| Interview with Christine Fletcher |
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?
Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved novels and writing. I did write some stories when I was in school, but
at that time it was easier for me to express ideas through art rather than words. When I got older, my
energy and time became focused almost entirely on getting into veterinary school…getting through
veterinary school…and then working as a veterinarian. Finally I decided to stop wanting to write, and
instead actually sit down and try.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I’d actually written Tallulah Falls for an adult audience, and at first that’s how my agent shopped it around.
But, although several editors told us they loved the novel, they said adults wouldn’t buy a book with a 17-
year-old protagonist. So they passed. At that point, my agent suggested we try the young adult market.
Almost immediately, we got two offers. I was thrilled to sign with Bloomsbury. They publish such beautiful
books, and the people are simply wonderful. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better outcome.
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?
If your best friend disappeared, and you had only one chance to find her, how far would you be willing
to go?
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
I find a lot of inspiration in my work as a veterinarian. Animals can bring out both the best and the worst in
people. People project their fears, their wishes, their worries, and their needs onto their pets. You can
learn a lot about human nature by watching how people interact with their animals.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
They are, yes! My family has been very supportive. Even when I went from full-time to part-time work in
order to write, nobody told me I was crazy, or dreaming, or irresponsible. My mom was especially
enthusiastic. Sadly, she passed away a year before Tallulah Falls was published. I think she would have
liked the book. I hope she would have.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Cheese popcorn. White cheddar flavor. Mmmm.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Lie in bed thinking about what I’m going to do that day. The day always seems so perfect, so full of
potential, before I get out of bed.
Turn on my computer and check my e-mail.
If it’s the weekend, let the dogs out and feed the cats. If it’s a weekday, my boyfriend will already have
done that. So then I either eat breakfast or start writing. If I start writing, and it’s going well, then breakfast
may not happen until the afternoon.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
My drawings and paintings. I drew from the time I could hold a pencil all the way through college. After I
graduated, somehow it fell by the wayside. Now hardly anyone knows (or remembers) that I used to be an
artist. Even me.
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?
My favorite color is green. But if I was a color, I’d want to be a deep, royal purple. Because it’s gorgeous,
and because, good or bad, everyone has a reaction to purple.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Lisa Simpson, because she’s a nerd and she worries a lot. She needs to loosen up a little. Me too,
sometimes.
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?
Ancient Rome, in the time of Augustus Caesar. I love Roman history. The ruins are so beautiful, I can’t
imagine how gorgeous they must have been when they were whole. From there, I’d travel south to Sicily,
to see how my ancestors really lived at that time.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Blues, folk, rock, classical. Favorite artists include the Rolling Stones, Lyle Lovett, Pink Martini, Pearl Jam,
Indigo Girls, Michelle Shocked, No Doubt, Gorillaz. My favorite classical is the Brandenburg Concertos by
Bach.
Normally I can’t listen to music while I’m writing. Recently, though, I’ve been working to 1940’s swing—
Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey (read to the end to find out why!)
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?
The only TV show I watch regularly is the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I also like the Sopranos and Lost,
but we’ll get the entire season on DVD and watch it all at once (so don’t tell us what happens!)
Movies I’ll watch over and over again are The Lord of the Rings, Pride and Prejudice (the 1996 BBC
version—Colin Firth—yow!), The Women, and The Philadelphia Story. The last movie I saw at the theater
was An Inconvenient Truth, which was both amazing and very disturbing.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Never stop learning. Doesn’t matter if it’s from books or from life, just keep learning.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
WWII Chicago. Fifteen-year-old Ruby Jacinski has to drop out of school to support her family. She tells
her mother she’s taken a factory job, but instead she’s discovered how to make money—lots of money—
while having the time of her life. Ruby’s got it all figured out…until swinging with the hepcats turns into
swimming with the sharks.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thank you, Jennifer, this was fun! And be sure to visit my website for news & updates!
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?
Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved novels and writing. I did write some stories when I was in school, but
at that time it was easier for me to express ideas through art rather than words. When I got older, my
energy and time became focused almost entirely on getting into veterinary school…getting through
veterinary school…and then working as a veterinarian. Finally I decided to stop wanting to write, and
instead actually sit down and try.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I’d actually written Tallulah Falls for an adult audience, and at first that’s how my agent shopped it around.
But, although several editors told us they loved the novel, they said adults wouldn’t buy a book with a 17-
year-old protagonist. So they passed. At that point, my agent suggested we try the young adult market.
Almost immediately, we got two offers. I was thrilled to sign with Bloomsbury. They publish such beautiful
books, and the people are simply wonderful. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better outcome.
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?
If your best friend disappeared, and you had only one chance to find her, how far would you be willing
to go?
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
I find a lot of inspiration in my work as a veterinarian. Animals can bring out both the best and the worst in
people. People project their fears, their wishes, their worries, and their needs onto their pets. You can
learn a lot about human nature by watching how people interact with their animals.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
They are, yes! My family has been very supportive. Even when I went from full-time to part-time work in
order to write, nobody told me I was crazy, or dreaming, or irresponsible. My mom was especially
enthusiastic. Sadly, she passed away a year before Tallulah Falls was published. I think she would have
liked the book. I hope she would have.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Cheese popcorn. White cheddar flavor. Mmmm.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Lie in bed thinking about what I’m going to do that day. The day always seems so perfect, so full of
potential, before I get out of bed.
Turn on my computer and check my e-mail.
If it’s the weekend, let the dogs out and feed the cats. If it’s a weekday, my boyfriend will already have
done that. So then I either eat breakfast or start writing. If I start writing, and it’s going well, then breakfast
may not happen until the afternoon.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
My drawings and paintings. I drew from the time I could hold a pencil all the way through college. After I
graduated, somehow it fell by the wayside. Now hardly anyone knows (or remembers) that I used to be an
artist. Even me.
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?
My favorite color is green. But if I was a color, I’d want to be a deep, royal purple. Because it’s gorgeous,
and because, good or bad, everyone has a reaction to purple.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Lisa Simpson, because she’s a nerd and she worries a lot. She needs to loosen up a little. Me too,
sometimes.
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?
Ancient Rome, in the time of Augustus Caesar. I love Roman history. The ruins are so beautiful, I can’t
imagine how gorgeous they must have been when they were whole. From there, I’d travel south to Sicily,
to see how my ancestors really lived at that time.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Blues, folk, rock, classical. Favorite artists include the Rolling Stones, Lyle Lovett, Pink Martini, Pearl Jam,
Indigo Girls, Michelle Shocked, No Doubt, Gorillaz. My favorite classical is the Brandenburg Concertos by
Bach.
Normally I can’t listen to music while I’m writing. Recently, though, I’ve been working to 1940’s swing—
Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey (read to the end to find out why!)
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?
The only TV show I watch regularly is the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I also like the Sopranos and Lost,
but we’ll get the entire season on DVD and watch it all at once (so don’t tell us what happens!)
Movies I’ll watch over and over again are The Lord of the Rings, Pride and Prejudice (the 1996 BBC
version—Colin Firth—yow!), The Women, and The Philadelphia Story. The last movie I saw at the theater
was An Inconvenient Truth, which was both amazing and very disturbing.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Never stop learning. Doesn’t matter if it’s from books or from life, just keep learning.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
WWII Chicago. Fifteen-year-old Ruby Jacinski has to drop out of school to support her family. She tells
her mother she’s taken a factory job, but instead she’s discovered how to make money—lots of money—
while having the time of her life. Ruby’s got it all figured out…until swinging with the hepcats turns into
swimming with the sharks.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thank you, Jennifer, this was fun! And be sure to visit my website for news & updates!
