Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Author Interview; Debbie Rigaud

Debbie Rigaud is the author of the recently released book Perfect Shot (reviewed here), and the Hallway Diaries. I am pleased to welcome Debbie for an author interview!
What do you like most about writing for young adults?
What I love most about this awesome audience seems to change every day. But today I appreciate my readers' enthusiasm the most. I've been getting such amazing feedback from teens who enjoy PERFECT SHOT. Knowing how much they laughed out loud or loved a certain character in the story makes it all worthwhile for me.

If you could be a character from your books for one day, who would it be and why?
It would be fun stepping into Pam's eclectic shoes for a day. Pam is London's best friend in PERFECT SHOT. She does what it takes to keep her teen style blog fabulous, even if it means going dumpster diving for salvageable T-shirts or performing on-the-spot interviews with the strangers she scouts. It would be an interesting day, to say the least.

Where did you get the inspiration for your just released book, Perfect Shot?
I was inspired by ambitious teens. So many young people are doing amazing things, pursuing their goals and making bold strides in the pursuit of their passions. I totally admire their drive and wanted to create characters like them. London, the main character, has Olympic aspirations and Brent, her love interest, is on his way to a career in photography.

Since you are a YA writer can you tell us what you were like as a teen? Does that influence your characters? How?
As a teen, I loved to laugh. Laughter was like a favorite dessert. So, even if I'm writing something dramatic, I think I'll always have some humor tastefully sprinkled throughout the story. It's just my nature. I come from a Haitian family whose interactions are shaped by humor. From the youngest relative to the most senior, everyone in my family has jokes.

What where your favorite books as a young adult?
I enjoyed romantic comedies and got into some retro (even before my time) YA, like Over The Hill at Fourteen by Jamie Callan. In my teens, I also discovered The Color Purple by Alice Walker, which shook me to my core.

What's your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?
Connecting with people is my favorite. My least favorite has to be committing myself to a disciplined writing schedule. I think I may have adult ADHD.
Do you have a dream for the future of your writing, something you love to accomplish?
I do. But at the moment, I'm staying open to today's possibilities and taking things one day at a time. :-)

Many Thanks, Debbie! For more about Debbie and her books, you can visit her site by clicking here


4 comments:

  1. Great interview! I am going to check out the review! :)

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  2. Thank you so much for the feature, Marjolein! I enjoyed our exchange. :-)

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  3. Thank you for this interview! I learned some new things about Debbie, I too think it would be way interesting to be in Pam's shoes! Although I would love to be London and know what it feels like to be pretty and a good volleyball player :)

    Is any of your family still in Haiti, Debbie?

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  4. Oops--signed on as "Warwick" before. That's my Haiti relief account. Hi MissAttitude! I do have a cousin in Haiti who has small children (including a 2 month old). A week after the quake, we finally heard from her. She and the kids are fine. But relatives married into the fam have received horrible, horrible news. Thanks for asking.
    Hope you're well.

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