| Interview with Gail Giles |
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?
Fourth grade. This story is on my web site but I’ll give the short version here. I was a fractious (that’s old
fashioned for obnoxious) child. In school and at home. In school, I did my work at lightning speed then
caused trouble. I went to Catholic school, taught by nuns. Dominican nuns when they wore the long black
and white habits. My teacher was worn out by me. She finally came to me and told me that she was having
a bad day and would I write her a funny story. About an ant observing a family’s holiday dinner. I did. She
laughed. Read it to the class. I got recognition, felt like a star and wasn’t in trouble for twenty minutes. I
wrote little sketches and things from that point on.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I didn’t write to submit until about 1989 or so. I couldn’t type worth a cat’s bark and couldn’t get a clean
copy. When my present husband gave me a computer--wow, I was off. As were a zillion other wannabe
authors. I got a children’s short story pubbed right away and then a couple of others. Then nothing. But I
was working at developing the idea of using the bang- right- out- of -the- gate short story opening in novel
writing. I also was working on the idea of opening with a question that threads through the novel and isn’t
answered until the last page. For a few years, I knew I was just practicing. I pubbed a chapter book in '97
but didn’t sell my first YA until 2001. It was pubbed in 2002 which is a really fast turn around.
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?
A girl is buried alive and THEN the story really gets interesting. (What Happened To Cass McBride?)
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Obviously, there’s some Robert Cormier in there. I was over the moon about I AM THE CHEESE when I
first read it. But do you remember an old novel for adults called THE OTHER by Tom Tryon? That ending
where you had to go back and look to see if all the clues where there, if it all fit? It blew me away. I loved
that ending. I love endings that don’t end tidily, that lead to discussion or even argument, that won’t leave
you alone because you have something more to ponder.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
Actually, not sure they do. There’s my mom and brother who really think these books show that I was as
bad as they always said I was when I was a child. They don’t recommend my books to anyone, don’t want
people to know they are related to someone who would write something they feel is that distasteful. But my
husband, Jim, is source of many lines in my books and he’s great. I’m sure people are seriously tired of
him talking about me. My son, Josh, is also a wealth of lines in the books. He’s a wonderful son and I get a
real kick out of watching him be a father to two young sons.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
It’s a tie. Chocolate for when I’m depressed and spaghetti for any other time. We’ve moved a lot and the
first thing I do once I’ve found the kitchen stuff is make a huge pot of spaghetti gravy (for Italians--it’s
gravy.) Once that smell is in my kitchen--I’m home.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
My mornings start late because I work on owl hours. I don’t go to sleep until about four A. M. But, first I let
my two HUGE dogs out, then I stumble to the cappuccino maker, then I turn on Court TV and check my
email.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
That I don’t have skulls, skeletons or bottles of blood? Probably that I’m kind of normal. I don’t have a lot of
stuff. I did a big clear out a few years ago. My place is really Zen, open and uncluttered. I have three
iPods, but I use all three. Isn’t that strange. My dog is name iPod so I guess I have four. We have seven
computers for two people. Now that’s kind of stupid. But it was cheaper to keep my two old ones for back
up and for the grandkids to use than to sell them. I might donate them later.
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?
Blue. Because I said so.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Wow, I don’t know cartoons. Can I be Buffy the Vampire Slayer instead? No, I want to be Giles.
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 want to go back to the Jazz Age and meet Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Faulkner. I think they all
overlapped somewhere in there. And Tennessee Williams too. Gosh, if a really young Capote could come
along that would be great.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I cannot live without Jimmy Buffett. He’s so upbeat. I had a car once that had never had any CD except JB
in it the entire time I owned it. Four years. I listen to everything but country and rap. Don’t like the cadence
of either. I even like opera. In moderation. Sometimes I listen to music when I write, but most of the time I
have the television 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 love TV. Veronica Mars is my fav right now. I watch Court TV all day. I was a theater major in college so
movies are big with me. I always see all the Oscar movies before the awards. I always disagree with the
Oscar picks. I like movies that are pure mind candy too. I went to see POSIEDON. Did I spell that right?
Totally predicable. But that’s what it should have been. Movies I watch over and over again: THE
GODFATHER. PRIMAL FEAR. WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE. And I love those things that have
musketeers in them and The Man In The Iron Mask and things like that.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
My books are not how-to-manuals. Experience the dark path through my books rather than the wrong side
of the cell bars.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
WHAT HAPPENED TO CASS MCBRIDE? is up in November. Then Fall of '07 is RIGHT BEHIND YOU. It’s
a little different. Although it’s not the same characters, it’s sort of like I picked up where Shattering Glass
left off. I start with the horrible act and take it forward to see what happens to the person afterwards. I
haven’t done this before. I start work on those revisions right away.
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?
Fourth grade. This story is on my web site but I’ll give the short version here. I was a fractious (that’s old
fashioned for obnoxious) child. In school and at home. In school, I did my work at lightning speed then
caused trouble. I went to Catholic school, taught by nuns. Dominican nuns when they wore the long black
and white habits. My teacher was worn out by me. She finally came to me and told me that she was having
a bad day and would I write her a funny story. About an ant observing a family’s holiday dinner. I did. She
laughed. Read it to the class. I got recognition, felt like a star and wasn’t in trouble for twenty minutes. I
wrote little sketches and things from that point on.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I didn’t write to submit until about 1989 or so. I couldn’t type worth a cat’s bark and couldn’t get a clean
copy. When my present husband gave me a computer--wow, I was off. As were a zillion other wannabe
authors. I got a children’s short story pubbed right away and then a couple of others. Then nothing. But I
was working at developing the idea of using the bang- right- out- of -the- gate short story opening in novel
writing. I also was working on the idea of opening with a question that threads through the novel and isn’t
answered until the last page. For a few years, I knew I was just practicing. I pubbed a chapter book in '97
but didn’t sell my first YA until 2001. It was pubbed in 2002 which is a really fast turn around.
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?
A girl is buried alive and THEN the story really gets interesting. (What Happened To Cass McBride?)
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Obviously, there’s some Robert Cormier in there. I was over the moon about I AM THE CHEESE when I
first read it. But do you remember an old novel for adults called THE OTHER by Tom Tryon? That ending
where you had to go back and look to see if all the clues where there, if it all fit? It blew me away. I loved
that ending. I love endings that don’t end tidily, that lead to discussion or even argument, that won’t leave
you alone because you have something more to ponder.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
Actually, not sure they do. There’s my mom and brother who really think these books show that I was as
bad as they always said I was when I was a child. They don’t recommend my books to anyone, don’t want
people to know they are related to someone who would write something they feel is that distasteful. But my
husband, Jim, is source of many lines in my books and he’s great. I’m sure people are seriously tired of
him talking about me. My son, Josh, is also a wealth of lines in the books. He’s a wonderful son and I get a
real kick out of watching him be a father to two young sons.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
It’s a tie. Chocolate for when I’m depressed and spaghetti for any other time. We’ve moved a lot and the
first thing I do once I’ve found the kitchen stuff is make a huge pot of spaghetti gravy (for Italians--it’s
gravy.) Once that smell is in my kitchen--I’m home.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
My mornings start late because I work on owl hours. I don’t go to sleep until about four A. M. But, first I let
my two HUGE dogs out, then I stumble to the cappuccino maker, then I turn on Court TV and check my
email.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
That I don’t have skulls, skeletons or bottles of blood? Probably that I’m kind of normal. I don’t have a lot of
stuff. I did a big clear out a few years ago. My place is really Zen, open and uncluttered. I have three
iPods, but I use all three. Isn’t that strange. My dog is name iPod so I guess I have four. We have seven
computers for two people. Now that’s kind of stupid. But it was cheaper to keep my two old ones for back
up and for the grandkids to use than to sell them. I might donate them later.
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?
Blue. Because I said so.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Wow, I don’t know cartoons. Can I be Buffy the Vampire Slayer instead? No, I want to be Giles.
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 want to go back to the Jazz Age and meet Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Faulkner. I think they all
overlapped somewhere in there. And Tennessee Williams too. Gosh, if a really young Capote could come
along that would be great.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I cannot live without Jimmy Buffett. He’s so upbeat. I had a car once that had never had any CD except JB
in it the entire time I owned it. Four years. I listen to everything but country and rap. Don’t like the cadence
of either. I even like opera. In moderation. Sometimes I listen to music when I write, but most of the time I
have the television 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 love TV. Veronica Mars is my fav right now. I watch Court TV all day. I was a theater major in college so
movies are big with me. I always see all the Oscar movies before the awards. I always disagree with the
Oscar picks. I like movies that are pure mind candy too. I went to see POSIEDON. Did I spell that right?
Totally predicable. But that’s what it should have been. Movies I watch over and over again: THE
GODFATHER. PRIMAL FEAR. WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE. And I love those things that have
musketeers in them and The Man In The Iron Mask and things like that.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
My books are not how-to-manuals. Experience the dark path through my books rather than the wrong side
of the cell bars.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
WHAT HAPPENED TO CASS MCBRIDE? is up in November. Then Fall of '07 is RIGHT BEHIND YOU. It’s
a little different. Although it’s not the same characters, it’s sort of like I picked up where Shattering Glass
left off. I start with the horrible act and take it forward to see what happens to the person afterwards. I
haven’t done this before. I start work on those revisions right away.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
