“You talk too much, you move too slow!” an impatient chef told author Danielle Svetcov twenty years ago, when she was peeling onions in his kitchen. He was right. So she doubled-down on writing, which rewards talking and thinking and going slow. Danielle wrote for the New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, The Chicago Tribune Magazine, and others before embracing the world of books as a literary agent. With her debut novel, PARKED, she writes her way back to her first love—food. You can find Danielle across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, with her salami-loving family, and here. Order now.
They like it
“An absorbing and warm-hearted read that explores what happens when homelessness and helpfulness collide. Readers will be transported while parked. —Annie Barrows, author of the Ivy & Bean series
“A rich, warm story about family, friendship, and community. Insightful, touching, compelling, and timely, Parked is a terrific book—not to be missed.” —Karen Cushman, Newbery Award–winning author of The Midwife’s Apprentice
They like it, too!
“A big-hearted novel with characters I wish were my friends in real life.” —Gennifer Choldenko, author of the Al Capone at Alcatraz series
“Danielle Svetcov has written a novel that’s utterly of this moment. It’s a book about generosity—not just toward others, but toward oneself. Parked is a reminder that we don’t have to feel alone in the world, because we’re not.” —Jack Cheng, Golden Kite Award–winning author of See You in the Cosmos
What’s it about?
Jeanne Ann is smart, stubborn, living in an orange van, and determined to find a permanent address before the start of seventh grade. Cal is tall, sensitive, living in a humongous house across the street, and determined to save her. Jeanne Ann is roughly as enthusiastic about Cal’s help as she is about living in a van. But as the two form a rare and remarkable friendship, they’re buoyed by a cast of complex, oddball characters, who let them down, lift them up, and leave you cheering. From debut novelist Danielle Svetcov comes a warm, funny, and poignant story about the wonderful weirdness of friendship and family, and learning how to accept help enough to help yourself.
EVENTS
Middle Grade Author Roundup: Revision. October 14, 2020, 10:00 am PST.
Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA. February 4, 2020, 5:30 pm. Bring the whole family!
Green Apple on the Park, SF, CA. February 12, 2020, 7:30 pm. Bring the whole family!
Quarantine delay of game!
ASK THE AUTHOR
I get all kinds of great questions about PARKED. They really make me think. Here are some of those questions and my answers to them. If you have questions, email me (using the form on this site) and I’ll address some of them here. If you want me to share your name and state, let me know that, too.
Q: Where are the dads in PARKED?
That’s a really good question. I wanted to write a lot more about the moms and dads in Parked. They cause so much to happen (and not happen), good and bad. Over the 15 or so years it took to write PARKED, I wrote many pages about moms and dads. But, when it came time to chisel a middle-grade book out of all those pages, a lot of the parent material was cut. Why? So I could focus on Jeanne Ann and Cal, my main characters; and so my book didn’t run 600 pages!
Q: Does it take everyone 15 years to write a novel or just you?
Everyone writes at a different rate. I know people who can write a novel in under a year. I’m jealous.
Q: How did you get nice blurbs from authors on the jacket of your book?
I emailed them and asked, or met them at jury duty and asked, or my agent or editor knew them and asked. It’s a strange process—like asking for a pony when you’re not sure you deserve one but would really like one.
Q: What does a literary agent do?
A literary agent takes care of writers. That “care” might mean reading and editing stories; it might mean selling stories and getting the writer paid; it might mean drying tears when the authors’ stories receive harsh reviews or sell poorly; it might mean cheerleading; it might mean helping writer ask for blurbs; it might mean calling up a publisher and saying “the cover you created for my writer is really unattractive and needs to go”; it might mean telling the writer to get out of bed and write write write!
I’ve put together two Reader’s Companions to PARKED – a long one and a short one, because I know some teachers/librarians/kids want more to read and some want less. They both provide background about me and the book, as well as questions to get you thinking...
-Danielle
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