Interview with Ting-xing Ye

http://www.orillia.org/williambell/page5/tingxingye.html

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I didn’t so much decide to be a writer as make up my mind to write my memoir. I no longer lived in China, where, as I grew up, I learned to keep my thoughts to myself and never put opinions on paper. When I became a Canadian citizen, I realized I had the freedom to write without fear. I wanted to put down an account of my life up to the day I left China for Canada. The memoir was published, and that began my writing career.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

My latest book is called Mountain Girl, River Girl. It’s set in present-day China and tells the story of two young teens who decide to leave their respective homes--one in a rural Guizhou village and the other on a river boat in Sichuan--and head for a big city to find work. The girls have many idealized notions of what their futures will be. Their individual journeys are difficult, and after they meet and become friends they face even greater challenges. Buy the book because it’s a realistic story about hardship, friendship, and courage.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

Of course, My Name is Number 4 is a true story, and I wrote it for my daughter. What inspires my novels--Throwaway Daughter and Mountain Girl, River Girl--is the desire to tell an interesting tale in a realistic way.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Noodle soup, made by myself with real noodles--not the tinned stuff.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Hug my husband, Bill; get up and say Hello to our Shitzu, Blackie; read with a cup of coffee.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

There is nothing in our attic; our basement is much like anyone else’s, but you might be surprised to see the supply of Chinese foods and spices stored on shelves. We live in a small town and buy these items in quantity when we’re in the city.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

I would be yellow, because it’s bright.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

I would go to ancient Egypt. As a kid I was always fascinated by the land of the pyramids.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to?

Chinese music, of course--the old fashioned kind, like Suzhou opera, and orchestrated folk songs.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

My favourite TV show is a British series called As Time Goes By. Last theatre movie seen: Fahrenheit 9/11. (We don’t go out to the movies much; we prefer to watch movies on DVD at home.)

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Don’t try to be somebody else; be yourself.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

I’m not sure what my next story will be. I’m working on something, but it’s too early to talk about it.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!

You’re welcome!

Interview with Michael K. Bialys

http://www.thechroniclesofthevirago.com/

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

Actually, I sort of backed into it. I began writing this as a short story for my daughter and it seems to have blossomed. I have been writing music and lyrics for years. Writing books seems to have become a natural outgrowth of that. I didn’t have any real aspirations of being a novelist. I was so inspired by my daughter and how she helped us with our new babies that I began to write.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

I sent out the first five chapters of THE CHRONICLES OF THE VIRAGO to a few publishers and 2 or 3 of them agreed to publish it. This was an unexpected response. I was just looking for feedback, but publishing offers came through and I accepted.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

My next book will feature a guest appearance by one of the most famous characters of classic children’s literature. I have already gotten approval for the use of this character.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

My family is my greatest inspiration. The family in the first book is for all intents and purposes, us. Additionally, I love the comic book genre, so I’m certain that is reflected in my writing.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

For them it's more than just having a published author in the house. The main characters are all named after them. Their real names are in the book. This is something that they will be able to enjoy throughout their lives. It’s kind of like being the actual “Alice” from Alice in Wonderland.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

I’ll go with Mac and Cheese.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

1) Go to the bathroom. 2) Kiss my wife. 3) Play with my kids.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

I have an old Halloween costume in there. It’s an old pair of overalls that looks like I had an accident in them.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Vibrant Blue.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

I love Wolverine. Cartoon, Comic book character.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Spiderman. Kind of nerdy, but capable of so much more than he seems.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

I think I would love to be at Mt. Sinai to witness the Hebrews receiving the Ten Commandments. Why? Doesn’t get any more monumental than that.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I myself am a musician. I listen to just about everything. I guess my favorite artists are still the Beatles, mostly because of the songwriting. I don’t usually listen to music when I write. When I write I am in a different zone.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

LOVED THE DARK KNIGHT. I could watch that a few dozen times. I also love the show Heroes. Are we detecting a theme her?

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Be Your Own Virago!

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

The Chronicles of the Virago Book II: The Apprentus (Already Written), and The Chronicles of the Virago Book III: The Triumviratus (Currently Writing).

Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!

Interview with Cristina Garcia

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I first thought about it when I was around nine and reading two Nancy Drew books a day.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

The road was filled with detours! I went from studying political science to working in business and journalism and finally started to write fiction in my thirties. My first novel, DREAMING IN CUBAN, has a teenaged character named Pilar who’s a kind of alter ego for me.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

The main character of I WANNA BE YOUR SHOEBOX, Yumi Ruiz-Hirsch, is a poster child for the twenty-first century. She’s a blend of cultures (Cuban, Jewish, Japanese) and interests (surfing, music, travel) and in many ways represents the future of identity.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

My daughter definitely played a huge role, directly and indirectly. Watching her navigate middle school was an education in itself!

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

I was born in Havana, Cuba and grew up in New York as the daughter of exiles. These facts inform everything I write about in one way or another. But my family can be wary about having a writer in their midst. I can’t count the times they’ve said to me: ‘Don’t write about this!”

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

I’m nearly always comatose till noon so it’s not that exciting (at least I can’t remember much!).

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

The flamenco skirt and shoes (I don’t dance flamenco and wishing it doesn’t make it so!)

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Green because it’s the color of plant life and they put oxygen into the atmosphere.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

The road runner (for his eternal optimism).

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Belle from Beauty and the Beast because she loves to read.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

The Tropicana nightclub in 1950s Havana. For the dancing and the floor shows.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I listen to a little bit of everything—from classical (Mahler) to salsa (Celia Cruz) with punk in-between (Ramones, Sex Pistols, the Clash). I can’t multi-task so I write in silence.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

I don’t watch television and rarely see movies more than once or twice but my favorites include AMARCORD (Fellini) and anything by Pedro Almódovar, a Spanish director. I took my parents to see MAMMA MIA last week.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Keep reading!

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

I’m planning another book set in a Swiss boarding school in the 1970s featuring characters from the U.S., Iran, and Canada.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!

Thank you!

Interview with Susan McBride

http://www.susanmcbride.com/

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I didn’t really know it until I was 19 and in-between transferring colleges. That’s when I said, “I want to write a novel,” and I did. It was a 600-page historical romance, a take-off on GONE WITH THE WIND. It never sold, but it made me realize “I am a writer.” When I look back, though, I was always reading and writing. I loved books and probably ordered more from the Scholastic Book Club than any classmates in grade school. I wrote a lot of stories (which my mom is constantly digging out of boxes in the basement and calling to tell me about), and I even completed three books in fifth grade: one is a Nancy Drew-type mystery, the second is a children’s story about two monsters who live in Monsterville, and the third features two neighborhood friends who solve crimes. So I figure I was destined to be a novelist, no matter that it would’ve been a lot easier to do something else!

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

It wasn’t quick, that’s for sure. After I graduated from the University of Kansas with a Journalism degree (my major was public relations), I made a conscious decision to take part-time jobs that allowed me time to write. Not something that thrilled my father, I must admit! I wrote one manuscript a year post-college, and I signed with various agents along the way. My work always garnered inspiring rejection letters, and I keeping feeling like I was thisclose to a sale. But it wasn’t until my eleventh manuscript, a dark mystery called AND THEN SHE WAS GONE, that I finally reached my goal of being traditionally published. The novel had been a finalist in the St. Martin’s Malice Domestic contest (though it was hardly a cozy mystery) and had won the National Writers Association’s Best Novel contest. So I entered it in a contest sponsored by a small Illinois press, with the prize being publication, and it won. That got my foot in the door. I worked my butt off publicizing it and its successor, OVERKILL, and I networked like crazy. That resulted in my signing with a New York agent who’d had some big successes with mystery authors, and she sold my first Debutante Dropout Mystery, BLUE BLOOD, to HarperCollins in a three-book deal. I wasn’t on the same page as that particular agent, so I signed with my current agent who negotiated my second contract with Avon, and then my deals with Random House for THE DEBS series. And I’ve recently signed with HarperCollins again to do a women’s fiction book. I like to tell people that my “overnight success” only took, like, twenty years!

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

Random House is calling THE DEBS “Gossip Girl on mint juleps,” though I think of it more as “Southern girls who kick butt.” On the surface, THE DEBS is about four very privileged Houston prep school seniors who vie for a coveted spot on the Glass Slipper Club’s debutante list; but underneath the sugar-coating of couture clothing and country club living are four very unique girls who are trying hard to find their paths in life. Their lives may look perfect, but they aren’t. How they deal with that creates a lot of interesting storylines. LOVE, LIES, AND TEXAS DIPS will follow in June of 2009, and that one’s even more wildly fun, as the characters get more invested in debuting and the stakes get higher.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

My inspiration comes from everywhere: from my own life, from things I see or read, from what I imagine. So I can’t pin down any one thing. As my husband puts it, I have a “crazy brain.” It’s just the way I’m wired, and I never stop thinking about writing stories.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

My family is basically insane, which is likely why I turned out to be a novelist. If I didn’t have that outlet, I’d be in therapy. My mom’s great, and I consider her my biggest cheerleader. We moved around a lot when I was a kid (my dad worked for IBM, which back then we called “I’ve Been Moved”), and my mom was everyone’s rock. She still is. My dad is a very straight-arrow guy who worked hard his whole life but isn’t creative (except with his golf game!). So he has no clue how I do what I do. My dad did tell me something I’ll never forget. While he read TOO PRETTY TO DIE, one of my mysteries, he had tears running down his face because he was so proud of me. That’s very cool. My husband, Ed, and his mom show up at most all my events. It’s nice having two families who just beam every time a new book of mine shows up in stores.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Oh, man, that’s a tough one. I’ll have to say a grilled cheese sandwich. I know, I know, that sounds so boring. But it reminds me of when I was a kid, and my mom would fix grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, and I thought that was the best lunch ever.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

My brain instantly clicks on and starts thinking about whatever book I’m working on, and I usually have to run to the computer and turn it on. I’ll jot down notes first and then check emails. After that, it’s cat-feeding and litter-box cleaning. Yes, just another example of how glamorous an author’s life is!

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

That I’m obsessively neat? Everything’s pretty well organized, and whatever isn’t probably belongs to my husband. My brain is so chaotic with thoughts and ideas that I like things around me to be in their place. Although perhaps a better answer is you’d be surprised that I have good taste. I love decorating, and it’s been really fun re-doing this house we bought two years ago. Oh, wait, did you think I’d say the skeletons in the closet would surprise you? Okay, those, too.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Can I be two colors? Some days I’m gray, like when it’s storming out. I’m such a gray-day kind of girl. I go into the writing zone so much better when it’s raining. Other days, I’m a fiery red or maybe a softer pink. Er, that’s three colors. I always was an overachiever.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Smurfette.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

The Road Runner. I’m always zipping around everywhere, not even thinking that an Acme anvil might fall on my head. It’s not a bad way to be.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

I’m not good without electricity or plumbing, so it would probably have to be sometime in the modern age. How about the 1930s before the Great Depression when Hollywood was still so glamorous and Deco design reigned? That was a cool time, although it certainly didn’t last very long.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

My all-time favorite band is Def Leppard. I’ve seen them in concert three times (wish it had been more), and I worship Joe Elliott. I also like classical music and will never forget seeing Yo-Yo Ma in concert. The look of passion on his face as he played made me think of how I feel when I’m writing like a maniac. I listen to a mix of old rock, contemporary music, some country, and classical. But never while I’m writing. It’s too distracting. My brain wants to listen to the music instead of the words in my head.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

I’m a reality show junkie these days and hooked on HGTV. Though I try to catch “Medium,” because all that psychic stuff intrigues me, and Ed and I are both “Lost” junkies. The last movies we saw were “National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets” and the Stargate SG-1 flick, “Continuum.” Did I mention Ed introduced me to SG-1, and now I’m addicted? I could watch all of the Harry Potter movies over and over and never get bored.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Just one? I’m so not good at being brief! Be yourselves and don’t feel like you have to follow anyone else’s path. If I’d listened to the naysayers who said, “You’ll never get published,” I wouldn’t be where I am now, living my dream and loving every minute of my life. Never give up. Whatever you want to do, you can do. Sometimes persistence and determination are the defining characteristics in whether you’ll succeed or not. Believe in yourself. Every now and then, you might feel like you’re the only one who does. That’s okay. Play fair even when others don’t. And they won’t…a lot. And read as much as you can in as many genres as you can. Keep your mind open to new possibilities. I feel really sorry for close-minded people. I can’t imagine they enjoy life much when their heads feel so stuffy.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

After THE DEBS is out on August 26, I’ve got LOVE, LIES, AND TEXAS DIPS coming out in June of 2009. And I’ve just signed with Random House for two more in the series, so I’ve got another due by early next year. Plus, I’ve also signed with HarperCollins (who published my mysteries) to write a juicy beach book geared toward women. Kind of like a grown-up DEBS, I guess! So I’ll be busy the next ten months. Very busy.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!

Thank you, Jen! It’s been a pleasure.

Interview with Julie Bowe

http://www.juliebowe.com/

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve liked writing poems and stories ever since high school. When I was a senior, I bought an incredibly ugly green ledger at a dollar store (only, back then, it was called a “dime store”) and started using it as a journal. I wrote lots of poems in that book and, actually, some of them were kind of pretty.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

When my daughter was a baby (almost 18 years ago) I started doing freelance curriculum writing. When my son was born (almost 13 years ago) I started writing and submitting children’s stories for publication. I received lots of rejection letters from editors, but some of them said very positive things about my writing, so it gave me hope and I kept plugging along. My first book, My Last Best Friend, was published with Harcourt in 2007.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

My latest release is My New Best Friend (Harcourt, 2008). It’s the sequel to My Last Best Friend. Both books are about a fourth grade girl named Ida May and all the ups and downs she faces after her best friend moves away.

If I could tell you only one thing about the books, I would quote a reader who recently said, “Ida tells the truth.”

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

My greatest inspiration comes from being around kids and trying to tune into the rhythm they bring to the world. I’m also inspired by many middle-grade and young adult authors. A few of my favorites are Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, Megan McDonald, Jerry Spinelli, Katherine Paterson, K.L. Going, Gary D. Schmidt and Kate DiCamillo.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

I have a mom and a dad, two older brothers and one older sister. I’m married and have two teenage kids.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Chocolate ice cream with a spoonful of creamy peanut butter mixed in.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

1. I make breakfast for my kids and me. 2. I make myself a pot of coffee. 3. I check my email.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

You might be surprised to see where I do most of my writing. I work in one small corner of our basement family room. It’s a very messy corner.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

I would be blue because it has always been my favorite color. Maybe because I see the world through blue eyes.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

I love Peppermint Patty from the old Peanuts cartoons. She always seems so carefree and confident. Plus, she has great sandals.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

I’m like Charlie Brown. Stumbling along, trying to figure out who I am and how to kick a football.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

I never knew my grandparents so I would love to go back in time and meet them.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I really like the music of singer/songwriter Chris Rice, especially his CD called “Past the Edges.” I don’t listen to music while I’m writing because it distracts me. But, sometimes, I like to write in the food court at the mall. It’s helpful for me to have that mix of voices in the background while I’m working. Plus, they have really good coffee there.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

Oh, gosh, I hardly ever watch T.V. My kids and I like to get DVD’s from the library and watch old series like Seinfeld and Gilmore Girls. My daughter and I have watched the movie Pride and Prejudice a bunch of times and I always have to watch Little Women and A Christmas Story during the holidays. My son and I love watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Ghost Busters, and all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies again and again. The last movie I saw in a theatre was The Dark Knight.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Dream big and beyond middle school/high school because, as it turns out, adolescence is just a tiny blip on the life screen. Try to make choices that not only respect who you are today, but who you were as a child, and who will be as an adult.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

I’m working on a third story about Ida May and her friends.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!

Thanks for inviting me!

Interview with Courtney Sheinmel

http://www.courtneysheinmel.com/

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I don’t have a memory of not wanting to be a writer – but I was fourteen years old when I fully realized it was something I could do as a career. The writer Anna Quindlen came to speak at my high school. She had just found out, days before, that she had won the Pulitzer Prize for her New York Times column. She spoke about her career as a writer, and how she connected with her readers. I was officially hooked.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

I took as many writing classes as I could in college, and then – unsure of whether I could really finish a whole book let alone support myself as I writer – I went to law school. But in the back of my head, I always knew what I wanted to do. I wrote my first full manuscript when I was twenty-seven years old. At that time, on weekdays, I was working as a litigation associate. But on weekends, I was working on my book. When it was finished, I called a law school professor of mine, who was also a novelist. He gave me an incredible gift – the name of his agent. I ended up signing with someone else in the same agency, and the book was sold to Simon & Schuster a month after that.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

My So-Called Family is my debut novel and it comes out October 21, 2008. It follows thirteen-year-old Leah Isabel Hoffman-Ross, who has a donor instead of a father. Leah just moved to a new town, and she’s trying to fit in with her new friends. But she’s also grappling with having a family that is not like everyone else’s, and she defies her mother and stepfather by going in search of her donor-siblings.

If I could tell readers one thing to convince them to buy it . . . I think, despite the specific circumstances of Leah’s family, the story is really universal and easy to relate to. I mean, everyone has something that makes them feel different; and everyone clashes with their parents at some point when they’re thirteen.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

I can’t pin it down. I think it’s . . . everything. Just being aware, and questioning things around me. Luckily, I live in New York City, and there’s a lot around me all at once. The city itself is a great inspiration. In fact, there is some element of New York in everything I’ve written so far. My So-Called Family is set in Riverdale, New York, and Leah and her friends visit Manhattan. My second book, Positively, is set in a made-up town in Connecticut, but I managed to work a New York chapter into it as well.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

My parents are beyond thrilled! I live about ten blocks away from my mother in New York City, and sometimes I’ll meet someone in the neighborhood who already knows about my book, because my mother tells everyone about it. My father lives in California, and I think he’s doing his share of marketing as well. I also have a younger sister, and a wonderful extended family, who I call my “faux” family – my mother’s boyfriend, a.k.a. Faux Pa, and his children and grandchildren.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Macaroni and cheese.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

The one thing I do without fail is turn on The Today Show. The next steps vary after that.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

I live in a tiny New York City apartment – no attic or basement, and limited closet space. For a long time I saved my bat mitzvah dress – just for sentimental reasons, but then I needed the room, so it was let go. My friends would be surprised to see the weights in my hall closet. I don’t really like working out, but I dust them off every so often.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Right now it would be blue, because I love the color sky blue – it seems full of possibility. Also, I have a lot of blue in my apartment, so it feels like home.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

It’s always been Donald Duck.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

When I was little, I used to sing the Teeny Little Super Guy theme song to myself (from Sesame Street, back in the 1980’s), because I was the smallest kid in the class and it made me feel better. My best friend Arielle says she thinks I’m more like Mighty Mouse, because I’m small and I like cheese.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

This may be kind of silly, but I’d love to go back in time to when I was young and my family lived in California – maybe when I was six and my sister was three, so that would be around 1983-84. I’m so curious about how I really was. Also my parents divorced when I was nine and we moved to New York; it’s been over twenty years since I was in my childhood home. I think I remember it vividly, but it would be interesting to see just how accurate my memory is.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I have such limited taste in music, but I’m very loyal to the artists I listen to – the top three are Carly Simon, Sheryl Crow, and Madonna, and generally one of them is playing in the background while I’m writing. Sometimes I mix it up and let Bon Jovi or Sarah McLachlan into the rotation.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

I record a bunch of shows on my DVR, but some favorites are: ER, Brothers & Sisters, 30 Rock, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, All My Children (maybe I shouldn’t admit to that last one). I’m also a huge fan of The Today Show. I can watch The Princess Bride, Soapdish, Terms of Endearment, and Home for the Holidays again and again, and never get bored. Sometimes my sister and I just speak to each other in quotes from those movies. The last movie I saw was Mamma Mia! – I LOVE Meryl Streep, and I thought it was fabulous.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

I guess my one piece of advice to teens – whether they read or not – is that popularity doesn’t matter once you get out of high school; and in fact it matters less in high school than it did in middle school. I spent a lot of time when I was younger worrying what people thought of me, worrying whether I was popular enough. I still worry about what people think of me – but the popularity part doesn’t matter at all anymore. My friends and I are popular with each other. Just make friends you like, and be loyal to each other. The rest will fall into place.

Oh, and one other piece of advice – read. Read a lot! Read whatever you find interesting, and read the things your parents recommend. It will teach you about them, and about all kinds of people in all kinds of situations. It will make you interesting and empathetic. And, most of all, it will help you understand yourselves. (At least that’s what it did for me.)

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

My next book, Positively, comes out on September 8, 2009.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!

Interview with C.K. Kelly Martin

http://www.ckkellymartin.com/

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I started writing and illustrating my first series at seven and wrote lots of short stories, just for fun, when I was a teenager. I think it was always in the back of my mind that I wanted to get more serious about writing eventually but I wanted to do some living first so after university I went and hung out in Ireland for most of the 90’s (barely wrote a thing while I was there). I guess I thought writing would be waiting for me when I was ready, which was 1999, when I finally started writing my first young adult novel.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

I’ve been a big reader all my life but when I started writing in earnest I really had no idea what I was doing and it took three or four years of constant reading and writing to get the hang of it. Shortly after that I landed my first agent and thought I had it made – that it was only a matter of time before my first novel would sell. Well, what actually happened was that I lost my NY agent because they weren’t fond of the second book I’d sent them (while they were still shopping the first) and wanted me to make changes I didn’t believe in. So I went from thinking I was on the road to publication to searching for a new agent, back at square one. By the time I found an agent who believed in my second book so strongly that she recruited a U.S. agent to sell it stateside when UK publishers turned it down, I had another two novels finished. Happily Random House, about a year after buying I Know It’s Over, also purchased those other two novels, One Lonely Degree and The Lighter Side of Life and Death.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

I think the story is from a point of view we still haven’t heard very much – a guy still in love with his ex who on Christmas Eve finds out she’s pregnant with his kid. It was interesting to read Nick Hornby’s Slam because it covers similar territory but is very different in tone. If you’re looking for a light book, I Know It’s Over won’t be your type of thing. It’s realistic and pretty intense, I think. A reviewer at the ilikebooks community on LiveJournal said it was one of the heaviest YA novels she’d ever read and not to pick it up if you're not prepared to be totally heartbroken. That seems like a fair assessment to me.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

This is such a hard question because everything’s an inspiration: a newspaper article, something you overheard someone say on the subway, memories of your best friend when you were ten, song lyrics. But on a deeper level, I really hate the cynicism, indifference and cruelty which seem very prevalent in our culture now (in music, movies, television and popular culture in general) so I’d say the opposite – empathy and hope – are a big inspiration. The idea that people, and your relationships with them, are what matters.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

My husband, parents and brother are all big readers and they’re all incredibly excited about the upcoming release of I Know It’s Over, as are my family in Ireland. My husband has an agent who is submitting his own easy reader series to publishers in the UK. He’s the first reader for all my books and has been totally amazing during the long struggle to get published. My brother was a big help when it came to the hockey stuff in I Know It’s Over.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

An ice cold Coke with a pack of potato chips (pretty much any flavor except ketchup).

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Brush my teeth, drink a glass of orange juice and read yesterday’s Toronto Star (I’m always a day behind).

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

I went and looked in my closet, hoping that would help me answer this question. It’s a total mess, which probably isn’t surprising! Umm…I still have tons of my childhood stuffed animals down in our storage locker. I wish I still had my Merlin game too but I haven’t seen it in years.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Aquamarine because it’s calm and soothing and reminds me of Tropical oceans. It’s a color I never get sick of. I think being aquamarine would be very Zen and minty fresh too.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Intrepid boy reporter Tintin. I devoured his adventures again and again when I was a kid. Destination Moon and Explorers on the Moon were especially amazing.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Probably Daria but without the boots and glasses.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

Wow. That’s a really cool question and there’d be so many places and times I’d like to see but if I had to choose just one I think I’d like to do some more hanging out in Ireland and meet a few of my pagan ancestors. I grew up in Canada but from the first time I landed on Irish soil a big part of me felt like I was home. I don’t know if that’s some kind of genetic recognition or what but it would be amazing to witness the building of Newgrange and discover what Ireland was really like back then, firsthand.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I can’t listen to music while I’m writing because it messes with my concentration but I often listen to music before and after. Topping the list of favorites would be British singer-songwriter Billy Bragg, who I’ve been a huge fan of for over twenty years and who writes equally well about politics and matters of the heart. I met him for the second time in June and gave him an advance reader copy of I Know It’s Over, which was a totally surreal moment. I like lots of Canadian bands – Blue Rodeo, Our Lady Peace, Sam Roberts, The Tragically Hip, Tegan and Sara. I’m also a big Frames, Bloc Party and Paddy Casey fan.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

I hardly watch movies over these days; I’d much rather watch something I haven’t seen yet but there are a few I come back to every few years and I think the movies Once and Children of Men will prove to be two of these – again, they’re the opposite of cynical. As far as TV goes I watch Lost, The Office, Doctor Who, Trailer Park Boys and lately I’m hooked on Ghost Hunters. I think the last thing I saw at the theater was The X-Files movie.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

I’d borrow some lyrics from Billy Bragg: “If no one out there understands/Start your own revolution and cut out the middle man.”

And a quote from Winston Churchill: “Never, never, never give up.”

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

My next book, One Lonely Degree is out in May and is about a fifteen year old girl named Finn who considers herself an outsider in a world full of pack animals. When something bad happens to her at a party, that feeling intensifies. Her best friend is the only one who knows about the incident and the two of them do their best to deal with it on their own, which sort of works until a childhood friend of Finn’s reappears. She has feelings for him but isn’t ready to deal with them. Eventually he starts going out with Finn’s best friend, which sort of works too because then at least Finn can be friends with him.

But then her best friend goes away for the summer, leaving Finn to watch her parents’ marriage crumble and struggle to deal with unresolved feelings about what happened at the party. The one Finn automatically turns to is her old friend, which makes things still more complicated.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!

Thanks for the opportunity to talk with you!

Interview with Michael P. Spradlin

http://www.michaelspradlin.com/

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I think my first hints toward becoming a writer came first from being an avid reader. Growing up in the sixties and seventies, without cable television or the Internet, books were a primary source of entertainment. I think I just naturally progressed from loving to read to thinking that being a writer had to be just about the coolest job in the world.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

I don’t have any of the horror stories that other writers have with the millions of rejections. I’m very lucky. My first picture book The Legend of Blue Jacket was accepted right away. After that I just kept plugging away, got an agent and the rest has progressed nicely.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

My new novel THE YOUNGEST TEMPLAR: Keeper of the Grail is set during the Third Crusade. It tells the story of Tristan, a young orphan, who is raised by monks. He becomes a squire to a Templar Knight and is taken to the Holy Land. During a critical battle he is given guardianship of the Holy Grail and told to return it safely to England. Along the way he is pursed by Assassins, secret agents of the King, evil Knights and teams up with a young Muslim girl and a young archer from Sherwood Forest.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

I’ve never been able to identify exactly where inspiration comes from. I just see stories and write about them. I can be reading an article in a magazine, a biography of a famous person or a novel and say to myself, “there is a great idea for a story.” Then I write about it and if it works, I keep going.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

My lovely wife Kelly and I will be celebrating our 26th wedding anniversary this month. We have two children Michael, Jr. and Rachel. Both of my children can write rings around me.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Probably Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

My collection of comic book art.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Blue. It has a wide palette and is very soothing.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

By far the greatest cartoon character ever invented is Foghorn Leghorn. This is not open for debate.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

See above.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

I would say probably the American Revolution. One of those rare times in history where you see a simply fantastic collection of great minds. Jefferson, Washington, Adams, Franklin, Patrick Henry. It would have been fascinating to see.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

My favorite music is probably classic rock. The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, etc. I don't listen to music when I write.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

I have a few favorites. The Office, Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica, Chuck, Reaper, those are some of my current favorite. My all time favorite movie is The Princess Bride and I’ll watch it several times a year. The last movie I saw in the theater was Pineapple Express.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

If you’re interested in writing as a career, you have to write. Writing is a skill that gets better with practice just like any other skill.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

Well the Youngest Templar is a trilogy so there will be at least two more books there. I have a new novel that my agent is getting ready to shop around and I have picture books in the works on The Pony Express and a baseball alphabet book that is a lot of fun.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!

Interview with Nancy Viau

http://www.nancyviau.com/

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

Hmmm…I wish I could say something clever like “always” or “since I was in college” or “just last year,” but the notion that I could be a writer didn’t hit me until about nine years ago. I scooted my youngest child off to preschool, and sat in front of the computer to jot down a story that had been floating around in my head. Within a few weeks (and I have my teacher—Mr. Internet—to thank for this), I discovered how much I needed to be part of a critique group. There were none in my area, so I started one, and it was during the first meeting that I realized how pathetic my 1650-word picture book was. I also realized how much joy I found in writing that stinky story, and that was when the idea that I could be a writer started to stick.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

It’s been a long road (nine years!), and not only have I taken baby steps down every inch of it, I’ve stumbled quite a bit, too. Like I said, I first tried my hand at picture books, and made every newbie mistake in the world: too many words, simultaneous subs with identical cover letters, greetings without personalization, and my favorite—a letter addressed to Penquin Books for Young Readers. Penguin with a “q”…ugh. Embarrassing. But I realized I was just in a hurry to get published, and decided I needed to slow down, do my research, and try a different path. I submitted pieces to local parenting magazines and children’s magazines. A friend suggested I write first-person essays and op-ed essays in order to hone my skill. All these things worked out well for me (practice, practice, practice!), and I was able to gather up some pretty decent writing credits. I was grateful for the editors who taught me about revision, writing to word count, and how to balance persistence and patience. I attended informative conferences like those sponsored by SCBWI (http://www.scbwi.org/) and The Rutgers University Council on Children’s Literature (http://www.ruccl.org/). I learned something more each step of the way and kept writing.

In 2006, I decided to leave all my writing for adults behind, and concentrate solely on writing for children. I kept submitting to children’s magazines, and still worked on picture books (can’t help it; still love them), but at the same time, I penned the story of Samantha Hansen. That manuscript landed me my agent, and of course, I wasn’t at the end of the road yet! After several revisions, we sent the book out. In July of 2007, Samantha Hansen Has Rocks In Her Head sold to Abrams Books for Young Readers/Amulet Books. Whew. Like I said…it was a loooooong road.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

Samantha Hansen Has Rocks In Her Head is about a ten-year-old mad scientist, but Sam doesn’t blow up stuff or change kids into cats that bark. She just has a little trouble keeping a lid on her temper, and she “ab-so-lutely” loves science (especially rocks). But science isn’t all that helpful when it comes to the big questions, like why does she get into trouble, why does her sister annoy her, and why won’t anyone talk about her dad. When Sam’s mom announces a trip to the Grand Canyon, it’s a dream-come-true. But if Sam can’t get a grip on her emotions, she’s going to miss seeing her favorite rocks, and miss finding out the answers to some of her other questions, as well.

Readers: if you’re looking for a book with a true-to-life, smart, outspoken character who understands how hard it is to be yourself in a world filled with people who don’t always get where you’re coming from, than this middle-grade is a perfect choice.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

This is an easy one—my kids, and the kids I have taught, I’ve read to, and played with since I can remember.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

Really? They are? Nobody tells me anything. My favorite family light-bulb moment came years ago when my teen sons and I were waiting to see the dentist. They picked up a copy of Highlights, saw my name, and said, “Hey, Mom, I didn’t know you were a writer!” (*sigh* I know I mentioned this once or twice or thirty times.) Today, my husband, two daughters, and two grown sons admit to the fact there’s an official author in the family. But it took some convincing. Now and then they get annoyed with how much time I put into my work, but I shut them up by saying something like, “This is my dream job. I have stuff to do!” My outburst usually buys me an extra hour of writing time before somebody reminds me that being a mom is also my dream job.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Cheese. No, cookies. Wait, that’s two. How about cheesencookies? Writers can make up words, you know.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Turn on the coffee maker and brew a few (pots). Turn on my computer. Turn on the washer.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

In my closet, way in back, I still have an original Barbie. This is amazing because I’m a thrower-outter. Frankly, I’m surprised I didn’t ditch her when she broke her neck skydiving off my swing-set.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

I’d be red, definitely red. Red is full of energy, bright, never shy, and always fabulous.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Jimmy Neutron. How can you not like a kid who likes that much science?!

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Wile E. Coyote. He loves to chase down what he wants until he’s exhausted. And even though things never come easy for him, he never gives up.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

Great question! I’d want to be sitting next to Neil Armstrong in the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon July 20, 1969. As a kid, I was super-glued to a black and white T.V. during every second of that event, and oh, how I longed to be where the (colorful) action was! In fact, I guess I was a budding writer even then, because I took notes in the form of journal entries (2 minutes and 3 secs until touchdown, 1 minute until the door opens, etc.). I used an English composition book leftover from school that year. My handwriting started out all pretty and perfect, but once the astronauts clicked opened that latch, it turned to scribbles because I would not take my eyes off the T.V.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

Classic rock is my fave—Led Zeppelin ranks way up there, and if I ever feel like singing or reliving my younger years, that’s the music of choice. Other rockers I love are: Journey, Yes, Boston, the Stones, U2, and Bruce Springsteen. On the soft side, I like Steely Dan, Van Morrison, The Police, Eric Clapton, and Rod Stewart, and nothing beats a little Jimmy Buffet or Bob Marley during the dog days of summer. I can get into a lot of today’s music, too, and now and then my daughter lets me practice hip-hop moves in her room. With the blinds closed. And the door shut. But I can’t listen to any music while I’m writing. It’s too distracting.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

T.V. shows I can’t miss include: So You Think You Can Dance, Medium, Grey’s Anatomy, and Law and Order. And two movies I never tire of are: Ever After with Drew Barrymore and George of the Jungle with Brendan Fraser. (George sports some killer biceps in that show, and well, other killer body parts I won’t mention.) The last movie I saw in a theater was I Am Legend. I Am A HUGE Will Smith Fan.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Well, my readers are actually preteens 8-12, but my advice is the same:Don’t worry so much about what people think. What do you think?

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

Hopefully, more stories starring Samantha Hansen!

Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!

Thanks for having me. This was fun!

Interview with P. J. Hoover

http://www.pjhoover.com/

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

From birth? No, not really. I was not the child who carried around a notebook and pencil and wrote stories at the age of five. In fact, I’ve always been a technical gal. I got an Electrical Engineering degree and designed chips for fifteen years. It was only after my second kid was born that it really occurred to me to give writing a try (which was in 2004).

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

Pretty standard. I did the basic things. Wrote a novel. Revised it. Thought it was perfect. Send it off. Received multiple rejections (ouch!). And then I met an editor at a conference who offered to read it and give me feedback. Talk about an eye opener! I couldn’t wait to revise based on her comments, and, when I sent it back to her, she gave me even more to work on. We repeated this pattern a few more times, and then one day she told me it was almost ready to acquire. Three years after starting The Emerald Tablet, I signed a three book deal with that same editor.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

Benjamin Holt is from another world hidden here on Earth, and he’s not even human.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

My inspiration boils down to a lifetime of loving the unknown. From sci-fi and fantasy TV shows to a desire to be an archaeologist, if anything ever has questions surrounding it, my curiosity is peaked. I read sci-fi and fantasy all the time growing up, took Astronomy in high school, got a second degree in History in college. And then I had kids, and the real inspiration began! It’s like this magical gift of being able to relive your life when your biggest worries were whether you wanted chocolate or regular milk.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

We have the storybook family here. There’s me (the perfect wife). The husband. Two kids—a boy (7 years-old) and a girl (4 years-old). We have a Yorkie and now two tortoises, King Tort and Nefertorti, who should live to be 180 years-old. The kids will have to leave them to their heirs.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Popcorn. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner—it’s the perfect treat!

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

I’m assuming going potty goes without saying…Make coffee. Take a shower. Make the bed.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

The Oompa Loompas I keep hidden in there? No, not really. My fancy beaded gown collection (and yes, I actually went and looked in my closet to see if there was anything else noteworthy).

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Red, because red isn’t scared of anything. Red speaks her mind. Red stands out in a crowd. Red is primary; she’s not a mix of other colors. And for the record, red can be worn anywhere. Even to weddings.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Smurfette.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Velma (though I’d love to look like Daphne).

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

Ancient Egypt. But I’d want to live in the palace as part of the royal family, though I’m sure the people shoving blocks together for the pyramids had plenty of fun, also.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

Anything I know the words to, which happens to be most 80s music. Of course, I did go through the whole Dead Head stage, also, so the Doors and Led Zeppelin are among my favorites. Music while writing—no way. If it has words, I sing them. And if I’m singing, I can’t concentrate.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

I don’t watch TV anymore, but my favorite overall TV show is Star Trek. I’m torn between the original series and The Next Generation. Movies I would want to watch over and over? Monsters Inc., Lost Boys. Journey to the Center of the Earth (the original version). Last movie at the theater? The Mummy 3 – Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Set goals now. Write them down. Really think about what you want to accomplish, and you’ll be worlds ahead of the world!

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

Of course, The Emerald Tablet is first in a trilogy. Book 2, The Navel of the World, is scheduled for Fall 2009, and Book 3, The Necropolis, is scheduled for Fall 2010.I’m also working on an Egyptian themed MG/YA series, and a mythology-based YA fantasy.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!

Thank you for having me! It was fun!

Interview with Marsha Qualey

http://www.marshaqualey.com/

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I was hit first with the bug to be a writer in junior high, but it was more of a desire to pose as a writer, a pretty common affliction. It seemed like a cool thing to be. I wrote some things, but mostly I produced a lot of unfinished stories. Half-filled pages sat in my typewriter and piled up on my desk. The fascination with the work of writing hit me after I'd matured a bit. I was in my twenties when I finally realized that the writing was more important than being a writer.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

I'm a slush pile writer. I finished my first novel, Everybody's Daughter, and began sending it out to publishers. I got about a dozen rejections over three years before it was bought by a young editor at Houghton Mifflin. The novel was my first published work.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

My latest release is actually a reissue of an earlier book, but it's out in paperback for the first time. Here's what I'd say about it: Because Come in from the Cold is set in the sixties, political turmoil, drugs, sex, and rock and roll are part of the story, but they take a back seat to first love, family, and hope.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

The characters I create. They all haunt me, long after I've finished a story. I go on to a new project because something one of them said or longed for seems worthy of exploration and its own novel.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

My husband and I have four grown children. Two of the kids live in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one in Madison Wisconsin, and one in Waterloo, Ontario. When they were growing up our lives pretty much whirled around their activities, which were centered on music and theater. They all write, are great readers, and keep me laughing. They also all think I'm the best writer in the world.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Peanut butter toast.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Look at the clock, fumble for and put on my glasses, look at the clock again.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

Multiple copies of the movie The Silence of the Lambs (VHS, DVD, Special edition). I love that movie, and the kids always made sure I had the newest format.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Gray, the color of a nice piece of pre-Cambrian basalt. I love rocks.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Joanie, in Doonesbury.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Joanie, in Doonesbury.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

I would love to be a ghost in the corner of my grandmother's childhood home in Minneapolis, sometime during the first decade of the twentieth century. She and her three siblings (two sisters, one brother) fascinate me. My grandmother and one of her sisters were friends with Maud Hart Lovelace, the author of the Betsy Tacy books, my favorite childhood books. I didn't know my grandmother or her siblings, but because I've been studying the era as I write an historical novel based in part on their lives, I'd sell my soul to be a witness to their lives.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I roam over the musical landscape. Many of my books were written while certain music pervaded my life and office. Come in from the Cold was influenced by a great Joni Mitchell CD, Night Ride Home. In fact, the title of the novel was taken from a wonderful track of the same name on that album. While writing Too Big a Storm I listened to a lot of blues and roots music. When I was writing Just Like That I listened constantly to The Waifs, an Australian group. Bob Dylan once said The Waifs were the best live performers he'd ever seen. Check them out (http://www.waifs.com/).

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

The only TV I watch with regularity is Project Runway. My daughters got me hooked this last year. Also, thanks to the kids, I tune in fairly frequently to The Daily Show. And in spite of the fact I own multiple copies of The Silence of the Lambs, I don't watch any movie over and over. That's not a habit I have. The last movie I saw in the theater was Hancock.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Please don't read a novel's last page first.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

I'm juggling three projects right now: a contemporary YA, an historical YA, and a contemporary adult novel. I need to focus, I guess, and get something done. Nothing has a firm pub date now.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!

Interview with Stephanie Kuehnert

http://www.stephaniekuehnert.com/

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I first knew when I was five years old and started reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series. I wanted to be Laura and record the adventures of my life. As it turned out my life wasn’t nearly as interesting as her life on the frontier, so I started writing fiction instead.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

I went to Columbia College Chicago for both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. I was working on I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE as my Master’s thesis project and when I was about two-thirds of the way finished with it and in the middle of total writer’s block, I got picked to meet with an agent to get feedback on the first chapter during the school’s annual Story Week Festival of Writers. I figured I’d be getting a critique and was excited just to get that, but I walked in to meet with Caren Johnson and she said, “I want this. How soon can you be finished?” I told her I needed the summer to get it done. That gave me 6 months to finish it and polish it. I went to visit her in New York and brought it to her. She still loved the whole story, so she took me on as a client and I did a couple revisions on it before she started shopping it.

I was really lucky. That is not how it usually works. It usually takes a lot of querying to find an agent. However it did take Caren a lot of querying with publishers to find the right home for my book. She spent a year shopping it to all of the major adult houses in New York. Then we talked about how it could probably sell as a YA book, so she began shopping it to those publishing houses and MTV Books picked it up! Even though it took over a year and I really never thought it was going to happen, I’m thrilled with how it all turned out because I love MTV Books and my editor there!

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if a girl was the biggest rock star in the world? Well, I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE is the story of that girl and what made her who she was.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

Music is my greatest muse. I’ve been listening to punk rock since I was in junior high and it has always been my outlet. I can’t play guitar or sing or anything though, so I pour the energy and inspiration I get from it into writing stories and books instead. I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE was inspired by all the female musicians I’ve loved throughout the years and is my tribute to them.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

My mom, Nancy, is a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse, meaning she takes care of premature and very sick newborns. She is my hero and my biggest cheerleader. I have a nurse tattoo on my back in honor of her. My brother, Daniel, is two years younger than me and he also really inspires me. He just finished law school and will be practicing employment law on the side of the workers rather than the corporations, which doesn’t have a lot of money in it, but is very important, honorable work in my opinion. My dad, Paul, is also a nurse, he works as the Executive Director of Public Health in Kane County. My parents divorced when I was 17 and my dad remarried and I have a half-brother, Evan, who is 8 years old. It’s not the easiest situation. I’m definitely closer to my mom and Dan, but it’s the kind of situation many of us cope with now and I love my dad and Evan, too, so we work through it.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Mashed potatoes, preferably with lots of garlic.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Wash up, feed my cats (who act like I’ve completely starved them) and make breakfast.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

Hmm, maybe the Janet Jackson concert program in my closet. My house is plastered with posters and flyers from punk and alternative bands, but when I was 10, I loved Janet Jackson and she was my first concert. Though it was too loud and I asked my mom to take me home after four songs.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Probably silver. I’d like to be sparkly and reflective and look different depending on the light.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

I don’t know if Hello Kitty is technically a cartoon character but I have cartoons with her in it. I am totally Hello Kitty obsessed. I like cats and she is just adorable.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

I have to say when I was younger I was a total Lisa Simpson and I think I still am. I’m vegetarian, I’m very passionate about the issues that concern me, I’m bookish and I never let people make me feel ashamed of my desire to learn and be smart. I’d rather be smart than popular. I can’t play the saxophone though. The pen is my saxophone I guess.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

Seattle 1990. Nirvana is my favorite band. I was 14 the last time they toured Chicago and my parents wouldn’t let me go to the concert, they told me I could see them in the summer. Then Kurt Cobain killed himself, so I never got a chance. I just want to see them live and watch the whole grunge scene explode. It would be cool to be part of that. Maybe it’s lame not to go further back in history and part of me would like the see the frontier days in the US and hang out with Laura Ingalls Wilder, but yeah, I’d really rather get to see my favorite band perform live. I guess it shows how much my life is focused on music!

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

Punk and late eighties/early nineties alternative rock. Some of my favorite bands are Nirvana, Hole, Social Distortion, Rancid, The Distillers, The Gits, Screaming Trees, Mudhoney, The Replacements, PJ Harvey, The Cure, Johnny Cash, Against Me!, Sleater-Kinney, Rise Against, and Civet. I can’t usually listen to music while I’m writing, but I listen to music before I write to get inspired.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

Grey’s Anatomy, Degrassi (all of them, I was hooked on Degrassi Junior High and High as a kid and now I watch the Next Generation), My So-Called Life, Twin Peaks, The X-Files, Family Guy, and I’ve been hopelessly addicted to the soap opera One Life to Live since I was 14. I am addicted to old 80s movies like Heathers and The Breakfast Club and watch those over and over. I’m also obsessed with the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and the Harry Potter movies. The last movie I saw in the theater was the latest X Files movies. I need to see Dark Knight though!

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Be yourself. Don’t worry about what other people think about you. Kids can be horribly mean and I was constantly made fun of for the clothes I wore and for working hard in my classes instead of trying to be popular and for loving to read and listening to punk rock and expressing my opinions about politics and stuff, but in the end, I was glad that I stay true to myself instead of trying to conform. I did that for a year in sixth grade and was miserable. Eventually you’ll find your tribe.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

My next book is called Ballads of Suburbia and MTV Books will put it out in the Summer of 2009. You can get a sneak preview of it at my website: www.stephaniekuehnert.com/backstage.html It’s actually about a girl who doesn’t really fit in, but eventually finds her tribe.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!

Interview with Francesca Lia Block

http://www.francescaliablock.com/

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

When I was in first grade. I had a beautiful young teacher named Miss Atlas who encouraged me to write poetry. My parents had been encouraging my writing even before that.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

I wrote Weetzie Bat while at college at UC Berkeley. I sent the manuscript to a friend who forwarded it to Charlotte Zolotow at Harper. She decided to publish it as a YA book (I had written it as an adult book). That opened the door for all my other stories.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

How to (Un)Cage a Girl is a book of poems about freeing ourselves by examining the things in our childhood and our environment that hold us back and by expressing and receiving love to and from our friends. It’s a very personal book that will make you feel as if I am in the room with you, reading you a poem I’ve written just for you.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

My mother, my children, my friends, the great writers, nature, Los Angeles, music.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

I have two young children. I am close to my mother and I have an older brother who is very supportive.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Vegan rice pudding.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Meditate, make my children’s breakfasts and lunches, check my email.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

All the gorgeous shoes I have that I can no longer wear due to a serious foot problem.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

White as it holds all the colors and is the color of light, also the pink of light pink peonies.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

Right here right now.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists?

Emotional female singer songwriters with an edge like PJHarvey, Tori Amos, Sinead etc.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

I saw some really bad kid's movie at a theater with my children. I don’t even remember what it was. The last adult movie I saw was probably the latest Woody Allen. I watch JULIET OF THE SPIRITS a lot. I don’t have TV but I loved SIX FEET UNDER and BUFFY.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

I have a whole list in the poem 45 THOUGHTS FOR MY DAUGHTER (AND MY VIRTUAL DAUGHTERS) in How to (Un)cage a Girl. But here I’ll say, learn to love yourself; it’s the most important thing you can do.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

Waters and the Wild, Pretty Dead-a vampire book, House of Dolls, Little Pink (with Lydia Wills, Forest Folk: A Mythological Dating Guide.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!

Interview with Laura Resau

http://www.lauraresau.com/

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve loved reading and story-telling from the time I could talk. In elementary school, my friends and I invented stories and songs and dances about Bottlebugs, some magical creatures I first imagined during a creative writing assignment. I continued creating and writing stories all the way through college, but it wasn’t until I lived in Mexico for two years after college that I felt motivated and confident enough to try to complete and publish a book. In the meantime, I got my Masters degree in cultural anthropology, and when I was faced with the decision of whether I wanted to get my PhD in anthropology or write books for kids and teens, I chose to try for the latter. Four years later, What the Moon Saw was published.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

In a pretty disorganized fashion, I sent various somewhat finished versions of What the Moon Saw to about ten publishers and agents over the course of a couple years. Everyone rejected it except an editor at Cricket books, who gave me a wonderful three-page letter of revisions. I addressed all her comments, which made the manuscript much, much stronger. She ended up passing on it because of changes happening in her publishing company. One day, I found, tucked away in the Publishers’ Corner section of my SCBWI newsletter, an announcement that a new editor at Delacorte was open to unsolicited submissions. She was looking for magical realism, unusual story telling devices, friendship themes— all of which my manuscript contained! A few months later, she offered me a contract, and my husband and I rode our bikes to the fanciest restaurant in town to celebrate.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

My latest release is Red Glass, about a teenage girl’s road trip to Mexico and Guatemala with an eccentric cast of characters— along the way, they find love, family, and hope in each other. Hmmm. One thing about the story to entice you? The main character has one epiphany beneath a starry sky in small-town Mexico and another epiphany in a crap–filled bathroom in small-town Guatemala. You’ve got some magical beauty and some gritty ugliness all in one package. (It’s easier for me to write books than to give sales pitches about them. Sorry if I inadvertently grossed you out and sent you running in the other direction…)

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

Friends of all ages in Oaxaca who’ve welcomed me into their homes and lives. Indigenous women healers have been especially inspirational to me.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

I have a husband with beautiful blond hair nearly down to his butt (plus he’s smart, nice, funny, etc.), a black long-short dog named Luli (half corgi, half lab) who is currently having behavior problems related to jealousy. Which brings me to the third and most recent member of our family, the object of Luli’s jealousy, our one-year-old son who came from Guatemala in December 2007. He is mind-bogglingly adorable, and we’re sure Luli will warm up to him soon if he keeps tossing her Cheerios and avocado from his high chair.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Tea with lots of milk and honey. Always makes me feel good.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

1) Play with baby in bed (hubbie’s already in the living room reading the paper).

2) Pee as baby practices opening and closing the bathroom door, which he finds endlessly fascinating.

3) Prepare tea with lots of milk and honey for me and a bottle for baby. (He’s already a tea fiend— chamomile in a sippy cup for him, of course.)

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

The dusty boxes of vintage View master reels, which my dad gets for me from his flea market buddies. 3-D images have always felt magical to me, especially when they depicts something bizarre like the 1950’s Barbie Family taking a vacation around the world. Or fluorescent sea anemone and squid from 10,000 Leagues under the Sea.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

The color of dusk—that blue-purple color. I love how everything seems to melt into each other at this time of night—like the boundaries between things are disappearing into the dusk color.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Hmmm. Someone on the Simpsons, for sure—not sure who—they’re all great.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Probably Lisa Simpson. We’ve got the somewhat neurotic artsiness and passion for social justice in common.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

Hmm. The first thing that comes to mind is mid 20th century, a beach in Chile, early in the morning, when the poet Pablo Neruda is taking a walk and composing poems in his head. It would be nice to cross paths with him on the beach, chat a little, and then keep on walking.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I have eclectic taste in music—I like old stuff, and international stuff— especially music from South and Central America—cumbia, salsa, meringue, reggae, folk, bachata, trova… Silvio Rodriguez, a Cuban trova singer/guitarist/songwriter, is probably my all-time favorite. I listened to his music while writing What the Moon Saw, and included some lines from his songs in the book. Lately, I’ve been listening to lots of Lila Downs, whose mother is Oaxacan and father American. Several of her songs are sung in indigenous Oaxacan languages (which, if you’ve read my books, you’ll know is my cup of tea.)

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

I’m addicted to LOST. I even dream about the characters. I’m guilty of lurking on LOST fan chat groups after the particularly mystifying episodes. Movies I watch over and over? The English Patient, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Red, Hideous Kinky. The last movie I saw was There Will be Blood in a cinema café near my house. I wasn’t crazy about it, but I loved the second to last movie I saw in that cinema café—The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. I would watch it again and again.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Let yourself fly!

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

I have a book coming out in Fall 2009. I’ve finished writing it, but I’m still undecided about the title. The main character is a teenage girl who travels around the world with her flighty, ESL-teaching mother, having adventures and romance and figuring out the meaning of everything!

Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!

It's been delightful-- thank you!

Interview with Scott Loring Sanders

http://www.scottloringsanders.com/

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

In the 7th grade I checked out Of Mice and Men from the library. I began reading it that evening and couldn’t put it down. The next morning I played hooky from school so I could finish. After I completed it, I remember saying to myself, “I want to write a book like that someday.” Lofty goals to be sure, but that was the first spark.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

First off, publishing is a brutal road, no doubt about it, but if you have that fire in your gut, it is possible. My road was a little different than many I suppose. I didn’t actually write my first sentence of prose until I was in my early thirties. I’d been working in Corporate America and was absolutely miserable, so I decided to write a novel. The desire to write had always been tucked away, deep inside me, but I’d never attempted it. Ironically, it took a job I loathed to give me the push to put pen to paper. So if nothing else, the corporate job was beneficial in that respect. Anyway, I worked on the novel every night after work and about a year later, I finished it. I then tried to go about getting it published and quickly realized that what I thought was a masterpiece was actually pretty horrible. So I decided to go back to school to get my MFA in Creative Writing. Being an older student was good for me because I treated my Masters work as my job. It was sort of do-or-die. I felt a certain sense of urgency that many of my younger peers probably didn’t feel. Long story short, I worked extremely hard, soaked up every word my professors said, and refused to give up. (That, by the way, is my number one piece of advice to aspiring writers. You can’t ever give up. And if you want it badly enough, you never will.) Part of the obligation for completion of the Masters program was to write a publishable thesis. My thesis was the early manuscript for The Hanging Woods. After I graduated, I began sending out query letters to literary agents. Not too long after I started my search, I got a call one day from Scott Miller at Trident Media who said he wanted to represent me. About eight months after that, Houghton Mifflin made an offer on the book. That’s it in a nutshell, and it sounds rather simple and easy, but I assure you it wasn’t at all. It was actually a very trying, stressful process that probably took a few years off my life. As a writer, there are so many unknowns, so many doubts that constantly haunt you. The writing profession is not for the meek, that’s for sure. But the rewards can be wonderful. And I don’t mean the financial rewards, because for most of us those are usually pretty meager. But the reward of doing what you want to do, of creating something and having others appreciate it enough to actually publish it, well, that’s pretty fulfilling.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

My next novel is entitled Gray Baby and will be published in May of 2009. I'll say right up front that it's a much different story than The Hanging Woods. It isn't as dark, though there are still some disturbing things that take place (and if you pay close attention, you might just see some references to The Hanging Woods, though I must stress that this isn't a sequel.) It opens with Clifton Carlson, who witnesses a troubling incident between his father (who is black) and two white police officers. From there, the story follows Clifton (who is bi-racial) as he struggles to cope with not only what he's witnessed, but also his own identity as he fights the difficulties of adolescence. He becomes friends with an intriguing, elderly white man, Swamper, in the most unlikely of circumstances, and it is through this relationship (and also because of a violent and troubling mystery that the two become involved with) that Clifton changes. But he isn't the only one who is developing and growing. Though Clifton learns a lot about life from Swamper, the elderly man--who has always been set in his ways--realizes that he isn't too old (or too proud) to evolve as well. The story is set in the 1980's along the banks of the New River in a rural Virginia town called Crocket's Mill. It is a mystery of sorts, but also a story of overcoming obstacles and learning about the trials and tribulations of what it takes to become a "man."

As far as convincing you to buy it, I’d say that, if nothing else, just reading the sections with Swamper would be well worth the money you spend. He cracks me up, and I hope others will love him the way that I do. He’s probably my favorite character that I’ve written to date, though Mothball from The Hanging Woods runs a close second.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

I don’t know that any one thing or person has been an inspiration, but certainly other writers that I admire have had a profound influence on me and my writing. Faulkner and Steinbeck. Cormac McCarthy blows me away. Silas House and Ron Rash are some modern writers that I greatly admire. And about a hundred others. I generally read adult fiction, but I do read y/a too. I think Kevin Brooks is excellent, as well as M.T. Anderson. And of course Robert Cormier.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

My wife is a rock. She has stood by me and believed in me from the beginning. I could never have accomplished what I have without her. My son is my right hand man. He’s a teenager now, but I still read everything I write to him first. He could obviously read my work on his own, but by having me read it to him, for one, I catch mistakes, and for two, he can interject right then and there and make comments. He keeps me in line, is a great critic, and often comes up with excellent ideas that I would have otherwise never thought of. In fact, he came up with the title for The Hanging Woods. My parents are very supportive and are really enjoying it. But at first, when I told them I was quitting my job in order to become a writer, they thought I was nuts. But I’ve always kept them on their toes and been full of surprises, so they’ve gotten used to it by now. And my sister is one of my biggest fans. All in all, they’re pretty psyched.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Pizza. Good pizza. I grew up in New Jersey, so I’m a pizza snob and self-proclaimed aficionado. Best pizza in the world? Mama’s Pizza in Hackettstown, New Jersey. In Virginia, Mama Concetta’s in Christiansburg. And for a great Mediterranean pie: La Fringale in Cassis, France. The owner rolls out the pizzas right next to you in a restaurant no bigger than most people’s bedrooms, throws them in a wood-fired oven, and then sits down at your table and drinks wine or pastis while the pizzas cook. One time, he let my son make his own pizza. Very cool place.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Make coffee, sit at the computer and check the Internet, then try to write something.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

Once you sifted through all the skeletons, I suppose the only interesting thing you’d find is the woodstove in the basement. Not too exciting, I know, but I’ve been heating with wood for about fifteen years. I generally cut my own and this year (and this is interesting) I put a chainsaw into my leg while cutting a dead maple. Drove myself to the emergency room and got some stitches put in, and now I’m good as new. Thankfully, my son is now old enough now to help me split it. I know it sounds strange, but I find great pleasure in heating my house with wood. I love everything about it. The cutting of the trees, the loading and hauling, the splitting, the burning, the smell, and of course the warmth. There is a great sense of accomplishment in having to work for your own heat. Weird? Maybe, but I like it.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

This one’s easy. Purple. But not just any purple. The light, faded purple of a lilac blossom. And if I could be any particular smell, I’d be the smell of a lilac. I love them and wish they were edible. The lilac in my yard almost always comes into full bloom on my birthday. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’ll encounter a lilac in all four of the books I’ve written thus far.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

The red, furry monster from the old Bugs Bunny cartoons who wore the white, high-top Chuck Taylor sneakers.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

My wife would probably say Cartman from South Park. I prefer to think she’d say Johnny Bravo.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

To the Canadian wilderness during the 1800’s. Why? So I could be a mountain man of course, living in a cabin, hunting and trapping, living off the land. I neither hunt nor trap, but for some reason the mountain man life has always appealed to me.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix. But also the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Guns N Roses. And then there’s certain Blue Grass. And Leonard Cohen. And Miles Davis. Elliott Smith. JJ Cale. And classical. And everything else. I rarely listen to music when I write. I need complete silence. But occasionally I do, and if so, only classical.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

College football and basketball. Sportscenter. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Seinfeld. The Office. Everybody Hates Chris. CNN. Actually, I don’t really watch much t.v., but those are shows I enjoy. Movies: The Wizard of Oz. As a rule, I generally don’t care for Hollywood blockbusters. My wife is a film snob, and thankfully so, because she has turned me on to a lot of independent/underground films. The last thing I saw in the theater was a pair of short independent films by Paul Harrill. They were both excellent.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Think for yourself. Learn and question everything. Be kind and compassionate--you’ll never regret it. You’ll never be sorry for being nice to people, even if some of those people happen to be jerks. And don’t be afraid to be exactly who you are. I have a hat my wife bought me that says, “Be as you are.” I always loved that because it’s so simple and so true. And follow your dreams. That might sound cliché, but who cares? I finally followed mine, and I’ve never been happier. Even if you don’t reach them, at least you tried. There’s a famous quote that says, “It’s better to regret the things you did than those you didn’t do.” Life’s too short not to go after what makes you happy.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

I’ve more or less completed my third novel, entitled The Beale Treasure, which is based on a true, real-life buried treasure hidden in the mountains of Virginia. Not exactly sure if that will be y/a or adult at this point. I’m currently at work on a fourth book which will be an adult novel.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!

Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.