Interview with Marilyn Kaye

www.marilynkaye.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 can’t remember when I didn’t want to be a writer! As a child, I was always making up stories and telling them to anyone who was willing to listen. But when I sold my first book, in 1982, I was completely astonished – I had no idea anyone would actually pay me to tell a story.

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

I was teaching children’s and young adult literature at the University of South Carolina, so naturally I read a lot of these books. Romance series books were very popular at the time, and I had an idea for a story, so I sent an outline and a few chapters to an agent. She submitted it to some publishers; no one wanted it, but one editor said she liked my style and wouldn’t mind seeing something else from me. That gave me the encouragement to try again, and the agent was able to sell my next story.

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?

I’ve always been intrigued by stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations, or extraordinary people in ordinary situations. My new series, GIFTED, belongs in the latter category. In an ordinary suburban middle school, nine students have unusual abilities which might seem appealing – but whether each ‘gift’ is a blessing or a curse is questionable.

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

My greatest inspiration has been my own love of reading. I want to write the kind of stories that I would like to read (with the hope, of course, that others will want to read them too.)

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

My mother, unfortunately, didn’t live long enough to see my work published; my father was quite proud of me, he was a great reader, but I think he was a little puzzled by the kind of books I’ve written (he was very literary, and he didn’t quite ‘get’ teen novels). Aunts, uncles, cousins, sister, nieces, nephews and godchildren have all been super-supportive.

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

Definitely pizza – New York style, with a thin crust. Since I live in Paris, I don’t get to comfort myself this way very often!

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

I fix some very strong coffee; I pour the coffee; I drink the coffee! (If that only counts as one activity, I’ll add: I look out the window and think about how lucky I am to live in the most beautiful city in the world, and I check my email.)

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

I don’t have an attic or a basement, so I’ll have to go with the closet, and the only element that’s mildly remarkable is a vast number of little-black-dresses.

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?

I’m definitely red – I think of red as a color that exists in many shades and variations, and I think I’m a person of many shades and variations too.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Bart Simpson.

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 wow, this is a tough one. I must say, I’ve always been curious about life in early 19th century England as portrayed by Jane Austen – I like the clothes, the elegant manners, the country life -- but I’m too addicted to modern plumbing to hang around very long!

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

I usually have music on when I’m writing; I listen to classic rock, jazz, hip-hop, just about everything. Among my favorite artists: Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, Mary J. Blige, Pet Shop Boys.

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?

My favorite TV shows are ‘Lost’, ‘House,’ and ‘Entourage.’ Movies that I’ve seen again and again: ‘A Room with a View,’ ‘Casablanca,’ and ‘Jules and Jim.’
The last movie I saw in a theater was ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ – I wanted to get up and dance in the aisles at the end.

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

Just this: Hang in there, life gets so much better!

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

I’m hoping to write at least nine books in the ‘Gifted’ series, and I’ve got a teen novel coming out in September called Demon Chick – about a sixteen year old girl who goes to Hell. Really.

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