| Interview with Barbara Dee |
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?
Actually, I always knew. When I was ten, I used to tell people I wanted to be an “authoress,” probably as a
result of reading too much Louisa May Alcott.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I found that road after exploring some others: teaching high school English, practicing (and I do mean
practicing) law, being a stay-at-home mom. When my youngest kid started first grade, I thought, “Okay,
here’s my chance. If it doesn’t work out, at least I gave it a shot.” I wrote three manuscripts: tossed the
first, sent the second around, sold the third. Getting published isn’t easy: you have to embrace rejection.
And if some editor takes the time to tell you what you’re doing wrong, you have to view that feedback as a
gift.
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?
Cassie, the heroine of my novel, Just Another Day in My Insanely Real Life, is a riot. I wish I were that
funny. Oh, wait…
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Hard to say. I never base characters on actual people. I do steal vocal mannerisms, though, which means
I do a lot of eavesdropping.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
Seriously, they are. I have three kids: Alex, 16, Josh, 13, and Lizzy, 10. They’re all great readers and
highly critical editors of my manuscripts. Which is a good thing. No, really.
My husband, Chris, has been incredibly supportive. Whenever I feel discouraged, he gives me a pep talk.
Several times I’ve felt like quitting, and he wouldn’t allow it. He’s a fantastic writer and editor and reader,
and I honestly couldn’t have done this without him.
And I have to mention my parents. They go to every Barnes & Noble and Borders they can, rearranging
my books on the shelves so that they’re displayed for maximum visibility. Nobody loves you like your
parents.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Chocolate. Ice cream. Pizza. Cookies. Olives. Not together, though.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Nudge cat out of the way. Shower. Brush teeth.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
How messy they all are. I’m an incredibly disciplined person—I think you have to be to write on a daily
basis. But the way I deal with old clothes and scraps of paper and broken shoes is to toss them all in
closets and hope they’ll go away.
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?
A sycamore, because it has the most—oh, sorry. I thought you said “tree.”
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Calvin from “Calvin and Hobbes” is my absolute favorite. In real life I’m probably more like his frazzled
mom, but let’s not go there.
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’ve always thought Ancient Greece was fascinating, but I’m not sure how much fun it would have been to
be a woman there, or a commoner. Same for Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Elizabethan England,
Renaissance Italy. Actually, come to think of it, maybe I’ll just stay put, Scotty.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Right now I’m obsessed with Bob Dylan. I really didn’t get him when I was a kid, but now I think he’s a
visionary genius, a completely fearless, iconoclastic original. But I can’t listen to any music when I’m
writing. Must—have—total—silence.
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 two all-time favorite TV shows are Seinfeld and The Sopranos. There are certain movies I HAVE to
watch every time they’re on TV, like The Godfather (I and II), The Graduate, Casablanca, Annie Hall. Also
newer stuff like Ghost World, Igby Goes Down, Eternal Sunshine, Sideways. There’s a movie I really love,
but it’s hardly ever on TV—Local Hero. Can’t remember the last movie I saw at the theater—was it
Brokeback Mountain? We have Netflix, so mostly we just rent.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
You don’t have to figure out everything all at once. If you want to do something creative, or just hard, give
yourself time. Allow yourself to fail a little; it’s really okay! And try to tune out negative people. Figure out
who can give you truly constructive criticism, and try to hear it without freaking out.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I’ve just finished a manuscript about a girl who feels talentless and lost—until she discovers she can read
codes. I’m thinking that we’re all a bit like this girl: we’re all just readers struggling to make sense of
things. And sometimes, weirdly enough, it suddenly hits us that we understand.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thank you! It’s been fun.
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?
Actually, I always knew. When I was ten, I used to tell people I wanted to be an “authoress,” probably as a
result of reading too much Louisa May Alcott.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I found that road after exploring some others: teaching high school English, practicing (and I do mean
practicing) law, being a stay-at-home mom. When my youngest kid started first grade, I thought, “Okay,
here’s my chance. If it doesn’t work out, at least I gave it a shot.” I wrote three manuscripts: tossed the
first, sent the second around, sold the third. Getting published isn’t easy: you have to embrace rejection.
And if some editor takes the time to tell you what you’re doing wrong, you have to view that feedback as a
gift.
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?
Cassie, the heroine of my novel, Just Another Day in My Insanely Real Life, is a riot. I wish I were that
funny. Oh, wait…
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Hard to say. I never base characters on actual people. I do steal vocal mannerisms, though, which means
I do a lot of eavesdropping.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
Seriously, they are. I have three kids: Alex, 16, Josh, 13, and Lizzy, 10. They’re all great readers and
highly critical editors of my manuscripts. Which is a good thing. No, really.
My husband, Chris, has been incredibly supportive. Whenever I feel discouraged, he gives me a pep talk.
Several times I’ve felt like quitting, and he wouldn’t allow it. He’s a fantastic writer and editor and reader,
and I honestly couldn’t have done this without him.
And I have to mention my parents. They go to every Barnes & Noble and Borders they can, rearranging
my books on the shelves so that they’re displayed for maximum visibility. Nobody loves you like your
parents.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Chocolate. Ice cream. Pizza. Cookies. Olives. Not together, though.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Nudge cat out of the way. Shower. Brush teeth.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
How messy they all are. I’m an incredibly disciplined person—I think you have to be to write on a daily
basis. But the way I deal with old clothes and scraps of paper and broken shoes is to toss them all in
closets and hope they’ll go away.
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?
A sycamore, because it has the most—oh, sorry. I thought you said “tree.”
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Calvin from “Calvin and Hobbes” is my absolute favorite. In real life I’m probably more like his frazzled
mom, but let’s not go there.
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’ve always thought Ancient Greece was fascinating, but I’m not sure how much fun it would have been to
be a woman there, or a commoner. Same for Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Elizabethan England,
Renaissance Italy. Actually, come to think of it, maybe I’ll just stay put, Scotty.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Right now I’m obsessed with Bob Dylan. I really didn’t get him when I was a kid, but now I think he’s a
visionary genius, a completely fearless, iconoclastic original. But I can’t listen to any music when I’m
writing. Must—have—total—silence.
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 two all-time favorite TV shows are Seinfeld and The Sopranos. There are certain movies I HAVE to
watch every time they’re on TV, like The Godfather (I and II), The Graduate, Casablanca, Annie Hall. Also
newer stuff like Ghost World, Igby Goes Down, Eternal Sunshine, Sideways. There’s a movie I really love,
but it’s hardly ever on TV—Local Hero. Can’t remember the last movie I saw at the theater—was it
Brokeback Mountain? We have Netflix, so mostly we just rent.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
You don’t have to figure out everything all at once. If you want to do something creative, or just hard, give
yourself time. Allow yourself to fail a little; it’s really okay! And try to tune out negative people. Figure out
who can give you truly constructive criticism, and try to hear it without freaking out.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I’ve just finished a manuscript about a girl who feels talentless and lost—until she discovers she can read
codes. I’m thinking that we’re all a bit like this girl: we’re all just readers struggling to make sense of
things. And sometimes, weirdly enough, it suddenly hits us that we understand.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thank you! It’s been fun.