| Interview with Eileen Boggess |
First off, thanks so much for joining us for an up-close and personal interview for TeensReadToo.com! My
name is Jen, and I'll be your server toda...oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time out
of your writing schedule--which I'm sure is busy!--and answering a few questions for your readers and fans.
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 have always been creative, loved to read, and written for fun, but I didn't get my "I know what I want to be
when I grow up" moment until I was in my 30's.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
Mia the Meek came out of an assignment for my seventh grade students. I assigned them the task of
writing a realistic fiction story and they whined as seventh graders (and adults) tend to do. So, I told them I
would start writing with them. I began with the premise of a shy girl trying to change her personality. Then, I
had so much fun telling Mia's story that I kept on writing! After many revisions, many rejection letters, and
many meetings with my writer's group, Mia the Meek finally found a home at Bancroft Press.
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 only purpose in writing Mia the Meek was to make people laugh. Many of my readers have reported
they laughed so hard that they had to grab their sides while reading my book, so that's good enough for
me! I mean, what could be better than making someone laugh?
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
My students. I was a middle school teacher for seven years and my students supplied me with enough
material to last a lifetime.
Let's hear about your family, who I'm sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I am very lucky to have a husband, a twelve year-old daughter, a nine year-old son, a very ornery thirteen
year-old dog, and a hamster of an indeterminable age in my family.
Now for some fun facts. What's your greatest comfort food?
Chocolate chip cookies. Mia's not the only one who can bake up a great batch of them.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Get the paper, eat my cereal, and growl at anyone who bothers me
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what's the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
That I have a complete collection of Irish clothing. My dad is president of the Saint Patrick Society, my mom
was Irish Mother of the Year, and I am expected to march in the St. Patrick's Day parade every year. So, I
have Irish socks, Irish shirts, Irish hats, Irish sweatshirts, Irish buttons, and even leprechaun shoes. All I
need is some Irish underwear and I am set.
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?
Orange--that kind of goes against the question before, but it is my favorite color. It is vibrant and loud, just
like me.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Tigger for both.
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 love to travel, but I am pretty happy with the current time period. I don't think I would do very well without
modern conveniences like indoor plumbing.
So what's your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you're writing?
I was a product of the 80's, so most of my iPod file is filled with songs from that era. Now, I mostly listen to
National Public Radio--to the chagrin of my kids. I do not listen to music while writing because I am easily
distracted.
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 love 24, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, and any type of Law & Order. The most perfect movie ever made, in my
opinion, is the Sound of Music. The only movies I get to see in the theater are kid movies, so I would have
to say Charlotte's Web.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Enjoy these years. Join the band, try out for a play, be on a softball team, take pictures for the yearbook,
go to cheerleading auditions, start a poetry jam festival, save the whales, etc. You will never have this much
energy, time, and access to such a vast assortment of opportunities.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Mia the Melodramatic will come out December, 2007. I am currently working on a third book in the Mia
series (Mia the Mooch) and also some other young adult titles, so I hope to have many books published
soon!
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
name is Jen, and I'll be your server toda...oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time out
of your writing schedule--which I'm sure is busy!--and answering a few questions for your readers and fans.
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 have always been creative, loved to read, and written for fun, but I didn't get my "I know what I want to be
when I grow up" moment until I was in my 30's.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
Mia the Meek came out of an assignment for my seventh grade students. I assigned them the task of
writing a realistic fiction story and they whined as seventh graders (and adults) tend to do. So, I told them I
would start writing with them. I began with the premise of a shy girl trying to change her personality. Then, I
had so much fun telling Mia's story that I kept on writing! After many revisions, many rejection letters, and
many meetings with my writer's group, Mia the Meek finally found a home at Bancroft Press.
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 only purpose in writing Mia the Meek was to make people laugh. Many of my readers have reported
they laughed so hard that they had to grab their sides while reading my book, so that's good enough for
me! I mean, what could be better than making someone laugh?
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
My students. I was a middle school teacher for seven years and my students supplied me with enough
material to last a lifetime.
Let's hear about your family, who I'm sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I am very lucky to have a husband, a twelve year-old daughter, a nine year-old son, a very ornery thirteen
year-old dog, and a hamster of an indeterminable age in my family.
Now for some fun facts. What's your greatest comfort food?
Chocolate chip cookies. Mia's not the only one who can bake up a great batch of them.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Get the paper, eat my cereal, and growl at anyone who bothers me
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what's the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
That I have a complete collection of Irish clothing. My dad is president of the Saint Patrick Society, my mom
was Irish Mother of the Year, and I am expected to march in the St. Patrick's Day parade every year. So, I
have Irish socks, Irish shirts, Irish hats, Irish sweatshirts, Irish buttons, and even leprechaun shoes. All I
need is some Irish underwear and I am set.
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?
Orange--that kind of goes against the question before, but it is my favorite color. It is vibrant and loud, just
like me.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Tigger for both.
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 love to travel, but I am pretty happy with the current time period. I don't think I would do very well without
modern conveniences like indoor plumbing.
So what's your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you're writing?
I was a product of the 80's, so most of my iPod file is filled with songs from that era. Now, I mostly listen to
National Public Radio--to the chagrin of my kids. I do not listen to music while writing because I am easily
distracted.
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 love 24, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, and any type of Law & Order. The most perfect movie ever made, in my
opinion, is the Sound of Music. The only movies I get to see in the theater are kid movies, so I would have
to say Charlotte's Web.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Enjoy these years. Join the band, try out for a play, be on a softball team, take pictures for the yearbook,
go to cheerleading auditions, start a poetry jam festival, save the whales, etc. You will never have this much
energy, time, and access to such a vast assortment of opportunities.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Mia the Melodramatic will come out December, 2007. I am currently working on a third book in the Mia
series (Mia the Mooch) and also some other young adult titles, so I hope to have many books published
soon!
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
