| Interview with Jonathon Scott Fuqua |
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?
College… I took a course in adolescent literature in order to sit near (yes it’s pathetic) a pretty girl, but ten
minutes after the professor started speaking, I knew I had to be a writer. I was just so taken by the voices,
the ideas, and the humor so frequently tinged with sorrow. I was hooked.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
It wasn’t at all easy. My first novel was never published, though it has been purchased now. As for The
Reappearance of Sam Webber, my first book, it was rejected about thirty times before a small publisher
picked it up. The day it was supposed to come out, my wife and I got a babysitter and drove to the nearest
book store to see it. Unfortunately, the bookstore had no plans to get it. From that inauspicious beginning,
the book somehow made waves and eventually won an Alex Award amongst other things. But it was a
crazy, difficult ride. In order to be a writer, I have worked in construction, museums, microbiology labs,
taught, taught art, illustrated, been a historian, written for newspapers, magazines, and journals. I’ve done
a lot.
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?
King of the Pygmies is a funny, emotional story about love, loss, and how one learns to cope with the
overwhelming fear that accompanies a likely diagnosis of schizophrenia or severe mental illness.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
My greatest inspiration was the sudden recognition, at about the age of 27, that in a random crowd there
aren’t one or two heroes, there are usually dozens and each has experienced losses, the death of family
members, abuse, the demise of dreams, or any of the hundreds of other sad events. But what makes most
people so amazing is how they function and move forward. We are a society driven by tenacity and the
prospects provided by hope.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I have a beautiful, lovely wife who loves to travel, explore, and wander through antique stores. She has
kept me from burning manuscripts before, including The Reappearance of Sam Webber. I have a
wonderful nine-year old daughter who is blessed with the ability to sing, act, and play the violin. She’s also
unimaginably creative, pretty, and athletic. She plays soccer and is called the Wizard because she gets
around nearly everyone. Lastly, my little boy is two, and he’s hilarious, devilish, impossible to trouble, and
usually looking for someone to chase him. He has made our family a family. And I’ve got a good one.
In fact, when my career goes through its usual dips and rolls, I might say to my daughter, “Maybe it’s time
to move on,” and she’ll look at me with horror and respond, “You CAN’T, Daddy.” I really appreciate her
reaction.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Barbecue sandwiches with coleslaw or cake. I like cake.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Shower, dress, and start the coffee. I’m not good at shaving.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
Our art. We’ve got a lot of wild art, from a howling pig sculpture to a giant fabric elephant head, to
paintings and drawings. Also, we’ve got a ton of our son’s Hot Wheels cars around for you to break your
neck on.
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?
Cerulean blue, because it is the color of the sky and I’d love to sweep over the world and watch the sun
rise and set and generally get lost in the beauty.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
The Iron Giant… Violet… the invisible sister from The Incredibles. I was shy in from elementary to high
school.
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 think I’d take this country directly after World War II. There was so much swagger and a sense of
community, that we’re all in it together and that to succeed, we all have to succeed. We seemed to have a
more unified notion of where we were going, even though it doesn’t feel that we ever arrived there.
Further, the roads weren’t as busy, the distances further, and communications worse. Think I’d move up to
Maine and fish and write and live very close to the earth.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Okay… This is where my age shows. I love Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earl, U2, John Mellencamp, Jen
Cohen, Emmy Lou Harris, Dave Alvin… But if I had to choose, I would choose Springsteen. I remember
hearing him from across the water for the first time in about 1979, and I wondered who it was, who could
speak to me so easily. His music of escape, possibilities, intimate stories, and social responsibility did it for
me. As for music, I listen to it all of the time. I love to write with it on.
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 loved Seinfeld. I like history shows. And the last movie I saw in theaters was the Chronicles of Narnia,
which was really phenomenal.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Find out what you like and truly try to attain it. Don’t paw at it lightly, grab at it with the intention of taking
hold. And, be strong and empathetic toward others.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I’m writing a graphic novel called Medusa’s Daughter, and I am working on a book called Gone and Back
Again, which’ll come out in the summer of 2007, and another called Story of Me which’ll hopefully come out
in 2007.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at 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?
College… I took a course in adolescent literature in order to sit near (yes it’s pathetic) a pretty girl, but ten
minutes after the professor started speaking, I knew I had to be a writer. I was just so taken by the voices,
the ideas, and the humor so frequently tinged with sorrow. I was hooked.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
It wasn’t at all easy. My first novel was never published, though it has been purchased now. As for The
Reappearance of Sam Webber, my first book, it was rejected about thirty times before a small publisher
picked it up. The day it was supposed to come out, my wife and I got a babysitter and drove to the nearest
book store to see it. Unfortunately, the bookstore had no plans to get it. From that inauspicious beginning,
the book somehow made waves and eventually won an Alex Award amongst other things. But it was a
crazy, difficult ride. In order to be a writer, I have worked in construction, museums, microbiology labs,
taught, taught art, illustrated, been a historian, written for newspapers, magazines, and journals. I’ve done
a lot.
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?
King of the Pygmies is a funny, emotional story about love, loss, and how one learns to cope with the
overwhelming fear that accompanies a likely diagnosis of schizophrenia or severe mental illness.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
My greatest inspiration was the sudden recognition, at about the age of 27, that in a random crowd there
aren’t one or two heroes, there are usually dozens and each has experienced losses, the death of family
members, abuse, the demise of dreams, or any of the hundreds of other sad events. But what makes most
people so amazing is how they function and move forward. We are a society driven by tenacity and the
prospects provided by hope.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I have a beautiful, lovely wife who loves to travel, explore, and wander through antique stores. She has
kept me from burning manuscripts before, including The Reappearance of Sam Webber. I have a
wonderful nine-year old daughter who is blessed with the ability to sing, act, and play the violin. She’s also
unimaginably creative, pretty, and athletic. She plays soccer and is called the Wizard because she gets
around nearly everyone. Lastly, my little boy is two, and he’s hilarious, devilish, impossible to trouble, and
usually looking for someone to chase him. He has made our family a family. And I’ve got a good one.
In fact, when my career goes through its usual dips and rolls, I might say to my daughter, “Maybe it’s time
to move on,” and she’ll look at me with horror and respond, “You CAN’T, Daddy.” I really appreciate her
reaction.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Barbecue sandwiches with coleslaw or cake. I like cake.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Shower, dress, and start the coffee. I’m not good at shaving.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
Our art. We’ve got a lot of wild art, from a howling pig sculpture to a giant fabric elephant head, to
paintings and drawings. Also, we’ve got a ton of our son’s Hot Wheels cars around for you to break your
neck on.
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?
Cerulean blue, because it is the color of the sky and I’d love to sweep over the world and watch the sun
rise and set and generally get lost in the beauty.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
The Iron Giant… Violet… the invisible sister from The Incredibles. I was shy in from elementary to high
school.
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 think I’d take this country directly after World War II. There was so much swagger and a sense of
community, that we’re all in it together and that to succeed, we all have to succeed. We seemed to have a
more unified notion of where we were going, even though it doesn’t feel that we ever arrived there.
Further, the roads weren’t as busy, the distances further, and communications worse. Think I’d move up to
Maine and fish and write and live very close to the earth.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Okay… This is where my age shows. I love Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earl, U2, John Mellencamp, Jen
Cohen, Emmy Lou Harris, Dave Alvin… But if I had to choose, I would choose Springsteen. I remember
hearing him from across the water for the first time in about 1979, and I wondered who it was, who could
speak to me so easily. His music of escape, possibilities, intimate stories, and social responsibility did it for
me. As for music, I listen to it all of the time. I love to write with it on.
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 loved Seinfeld. I like history shows. And the last movie I saw in theaters was the Chronicles of Narnia,
which was really phenomenal.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Find out what you like and truly try to attain it. Don’t paw at it lightly, grab at it with the intention of taking
hold. And, be strong and empathetic toward others.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I’m writing a graphic novel called Medusa’s Daughter, and I am working on a book called Gone and Back
Again, which’ll come out in the summer of 2007, and another called Story of Me which’ll hopefully come out
in 2007.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
