| Interview with Ronald Cree |
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?
As a teen, I never could find any YA books that I truly enjoyed. So at the age of 14, I sat down at an old
manual typewriter and banged out a 200-page manuscript for a mystery titled Glitter Kill. It was about three
girls tracking down a jewel thief and solving a 20-year-old robbery. I never did anything with it, but it made me
realize how much fun writing could be. After that, I was hooked.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I beat all the odds. Desert Blood 10pm/9c took me about two years to write. I spent a lot of time editing and
polishing the manuscript before sending it out to agents. It was accepted by the Andrea Brown Agency, which
was my first choice and the first agency I queried. My agent, Caryn Wiseman, helped me with additional edits
before shopping the manuscript around to NY houses. She had it sold to Simon & Schuster within the year.
Altogether, I believe we only received a small handful of rejections. I was very lucky.
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?
Desert Blood 10pm/9c is a fast-paced mystery featuring an all-Latino cast and a Hollywood-type setting. It’s a
real page-turner, with a challenging mystery, a surprise ending, and a group of characters you’ll enjoy meeting.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
The main character in Desert Blood 10pm/9c is a teen sleuth named Gus Gonzalez. He is based on a foster kid
named Rafael Gonzalez I met many years ago, while working as an Occupational Therapist at a hospital in
Lancaster, California. Rafael’s situation moved me to start writing what would eventually become Desert Blood
10pm/9c. Unfortunately, the story was always so sad and depressing, it never went anywhere. Then, about five
years ago, I met a young Hispanic actor named Nicholas Gonzalez. He is a great guy and a wonderful role
model. I decided to create a SECOND main character based on him. Together, Gus Gonzalez and his adoptive
father Nicholas became the focus of Desert Blood 10pm/9c. The story took off after that. Even today, I work
with Nick on his website. You can find out more about him at www.nicholasgonzalez.com.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My parents are quite happy and have been tremendously supportive. Both of them read the manuscript before
I found an agent and offered lots of encouragement when I needed it. I have three brothers and two sisters…so
that’s five sales right there!
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
I’m partial to the chicken potpie at Marie Callendar’s. Have you tried that? YUM.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I watch the Today Show to catch up on the news, take a look at my email to see who wrote me overnight, and
usually nibble on some toast or a Pop Tart.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me
the most?
You’d be startled at the number of books I own. I collect first editions, and they’ve pretty much taken over my
living space. I have some real treasures, including a nice first edition of Charlotte’s Web and signed first
printings of the British Harry Potter books.
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?
When I was a teen, I read the very first book by VC Andrews when it was first published. It’s called Flowers in
the Attic. The main character in the story mentioned that she liked yellow, since it was the color of hope and
sunshine. That has always stuck with me. I’ve been fond of yellow ever since.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
My favorite is Cartman, from South Park. Unfortunately, we probably have more things in common than I’d like
to admit!
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?
As a mystery author, I’m very interested in finding out the truth about things. Where DID the lost colony of
Roanoke go? How many gunmen really were on the grassy knoll in Dallas the day Kennedy was shot? Did OJ
Simpson really kill Nicole? There are so many to choose from.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re
writing?
While writing Desert Blood 10pm/9c, I listened to a lot of popular Spanish music. I really like Chayanne, and
even gave him a mention in the book!
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 TV. My current favorite show is “Gilmore Girls”. The friend / parent relationship between Lorelei and
Rory was one I strived to give Nick and Gus. As far as movies, I always stop and watch “The Man Without a
Face” or “Air Bud” whenever I can.
I was in LA this past weekend with my buddy Nathan Marlow ( www.nathanmarlow.com ). He was a contestant on
CBS’s hit show, “Big Brother” a couple years ago. (I love reality TV, too.) We went to see “Date Movie” on
Sunday. It was totally his idea, and it was pretty awful.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
CONTINUE TO READ. Reading is so good for your mental health and well-being. It’s fun, too!
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
The next Gus / Nick mystery is called Desert Bones. It is completely finished. I am currently putting the final
touches on a thriller called Border Patrol.
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?
As a teen, I never could find any YA books that I truly enjoyed. So at the age of 14, I sat down at an old
manual typewriter and banged out a 200-page manuscript for a mystery titled Glitter Kill. It was about three
girls tracking down a jewel thief and solving a 20-year-old robbery. I never did anything with it, but it made me
realize how much fun writing could be. After that, I was hooked.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I beat all the odds. Desert Blood 10pm/9c took me about two years to write. I spent a lot of time editing and
polishing the manuscript before sending it out to agents. It was accepted by the Andrea Brown Agency, which
was my first choice and the first agency I queried. My agent, Caryn Wiseman, helped me with additional edits
before shopping the manuscript around to NY houses. She had it sold to Simon & Schuster within the year.
Altogether, I believe we only received a small handful of rejections. I was very lucky.
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?
Desert Blood 10pm/9c is a fast-paced mystery featuring an all-Latino cast and a Hollywood-type setting. It’s a
real page-turner, with a challenging mystery, a surprise ending, and a group of characters you’ll enjoy meeting.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
The main character in Desert Blood 10pm/9c is a teen sleuth named Gus Gonzalez. He is based on a foster kid
named Rafael Gonzalez I met many years ago, while working as an Occupational Therapist at a hospital in
Lancaster, California. Rafael’s situation moved me to start writing what would eventually become Desert Blood
10pm/9c. Unfortunately, the story was always so sad and depressing, it never went anywhere. Then, about five
years ago, I met a young Hispanic actor named Nicholas Gonzalez. He is a great guy and a wonderful role
model. I decided to create a SECOND main character based on him. Together, Gus Gonzalez and his adoptive
father Nicholas became the focus of Desert Blood 10pm/9c. The story took off after that. Even today, I work
with Nick on his website. You can find out more about him at www.nicholasgonzalez.com.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My parents are quite happy and have been tremendously supportive. Both of them read the manuscript before
I found an agent and offered lots of encouragement when I needed it. I have three brothers and two sisters…so
that’s five sales right there!
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
I’m partial to the chicken potpie at Marie Callendar’s. Have you tried that? YUM.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I watch the Today Show to catch up on the news, take a look at my email to see who wrote me overnight, and
usually nibble on some toast or a Pop Tart.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me
the most?
You’d be startled at the number of books I own. I collect first editions, and they’ve pretty much taken over my
living space. I have some real treasures, including a nice first edition of Charlotte’s Web and signed first
printings of the British Harry Potter books.
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?
When I was a teen, I read the very first book by VC Andrews when it was first published. It’s called Flowers in
the Attic. The main character in the story mentioned that she liked yellow, since it was the color of hope and
sunshine. That has always stuck with me. I’ve been fond of yellow ever since.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
My favorite is Cartman, from South Park. Unfortunately, we probably have more things in common than I’d like
to admit!
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?
As a mystery author, I’m very interested in finding out the truth about things. Where DID the lost colony of
Roanoke go? How many gunmen really were on the grassy knoll in Dallas the day Kennedy was shot? Did OJ
Simpson really kill Nicole? There are so many to choose from.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re
writing?
While writing Desert Blood 10pm/9c, I listened to a lot of popular Spanish music. I really like Chayanne, and
even gave him a mention in the book!
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 TV. My current favorite show is “Gilmore Girls”. The friend / parent relationship between Lorelei and
Rory was one I strived to give Nick and Gus. As far as movies, I always stop and watch “The Man Without a
Face” or “Air Bud” whenever I can.
I was in LA this past weekend with my buddy Nathan Marlow ( www.nathanmarlow.com ). He was a contestant on
CBS’s hit show, “Big Brother” a couple years ago. (I love reality TV, too.) We went to see “Date Movie” on
Sunday. It was totally his idea, and it was pretty awful.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
CONTINUE TO READ. Reading is so good for your mental health and well-being. It’s fun, too!
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
The next Gus / Nick mystery is called Desert Bones. It is completely finished. I am currently putting the final
touches on a thriller called Border Patrol.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
