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New from Tatiana de Rosnay, author of 'Sarah's Key'
A haunting journey through the past to a truth they may not want to know…
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Interviews |
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Anne Fortier
Join Anne Fortier as she discusses her first novel, Juliet, how she came to write it in English even though she's Danish, why she set her version of Romeo and Juliet in Siena when Shakespeare set his in Verona, and why her mother was exploring how to rob a bank in Siena to help with her writing.
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Michael J. Sandel
Michael J. Sandel’s "Justice" course is one of the most popular and influential at Harvard. Interested readers can take a seat in the lecture hall alongside Harvard College students, thanks to a 2009 PBS lecture series....
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Carol Lynch Williams
Carol Lynch Williams discussed The Chosen One, and what inspired her to write a book about polygamy.
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C. W. Gortner
A video interview with C.W. Gortner in which he talks about his 2010 historical novel, The Confessions of Catherine de Medici.
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Libba Bray: Biography
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Browse a biography and interview of Libba Bray
Plus: Book summary, excerpts and reviews at BookBrowse.com. |
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Biography
What is it about writing an author bio that gives me that deer-in-headlights
feeling? It's not exactly like I'm going to say "I was born in Alabama…" and
somebody's going to jump up and snarl, "Oh yeah? Prove it!" At least I hope not.
I think what gets me feeling itchy is all that emphasis on the facts of a life,
while all the juicy, relevant, human oddity stuff gets left on the cutting room
floor. I could tell you the facts–I lived in Texas for most of my life; I live
in New York City with my husband and five-year-old son now; I have freckles and
a lopsided smile; I'm allergic to penicillin.
But that doesn't really give you much insight into me. That doesn't tell you
that I stuck a bead up my nose while watching TV when I was four and thought I'd
have to go to the ER and have it cut out. Or that I once sang a punk version of "Que
Sera Sera" onstage in New York City. Or that I made everyone call me "Bert" in
ninth grade for no reason that I can think of. See what I mean?
God is in the details. So with that in mind, here is my bio. Sort of.
TWENTY-ONE THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME
by Libba Bray
1. I lived in Texas until I was 26 years old, then I moved to New York City with
$600.00 in my shoe ('cause muggers won't take it out of your shoe, y'know . . .
riiiiight . . .) and a punchbowl (my grandmother's gift) under my arm. I ended
up using the punchbowl box as an end table for two years.
2. My dad was a Presbyterian minister. Yes, I am one of those dreaded P.K.s–Preacher's
Kids. Be afraid. Be very afraid . . .
3. The first story I ever wrote, in Mrs. McBee's 6th grade English class, was
about a girl whose family is kidnapped and held hostage by a murderous lot of
bank robbers who intend to kill the whole family–including the dog–until the
12-year-old heroine foils the plot and saves the day. It included colored pencil
illustrations of manly-looking, bearded criminals smoking, and, oblivious to the
fact that The Beatles had already sort of laid claim to the title, I called my
novel, HELP. My mom still has a copy. And when I do something she doesn't like,
she threatens to find it.
4. My favorite word is "redemption." I like both its meaning and the sound. My
least favorite word is "maybe." "Maybe" is almost always a "no" drawn out in
cruel fashion.
5. My three worst habits are overeating, self-doubt, and the frequent use of the
"f" word.
6. The three things I like best about myself are my sense of humor, my ability
to listen, and my imagination.
7. I have an artificial left eye. I lost my real eye in a car accident when I
was eighteen. In fact, I had to have my entire face rebuilt because I smashed it
up pretty good. It took six years and thirteen surgeries. However, I did have
the pleasure of freezing a plastic eyeball in an ice cube, putting it in a
friend's drink, ("Eyeball in your highball?") and watching him freak completely.
Okay, so maybe that's not going down on my good karma record. But it sure was
fun.
8. In 7th grade, my three best friends and I dressed up as KISS and walked
around our neighborhood on Halloween. Man, we were such dorks.
9. I once spent New Year's Eve in a wetsuit. I'd gone to the party in a black
dress that was a little too tight (too many holiday cookies) and when I went to
sit down, the dress ripped up the back completely. Can we all say, mortified?
The problem was, my friends were moving out of their house–everything was
packed and on a truck–and there was nothing I could put on . . . but a wetsuit
that they still had tacked to the wall. I spent the rest of the party
maneuvering through throngs of people feeling like a giant squid.
10. I got married in Florence, Italy. My husband and I were in love but totally
broke, so we eloped and got married in Italy, where he was going on a business
trip. We had to pull a guy off the street to be our witness. It was incredibly
romantic. Florence is still one of my favorite cities in the world.
11. I often write in longhand and type it into the computer later, editing as I
go. Sitting in my favorite coffeehouse with a new notebook and a hot cup of java
is my idea of heaven.
12. I'm related to Davy Crockett on my mom's side. Honest.
13. I grew up doing theatre and spent a long time as a playwright. I still think
very visually when I write.
14. Some of my favorite movies of all time (subject to change when I think of
other movies I love) are All About Eve, Brazil, Blade Runner, Spinal Tap,
Citizen Kane, Harold & Maude, To Kill a Mockingbird, Singin' in the Rain,
and probably a million more that I can't think of right now. I have never made
it through The Wizard of Oz without crying. Not once.
15. Naming my favorite books feels like naming a favorite child–impossible.
But here's my list of some Y.A. books I love as of 4:03pm today. Tithe by
Holly Black. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Catcher in the Rye
by J. D. Salinger. Lord of the Flies by William Golding. 33 Snowfish
by Adam Rapp. Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher. Blood and Chocolate by
Annette Curtis Klause. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (not really Y.A. but
I read it when I was 16 and it rocked my world). Speak by Laurie Halse
Anderson. Here's what's on my nightstand to read: The First Part Last by
Angela Johnson. Acceleration by Graham McNamee. The Literary Opus of
Daniel Elam by Daniel Elam. By the Time You Finish this Book You Might Be
Dead by Aaron Zimmerman.
16. I love to be scared. Not "hey, I think I smell smoke . . ." scared, but
creepy, paranoid, what's-that-out-there-in-the-dark, ghost story scared. It's no
surprise that I was the girl who got invited to the slumber parties because I
could be counted on to tell a tale to scare the bejesus out of you.
17. In homage to a book I just read entitled, FIVE MEN WHO BROKE MY HEART, I
submit: The first boy who broke my heart (age 6) didn't want to sit next to me
because I'd wet my pants in reading circle once and he thought I was gross. Damn
my small bladder! The second boy who broke my heart (age 16) was a drummer with
a band (the start of a trend, folks…) and he threw me over for a really cool
chick I couldn't even bring myself to hate. The third boy who broke my heart
(ages 20—24, ay yi yi . . .) was a strapping hunk of bodaciousness with the
mind of Einstein. We had the exact same birthday, same year and everything. So
the time he forgot to wish me a happy birthday was kind of the beginning of the
end, I think. The fourth boy who broke my heart (age 25) was also a drummer. I
had to stop with the drummers. The fifth boy . . . well, I married him, and if
he breaks my heart, I'm going to burn all his favorite, rare import punk vinyl
in the middle of the living room, so he's been warned.
18. I'm one of those people who has to write. If I don't write, I feel itchy and
depressed and cranky. So everybody's glad when I write and stop complaining
already.
19. My Pennsylvania Dutch great-great-great grandmother was supposedly a psychic
who could see and speak to the dead. Sort of a witch, I guess. Her husband was
an undertaker, and she would have these visions of someone bringing in a string
of a particular size (people were measured for their coffins in this way) and it
would come true. Creepy stuff, but fascinating.
20. If I were stuck on a deserted island, the five indispensable CDs I'd take
would be London Calling by the Clash, Quadrophenia by The Who, Aretha Franklin's
Greatest Hits, To Venus and Back by Tori Amos, and Elvis Costello's Greatest
Hits.
21. I hate doughnuts. Weird but true.
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This biography was last updated on 08/26/2005. |
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A note about the biographies
We try to keep BookBrowse's biographies both up to date and accurate. However, with over 1,500 lives to keep track of it's inevitable that
some won't be as current or as complete as we would like. So, please help us - if the information about a particular author is out of date,
inaccurate or simply very short, and you know of a more complete source, please let us know. Authors and those connected with authors:
If you wish to make changes to your bio, please send your complete biography as you would like it displayed so that we replace the old with the new. |
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