Interview with Yvonne Eve Walus

Yvonne Eve Walus.com

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?

LOL, my father was the one who knew it first. He always said that I was talented and I should become a novelist. And I kept replying: “But daddy, I have no idea what to write about. When I want to grow up, I want to be a hairdresser / personal secretary / saleslady in a toyshop / librarian” (depending on how old I was).

I wrote my first short story when I was 10, and another one at 20 to impress my boyfriend. A few years later, I had a choice to study a business degree or to enter a science fiction short story competition… and that’s when I knew.

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

My first publication was a travel article, then a few poems and short stories in literary magazines. My first book was a collection of short stories. I’ve always wanted to write novels, but I knew I had to learn the craft first, and I reasoned a 2,000 word short story takes less time than a 60,000 word novel…. My 60,000 word novel, “Murder @ Work”, was published ten years after I decided to be a writer after all.

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?

”Murder @ Play” is coming out in November 2008 and it’s a prequel to “Murder @ Work”, featuring amateur detective Dr. Christine Chamberlain.

Imagine a party that’s supposed to bring friends together again after a major split. Alice used to be with Basil, she left him for Daniel, now she’s with Michael. When she gets murdered, who’s got the best motive for having done the dirty? The father of Alice’s unborn baby? Basil’s new girlfriend who’s into Tarot? Or Basil’s sister who’s an exceptional actress?

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

My friends. We’re a sick bunch. Not a week goes by without my stumbling onto a really twisted piece of life.

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

My mom’s really proud. My father died before “Murder @ Work” was published, but I’m sure he knew I would make it all along.

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

Chocolate, of course. The milky light brown kind, and it has to be good quality, like Swiss or Belgian. My all time favourite is Lindt.

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

Switch off the alarm clock. Roll over. Switch it off again after 6 minutes.

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 mess. I like tidiness on the outside, but I don’t care what’s behind a closed door. I don’t fold laundry and simply chuck all my clothes into arbitrary drawers.

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, like the sea.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Ok, you’re going to laugh. Pink Panther.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Lisa Simpson.

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?

Oh dear, only once? I’d love to be on a Greek island right now… no, make that towards the end of the summer, when the water is warm and the sun not too hot. But you mean history, right? Then I’d go for Rome around 2000 years ago… provided you guaranteed I wouldn’t get hurt :).

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

My current favourite is Snow Crash. I like classical music, 80s pop, African drums. When I need inspiration, R.E.M.’s “Losing my religion” always gets me going.

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. Grey’s Anatomy is ok, and Prison Break used to be excellent, but no more. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to the movies, but the next time will be for Indiana Jones.

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

Forget Harry Potter. Read Terry Pratchett’s Discworld or Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series.

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

”Twice and ½ upon a time”, a collection of short science fiction and fantasy stories aimed specifically for teenagers, and illustrated by a very talented teenager Alex Green, is coming out this year (publishing house Pipers’ Ash in the UK). Watch Amazon for details.

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!

Thank you!