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 toda…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.
Thanks Jennifer. I seriously doubt that my life is any busier than yours, for Pete’s sake. I’m happy to have the opportunity to visit with you.
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 was first told that I could be a writer by my first grade teacher, Mrs. Beall. However, when I was in the first grade what I actually wanted to be was a cowgirl.
I can’t say that wanting to be a writer came to me like a bolt of lightning, or that I felt called to write in the same way that a minister might be called to preach. Rather, I think I just saw myself as writer from the very get go. I don’t remember ever not being a writer. Even in my earliest cowgirl days I wrote. When I was in the second grade, my aunt gave me one of those locking diaries, the kind with a key, and I would say that having that very private place to write is what set me on the way. I wrote all kind of things in that diary. Even today I keep a journal.
So, between Mrs. Beall, my aunt, and that little diary, maybe it was inevitable that I became a writer? Or maybe, and this might be truer, I just loved to write and also didn’t know what else I could do with my life. Being a cowgirl isn’t exactly easy to do without a horse or cows.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
Perseverance is the key. I began to seriously write for publication when my boys were very young, so I learned to write in five minute snatches of time. I didn’t wait to find those huge chunks of time that everyone is always searching for. In those early days, that would have been impossible. So, whenever I had five minutes, I grabbed my pencil and wrote. I still do that to a great extent.
I also found a great deal of support through the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). They are the best, most number one way, to get started.
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?
One thing: Here is the story of a blues-singing hound who adopts a family of kittens in an enchanted forest inhabited by creatures as old as the very forest itself.
Is that only one thing?
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Oh gosh, recently I was asked a similar question—what books or authors inspired you to write this story, and my answer was that every book I ever read inspired it. But seriously, my family, beginning with my birth family, to my husband and sons, are my inspiration.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I have a sweetie pie husband named Ken. We’ve been married for 30 years. And I have two sons, both musicians. They’re both bass players. Jacob has dreadlocks down to his waist and Cooper is tall and lanky. My husband Ken makes me laugh. He’s always making things up, especially when we’re driving somewhere. They’re all three funny and sweet and kind and as supportive of me as they can be. All of them. They’re my three guys.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
That’s easy—macaroni and cheese.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Drink coffee, strong, with cream. Read the paper. Work the sudoku puzzle in the paper.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?
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?
Lavender, because I find it soothing and soft and not at all stressed out.
Who is your favorite cartoon character?
Mighty Mouse, because here he comes, to save the day.
Which cartoon character is most like you?
Wilma from The Flintstones.
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 like to go to the time, in the hopefully very near future, when the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have ended and all of our brave soldiers have come home. I want that to be tonight, tomorrow, soon.
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 lot of different kinds of music, especially since I have musicians in my household, but my favorites are folk singers. I love Patti Griffin, Nanci Griffith, James Taylor, Jewel, Fiona Apple, Mary Chapin Carpenter. Can you see a trend going on here?
I don’t listen to music much when I’m writing. If I do turn it on in the background, I make sure it doesn’t have lyrics. Otherwise I get carried away by the songs and forget that I’m supposed to be writing.
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?
We don’t have a television for the simple reason that I’m addicted to television. If it’s on, I can’t tear myself away from it and end up watching hours of mindless t.v. So, we don’t have one in the house. However, before we gave it up, I was crazy about The Gilmore Girls. I found that series smart, well-written, funny and touching.
The last movie I saw was, I think, The Golden Compass. We haven’t been to a movie in a while. We tend to go in spurts, like we’ll see three movies in a week and then we won’t see a movie for three months. I watch a lot of movies on my laptop thanks to Netflix. The last one I watched was "In the Company of Strangers," which I loved. I also enjoyed "The Waitress," which I thought was terrific, especially the role played by Andy Griffith. Who knew that he was even still around. And I think that Keri Russell is a wonderful actor.
"Milo and Otis," is my all time favorite movie, paws down.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Be sure that you’re embarking upon the work that you’re here to do. And don’t let anyone talk you out of it. My motto is "when you’re doing your life’s work, life works." So, if singing is what you most want to do, then follow that dream. Whether it’s engineering, accounting, nursing, theater, retail sales, it doesn’t matter, just make sure it’s what you love. Then go for it, and do it with your whole heart. (And also, don’t let anyone talk you out of it).
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I’m working on a new novel now that may or may not have a mermaid. It’s too soon to tell for sure.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
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