Writer / Director Cecil Castellucci’s first young adult novel, ‘Boy Proof’ came out spring 2005, in the same year, she was named as a Flying Start by Publisher’s Weekly. She also received an Honorable Mention in PW’s annual cuffie awards as Most Promising New Author. Her second novel ‘The Queen of Cool’ came out in February 2006 followed by ‘Beige’ her subsequent novel in May 2007. Recently she wrote and directed her first feature film ‘Happy Is Not Hard To Be’. It debuted in Los Angeles at the Alternative Screen series at the Egyptian Theatre.
In course of an email interview, she talked about her new graphic novel, The PLAIN Janes and her working experience with Jim Rugg, so people whip yourself as I take you to the roller coaster ride of Cecil’s interview with us,
1. Cecil, I could make out that your works hover around ‘inquisitive’ teens, who want to quench their insatiable thirst of knowing more about life. How far I am true in holding the view?
Cecil: You are totally right. I feel that the characters I write about are trying to figure out what kind of a person they want to be.
2. One may also find feministic streak running in your works, what do you have to say in this regard?
Cecil: I am a woman. I want to write stories about girls, all sorts of girls. Girly girls, arty girls, sporty girls, mean girls, soft girls, hard girls. Every girl! I think that is being a feminist, showing that there are many different kinds of girls. So yes, I would say that I am a feminist.
3. Cecil, would you please tell us something about your new graphic novel, The PLAIN Janes? And how was it different from writing prose?
Cecil: The Plain Janes is about a girl named Jane whose parents move to the suburbs after a terrorist attack. Trying to make sense of what happened, Jane decides to forget about trying to be popular and forms an all girl art gang with four other girls named Jane that does art attacks in an attempt to make something beautiful.
It was different writing The Plain Janes, than writing my novels because I had to figure out how to tell the story not only narratively but with images, too. That may seem very obvious, but it was difficult at first to figure out how to move the action forward without relying on words.
4. We would like to hear your working experience with Jim Rugg, while the both of you were working on the PLAIN Janes?
Cecil: My working with Jim Rugg was amazing. We talked about once every couple of weeks together with our editor Shelly Bond on the telephone and discuss the thumbnails. He taught me so much about pacing and panel placement. I love the way he draws the Janes. I think he shows such a great sense of drama in the faces of his characters. It really allowed me to let go of a lot of words because I could let the story rest on the pictures. So, basically I am in awe of the talent that Jim Rugg has.
5. I read it in your interviews that you’d like to work on ’superhero comic’, now here I am curious to ask, what is there on your mind that you’d like to add in the genre other than the stereotypical superhero comics?
Cecil: Well, I think perhaps I could bring my girly eye to it. I think that it would be fun to tell a superhero story that addressed some stories that perhaps women would be interested in. I read a lot of superhero comics, and I love them, but it is not often that the stories appeal to the concerns I have as a woman. So maybe I have my point of view and perspective to offer on that.
6. Amongst your created work, which one is your all time favorite?
Cecil: That’s like asking me to pick my favorite child! I love BOY PROOF for Egg’s fragility. I love THE QUEEN OF COOL for Libby’s growth. I love BEIGE for Katy’s understanding. And I love THE PLAIN JANES for its unabashed love of life and beauty.
7. How much time do you take to complete a single project?
Cecil: Each book takes about two years from first draft until it comes out. The Plain Janes took one year.
8. Is there any work which has caught your attention presently? If yes, would you like to share it with us?
Cecil: I have been enjoying Hope Larson (Gray Horses), Bryan Lee O’Malley (Scott Pilgrim), Brian Wood (DMZ), Jamie Rich (Love the Way You Love), Bill Willingham (Fables), Grant Morrison (All Star Superman). Fiction-wise, I’ve been enjoying Shannon Hale (Book of a Thousand Days), Holly Black (Ironside), Mette Ivie Harrison (The Princess and the Hound).
9. Keeping in mind that the world out here on internet changes with blazing speed and also, everything reaches a culmination point sooner or later, we would love to know your views on the concept of blogging as a whole, how far do you think the concept will enjoy its success (if you really think that the way it has emerged, a success) and what’s fresh waiting to gobble it up?
Cecil: I do love blogging, I blog myself. I think what’s great is that there are bloggers who really have a great sense of things, a specifically quirky and wonderful point of view, and are great sources for getting a different perspective on things. I also find the personal blogs interesting. I like having a little window on the day to day of different kinds of people. I think it also is amazing that it makes the world much closer together and gives everyone a voice to say what they want. I think that blogging is a great success, it’s a great equalizer and it really heralds this being an information age. I suppose the new thing is the micro feeds, the portable and instant information and mini entertainment contents that are short and immediate.
10. Where do you see yourself, let’s say, five years from now. Any plans for the coming year?
Cecil: Hopefully in five years from now I’ll be writing more novels, more graphic novels and telling stories in other ways. This year I am working on a series of early chapter books for age 4-8 and writing a new novel. I also just finished the sequel to The Plain Janes that is called The Janes in Love and is coming out next year.
11. Finally, we would like to have your thoughts on the Instablogs News Network and all its related sites. Which one is your favorite?
Cecil: It seems well rounded. I always like the entertainment news.
Now it’s time for a rapid fire round:
1. What kind of music do you prefer?
Cecil: Indie rock / Punk / Alternative.
2. If not a songwriter/ novelist/ playwright, Cecil Castellucci would have been?
Cecil: A space scientist and dreamer.
3. From all your created characters, is there anyone with whom, you can associate yourself with?
Cecil: There is a little piece of me in all of my characters.
4. Your all time favorite novel would be?
Cecil: Hard question! Today I will say Persuasion by Jane Austen.
5. If given a chance, what would you change about the world?
Cecil: Hate. I would try to change hate and turn it into love, peace and understanding.
Cecil, thank you so much for sparing out time in doing an interview with us, it is highly appreciated and also I’d like to wish you luck for all your future endeavors.
