A few months ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Carrie Harris, the YA author of BAD TASTE IN BOYS, coming July 12, 2011 (soooo far away *weeps*)! Thank you so much for the interview Carrie, you and your book are both amazing and I can't wait to read it! (And by the way, isn't her cover to die for?! :) And now, without further ado, here's Carrie! 1) Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
I always figured I’d write as a hobby while I worked a “real job.” Like I used to manage a lab where they’d deliver human brains all the time (no, really), and about once a week, I’d have to go down the hall to see where my brains were. You can imagine the kind of jokes I used to crack about that, right?
But during my free time, I wrote a play and contributed to a bunch of roleplaying books and things like that. Then I did NaNo one year and came up with the silly idea that I’d write books for a living. It was either that or become a mad scientist, and that doesn’t make a lot of money. And angry mobs with pitchforks make me nervous. Whenever I see them, I always want to shout things like, “Be careful! You’ll put an eye out!”
2) Tell us about your writing habits: where you write, when you write, how much you write, etc.
I have kids, so I write whenever I can! I’ve actually learned that it’s possible to do a lot of things at the same time. I can, for example, give bottles to two babies at the same time and hold a book with my feet. I can also revise a chapter on my laptop while making a killer baked macaroni and cheese. I know a lot of people have IDEAL working conditions, but what do you do when you can’t have your ideal? The zombie hordes don’t stop just because you’ve forgotten your iPod.
Trust me. I’m an expert on these things.
But seriously—I used to say that I needed complete silence when I wrote, but then I had a deadline and mass chaos in the house. And I realized that the whole silence thing was really not as necessary as I thought it was. At this point, I could probably write a novel during the zombocalypse.
3) Do you have any new writing projects in the works? Can you tell us about them?
Well, I’ve got a sequel that’s currently under review, with new and interesting monsters for Kate to hunt. Please keep your fingers crossed for me! Unless you’re a zombie, because I wouldn’t want to be responsible for the loss of your fingers due to torsion. I’m nice that way.
I’m also working on a new series, because I’m an overachiever. And some middle grade stuff, and an epic poem about merpires…
Okay, that last bit is a joke, although I have to admit that it’s tempting. The reality is that I’m ALWAYS working on something new. It helps keep me from getting into a rut or losing all my momentum.
4) What did you do to celebrate when you found out that you were getting signed by your agent and then later when you found out BAD TASTE IN BOYS was going to be published?
When I got my agent, my reaction was shocked more than anything else. I fully expected a rejection, and when I opened the email offering representation and asking to talk on the phone, I nearly fainted! I remember very little of that phone call. I know I locked myself in my bedroom and paced back and forth, gesturing wildly while I talked. It’s a good thing I don’t have a video phone, because she probably would have ran screaming in the opposite direction.
Then, when my offer finally came, I ran around the house screaming and then left a voice mail for my husband that said: “OhmygodcallmecallmeCALLMERIGHTNOW!” And then I put Thriller on and did the dance, because that’s obviously the best way to celebrate selling a zombie book.
About an hour later, I realized I should probably email my agent back. I went to my computer and found another email from her asking if the shock had killed me and did she need to call an ambulance.
5) What did your friends and family think when you told them you were writing BAD TASTE IN BOYS?
Honestly? I think they thought I was freaking NUTS! I have a lot of science types in my family, so I kept asking them strange questions about viruses and whether (insert medical theory here) could be used to explain a zombie outbreak. That was when I wasn’t asking my husband to look over my zombie combat scenes to make sure they made sense.
My husband is a ninja. He’s an expert on these things.
Of course, now all the wonky questions have paid off. But back then? I think they honestly wondered about my sanity.
6) Do you have any odd and unusual habits which help you in regards to writing?
Gosh, where do I start? I collect zombie penguins. I play roleplaying games. I throw Bacon Parties and David Hasselhoff Roast Parties, sometimes at the same time. I can talk for hours about how much better the world would be if merpires really existed. Really. Don’t get me started.
Merpires are merman-vampire hybrids. Don’t you think the world would be better if they existed? Of course it would!
I always figured I’d write as a hobby while I worked a “real job.” Like I used to manage a lab where they’d deliver human brains all the time (no, really), and about once a week, I’d have to go down the hall to see where my brains were. You can imagine the kind of jokes I used to crack about that, right?
But during my free time, I wrote a play and contributed to a bunch of roleplaying books and things like that. Then I did NaNo one year and came up with the silly idea that I’d write books for a living. It was either that or become a mad scientist, and that doesn’t make a lot of money. And angry mobs with pitchforks make me nervous. Whenever I see them, I always want to shout things like, “Be careful! You’ll put an eye out!”
2) Tell us about your writing habits: where you write, when you write, how much you write, etc.
I have kids, so I write whenever I can! I’ve actually learned that it’s possible to do a lot of things at the same time. I can, for example, give bottles to two babies at the same time and hold a book with my feet. I can also revise a chapter on my laptop while making a killer baked macaroni and cheese. I know a lot of people have IDEAL working conditions, but what do you do when you can’t have your ideal? The zombie hordes don’t stop just because you’ve forgotten your iPod.
Trust me. I’m an expert on these things.
But seriously—I used to say that I needed complete silence when I wrote, but then I had a deadline and mass chaos in the house. And I realized that the whole silence thing was really not as necessary as I thought it was. At this point, I could probably write a novel during the zombocalypse.
3) Do you have any new writing projects in the works? Can you tell us about them?
Well, I’ve got a sequel that’s currently under review, with new and interesting monsters for Kate to hunt. Please keep your fingers crossed for me! Unless you’re a zombie, because I wouldn’t want to be responsible for the loss of your fingers due to torsion. I’m nice that way.
I’m also working on a new series, because I’m an overachiever. And some middle grade stuff, and an epic poem about merpires…
Okay, that last bit is a joke, although I have to admit that it’s tempting. The reality is that I’m ALWAYS working on something new. It helps keep me from getting into a rut or losing all my momentum.
4) What did you do to celebrate when you found out that you were getting signed by your agent and then later when you found out BAD TASTE IN BOYS was going to be published?
When I got my agent, my reaction was shocked more than anything else. I fully expected a rejection, and when I opened the email offering representation and asking to talk on the phone, I nearly fainted! I remember very little of that phone call. I know I locked myself in my bedroom and paced back and forth, gesturing wildly while I talked. It’s a good thing I don’t have a video phone, because she probably would have ran screaming in the opposite direction.
Then, when my offer finally came, I ran around the house screaming and then left a voice mail for my husband that said: “OhmygodcallmecallmeCALLMERIGHTNOW!” And then I put Thriller on and did the dance, because that’s obviously the best way to celebrate selling a zombie book.
About an hour later, I realized I should probably email my agent back. I went to my computer and found another email from her asking if the shock had killed me and did she need to call an ambulance.
5) What did your friends and family think when you told them you were writing BAD TASTE IN BOYS?
Honestly? I think they thought I was freaking NUTS! I have a lot of science types in my family, so I kept asking them strange questions about viruses and whether (insert medical theory here) could be used to explain a zombie outbreak. That was when I wasn’t asking my husband to look over my zombie combat scenes to make sure they made sense.
My husband is a ninja. He’s an expert on these things.
Of course, now all the wonky questions have paid off. But back then? I think they honestly wondered about my sanity.
6) Do you have any odd and unusual habits which help you in regards to writing?
Gosh, where do I start? I collect zombie penguins. I play roleplaying games. I throw Bacon Parties and David Hasselhoff Roast Parties, sometimes at the same time. I can talk for hours about how much better the world would be if merpires really existed. Really. Don’t get me started.
Merpires are merman-vampire hybrids. Don’t you think the world would be better if they existed? Of course it would!
To find out more about Carrie and her fab book, visit her awesome website!
Thanks again for the wonderful interview, Carrie! I've always had a thing for zombies, so you can bet I'll be the first one in line to pick up a copy of your book the day it releases! :)
~Ella
1 comment:
Great interview! I'm looking forward to seeing this book out.
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