Interview with J. T. Dutton

www.jtdutton.com

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 think I might still be figuring that one out. I’ve had a lot of life plans, but I keep coming back to writing, maybe because I work things out that way when I’m feeling down.

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

I sent out a few short stories in graduate school, but never had anything score. I decided to try my hand at writing a novel. When I finished, I was afraid to do anything with the draft because I knew it needed more work. 15 years later, I got around to the job. Afterwards, I sent the book to agents, found one who liked it, waited three days and signed Freaked over to HarperTeen. I now think of Agent as Miracle Agent. I call her by her name though.

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?

Freaked isn’t for amateurs—though this sounds kind of smart ass, I’d like people to think of themselves as professionals as they read the book.

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

Huckleberry Finn—that rebel.

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

I have a great family—two children age 5 and 7 and a killer husband who knows how to spot comma errors. They are not happy living with a working author. They want me to be a free to kick around the playground or take long walks every day. They want a puppy. I like having lots and lots to do and enjoy their hostility about what sometimes makes me drift away.

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

A sandwich with cheese.

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

Let the cat out. Write. Sometimes play a word on Facebook Scrabble especially if there is a triple word score or a letter Z at stake.

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

No drugs. No hippie paraphernalia. No shrines to Jerry Garcia. People seem to be surprised that I’m not (at least externally) a Dead Head. I wrote about one, but I’m not one—at least to the same intense degree.

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?

Hmmm. Blue—represents the peaceful I would like to be. Red—represents the work I want to do with my life. Orange and green are zany. Can I say tie-dye—as something to go along with Freaked.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Scooby Doo.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Thelma with occasional Daphne aspirations and Shaggy hair.

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 like the question, have answered it straight, and then afterwards changed my mind, usually based on whatever I was reading. For a while, I got really in to Russian novels of the 19th century.

Wouldn’t it be cool to see a Shakespeare play in its day—somehow not catching the plague while you were at it.

How about Star Fleet Academy. Woodstock?

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

Music is an important part of Freaked and I did research and paid attention to Grateful Dead lyrics as part of my writing process—it is beautiful stuff—very inspiring.

But I never listen to music when I write. I have to hear what’s running through me—the voices that are speaking in my head.

I like a broad range of stuff—Gin Blossoms, The Dead, U2, tons more.

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 looking forward to the X-Men. Love Wolverine (pant, pant) but I usually watch films at home so I can read subtitles. (I am pretty hearing impaired).

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

You can. You will. You should. Life is an oyster and you are the pearl.

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

My second novel, Stranded will be released from HarperTeen some time in 2010. It’s a very different book than Freaked, about two girls from the Midwest living in a town where a baby has been discovered abandoned in a field. It’s another edgy one though—not for amateurs—ha ha.

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

Thank you too. I’m absolutely honored to have this opportunity.