Interview With Anne Tibbets

Interview day is one of my favorite things about Book Week!

The way I do my interviews, is on FaceBook chat.

I like to interact with the author and play on their answers.

I am in green.

Anne is in black.    

******************************************************************

   I was zoned into SHUT UP as soon as I got the email from bostick. 

Is that the normal reaction to it? 

        The reaction is either all for, or all against. In the sense that some reviewers/readers/bloggers did not want to delve into the sad and at times depressing story. I don't blame them. It's not for everyone.

        Well, you can count this blonde all for it. 

Tough and depressing times are out there. 

No since in hiding from it. 

  Agreed!

And thanks.

        I know it took you quite a while, 3 years, to finish it. 

Did you ever think that it wouldn't get finished? 

 You're so welcome.

  Up until I held the paperback in my hand, I wasn't sure it would be published. Even after I finished writing it, it sat for another two or three years, collecting cyber dust on my hard drive. It wasn't until my book to film agent asked, "What else do you have?" that I sent it to him, "You know, I have this other book - but it's a departure and I'm not sure I want to publish it." But he loved it and pushed me to do it, and I'm glad he did.

          I felt so connected to Mary. 

I cried when she cried. I'm glad he pushed you to publish, too.

 What is a book to film agent?

         A book to film agent represents your book to television and movie studios. 

 I get mixed emotions when I hear you cried over the book - I'm glad, and I'm really sorry!

          Oh, don't be sorry. I loved the book! 

I know that you added a lot of emotion to SHUT UP for the flow. 

Was your sister really as bitter as Gwen was made to be?

    My real life sister had her moments, but she wasn't nearly as bi-polar as Gwen.
I had to take everything up quite a few notches    

   Of course.
I really liked the way that you had Mary and Paul share the book. 

Seeing things in both eyes made the scene more real. 

Was it planned that way?    
       
This was the only book I ever wrote without an outline. Because the story was so emotionally driven, I had to take a look at each draft as it came, making changes as they became needed. That's why it took so long. The first five drafts were only Mary. But I realized the only way to see a wider perspective was to have another narrator, and all my attempts to write as Gwen were terrible failures. So I used Paul. I loved the fact he thought so much, and said so little.
        
I agree. When he called Gwen out, I cheered for him!

        It needed to happen, and nobody else in the family was capable of doing it.

    The scene in the mall, With the boy from Children's Place, did that really happen or was it fiction? [When Mary looked in the window and saw a beautiful girl looking back at her.]    

   This is where it gets dicey. I will admit that I once ran away to the mall to try and get a job and there was a teenage boy who got me some change so I could call home. And I will admit to once seeing myself in (it was an elevator window actually) and not recognizing myself. But they didn't all happen together and at once. If that makes sense.    

     It makes perfect sense. 

Do you feel like your childhood is all just a jumble of memories out of place?    

    Parts of it are, absolutely. Parts feel so vivid it was like they were yesterday. But I had to play with the timeline quite a bit, since Mary has to deal with so many issues in the course of 1 school year.
  That was how I was able to bring her to the brink so quickly. It took me much longer.
    
I understand. 

I struggled growing up.

 I tried to end it all twice and spent a few months in a hospital.

 I think that is why most of my memories are a jumble.
        Blocking out pain, I guess.
        
When you are pumped with that much adrenaline and what have you, it's hard to pin down each moment. I'm so sorry to hear. That must have been very rough.
       I can tell you from experience, pinning down each memory and re-living it,

 isn't all it's cracked up to be either.
        I'm no shrink, but my 2 cent advice is acknowledge, plow through, and carry on!

     In SHUT UP, it kinda seems like a big part is missing near the end. 

When Mary's parents finally kick Gwen out, what prompted it? 

What made them realize what Gwen was doing to the family?

    Good question!

There must have been a conversation between the mom and dad that neither Paul or Mary saw. I had always imagined it was them talking about why Mary must have taken off, and them finally realizing what the difference was between Mary before, and Mary after Gwen had left and came back. And not just Mary - what about Paul? Even he got into trouble. So it was my thought that they had to decide between trying to help Gwen (who didn't even want their help), and trying to help the other kids in the family. And since Gwen had ideas of her own, they cut the apron strings in an attempt to salvage what was left of the others. But since neither of the narrators were there to hear this conversation, I tried to put in clues in the dialogue.

          See, I thought that maybe the Burns had talked to them.    

    Maybe they did! They should have!    

I think that Mrs. Burns *knew* what was going on. 

When Mary flinched. I felt her emotion.
        
Mrs. Burns did know. 

That was why she gasped. She had it all figured out then. 

But a lot of times, just because you "know" something, doesn't mean that you're convicted enough to get your hands dirty, and get into the middle of another family's mess....

 but I don't think it's a far stretch to say that Mrs. Burns had a few choice words for Mary's parents. 

I can totally see that.
       
Oh, I bet she did. I would.
        I see myself making choices for my family to break the cycle. Do you?
        
Every day. Every single minute. I started writing this book after I had children of my own. I think it was a way to exorcise my supposed demons, if you will.

                I do wonder what happened when Gwen got to SC, though. 

Was The Creeper there to meet them? 

Did she get help with her emotions? 

Did they stay together?

        That's for the reader to decide. ;)

        As bad as I feel for Mary and Paul and Rose, I feel for Gwen.

        I feel for her too. She was suffering so deeply she couldn't put words to it.

    Thank you, Anne, for taking the time to chat with me today.

                Thank you too!    

******************************************************************

  Isn't Anne just *great*?!?!

I really enjoyed talking with Anne, and hope you learned a little about her as well.

Come back tomorrow for my review of Shut Up!