| Interview with Wendy Mass |
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?
In third grade I had my first story published in the school magazine and I was hooked. It was based on
the fable about a mouse that pulled a thorn out of a lion’s paw. As I got a little older, I just loved reading
so much, I wanted to be a part of that world by being a writer.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
After college I started trying to write a novel, and wound up going to graduate school in creative writing
so I could really dedicate my time to it. The book landed me an agent, but it never found a publisher. It is
now buried in the bottom of a drawer, never to see the light of day. But I learned a lot from the
experience, and just kept writing. I published many nonfiction books for teenagers on topics like
Women’s Rights, Gods & Goddesses, and a biography of author Ray Bradbury, and kept working at
fiction on the side. It wasn’t until many years later that my first novel, A Mango-Shaped Space, came out.
Leap Day followed soon after, and now I have three more coming out over the next few months.
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 next novel is called Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. I guess I would say, “If you’ve ever
grappled with life’s big questions while scarfing down a bag of skittles, this book is for you.”
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Sometimes I’ll use my own childhood memories as jumping-off points for stories. Other than that, I like to
write the kind of stories that I would have liked to read when I was a teenager, about the kinds of people I
would have liked to know.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My parents were big readers, and my sisters and I followed in their footsteps. We used to have libraries
of books in our rooms that we would make each other sign out, due dates and all. We still all recommend
books to each other. One of my sisters used to write for a music magazine, and the other is a chemist by
day, poet by night.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Candy, candy, candy!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Well, since I just had twins a few months ago, the first thing I do is remind myself that I’m not dreaming,
that I really DO have two babies to take care of. The second is to cuddle them, the third is diapers. Oh
so many diapers!!
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would
surprise me the most?
All the boxes of cards and letters. I’ve kept every letter ever sent to me, including those from sleepaway
camp as a child. I even have the notes from my best friend from high school. Those would be very
incriminating!
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?
Bright blue, because when the sky turns that really deep shade of blue, it always makes me feel good.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
As a kid I loved Woody Woodpecker. I’d have to say Wendy the Good Little Witch (from the Casper the
Ghost cartoons) is the most like me ‘cause of the name of course, but also because I always wanted to
have some magical powers and used to dress up as a witch each Halloween.
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?
Biblical times would be pretty interesting. I’d like to see where all those stories actually came from, like
what really happened. But I wouldn’t want to stay there for too long!
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I like all kinds of music. I wanted to buy a CD of “power ballads” that I saw on TV the other night and my
husband made fun of me. You know, those hard rock bands singing slow songs. Gotta love ‘em. I also
like the women singer/songwriter types, like Tori Amos, Tracy Chapman. The last song I put on my iPod
was Ashlee Simpson’s “I Didn’t Steal Your Boyfriend.” Catchy! I rarely listen to anything while I’m writing,
because I get easily distracted.
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?
My favorite TV show of recent years was, hands-down, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Brilliant! I’ve seen
every episode of Friends and Seinfeld more times that I’d want to admit. Now I watch Veronica Mars,
Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Gilmore Girls. I have a handful of movies that I can’t turn away from if
they’re on TV: Princess Bride, True Lies, Field of Dreams, Dodgeball, Harold & Kumar go to White
Castle, Bring it On. Sleepless in Seattle. Indiana Jones and Lord of the Rings movies. Ferris Bueller’s
Day Off, Breakfast Club, Grosse Point Blank. As you can tell, my taste isn’t too sophisticated! The last
movie I saw in the theater was Mission Impossible 3. Whatever one might say about Tom Cruise, he is
good to look at!
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Don’t let anyone try to convince you not to pursue the career that you want.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I have a new middle-grade series coming out called Twice Upon a Time, which retells familiar fairy tales,
but with a twist. The first one if called Rapunzel: The One with All the Hair. The second is Sleeping
Beauty: The One Who Took the Really Long Nap. Then in the fall will be Jeremy Fink and the Meaning
of Life, followed the next year by another teen novel, Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
My pleasure!
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?
In third grade I had my first story published in the school magazine and I was hooked. It was based on
the fable about a mouse that pulled a thorn out of a lion’s paw. As I got a little older, I just loved reading
so much, I wanted to be a part of that world by being a writer.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
After college I started trying to write a novel, and wound up going to graduate school in creative writing
so I could really dedicate my time to it. The book landed me an agent, but it never found a publisher. It is
now buried in the bottom of a drawer, never to see the light of day. But I learned a lot from the
experience, and just kept writing. I published many nonfiction books for teenagers on topics like
Women’s Rights, Gods & Goddesses, and a biography of author Ray Bradbury, and kept working at
fiction on the side. It wasn’t until many years later that my first novel, A Mango-Shaped Space, came out.
Leap Day followed soon after, and now I have three more coming out over the next few months.
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 next novel is called Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. I guess I would say, “If you’ve ever
grappled with life’s big questions while scarfing down a bag of skittles, this book is for you.”
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Sometimes I’ll use my own childhood memories as jumping-off points for stories. Other than that, I like to
write the kind of stories that I would have liked to read when I was a teenager, about the kinds of people I
would have liked to know.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My parents were big readers, and my sisters and I followed in their footsteps. We used to have libraries
of books in our rooms that we would make each other sign out, due dates and all. We still all recommend
books to each other. One of my sisters used to write for a music magazine, and the other is a chemist by
day, poet by night.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Candy, candy, candy!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Well, since I just had twins a few months ago, the first thing I do is remind myself that I’m not dreaming,
that I really DO have two babies to take care of. The second is to cuddle them, the third is diapers. Oh
so many diapers!!
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would
surprise me the most?
All the boxes of cards and letters. I’ve kept every letter ever sent to me, including those from sleepaway
camp as a child. I even have the notes from my best friend from high school. Those would be very
incriminating!
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?
Bright blue, because when the sky turns that really deep shade of blue, it always makes me feel good.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
As a kid I loved Woody Woodpecker. I’d have to say Wendy the Good Little Witch (from the Casper the
Ghost cartoons) is the most like me ‘cause of the name of course, but also because I always wanted to
have some magical powers and used to dress up as a witch each Halloween.
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?
Biblical times would be pretty interesting. I’d like to see where all those stories actually came from, like
what really happened. But I wouldn’t want to stay there for too long!
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I like all kinds of music. I wanted to buy a CD of “power ballads” that I saw on TV the other night and my
husband made fun of me. You know, those hard rock bands singing slow songs. Gotta love ‘em. I also
like the women singer/songwriter types, like Tori Amos, Tracy Chapman. The last song I put on my iPod
was Ashlee Simpson’s “I Didn’t Steal Your Boyfriend.” Catchy! I rarely listen to anything while I’m writing,
because I get easily distracted.
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?
My favorite TV show of recent years was, hands-down, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Brilliant! I’ve seen
every episode of Friends and Seinfeld more times that I’d want to admit. Now I watch Veronica Mars,
Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Gilmore Girls. I have a handful of movies that I can’t turn away from if
they’re on TV: Princess Bride, True Lies, Field of Dreams, Dodgeball, Harold & Kumar go to White
Castle, Bring it On. Sleepless in Seattle. Indiana Jones and Lord of the Rings movies. Ferris Bueller’s
Day Off, Breakfast Club, Grosse Point Blank. As you can tell, my taste isn’t too sophisticated! The last
movie I saw in the theater was Mission Impossible 3. Whatever one might say about Tom Cruise, he is
good to look at!
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Don’t let anyone try to convince you not to pursue the career that you want.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I have a new middle-grade series coming out called Twice Upon a Time, which retells familiar fairy tales,
but with a twist. The first one if called Rapunzel: The One with All the Hair. The second is Sleeping
Beauty: The One Who Took the Really Long Nap. Then in the fall will be Jeremy Fink and the Meaning
of Life, followed the next year by another teen novel, Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
My pleasure!
