretty Little Liars (2010) and Pretty Dirty Secrets (2012).
Turrisi, Kim: Just a Normal Tuesday
Leslie Vermeer
Resource Links.
22.5 (June 2017): p29. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 Resource Links http://www.atcl.ca
Full Text:
[G]
TURRISI, Kim
Just a Normal Tuesday
Kids Can Press Loft, 2017. 244p. Grades 9-12. 978-1-77138-793-4. Hdbk. $17.95
Kai comes home from school one afternoon to discover her older sister, Jen, has committed suicide. Kai's world instantly falls apart and she spirals out of control, drinking, taking pills, and generally dropping out of life. After a particularly bad episode, her parents arrange to send Kai to grief camp, where she meets other teens who have suffered traumatic losses. There Kai realizes that she is still alive; hope, trust, and even love remain possible despite her unfathomable pain.
Just a Normal Tuesday is a compassionate story of a teen dealing with the aftermath of suicide. Kai is already somewhat troubled before Jen dies, but Jen's inexplicable suicide pushes Kai to a
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dangerous place. Lacking emotional resilience, Kai is unable to grieve for Jen without harming herself. She is haunted by--and furious about--Jen's decision, but she struggles to acknowledge her conflicted feelings. With time, talking, and support, Kai begins the journey toward healing.
Kai is not a character many teens are likely to identify with, however. She is a privileged girl who reads as pampered, even spoiled, before her sister's death. She lives in a large house (which she repeatedly refers to as a "MacMansion") with her emotionally remote lawyer dad and perfectionist realtor mom. Kai's room features a king-size bed, she plans a gap year after high school because postsecondary funding is not an issue, and her family spares no expense for Jen's funeral because appearances are so important to them. The author is not trying to tell a poor- little-rich-girl story, but I did note several times how different Kai's life is from that of a typical Canadian or American teen. Surely a novel about recovering from a sibling's suicide is not the place to include casual aspiration and label dropping.
That said, Just a Normal Tuesday is a layered, insightfully written book based on the author's own experiences. It is the kind of novel the author wishes she had found when she was growing up, and it may certainly be comforting for teens struggling with the loss of someone close. It will also make appealing reading for teens who like modern problem fiction and for adults who enjoy emotionally resonant YA novels.
Thematic Links: Grief; Suicide; Sisters; Families; Friendship [G] Good, even great at times, generally useful!
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Vermeer, Leslie. "Turrisi, Kim: Just a Normal Tuesday." Resource Links, June 2017, p. 29. Book
Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A500500929/GPS?u=schlager& sid=GPS&xid=a49022b2. Accessed 11 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A500500929
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Turrisi, Kim. Just a Normal Tuesday
Ellen Frank
Voice of Youth Advocates.
40.2 (June 2017): p73. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
5Q * 4P * J * S (a)
Turrisi, Kim. Just a Normal Tuesday. Kids Can Press, 2017. 256p. $17.95. 978-1-77138793-4.
Jen was the older sister who had everything--a great job, great friends, her own apartment. She promised her little sister Kai that she would always be there for her; until she was not. It was an ordinary Tuesday. Kai returned home from school, picked up the mail, and saw three letters: one addressed to her, one to her mother, and one to her father. As Kai begins to read her letter, she realizes her sister has left her a suicide note. She tries valiantly to reach her, but it is too late. By the time she finds her sister, she is already dead. She committed suicide, leaving Kai all alone, asking questions, wondering why, asking what happened, speculating about what she could have missed.
Turrisi's debut novel lays bare the agonizing journey every mourner must take as he/ she tries to continue living with the memories of a loved one who died and the questions that go unanswered after a suicide. Kai attends a grief camp and discovers how to go on living and forgive herself for what she had no control over. This is a heartbreaking novel, filled with anger, grief, resilience, and hope. Anyone who has suffered a loss and does not know how to move forward will find help within this novel. The characters are believable and sympathetic, without feeling pedantic. There is a list of resources for those struggling with suicide and those impacted by a loss to it. This book should be in every library serving young adults. --Ellen Frank.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Frank, Ellen. "Turrisi, Kim. Just a Normal Tuesday." Voice of Youth Advocates, June 2017, p. 73.
Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A497860360 /GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=b3356204. Accessed 11 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A497860360
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Turrisi, Kim: JUST A NORMAL TUESDAY
Kirkus Reviews.
(Mar. 15, 2017): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Turrisi, Kim JUST A NORMAL TUESDAY KCP Loft/Kids Can (Children's Fiction) $17.95 5, 2 ISBN: 978-1-77138-793-4
It really is just a normal Tuesday...until it isn't.When Kai Sheehan's older sister, Jen, commits suicide, her own life spirals out of control. The rage-filled white 16-year-old drinks, smokes pot, and pops prescription medication to numb her pain. Her tough-love-invoking best friends, TJ, a gay white boy, and Emily, a well-to-do girl with "cocoa" skin, attempt to support her, but there's only so much they can do. Kai's parents have, understandably, been too wrapped up in their own grief to help, so they send Kai to a "grief camp" for teens. Guided by her olive-skinned counselor, Marco Esposito, Kai talks, writes, and paints her way through the stages of grief. She also falls in love. Graham, a white boy whose brother died, makes Kai feel normal again. He understands what she's going through in a way no one else does. She also forms close bonds with the other teens in her group, and with their support, she's on her way to accepting she'll never know why Jen killed herself. Loads of brand name-dropping and current pop-culture references will undoubtedly date this book. However, the timeless themes of love, loss, and moving forward will find a readership among those who are also grieving and need to know they're not alone. Inspired by the author's own loss of a sister to suicide, it's sensitive and uplifting without being sappy. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-18)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Turrisi, Kim: JUST A NORMAL TUESDAY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2017. Book Review
Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A485105085/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=53b4c638. Accessed 11 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A485105085
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Writing Close to the Heart: Joy Interviews Kim Turrisi
Today I have the honor of sitting down, laptop to laptop, with debut author Kim Turrisi, whose YA novel JUST A NORMAL TUESDAY (KCP Loft, an imprint of Kids Can Press, 2017) is based on the suicide of her sister when Kim was just fifteen. JUST A NORMAL TUESDAY is sensitively written and also uplifting, despite its very serious subject matter. It’s the story of sixteen year old Kai, whose life is shattered when her older sister Jen takes her own life, leaving a note for Kai that begins, “If you are reading this, I am already gone.” To quote Kirkus Reviews, “…the timeless themes of love, loss, and moving forward will find a readership among those who are also grieving and need to know they’re not alone.” JUST A NORMAL TUESDAY is a must read for teens and adults alike, and can also be an excellent conversation opener with your teens and pre-teens about difficult topics.
With that said, let’s hear what Kim—who is also the Director of Special Projects for Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators National in LA— had to say about her book, writing, and her very fascinating career journey to this point!
JOY: Because your inspiration for JUST A NORMAL TUESDAY is so key to the novel, I’m going to jump right in here. Can you tell us about the backstory that led up to your writing this as your debut YA?
KIM: Honestly, it didn’t start as my first book. It evolved into it. I wrote a terrible book that went nowhere. I was floundering. Then, I did what most writers do, go to another writer for a shoulder and an ear. That someone was Aaron Hartzler, a gifted writer and friend. He asked what happened to me when I was 15. So, I told him that my sister committed suicide. He said, “THAT is the book you need to write.” He was correct. After that, I jumped right in. More like a free fall.
JOY: Was the writing process more difficult because of the highly personal nature of the subject matter? Or was it more cathartic? Perhaps a bit of both? How much of your own sister is reflected in JUST A NORMAL TUESDAY’s Jen? Or is it more the emotions and less the specifics of personality?
KIM: Writing is difficult, period. But certainly this was extremely hard for me as well as quite cathartic which I didn’t expect. Some parts were harder than others, like writing the suicide note and the realization that Kai was going to be an only child forever. That was hard to write and read. There are characteristics and mannerisms of my sister but a lot is emotional. Some moments are on the money like the Christmas gifts. I had to use that because it showed that she had a well thought out plan and really did want to take her life. As odd as it might sound, that gave me some modicum of comfort knowing it wasn’t a rash decision. Grief camp was fictionalized but I felt like I went through it with Kai. What I loved about the camp was that the teens work together to find hope and healing.
JOY: You’ve had quite the interesting life and career leading up to your debut YA. Like really interesting! Tell us a bit about that journey.
KIM: I started out in film and television on set as a production assistant. Basically, getting coffee, handing out scripts and keeping the noise down while the actors worked. I worked my way into TV and film development while I wrote scripts at night. When I started working at SCBWI, my love for children’s books grew even more. I won an Emmy for writing a web series and worked on another (The companion piece for Pretty Little Liars). The entire time I was writing a different YA that eventually lead me to JUST A NORMAL TUESDAY. Quite a journey.
JOY: Why YA?
KIM: I love all things YA, always have. I love to read it so it’s not surprising it’s my sweet spot to write. I think teenagers are so complex and interesting.
JOY: Advice for up and coming writers?
KIM: Don’t be afraid. Read as much as humanly possible. It makes you a better writer. Join a critique group or go to conferences and have someone else’s eyes on your work. Listen to constructive criticism. Don’t let all the no’s make you stop writing. Just be prepared for way more no’s than there are yes’s. Never give up.
JOY: What’s coming next for Kim Turrisi?
KIM: I’m working on several things. Whenever I finish a draft of a WIP and send it to my first readers, I always start a new project. I like to stay busy so I don’t stress about the notes that are coming back. I usually have a few things I’m juggling. I’m currently working on a YA series, a stand-alone YA and a novel with a writing partner that’s Adult that I’m very excited about.
JOY: And since you live in LA now but grew up elsewhere, I think it only appropriate that you give us a quick five things you love or learned or never expected about LA!
KIM: I love the weather. I love the food. I’ve learned to be semi-patient in the hideous traffic. I never expected to fall in love and never want to leave California. I love being able to go to the beach and the mountain in the same day with two entirely different climates.
JOY: Thanks so very much, Kim! This has been a pleasure. We all look forward to your next book!
Want to know more about JUST A NORMAL TUESDAY? Click here.
Want to know more about Kim Turrisi? Check out her website here.
Books, Fiction, Teen
Just a Normal Tuesday by Kim Turrisi
Tanya 10 months ago No Comments
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Just a Normal Tuesday by Kim Turrisi
5
Just a Normal Tuesday Book Cover Title: Just a Normal Tuesday
Author: Kim Turrisi
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Kids Can Press Ltd
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 256
For Kai, nothing will ever be normal again. Sixteen-year-old KaiÍs life is shattered forever by a letter from her sister, Jen, which begins, ñIf you are reading this, I am already gone.î Jen has committed suicide. Heartbroken and furious, Kai gets caught in a downward spiral, self-medicating and lashing out. When her parents decide to send her to a summer camp for grieving teens, she resists. But eventually, sharing her feelings with kids who understand helps her move forward ƒ and even fall in love. This stunning novel offers a roadmap for anyone touched by loss or looking for hope in a broken world.
Heartrendingly Amazing…free copy
I have to be totally honest, I drug my feet in reading Just a Normal Tuesday after I previewed the description. I’m the type of person that invests their emotions into the stories I am reading. At the time I received this book I was dealing with some serious interpersonal issues of my own and just didn’t think I could handle a story about a teenage girl dealing with her sister’s suicide. I was wanting an author to help me escape from the realities in my life not remind me of them and make me feel worse. I could not have been more wrong about this book.
shattered heart In all seriousness, this story will tear your heart in two. Kim writes in such an honest and authentic way that you will be feeling the tide of emotions that Kai experiences; from the moment she firsts discovers her beloved older sister Jen has committed suicide thru the entire grief process, during which she spirals out of control. More than once I was amazed at how well Kim could intricately convey the inner workings of Kai’s thoughts, that is until I finished the book and read how Just a Normal Tuesday was the result of her being prompted to write from her own personal experience. Kim’s willingness to revisit her own despair has allowed her to produce a powerful work. Thru prose she articulates the struggles we all face when someone we love dearly dies.
five & half stars If Just a Normal Tuesday was no more than the well written, engaging story with authentic and fully dimensional characters that it is, it would still earn 5 stars from me. It is that and so much more!!! For the person struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts this captivating, fictional tale could be the one thing that reaches them and gives them a preview of the impact their actions would have on the ones they care about. There is no sugar coating the grief, anger, and guilt the death of a loved one has on those left behind. For the person traversing the stages of grief, it validates their turmoils and emotions. It reaffirms the fact that there is no right way to grieve, that each person will go through the process differently, and that the only thing that really matters is that you keep progressing through the stages.
stages of grief
But, the best part of Just a Normal Tuesday was that I was encouraged. I shared in Kai’s hope for happiness as she worked through her sorrow and connected with others at Grief Camp experiencing their own struggles with loss. By the end of the book I was able to cry tears of joy instead of the sad ones I shed at the beginning of the story. I can only imagine the positive impact and engaging discussion that could happen if Just a Normal Tuesday was required reading for all high school students.
Don’t miss out on this gem; read it and share it with others.main-book
Tanya
Until recently, Tanya was a bathroom bibliophile (the only place she could hide from her four children). Now she is able to openly acknowledge her addiction to books but has to try to fit her reading in around all her kid's activities. She loves being wife to an amazing man, mother to four great kids and farm hand on their Akaushi/Red Angus farm in southwest Missouri.