| Interview with Hobson Brown |
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?
When I failed geometry in fourth grade then made up a story to my parents about how the teacher was
secretly a Communist who had an agenda. They actually bought it (or at least pretended to). That’s when
I knew I had a knack for storytelling.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I probably didn’t go the standard route, through a master’s program and such, but I’ve always been very
involved in the creative process.
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?
Our book, The Upper Class, is the first in a series about boarding school life, that was just released. The
New York Times is calling it “…a Hogwarts without magic, though not without dark acts.” Harry Potter
seems to have done pretty well so I guess that’s not a bad comparison.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Having graduated from the same type of school we’re writing about certainly helps. Write what you know,
you know?
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I grew up with an one older sister who handed me down some great books. And now I have a niece and
nephew (twins!) who I hope will enjoy my books when they get a little bit older.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
A Coffee milkshake with whole milk or a late-night slice of New York City pizza.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I try to “get psyched” by watching this inspirational music video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=WmIcagb88HI
But, it never seems to work so I usually just yawn, stretch and hit the snooze bar.
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 none of my socks match.
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?
Carolina Blue. Go Heels!
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Asterix. He was a tough little Gaul who fought against the Roman Empire. Can’t say I’m a whole lot like
him, but I wish I could.
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?
Back to high school. Knowing what I know now and having written about it for the last couple years, I would
do a few things differently, like enjoying the moment and trying to play as much ultimate frisbee as
humanly possible.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Alt-Country bands like Wilco, The Drive-By Truckers and Ryan Adams. I ususally don’t listen to music
while writing because I’ll start mixing up the lyrics with what’s going on in my brain.
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 watching The Office, Curb your Enthusiasm and every basketball game during March Madness. I
love funny and kind of dark high school films like Dazed and Confused, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and
Igby Goes Down. They’re timeless. I’m going to see Knocked Up tonight. Does that count?
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
BE CREATIVE. And I don’t mean you have to be a writer to be creative but if you think you have a good
idea, write it down.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
More and more stories from the gang at Wellington. This first book just scratches the surface at what’s
really going on behind the gates at the Old Well.
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?
When I failed geometry in fourth grade then made up a story to my parents about how the teacher was
secretly a Communist who had an agenda. They actually bought it (or at least pretended to). That’s when
I knew I had a knack for storytelling.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I probably didn’t go the standard route, through a master’s program and such, but I’ve always been very
involved in the creative process.
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?
Our book, The Upper Class, is the first in a series about boarding school life, that was just released. The
New York Times is calling it “…a Hogwarts without magic, though not without dark acts.” Harry Potter
seems to have done pretty well so I guess that’s not a bad comparison.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Having graduated from the same type of school we’re writing about certainly helps. Write what you know,
you know?
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I grew up with an one older sister who handed me down some great books. And now I have a niece and
nephew (twins!) who I hope will enjoy my books when they get a little bit older.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
A Coffee milkshake with whole milk or a late-night slice of New York City pizza.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I try to “get psyched” by watching this inspirational music video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=WmIcagb88HI
But, it never seems to work so I usually just yawn, stretch and hit the snooze bar.
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 none of my socks match.
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?
Carolina Blue. Go Heels!
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Asterix. He was a tough little Gaul who fought against the Roman Empire. Can’t say I’m a whole lot like
him, but I wish I could.
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?
Back to high school. Knowing what I know now and having written about it for the last couple years, I would
do a few things differently, like enjoying the moment and trying to play as much ultimate frisbee as
humanly possible.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Alt-Country bands like Wilco, The Drive-By Truckers and Ryan Adams. I ususally don’t listen to music
while writing because I’ll start mixing up the lyrics with what’s going on in my brain.
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 watching The Office, Curb your Enthusiasm and every basketball game during March Madness. I
love funny and kind of dark high school films like Dazed and Confused, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and
Igby Goes Down. They’re timeless. I’m going to see Knocked Up tonight. Does that count?
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
BE CREATIVE. And I don’t mean you have to be a writer to be creative but if you think you have a good
idea, write it down.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
More and more stories from the gang at Wellington. This first book just scratches the surface at what’s
really going on behind the gates at the Old Well.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!