First off, thanks so much for joining us for an up-close and personal interview for TeensReadToo.com! My name is Jen, and I’ll be your server today…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time out of your writing schedule—which I’m sure is busy!—and answering a few questions for your readers and fans.
Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?
I suppose I always was a writer—just not a writer of novels. In school, I was the kid who always got A’s in English, loved creative writing assignments, and relished words and language. As an adult, I spent my career developing language arts programs as an editorial director in educational publishing. (Yes, I’m partially responsible for those 20-pound books. Sorry.) And of course, I always loved to read. Then at some point, well into adulthood, I discovered fantasy novels. Suddenly, I wanted to write one of those stories, create a new world, and--—hopefully—see my name on a book that others would get lost in, too!
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
Well, it was long! I started my first YA novel, Dream Spinner, about 25 years ago. I wrote several drafts, got some encouraging letters from publishers, and then…my oldest son was born. A few years later he was followed by his twin brothers. Plus, I was working full time. But eventually the writing itch came back, and in 1995 I wrote a half-dozen Rookie Readers. Finally, about 4 years ago, I pulled Dream Spinner out of a drawer and started working on it again. Two agents and many rejections later, I got published.
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 is Neptune’s Children, which was just released in April. I describe it as Lord of the Flies meets Mickey Mouse. There’s biological warfare, all the adults die, and a group of kids builds a new society in a theme park called Isles of Wonder (where the central figure is King Neptune). Of course, it wouldn’t be a story if things didn’t start going terribly wrong.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Ideas for stories comes from all over. Dream Spinner came, literally, from a dream about a strange old man and a vial of glowing liquid. Neptune’s Children was inspired by my own love of theme parks, and the question “What if…?” (Theme parks are like little self-contained worlds. What if you could actually live in one?) The characters all spring from parts of my own personality, or from those of people I know--the O’Bannion boys in Neptune are based on my sons, for example. And of course, the greatest inspiration comes from reading great books, and the work of great writers. I love Piers Anthony, Anne McCaffrey, and of course, J.K. Rowling. I never think I can match what I read, but I try to learn from each author and make my own writing a little better every time I sit down.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I have three sons, as I said, but they’re now 24, 19, and 19 and they tower over me by several inches. Still, they’ve been my most enthusiastic fans and dedicated reviewers. Along with their dad (who’s a dentist) they’ve read multiple drafts of each novel and let me know what did and didn’t work. Then tell all their friends to buy a book, and threaten them with bodily harm if they don’t! I also have a 90-pound mutt who loves me very much and is very proud of my being published. Probably because he’s a character in one of the books.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Chocolate. Specifically, Portillo’s chocolate cake.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Groan. Try to remember what day it is to see if I can go back to sleep. Go back to sleep no matter what.
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 the backyard shed are ghouls, skeletons, rabid rats, tombstones, a corpse bride, and a coffin. I am a major, major Hallowe’en freak. When you read the description of Nightmare Island in Neptune, you’ll see that side of me in action.
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?
Weird. I would be…teal green. Just cause I like it.
Who is your favorite cartoon character?
Do characters from animated movies count? I was a huge Disney fan growing up, and now I love just about anyting Pixar has made, starting with those animated desk lamps. I also think I’m destined to fall in love with Wall-E when he comes to the theaters. (And my shameful secret—I adore Timmy from South Park. Ever since the Thanksgiving episode with the turkey.)
Which cartoon character is most like you?
Back to animated movies—probably Belle, from Beauty and the Beast. Not the gorgeous part, but the part that loses herself in her books and her imagination, and who is always looking for something beyond what she knows.
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 love Renaissance Faires, and I was once a singing wench at a dinner theatre called the King’s Manor. So I suppose I’d have to go back to Merrie Olde England, even though I’d probably regret that decision within a day. I do like my indoor plumbing.
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 only listen to instrumentals when I write. Otherwise, I start singing along. As for my favorite types—I tend toward folky music and classic rock…and Broadway. I always wanted to be a star on Broadway, and as a kid I would spend hours in my basement singing along with the records. (We only had records, then.)
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?
Favorite TV shows: The Office, Entourage, Boston Legal, Grey’s Anatomy, 30 Rock, LOST (which is making me nuts lately), Pushing Daisies, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty. There’s more, but I’m getting embarrassed.
By the time this gets posted, I’m sure my most recent movie will have been Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Movies I watch over and over include animated movies, and what I call my “feel good” movies—usually romantic comedies of some sort.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Don’t be too cautious in life. Go an adventures, take risks, be open to meeting different kinds of people, go outside your comfort zone. (NOT by doing stupid things, though—forget drugs, drinking, and other things that only mess you up.) I really didn’t really move outside my own comfort zone until a few years ago, when a bizarre string of events landed me on a reality show called Mad Mad House where my roommates included a vampire, a witch, a modern primitive, and African priestess, and a naturist. Since then, I haven’t been afraid to try things: I’ve learned to scuba, I’ve gone skydiving, and…I’ve written two books! Life’s out there for the taking, if you’re not afraid to reach for it.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I’d love to keep writing about the world of Neptune’s Children, if the book is successful. Otherwise, I have stories percolating about a circus sideshow, that Renaissance fair I mentioned before, a hidden world in a laser tag arena… I’ll just have to see.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
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