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Carrie Jones is the author of the forthcoming novel, Tips on Having a Gay (ex)Boyfriend, available May 28, 2007
from Flux, an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. The book is the story of Belle, a high school senior who learns that
her long-time boyfriend, Dylan, is gay. Both Dylan and Belle are subject to taunting and threats, and both find support in
places they wouldn't have expected. The novel is written in evocative prose, and the action is kept taut by the compressed
time period of the book—a single week, beginning with the day Dylan comes out to Belle, and ending at a school dance.
What happens in the middle will keep you laughing, guessing, hoping, and turning pages.
And now, here's a write-up of my sit-down with the talented Carrie Jones:
The Edge of the Forest: Your first novel, Tips on Having a Gay (ex)Boyfriend, focuses on one week in the life of a
girl after her long-time high school boyfriend tells her he's gay. How did you come to write the story, and why did you
decide to limit it to a single week?
Carrie Jones: I had heard about a local girl who was the victim of a hate crime because her boyfriend announced
he was gay. That was just so wrong, and so ridiculous. I mean, it's ridiculous for people to persecute people for their
sexual preference, but to persecute people for their ex-boyfriend's sexual preference? It's beyond my understanding.
And I'd had a few gay ex-boyfriends myself. Okay, I've had about 82.
So, I started to write Tips. I limited it to a single week because I really wanted to zero in on the intensity of
the moment, the way a poem can sometimes take a brief interaction of time and turn it into a universal truth that resonates
with people. I wanted to somehow steal that intensity and thoughtfulness that poets have, and the only way I could think to
do that was by playing with the form of Tips.
Oh, that sounds so pompous.
The Edge of the Forest: Prior to the breakup, where exactly did Belle, the main character, "fit" at her high
school—was she in the "in-crowd," a wannabe, a music geek, a goody-goody (she is a leader of Amnesty International,
after all), or something harder to characterize? Does her status change in your mind after the book starts?
Carrie Jones: Part of Belle's identity is that she doesn't believe she's popular. Sure, she was the Harvest Queen.
Sure, she was in charge of Amnesty. Sure, she used to be a cheerleader. Sure, people like her. But she doesn't perceive of
herself as popular in that mean-girl genre movie sort of way. This really comes into play in the second book.
In rural Maine, lots of kids multitask their roles. They are jocks. They are brains. They might drink. Yet, lots of times
in the media, and in books and TV, we try to pigeon hole people, and especially teenagers, into just being one sort of
thing. We label them: jock, prep, druggie, music geek, goth girl. That's not how real life works. People are more than just
one persona. They can defy stereotypes. They can be layered. They can be a music geek and take Hydrocodone. It happens.
I wanted Belle to be like that, not the pill-popping music geek, but the layered person struggling against a society that
wants to categorize people into neat little boxes.
I think her social status changes a bit in the book, but I think she also bounces back big time.
The Edge of the Forest: Throughout the book, Belle writes herself lists as a stress-management technique. Do you
write yourself lists, and, if so, can you tell me what a few of the recent ones are called?
Oh. That's mean.
Um.
There's:
a. How Not to Stress Out While Answering Interview Questions
b. Goals for April Oh, that's a thrilling one right there.
c. My All-time Favorite Underwear
d. And, of course, Who I'd Like to See in My Favorite Underwear of All Time
e. Reasons Why My Dog is a Hottie
The Edge of the Forest: One of the things I liked about Tips is that Belle has a seizure disorder, but
that is totally not the focus or the point of the book. It's just there, which is how so many health conditions are for
real live kids (whether it's epilepsy or juvenile diabetes or something else). What prompted you to include a character
with a chronic condition?
Oh, I feel a list coming on...
a. I have seizures. Yep. They are caused by caffeine and/or aspartame,
just like Belle's seizures.
b. I did my master's thesis on how epilepsy stereotypes pervade
children's literature.
c. Part of what happens in books is authors use the disorder/condition
to define the character.
d. In most cases, that's stereotyping, but it's also perpetuating the
stigma involved.
e. I'm tired of books that perpetuate stigma.
The Edge of the Forest: I am so dying to ask you more about Tom, the yummy soccer player with skin the color of
tree bark. I will limit myself, however, to discussing his fascination with duct tape. Is it based on a personal obsession
that we should know about? And did you try making some of the actual items attributed to Tom to be sure it was possible?
Carrie Jones: I think he's yummy too. Sadly, no, I do not have an obsession with duct tape.
Masking tape is a different story. Oh, you can do some wickedly wonderful things with masking tape. For instance, you can
tape down water color paper. Or, you can make cool designs on your jeans.
Yep. I had my local duct tape expert do the Tom duct tape items. It's possible. However, be warned, you have to have
strong, strong hands to do what Tom does with duct tape. That only makes it sexier though.
The Edge of the Forest: Hold up—do you actually have a duct-tape expert?
Carrie Jones: Yes, I do. I am a lucky, lucky person. He's very handy. Everyone needs a duct-tape expert, I think.
The Edge of the Forest: Details please?
Carrie Jones: You are so nosey.
Nosey. Nosey. Nosey.
Okay. He's my husband.
The Edge of the Forest: I am also dying to ask you more about Em, Belle's BFF, who I loved for her dialogue and her
decision to sing loudly in order to cheer up. Where did you come up with her?
Em is a combination of:
a. My own lovely Em who says things like, "Who's the pretty kitty. Oh yes you are.
Yes you are." She also says stuff like, "I am so going to kill him for you."
b. Me, because I really don't like buying tampons, and I'm what? Super old. I'm
super old and I still try to get other people to do it for me.
c. My best friend from high school who used to sing so badly so off key in her
car that it would crack everyone up.
d. One of my current best friends who is capable of falling in love with boys who
are just not as smart as she is. No offense to them or anything.
The Edge of the Forest: I believe you have a few other books under contract, including one about a girl who
writes letters to (long-dead movie actor) John Wayne. What can you tell us about it?
Carrie Jones: The story with John Wayne is currently called True Grit. It was the first YA (young adult
novel) I wrote while I was at Vermont College.
It's a story about this girl, Liliana, who wants to have someone save her, but she sort of has to save herself from a lot
of junk. Her mom's boyfriend is a bad, bad dude. Her best friend is all into being popular instead of being real. Her dad's
started dressing like a woman. Poor Lily.
It's coming out in 2008.
The Edge of the Forest: Is it true there's a sequel to Tips on Having a Gay (ex)Boyfriend in the works?
And, if so, how much of Belle and Em and Tom will we see?
Carrie Jones: It's done. Phew. And it's all about Belle and Em and Tom. It's coming out in March 2008 and it's
written from Belle's point of view again, which was really fun because (sob!) I missed them when I was done writing Tips.
I especially missed Tom. How sad is it when you start to crush on one of your own characters. Oh, I'll answer that. It is
super sonic sad.
The Edge of the Forest: Will Dylan be in the sequel, Love (And Other Uses for Duct Tape)? If not, can you
tell me whether he and Belle kept in touch?
Carrie Jones: Dylan is in Love (And Other Uses for Duct Tape), too, but he's not a major player. He and Belle are still friends, just not
best friends. And, yep, he's still dating.
The Edge of the Forest: I understand that you've branched away from young adult fiction and written a nonfiction
picture book. Care to dish?
Carrie Jones: I did! It's about Moe Berg who was a baseball player back right before WWII at a time when there
weren't a lot of Jewish baseball players. He was Princeton smart, and he was also a spy. He was a baseball player and a
spy, which is what I'd like to be.
Right now, it's supposed to come out in Spring 2008.
The Edge of the Forest: You used to edit poetry journals. To my mind, this accounts (at least in part)for some of
the poetic imagery I detected in your writing when I read the ARC of Tips on Having a Gay (ex)Boyfriend.
Do you also write poetry? If not, why not?
Carrie Jones: I used to. But I'm a pretty bad poet. When I graduated college, that's what I wanted to be: a poet.
However, I'd only get paid somewhere between $5-$50 a poem, or just contributors' copies, and I needed to make money
because I was so very, very tired of eating Ramen Pride Noodles. All my poems started to be about Ramen Pride Noodles. This
is a frightening thing.
That's when I became a sports reporter. Really. I was a sports reporter. This is a sad, sad thing, because I am not a
super knowledgeable sports person. I used to sit behind my friend Shane who would be in charge of the buzzer at high school
basketball games and write down everything he and the scorekeeper said.
I totally fooled everyone, except the officials at big state games. They'd always stop me when I'd go out in the field
after the game and say, "Hey. Girl. You can't be out here. Only reporters can be out here."
"I am a reporter," I'd say.
And they'd go, "Right."
The Edge of the Forest: You got a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) in writing from Vermont College.
Carrie Jones: I did. Once I realized I wanted to write books I realized I should probably get some help figuring out
how to write them. So I applied.
The Edge of the Forest: Do all graduates of the MFA program get multiple-book deals, or just you?
Carrie Jones: I was not the most talented person in my graduating class, not by a long shot, but I was the
luckiest person, not just because I sold three books while I was there, but because I got to hang out with them. They
really are brilliant writers, all of them.
The Edge of the Forest: What do you think folks who are considering an MFA should know about the program(s), pros
and cons?
Carrie Jones: An MFA program like Vermont's is an intense craft-oriented journey. It's amazing. The mentors are
generous with their time and with their criticism and with their warmth, but I think the people who come away with the most
improvement to their writings are the people who are the most open to criticism, and playing, and exploring.
Cons? I think sometimes programs become a bit insular. They all have the same style of mentors/advisors preaching the
same things like: Third Person is the best!
Or: No more dead father books.
Or: A picture book from the point of view of George Bush's father's broken condom is not a good idea!
However, Vermont College has tried really hard to make sure that its faculty members have different approaches to writing.
That's got to be applauded.
The big con? Oh, it costs a lot of money, and you can go into debt, and you can be totally overwhelmed by how
AMAZING all the other students are, and you can...
I'd better stop there.
The Edge of the Forest: What do you wish you'd known before you went?
Carrie Jones: Oh. I wish I'd known that the showers in the dorms were really cruddy. How hard is it to get a curtain
that pulls all the way across? I mean, really.
The Edge of the Forest: Speed round:
Cheese or chocolate? Romano cheese. Or Skinny Cow Fudge Bars. Hmmm...Fudge bars.
Coffee or tea? (yeah, you can answer Postum) Postum!!!!
Cats or dogs? No. I can't choose. I love them all. Plus, my cat would scratch me if I picked the wrong one, and
the dog would totally leave poopy presents on the basement floor if I picked the cat.
Favorite color? Right now, Prismacolor's watercolor pencil's light cerulean blue
Favorite snack food? Snack? What's a snack?
Favorite ice cream? Moose droppings.
Water or soda? Water.
What's in your CD player/on iTunes right now? Playing right this second is Lucie Blue Tremblay's Sweet Torment.
What's the last movie you memorized lines from? Hondo. There's this great line in it that John Wayne
says: "I don't guess people's hearts got anything to do with a calendar."
Read a review of Tips on a Gay (ex)Boyfriend here.
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