Author Interview: Jillian Cantor

Yesterday, I posted my 5- star review of Jillian Cantor's recent release, The Life Of Glass. It was an amazing and mind-blowing novel, I recommend it to all YA readers! Today, she stops by for an interview! Check below to see what she thinks the theme song would be for The Life of Glass!

Describe yourself in one word.
Wow! That’s tough – I don’t know that one word can describe me because I feel a little more complicated than that! But since I have to pick here, I’ll say, creative. I think that does actually describe me not just in my writing career but also in my life – I like thinking outside of the box!

How old were you when you started to write?
I used to write (really bad) poems and keep them in a journal when I was younger, especially when I was around 12 or 13. But when I really seriously started to write, I was in my sophomore year of college. That’s when I took my first creative writing class, and when I realized that I really really wanted to be a fiction writer. So I think I was 19.

What is your favorite part about being an author?
My favorite part is the actual writing itself, the fact that it’s my job to sit down every day to work on making characters and a story come to life. Writing is what I love to do, and I still marvel at the fact that the actual writing part is my “work.”

What has been the best thing someone ever said about your book(s)?
I love when I get e-mails from readers who tell me they haven’t been able to put my book down. This is the best compliment because it means they’re absorbed in the story and it feels real to them, and that’s what I’m hoping to accomplish as a writer.

How are you and Melissa alike? How are you different?
I think we’re alike a little bit in the way we see the world. Melissa is somewhat sarcastic (and so am I). Her perception of traditional beauty is slightly similar to mine – in that I was definitely closer to Melissa, the jeans-and-sweatshirt girl, in high school, rather than her sister, Ashley, the pageant girl.

We’re different in that, my situation in high school was nothing like Melissa’s. My father is still alive and well, and I didn’t grow up in the desert or have a male best friend like Ryan. My relationship with my sister was also much different than Melissa’s with her sister (although we did often fight.) Also, I think Melissa is a bit more of a tomboy and a bit more adventurous than I ever was as a teen

Is there anything you want readers to take from The Life Of Glass?
First and foremost just a sense of enjoyment for the book and the characters. But beyond that, I would hope that the book would make them examine their own perceptions of beauty just a bit and to maybe think about it beyond the surface level.

If you were to pick a theme song for The Life Of Glass, what would it be and why?
It would definitely be Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.” The first time I heard it a few months ago, I turned to my husband and told him that the song was exactly like The Life of Glass! It captures the Melissa-Ryan-Courtney relationship perfectly.

Lastly, is there anything else you'd like to add?
Thank you so much for the great interview! And if there’s anything more you want to know about me, you can check out my website at http://www.jilliancantor.com

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Thanks Jillian! I love the song "You Belong With Me!" Make sure you check out The Life of Glass.