| Interview with Cheryl Dellasega |
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?
Probably the summer after third grade when my mom let me walk to the library by myself. Each trip was an
adventure—both to choose the books I wanted and then carry all of them home. I always checked out the
limit, which was ten. My arms and my mind got a workout that year.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I’m a professor, so that has involved a lifetime of reading, writing, editing, and publishing in different kinds
of journals that have something to do with health care. It’s not especially creative writing! Since high
school, I’ve written for fun in my “spare” time—poetry, short stories, and several (unpublished) novels that
range from romance to murder mysteries.
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?
Blogs are the new way for girls to keep a diary. In nugrl90, the first in the Bloggrl Book Series, the main
character, Sadie, keeps an online record of her first year at a new school—with comments and props from
others. A real fifteen year old girl, Karina LaPierre, read the entire manuscript and drew pictures of the
characters that ended up being included in the book.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Some of my own good and bad life experiences as a girl and woman inspire me, along with the stories of
hundreds of girls I work with. I find the female perspective endlessly fascinating, and all my books have
something to say about it—even the ones written for adults.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I have a husband, three grown children, an exchange student, two granddaughters, and a dog.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
I live in Hershey, Pennsylvania where the air smells like chocolate most afternoons—guess! You can’t beat
the basics.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Devotions, walk my dog, and make my bed.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
All the unpublished stories and novels on floppy discs in my basement, and the stacks of rewrites that
seem ever present. I always have a book or article in progress, and I am reluctant to let go of them, even
when I’m sick of rewriting. I always want them to be better.
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?
I would be a very calm aquamarine blue because a sense of peace is important for everyone!
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
While not exactly a cartoon, I love Pippi Longstocking and was thrilled when I got to go to Sweden and
learn more about her. I like to think I’m a bit like her—quirky and unconventional but able to make my way
in the world.
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?
To Egypt, during the time when the pyramids were built—I would like to see exactly how it was done.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Jazz is my favorite kind of music, but I listen to all sorts of things while I write, from classical to Ella
Fitzgerald to the Cranberries. Sometimes I write at a retreat house in complete silence. It all depends on
whether I need energy, inspiration, or just no distraction at all.
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 to watch television series once they are out on DVD so I don’t have to wait for the next adventure, or
sit through commercials. Some of my favorites: 24, Sopranos, Prison Break, Sleeper Cell, and Rescue Me.
I also tend to burn out on them after the first few seasons, so I can easily move on to another!
My favorite movie is Bennie and Joon, starring Johnnie Depp. I do own it and watch it over and over.
Recently I saw—what else—Pirates of the Caribbean.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Express yourself creatively so the world will listen. Using art to say what you feel is a powerful way to reach
an unlimited audience.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
The next Bloggrl Book—sicsistr90
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?
Probably the summer after third grade when my mom let me walk to the library by myself. Each trip was an
adventure—both to choose the books I wanted and then carry all of them home. I always checked out the
limit, which was ten. My arms and my mind got a workout that year.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I’m a professor, so that has involved a lifetime of reading, writing, editing, and publishing in different kinds
of journals that have something to do with health care. It’s not especially creative writing! Since high
school, I’ve written for fun in my “spare” time—poetry, short stories, and several (unpublished) novels that
range from romance to murder mysteries.
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?
Blogs are the new way for girls to keep a diary. In nugrl90, the first in the Bloggrl Book Series, the main
character, Sadie, keeps an online record of her first year at a new school—with comments and props from
others. A real fifteen year old girl, Karina LaPierre, read the entire manuscript and drew pictures of the
characters that ended up being included in the book.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Some of my own good and bad life experiences as a girl and woman inspire me, along with the stories of
hundreds of girls I work with. I find the female perspective endlessly fascinating, and all my books have
something to say about it—even the ones written for adults.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I have a husband, three grown children, an exchange student, two granddaughters, and a dog.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
I live in Hershey, Pennsylvania where the air smells like chocolate most afternoons—guess! You can’t beat
the basics.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Devotions, walk my dog, and make my bed.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
All the unpublished stories and novels on floppy discs in my basement, and the stacks of rewrites that
seem ever present. I always have a book or article in progress, and I am reluctant to let go of them, even
when I’m sick of rewriting. I always want them to be better.
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?
I would be a very calm aquamarine blue because a sense of peace is important for everyone!
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
While not exactly a cartoon, I love Pippi Longstocking and was thrilled when I got to go to Sweden and
learn more about her. I like to think I’m a bit like her—quirky and unconventional but able to make my way
in the world.
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?
To Egypt, during the time when the pyramids were built—I would like to see exactly how it was done.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Jazz is my favorite kind of music, but I listen to all sorts of things while I write, from classical to Ella
Fitzgerald to the Cranberries. Sometimes I write at a retreat house in complete silence. It all depends on
whether I need energy, inspiration, or just no distraction at all.
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 to watch television series once they are out on DVD so I don’t have to wait for the next adventure, or
sit through commercials. Some of my favorites: 24, Sopranos, Prison Break, Sleeper Cell, and Rescue Me.
I also tend to burn out on them after the first few seasons, so I can easily move on to another!
My favorite movie is Bennie and Joon, starring Johnnie Depp. I do own it and watch it over and over.
Recently I saw—what else—Pirates of the Caribbean.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Express yourself creatively so the world will listen. Using art to say what you feel is a powerful way to reach
an unlimited audience.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
The next Bloggrl Book—sicsistr90
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
| Visit the Bloggrls Website! |