| Interview with Aury Wallington |
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’ve always wanted to be a writer. I actually wrote my first unofficial novel when I was 12 – I had a crush on
my science class lab partner but was too scared to tell him, so instead I would write pages and pages about
the two of us having a big romance and him falling in love with me – it wasn’t quite as good as the real
thing… but it was fun to imagine what it could be like…
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I was already working as a television writer when I got the idea for POP!, which made finding an editor to
read it a little bit easier (although writing it was just as hard!)
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?
Marit, the main character in POP!, is trying to juggle love and sex and friendship and romance, and in
trying to figure it all out, she goes through the same jumbled-up emotions and feelings that I think every
single person in the world goes through, no matter how popular or smart or sophisticated they are – she’s
awkward and says the wrong thing and feels like a freak and is convinced that everyone else knows how to
handle this stuff better than she does. And I think by seeing how she struggles with all the questions and
issues surrounding love and sex, readers will see that they actually aren’t the only ones who feel this way,
that everyone’s confused, and maybe it’ll make it easier for readers to sort out their own feelings. And
either answer some questions or at least make them less embarrassed to ask the questions they might
have about relationships and dating.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
I completely worship Judy Blume. Her book Forever absolutely inspired me to write POP! (Even though I
remember being so shy about boys that when I was eleven years old, I snagged my BFF’s copy of Forever
and read it sitting in my closet so no one would catch me!)
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My whole family are huge readers – we’ve all been devouring books as long as I can remember. My mom is
actually a book dealer, and while we were growing up, my older sister and I spent many, many hours sitting
in the back room of her bookstore, reading everything we could get our hands on!
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
I love Mexican food – the only thing I know how to cook is this amazing pork tinga – but that’s okay,
because I could happily eat it every single day!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I put in my contact lenses, brush my teeth, and give my dog, Tuesday, a kiss on his nose. (actually, I
usually brush my teeth AFTER I kiss the dog…)
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
The fact that my apartment is so small, I don’t have a closet, attic, or basement! Everything I own is out in
the open, and because of that, I try to throw out anything that I don’t completely love (otherwise it gets so
messy that I get too overwhelmed to get any work done – I need it calm and clean when I write…)
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?
A shimmery pinky-purple. You don’t know what color it is, exactly, but it’s definitely pretty…
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
I love TinTin, boy explorer! He’s nothing like me, though – I’m a total scaredy-cat. I think I’m most like Sally,
Charlie Brown’s little sister. She’s just happy when Linus pays attention to her.
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?
Paris in 1924, to hang out with Fitzgerald and Hemingway and all the other wonderful expat writers. That’s
my idea of heaven, rubbing elbows with my literary heroes.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I’m pretty open when it comes to music – I listen to a local rock station on the radio, and generally like
whatever they play. When I write, I pick a different band to be the “soundtrack” for each different project I’m
working on – when I was writing POP!, I listened to the eighties band the Violent Femmes. That way any
time I heard “Blister in the Sun”, I knew it was time to get to work!
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 and watch way too much of it (although since I also write for television, I have a good excuse!)
Right now I’m a big fan of The Amazing Race. There are lots of movies I could watch a million times – Y Tu
Mama Tambien, Fight Club, and GI Jane are all faves (although none of them are anything like the type of
stuff I write!) The last movie I saw in the theater was Little Miss Sunshine – although I’m going to go see
The Departed tonight!
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Don’t be embarrassed! About anything! No one will remember the goofy stuff you do if you don’t make a
big deal out of it. And if you let embarrassment stop you from doing or saying or asking about the stuff you
want to know or try, you’re going to miss out on a lot of fun, cool experiences. So even though it’s tough to
put aside your self-consciousness and risk looking silly, force yourself to! In the end, it’ll be totally worth it!
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Oh, I’ve got a million things I’m working on right now… I’m not even sure myself which one I’ll finish first!
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?
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I actually wrote my first unofficial novel when I was 12 – I had a crush on
my science class lab partner but was too scared to tell him, so instead I would write pages and pages about
the two of us having a big romance and him falling in love with me – it wasn’t quite as good as the real
thing… but it was fun to imagine what it could be like…
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I was already working as a television writer when I got the idea for POP!, which made finding an editor to
read it a little bit easier (although writing it was just as hard!)
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?
Marit, the main character in POP!, is trying to juggle love and sex and friendship and romance, and in
trying to figure it all out, she goes through the same jumbled-up emotions and feelings that I think every
single person in the world goes through, no matter how popular or smart or sophisticated they are – she’s
awkward and says the wrong thing and feels like a freak and is convinced that everyone else knows how to
handle this stuff better than she does. And I think by seeing how she struggles with all the questions and
issues surrounding love and sex, readers will see that they actually aren’t the only ones who feel this way,
that everyone’s confused, and maybe it’ll make it easier for readers to sort out their own feelings. And
either answer some questions or at least make them less embarrassed to ask the questions they might
have about relationships and dating.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
I completely worship Judy Blume. Her book Forever absolutely inspired me to write POP! (Even though I
remember being so shy about boys that when I was eleven years old, I snagged my BFF’s copy of Forever
and read it sitting in my closet so no one would catch me!)
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My whole family are huge readers – we’ve all been devouring books as long as I can remember. My mom is
actually a book dealer, and while we were growing up, my older sister and I spent many, many hours sitting
in the back room of her bookstore, reading everything we could get our hands on!
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
I love Mexican food – the only thing I know how to cook is this amazing pork tinga – but that’s okay,
because I could happily eat it every single day!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I put in my contact lenses, brush my teeth, and give my dog, Tuesday, a kiss on his nose. (actually, I
usually brush my teeth AFTER I kiss the dog…)
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
The fact that my apartment is so small, I don’t have a closet, attic, or basement! Everything I own is out in
the open, and because of that, I try to throw out anything that I don’t completely love (otherwise it gets so
messy that I get too overwhelmed to get any work done – I need it calm and clean when I write…)
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?
A shimmery pinky-purple. You don’t know what color it is, exactly, but it’s definitely pretty…
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
I love TinTin, boy explorer! He’s nothing like me, though – I’m a total scaredy-cat. I think I’m most like Sally,
Charlie Brown’s little sister. She’s just happy when Linus pays attention to her.
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?
Paris in 1924, to hang out with Fitzgerald and Hemingway and all the other wonderful expat writers. That’s
my idea of heaven, rubbing elbows with my literary heroes.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
I’m pretty open when it comes to music – I listen to a local rock station on the radio, and generally like
whatever they play. When I write, I pick a different band to be the “soundtrack” for each different project I’m
working on – when I was writing POP!, I listened to the eighties band the Violent Femmes. That way any
time I heard “Blister in the Sun”, I knew it was time to get to work!
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 and watch way too much of it (although since I also write for television, I have a good excuse!)
Right now I’m a big fan of The Amazing Race. There are lots of movies I could watch a million times – Y Tu
Mama Tambien, Fight Club, and GI Jane are all faves (although none of them are anything like the type of
stuff I write!) The last movie I saw in the theater was Little Miss Sunshine – although I’m going to go see
The Departed tonight!
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Don’t be embarrassed! About anything! No one will remember the goofy stuff you do if you don’t make a
big deal out of it. And if you let embarrassment stop you from doing or saying or asking about the stuff you
want to know or try, you’re going to miss out on a lot of fun, cool experiences. So even though it’s tough to
put aside your self-consciousness and risk looking silly, force yourself to! In the end, it’ll be totally worth it!
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Oh, I’ve got a million things I’m working on right now… I’m not even sure myself which one I’ll finish first!
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
