Author Interview: Gabrielle Zevin

Gabrielle Zevin is the Author of the adult novel Margarettown and the two YA novels Elsewhere and Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac. She graciously obliged to do a short interview and answer a few questions for you readers!


Question #1
Your books Margarettown and Elsewhere incorporate fantasy with real life. Do you think it is important for people to see a little fantasy in their everyday lives?


A: I don’t know if it’s important, but I think we can use fantasy as a way to make sense of reality, if that isn’t too pretentious to say. At least, that’s what I use fantasy for in my writing – Elsewhere is a fantasy about the afterlife, but for me it was really a way to discuss the things that matter to me in this life.

Question #2

What helps you develop your female characters Naomi, Margaret and Liz? What about your male characters Owen, Ace, James and N.? Are they somewhat based off of real people you know?

A: The thing that’s helped me most in developing characters of either sex has been just living and having my eyes open to the world and the people around me. I think one of the most useful things in creating characters is to see yourself as clearly as possible. Until I was able to be honest with myself about myself, I wasn’t able to write anyone else particularly honestly either. But yes, I definitely base my characters on aspects of real people… But it’s always just parts – never the whole thing.

Question #3
In Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac you are constantly referring to different songs and bands. What is some music that really influenced your writing? Do you have any favorite bands?

A: The reason there’s so much music in MEMOIRS was because that book was really about the importance of ”reference” in relationships and what happens when a person no longer shares the same references with another person. I was very Emo in my listening tastes when I was writing that book. James was definitely, like, Bright Eyes for me. Especially “First Day of My Life.”
My favorite artists at the moment: I’m really liking Thao, Arcade Fire, The Mountain Goats, Neutral Milk Hotel, Griffin House, Stars, and Joshua Radin. I definitely enjoyed The Killers latest album. Although pop is not usually my sensibility, I think there’s something really touching about Beyonce’s song “If I Were a Boy.” And Pink’s “So What” is also pop, but it’s remarkably intimate and it’s almost like reading someone’s dairy. I love Thao’s “Bag of Hammers” and I adore Josh Ritter’s album “The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter.”



Question #4
Do you have a special ritual or place you like that enhances your writing? Do you have any advice for some aspiring authors out there?

A: My only advice to young writers is to avoid special rituals and places. Once you get in your head that writing is attached to a certain desk or sofa or a special pen, you start to mystify writing and I’ve found that’s usually creatively destructive. Writing should be able to happen anywhere on anything – in a hospital bed, on a cocktail napkin, on an airplane, in the back of a cab. Writing happens when you’re not really writing, too. It happens in your head – all the time.



Question #5
What are some of your favorite books and literary characters?

A: I love AN EQUAL MUSIC by Vikram Seth. It’s an amazing love story with an intricate classical music backdrop. I recently read a fantastic short story collection by Amanda Eyre Ward, called LOVE STORIES IN THIS TOWN – so good. In terms of literary characters… I’ll tell you some of the ones I still think about. I think about Holden Caulfield pretty often – and I think about his sister Phoebe, too. I feel an odd sympathy for the Dursleys in Harry Potter – my publisher told me I should keep this to myself. I always think about Lily Bart from THE HOUSE OF MIRTH. I think about Humbert Humbert in LOLITA now and again – and that scene at the end where he says he still loves her even though she’s pregnant and married. There are probably others, too, but those are a couple that come to mind.



Question #6
In Elsewhere, Liz discovers how to enjoy life (ironically) while she's dead. What do you think are some of the real joys in life?

A: Love, dogs, books, music, winter coats, and dessert.



Question # 7
In Margarettown Margaret seems to be many women at once. Do you have any alter egos?If so, care to name a few?

A: In a way each of my books has been an alter ego. Now that I’m older, I guess I find less need to be different people. I’m mainly myself though there’s definitely a marked difference between Gabrielle with and without espresso.



Question #8
Are you working on any new material? If you are can you give us a little sneak peek?

A: I have another book for adults coming out in March. It’s called “THE HOLE WE’RE IN” and it’s completely different from anything that I’ve done. It’s about faith and politics and just about everything I think is important in the world.


Come back soon to check out another interview from Sephanie Kuenhert author of Ballads of Suburbia!

Author Interview: Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson, writer of books Speak, Catalyst, Wintergirls and others has been so kind as to answer a few of my questions both for me and for you! Hope you enjoy!




Laurie Halse Anderson Interview


Question #1

Speak was your first novel and adressed two very important issues in teenagers and adults a like, rape and depression. How do you feel knowing that this book is used to teach students today about these problems?

I am humbled that something I created is being used in schools around the country.


Question #2
How did you come up with the characters Melinda and Kate? Do you put a little of you or people you know into them?

All of my characters appear to me in my head. I have a very vivid imagination, always have. Melinda appeared to me in a dream so vividly that I had to listen to her story. I suppose I could find things in each of my characters that remind me of people I know, but we all can.


Question #3
Has anyone ever came up to you and told you about how one of your novels changed their lives? If so, how did you feel about that?

I meet people on tour, at book signings, at conventions who tell me how reading one of my novels has helped them in some way. I receive lots of emails from readers who have been touched by my work. I am humbled that something I did had a positive impact upon someone's life, then I am very stoked. Although, it saddens me that our teens are going through such tough times and dealing with some really nasty issues, I find hope in their reaching out to me to express their thoughts and feelings about my novel.


Question #1
How do you get into the mood of writing? Do you have any rituals or favorite places to go?

 My husband has created a wonderful writing cottage for me to escape to in order to write. It is almost done, and I have spent a little bit of time there all alone. The vibes were GREAT!!!!



Question #5
How hard was it to break into the writing industry? Did you have a lot of trouble or did it come fairly easy?

I don't feel as though it was easy. I received hundreds of rejection letters and did hundreds of revisions to my work. I knew what I enjoyed doing, I had a plan, and I went for it. If I was not a published author by a certain, realistic, date, then I was going to go to nursing school to support my daughters. I do feel that it was all worth it!


Question #6
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Turn off the computer, TV, PS2, whatever, and just write. Pen to paper. Be ready to rewrite! Make a plan, adjust when necessary, but stay focused.


Question #7
What do you like to do in your spare time? How has that changed from when you were a teenager to now?

 I love to garden, read and hang with my family. When I was a teen, I really just liked to read!


Question #8
Can you tell the readers something about yourself that not too many people know?

i love spicy food!

Author Interview: Cristine Kole MacLean!

This week, as promised, I have an exclusive interview with Cristine Kole MacLean. Author of book How It's Done, she was so nice as to answer a few questions for me, about her book and her writing! Enjoy!

Question #1

In your book How It's Done religion plays a big role in Grace's life. How important is religion to you?
I was raised in the church and still attend regularly but I think more about spirituality and my relationship to God and to others than I do about religion, per se. Grace’s family was concerned about God’s law and the rules; my focus is on what kind of relationships God wants us to have with each other.

Question #2

How did you come up with the plot for How It's Done? Do your stories develop as they go or do you already have an outline for what you want to write?

Both. I always have a general idea of the story arc and often I write a short synopsis, as much for myself as for my editor. But the story also evolves and morphs as I gain a better understanding of the characters and I try to stay open to that. It’s like having a destination and a map but also knowing there’s more than one way to get to the destination, and sometimes the less direct way is more interesting.

Question #3

What are some of your musical influences?

Classical, especially the Goldberg Variations (Bach), Bob Seeger’s old stuff, Alison Krauss, Lyle Lovett, and recently Coldplay. But when I write, I listen to classical.

Question # 4
Where is your favorite place to write? Do you have a special time of day that helps you be more creative and think freely?
My friend’s horse farm, although I’ve only written there a few times. She has a room that overlooks the pastures and the horses. My best time of day to write is in the morning. Unfortunately, that’s my best time of day to do *anything*, so there’s lots of competition for that block of time. By about 2:00, I’m brain-dead and useless for anything but physical labor.



Question #5
What are some books that you would recommend to some of the readers?
The Liars Club, a memoir by Mary Karr; Olive Kitteredge by Elizabeth Strout; and Power of the Dog, by Thomas Savage. These books (all are adult) are all very different from How It’s Done and from each other, but each book has stayed with me. And given all the books I read, that’s saying something!



Question #6
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
The best advice comes from Janet Burrows who wrote a textbook on writing. She said that students always ask “am I good enough to be published?” when the real question they should ask and answer is “how will I work writing into my everyday life?” If you make time to write regularly and stick with it, then chances are you will eventually get good enough to be published because you will be practicing your craft.



Question #7
Can you tell the readers something about you that not to many people know?
I know how to milk a cow!