Visit with Jessica Warman

http://jessicawarman.com/

Today we're visiting with Jessica Warman, author of BREATHLESS and its sequel, WHERE THE TRUTH LIES, which was published by Walker Books on 9/28/10!



On the surface, Emily Meckler leads the perfect life. She has three best friends, two loving parents, and the ideal setup at the Connecticut prep school where her father is the headmaster. But Emily also suffers from devastating nightmares about fire and water, and nobody knows why. Then the enigmatic Del Sugar enters her life, and Emily is immediately swept away—but her passionate relationship with Del is just the first of many things that aren't quite what they seem in Emily's life. As the lies she's been told start to unravel, Emily must set out to discover the truth regarding her nightmare; on a journey that will lead her to question everything she thought she knew about love, family, and her own idyllic past.

This companion novel to Warman's critically acclaimed BREATHLESS proves that sometimes the biggest lies are told to the people you love the most.

**I had the chance to ask Jessica a few questions about her life and writing - enjoy!

If you could bring any character from one of your books to life, who would it be and why?

It would definitely be Del Sugar from WHERE THE TRUTH LIES. I’m absolutely obsessed with him.

You have the chance to spend the day with any character from one of your favorite books. Who would you choose and why?

I think it would probably be Holden Caulfield from THE CATCHER IN THE RYE. That was my favorite book while I was growing up, and I’d absolutely love the chance to spend some time with Holden, who remains fascinating to me to this day. And I’d LOVE to hear his opinions on our society today.

What was your favorite book growing up as a teen?

Definitely THE CATCHER IN THE RYE.

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

I always wanted to be a writer. There was never anything else that mattered to me enough to make it my career. I had teachers and family members who would try to gently explain to me that I should maybe come up with a back-up plan… but I never did. From the time I was around twelve, I was very focused. There simply wasn’t any other option in my mind.

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

Favorite was English, specifically Creative Writing. My least favorite was actually Latin class. I cannot conjugate Latin verbs to save my life.

The one book everyone in the world should read.

Wow, that’s a difficult question. So much to choose from! I guess I’d probably say anything by Ernest Hemingway. I teach creative writing from time to time, and I always spend the first class reading and discussing a Hemingway short story, usually “Hills Like White Elephants” or “Indian Camp.” So, in a sense, that’s my way of making sure everyone who I teach has some Hemingway in their lives.

The book you wish you had written.

GOODNIGHT NOBODY by Jennifer Weiner.

Your five favorite reads from 2010 (books you read during the year; they do not have to have been published during 2010).

CONSIDER THE LOBSTER by David Foster Wallace
INFINITE JEST by David Foster Wallace
WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Bronte
SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS by David Guterson
FOOL by Christopher Moore

If your mom wrote the author profile for the jacket of your next book, what would she write?

Ha! She’d probably say something like, “Jessica works too much, and her family has too many pets. She adores her kids and husband. I could never get her to even try olives.

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

Persistent, fun-loving, sensitive, raunchy, giggly, introspective, hard-working, goofy.

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??)

National sleep holiday! Everybody gets to sleep in as late as they want. Then we all get to take as many naps as we want. Of course, nobody has to go to work or school.

What is your astrological sign? How closely does it match your personality?

I’m definitely a classic Aries – I’m always shocked by how closely my personality relates to the Aries profile.

You’re going off your diet for one day and only eating food from restaurants. What do you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? (Include the restaurant each meal comes from.)

Breakfast – chocolate chip pancakes from Pamela’s
Lunch – Sushi!!! From wherever… any sushi at all is fabulous sushi, in my opinion
Dinner – Pad Thai from the Green Mango

What is your ultimate vacation destination?

I absolutely love Connecticut. I feel like I lived there in a previous life. I go there every chance I get.

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?

Ideally, I’d spend it sleeping and eating. But in reality, I’m sure I’d spend the day trying to keep my kids from going wild with boredom.

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

It’s hard for me to even imagine being anything else, but if I must choose, I’d say that I would probably be a psychologist. It’s the only other profession that even remotely appealed to me.

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?

My favorite was THE YELLOW WALLPAPER by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. My least favorite… hmmm… probably WINESBURG, OHIO.

**Thanks so much to Jessica for visiting with us today! Be sure to check out her website, listed above, or you can also email her directly at jkwarman@hotmail.com.

Jessica has kindly offered to send one lucky poster today a signed copy of both BREATHLESS and WHERE THE TRUTH LIES, so be sure to leave any comments or questions you have for her in the comments section; she'll be stopping by later today to see what we're discussing!