Hello lovelies! Hope you're all nice and comfy because we have more cool stuff in store for you. :)To kick off our very first teen interview, I had the pleasure to talk to my awesome niece, Taliyah--Tee Tee to friends and family, Boo Boo to me (okay, she'll probably kill me for sharing that).
Tee Tee is 15 and attends a high school in Newport News, VA. Without further ado....
Can you tell us about your school? What are the demographics? Are there any noticeable cliques?
Most of the students in my school are black, like me. There's not too many cliques. I mean, you have your average "weird" crowd--the kids that do their own thing. You also have the popular loud group that dances all the time. No, I don't know why they have to dance. And then finally you have your quiet group. I pretty much fit in with everybody, but sometimes I do my own thing.
What is it about a book that makes you pick it up when you're browsing the shelves of the library or book store?
It has to have a good title and cover. I like mysterious looking covers, and I LOVE one-word titles.
What's the best book you've read in the last 6 months?
Hands down, Looking For Alaska by John Green. I loved how it combined fiction with factual information. I also really liked the narrator. I don't usually have a preference between male and female narrators, but Miles really spoke to me.
If you could ban one thing from all books, what would it be?
I can't stand when there's a love interest that plays hard to get. That annoys me--ugh!
What would you like to see more of in YA novels?
Happy endings--there's way too many sad endings now.
What's your favorite part of a story?
I love it when I'm just meeting the main character--discovering his or her personality. I don't care too much about the plot as long as I care about the characters.
Do you feel like characters in YA books are representative of you?
Personality-wise, yeah. There aren't many black characters in the YA books I read, but race doesn't really matter to me. I don't usually see race.
Okay, time to get random. What's a popular saying that you can't stand?
These people at my school keep saying: "You're salty!" I don't know what that means but it annoys the crap out of me. And it sounds disgusting!
What did you eat for lunch today?
I had a chicken sandwich. I usually get school lunch. And no, it's not very good.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
To steal other superpowers--that would be cool.
You also write your own stories. Want to tell everyone what you usually write about?
I like writing about characters who have some kind of difficult situation but always find ways to get through it. I prefer writing realistic fiction, but I also enjoy reading paranormal.
Any last words you want to share with our followers?
Um, absolutely not!
There you have it. Our first teen interview. I hope it provided you with some enlightenment. :) Learn anything interesting?
*BTW--our 1st Flash Fiction post is THIS Friday. We'd love you all to participate! Our 1st topic: In 300 words or less, tell us a story beginning with, "That darn cat..." Can't wait to read your stories!
20 comments:
AAAAHHHH! My niece is a star-ah! I am so proud of her and you, Pam, for coming up with some awesome interview questions- very out of the box thinking :) And I agree w/ her--we need more black characters in YA that are relatable main protags. Also, we could use more happy endings in YA what with all the dark, dystopians that are making waves...I love those but there's nothing wrong with a happy ending that's not too cheesy. And school lunches don't even get better with time, huh?
Cool prompt...I just may try it out!
Ew, "you're salty" does sound gross! I've never heard that before - I'll have to ask my teen bro if he's heard it.
This is such a great interview! The loud group that dances sounds like the loud group that sang through the hallways in my high school. I didn't get it either. Thanks for sharing this!
Great interview! I've never heard the "you're salty" either. Very interesting.
Great Interview! My teenage nephews have been using, "you're salty". I think it might be catching on. I hope not. It sounds really strange.
Aha! People have been saying 'you salty' for the past few miserable years around here. And while I do hang out with the black kids, a lot of the guidos think it sounds good coming from them... It's just gross on everyone.
Well, it's been determined, your whole freaking family is awesome. Great interview! I totally agree on one-word titles, and characters vs. plot, and love interests who play hard to get, and school lunches.
<3 Rock on, Pam!
Thanks Pam and, of course, Taliyah. What grown up answers, she has certainly given me something to think about.
Great interview, Pam! And thank you for the insight, Taliyah!
I'm going to have to ask my 15/16 yr old nieces if they've ever heard of that 'you're salty' line lol
This is a great interview. I can't wait to read more.
And "you're salty" is the weirdest thing ever I think.
Thanks for the feedback everyone! I had a great time doing this--and my niece is pretty awesome. She may just have a book out on the shelves before me. :)
What great insight! And she's so eloquent for a 15 year old, too. I was all likes and ums and duhs back then.
Awesome insight. Very cool. Thanks.
You're salty? Um. Don't even want to understand what that means. So awesome to hear from teens. Great interview, Pam and Taliyah!
The interview was great. It nice to hear from "real" teens. Also, I'm as grossed out and baffled as everyone else on the "you're salty" saying.
Great post Pam, thanks for the interview! I love hearing from real teenagers, this should be a great resource for YA authors.
Great interview. I have no idea what "you're salty" is but I kinda love it.
A-ha, I think I found a definition for "salty." I asked my teen bro the meaning and he looked at me like I was nuts before he said, "Try Urban Dictionary." According to that site, it means upset or disappointed. Maybe it hasn't caught on in my part of Virginia yet??? I guess I'll have to remedy that :)
Jennifer: That's interesting! Huh.
LOL. I hate the phrase "You're salty" also. It's stupid! Great interview! I loved it! :)
Love this! I second the Samurai - your whole family is awesome.
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