| Interview with Carolyn MacCullough |
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 always telling stories to my sisters, to my friends, never-ending choose your own adventure types of
stories. When I went to college, I studied acting and then moved to New York thinking to become an
actress. But the stage fright part killed me and eventually I realized it wasn’t the acting that I loved so much
anyway, it was getting to tell a story to an audience. Eventually, I gave in to my desire to be a storyteller
and I enrolled in the New School MFA Creative Writing program.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I was extremely fortunate to meet my editor, Deborah Brodie, while at the New School. At the time I was
working on my thesis, which later turned into my first novel, Falling Through Darkness. When I graduated
the program, I sent the manuscript to her at Roaring Brook Press and she accepted it!
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 latest novel is Drawing the Ocean. It’s about a teenage girl, Sadie, who moves from California to
Connecticut and who desperately wants to fit in at her new school. However, Sadie’s a little bit unusual in
the fact that the ghost of her twin brother keeps appearing to her. If I had to tell you one thing about the
book to really make you want to buy it? There’s a fifty-dollar bill hidden in a select few hundred copies.
Interested yet? (Oh wait a minute, that’s just going to make you rifle through all the copies you can find in a
bookstore, but not necessarily buy one!) Okay, the fifty-dollar bill is hidden only in the copies that you order
over the internet.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
All the books I read while growing up! Some of the best literature I ever read was written for children and
teenagers.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
They are very thrilled. My mom was an English teacher for over thirty years. With the exception of my
husband, she is probably my biggest fan. My dad keeps asking to be in a book. My brother-in-laws keep
coming up with wildly inventive plots that they want me to use. And my sisters are usually the first people
who read my manuscripts and critique them for me.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Hot chocolate (can that count as a food even though it’s a drink)?
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Shut off the alarm, go back to sleep, wake up to find out that I’m late.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
Well, I live in a pretty small apartment so no basement and no attic. In my closet though you would find a
suitcase full of letters. I used to write letters all the time to my sisters while they were in college, to my
friends, etc. I’ve saved every letter that I’ve ever received, including birthday cards. I love letter writing and I
think it’s a dying art. (Now I’ve made myself sound about eighty-five and I should mention I’m actually thirty-
one).
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. Since it’s the color of the sky. It’s my favorite color, also. It’s a peaceful color.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Okay, that’s a tough one. I did a little research and came across a quiz on the internet which lets you figure
out which cartoon character you are. I ended up as Tweety! My husband said Betty Boop (gotta love him
for that). So, maybe a nice cross between the two—um, that seems really odd. Okay, next question?
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 would love to see what the Roaring Twenties were really like—plus, I love the flapper clothes--especially
the hats. Why don’t we wear more hats in today’s world?
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I listen to a lot of folk music. I love Bob Dylan, Ray La Montagne, Gillian Welch, Neko Case. And yes, I listen
to music constantly while writing. It really helps to create a mood.
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?
For movies that I could watch over and over again--Lord of the Rings and X-Men. On T.V., I like watching
Heroes. (See the theme here?)
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Find what you’re good at. It can be anything: ice skating, writing, solving every single math question on a
test, knowing odd bits of trivia, or making the perfect brownie. Take pride in whatever it is.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Currently, I am writing an urban fantasy novel.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thank you! Please visit my website anytime at www.carolynmaccullough.com and send me an email. I love
hearing from readers!
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 always telling stories to my sisters, to my friends, never-ending choose your own adventure types of
stories. When I went to college, I studied acting and then moved to New York thinking to become an
actress. But the stage fright part killed me and eventually I realized it wasn’t the acting that I loved so much
anyway, it was getting to tell a story to an audience. Eventually, I gave in to my desire to be a storyteller
and I enrolled in the New School MFA Creative Writing program.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I was extremely fortunate to meet my editor, Deborah Brodie, while at the New School. At the time I was
working on my thesis, which later turned into my first novel, Falling Through Darkness. When I graduated
the program, I sent the manuscript to her at Roaring Brook Press and she accepted it!
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 latest novel is Drawing the Ocean. It’s about a teenage girl, Sadie, who moves from California to
Connecticut and who desperately wants to fit in at her new school. However, Sadie’s a little bit unusual in
the fact that the ghost of her twin brother keeps appearing to her. If I had to tell you one thing about the
book to really make you want to buy it? There’s a fifty-dollar bill hidden in a select few hundred copies.
Interested yet? (Oh wait a minute, that’s just going to make you rifle through all the copies you can find in a
bookstore, but not necessarily buy one!) Okay, the fifty-dollar bill is hidden only in the copies that you order
over the internet.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
All the books I read while growing up! Some of the best literature I ever read was written for children and
teenagers.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
They are very thrilled. My mom was an English teacher for over thirty years. With the exception of my
husband, she is probably my biggest fan. My dad keeps asking to be in a book. My brother-in-laws keep
coming up with wildly inventive plots that they want me to use. And my sisters are usually the first people
who read my manuscripts and critique them for me.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Hot chocolate (can that count as a food even though it’s a drink)?
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Shut off the alarm, go back to sleep, wake up to find out that I’m late.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
Well, I live in a pretty small apartment so no basement and no attic. In my closet though you would find a
suitcase full of letters. I used to write letters all the time to my sisters while they were in college, to my
friends, etc. I’ve saved every letter that I’ve ever received, including birthday cards. I love letter writing and I
think it’s a dying art. (Now I’ve made myself sound about eighty-five and I should mention I’m actually thirty-
one).
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. Since it’s the color of the sky. It’s my favorite color, also. It’s a peaceful color.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
Okay, that’s a tough one. I did a little research and came across a quiz on the internet which lets you figure
out which cartoon character you are. I ended up as Tweety! My husband said Betty Boop (gotta love him
for that). So, maybe a nice cross between the two—um, that seems really odd. Okay, next question?
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 would love to see what the Roaring Twenties were really like—plus, I love the flapper clothes--especially
the hats. Why don’t we wear more hats in today’s world?
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I listen to a lot of folk music. I love Bob Dylan, Ray La Montagne, Gillian Welch, Neko Case. And yes, I listen
to music constantly while writing. It really helps to create a mood.
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?
For movies that I could watch over and over again--Lord of the Rings and X-Men. On T.V., I like watching
Heroes. (See the theme here?)
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Find what you’re good at. It can be anything: ice skating, writing, solving every single math question on a
test, knowing odd bits of trivia, or making the perfect brownie. Take pride in whatever it is.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Currently, I am writing an urban fantasy novel.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thank you! Please visit my website anytime at www.carolynmaccullough.com and send me an email. I love
hearing from readers!
