Author Interview: Adriana Trigiani

(Look below for my review on Viola in Reel Life)

Adriana Trigiani is an award-winning playwright, television writer, and documentary filmmaker. The author of the bestselling Big Stone Gap series and the bestselling novels Lucia, Lucia, The Queen of the Big Time, and Rococo, she has also written and will be directing the big-screen version of her first novel, Big Stone Gap, in addition to writing the Viola Chesterton Chronicles, a young adult series for HarperCollins Children's Books. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.

Fore more info on Adriana, visit her website: http://www.adrianatrigiani.com/

1) How old were you when you started writing? I was around 12. I loved writing poetry.

2) What inspired you to write Viola in Reel Life? The character Viola Chesterton came to me, I hear the voice of the character first, and then, the world unfolded. I began writing this book last fall and whenever autumn rolls around I think about school. I went to college at Saint Mary's in South Bend, Indiana, and wanted to write about that place- and what it was like- so I married the ideas and here we are!

3) Are the characters in the books based on someone you know? Not really. I imagine the characters as real people. Of course, the grandmother character "Grand" certainly falls in line with lots of the great actresses I know "of a certain age". And in this book, I use real artists and their movies and projects, hoping that my readers will take a look at the movies, plays and artists that are recommended within.

4) What was the hardest part about writing Viola in Reel Life? It's always hard to write a book, but there is nothing like it- if you love to write. I worry a great deal about my reader and if my reader will enjoy the book and be entertained. We shall see!

5) Out of all the books you've written, which one is your favorite and why? Books are like children-I love them all- but there are moments in each one that jump out at me. In Viola, I love the scene when Grand and Viola have "the talk".

6) What other projects are you working on right now? I am working on the movie script for Very Valentine for Lifetime, the second book in the Viola series while I await our greenlight for Big Stone Gap!

7) Are there any new authors that have sparked your interest? Oh yes, Many! In non fiction I enjoy Meryl Gordon, Charles Higham, Charlotte Chandler and Mark Seals. I'm loving the young adult novelists like Sarah Dessen and Jill S. Alexander. Never forget Louise Fitzhugh, Madeline L'Engle, and Beverly Cleary.

8) What book are you currently reading? I have a stack- always! I just cracked open Douglas Brinkley's new book about President Teddy Roosevelt!

9) Do you have anything to say to all your readers? I can't wait to meet you all on my tour! Please come and see me- I love to talk to YOU.

10) Tell us something about yourself that no one knows about. I was on the game show Kiddie Kollege when I was 8 years old- on WCYB TV in Bristol, Virginia. And...our team....lost!