Interviews

Where did you get your idea for VIDALIA IN PARIS?
I got it where I get most of my ideas, by looking at things that really happen and then asking, "what if?" When I was starting to write Vidalia, I read a story about an art thief who had spent years stealing small works of art from museums and churches in Europe, only to keep them in his small apartment in Switzerland. What interested me was that he was stealing these things, not to make money, but because he loved them. So I thought, what if a young girl who loved art, somehow ended up stealing it? And a part of Vidalia was born. Of course, there were many more "what ifs" that went into the story.

Have you ever lived in Paris?
Yes, I've lived in Paris on and off throughout my life. I first went there with my mother, who was studying French, when I was four years old. I was lucky to learn to speak French at that age, and that's something I've used ever since. I also studied in Paris in both college and graduate school, and I've spent a lot of time there outside of school as well. That was another big inspiration for the book. I wanted to write about what it felt like to be an American in France, learning about the people and culture by being thrown right into the middle of it. A lot of times, it can be a bumpy ride, as it is for Vidalia in her art class. Other times, you can dive into the pleasures of the country, as Vidalia does when she goes to the countryside with Julien and his family.

Did you think about having Vidalia choose Julien instead of Marco, or having her end up with Julien at the end of the book?
It was very clear to me from the beginning that Vidalia would end up, not with either of theguys she meets, but with herself and her own art. For me, the true story here is about an artist finding out that she is an artist. At the end of her adventures, it's Vidalia's art that sustains and nourishes her, not romance and not the excitement of a glamorous life. Vidalia's story ends with a scene of her drawing, because that's really where her heart is.

What advice do you have for aspiring young writers?
The only way to be a writer is to keep on writing, no matter what. One key to that is to stop judging yourself. Remember that every writer has to do a lot of bad writing before writing anything good. It's a necessary part of the process, so don't stop until you get to the good stuff. And then keep going!

What was the hardest part about writing this book?
I think the hardest part with this book, which was my first, was writing it with no idea how the process was going to end. I would find myself in the middle of a draft, just plugging along with very little encouragement from the outside world and certainly no guarantee that anyone other than myself and the people who love me would read it. I would think, will I ever get to the end? A lot of the time, it didn't seem like I would but then, of course, I did.

I was also told over and over that no one would ever read a young adult novel about a character who steals. Workshop teachers, editors, agents, other writers, all said that Vidalia just wasn't likable enough if she stole. So I had to really grit my teeth and believe that I saw something there that nobody else saw, and just keep on writing in spite of what I was hearing. The first time I ever saw my editor at Viking, Joy Peskin, she was giving a talk and she made reference to a book she was editing at the time. That book is called Klepto, by Jenny Pollock, and, guess what? It's about a girl who steals. Klepto, which is great, is a very different book from Vidalia in Paris, but when I heard Joy talk about it, I said to myself, that's the editor who will get it! When I finally made contact with her, and showed her the book, she did, indeed, get it, and I've had a wonderful time working with her ever since.

Would you consider writing a sequel?
Absolutely. I've always seen Vidalia as a trilogy and I would love to write two more books about her adventures in art, love, and travel.

Why did you send Vidalia to Paris, as opposed to another foreign city, or keeping her in the United States?
Well, it was Paris as opposed to Berlin or Florence or anywhere else because I've lived there, and I had a strong desire to write about this city that I love. And, as for sending her on a trip instead of keeping her at home, I just think you learn so much about yourself when you travel. Being thrown into new and strange circumstances forces you to question everything you take for granted about what's normal. It makes you realize that there are more ways of thinking about what's normal than just what you grew up with, and it can make you realize that it's up to you to define the terms of your own life. That provides a lot of opportunity for change in a character, and change is what stories are all about.

Did you like to write when you were a teenager?
Yes, I've wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. A few years ago, I saw a home movie taken when I was eleven or twelve in which somebody asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. Without a pause, I said, "a writer." So that's always been a big part of who I am.

Vidalia's former best friend, Heather, ditched her a few years before the story begins, and eventually, the two of them reconnect. Did you have a friendship like that when you were younger?
I had a best friend who turned her back on me when she became popular, just like Heather did to Vidalia, and, at a different point, I also turned my back on a friend. So I understood the situation from both sides: how painful it is to be ditched by a friend, and then how someone can rationalize doing a thing like that and how badly they might feel about it later. Though Heather is a fictional character, I thought a lot about those real-life situations and I asked myself, "What if you had the opportunity to help the friend who had ditched you? What would happen to your relationship then?"

Where did you get the ideas for the artwork in the book (Vidalia's rabbit houses, the painting she copies at the museum, etc.)?
Creating Vidalia's artwork was some of the most fun I had writing this book. I think it's because I'm not a visual artist-I can't draw and I take terrible photographs-but I love the visual arts so much. I also wanted to show how fun art is, that it isn't just something you see in a museum, but can be playful and funny and strange, like Vidalia's rabbit houses or the art made out of garbage that she sees in the countryside. I got ideas from real art that I'd seen (all of those artists are thanked in the acknowledgments) and I mixed those ideas with what I thought would have meaning for Vidalia. The rabbit houses are fun but they're also really meaningful because Vidalia lives in this big old house with her mother, who never goes outside. So houses contain a lot of emotion and anxiety for her, and all of that goes into the rabbit houses.

Do you think art theft rings like the one Marco is involved with in VIDALIA IN PARIS really exist?
I can't say that something just like it exists, but one of the things I learned in researching art theft for the book, and which inspired me to create that little art ring, is that art gets stolen all the time. An artist I know (whose paintings are the inspiration for Ruby's) had a painting stolen from a gallery in Paris. I met someone else in Paris who had worked at the Louvre and she told me that art objects are stolen from that museum every week. I mean, you'd think they'd have the highest security in the world but things still get stolen! The other thing about art theft is that museums and old churches that can't really afford to install top-of-the-line security systems, often don't publicize it when thefts occur. They don't want the public to know how easy it can be to steal the works.

Do you think Marco was just using Vidalia, or do you think he really loved her?
I'm sure that he really loved her. Marco seems very worldly-wise to Vidalia at first, but he's really just as confused as she is about his life and where he's going. He's manipulated by the Dubois just like Vidalia is manipulated by both him and the Dubois. Marco doesn't always do the right thing by Vidalia and he has a very flawed moral character, but he does love her and he tries to protect her in his own way, too.

Will Vidalia see Marco again? What about Julien?
I'm not sure about Marco. I think he might reappear in his mysterious way at various moments but probably not for any length of time. Julien, on the other hand, will definitely be back in Vidalia's life. They still have a lot to say to each other.

In VIDALIA IN PARIS, Vidalia cuts her hair very short and gives herself (with Marco's help) a more sophisticated look. What do you think this makeover symbolizes?
Vidalia spends a lot of time trying to become a new person in Paris. She wants to be as glamorous and sophisticated as she thinks Marco is, and she also wants to escape the crushing responsibility she feels for her mother at home. The haircut and new clothes are an attempt to make that transformation. Of course, her real transformation will be deeper than just a haircut.

Marco believes that it's okay to take from rich people because they have so much. For a while, Vidalia believes him. What do you think changes her mind?
At a certain point, Vidalia stops thinking about rich people in the abstract and realizes that there is a human being behind every work of art. She isn't stealing from a nameless artist at the gallery, she's stealing from Ruby. At the Cartier's party, Vidalia overhears Marie Cartier talking about herself in a very personal way, and that makes her unable to steal from her. Ultimately, Vidalia realizes that it isn't up to her to decide who deserves to have what, and that there's no way of knowing who will be hurt when you behave unethically.

At one point, Vidalia (influenced by Marco) tells Julien she may not go to college after all. Do you think she will ultimately go to college, or not?
Yes, I think Vidalia will apply to art school in her senior year, and that she'll eventually go. She might decide to take a year off to go back to Paris first, though . . .

Marco tells Vidalia that art has no real value-it's just canvas and some paint. What do you personally think about the monetary value of art? Is it largely subjective?
That's a really hard question and there can be many answers to it. I think in some ways it's subjective. The price of art can go up and up and up for no reason other than the hype that surrounds an artist and a work of art. I certainly don't agree entirely with Marco, either, though. A work of art isn't just canvas and paint, it's also someone's vision of the world and of human experience. That can have a lot of value but how to assign a dollar amount to that? I guess I'm glad it's not up to me to say how much a work of art should be worth!

Are you working on a new book? What's it about (if you can say)?
Yes, I'm working on a book about a boy from Jersey City who runs away from home and finds himself in a real-life Western in Far West Texas.