Sara Zarr answers some Proust questions

Sara Zarr is the author of the National Book Award Finalist Story of a Girl, Sweethearts, and the forthcoming Once Was Lost (October 1). She's also been contributing to some great anthologies, including Does This Book Make Me Look Fat? and Jesus Girls: True Tales of Growing Up Female and Evangelical (September). She's included in the just-published Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci, and featuring stories by M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, and Scott Westerfeld, among many other YA stars. Sara's contribution, "This is My Audition Monologue," is a darkly comic theater-geek story that's a departure from her other published work, but one that her fans will relish.

- What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

A low-carb diet.

- What is your idea of earthly happiness?

Living in the moment with no shame about the past or fear for the future.

- Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?

Anne Shirley, Jurgis Rudkus, Ramona Quimby, Frankie Addams, Jean Valjean...there are more.

- Who are your favorite characters in history?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Moses fascinates me. Anne Frank. Martin Luther King, Jr.

- Your favorite painter?

I hate doing favorites - especially considering I probably haven't been exposed to 80% of the painters from all of time and space. I do love Van Gogh. Though I'm never sure how to pronounce it.

- Your favorite musician?

Not a fair question, Proust! You can't exactly compare Mendelssohn with Lily Allen. Right now I'm really into David Mead, who is sort of Simon & Garfunkel-y and Beatlesque all at once.

- Who would you have liked to be?

Lazarus.