Visit with Jillian Cantor

www.jilliancantor.com

Today we're visiting with Jillian Cantor, author of THE SEPTEMBER SISTERS and the upcoming THE LIFE OF GLASS, which will be released on 2/9/10.



Before he died, Melissa’s father told her about stars. He told her that the brightest stars weren’t always the most beautiful—that if people took the time to look at the smaller stars, if they looked with a telescope at the true essence of the star, they would find real beauty. But even though Melissa knows that beauty isn’t only skin deep, the people around her don’t seem to feel that way. There’s her gorgeous sister Ashley who will barely acknowledge Melissa at school, there's her best friend Ryan, who may be falling in love with the sophisticated Courtney, and there’s Melissa’s mother who’s dating someone new, someone who Melissa knows will never be able to replace her father.

To make sure she doesn’t lose her father completely, Melissa spends her time trying to piece together the last of his secrets and completing a journal her father began—one about love and relationships and the remarkable ways people find one another. But when tragedy strikes, Melissa has to start living and loving in the present, as she realizes that being beautiful on the outside doesn't mean you can't be beautiful on the inside.

I had the chance to ask Jillian some questions about her life, writing, and other things, and she graciously decided to answer them for me!

1) Your own six-word memoir.

Daughter, sister, wife, mother, writer, dreamer.

2) Twitter your newest or upcoming release in 140 characters or less.

A 14-year-old girl learns about loss, life, love, and beauty during her freshman year of high school.

3) What was your favorite book growing up as a teen?

I’m going to a cheat a little bit here, and not just name one book, but an author: Judy Blume. I loved everything she ever wrote, and all her books always felt so real to me at the time.

4) When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was young I wanted to be an author! The idea that I could grow up to be a writer first came to me in fourth grade when my humanities teacher gave the class an assignment to write a short story every week. In the years after that, I changed my mind and thought I wanted to be a lawyer, then a doctor, then a healthcare administrator, then a journalist, but the idea of being an author always hung around there, in the back of my mind.

5) Your favorite subject in high school – and your least favorite.

My favorite subject was English (except in 11th grade when I had the worst teacher ever and started to hate English. That was also the year I considered becoming a healthcare administrator!). But I had an amazing AP English teacher in 12th grade, so I’d say that was my favorite subject overall. My least favorite subject was Analysis, which was my math class in 11th grade and also the last math class I ever took!

6) Your family has the chance to describe you for an interview. What ten words would they say describe you best?

Loving, hard-working, fun, funny, driven, creative, clumsy, competitive, sweet, and, if you asked my children, I’m sure they’d say, first and foremost, Mom!

7) You’ve invented a new national holiday. What is it called, and what does it celebrate? (Plus, would we get the day off of school and work??)

How about “Literacy Day.” We’d all get the day off from school or work and would get to lie around and read a book of our choosing.

8) Using the letters J L W (my initials!), create the title of your next bestseller. (For example, Jumping Love Walrus.)

I should preface this by saying that I’m terrible with coming up with titles. But how about: Jamie’s Last Win. It could be a book about a girl who has to decide between a winning tennis career and a normal high school life.

9) What is your ultimate vacation destination?

San Diego. I love everything about it – the weather, the beaches, the hotels, the restaurants. Plus, I live in the Arizona desert where the summers are stifling and over 100 degrees, so I often daydream about taking a short trip to San Diego, just to cool off.

10) The world has suffered from a one-day only loss of power. You have no cell phone, computer, lights, or anything else that requires a computer, cell battery, or electricity. What do you spend the day doing?

Definitely spending time with my husband and my kids! I’d love to spend the day outside: maybe the park and a picnic lunch. I actually think it might be a little freeing to be forced away from technology for one day and have nothing to focus on but the people I love the most in the world. (But only one day – after that I’d probably go a little crazy without technology!)

11) If you weren’t an author, what job would you be doing?

Well, I honestly can’t imagine not being an author in some capacity. Even if I had another job, I know I’d be writing on the side still. But I did always think I’d like being a lawyer. I’m a fast reader, and I do enjoy a good argument.

12) You get the chance to star in an upcoming film release. What movie would you star in for your acting debut? (If you can’t choose an upcoming film, you can choose a past release.)

It would have to be a movie where there was no acting required (since I’m terrible at acting!), but if we’re talking about in some sort of dream world here, I’d say Eat, Pray, Love. One, because I’d be interested to see the process of how something goes from a book to a movie. And two, Julia Roberts is one of my all time favorites, so I’d like to be in that movie just so I’d get to hang out with her.

13) A movie is being made of ONE of your books. Which book is it, and who will star as the main characters?

I’m going to pick THE LIFE OF GLASS, since that’s just about to come out! I think Kristen Stewart would be great for the part of the main character Melissa, and Ryan could be played by Michael Cera. Ashley Judd would be perfect for Melissa’s mom. For Courtney, the new beautiful girl at school that Melissa befriends, I’d go with Dianna Agron (who plays Quinn on Glee!).

14) Remember those “classics” that you were made to read in high school English class? What was your favorite, and which title should students never have to be subjected to reading?

One of my favorites was THE GREAT GATSBY. I still love that book. I think it’s such a heartbreaking story and there’s so much to learn about writing and characterization in there. I remember very little about this book, but I do remember hating MOBY DICK and just being painfully bored as I had to read it. I wondered how this long story about a whale was ever going to help me with anything in my life. (And I can affirm now, that it absolutely hasn’t!)

15) Someone tells you that you’ll never publish another book that you write. Do you still keep writing?

Yes, mainly because I’m stubborn and an optimist, so I’d refuse to believe them. I would probably write, invent a pen name, and try to find a new way to get published.

**Thanks so much to Jillian for visiting with us today! Please be sure to check out her website above, or you can find her several places online: Blog, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or you can email her directly at jill@jilliancantor.com.

Since Jillian is in the middle of a blog tour to promote the upcoming release of THE LIFE OF GLASS, we're going to be doing a contest a bit differently than usual. Please read the instructions below on how to enter to win some great prizes!

Enter to win free copies of Jillian Cantor's books and cool prizes! One grand prize winner will receive two glass spirit stones (one for you, one for a friend) from Arizona, where THE LIFE OF GLASS is set, along with an autographed copy of each of Jillian's novels: THE LIFE OF GLASS and THE SEPTEMBER SISTERS. Two lucky runners-up will receive a signed copy of THE LIFE OF GLASS. To be eligible, send an email to contests@jilliancantor.com with the subject line "The Life of Glass Giveaway". All e-mail entries must be received by midnight (PST) on February 14, 2010. The winners will be selected at random on February 15, 2010. Be sure to include your name and e-mail address with your entry (If you're under age 13, give your parent's contact info). One entry per person. Jillian Cantor's complete blog tour schedule can be found at www.jilliancantor.com. Good luck!