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?
It wasn't something I ever really thought about until high school and college, when I found I really enjoyed writing. My first memory of making up stories was when I was little. We didn't have much money and I remember my librarian giving me a copy of Where the Wild Things Are, which was a book I checked out every week. Anyway, I used to read it over and over again and of course, I had it memorized, and I remember putting masking tape over the words so I could make up my own stories to go along with the pictures. I still have the book with the tape on it.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I had experience creating TV shows, sitcoms and animated, video games, websites, dolls and basically anything else I got the opportunity to do. I never passed anything up. If I didn't know how to do it, I learned. I also made some short films, which is something I really love to do. That led me to ghostgirl. First I created the story, then a ghostgirl website, http://www.ghostgirl.com/
The web is great for these kinds of things because you can express yourself any way you want to and there's no one looking over your shoulder. After the site, I wrote a script of the story and the property was optioned by Robert DeNiro and Jane Rosenthal's company, Tribeca Productions. Later I decided it would be great to turn it into a book and so it eventually found its way to editor extraordinaire Nancy Conescu at Little, Brown and Company and the rest is history. She is such a talent and I couldn't ask for a more supportive, more creative publishing house. They're just a bunch of smart, cool people.
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?
It is probably unlike anything you've ever read before. It's about longing, love, feeling invisible, identity, but it also deals with everyday high school stuff in a twisted, humorous way. It may be about a dead girl, but it definitely has humor and heart.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
There are many people I draw inspiration from. Mostly musicians, poets, designers, filmmakers, but if I had to pick one right now, it would probably be Edward Gorey.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I have a twin sister who works with me named Tracy. She is my best friend and my biggest supporter. My husband Michael Pagnotta is my heart and my daugher Isabelle Rose, who is 4, is my life. We're all pretty excited.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Nutella!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I figure out who I am and where I am because I'm usually disoriented. After that, I head downstairs for my caffeine and daughter fixes.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?
Wow. I think you would be surprised by lots of things. I am a huge collector. I like weird things - books, vintage jewelry, puppets, shoes, movie posters, clothes. I have stop-motion armatures that I've made dangling around my office. Those can be a little unnerving, I guess. There are lots of baked, sculpey heads around. I love strange, but special things.
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?
Black ;)
Who is your favorite cartoon character?
The Wonder Twins. I know that's two, but I'm a twin and my sister and I would race home from school, jump on our Huffys, and solve neighborhood crimes - at least we thought they were crimes at the time. I would transform into an eagle and she would be a pale of water, that's usually what The Twins transformed into, I'm not really sure why.
Which cartoon character is most like you?
Charlie Brown.
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 day my daughter was born.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?
I love all kinds of music! I was in a punk band for a long time and studied music in college. I've played drums with some pretty famous people. I really couldn't pick a favorite, I like everyone from the Ramones to the Beach Boys. I like the Cure, Belle and Sebastian, The White Stripes, Death Cab for Cutie, Magnetic Fields, The Smiths, Radiohead, PiL, REM, The Velvet Underground, She & Him, Edith Piaf and Ma Rainey to name a few. I listen to so many new bands, too many!
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 LOVE movies. I am a short filmmaker, so I can't get enough of them. Being a member of the Writers Guild, we get a lot of movies on DVD so we can vote for best screenplay, so I watch just about everything. I love Harold and Maude, Grey Gardens, Welcome to the Dollhouse, Pretty In Pink, Sixteen Candles, anything by Woody Allen, The Royal Tenenbaums, Amelie, Gods and Monsters, Fargo, Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Heathers, Rushmore...etc. The ast movie I saw in the theater was either Sex and the City or Iron Man and tonight I rented Persepolis .
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Dreams never die. Some people maybe try and kill your dreams, but as long as you are alive, so are they.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I just finished the second ghostgirl novel today, which I am really excited about! I hope to be lucky enough to write a few more. Long live gg!
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thank you for having me!
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