Fiction of the Week for August 3: Wake (Surprise Author Visit!)
Wow... Are you guys in for a special treat or what? The Word Out Team managed to have the author of Wake participate in this week's blog! :) Wake won the Battle of the Book back in early July!!!
I was definitely honoured to be the one who got to chat with Lisa a bit. I feel so lucky!
Without delaying another second, here is what Lisa has to say:
Hey, Toronto readers! Can I just say that I love you? Because I do. I get a ton of fan mail from the Toronto area and I have a very special spot in my heart for you. You're not only smart, you are also good looking.
As you know if you've read WAKE, a portion of the book (a Very Important Part) takes place in Canada, in Stratford. I can't tell you how many Canadians have told me how much they loved that. But for me, it was just writing what I know.
The truth is, that part of the story came from my life. Not the dream thing (wouldn't that be horrible??) but the going to Stratford thing as a senior in high school. It was a memorable trip, though we did it all in one (very very) long day, rather than overnight. And I think we saw MacBeth.
Since high school, I've been to Toronto a couple of times -- one of my college roommates was from Hamilton, ONT so we visited there a few times and drove into Toronto, which I loved. I very much hope to visit there again some day soon. But, uh, I live in Arizona now, so I'm hoping I can visit Toronto when it's not, like, freezing cold. :)
So, Elsa has a couple questions for me?
E (Elsa): With all the press about your books and everyone knowing who you are, how do you deal with all this popularity?
L (Lisa): Oh, ho ho. Well, there are the bodyguards and then there is the armed security on the roof and the electric fence around the house -- it's very dangerous being a reclusive writer. Also, the paparazzi is so annoying, always taking photos of me in my jammies, and my red carpet totally needs to be cleaned daily because of the desert dust blowing on it constantly. It's a tough life.
Actually, I live a very normal life. Nobody ever recognizes me (a perk of being an author who is not Neil Gaiman or J.K. Rowling) and I still have to clean the cat litter box, just like everybody else (well, everybody who has cats, that is. If you are cleaning a cat litter box and you don't have cats, please consider therapy).
I do get a lot of fan mail through my website, and I try very hard to answer each one personally. At one point, I had to send a form letter to about 100 fans because the inbox was beyond hope, but then I caught up again and I am now only about two months behind. (Secretly, the best place to find me and get a quick answer to a question is on Facebook or Twitter. But shhh...don't tell the USians).
E: Are there any special events in your life which inspired your books?
L: When I was in fourth grade (er.. grade four, I mean -- must speak Canadian) my teacher chose my story as the best in the class. I still remember very clearly him taking me aside and telling me that I would be going to something called Young Author's Conference, which turned out to be an amazing day at a college where real authors congregated to spend time with people like me. It was amazing, and I remember thinking, "When I grow up, I'm going to be a writer."
For WAKE specifically, I was inspired by a dream I had. I dreamed I was in my husband's dream, watching what he was dreaming about. I woke up, wrote down the idea, and in the morning it didn't sound stupid. So I set off to work on it, and now here we are, winning Toronto's Best Library Branch's Battle of the Books. Amazing.
Take care, and please do check my website for a link to a FREE (FREE!!) short story download in early August. It's called Cabel's Story, and it's, uh, Cabel's story -- what he does during that 24 hours he's alone in Stratford. You won't want to miss it!
xox
Lisa
As you know if you've read WAKE, a portion of the book (a Very Important Part) takes place in Canada, in Stratford. I can't tell you how many Canadians have told me how much they loved that. But for me, it was just writing what I know.
The truth is, that part of the story came from my life. Not the dream thing (wouldn't that be horrible??) but the going to Stratford thing as a senior in high school. It was a memorable trip, though we did it all in one (very very) long day, rather than overnight. And I think we saw MacBeth.
Since high school, I've been to Toronto a couple of times -- one of my college roommates was from Hamilton, ONT so we visited there a few times and drove into Toronto, which I loved. I very much hope to visit there again some day soon. But, uh, I live in Arizona now, so I'm hoping I can visit Toronto when it's not, like, freezing cold. :)
So, Elsa has a couple questions for me?
E (Elsa): With all the press about your books and everyone knowing who you are, how do you deal with all this popularity?
L (Lisa): Oh, ho ho. Well, there are the bodyguards and then there is the armed security on the roof and the electric fence around the house -- it's very dangerous being a reclusive writer. Also, the paparazzi is so annoying, always taking photos of me in my jammies, and my red carpet totally needs to be cleaned daily because of the desert dust blowing on it constantly. It's a tough life.
Actually, I live a very normal life. Nobody ever recognizes me (a perk of being an author who is not Neil Gaiman or J.K. Rowling) and I still have to clean the cat litter box, just like everybody else (well, everybody who has cats, that is. If you are cleaning a cat litter box and you don't have cats, please consider therapy).
I do get a lot of fan mail through my website, and I try very hard to answer each one personally. At one point, I had to send a form letter to about 100 fans because the inbox was beyond hope, but then I caught up again and I am now only about two months behind. (Secretly, the best place to find me and get a quick answer to a question is on Facebook or Twitter. But shhh...don't tell the USians).
E: Are there any special events in your life which inspired your books?
L: When I was in fourth grade (er.. grade four, I mean -- must speak Canadian) my teacher chose my story as the best in the class. I still remember very clearly him taking me aside and telling me that I would be going to something called Young Author's Conference, which turned out to be an amazing day at a college where real authors congregated to spend time with people like me. It was amazing, and I remember thinking, "When I grow up, I'm going to be a writer."
For WAKE specifically, I was inspired by a dream I had. I dreamed I was in my husband's dream, watching what he was dreaming about. I woke up, wrote down the idea, and in the morning it didn't sound stupid. So I set off to work on it, and now here we are, winning Toronto's Best Library Branch's Battle of the Books. Amazing.
Take care, and please do check my website for a link to a FREE (FREE!!) short story download in early August. It's called Cabel's Story, and it's, uh, Cabel's story -- what he does during that 24 hours he's alone in Stratford. You won't want to miss it!
xox
Lisa
Wow what a great interview! When i was reading the interview, i found it interesting that Lisa wanted to be a writer ever since elementry school, and now she is a writer just like she wanted! So Congratultaions on making your dreams come true and not what many people get. Its also cool to be insipred because you had the idea to write Wake because you had a dream that you were in your husbands dream! I never knew that Wake was taking place in Canada! Not many books take place in Canada but your american i'm guessing so its special that you chose Canada!
Posted by: Hamdi | August 04, 2009 at 08:50 AM
Oh, and by the way, great interview Elsa :)
Posted by: Hamdi | August 04, 2009 at 08:51 AM
Hamdi, thanks for taking the time to read the interview.
I think it's also cool that Lisa included Canada in her book too. :)
Posted by: Elsa | August 04, 2009 at 09:57 AM
Whao! This is wikkid! So wikkid. The interview was wikkid beyond words!
Lisa is awesome!
Posted by: T | August 04, 2009 at 10:03 AM
Good job! Great interview~
Posted by: Devi | August 04, 2009 at 11:25 AM
Awwww... Thanks, Devi. :)
Posted by: Elsa | August 04, 2009 at 12:27 PM
WOW... lucky!!!
Posted by: Tasfia | August 04, 2009 at 01:37 PM
Lisa sounds like a spontaneous, down-to-earth person.
Posted by: Shel | August 04, 2009 at 01:58 PM
Awesome interview!! :D
n yeah i agree with Shel, Lisa sounds like a down-to-earth person...i like that!! She is also very funny... =P
Has she written any other books?
Posted by: Tashnuva | August 04, 2009 at 03:31 PM
Wow :) Awesome interview and haha she's funny :)
Posted by: Nida | August 04, 2009 at 04:17 PM
Tashvnuva, for more information about Lisa and her book, check out www.lisamcmann.com :)
Cheers!
Posted by: Elsa | August 04, 2009 at 04:21 PM
Eee! She mentioned J.K Rowling.. I've been reading Harry Potter for the whole reading club only so far. lol
Posted by: Lynn | August 04, 2009 at 05:41 PM
Wow what a great interview! When i was reading the interview, i found it interesting that Lisa wanted to be a writer ever since elementry school, and now she is a writer just like she wanted!Your interview has inspired me to read more books as wells as many start thinking if ideas nyself . Which could help me become a author as well I never knew that Wake was taking place in Canada! Hope you keep writing more books !!
Posted by: sizy | August 04, 2009 at 05:48 PM
Intresting book ;)
Posted by: MaryAnn | August 04, 2009 at 06:14 PM
Great interview!~ i really liked it
Posted by: MaryAnn | August 04, 2009 at 06:15 PM
Lisa..really a nice name :D
Posted by: Mary | August 04, 2009 at 06:16 PM
I wanna be a writer one day just like how lisa wanted to. Wonderful interview
Posted by: Mary | August 04, 2009 at 06:17 PM
I really like the interview!
Posted by: Devi | August 04, 2009 at 08:01 PM
WOW! I just finished Cabel's Story and even that little snapshot from his perspective added a whole level of depth to Wake. I love it when author's reiterate the story through the eyes of a different character - who isn't the orginal narrator. I believe Stephenie Meyer planed to do that with Twilight, through Edward's perspective called Midnight Sun. However, last I heard of it, the project was shelved because of some privacy issues. In some ways, you could draw parallels between the two books, Wake and Twilight. but Wake definitely stands at the top of my pile of "Favourite Books" - and Cabel's Story just made its position at the top a litle more solid! :)
Posted by: Ranziba | August 04, 2009 at 11:20 PM
Cool! Q&A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Ruby | August 05, 2009 at 12:15 AM
Very good Questions and answer. it did help shed some light on the story more so very well done
Posted by: Mary | August 05, 2009 at 06:12 AM
Ya it is very amazing that she was able to stay true to her dreams and become a writer like she wanted
Posted by: Mary | August 05, 2009 at 06:16 AM
And she's quite funny, i like her personality throughout the who story. VERY well done indeed.
Posted by: Mary | August 05, 2009 at 06:18 AM
I think this may just make me want to check out her other books.
Posted by: Mary | August 05, 2009 at 06:19 AM
What a delightful author. though this is not the first time i've read a authors questions and answer but it is the first time i read it all the way through simply funny and awesome
Posted by: MaryAnn | August 05, 2009 at 06:23 AM