GW Author Interview: Janette Rallison

Here's an interview with Janette Rallison after I did a review on her 

teen novel My Fair Godmother.

First of all (we’re dying to know) how did you get the inspiration for such a wacky/fun story?

 

I got the idea when I wrote a half-hour skit for my daughter's church youth group.  A bunch of kids from different churches were all putting on skits and the theme had to be: Fractured Fairy Tales.  The skit I wrote had the same premise as My Fair Godmother and a heroine who found out that being sent to fairy tales involved a lot of cleaning.  My daughter was the original Fair godmother.  She did a great job being a ditzy teen fairy.

How did you come to be an author? Did you always want to be a writer or when did you realize you had a knack for writing?

 

I always wanted to be a writer.  My teachers usually said the same thing on my report cards:  Janette is a wonderful writer but a lousy speller.  The same is true today. Thank heavens for spell check!

What or who inspired you to write?

 

My mother wanted to be a writer.  Some of my earliest (and only--she died when I was six years old) memories were of her sitting in front of  a typewriter typing. So I grew up thinking writing was a normal job as opposed to a really time consuming way to torment yourself.  (Very often it is the latter.)

What is your favorite book and author?

 

You mean besides me and mine?  Um, I love Pride and Prejudice, the Princess Bride, and the Phantom Tollboth.  (I obviously have a thing for P titles.)

Neat. I'm defiantly going to try Pride and Prejudice this summer. I’m sure an author favors all her characters, but what character did you have the most fun creating in My Fair Godmother?

 

Well, because I'm a romantic at heart I loved writing the romance scenes, but I also really loved writing about the dwarfs and the Cyclops.  The offbeat characters can be really fun to write.

Tell us a little about your latest book or an upcoming novel to help convince us to read it.

 

My novel, Just One Wish came out the beginning of this month.  In it, Annika goes to Hollywood to find and convince hearthrob actor Steve Ralaigh to come visit her ill brother before his surgery.  It's a great book too.

I've almost bought Just One Wish twice! (The glittery cover is so enchanting.) I'm having my library order it for their new YA section so everyone will be able to read it. Now for some quirky non-bookish questions. What is your obsession/hobby?

 

I didn't mean to, but my neigbors would tell you I collect stray cats.  We have five and have given away six.  For some reason my backyard has become the stray cat magnet in the neighborhood.

Tell us one word that describes you.

 

Happy

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I love Hawaii.

What is your favorite food?

Chocolate.  Hands down.

Before we say goodbye, could you give us a little advice for all the future writers out there.

Go to college and get a degree in something you can support yourself in.  That way you won't starve while you write and sell your first books.

Gosh, you're absolutely right! Authors are like starving artists. Thanks for the advice and the review, Janette! Hope to see another one of your fun uplifting stories soon....

Janette Rallison is the author of ten books for young adults including It's A Mall World After All, All's Fair in Love, War, and High School, and How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend.

This interview as been brought to you buy Guess Who?, a creation of BLT.

Fellow blog readers I need your help! It seems that thinking up interview questions requires more creativeness than I thought. So here's the deal, come up with one question you'd like to see in my next Guess Who? Interview plus your name/blog will appear next to that question. Ask the author, make the question yours!!