The Book Resort is thrilled to have the charming & delightful Tanya Egan Gibson over for a chat!
Ready? Let's go...
Me: What are you working on now? (If you can give us a hint!)
TEG: My next novel takes place in a theme park -- I don't want to say much more than that because stories kind of "deflate" in my head if I talk about them/write about them too much before they're completely formed. :-)
Me: Spiderman or Superman:
TEG: Got to say neither. You know who's an interesting character, though? Lex Luthor, in the SMALLVILLE retelling of Superman. Because he's a reluctant villain. I'm very interested in characters who *want* to be good but somehow just cannot be.
Me: Wonder Woman or Batgirl:
TEG: Wonder Woman. It was one of my favorite TV shows as a child in the 1970s. I thought Paradise Island (Wonder Woman's original woman-centric home, which happened to be located in The Bermuda Triangle) would be great place to be.
Me: Chunky or Smooth:
TEG: Smooth. Chunky is too much work.
Me: Favorite flavor ice cream:
TEG: Mexican Chocolate or banana. Preferably a scoop of both. I really don't like making choices.
Me: Favorite ice cream topping:
TEG: Hot fudge.
Me: Subway or Taxi:
TEG: Taxi.
Me: Broadway Show or Movie Theater:
TEG: Neither. Living room couch in front of TV loaded with shows we never get a chance to watch. (See below.)
Me: TiVo or DVR:
TEG: We have both, actually. We kind of like TV. A lot. But we don't have a lot of time, so we have to store everything until a later date when that time will magically appear. Which, so far, it hasn't.
Me: Favorite vacation place:
TEG: Hawaii. Or anywhere with a beach.
Me: Next vacation destination:
TEG: We just returned from two weeks in NY. It was wonderful, but after being in hotels that long, being *home* feels like a vacation. I don't even want to contemplate trying to pack up the kids' stuff, etc., for another vacation for quite a while!
Me: Favorite NYC hotspot:
TEG: My daughter's favorite place to visit in NYC: "The dinosaur museum" (Museum of Natural History).
Me: Guilty Pleasure:
TEG: Watching America's Next Top Model -- while eating bread pudding.
Me: Good luck charm:
TEG: My wonderful little girl.
Me: When you were a little girl, you thought you would grow up to be a….
TEG: ...person who talked to animals, like Doctor Doolittle (the Rex Harrison version, not the goofy Eddie Murphy one). Or a superhero. (See Wonder Woman, above.)
Me: Last thing bought at the mall:
TEG: Cute summer shirts for my cuddly one-year-old boy. I confess to having a baby clothing addiction.
Me: Item on your grocery list:
TEG: Half-and-half. I don't care if it has a billion calories and a quadrillion fat grams. Coffee isn't coffee without it.
Me: French fries or Onion Rings:
TEG: Onion rings, of the very crispy ilk.
Me: Pizza: New York or Chicago?
TEG: New York. No contest.
Me: Midnight snack:
TEG: Organic ice cream from locally-owned Three Twins Ice Cream.
Me: Bookmark or dog ear?
TEG: Dog ear. When a book looks used, it just looks more loved to me.
Me: Read with dustjacket or remove it?
TEG: They come off?
Me: Ocean, Lake, Desert, Mountain:
TEG: Ocean.
Me: Favorite book:
TEG: BEL CANTO, by Ann Patchett. I am in awe of what she does with Point of View, and it's a novel that has so much heart and is *so* human.
Me: Item you can't live without:
TEG: Computer.
Me: Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?
TEG: Kim Culbertson, a YA writer (and friend), author of SONGS FOR A TEENAGE NOMAD.
Me: What kid or teen books made a difference in your world growing up?
TEG: I loved the Narnia books -- the idea of being able to walk through a closet into a secret land just fascinated me. And like many children, I was fascinated by the idea of being a child left alone/orphaned who has to find his/her way alone. I must have read A LITTLE PRINCESS, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, fifty times. I love the way books allow kids and teens to vicariously experience the fear/excitement/freedom of being on one's own without having to *actually* be in peril. Part of the paradox of *being* a child is that you want to take risks and feel safe at the same time.
Me: Where do you like to write your books (bed ~ coffee shop ~ an office)?
TEG: I write in bed or on the couch. Even when I have childcare, I leave the door open because I love hearing my kids' voices and because I want them to be able to see me even when I'm working.
Me: Describe your ideal place to write:
TEG: On a deck out by the beach. Coffee next to me, slight breeze carrying the scent of salt water. Gulls making those gull noises. Waves crashing.
Me: What are you reading @ the moment?
TEG: SUNNYSIDE, by Glen David Gold. It's just beautiful. Big and smart and I wish it would go on infinitely.
Me: Where do you usually read?
TEG: Wherever I can. Preferably, in bed or curled on the coach with family.
Me: Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?
TEG: I usually am reading only one or two novels at a time, but I'll also have something nonfiction going (research for my next book) and a literary journal with poems and short stories.
Me: Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?
TEG: Most of the nonfiction I read is for research. In that case, I do lots of annotating in the margins and/or take handwritten or typed notes as well. I rarely annotate when I'm reading fiction, unless I'm *re*-reading passages to analyze how an author accomplishes something specific.
Me: What are you working on now? (If you can give us a hint!)
TEG: My next novel takes place in a theme park -- I don't want to say much more than that because stories kind of "deflate" in my head if I talk about them/write about them too much before they're completely formed. :-)
Me: Spiderman or Superman:
TEG: Got to say neither. You know who's an interesting character, though? Lex Luthor, in the SMALLVILLE retelling of Superman. Because he's a reluctant villain. I'm very interested in characters who *want* to be good but somehow just cannot be.
Me: Wonder Woman or Batgirl:
TEG: Wonder Woman. It was one of my favorite TV shows as a child in the 1970s. I thought Paradise Island (Wonder Woman's original woman-centric home, which happened to be located in The Bermuda Triangle) would be great place to be.
Me: Chunky or Smooth:
TEG: Smooth. Chunky is too much work.
Me: Favorite flavor ice cream:
TEG: Mexican Chocolate or banana. Preferably a scoop of both. I really don't like making choices.
Me: Favorite ice cream topping:
TEG: Hot fudge.
Me: Subway or Taxi:
TEG: Taxi.
Me: Broadway Show or Movie Theater:
TEG: Neither. Living room couch in front of TV loaded with shows we never get a chance to watch. (See below.)
Me: TiVo or DVR:
TEG: We have both, actually. We kind of like TV. A lot. But we don't have a lot of time, so we have to store everything until a later date when that time will magically appear. Which, so far, it hasn't.
Me: Favorite vacation place:
TEG: Hawaii. Or anywhere with a beach.
Me: Next vacation destination:
TEG: We just returned from two weeks in NY. It was wonderful, but after being in hotels that long, being *home* feels like a vacation. I don't even want to contemplate trying to pack up the kids' stuff, etc., for another vacation for quite a while!
Me: Favorite NYC hotspot:
TEG: My daughter's favorite place to visit in NYC: "The dinosaur museum" (Museum of Natural History).
Me: Guilty Pleasure:
TEG: Watching America's Next Top Model -- while eating bread pudding.
Me: Good luck charm:
TEG: My wonderful little girl.
Me: When you were a little girl, you thought you would grow up to be a….
TEG: ...person who talked to animals, like Doctor Doolittle (the Rex Harrison version, not the goofy Eddie Murphy one). Or a superhero. (See Wonder Woman, above.)
Me: Last thing bought at the mall:
TEG: Cute summer shirts for my cuddly one-year-old boy. I confess to having a baby clothing addiction.
Me: Item on your grocery list:
TEG: Half-and-half. I don't care if it has a billion calories and a quadrillion fat grams. Coffee isn't coffee without it.
Me: French fries or Onion Rings:
TEG: Onion rings, of the very crispy ilk.
Me: Pizza: New York or Chicago?
TEG: New York. No contest.
Me: Midnight snack:
TEG: Organic ice cream from locally-owned Three Twins Ice Cream.
Me: Bookmark or dog ear?
TEG: Dog ear. When a book looks used, it just looks more loved to me.
Me: Read with dustjacket or remove it?
TEG: They come off?
Me: Ocean, Lake, Desert, Mountain:
TEG: Ocean.
Me: Favorite book:
TEG: BEL CANTO, by Ann Patchett. I am in awe of what she does with Point of View, and it's a novel that has so much heart and is *so* human.
Me: Item you can't live without:
TEG: Computer.
Me: Who is your favorite writer that most people have never heard of?
TEG: Kim Culbertson, a YA writer (and friend), author of SONGS FOR A TEENAGE NOMAD.
Me: What kid or teen books made a difference in your world growing up?
TEG: I loved the Narnia books -- the idea of being able to walk through a closet into a secret land just fascinated me. And like many children, I was fascinated by the idea of being a child left alone/orphaned who has to find his/her way alone. I must have read A LITTLE PRINCESS, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, fifty times. I love the way books allow kids and teens to vicariously experience the fear/excitement/freedom of being on one's own without having to *actually* be in peril. Part of the paradox of *being* a child is that you want to take risks and feel safe at the same time.
Me: Where do you like to write your books (bed ~ coffee shop ~ an office)?
TEG: I write in bed or on the couch. Even when I have childcare, I leave the door open because I love hearing my kids' voices and because I want them to be able to see me even when I'm working.
Me: Describe your ideal place to write:
TEG: On a deck out by the beach. Coffee next to me, slight breeze carrying the scent of salt water. Gulls making those gull noises. Waves crashing.
Me: What are you reading @ the moment?
TEG: SUNNYSIDE, by Glen David Gold. It's just beautiful. Big and smart and I wish it would go on infinitely.
Me: Where do you usually read?
TEG: Wherever I can. Preferably, in bed or curled on the coach with family.
Me: Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?
TEG: I usually am reading only one or two novels at a time, but I'll also have something nonfiction going (research for my next book) and a literary journal with poems and short stories.
Me: Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?
TEG: Most of the nonfiction I read is for research. In that case, I do lots of annotating in the margins and/or take handwritten or typed notes as well. I rarely annotate when I'm reading fiction, unless I'm *re*-reading passages to analyze how an author accomplishes something specific.
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