Gillian Summers
Author of Into the Wildewood: Book Two of the Faire Folk Trilogy (Flux )
Read the review here.
When did you start reading and what did you read as a kid?
I remember Dr. Seuss being read to me when I was very little, and I’d tell everyone I could read them myself, probably because I’d memorized the text. I loved The Lorax. Also heard The Hobbit at bedtime. Scary dragon dreams, but totally worth it. Whenever I played in the shady parts of the forest by my house I was always afraid the Nazgul would come out of the dark and get me. I was an avid reader as a child. I read everything I could get my hands on. I, even read the encyclopedia. My favorite was a set of Childcraft books we had. I loved the folk tales.
When you were growing up did you have books in your home?
Absolutely! And tons of National Geographics that encouraged my inner archeologist.
When did you think about becoming a writer? Was there someone who got you interested in writing?
I loved stories, and always told lots of them. Problem is, I told them in first person. Can you say big fat liar? A kindly teacher told me to write them down as the adventures of someone else. It was like a light bulb turned on. From then on I was a Truthful Trudy and no one ever heard about my skydiving adventures with Dracula, ever again. I wrote them in my journals, though, and never shared them with anyone until I won an essay contest in school. Me! It’s still a thrill to share my stories.
How do you write? Do you have a daily routine? What's good about it? What do you hate about it?
I do have a daily routine. I have a cup of tea and sit down to write for a couple of hours, then stop to feed the animals and myself. Afterwards I write steadily for several hours. What's good about it is the total quiet, a ritual that lets me immerse myself in my made up world. What I hate? Sometimes it's lonely and I'd like to talk to someone other than my cat. And I feel totally guilty if I miss a day.
Any particular story to tell concerning the writing of this book?
I do. The coolest one happened two years ago, when I glanced through a children’s picture book about unicorns while I was at a bookstore, and on my way home that fall morning I saw a beautiful white horse running through a field alongside the road, with golden leaves drifting all around like a slow-motion rain. It was magical, and I knew that I had to have Keelie meet a unicorn.
The first book in The Faire Folk Trilogy, The Tree Shepherd’s Daughter, came about after one of my many trips to a Ren [Renaissance] Faire. A lot of people live and work at the Ren Faire, and I thought, what happens after hours, and what if some of the magic in the shows was real? That got my wheels turning.
What some good advice that you've received concerning writing? What's some advice that you could offer young writers?
Write in your journals to keep your writing muscle flexible, and also because it’s kind of therapeutic. And if you’ve started a story, finish it, even if it's really hard to slog to the end! If something needs to be changed, you can fix it later. As Nora Roberts says, you can't fix what hasn't been written. Also, read a lot, and stretch yourself by reading different kinds of books.
How did you find the publisher for this book? What has you experience as a publisher been like?
My agent found my publisher, and it’s been a wonderful experience. Everyone at Flux is fabulous.
What are you working on at the moment?
The next book in the Faire Folk trilogy, The Secret of the Dread Forest. And I’ve got more stories up my batwing Ren Faire sleeves...
What are you reading?
Too many books, not enough hours! I’m reading The Pinhole Egg by Diana Wynne Jones (who is brilliant). The Usbourne Guide to Vikings (research for another book), Stephanie Meyer’s Eclipse, and Simone Elkeles’ Leaving Paradise (she’s brilliant, too, and hilarious in person). I also just finished reading The World Without Us by Alan Weisman, a comforting book about how quickly the human footprint would vanish if we went away. Bad news for monument builders, good news for ardent environmentalists like me.
