Stuff
Marissa Moss: A Self Portrait
Marissa Moss Revealed
About Marissa Moss
Revealing Questions
- Q. How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
- A. Reading, Writing, Drawing!
- Q. How would you describe perfect happiness?
- A. I feel lucky that I get paid for what I love to do most -- write and draw. That seems like happiness to me!
- Q. What’s your greatest fear?
- A. a major earthquake on the Hayward fault, near where I live.
- Q. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?
- A. Rome -- it's my favorite city in the world!
- Q. With whom in history do you most identify?
- A. When I was a kid, my role model was Leonardo da Vinci -- a man who drew and painted beautifully, but was also a scientist, curious about the natural world. I wouldn't say I identify with Leonardo, but I'd sure like to be as talented as he was!
- Q. If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
- A. I'd love to fly, like Superman.
- Q. What is your greatest achievement?
- A. I'm not sure it's great, but I'd say getting published.
- Q. What’s your greatest flaw?
- A. I speak WAY too fast.
- Q. What’s your best quality?
- A. I'm curious about other people and cultures.
- Q. If you could be any person or thing, who or what would it be?
- A. I can't imagine being anyone except myself.
- Q. What trait is most noticeable about you?
- A. My greatest flaw -- that I speak too fast.
- Q. Who is your favorite fictional hero?
- A. There are too many, from James in James and the Giant Peach to Harry Potter.
- Q. Who is your favorite fictional villain?
- A. I'd have to go with a great Shakespearean villain, someone like Iago or Shylock.
- Q. If you could meet any historical character, who would it be and what would you say to him or her?
- A. I'd love to go back in time and meet Hatshepsut, the only woman pharaoh in ancient Egypt, since I just finished my first novel, and it's about her. She could tell me everything I got wrong and maybe the few things I got right.
- Q. What is your biggest pet peeve?
- A. People who say, "If I had the time, I'd write a children's book." My answer to that is, "If I had the time, I'd be a brain surgeon."
- Q. What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?
- A. Drawing!
- Q. What’s your fantasy profession?
- A. I'm lucky enough to be doing it!
- Q. What 3 personal qualities are most important to you?
- A. A great sense of humor, willingness to work hard, and curiousity about the world.
- Q. If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?
- A. Pasta! But it has to be Roman style!
- Q. What are your 5 favorite songs?
- A. I'm into Bollywood music now, so I'd say Johnny Cue, Tandoori Nights, and some others whose titles I'd just mangle.
On Books and Writing
- Q. Who are your favorite authors?
- A. There are too many to name, but some that come to mind right away are J K Rowling, Christopher Paul Curtis, Karen Cushman, Sharon Creech, Thacher Hurd, Elisa Kleven, Elise Primavera. I could go on and on.
- Q. What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
- A. I'd have to say Shakespeare's plays -- The Tempest, Othello, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet.
- Q. Is there a book you love to reread?
- A. All of the above (see Shakespeare).
- Q. Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?
- A. Rewrite! Most of writing in REwriting.
- Q. What comment do you hear most often from your readers?
- A. Amelia is just like me! Since Amelia is me when I was a kid and I felt like nobody was like me, when I hear that, I think, where were you when I was a kid?
- Q. How did you come to write Amelia's Science Fair Disaster?
- A. I wanted to play with cool science fair experiments and projects and at the same time go into the perils -- and pluses -- of working in a group.
- Q. How did you come to write Amelia's Science Fair Disaster?
- A. I wanted to play with cool science fair experiments and projects and at the same time go into the perils -- and pluses -- of working in a group.
