Also, it taught me a lot about both writing and publishing. I love The Kings Are Already Here because it was, after the first draft, a real joy to write. I’ve heard that some authors think this is like being asked to choose a favorite child, but do you have a favorite of your books? Reading is the only way to learn how to write.

That’s like wanting to run a marathon, but not wanting to run. Really, I can not begin to describe all the times I’ve met people who tell me that they would love to write, if only they could find the time (as if writing were a hobby, although given the quality of much of what is published, I sometimes think it is!), but if I talk to them at length it quickly becomes clear they do not read. My guess is that I always wanted to a writer, but it took me a while to figure it out.ĭo you have any advice for aspiring writers? I used to sit at my father’s desk, looking at his stacks of Foreign Affairs and the novels with their old, crumbling bindings and I felt as if I were in the center of ferocious activity. I loved his study, which was in our dining room which was, in turn, full of bookshelves. My father is a writer, and I often fell asleep to the sound of his typewriter. When did you first know you wanted to be a writer? I took ballet class again to remember what it felt like (it hurts), and I read everything I could get my hands on.

I’m a good reader though, and so I did a lot of research. Phebe (the dancer in KINGS) and I are alike in that we both have a lot of determination, but I was a terrible dancer. But I do build characters by starting with a trait (for example, determination, curiosity, or fear) which I know well (either from having it or observing it in others) and exploring it. You’ve written about a lot of very diverse characters, and you seem to know all of them so well. Really, she’s just amazing! And today, I’m very pleased to have an interview with her for you all to enjoy, and enjoy it you will! Her answers to my questions are fantastic (much like Garret herself). She’s one of my all-time favorite authors. All of these books are nothing short of brilliant! If you haven’t read them, you’re seriously missing out. Garret Freymann-Weyr is the author of My Heartbeat, Stay With Me, When I Was Older, and The Kings Are Already Here.

My heartbeat by garret freymann weyr