Authors > Jamie Ponti > Author Revealed

Jamie Ponti

Jamie Ponti

Author Revealed:
Q. How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
A. A romantic comedy masquerading as a melodrama
Learn more about Jamie Ponti
Jamie Ponti Revealed
About Jamie Ponti
  • What is your birthdate?:
    3/24
  • Previous occupations:
    Television writer and producer
  • Favorite job:
    Writing the Mystery Files of Shelby Woo for Nickelodeon
  • High school and/or college:
    Fletcher High School in Neptune Beach Florida and the University of Southern California
  • Name of your favorite composer or music artist?:
    Aaron Copland/Stevie Wonder
  • Favorite movie:
    All the President's Men
  • Favorite television show:
    The West Wing
Revealing Questions
Q. How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
A. A romantic comedy masquerading as a melodrama
Q. What is your motto or maxim?
A. It's not what you do that matters, it's who you do it with.
Q. How would you describe perfect happiness?
A. Sneaking off to see a movie in the middle of a weekday afternoon.
Q. What’s your greatest fear?
A. Having regrets for things I never tried.
Q. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?
A. Fenway Park or Atlantic Beach, Florida
Q. Which living person do you most admire?
A. Not counting my family, I'd go with Congressman John Lewis
Q. What are your most overused words or phrases?
A. "I'm sorry" and "You're probably not going to like this idea, but..."
Q. What do you regret most?
A. Not reading more when I was a kid.
Q. If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
A. I would love to be able to play a musical instrument.
Q. What is your greatest achievement?
A. Meeting my soul mate while I was in college - total luck
Q. What’s your greatest flaw?
A. I worry a lot and have trouble relaxing.
Q. What’s your best quality?
A. My sense of humor.
Q. If you could be any person or thing, who or what would it be?
A. Actually, good, bad and ugly I have the life that I chose and I wouldn't change with anyone.
Q. What trait is most noticeable about you?
A. I talk way too much
Q. Who is your favorite fictional hero?
A. Encyclopedia Brown
Q. Who is your favorite fictional villain?
A. Hans Gruber in the movie Die Hard
Q. If you could meet any historical character, who would it be and what would you say to him or her?
A. Jackie Robinson. I would probably be speechless, but if I could get the words out they would be, "Thank you so very much."
Q. What is your biggest pet peeve?
A. People who say "I could care less" when they actually mean, "I couldn't care less"
Q. What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?
A. Producing documentaries
Q. What’s your fantasy profession?
A. Politician
Q. What 3 personal qualities are most important to you?
A. Humor, Honesty, Passion
Q. If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?
A. Lasagna
Q. What are your 5 favorite songs?
A. "One" by U2, "Crazy" by Patsy Cline, "Classical Gas" by Mason Adams, "The River" by Bruce Sprinsteen and "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder
On Books and Writing
Q. Who are your favorite authors?
A. Carl Hiaasen, John Steinbeck, Robert Frost, Michael Chabon, Mark Twain, Joel & Ethan Coen
Q. Is there a book you love to reread?
A. Catcher in the Rye
Q. Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?
A. Every word matters.
Q. How did you come to write Animal Attraction?
A. I was out of work and didn't see many prospects, so I spent a few weeks writing the first four or five chapters and submitted them. Amazingly, someone called me up and asked me to write the rest. I based the plot lines on things that happened to my friends and me growing up in a Florida beach town and during summers spent working at Walt Disney World.