Christina’s Story

I grew up in a small, Southern town (we didn’t have a McDonald’s until I was about 10) and I did a lot of reading up in my treehouse during those years.  Not that it was that much of a “treehouse” because it was just a big piece of wood up in a dogwood tree, but my friends and I had a great time sitting up there and spying on the neighbors. Then when I was in high school I moved to the big city — Miami.  Miami was very different than my hometown, but I learned to love it just as much and now, that’s the city I call home.

  • What kind of student were you?

I was always a very good student and education was extremely important in my family.  In fact, if I brought home an A, my father would sometimes ask me why not an A+!

  • What were your favorite things to do when you were young?

When I was young I loved to read, swim, ride my bike (I would do this for hours with my friends), and roller skate.

  • What books were favorites as a child?

I loved to read Nancy Drew mysteries, Archie comic books, and one of my favorite books (which they made me read in school) was A WRINKLE IN TIME.

  • What advice do you have for aspiring young readers and writers?

Read as much as you can and read all types of books.  You never know what will become a new favorite and every book can teach you something.

  • Where do you get your ideas?

My ideas can come from anywhere.  Sometimes, like with THE RED UMBRELLA, it’s a story that I’ve grown up hearing.  Other times, it comes from something I heard about or found on the internet.  It can even start with a painting, which is how the book I’m working on, A THUNDEROUS WHISPER (due out in 2011/2012), came to be.  A THUNDEROUS WHISPER is about two kids caught in  Hitler’s bombing of the Basque city of Guernica, and it all started because I wanted to know more about Pablo Picasso’s painting called Guernica.

  • Do you write everyday?  If so, for how long?

No, I try to write three to four days a week, but it gets hard between juggling my life as a full-time mom and part-time attorney.

  • Have you ever thrown a manuscript away?

I don’t throw away any manuscripts but they certainly get “put away”.  Sometimes a character or scene from a manuscript I’ve buried in my desk pops up in something new— it’s like getting a visit from an old friend.

  • Favorite or least favorite vegetable?

Favorite veggie has to be potatoes (hello—French fries, potato chips, hash browns, mashed, baked, au gratin I can go on and on.)

Download a copy of “What’s Your Story, Christina Gonzalez?” HERE.

Read “A Peek at Christina Gonzalez’ Office” HERE.

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