An Interview with the Fabulous Dandi Daley Mackall

An Absolutely Amazing Interview with the Fabulous Dandi Daley Mackall!!!

I would like to apologize to everyone but especially to Ms. Mackall for not posting this on the correct date. It was my fault to not add it to my calendar on the day we agreed upon it. So everyone, to repay Ms. Mackall for my mistake how about we all go buy ourselves 1, 2, or 472 copies of her newest book My Boyfriends’ Dogs!!! Not convinced that it’s a great book? Read my review HERE

I am truly sorry for this mistake and hope that your fabulous self can forgive me. Thanks J

Personal:

5 things readers would be surprised to know about you

1. I love riding horses bareback, and I rode my first horse solo when I was 3 years old.

2. I started out writing for grown-ups, never dreaming I’d write for any other age group. Then I had kids! At one time, I wrote Scooby-Doo books, and Yogi Bear, Jetsons, Flintstones, etc. Now I’ve written for all ages.

3. I get up about 5:-5:30 AM every day, read the Bible for about 30 minutes (to get my head straight!), then write—sometimes for 12-14 hours.

4. I LOVE to dance—every kind of dance!

5. At a wedding or birthday party, I trade my cake for other people’s frosting. I adore frosting…cake, not so much.

4 things you wish you knew in high school

1. There would be other boys and better boyfriends.

2. One great friend beats a clique of fair-weather, popular friends.

3. If you open up and share real things, like real problems, hopes, and dreams, fears, questions—other people will open up to you. I would have peeled more layers from myself and my friends so we could get down to the heart and things that really matter.

4. Family members can actually be some of your best friends—and they’ll still be around long after you’ve lost track of most high school friends.

3 things you are embarrassed to own/love/have done

(I could list 300!)

1. I got to attend the University of Aix-Marseilles in France when I was a junior in college. That summer I bummed around student hostels in France and ran out of money—before I bought my return ticket. So I sang (with guitar) at sidewalk cafes, and people put money in a hat. It was great—actually got enough for the ticket—until the French police did a “sweep” of street performers. I didn’t have a license (I didn’t know I needed a singing license!), so I spent a few hours in the Paris police station. I never did tell my parents, so mum’s the word, eh?

2. Once I sent an email to a fellow writer, confiding how difficult my editor was to work with and what a poor editor she was, etc. Only (you guessed it) I accidentally sent the email to that editor. Gulp!

3. First date with a fantastic guy in high school. Trampoline. My pants split…all the way up. No second date.

2 careers you might have chosen if you weren't an author

1. Horse trainer

2. Librarian

1 thing you can't live without

Seriously, only one? OK—we’ll take God, husband, children, and books for granted. The answer is: cheese.

Bookish:

5 words to describe your book

Funny

Quirky

Real

Romantic

Satisfying

4 reasons you love writing YA

1. I think I’m stuck at this age—my memories are so fresh.

2. YA readers are open—I can switch genres, experiment with things, like three novellas tied together as one novel, or two points of view, a guy’s and a girl’s. In Love Rules, I told the story through my heroine’s eyes and point of view; but I switched to the guy’s point of view every time she was on a date (she dates a lot). Usually the guy thinks he’s doing great…then we go back to our heroine’s point of view and discover he wasn’t impressing her at all.

3. I love doing school visits with YA readers—makes me keep up with music, dialog, dreams, etc.

4. So many decisions to make as a YA. I love thinking about readers riding inside the head of my main character and watching the good and the bad decisions and their consequences.

3 reasons everyone should read your book

1. Jill likes it!

2. You get 3 books for the price of one: 3 guys, 3 dogs, 3 love stories…and 1 girl.

3. I promise you’ll laugh (and remember that the scenes with Goofy really happened…to me).

2 YA books you adore

1. Speak by Laura Halse Anderson

2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (OK—not strictly YA, but wonderful, a classic (yes, it’s old)

1 tip for aspiring YA writers

Use your edge—If you work at McD, put your character there and give us insider details. If you know and love horses, write about horses. Use your life, your edge, your voice.