Ontario Teen Book Fest Blog Tour – Spotlight on Emily Ziff Griffin + Giveaway
Hi, everyone! The Ontario Teen Book Fest is back with an amazing lineup. I’ve been to this event for the last few years and it’s always a really good time. Big thanks to the festival for having me on their blog tour again this year. Today I am spotlighting author Emily Ziff Griffin (Light Years). Read on for the interview with Emily, info on the fest, as well as the dates for the other tour stops. Don’t forget the giveaway at the very end of the post, too!
What: The Ontario Teen Book Fest
When: Saturday March 3rd, 9 am to 5 pm
Where: Colony High School 3850 E. Riverside Drive, Ontario, CA 91761
Notes:
This event is FREE and UNTICKETED
There is also a FREE lunch provided by Panera Bread!
The event is sponsored by Once Upon A Time. They will have books available for purchase at the event. There will also be t-shirts and posters available for purchase as well. Their website: http://www.shoponceuponatime.com/
Please use hashtag #ontariotbf on social media
Interview with Emily Ziff Griffin
Luisa is ready for her life to start. Five minutes ago. And she could be on her way, as her extraordinary coding skills have landed her a finalist spot for a fellowship sponsored by Thomas Bell, the world’s most brilliant and mercurial tech entrepreneur. Being chosen means funding, mentorship, and most importantly, freedom from her overbearing mother. Maybe Lu will even figure out how to control the rare condition that plagues her: whenever her emotions run high, her physical senses kick into overload, with waves of colour, sound, taste, and touch flooding her body.
But Luisa’s life is thrust into chaos as a deadly virus sweeps across the globe, killing thousands and sending her father into quarantine. When Lu receives a cryptic message from someone who might hold the key to stopping the epidemic, she knows she must do something to save her family—and the world.
Can you tell us a little bit about how you started writing? Was is something that you were always interested in or did that come later in life?
I did write a bit in high school and college, and was always creative in various forms (dance, film, photography), but it took me a long time to get up the guts to try writing in earnest and call myself an artist. I will turn 40 this year and i would say I’ve only been a writer for three, maybe four years. What prompted me to get serious about it was realizing that I had stories to tell and things to say and that the only thing that was holding me back was fear of failure.
What were some of your favorite books growing up?
Early on i loved Agatha Christie mysteries. Those are the first real books I remember being consumed by and loving. And books like A Wrinkle in Time, Bridge to Terabithia, and Tuck Everlasting stand out to this day as huge influences.
What is a typical writing day like for you?
Because I am also a producer, and a mom, I rarely have an entire day that is just a writing day. I usually get home from school drop off around 9am and spend the first three or four hours of the day doing calls and emails for my producing work. Then, if I don’t have any meetings, I have some food and settle in to write. I like to play music, most often one of the ‘focus’ playlists on Apple music. I like to drink coffee. Usually just when I’ve gotten into a groove, it’s time to go pick up my kids! I also often write at night after they’ve gone to bed, if I have the energy.
You previously worked as a film producer, including work with Philip Seymour Hoffman. Did your experiences as a producer have an effect on how you approached writing a novel or getting published?
One of the main thingsI learned as a producer, and specifically from working with Phil, who held himself and those he worked with to very high standards, is that every problem, creative or logistical has a solution. I relied on that truth consistently to get me through many tough moments and plot challenges writing my book. Phil also taught me the critical importance of making my creative work personal without being literal.
I am always interested in names. How do you come up with character names? Do the character names in “Light Years” have any special significance or meaning?
Luisa, or Lu as she is known, was for me a small connection to Phil Hoffman whose email handle was Luu Hoffman. I also loved the idea of a girl’s name that when shortened sounds like a boy’s name. To me, Luisa the character embodies essential qualities of both the masculine and the feminine and so I wanted a name that could subtly do that too. Her mother’s last name, ‘Ochoa’ means ‘wolf’ and wolf imagery is a key part of Luisa’s narrative. Kamal is named after a really hot guy in my freshman year of college to whom I never spoke more than five words, but I always thought was gorgeous from afar. ‘Thomas Bell’ was loosely inspired by a real person who has a similarly generic first name and a monosyllabic surname that has some tonal similarities with ‘bell.’
If you could go back in time and tell your teen self one thing, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to be an artist, or to be yourself.
What is your favorite thing about being an author? Least favorite?
Favorite thing is connecting with readers and feeling like I’ve given someone a powerful and/or entertaining experience. it’s an amazing thing to feel that something I’ve made has made a positive impression on someone else. Least favorite is how long it takes to write a whole novel!
Most surreal author moment?
Opening a box of hardcovers with my name on them. It was like, whaaaaaaat?
Last but not least, can you tell us what you are currently working on?
I’m in post-production on a film I produced called 18 TO PARTY. I’m writing a TV adaptation of LIGHT YEARS. I’m writing a secret project for a major video game developer. And I’ve just started a new novel! I’m tired just typing these things out!
Lightning round:
Favorite writing beverage: coffee!
Favorite writing snack: all the tortilla chips
Cake or pie and what kind: pie, key lime
Secret talent: I can do a trick where I stick a water bottle on top of my head, fasten my hair all around it, and I look like i stuck my finger in a socket.
Author you’d most like to meet: Madeleine l’engle
Place you’d most like to visit: India
Thing you can’t live without: my children
Thanks, so much, Emily! Be sure to say hi to Emily at the OTBF next month!
About the Author
Emily Ziff Griffin lives in LA where she writes, produces, teaches, daydreams, and mothers two young kids. When she was 25, she co-founded Cooper’s Town Productions with Philip Seymour Hoffman and produced the Academy Award-winning film, ‘Capote,’ along with Hoffman’s directorial debut ‘Jack Goes Boating,’ and John Slattery’s ‘God’s Pocket.’ She’s run three marathons, slowly, and holds a degree from Brown University in art-semiotics, the study of how images make meaning. She believes children are way more sophisticated than adults typically give them credit for and writes for the teenager who is ready to claim their own worldview and be grounded in their own power. ‘Light Years’ is her first novel. Find Emily at https://emilyziffgriffin.com.
Follow the Tour
FEB 19th
Spotlight on Jennifer Brody – What A Nerd Girl Says
Spotlight on Abdi Nazemian – Read Now Sleep Later
FEB 20th
Spotlight on Anthony Breznican – Starkiller Reads
Spotlight on Lilliam Rivera – Movies Shows and Books
FEB 21th
Spotlight on Jessica Cluess – The Readers Antidote
Spotlight on Cindy Pon – My Fangirl Chronicles
FEB 22th
Spotlight on Keynote Speaker Ellen Hopkins – Germ Magazine
FEB 23th
Spotlight on Aditi Khorana – Nite Lite Book Reviews
Spotlight on Mary Pearson – Adventures of a Book Junkie
FEB 24th
Spotlight on Emily Ziff Griffin – Nite Lite Book Reviews
Spotlight on Brandy Colbert – Read Now Sleep Later
FEB 25th
Spotlight on Keynote Speaker Josephine Angelini – The Readers Antidote
FEB 26th
Spotlight on Isabel Quintero – What A Nerd Girl Says
Spotlight on Amy Spalding – My Fangirl Chronicles
FEB 27th
Spotlight on Jonathan Maberry – Seeking Bazinga
Spotlight on Keynote Speaker Jeff Garvin – Movies Shows n Books
FEB 28th:
Spotlight on Ava Dellaira – Book Lovers Book Reviews
Spotlight on Kim Turrisi – Starkiller Reads
MAR 1st:
Spotlight on Jessica Brody – Adventures of a Book Junkie
MAR 2nd:
Spotlight on Robin Benway – What A Nerd Girl Says
Spotlight on Lindsey Summers – Seeking Bazinga
Giveaway
The prize for the giveaway is an Ontario TBF poster signed by all attending authors. (Please note that the signatures may vary due to author schedules, etc. but we will do our best to get signatures by all authors present.) Just go to the link below and enter via the Rafflecopter form. Good luck!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/8952c82035