.jpeg?picon=3655)
Hi, Amy! Thank you so much for coming onto the blog today. We are super excited to have you here.
Thanks! I’m excited too!
When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
It’s hard to say. In high school, I wanted to be a painter but I was busy writing poetry on the side. Then, in college, I decided I wanted to be a filmmaker but at the same time I started writing about music for magazines like Spin, Ray Gun and Seventeen. After college, I was focused on directing but still kept writing—screenplays and teleplays. And then I set out to write this novel. It’s funny because I never really identified myself as a writer and yet it’s the one constant. I’ve always been doing it in one form or another.
You have a diverse resume of writing credits but Liv, Forever is your first published novel. Have you written other books or was this your first attempt at a novel?
You have a diverse resume of writing credits but Liv, Forever is your first published novel. Have you written other books or was this your first attempt at a novel?
This is my first attempt at a novel. I wrote a number of short stories in college but never attempted a novel before Liv, Forever.
How is the story writing process different when writing a novel versus writing for film or television? Do you prefer one over the other?
Writing a novel is very different from writing a screenplay. Screenplays have super strict structure and format so I felt liberated writing Liv, Forever. I was allowed to go into Liv’s head! I was allowed to describe locations in detail! I was allowed to shift narrators (in the “Ghost Death Statements” interspersed throughout the book). It was so invigorating! That said, I do think my screenwriting past influenced the novel’s style. The writing is still pretty lean and it’s quite visual (I hope!).
In Liv, Forever, one of the characters is able to see ghosts. Do you have any real life experiences with ghosts?
I’ve had a few ghosty moments in my life, for sure! But they weren’t scary moments, they were more comforting moments, moments when it seemed the spirit of someone I loved might be there.
Did you have to do any kind of research in order to write Liv, Forever?
I did TONS of research. First, Liv is an artist and so she talks about art a lot so I had to refresh myself on all of the art that she’d be immersed in (I studied Art History in college but I was a little rusty). But then there were tons of random topics I researched: weird boarding school traditions, Waspy names, ghost stories, ritualistic killings, spirit photography, Romanticism, Spiritualism, and the architecture of Wickham Hall. Also, each of those “Ghost Death Statements” takes place in a different decade so I did a lot of research for each of those.
What are you working on next?
As a screenwriter, I always have several projects going (you have to because they’re completely unpredictable!). At present, I’m writing a feature script for Liv, Forever. I’m also developing a TV show I’m really excited about based on Eve and Leonora Epstein’s book X vs. Y: A Culture War a Love Story. Bookwise, I have a pretty clear idea of a book two for Liv. I hope to start it soon.
Lightning round!
Describe Liv, Forever in 140 character or less.
New to boarding school, Liv dies just as she's falling in love. A ghost, she must solve her own murder & find a way to reconnect to her love
Last book read.
X vs Y: A Culture War a Love Story by Eve and Leonora Epstein
Most recent dream.
I had a dream that I could see that a filmmaker whose work I admire had “favorited” something I posted. Clearly I’ve been spending too much time on Twitter!
Favorite writing snack and/or beverage.
Irish Breakfast Tea with milk
Cake or pie and what kind?
Cherry pie a la mode.
Thank you so much for coming onto the blog today, Amy. We are very excited about Liv, Forever and wish you the best.
0 Comments on Author Interview with Amy Talkington as of 3/26/2014 3:51:00 AM
Add a Comment
