Interviews with Authors

Gigi Amateau has published three books, Claiming Georgia Tate, Chancey of the Maury River and A Certain Strain of Peculiar. She grew up and continues to live here in the Richmond area with her husband and daughter. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Urban Studies and Planning and worked for nearly twenty years in Richmond's non-profit community. GYWO Editor Laura Jones recently interviewed Gigi.

LJ: Your first book was endorsed by Judy Blume while it was still a manuscript. What was it like to find out this famous author liked your book?  

GA: I loved Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret in the seventh grade, so I kind of hyperventilated when I first talked with Judy. I think I spoke to her with a tiny voice, and I just tried hard to make full and complete sentences. Judy Blume is such a generous, smart, and creative woman. She inspires me and her work and her passion inspires me, too.

LJ: Since your YA books have been published, you’ve been called on to speak at a lot of schools and organizations for young kids. Have you ever been surprised or caught off guard by their responses to your books?     

GA: With Claiming Georgia Tate, I’m always amazed at the depth and quality of discussion among teens. I went to the most incredible book group at the Adult Career Development Center last year. We talked about the book in the context of power, the cycle of violence, God, and the cultural differences between the urban and rural south. I love the students in that group; they blew me away. With Chancey of the Maury River, oh my gosh, nothing beats getting a letter from an eight year old girl telling you about her horse or an e-mail from a six year old who says she looked for Chancey when she crossed the real Maury River on her way to West Virginia. And, so far, the readers I’ve heard from about A Certain Strain of Peculiar have been boys!!

LJ: How did you learn to write so that your characters and their stories come to life?
 
GA: Well, thank you for saying that my characters and their stories DO come to life! I kind of separate my editor-self and my writer-self. The deal is: During the first fourteen or so drafts, the writer-self gets a nice loose rein to listen, speculate, imagine, and experiment with no buzzkill from the editor-self. The editor (this is the one who sits on my shoulder whispering, "you can't write that," or "don't go there" or "what will Grammy think?" or "why are you such a comma whore? stop that!") gets to have her say at the end of about the fifteenth draft, and the internal "editor" agrees to be kind and constructive. For me, the only way to really write the story is to give my imagination full and complete control without having to haggle and negotiate every choice. That all comes, but way down the road, after the story's heart is really beating nice and strong.    

LJ: Once when asked about facing writer’s block you replied, "this Haiku guy told me one time, empty your heart, take a quiet moment, and let it fill up." Do you still deal with writer's block this way?

GA: Usually, I think my writer’s block is writer’s distraction. The idea of emptying my heart and letting it fill up creates a space and a pause to go back inside the story. Sometimes, that pause is enough to move forward; sometimes, that pause washes up some brand new image or dialogue or turn in the story. Either way, I settle down, more present to what I’m doing.            

LJ: The title of your third book came from a phrase your grandmother used. How extensively do you draw on real people to create your fictional characters?

GA: I try to let my characters fully be themselves. Sometimes, it works out that a fictional character gets a dose of my version of reality. My horse, Albert, inspired Chancey in Chancey of the Maury River. Ayma, in my new book, A Certain Strain of Peculiar, is filled with my grammy’s spirit. Granddaddy Tate, in Claiming Georgia Tate, fishes and prays like my granddaddy did. Even so, every character is distinct and separate from “real life;” it has to be that way if I’m really going to write the story. I feel free to use what life shows me but I'm not bound to the way life happens.

LJ: Can you sum your life up in six words?

GA: stand drive believe catfish song thread

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