Interview with P.V. Lundqvist

http://pvlundqvist.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 was an only child for the first ten years of my life. I told stories to keep myself company. Yet it wasn't until high school, when an English teacher read a story of mine out loud in class, that I got the writer bug.

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

I got to study with some awesome children's book writers while at Emerson College. But after graduating, work and family obligations drew me away from writing. Still, the stories kept wanting to be told. That's when I decided to have my novel NOT JUST FOR BREAKFAST ANYMORE published.

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?

Imagine being an attention-shy kid who now has to face being kicked out of town just because of his pet. Talk about embarrassing. And just when he was about to make the baseball team and everything.

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

My own pet pig—I loved that little guy! When I first got him, I didn't have a litter box. I improvised by using a broiling pan filled with wood shavings. The irony was not lost on me. For Halloween, one year, I got him a mini-cape and he went as Count Porkula. The neighbor kids loved it.

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

Especially my son, Max. Attending his Little League games really helped me put more realism in the book. I dedicated the book to him.

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

I'm Swedish by birth, so whenever I get to go to Ikea, I buy Jelly Rats. I know, what a name!

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

Make coffee, check the news on my iPhone, and rub the head of my little redheaded toddler.

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

How empty it is! I don't know what the reverse of a hoarder is, but that's me.

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'd like to be two colors: black when I wanted to be mysterious, and green when I feel the most alive.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Brain, of Pinky and the Brain. He's always trying. Always funny.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Shaggy of Scooby Doo. Zoinks! I look exactly like him.

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 have a fascination with the Titanic. More than anything, I'd just like to look around the decks before it sailed. Perhaps the attraction derives from me not being much of a swimmer. I only recently learned as an adult. The ocean attracts and repels me, both at the same time.

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 listening to a lot of alternative right now: the XX, the National, and Kate Miller-Heidke. That's for fun. When I'm writing I like to make a play list of songs that remind me of the feelings I want to evoke. I can sometimes play one song, over and over, if it's the perfect fit for a scene.

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?

Don't watch a lot of TV, but when I do it's House or CSI, something like that. I like reality-based dramas the best. Yet, I also really enjoy well-told sci-fi. The last movie I saw in the theater was Avatar in 3D. I'm very excited about the potential of new technologies to tell stories.

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

Larger-than-life books, with giant robots or werewolves kissing or middle-school kids as astronauts, are fun reads. Don't get me wrong: I enjoy them. But it is the little story, the one about the small things that are so big in our everyday life, that you'll remember long after you're done reading.

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

My next book is about a near-future high school selected for a social experiment by the powers that be. It will pit friend against friend, boyfriend and girlfriend, teacher and student. The story explores the question: What would you do if you had to choose between what was right, and whom you loved?

Title has yet to be decided. I'll be sharing more details in the next few months.

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