| Interview with Victoria Foyt |
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 was an avid reader as a kid. My mother often took me to the public library, which was heaven to me. I’d
leave with a stack of books, thinking, “I wish I could write stories like these.”
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
Like most authors it’s been a long road. It took a tremendous amount of belief in myself along with a
tenacious ability to edit, edit, edit. I worked on my first book for 8 years on and off! If I didn’t love the actual
process of writing I would have quit years ago. Fortunately, I can write at my computer for hours and hardly
notice time passing.
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?
My first novel, The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond, is about the difference between what seems to be going
on in life, and what is really going on but often denied. It’s about learning to trust what you perceive to be
true—not easy at any age. If you can learn to do that early in life, you’re way ahead of the game. Check out
the video inspired by the book on youtube.com: search lexie diamond, or go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nakMpu5ubXA.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Writing is like preparing a great stew—a lot of stuff gets thrown in the pot. I have a big pantry full of varied
experiences to root through. I’ve written several screenplays but it wasn’t until I had kids that I began to
write novels; they are my Ideal Readers. It certainly helped me to know for whom I writing.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My daughter Sabrina is 15 and although she wasn’t a model for Lexie, her birth inspired the story. I was
heartbroken that she’d never meet my beloved grandmother who had already passed. This provided the
germ of the story and then I added many other things into the pot. Sabrina plays Lexie in the youtube video
and my son Simon, 12, is the Boy on the Bike. They are my amazing muses!
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Dark chocolate. I’m afraid I’m a chocolate addict. Of course, scientific research has proven some health
benefits to eating chocolate!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I sit and meditate for 15-20 minutes. Then I have breakfast with my kids and take them to the school bus
stop. Then I take a walk, and write. That’s my routine. It might seem dull but believe me, by 10 a.m. I have
traveled to many realms.
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 dancing shoes. I love to free style and hope to learn salsa.
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’m very sensitive and influenced by colors. I’d definitely want to be orange—it’s warm, powerful and vibrant
like the sun. I wear it a lot.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
I’ve been told I most resemble Lucy on Peanuts, although I prefer to be known as Cat Woman.
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?
Whew, that’s a hard one because I so love the Internet I’d be lost without it. Maybe the future then, without
global warming!
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
The improvisational free nature of Jazz inspires me to just let go. I love Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana
Krall. When I write, I’m usually listening to and watching a little movie in my head. Basically, I’m taking
dictation so I need quiet.
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 rarely watch T.V. but I love movies. I can watch Kurosawa’s movies over and over: The Seven Samurai,
Roshomon. He was a master! The last movie I saw in a theatre blew me away: Pan’s Labyrinth! What a
moving way to show the loss of innocence through war and man’s absurd need for power.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Keep a daily journal. Write at the same time every day. Don’t censor your thought process. Eventually,
journal writing can be a roadmap to finding your own path.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Currently I’m working on the sequel to The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thank you for encouraging teens to read!
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 was an avid reader as a kid. My mother often took me to the public library, which was heaven to me. I’d
leave with a stack of books, thinking, “I wish I could write stories like these.”
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
Like most authors it’s been a long road. It took a tremendous amount of belief in myself along with a
tenacious ability to edit, edit, edit. I worked on my first book for 8 years on and off! If I didn’t love the actual
process of writing I would have quit years ago. Fortunately, I can write at my computer for hours and hardly
notice time passing.
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?
My first novel, The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond, is about the difference between what seems to be going
on in life, and what is really going on but often denied. It’s about learning to trust what you perceive to be
true—not easy at any age. If you can learn to do that early in life, you’re way ahead of the game. Check out
the video inspired by the book on youtube.com: search lexie diamond, or go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nakMpu5ubXA.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Writing is like preparing a great stew—a lot of stuff gets thrown in the pot. I have a big pantry full of varied
experiences to root through. I’ve written several screenplays but it wasn’t until I had kids that I began to
write novels; they are my Ideal Readers. It certainly helped me to know for whom I writing.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My daughter Sabrina is 15 and although she wasn’t a model for Lexie, her birth inspired the story. I was
heartbroken that she’d never meet my beloved grandmother who had already passed. This provided the
germ of the story and then I added many other things into the pot. Sabrina plays Lexie in the youtube video
and my son Simon, 12, is the Boy on the Bike. They are my amazing muses!
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Dark chocolate. I’m afraid I’m a chocolate addict. Of course, scientific research has proven some health
benefits to eating chocolate!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I sit and meditate for 15-20 minutes. Then I have breakfast with my kids and take them to the school bus
stop. Then I take a walk, and write. That’s my routine. It might seem dull but believe me, by 10 a.m. I have
traveled to many realms.
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 dancing shoes. I love to free style and hope to learn salsa.
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’m very sensitive and influenced by colors. I’d definitely want to be orange—it’s warm, powerful and vibrant
like the sun. I wear it a lot.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
I’ve been told I most resemble Lucy on Peanuts, although I prefer to be known as Cat Woman.
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?
Whew, that’s a hard one because I so love the Internet I’d be lost without it. Maybe the future then, without
global warming!
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
The improvisational free nature of Jazz inspires me to just let go. I love Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana
Krall. When I write, I’m usually listening to and watching a little movie in my head. Basically, I’m taking
dictation so I need quiet.
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 rarely watch T.V. but I love movies. I can watch Kurosawa’s movies over and over: The Seven Samurai,
Roshomon. He was a master! The last movie I saw in a theatre blew me away: Pan’s Labyrinth! What a
moving way to show the loss of innocence through war and man’s absurd need for power.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Keep a daily journal. Write at the same time every day. Don’t censor your thought process. Eventually,
journal writing can be a roadmap to finding your own path.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Currently I’m working on the sequel to The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thank you for encouraging teens to read!