Interview with Gary Reed
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 an avid reader as everyone was in my family. We didn't have much money but since we
lived in a large city, Detroit, there were plenty of libraries. I was in junior high school and had to write a
story for class. A friend of mine had trouble so I wrote his story for him and the stories ended up winning
first and second place. I wrote a lot but just for myself and I never thought about getting anything
published. The cost of college limited how many classes I could take so when I saw there was a
scholarship for creative writing, I entered that and won. That started me on the path that maybe I should
look at writing as something that I could possibly do.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
After I graduated from college with a degree in Biology, I had already owned a chain of bookstores
which I started to pay my way through college. An opportunity came that allowed me to get into comic
book publishing so I started a comic company. As I was starting to develop new titles, I figured I might as
well write some of them myself and I ended up doing over 200 comics in all different subjects from
history to biography and of course, action tales.
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?
The latest release is Spirit of the Samurai from Actionopolis Books. It's geared towards the middle
school reader but trying to specify an age group is really hard because so much depends on how much
a kid has been reading. But that's the general range.
The basic story is that a young girl finds out a secret that has been handed down for generations and
that she is a descendant of one of the greatest Samurai warriors. She finds out that she has a
responsibility to uphold her ancient legacy. I think one of the more appealing aspects for many readers
is that it features a young girl in the action and adventure role but because she is connected to the
great Samurai warrior, I think that both boys and girls would enjoy the story equally.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
I think the major inspiration for my stories comes from a sense of sharing. Usually I write about
something that I want other people to know-I want to share it with them. It's like when you see a movie
and it was so good that you want to tell others about it, that's how it is. The trick is to get the story in
your head to sound as good on paper.
Let's hear about your family, who I'm sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My wife and I have four daughters and I'm very fortunate that everyone is doing well and is healthy. It's a
close family and we all seem to enjoy each others' company , so that's good. The kids have grown up
with me being a writer so they don't really think too much about it as it's just what I do. I have one
daughter that reads most of my stuff but the others never get beyond the cover.
Now for some fun facts. What's your greatest comfort food?
I don't think I really have any but if I had to say, it would probably be nuts. I love all kinds of nuts,
particularly cashews and almonds.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I make a cup of coffee, go outside to get the newspaper, and then check my emails.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what's the one thing that would
surprise me the most?
I'm not much of a pack-rat and I'm not a collector of anything so I would probably say it would be the
number of books I have. They're everywhere as I can't throw a book away. Luckily, the library takes
donations so I have no problem donating books but I can't just throw one away.
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?
I'd guess yellow. Not dingy yellow but bright yellow. Yellow always seems optimistic to me, maybe
because it reminds me of the sun.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
My favorite would have to be The Grinch. It isn't Christmas until I see The Grinch that Stole Christmas.
He'd probably be the one most like me as well. I can sometimes appear to have a gruff exterior but
inside, I'm a softie.
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'd go to the time of the American Revolution. I think it would be fascinating to watch the likes of
Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, and Franklin building the idea that would become the United
States of America.
So what's your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you're writing?
My all time favorite is The Beatles. I still find it remarkable that their recording career was only about
seven years and all those songs. I generally like a lot of different music, mainly what is called alternative
rock such as White Stripes, Killers, and others, but find that most bands sound too repetitive. With
music downloads nowadays, it makes it easy to just get the best songs from the ones I like. I often put a
CD in when I start but I usually tune it out and don't even notice when the CD is finished.
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 watch too many T.V. shows as I mainly watch History Channel or Discovery Channel. I have been
watching Lost and Heroes. I don't know if I'll continue with the long breaks in-between episodes. Movies
that I'll end up watching even if I've seen them many times include Godfather I and II, Jaws, Alien, and
Nightmare Before Christmas. I think the last movie I saw at the theater was The DaVinci Code. As you
can tell, I don't go to the theater that often. I liked it even thought it wasn't nearly as good as the book.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Be true to yourself. That means be honest about yourself and how you treat others. I think most teens
know what is right and wrong but sometimes it's tough to make a stand but in the long run, you'll be glad
you did.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Of course, I'm looking forward to continuing with Spirit of the Samurai and more adventures of Kat.
Check out www.Actionopolis.com for updates on that. I'm also working on a tale of a pirate who becomes
a rebel and dresses up as a Scarecrow at night and that's based on the Doctor Syn books that are
nearly 100 years old.
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?
I was always an avid reader as everyone was in my family. We didn't have much money but since we
lived in a large city, Detroit, there were plenty of libraries. I was in junior high school and had to write a
story for class. A friend of mine had trouble so I wrote his story for him and the stories ended up winning
first and second place. I wrote a lot but just for myself and I never thought about getting anything
published. The cost of college limited how many classes I could take so when I saw there was a
scholarship for creative writing, I entered that and won. That started me on the path that maybe I should
look at writing as something that I could possibly do.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
After I graduated from college with a degree in Biology, I had already owned a chain of bookstores
which I started to pay my way through college. An opportunity came that allowed me to get into comic
book publishing so I started a comic company. As I was starting to develop new titles, I figured I might as
well write some of them myself and I ended up doing over 200 comics in all different subjects from
history to biography and of course, action tales.
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?
The latest release is Spirit of the Samurai from Actionopolis Books. It's geared towards the middle
school reader but trying to specify an age group is really hard because so much depends on how much
a kid has been reading. But that's the general range.
The basic story is that a young girl finds out a secret that has been handed down for generations and
that she is a descendant of one of the greatest Samurai warriors. She finds out that she has a
responsibility to uphold her ancient legacy. I think one of the more appealing aspects for many readers
is that it features a young girl in the action and adventure role but because she is connected to the
great Samurai warrior, I think that both boys and girls would enjoy the story equally.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
I think the major inspiration for my stories comes from a sense of sharing. Usually I write about
something that I want other people to know-I want to share it with them. It's like when you see a movie
and it was so good that you want to tell others about it, that's how it is. The trick is to get the story in
your head to sound as good on paper.
Let's hear about your family, who I'm sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My wife and I have four daughters and I'm very fortunate that everyone is doing well and is healthy. It's a
close family and we all seem to enjoy each others' company , so that's good. The kids have grown up
with me being a writer so they don't really think too much about it as it's just what I do. I have one
daughter that reads most of my stuff but the others never get beyond the cover.
Now for some fun facts. What's your greatest comfort food?
I don't think I really have any but if I had to say, it would probably be nuts. I love all kinds of nuts,
particularly cashews and almonds.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I make a cup of coffee, go outside to get the newspaper, and then check my emails.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what's the one thing that would
surprise me the most?
I'm not much of a pack-rat and I'm not a collector of anything so I would probably say it would be the
number of books I have. They're everywhere as I can't throw a book away. Luckily, the library takes
donations so I have no problem donating books but I can't just throw one away.
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?
I'd guess yellow. Not dingy yellow but bright yellow. Yellow always seems optimistic to me, maybe
because it reminds me of the sun.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
My favorite would have to be The Grinch. It isn't Christmas until I see The Grinch that Stole Christmas.
He'd probably be the one most like me as well. I can sometimes appear to have a gruff exterior but
inside, I'm a softie.
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'd go to the time of the American Revolution. I think it would be fascinating to watch the likes of
Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, and Franklin building the idea that would become the United
States of America.
So what's your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you're writing?
My all time favorite is The Beatles. I still find it remarkable that their recording career was only about
seven years and all those songs. I generally like a lot of different music, mainly what is called alternative
rock such as White Stripes, Killers, and others, but find that most bands sound too repetitive. With
music downloads nowadays, it makes it easy to just get the best songs from the ones I like. I often put a
CD in when I start but I usually tune it out and don't even notice when the CD is finished.
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 watch too many T.V. shows as I mainly watch History Channel or Discovery Channel. I have been
watching Lost and Heroes. I don't know if I'll continue with the long breaks in-between episodes. Movies
that I'll end up watching even if I've seen them many times include Godfather I and II, Jaws, Alien, and
Nightmare Before Christmas. I think the last movie I saw at the theater was The DaVinci Code. As you
can tell, I don't go to the theater that often. I liked it even thought it wasn't nearly as good as the book.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Be true to yourself. That means be honest about yourself and how you treat others. I think most teens
know what is right and wrong but sometimes it's tough to make a stand but in the long run, you'll be glad
you did.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Of course, I'm looking forward to continuing with Spirit of the Samurai and more adventures of Kat.
Check out www.Actionopolis.com for updates on that. I'm also working on a tale of a pirate who becomes
a rebel and dresses up as a Scarecrow at night and that's based on the Doctor Syn books that are
nearly 100 years old.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!