| Interview with Philana Marie Boles |
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 today…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?
Well, first, thanks for having me Jen! TeensReadToo is such a lovely site and I’m honored to be here.
I first knew I wanted to be a writer in the second grade when I absolutely LOVED to read. One day, for some
reason, I decided to start writing my own story. Well, I wrote probably three or four sentences, showed it to
my parents, and they encouraged me to finish it. I did, but not until I was in college many years later and
developed it into a short story. Incredibly, I still have that original orange and white composition book!
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I did a lot of writing in high school, including theater and journalism. Then, I was writing and directing my own
stage plays as a sophomore in high school. After that, it was important for me to study the craft in college, so
I received my BFA. After graduating college, I moved to New York and worked on my first novel while working
traditional day jobs. I then got an agent and my agent sold my first manuscript to Random House. That’s
when all of the hard work really began. Though it hasn’t always been easy, I feel incredibly blessed.
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?
Well, as you know, my first two novels are for adults. My newest novel—Little Divas—is my debut (of
hopefully many more to come) for young readers. If I could tell young girls one thing about Little Divas it
would be that if they have ever experienced ups and downs with their parents and/or friends, they will be
able to relate to Cassidy’s journey and may even root for her as well.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Well, I’m very spiritual, and I am blessed with the gift of divine inspiration. Stories have a way of just coming
into my heart and it’s the most amazing feeling. Furthermore, my niece—who is nine years old—inspires me
a great deal. As a substitute teacher a lot of my students have inspired me as well.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
Well, you know about my niece, Jada. She and I are the best of friends! I also have one sister, Ginger, who
was pretty protective growing up and is quite supportive of me now. We laugh now at how she had to grow
with the little sister who wanted to go everywhere she went. Most of the time she didn’t mind at all, which was
pretty cool. My parents, well let’s just say that I got pretty lucky in that department. My extended family is
huge!
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Planters “Sweet and Nut” trail mix chased with iced cold Gatorade.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
First, I thank God for waking me up. Then, I flick the television on to CNN or one of the three morning news
shows. Third—providing there is nothing too major going on in the news that needs my immediate attention—
I promptly hit the snooze button!
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me
the most?
The trip down nostalgia’s lane! I have saved a TON of things for memory’s sake. Do you know that I still have
three shoe boxes full of notes from my friends in high school? Oh the things we thought were worthy of “911”
headings…
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?
Hands down, without question, black. The color black has a reputation for being associated with darkness
and things that are glum, but I don’t see black in that way. To me, black is a sleek, regal, rich, refined, and
brilliantly fascinating color, not to mention that it is probably the best color to highlight other colors with.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
My favorite cartoon character is probably Scooby Doo, though I must say that is a very difficult question to
answer. There are so many great ones. As far as what character is most like me, I’d have to say Charlie
Brown. Even now, as an adult, I can definitely relate to that kid’s struggles.
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’d have Scotty beam me right up to Harlem New York during the 1920’s Harlem Renaissance. I’d live an
inspired life as a writer during a definite season of camaraderie, where my friends would be Langston
Hughes, Claude Mc Kay and Zora Neale Hurston. I’d sit front and center somewhere and enjoy listening to
Duke Ellington right there, live and in person. It must have been the best of times back then.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Oh my goodness, I LOVE music. I listen to r&b, pop, rap, jazz, neo soul, country and some alternative. I have
a fondness for singers who sing from the heart, so the genre doesn’t matter as much as to me as does their
genuine delivery. Choosing favorite musical artists is a very difficult task for me because there are far too
many to name. Yes, I do happen to be a writer who listens to music while writing. I choose songs to reflect
the mood of the scene I am writing.
To give you some idea of how eclectic my taste is in music, right now, during this interview, I have Louis
Armstrong, Janet Jackson, Chico Debarge, Prince, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Martina McBride and Joss Stone all
loaded on shuffle.
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 T.V. shows are: The Cosby Show, The Brady Bunch, Charlie Rose, Oprah, The Young & the
Restless, Cory in the House, That’s So Raven, Ugly Betty, Run’s House, America’s Next Top Model and
American Idol.
Movies that I watch over and over again are: Sparkle, The Five Heartbeats, Beaches, Legends of the Fall,
Terms of Endearment, The Five Heartbeats and Dirty Dancing.
The last movie I saw at the theater was called Perfect Stranger with Halle Berry. I thought it was great!
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
You define who you are! It doesn’t matter what people do to you or even say about you, it is your attitude
and response to things that can determine your aptitude. Choose to make yourself the absolute best self
that you can be because it is only you that can define who you are, not others. You define who you are—no
one else does!
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I’m working on a YA novel and a sequel to Little Divas. God willing, they will be offered to you soon. Visit me
at www.pmarie.com for updates!
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
And thanks again for having me, Jen! Love to you all…
name is Jen, and I’ll be your server today…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?
Well, first, thanks for having me Jen! TeensReadToo is such a lovely site and I’m honored to be here.
I first knew I wanted to be a writer in the second grade when I absolutely LOVED to read. One day, for some
reason, I decided to start writing my own story. Well, I wrote probably three or four sentences, showed it to
my parents, and they encouraged me to finish it. I did, but not until I was in college many years later and
developed it into a short story. Incredibly, I still have that original orange and white composition book!
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I did a lot of writing in high school, including theater and journalism. Then, I was writing and directing my own
stage plays as a sophomore in high school. After that, it was important for me to study the craft in college, so
I received my BFA. After graduating college, I moved to New York and worked on my first novel while working
traditional day jobs. I then got an agent and my agent sold my first manuscript to Random House. That’s
when all of the hard work really began. Though it hasn’t always been easy, I feel incredibly blessed.
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?
Well, as you know, my first two novels are for adults. My newest novel—Little Divas—is my debut (of
hopefully many more to come) for young readers. If I could tell young girls one thing about Little Divas it
would be that if they have ever experienced ups and downs with their parents and/or friends, they will be
able to relate to Cassidy’s journey and may even root for her as well.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Well, I’m very spiritual, and I am blessed with the gift of divine inspiration. Stories have a way of just coming
into my heart and it’s the most amazing feeling. Furthermore, my niece—who is nine years old—inspires me
a great deal. As a substitute teacher a lot of my students have inspired me as well.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
Well, you know about my niece, Jada. She and I are the best of friends! I also have one sister, Ginger, who
was pretty protective growing up and is quite supportive of me now. We laugh now at how she had to grow
with the little sister who wanted to go everywhere she went. Most of the time she didn’t mind at all, which was
pretty cool. My parents, well let’s just say that I got pretty lucky in that department. My extended family is
huge!
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Planters “Sweet and Nut” trail mix chased with iced cold Gatorade.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
First, I thank God for waking me up. Then, I flick the television on to CNN or one of the three morning news
shows. Third—providing there is nothing too major going on in the news that needs my immediate attention—
I promptly hit the snooze button!
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me
the most?
The trip down nostalgia’s lane! I have saved a TON of things for memory’s sake. Do you know that I still have
three shoe boxes full of notes from my friends in high school? Oh the things we thought were worthy of “911”
headings…
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?
Hands down, without question, black. The color black has a reputation for being associated with darkness
and things that are glum, but I don’t see black in that way. To me, black is a sleek, regal, rich, refined, and
brilliantly fascinating color, not to mention that it is probably the best color to highlight other colors with.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
My favorite cartoon character is probably Scooby Doo, though I must say that is a very difficult question to
answer. There are so many great ones. As far as what character is most like me, I’d have to say Charlie
Brown. Even now, as an adult, I can definitely relate to that kid’s struggles.
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’d have Scotty beam me right up to Harlem New York during the 1920’s Harlem Renaissance. I’d live an
inspired life as a writer during a definite season of camaraderie, where my friends would be Langston
Hughes, Claude Mc Kay and Zora Neale Hurston. I’d sit front and center somewhere and enjoy listening to
Duke Ellington right there, live and in person. It must have been the best of times back then.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Oh my goodness, I LOVE music. I listen to r&b, pop, rap, jazz, neo soul, country and some alternative. I have
a fondness for singers who sing from the heart, so the genre doesn’t matter as much as to me as does their
genuine delivery. Choosing favorite musical artists is a very difficult task for me because there are far too
many to name. Yes, I do happen to be a writer who listens to music while writing. I choose songs to reflect
the mood of the scene I am writing.
To give you some idea of how eclectic my taste is in music, right now, during this interview, I have Louis
Armstrong, Janet Jackson, Chico Debarge, Prince, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Martina McBride and Joss Stone all
loaded on shuffle.
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 T.V. shows are: The Cosby Show, The Brady Bunch, Charlie Rose, Oprah, The Young & the
Restless, Cory in the House, That’s So Raven, Ugly Betty, Run’s House, America’s Next Top Model and
American Idol.
Movies that I watch over and over again are: Sparkle, The Five Heartbeats, Beaches, Legends of the Fall,
Terms of Endearment, The Five Heartbeats and Dirty Dancing.
The last movie I saw at the theater was called Perfect Stranger with Halle Berry. I thought it was great!
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
You define who you are! It doesn’t matter what people do to you or even say about you, it is your attitude
and response to things that can determine your aptitude. Choose to make yourself the absolute best self
that you can be because it is only you that can define who you are, not others. You define who you are—no
one else does!
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I’m working on a YA novel and a sequel to Little Divas. God willing, they will be offered to you soon. Visit me
at www.pmarie.com for updates!
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
And thanks again for having me, Jen! Love to you all…
