| Interview with Tara West |
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?
When I was ten-years-old, I started a magazine subscription called The Dirty Toilet Water Magazine. I
had one subscriber, my BFF. I sent her a comical magazine once a month.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
This has taken me a long time. It's not as easy as it looks. My high school journalism students planted
the idea in my head about five years ago. They knew how much I loved to read books, and I was their
coach for writing competition. They said, “Mrs. W., why don't you write a book?” I hadn't thought of it
but decided, “Why not?” It took a while to find the genre that best suited me. I wrote a very long, very
horrible historical that took over a year. I trashed it, but it was a great learning experience.
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?
SOPHIE'S SECRET is my first release in the WHISPERS series. This is the book that sets the
foundation for a very unique friendship between three unusual girls. Sophie reads minds, Krysta
speaks to the dead, and AJ sees the future. The problem is, they still haven't learned how to control
their powers, so Sophie never knows when to expect her teacher's suicidal thoughts that keep
popping into her head, AJ can't control horrible visions that invade her dreams, and Krysta can't stop
unwelcome ghosts from waking her all hours of the night.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
SOPHIE'S SECRET is loosely based on me and my two BFFs growing up. Weird things happened to
us, especially at my freaky house. Of course, I changed things around a lot, including families and
situations. A friend of mine did see a ghost in my house. Of that I am sure, because she had never
been to my house before, yet described the neighbor who had died two months earlier, down to his
hair color and style t-shirt. I also had ghostly visits in that house.
I don't remember any of my friends being able to tell the future, but AJ's character, who is the one who
sees the future, is based on a friend who read my mind once. I asked her to pick the one word that
was in my head and she chose the word, “It.” Weird, because that was the word that I was thinking of.
It was a fluke and never happened again, but there were times when I felt really connected to her. I
still do feel that connection. She can call me on the phone, even though she lives five hours away and
say, “Guess what?” I know what she is going to say before she says it.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My DH is very supportive of my writing, and tells everyone about my books. My mom never stops
bragging to all her friends, and I swear they buy more of my books than anyone. My little one is too
young to understand what I do, but I'm sure she'll be proud when she's older.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Chocolate (anything) and nachos – loaded with all the good stuff.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Check my email, my MySpace and my book ratings at Fictionwise. I'm a little obsessed right now.
Ordinarily, I go to the bathroom and get my little one cartoons and cereal.
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 have a lot of clothes from around the world -- two dresses from Bangkok, a wrap-around from Saudi
Arabia, a kimono from Japan, jewelry from Tibet, a jacket from Switzerland, and loads of t-shirts from
everywhere.
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 would be purple. Purple can be subtle or bright, and it is always beautiful. Ever seen a sunset
streaked with purple? A purple Christmas tree? I love purple jewelry and purple polish.
Who is your favorite cartoon character?
Sponge Bob. He is adorable and funny, and all of his shows make me laugh. I also love the way the
writers draw each character, so unique with many different flaws.
Which cartoon character is most like you?
Mrs. Puff because sometimes I wear my emotions too much on the outside, and whenever she's
upset, she puffs up like a giant balloon.
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 go to Scotland around 1500. Gotta love those men in kilts.
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 music before I write to inspire me. Usually, I'm on my spin bike with some awesome music,
and then my brain explodes with ideas. I love all kinds: The Police, Carrie Underwood, Lenny Kravitz,
Led Zepplin, Queen, Stevie Wonder, Cake, Third Eye Blind...my list is way too long.
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 have time for TV, except for American Idol season. I just luv it. I do love movies, especially
funny ones like Deuce Bigalow and Napoleon Dynamite. I also love all the Harry Potter movies and
anything paranormal with action, like Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, etc.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Life gets better. Just don't dwell on the negative, don't gossip about your friends, and remember that
even the most secure looking person has insecurities.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
The next two books in the WHISPERS series, DON'T TELL MOTHER and KRYSTA'S CURSE.
DON'T TELL MOTHER
AJ Dawson and her mom have never really gotten along, and things get worse when AJ’s new body-
pierced boyfriend knocks on the door. AJ knows she’ll have to clean up her guy if she wants to earn
Mom’s respect. But AJ’s secret gift is driving her and her mom further apart, and if she doesn’t tell her
mom about her vision soon, her brother will die.
KRYSTA'S CURSE
Everything about Krysta Richards is wrong, from her unmanageable hair to her five-foot-frame. Her
ability to talk to ghosts doesn’t help things, either. But her flaws don’t seem to matter to her lab
partner. Just as the chemistry between them is about to ignite, her dead friends enlist her in a
crusade to save their decrepit cemetery. She dreams of gracing the cover of Cosmo, but if she
agrees to help, she’ll be labeled the poster child for weirdo.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
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?
When I was ten-years-old, I started a magazine subscription called The Dirty Toilet Water Magazine. I
had one subscriber, my BFF. I sent her a comical magazine once a month.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
This has taken me a long time. It's not as easy as it looks. My high school journalism students planted
the idea in my head about five years ago. They knew how much I loved to read books, and I was their
coach for writing competition. They said, “Mrs. W., why don't you write a book?” I hadn't thought of it
but decided, “Why not?” It took a while to find the genre that best suited me. I wrote a very long, very
horrible historical that took over a year. I trashed it, but it was a great learning experience.
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?
SOPHIE'S SECRET is my first release in the WHISPERS series. This is the book that sets the
foundation for a very unique friendship between three unusual girls. Sophie reads minds, Krysta
speaks to the dead, and AJ sees the future. The problem is, they still haven't learned how to control
their powers, so Sophie never knows when to expect her teacher's suicidal thoughts that keep
popping into her head, AJ can't control horrible visions that invade her dreams, and Krysta can't stop
unwelcome ghosts from waking her all hours of the night.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
SOPHIE'S SECRET is loosely based on me and my two BFFs growing up. Weird things happened to
us, especially at my freaky house. Of course, I changed things around a lot, including families and
situations. A friend of mine did see a ghost in my house. Of that I am sure, because she had never
been to my house before, yet described the neighbor who had died two months earlier, down to his
hair color and style t-shirt. I also had ghostly visits in that house.
I don't remember any of my friends being able to tell the future, but AJ's character, who is the one who
sees the future, is based on a friend who read my mind once. I asked her to pick the one word that
was in my head and she chose the word, “It.” Weird, because that was the word that I was thinking of.
It was a fluke and never happened again, but there were times when I felt really connected to her. I
still do feel that connection. She can call me on the phone, even though she lives five hours away and
say, “Guess what?” I know what she is going to say before she says it.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My DH is very supportive of my writing, and tells everyone about my books. My mom never stops
bragging to all her friends, and I swear they buy more of my books than anyone. My little one is too
young to understand what I do, but I'm sure she'll be proud when she's older.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Chocolate (anything) and nachos – loaded with all the good stuff.
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
Check my email, my MySpace and my book ratings at Fictionwise. I'm a little obsessed right now.
Ordinarily, I go to the bathroom and get my little one cartoons and cereal.
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 have a lot of clothes from around the world -- two dresses from Bangkok, a wrap-around from Saudi
Arabia, a kimono from Japan, jewelry from Tibet, a jacket from Switzerland, and loads of t-shirts from
everywhere.
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 would be purple. Purple can be subtle or bright, and it is always beautiful. Ever seen a sunset
streaked with purple? A purple Christmas tree? I love purple jewelry and purple polish.
Who is your favorite cartoon character?
Sponge Bob. He is adorable and funny, and all of his shows make me laugh. I also love the way the
writers draw each character, so unique with many different flaws.
Which cartoon character is most like you?
Mrs. Puff because sometimes I wear my emotions too much on the outside, and whenever she's
upset, she puffs up like a giant balloon.
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 go to Scotland around 1500. Gotta love those men in kilts.
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 music before I write to inspire me. Usually, I'm on my spin bike with some awesome music,
and then my brain explodes with ideas. I love all kinds: The Police, Carrie Underwood, Lenny Kravitz,
Led Zepplin, Queen, Stevie Wonder, Cake, Third Eye Blind...my list is way too long.
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 have time for TV, except for American Idol season. I just luv it. I do love movies, especially
funny ones like Deuce Bigalow and Napoleon Dynamite. I also love all the Harry Potter movies and
anything paranormal with action, like Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, etc.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Life gets better. Just don't dwell on the negative, don't gossip about your friends, and remember that
even the most secure looking person has insecurities.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
The next two books in the WHISPERS series, DON'T TELL MOTHER and KRYSTA'S CURSE.
DON'T TELL MOTHER
AJ Dawson and her mom have never really gotten along, and things get worse when AJ’s new body-
pierced boyfriend knocks on the door. AJ knows she’ll have to clean up her guy if she wants to earn
Mom’s respect. But AJ’s secret gift is driving her and her mom further apart, and if she doesn’t tell her
mom about her vision soon, her brother will die.
KRYSTA'S CURSE
Everything about Krysta Richards is wrong, from her unmanageable hair to her five-foot-frame. Her
ability to talk to ghosts doesn’t help things, either. But her flaws don’t seem to matter to her lab
partner. Just as the chemistry between them is about to ignite, her dead friends enlist her in a
crusade to save their decrepit cemetery. She dreams of gracing the cover of Cosmo, but if she
agrees to help, she’ll be labeled the poster child for weirdo.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
| Visit Ms. West on MySpace! |