Here’s a interview I did for Teens Read Too. It was a lot of fun.
First off, thanks so much for joining us for an up-close and personal interview for TeensReadToo.com! My name is Jen, and I’ll be your server toda…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time out of your writing schedule—which I’m sure is busy!—and answering a few questions for your readers and fans.
No. Thank you, Jen. It’s a pleasure.
Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?
I guess it was in third grade. I wrote a story about a mouse. That’s all I remember about it – a mouse doing mouse-type things, fighting for cheese, running from cats. My teacher really liked it and made a big deal about it and I thought, ‘Hey, I like this attention.’
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
It’s taken me a while; I definitely have a day job and don’t plan on dropping that anytime in the future (but wouldn’t that be nice…just give me a moment here to dream about it…yes, that would be nice).
My wife is also a published writer (Lauren Baratz-Logsted). She’s been a huge help. I mean HUGE. One of the hardest parts of getting published is just knowing which doors to knock on.
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
SOMETHING HAPPENED is the story of thirteen-year-old Billy Romero five months after his dad’s unexpected death. Billy struggles to make sense of the loss of his father. His friends expect him to move on but he just can’t. His mother is struggling with work and the loss of her husband leaving Billy basically on his own. No one seems to understand how alone he feels…except his new English teacher, the young and beautiful Miss Gate. She offers him the support and friendship he craves. It’s a little weird but it’s also kind of exciting that someone like Miss Gate wants to hang out with him. But the closer they get, the more Billy wonders what kind of friendship this really is.
The one thing is…don’t you want to know what happens between Billy and his teacher?
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
My teenage years are very vivid to me. I enjoy writing from that viewpoint.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
I live with my wife Lauren Baratz-Logsted and our nine-year-old daughter Jackie. Believe it or not we’re all published writers. Jackie and I worked with my wife on a series of books called The Sisters Eight. Check it out… www.sisterseight.com – oh yeah, that’s right: you reviewed the first two books! My parents live in Florida and my brother lives down there too.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
I’d have to say, scrambled eggs on toast with ketchup. (Is that gross?)
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
I’ve got a large cannon in the front yard that I fire off every morning. The neighbors hate it. Just kidding. Let’s see…three things. Turn on my computer. Make a cup of tea. Start hunting for the newspaper.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?
Most people notice the portal to a different dimension.
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
I guess blue. Blue just has a way of making me feel good, relaxed and contented. Besides, I know Blue…the guy’s rich. All the other colors envy him.
Who is your favorite cartoon character?
Sponge Bob can always cheer me up.
Which cartoon character is most like you?
Sometimes I feel like Yosemite Sam when he was shipwrecked on that desert Island living on coconuts. Coconuts for breakfast, Coconuts for lunch, Coconuts for dinner until he breaks down and screams, “I HATE COCONUTS!”
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?
That’s a tough one but I’d have to pick the Great Empire of Greenland around 2096. Imagine being there when they first discovered time travel!
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?
It’s always changing. Always. If you looked at my iPod artist list you’d see it’s all over the place. But right now it’s been Radiohead, Coldplay and the latest B.B. King. They’ve been on my CD loop for the past few weeks. If I listen to music while I’m writing it’s something without lyrics, because lyrics bounce around in my head making it impossible for me to write.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?
House, Rescue Me, Dexter, Entourage, Weeds.
I can watch Vanilla Sky over and over again.
My last movie in the theater was Slumdog Millionaire.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
The biggest piece of advice is to write every day, which means…every day. Got it?
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
ALIBI JUNIOR HIGH, my first hardcover! June 23 2009. It’s more action-packed than my first. It’s about a thirteen-year-old boy, Cody Saron, accustomed to living a globetrotting James Bond lifestyle with his mysterious dad. Cody must suddenly learn to cope with regular school life for the first time after he’s forced into hiding when a secret mission turns bad. He thinks after everything he’s done that going to a small Connecticut junior high school will be easy, a piece of cake…boy, is he ever wrong.
This book is a whole lot of fun. I love the cover! They did a great job. It’s so cool – check it out at www.greglogsted.com
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
NO. Thank you! It’s been a whole lot of fun!
