| Interview with Paul (P.J.) Ruditis |
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.
Wait a minute. I didn’t sign up for “up close and personal.” I was thinking the interview would be more cold
and indifferent. But let’s give it a try.
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?
For me, there was never a moment where the light bulb went off and inspiration struck and I suddenly knew
that being a writer was my goal. It just always seemed to be there. Books were always in my life. Always.
Writing just grew as a natural extension out of that.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I got into publishing through an odd bit of a backdoor. After graduating college, I enrolled in UCLA’s
Professional Screenwriting Program and moved to Los Angeles. While in the program, I got a job working as
a page/tour guide at Paramount Pictures and eventually worked my way up to manager of publishing in the
licensing division. There, I oversaw the development of books based on the studio’s movies and TV shows.
My job was basically to make sure the books stayed true to the original material ... in other words make sure
that Sabrina, the Teenage Witch didn’t use her magic for evil or in the Star Trek books that the Enterprise
never fired first. That kind of thing.
Eventually, I realized I was spending so much time reading that I had stopped writing. So, I decided to quit my
job—entirely without a plan—and focus on my writing. Luckily, I had developed some good relationships in
the publishing industry and the editors I had worked with started offering me work on media tie-ins before I
was even out the door. It was great luck. And who could ask for a better job than that? Writing books based
on TV shows meant that I got to watch all the television I wanted, and I could say I was working the entire
time.
And now, in addition to the media tie-ins, I’m writing my own books where I create original material and get to
play in my own world as opposed to worlds that other people created.
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?
DRAMA! is young adult series about the drama geeks in an exclusive Malibu private school (Think The O.C.
meets Fame). The first book, THE FOUR DOROTHYS, follows our narrator, Bryan Stark, as he recounts the
week leading up to a crazy “One Night Only” production of The Wizard of Oz, where all the roles are double,
triple, and even quadruple cast to ensure that everyone who auditioned got a good part. When someone
sabotages the show to become the one lone Dorothy Bryan (a.k.a. Scarecrow #2) takes up the charge to
make sure the show gets back on track.
The most important thing to know about the series is that DRAMA! is, fittingly, a comedy.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Everyone I know and everything I do inspires me. (I think my friends are starting to realize that because
they’re becoming very careful about what they say and do around me). I have an incredibly overactive
imagination and I’ve been able to find inspiration by just stumbling across an interesting word in the
dictionary. My mind is always going, coming up with new ideas for stories, especially when I’m supposed to
be writing something else on a deadline. Sometimes I wish I could turn it off for brief periods. That would
certainly help me get to sleep a night.
I have the most incredibly supportive family. Being a full-time writer ... that’s a job that doesn’t always pay the
bills, so it’s nice to know that if the work ever dries up, I’ve got wonderful parents and a great sister to fall
back on before I end up on the street. (Mind you, the fact that thbr soft>back on before I end up on the
street. (Mind you, the fact that they’re my backup plan could be news to them.)
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Anything where sugar is the main ingredient ... as my dental records will support.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Make myself some chocolate milk or hot chocolate, because every day should start with chocolate (again,
please see dental records).
Check my email since I’m three hours behind my editors in New York and it’s already lunch for them by the
time I get up.
Watch the Hot Topics on The View. Talk about DRAMA!
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
Probably you’d be surprised at how quickly I kicked you out of my house for being a rude guest. I mean,
really, where did you learn your manners? Would you like it if I started snooping in your closets when I came
to your home?
But before I threw you out on the street, you’d probably be surprised to see the boxes and boxes of VHS
tapes filled with old episodes of Roswell, Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Star Trek: Voyager, Charmed
and every other show I’ve ever written a book for (and that’s not counting all the DVD box sets I have too).
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’m going to cheat on this answer and say I’d be a mood ring so I could change colors on a whim to fit how I
feel, which can vary dramatically hour by hour.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
I’ve always been a fan of Garfield. Particularly of his sarcasm. I guess I’m most like him as well. We share a
similar appreciation of sleep, food, and an aversion to Mondays ... not that Mondays mean all that much to
me since I work at home and weekends are pretty much the same thing as weekdays.
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?
No Star Trek references!! Sorry. Scary flashbacks.
I’d love to go to Ancient Greece to witness the early days of theatre.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I’ll listen to pretty much any music, but I need absolute silence when I’m writing. I have a rather short
attention span and lose focus easily. However, I do a lot of “creative thinking” while I’m taking long walks
while working on story ideas or scene ideas. I have different playlists on my iPod depending on the mood of
the scene or story I’m working on. Not surprisingly, I listen to a lot of show tunes when I’m working on
DRAMA!, but there’s also some Eminem and Billy Joel in that mix as well.
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 watch so much television and it’s great because, like I said earlier, I get to use the excuse that it’s part of
my job. Right now, my must sees are (in no specific order): Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, Veronica Mars,
Ugly Betty, and Grey’s Anatomy. I am also elbow deep in another one of my faves, Prison Break for an
episode guide I’m working on.
As for the movies I watch over and over again they would be the original Star Wars trilogy and just about
any classic film starring Cary Grant and/or Katharine Hepburn (especially The Philadelphia Story).
The last movie I went to see in a theater was Dreamgirls.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
My advice would be, don’t ever come to me for advice because I rarely know what I’m doing.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
The next book in the DRAMA! series: EVERYONE'S A CRITIC will be coming out in the fall. I just turned in
the manuscript and I’m really happy with it (hopefully my editor will like it too). The story takes place a month
after the events of THE FOUR DOROTHYS. Couples are breaking up. Friendships are tested. And Bryan will
face the first true emotional crisis of his life. Like I said earlier, it’s a comedy.
For the Charmed fans out there, I’ve also got another novel coming out in the fall called LEO RISING. It
follows the adventures of some familiar visitors from the future.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thank you for having me. See how I managed a visit without going through your closets?
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.
Wait a minute. I didn’t sign up for “up close and personal.” I was thinking the interview would be more cold
and indifferent. But let’s give it a try.
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?
For me, there was never a moment where the light bulb went off and inspiration struck and I suddenly knew
that being a writer was my goal. It just always seemed to be there. Books were always in my life. Always.
Writing just grew as a natural extension out of that.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I got into publishing through an odd bit of a backdoor. After graduating college, I enrolled in UCLA’s
Professional Screenwriting Program and moved to Los Angeles. While in the program, I got a job working as
a page/tour guide at Paramount Pictures and eventually worked my way up to manager of publishing in the
licensing division. There, I oversaw the development of books based on the studio’s movies and TV shows.
My job was basically to make sure the books stayed true to the original material ... in other words make sure
that Sabrina, the Teenage Witch didn’t use her magic for evil or in the Star Trek books that the Enterprise
never fired first. That kind of thing.
Eventually, I realized I was spending so much time reading that I had stopped writing. So, I decided to quit my
job—entirely without a plan—and focus on my writing. Luckily, I had developed some good relationships in
the publishing industry and the editors I had worked with started offering me work on media tie-ins before I
was even out the door. It was great luck. And who could ask for a better job than that? Writing books based
on TV shows meant that I got to watch all the television I wanted, and I could say I was working the entire
time.
And now, in addition to the media tie-ins, I’m writing my own books where I create original material and get to
play in my own world as opposed to worlds that other people created.
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?
DRAMA! is young adult series about the drama geeks in an exclusive Malibu private school (Think The O.C.
meets Fame). The first book, THE FOUR DOROTHYS, follows our narrator, Bryan Stark, as he recounts the
week leading up to a crazy “One Night Only” production of The Wizard of Oz, where all the roles are double,
triple, and even quadruple cast to ensure that everyone who auditioned got a good part. When someone
sabotages the show to become the one lone Dorothy Bryan (a.k.a. Scarecrow #2) takes up the charge to
make sure the show gets back on track.
The most important thing to know about the series is that DRAMA! is, fittingly, a comedy.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Everyone I know and everything I do inspires me. (I think my friends are starting to realize that because
they’re becoming very careful about what they say and do around me). I have an incredibly overactive
imagination and I’ve been able to find inspiration by just stumbling across an interesting word in the
dictionary. My mind is always going, coming up with new ideas for stories, especially when I’m supposed to
be writing something else on a deadline. Sometimes I wish I could turn it off for brief periods. That would
certainly help me get to sleep a night.
I have the most incredibly supportive family. Being a full-time writer ... that’s a job that doesn’t always pay the
bills, so it’s nice to know that if the work ever dries up, I’ve got wonderful parents and a great sister to fall
back on before I end up on the street. (Mind you, the fact that thbr soft>back on before I end up on the
street. (Mind you, the fact that they’re my backup plan could be news to them.)
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Anything where sugar is the main ingredient ... as my dental records will support.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Make myself some chocolate milk or hot chocolate, because every day should start with chocolate (again,
please see dental records).
Check my email since I’m three hours behind my editors in New York and it’s already lunch for them by the
time I get up.
Watch the Hot Topics on The View. Talk about DRAMA!
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
Probably you’d be surprised at how quickly I kicked you out of my house for being a rude guest. I mean,
really, where did you learn your manners? Would you like it if I started snooping in your closets when I came
to your home?
But before I threw you out on the street, you’d probably be surprised to see the boxes and boxes of VHS
tapes filled with old episodes of Roswell, Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Star Trek: Voyager, Charmed
and every other show I’ve ever written a book for (and that’s not counting all the DVD box sets I have too).
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’m going to cheat on this answer and say I’d be a mood ring so I could change colors on a whim to fit how I
feel, which can vary dramatically hour by hour.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
I’ve always been a fan of Garfield. Particularly of his sarcasm. I guess I’m most like him as well. We share a
similar appreciation of sleep, food, and an aversion to Mondays ... not that Mondays mean all that much to
me since I work at home and weekends are pretty much the same thing as weekdays.
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?
No Star Trek references!! Sorry. Scary flashbacks.
I’d love to go to Ancient Greece to witness the early days of theatre.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I’ll listen to pretty much any music, but I need absolute silence when I’m writing. I have a rather short
attention span and lose focus easily. However, I do a lot of “creative thinking” while I’m taking long walks
while working on story ideas or scene ideas. I have different playlists on my iPod depending on the mood of
the scene or story I’m working on. Not surprisingly, I listen to a lot of show tunes when I’m working on
DRAMA!, but there’s also some Eminem and Billy Joel in that mix as well.
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 watch so much television and it’s great because, like I said earlier, I get to use the excuse that it’s part of
my job. Right now, my must sees are (in no specific order): Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, Veronica Mars,
Ugly Betty, and Grey’s Anatomy. I am also elbow deep in another one of my faves, Prison Break for an
episode guide I’m working on.
As for the movies I watch over and over again they would be the original Star Wars trilogy and just about
any classic film starring Cary Grant and/or Katharine Hepburn (especially The Philadelphia Story).
The last movie I went to see in a theater was Dreamgirls.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
My advice would be, don’t ever come to me for advice because I rarely know what I’m doing.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
The next book in the DRAMA! series: EVERYONE'S A CRITIC will be coming out in the fall. I just turned in
the manuscript and I’m really happy with it (hopefully my editor will like it too). The story takes place a month
after the events of THE FOUR DOROTHYS. Couples are breaking up. Friendships are tested. And Bryan will
face the first true emotional crisis of his life. Like I said earlier, it’s a comedy.
For the Charmed fans out there, I’ve also got another novel coming out in the fall called LEO RISING. It
follows the adventures of some familiar visitors from the future.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
Thank you for having me. See how I managed a visit without going through your closets?