Interview with Jessica Park

http://yaauthorjessicapark.blogspot.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 first knew that I wanted to be a writer when my mother made me. Oh, wait. That doesn’t sound nice. But it’s true. She pushed me and pushed me to write, and when she offered to coauthor the Gourmet Girl series with me, I couldn’t say no. So this writing career thing is all her fault.

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

I did have the advantage of sneaking into the competitive world of publishing through my mother, an already well-published writer. Her agent, Deborah, became mine, and I’m extremely lucky to have such a wonderful agent guiding me through this complicated world. Deborah has been really wonderful, especially as I’ve been making the transition to writing on my own and to moving out of the cozy mystery genre and into YA and more.

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?

My first YA novel, RELATIVELY FAMOUS, is out now, and I just love this story. Here’s a good summary:

Freshman in high school Dani McKinley lives with her mother, Leila, in a modest house in Michigan. Dani adores her mother’s long-term boyfriend, Alan, and her best friend, Samantha. Life is pretty uncomplicated, right? Not for long . . .

As Dani is walking to school one day, paparazzi pounce on her and claim that she is the daughter of Hollywood icon Mark Ocean. The news immediately changes Dani’s life. Leila confesses the truth to her daughter and agrees to let her spend the summer in California so that she can get to know Mark. But who leaked the story to the tabloids? After a nasty fight with Alan in which Dani announces that she finally has a “real dad,” Dani heads to the West Coast.

Armed with credit cards, club memberships, and a new wardrobe, Dani learns that what Mark Ocean has in wealth, he sorely lacks in parenting skills. The fatherly interest Mark shows has more to do with changing his public image than with connecting with his daughter. Dani tries to teach her father that parenting is not just about supplying her with Prada bags and trips to movie premieres, and against his own instincts Mark slowly starts to see Dani as more than a career booster.

Her new California friends take Dani under their wings and school her in everything from attaching hair extensions to managing the paparazzi. She meets Jason, a gorgeous young personal trainer who is easy on the eyes and wildly flirtatious . . . But is this smug hottie the one for Dani? Or will she ignore her friends’ eye rolling and go for the goofy but sweet surfer?

So while juggling her own newly complicated love life, Dani also tries to set her father up with someone less likely to appear on an MTV reality show, and someone more... well, normal. And age-appropriate. And dressed in anything other than a thong bikini. But whether Mark is able to heal old wounds and move forward with anything more than a meaningless fling remains to be seen.

Can Dani fit in with this new fast-moving California crowd without losing herself? With the world at her fingertips and hot boys now after her, staying grounded gets tough. And can Mark drop his egocentric approach to life and learn how to appreciate how wonderful his daughter truly is? As driven as he is to get that A-list acting role, he's willing to do whatever it takes to get there, even it means using his daughter. Mark and Dani's relationship hits a few highs, but the question becomes whether the lows are too much...?

While the book has lots of Hollywood glitz and fun, the reason I love this book so much is because of the very complicated relationship between Dani and her father. Mark, in particular, has so much baggage and really goes through quite a process to rediscover himself and remember that he’s not actually the celebrity jerk that he’s been acting like.

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

I suppose that this changes a lot over time. Right now I’m driven by angsty romance (I know “angsty” isn’t a word, but I’m using it anyway!) and complex family dynamics. Sometimes a real-life event (mine or one from friends or the news) will spark an idea that I can run with.

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

My husband and son have been very tolerant of my writing life. I sort of get that “tortured artist” thing now! There are days when I feel so totally detached from the real world, because I’ve buried myself so deeply in my book. When I’m really on a roll, I can spend most of the day (until midnight or later) writing, drowning in my story. Then I’ll come up for air at some point and apologize for having forgotten to feed anyone. They’re nice that way.

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

Guacamole. I know, that’s weird, huh? But nothing beats homemade guacamole and chips. Mmmmm….

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

97 cups of coffee, check email, check Facebook.

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

75% of my clothes are from Ann Taylor. I’m an addict. I want everything they’ve ever made. But, hey, you find what works and stick with it!

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?

Olive. Olive is a neglected color, and I’d like to show my support for the downtrodden.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Eliza Thornberry. I miss that girl. She’s feisty, determined, a little klutzy, and totally charming.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

See above. And we have similar 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?

Toss me into a pre-French Revolution Dangerous Liasions setting, and I’d gladly prance around in a tight-bodiced dress and fan myself. For a few hours, at least, until I passed out due to the obvious inability to breathe normally. I would have loved the sock hop era of the 1950’s. The music alone would be enough reason to time travel. Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly…Oh, I would’ve adored it! Plus, poodle skirts, drive-ins, and, really, the whole social/pop-culture scene would have been a blast for me!

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

I’m all over the map. I’ll listen to anyone from Lady Gaga to Matt Nathanson to 80s bubble gum metal. No jazz, though. Blech. And lots of people know that I have this abnormal Rick Springfield fetish. I can’t do anything about it.

I used to NEVER listen to music when I wrote. I needed total silence. But now I always do, especially when I’m writing big, emotional scenes. I just handed in a MS to my agent, and there is one chapter in there that was written entirely to “Lack of Water” by The Why Store. I had the song on repeat and wrote to it all day. And, yes, I still love the song.

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 like television way too much. I’m still mourning the loss of “24” and “Lost,” but at least I still have “The Closer,” “Psych,” and “Burn Notice.” And I’m really into this new “Covert Affairs” show. So good. But “Glee” outranks everything else at this point.

I’m nuts about Netflix, and watch series on disc all the time, but I’ve been a bit slow on the movies recently. I hate going to theaters: they smell and they’re too expensive. Plus, I make better snacks at home. Nothing beats a Bourne movie and a cheese tray.

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

I sent my agent a new book this month, and she is really enthusiastic about it. It falls somewhere between a YA and an adult novel… My agent said that it’s tricky to decide how to pitch it to publishers, because while the main character is eighteen, the book is really accessible to a large audience. I’m staying top-secret on the plot, but there is a really interesting mix of gut-wrenching romance, humor, coming-of-age issues, and a deep character study of a very complex family.

I’m also thinking about doing some short stories to put up on Amazon, etc., so keep your eyes peeled!

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

Thank you for having me, Teens Read Too! Please stop by and visit my RELATIVELY FAMOUS site http://yaauthorjessicapark.blogspot.com, the blog about crazy conversations with my kid http://whatthekidsays.blogspot.com, or find me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/Jumby24.