Interviews
Talking to All-American Author Meg Cabot
Barnes & Noble.com: The teenage voice you write in sounds so natural -- and your books are so in-tune with teens today. How do you do it?
Meg Cabot: My natural inner voice sounds about 16 (example of Meg's inner voice: "Ew, gross, I can't believe she's wearing that in public"), so it is very easy for me to write from the point of view of someone that age. The memories of adolescence seem to be permanently seared into my brain.
B&N.com: What were your own high school experiences like -- and how (if at all) do they figure into your writing and affect the way you write about your character's lives?
MC: My four years of high school were the most miserable of my life. When I have nightmares now, they are always about being stuck back in high school. Generally in geometry. Sometimes gym.
Fortunately, I kept detailed records of my agony. I frequently refer to the journals I kept when I was a freshman–senior for inspiration while writing my books, particularly The Princess Diaries.
B&N.com: Where did the idea for All-American Girl come from?
MC: My mom's boyfriend has three little granddaughters who live in Washington, D.C. One day I just started wondering what it would be like to grow up in a town like D.C., where so much is going on. A kid could, conceivably, even run into the president...and possibly save him from an assassin's bullet. So that's how I came up with the plot for All-American Girl. Although Sam is not based on any of my mom's boyfriend's grandkids...they are all under the age of eight.
B&N.com: Is Samantha based on anyone you know, or knew? She is an artist -- and she was thrown suddenly into the media spotlight. Is she like you?
MC: Sam's experiences and attitudes are definitely based on my own. I had an art teacher in middle school who was exactly like Sam's. She kept holding up white eggs and telling me to paint the colors in them. For a long time I thought she was nuts. Then one day, it just clicked. It took me much longer than it took Sam, though.
I haven't exactly been thrust into the limelight like Sam was, though. Coke and Pepsi are not sending me lifetime supplies of their products (sadly).
B&N.com: You write so well about Sam's "unrequited love" for Jack...and then her confusing feelings for David. Again, how do you do it? Any personal experiences with all-consuming crushes?
MC: Oh my gosh, who hasn't had a crush on a totally inappropriate person? Like Samantha, I loved (or thought I loved) a boy who was totally wrong for me -- and I think I was the only one who couldn't see it...or the fact that the perfect guy for me was there all along, just waiting for me to notice him! Thankfully I finally woke up one day, and now we've been married for almost ten years.
B&N.com: Were you a big reader when you were growing up? Can you name a few of your favorite children's books?
MC: I read almost exclusively sci-fi fantasy as a kid: Tolkien, Lloyd Alexander, Susan Cooper. I've been expanding my horizons lately, and am loving Tamora Pierce, Maud Hart Lovelace, and Louise Rennison.
B&N.com: Now that one of your books (The Princess Diaries) has been made into a movie -- and you have others optioned -- has your writing changed (i.e., do
you write more for the screen)?
MC: The only thing about my writing that's changed is that I am finally making a living doing it, so I no longer have my "day job" (assistant managing a 700-bed freshman dorm at New York University) and can write full time. And the good thing is that I have enough money saved up so that if my next book really bombs, I won't have to go back to listening to kids complain about their roommates any time soon (I hope).
B&N.com: Does your success surprise you? How has it changed your life?
MC: Well, I have a car for the first time in my life (even though I don't drive). And I own real estate in Manhattan, something I never thought would happen. And I got the one thing I've always wanted: a whirlpool tub! I sit in it for hours every night (I am not kidding), reading.
I guess I'm not as surprised about my books' success as some of my family members and ex-boyfriends are. Especially the ex-boyfriends.
B&N.com: What is next for Meg Cabot -- what can we look forward to?
MC: Lately, I have been combining my two loves -- YAs and historicals -- by writing YA historicals. I will have two out soon: Nicola and the Viscount and Victoria and Rogue. These are fun romances that are totally appropriate for the 12-and-up crowd. But I'm not abandoning my adult books! I have two coming out soon, under the name Meggin Cabot: The Boy Next Door (October 2002) and She Went All the Way (December 2002), humorous romantic mysteries that are set in the here-and-now! And in January 2003, Haunted, the latest installment of my YA series The Mediator, will be out, followed in Spring 2003 by The Princess Diaries 4: Princess in Waiting.
Phew! Am I tired! Good thing I've got that whirlpool tub waiting....
B&N.com: Can you give me a list of the top ten reasons why you love your life?
MC: 10. I get to wear pajamas all day long.
9. I can go to bed whenever I want.
8. I can eat popcorn for lunch, ice cream for dinner.
7. No homework, ever.
6. I got to meet Julie Andrews.
5. I have 300 channels, and can watch TV all day (and frequently do).
4. I live in New York City, the greatest city in the world.
3. I got to meet Judy Blume.
2. I have a total hottie for a husband.
1. I get paid to make things up!
