| Interview with Leslie Carmichael |
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 think I've always wanted to be a writer. I still have a copy of my first "book", written in something like the
fourth grade. I wrote in high school too and took some writing courses after that. Then life got in the way. It
wasn't until about seven or eight years ago that I finally sat down and said, "Okay, let's do this."
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
When I finally decided that I was going to give writing a "real" try, the first thing I did was join an on-line
critique group. My friend Gloria told me there was an opening available in hers, which was mainly for
writers of children's books. I wasn't sure that was what I wanted to do, but I had an interest in it. That first
step led to a lot of neat experiences, including a trip to Egypt (more about that later). Another thing that it
led to was connecting with other writers, one of whom was Miriam Hees. She had just started up a little
publishing house called Blooming Tree Press and was asking for submissions for an anthology called
Mistletoe Madness. The short story that was published in that was the basis for Lyranel's Song.
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?
Lyranel's Song is a medieval fantasy for 12 and up. Lyranel is a young girl who has just discovered that
she has a magical talent which she is forbidden to use -- but must. It's all about believing in yourself.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
I get inspiration from a lot of sources. My mother was an independent, capable woman and never, ever
said, "You can't do that." So I always see things as opportunities. I also get inspiration from the activities
that I participate in, submission themes and other people's experiences. (And these days, I find deadlines
extremely motivating!)
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I have three kids who think that their mom being a writer is pretty neat. My son even did a book report on
my book, which felt decidedly weird to me. I have a very supportive family.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Chocolate, of course. (And it's a vegetable, you know. A bean.)
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Read the newspaper, eat breakfast and check my e-mail. Nothing too exciting there, eh?
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
Nothing I do anymore surprises my family . . . they're used to me being strange. You might be surprised by
the dollhouse that I'm working on, or the collection of gargoyles, or maybe the belly dance costumes.
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?
Purple. Because it's rich and vibrant and a bit startling.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
If we're talking comics, it's Batman. He's a self-made superhero, without being an alien or having had a
bunch of chemicals spilled on him, or whatever. If we're talking TV, Bugs Bunny. He and I have the same
sense of humor.
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?
Oh, my. So many choices! Waaay too many choices. Nope. Can't decide.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Sometimes I listen while I'm writing, but mostly I prefer quiet. Favorites? Lessee now -- Gotan Project
(tangos), Bare Naked Ladies, Enya, Arrogant Worms, Nancy White, Twelve Girls Band.
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?
TV: C.S.I.; Futurama; Dead Like Me. Movies I watch over and over: Indiana Jones; The Mask of Zorro;
Wallace and Gromit. The last movie I saw in the theatre was "The Proposition" -- Australian film noir.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Think positive.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
My wip (work-in-progress) is a time travel novel to ancient Egypt (see -- I told you we'd get back to that).
When I re-started writing, my first novel was based on an idea I'd had many years ago, about time travel.
When I was writing it, I thought, "Gee, wouldn't it be great if I could actually go to Egypt, and get a real feel
for the place?" Shortly after that bright thought, a friend of mine e-mailed me -- she was putting together a
belly dance tour, and would I like to join her? "Cool," I thought, "but can I afford it?" And my husband said,
"Well, I just got a bonus..." So I seized the opportunity and went. I used the notes from the trip to help me
write the novel that I was recently able to get back to working on.
When I'm not writing novels, I write Comic Interactive Murder Mystery plays.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
You're welcome. My pleasure.
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 think I've always wanted to be a writer. I still have a copy of my first "book", written in something like the
fourth grade. I wrote in high school too and took some writing courses after that. Then life got in the way. It
wasn't until about seven or eight years ago that I finally sat down and said, "Okay, let's do this."
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
When I finally decided that I was going to give writing a "real" try, the first thing I did was join an on-line
critique group. My friend Gloria told me there was an opening available in hers, which was mainly for
writers of children's books. I wasn't sure that was what I wanted to do, but I had an interest in it. That first
step led to a lot of neat experiences, including a trip to Egypt (more about that later). Another thing that it
led to was connecting with other writers, one of whom was Miriam Hees. She had just started up a little
publishing house called Blooming Tree Press and was asking for submissions for an anthology called
Mistletoe Madness. The short story that was published in that was the basis for Lyranel's Song.
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?
Lyranel's Song is a medieval fantasy for 12 and up. Lyranel is a young girl who has just discovered that
she has a magical talent which she is forbidden to use -- but must. It's all about believing in yourself.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
I get inspiration from a lot of sources. My mother was an independent, capable woman and never, ever
said, "You can't do that." So I always see things as opportunities. I also get inspiration from the activities
that I participate in, submission themes and other people's experiences. (And these days, I find deadlines
extremely motivating!)
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I have three kids who think that their mom being a writer is pretty neat. My son even did a book report on
my book, which felt decidedly weird to me. I have a very supportive family.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Chocolate, of course. (And it's a vegetable, you know. A bean.)
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Read the newspaper, eat breakfast and check my e-mail. Nothing too exciting there, eh?
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
Nothing I do anymore surprises my family . . . they're used to me being strange. You might be surprised by
the dollhouse that I'm working on, or the collection of gargoyles, or maybe the belly dance costumes.
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?
Purple. Because it's rich and vibrant and a bit startling.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
If we're talking comics, it's Batman. He's a self-made superhero, without being an alien or having had a
bunch of chemicals spilled on him, or whatever. If we're talking TV, Bugs Bunny. He and I have the same
sense of humor.
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?
Oh, my. So many choices! Waaay too many choices. Nope. Can't decide.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Sometimes I listen while I'm writing, but mostly I prefer quiet. Favorites? Lessee now -- Gotan Project
(tangos), Bare Naked Ladies, Enya, Arrogant Worms, Nancy White, Twelve Girls Band.
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?
TV: C.S.I.; Futurama; Dead Like Me. Movies I watch over and over: Indiana Jones; The Mask of Zorro;
Wallace and Gromit. The last movie I saw in the theatre was "The Proposition" -- Australian film noir.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Think positive.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
My wip (work-in-progress) is a time travel novel to ancient Egypt (see -- I told you we'd get back to that).
When I re-started writing, my first novel was based on an idea I'd had many years ago, about time travel.
When I was writing it, I thought, "Gee, wouldn't it be great if I could actually go to Egypt, and get a real feel
for the place?" Shortly after that bright thought, a friend of mine e-mailed me -- she was putting together a
belly dance tour, and would I like to join her? "Cool," I thought, "but can I afford it?" And my husband said,
"Well, I just got a bonus..." So I seized the opportunity and went. I used the notes from the trip to help me
write the novel that I was recently able to get back to working on.
When I'm not writing novels, I write Comic Interactive Murder Mystery plays.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
You're welcome. My pleasure.