I'm very pleased to welcome Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas to
Teenage Fiction For All Ages as part of a blog tour supporting the release of
From What I Remember.
Life is nothing like you planned. Even when you've planned absolutely everything. Kylie Flores - class brain and movie addict - has been planning her big graduation day speech for three months. A scholarship student, she would never dream of mixing with the likes of Max Langston - rich, undeniably handsome and athletic, but totally dead from the neck up. So it's a total mystery when Kylie wakes up in Mexico, with the hangover from hell, in a bed she doesn't recognise, next to Max - and they are both wearing wedding bands...Rewind 48 hours to find out just how and why they got there!
Today they are interviewing each other:
Having answered numerous questions asked by bloggers, journalists and fans, we thought it might be fun to turn the tables and interview each other and what we discovered is that no matter how well you know someone, there’s always something new to learn…
STACY: WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST WRITERLY FAULT, AND HOW DO YOU COPE WITH IT?
VALERIE: Oooh, going right for the jugular?
STACY: Yeah, I thought I’d come out swinging.
VALERIE: Don’t you want to start with more of a softball question? Like my favorite food. I think that’s how it’s done in these interviews.
STACY: I’m new at this. I’m going with a hardball.
VALERIE: Okay, fine. Have it your way. Well, I think I can rely too much on conventions and clichés, particularly in the early stages of a book. It’s very hard to think outside of these conventions, especially with my filmic background (which relies heavily on tropes), but what I’ve learned to do is build on them in original ways, turn the clichés on their head, hopefully.
STACY: See, that wasn’t so bad.
VALERIE: Knocked it out of the park, I’d say.
STACY: Well, let’s not get carried away.
VALERIE: WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION FOR WRITING FROM WHAT I REMEMBER?
STACY: Well, I think it was both our inspirations.
VALERIE: Probably, but this is your question.
STACY: Okay, well, after working in the film industry for years (and continuing to do so to this day), I’ve watched the films that studios produce change dramatically. The kind of movies that I’ve both worked on and always loved, movies for teens like CLUELESS or all the John Hughes movies aren’t getting made anymore. Instead, the landscape is dominated by action blockbusters. I wanted to write a book that would have the same fun, adventure and emotional resonance of those films. I hope we succeeded.
STACY: WHAT CHARMS WOULD YOU PUT ON THE CHARM BRACELET OF YOUR LIFE?
VALERIE: Fun question. Wasn’t expecting that one.
STACY: Yeah, I’m all over the place with my questions. Hardballs, softballs, no balls.
VALERIE: I have no idea what that means.
STACY: Me either.
VALERIE: Moving on. I’m just going to answer the question then. First I’d have a Chinese character, because I’m half Chinese, a gold heart, because I’m lucky to have a lot of love in my life. A surf board, because I lived in Hawaii and learned to surf there and it’s one of my favorite things to do in the world. A pen, because I’m a writer. A piece of fruit, because I love to eat and that seems like a more aesthetically pleasing charm than other food options. And finally, the letter A, for my daughter Amelia.
STACY: Well played, Val. I’m not sure I could have come up with as many good charm ideas.
VALERIE: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE?
STACY: I love writing in my bed but my back doctor claims I’m going to need surgery on my shoulder if I don’t get out of my bed and into an ergonomic chair. I think some of my best ideas come to me in bed.
VALERIE: You have a shoulder issue?
STACY: You didn’t know?
VALERIE: No. Glad we did this interview.
STACY: I have something called frozen shoulder which happens from writing in an non-ergonomically conducive seating situation. Hence the need to get out of bed and into one of those hideously ugly black chairs that I’ve yet to buy.
STACY: WHAT'S THE BEST WRITING ADVICE ANYONE HAS EVER GIVEN YOU?
VALERIE: Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Once you spit out the vomit draft, the real writing begins. The best writing comes in the rewriting.
VALERIE: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO TRAVEL?
STACY: Asia.
VALERIE: Really? That’s funny since I’m always hearing about how sick you get while traveling abroad.
STACY: I know. It’s true. I’m a human sponge for disease. I appear to have no immunity and have visited hospitals in nearly every part of the world. When I’m not getting sick, I really enjoy Asia though.
ALERIE: Maybe you just like Asian hospitals.
STACY: You make a good point. Some were models of efficiency.
STACY: OKAY, I KNOW THIS IS GOING TO BE A TOUGH QUESTION FOR YOU BUT JUST TRY TO IMAGINE THAT WE COULDN’T WRITE TOGETHER. WHO WOULD YOUR DREAM COLLABORATOR BE?
VALERIE: It’s true, I can’t imagine not writing with you. It would be devastating. However, in the event that that happens, I’d have to choose John Green. I love his writing.
STACY: Excellent choice. But please don’t leave me for John Green.
VALERIE: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A YOUNG PERSON, OR EVEN YOUR YOUNGER SELF ABOUT LOVE?
STACY: I’d say fall in love with someone who makes you laugh. I know it’s a huge cliché but it’s so true. I’ve been with guys who were gorgeous or really, really smart but, ultimately, the thing that makes love stick (and this is speaking from the perspective of someone who’s been with the same person for nearly twenty years) is humor. In the long run, you’re going to need to laugh together at all the shit life throws at you.
STACY: IF SOMEONE HAD A BEHIND-THE-SCENES PASS TO OBSERVE YOUR WRITING PROCESS WHAT WOULD THEY SEE?
VALERIE: Sadly, nothing that exciting. I work at home, where no one can see me (unless the UPS man comes), so I’m often wearing my gym clothes, or worse (p.j.’s). You’d see a lot of web surfing (from FB to Pinterest to twitter to news blogs), a lot of talking on the phone to you (Stacy), a lot of tea drinking and snacking and then, anywhere from between six to nine hours of actual writing (some successful, some less so). Once school lets out my daughter gets home so you’d see her roaming about, interrupting me and either forcing me to stop writing or lock the door, depending on whether or not I have a deadline.
STACY: You lock the door?
VALERIE: No. Not really, hyperbole used for effect. Mostly we work out some kind of compromise so I can finish writing. A bit of video games or TV buys me an hour more of writing.
VALERIE: OKAY, HERE’S SOFTBALL QUESTION, WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FLAVOR OF ICE CREAM?
STACY: Green tea.
VALERIE: Seriously? Out of all the flavors in the world like salty caramel or crème brulee or toffee crunch, that’s your favorite??
STACY: I know, pretty lame. What can I say. I’m not the hugest ice cream fan. VALERIE: I’d say so. Green tea is kind of an insult to ice cream. You’re more of a tea fan.
STACY: Don’t hold back, tell me what you really think.
VALERIE: You know I always do.
STACY: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?
VALERIE: Dim Sum.
STACY: Really? I had no idea you were such a fan of Dim Sum. I actually hate it. VALERIE: Well you’re missing out!
VALERIE: WHAT IS YOUR DREAM CAST FOR THE MOVIE?
STACY: Shainlene Woodley as Kylie, Logan Lerman as Max and Ezra Miller as Will. Can you tell I loved PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER?
VALERIE: Yeah, just a little. What about Emma Watson?
STACY: Love her but just don’t think she’s right for Kylie and by the time Paramount Pictures (the company that bought the movie rights to the book) gets around to making the movie of the book, Shainlee Woodley will probably be too old.
VALERIE: Fingers crossed they make the movie soon! They’re working on a script now so it could happen anytime.
STACY: OKAY, IF YOU COULD INVITE ANY FIVE WRITERS TO A DINNER WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
VALERIE: Good question.
STACY: Why thank you.
VALERIE: Hmmm, this is a toughie. So many too choose from. I love dinner parties and nothing is more fun that a table of writers. I’m going to go with people who are all alive (as choosing from the dead would be too difficult, I’d be here forever trying to decide), so I’m thinking Martin Amis, Junot Diaz, Aravind Adiga, J. K. Rowling and Judy Blume because they are all favorites of mine and cover of broad spectrum of interests and would offer up some scintillating conversation. And I think I’d be serving paella with a kale ceasar salad with a flourless chocolate cake for dessert.
STACY: Nice. Can I come?
VALERIE: Sure.
STACY: Lovely interviewing you Ms. Thomas. I learned a lot.
VALERIE: Same here Ms. Kramer. Now get back to work, we’ve got two new books to finish!
Many thanks to Stacy and Valerie for their post and to Electric Monkey for arranging it.
The previous stop on the tour was at
The Overflowing Library.
The next stop is at
Feeling Fictional.
