| Interview with Alma Fullerton |
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 don't think there was ever a time when I said I want to be a writer. It's something I've always done. I grew
up in a large military family. With seven children in my family I spent a lot of time escaping into books and
writing in journals. One of my journal entries would have looked something like this:
"If you're reading this, it means I've been bludgeoned to death by one of my siblings. I leave the quarter I
have hidden in my sock drawer to my brother Bill -- the one who isn't a psycho maniac who punches
people for changing the channel while he's watching some FREAKING baby show."
I suppose that's also where I learned about revisions because the next day I would revise:
"If you're reading this it means I've been drowned by my brother Bill who doesn't get a red cent for trying to
use my head as a toilet brush. Cheryl can have the quarter which is no longer a full quarter but a dime and
a nickel because I went to the store and bought a candy today while I was supposed to running laps
around the track during gym class."
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I've been actively trying to publish since about 1999. I published my first articles in that year and continued
to publish articles and short stories over the years while trying to get a book published. Most of my first
novels won't see the light of day. They weren't very well written but in this business you learn more and
more with every book you attempt to write.
In Feb. 2004 I sold Walking on Glass to HarperCollins. It was released in January 2007.
In March 2006 I sold In the Garage to RedDeer Press. It was released in Nov. 2006.
Really though, I don't write to publish. I write because I have to write. It's not a choice for me. I have a lot to
say and if I don't say it no one else will. If the book gets published it's a bonus. Publishing helps pay the
bills though.
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?
Walking On Glass is the journal of a sixteen-year old boy who is trying to decide whether or not to unhook
his mother's life support machines. But if you unhook someone's life support is that murder or mercy?
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Both In the Garage and Walking on Glass were inspired by real life experiences. However, I use music
while I'm writing to keep me inspired. What kind of music depends on what I'm writing. Different books need
different kinds of music to get me in the mood to write.
Let's hear about your family, who I'm sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
Most of my family lives on the other side of the country so I don't see or hear from them much. Most of
them do have copies of my books in their houses and when I do hear from them they are supportive and
excited for me.
My husband and my two daughters have been supportive through the whole process and are always
happy to tell everyone about my books. My daughters have showed so many people my proof of Walking
on Glass that it fell apart (the actual book is much sturdier). When any of them see In the Garage or
Walking on Glass in the stores or libraries they're quick to say, "My MOM wrote that book."
Now for some fun facts. What's your greatest comfort food?
I know this may turn some people's stomachs but I love tapioca pudding -- fresh though - not from a can or
a container that sits on a grocery store counter un-refrigerated.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Make coffee (or drink it if it's already made).
Procrastinate by checking my emails, my myspace www.myspace.com/almafullerton or my livejournal
friends http://almafullerton.livejournal.com .
Then if I've had enough coffee, I'll write or if I'm still procrastinating ummm... working a plot point out in my
head, I'll play computer games before writing.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what's the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
Perhaps that we don't have closets. We bought a century home -- no closets. In my basement I don't think I
have anything different than anyone else. But then what I find absolutely normal may seem odd to
someone else. It's all in your perspective, isn't it?
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?
Orange because it's bright and cheery - and because anyone who knows me will look at this answer and
think, "She's fallen off her rocker."
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
My favorite is Odie because I like his naivety, but I'm probably more like Garfield -- I can be a little snarky.
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?
Somewhere in the Baltic Sea aboard the Standart in the summer of 1907 at sunset -- just because.
So what's your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you're writing?
I always listen to music while writing. What type depends on what I'm writing.
With Walking on Glass I listened to a lot of Matchbox Twenty. With In the Garage I listened to Simple Plan
and a mix of punk/emo bands. I try to match the music to the tone of the book or character whose point of
view I'm writing in.
With my work-in-progress I'm listening to a mix of everything from Jack Johnston to Fergie because there
are a number of very different personality type characters 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 don't have a lot of time to watch T.V. so it's one of those things I pretty much gave up, but for movies I
love almost anything Sandra Bullock is in. I can't remember the last movie I went to see in the theater but it
was a cartoon and it was with my youngest daughter. I guess it's time to check out what's playing again.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Have the courage to stick around. Bad times don't last forever.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I have several novels completed and I'm always working on a few more. Honestly though, you can never
tell what kind of stories I'm going to be weaving next. I like to mix it up a little. Write some serious stuff one
day and humor the next. If I always wrote the same kind of thing life would get kind of boring.
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?
I don't think there was ever a time when I said I want to be a writer. It's something I've always done. I grew
up in a large military family. With seven children in my family I spent a lot of time escaping into books and
writing in journals. One of my journal entries would have looked something like this:
"If you're reading this, it means I've been bludgeoned to death by one of my siblings. I leave the quarter I
have hidden in my sock drawer to my brother Bill -- the one who isn't a psycho maniac who punches
people for changing the channel while he's watching some FREAKING baby show."
I suppose that's also where I learned about revisions because the next day I would revise:
"If you're reading this it means I've been drowned by my brother Bill who doesn't get a red cent for trying to
use my head as a toilet brush. Cheryl can have the quarter which is no longer a full quarter but a dime and
a nickel because I went to the store and bought a candy today while I was supposed to running laps
around the track during gym class."
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I've been actively trying to publish since about 1999. I published my first articles in that year and continued
to publish articles and short stories over the years while trying to get a book published. Most of my first
novels won't see the light of day. They weren't very well written but in this business you learn more and
more with every book you attempt to write.
In Feb. 2004 I sold Walking on Glass to HarperCollins. It was released in January 2007.
In March 2006 I sold In the Garage to RedDeer Press. It was released in Nov. 2006.
Really though, I don't write to publish. I write because I have to write. It's not a choice for me. I have a lot to
say and if I don't say it no one else will. If the book gets published it's a bonus. Publishing helps pay the
bills though.
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?
Walking On Glass is the journal of a sixteen-year old boy who is trying to decide whether or not to unhook
his mother's life support machines. But if you unhook someone's life support is that murder or mercy?
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Both In the Garage and Walking on Glass were inspired by real life experiences. However, I use music
while I'm writing to keep me inspired. What kind of music depends on what I'm writing. Different books need
different kinds of music to get me in the mood to write.
Let's hear about your family, who I'm sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
Most of my family lives on the other side of the country so I don't see or hear from them much. Most of
them do have copies of my books in their houses and when I do hear from them they are supportive and
excited for me.
My husband and my two daughters have been supportive through the whole process and are always
happy to tell everyone about my books. My daughters have showed so many people my proof of Walking
on Glass that it fell apart (the actual book is much sturdier). When any of them see In the Garage or
Walking on Glass in the stores or libraries they're quick to say, "My MOM wrote that book."
Now for some fun facts. What's your greatest comfort food?
I know this may turn some people's stomachs but I love tapioca pudding -- fresh though - not from a can or
a container that sits on a grocery store counter un-refrigerated.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Make coffee (or drink it if it's already made).
Procrastinate by checking my emails, my myspace www.myspace.com/almafullerton or my livejournal
friends http://almafullerton.livejournal.com .
Then if I've had enough coffee, I'll write or if I'm still procrastinating ummm... working a plot point out in my
head, I'll play computer games before writing.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what's the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
Perhaps that we don't have closets. We bought a century home -- no closets. In my basement I don't think I
have anything different than anyone else. But then what I find absolutely normal may seem odd to
someone else. It's all in your perspective, isn't it?
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?
Orange because it's bright and cheery - and because anyone who knows me will look at this answer and
think, "She's fallen off her rocker."
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
My favorite is Odie because I like his naivety, but I'm probably more like Garfield -- I can be a little snarky.
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?
Somewhere in the Baltic Sea aboard the Standart in the summer of 1907 at sunset -- just because.
So what's your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you're writing?
I always listen to music while writing. What type depends on what I'm writing.
With Walking on Glass I listened to a lot of Matchbox Twenty. With In the Garage I listened to Simple Plan
and a mix of punk/emo bands. I try to match the music to the tone of the book or character whose point of
view I'm writing in.
With my work-in-progress I'm listening to a mix of everything from Jack Johnston to Fergie because there
are a number of very different personality type characters 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 don't have a lot of time to watch T.V. so it's one of those things I pretty much gave up, but for movies I
love almost anything Sandra Bullock is in. I can't remember the last movie I went to see in the theater but it
was a cartoon and it was with my youngest daughter. I guess it's time to check out what's playing again.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Have the courage to stick around. Bad times don't last forever.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I have several novels completed and I'm always working on a few more. Honestly though, you can never
tell what kind of stories I'm going to be weaving next. I like to mix it up a little. Write some serious stuff one
day and humor the next. If I always wrote the same kind of thing life would get kind of boring.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
