Shana Norris

Hey, this is Jannice, from Portrait Magazine.
Hi!

Thanks so much for doing the interview with us!
You’re welcome.

So could you give us a little introduction about yourself?
Sure, my name is Shana Norris and I wrote the book, “Something to Blog About” which is about a girl who decided to start a secret blog which ended up getting her into trouble.

That was a really great book by the way. It was really funny!
Thank you!

So as you have said, “Something to Blog About” is about a girl who’s secret blog comes out into the public. Libby Fawcett, the heroine of the story has endured a lot. What was her eventful life inspired by?
It was inspired by my old experiences with keeping an online journal. I started when I was 16 back in 1996 and I’ve kept an online journal of some sort since then. When I was in college some of my classmates found it. It didn’t have all of the bad things that happened to Libby. It didn’t happen to me, but it was really embarrassing.

Hehe, so the fire? That was something made up?
Yes, I’ve always had problems in science classes and in biology and in chemistry especially. The fire seemed like something that could have possible happened to me because I’m also accident prone like Libby is.

Aww, its not something that’s that bad!
Haha, no not that bad. Never actually set my hair on fire.

So who are your characters inspired by? The people in your life?
The characters, they are not really based on anyone I know. Just different pieces from the people I know. But Libby’s relationship with her cousin Roger is based on a relationship with my own cousin. We were born two months apart and we grew up together, we went to school together just like Libby and Roger do and we’re really close friends.

That’s really cool! And the relationship between Keisha and Roger?
That was all made up, though one of my cousins did like one of my best friends but it didn’t really happen the way it happened to Keisha and Roger. That was all just made up.

If “Something to Blog About” was a movie chosen to come out next year, who are your ideal actors behind the lead characters in your story?
I’ve actually tried to think of who would play the characters in the movie before and I’ve had a hard time picking. I think Amanda Bynes would make a really good Libby. She has that bubbly personality like Libby does. I could see Michael Cera from Arrested Development playing Roger. But I’m not sure who would play the rest of the characters. Never figured any actors for them.

I’ve heard news of a sequel. Any insiders on what that might be about?
There’s not a sequel in the works right now. I’d love to write one. Right now I’m working on other characters for other books.

So, can you tell us a little on what the other books might be about?
My next book is due out Fall 2009 and it is about a girl named Cassie. The title’s undecided on yet so don’t want to be saying anything about that. She’s been having a lot of problems with boys, with friends. She has some things that come up that tends to make her question to be loyal to old friends or new friends.

So something about you; You have posted on your website you’ve had 4 choices when you were younger about what you wanted to be when you grew up. What were your thoughts at that time?
At that time, I think I wanted to do everything. I know I wanted to write stories but I also wanted to do a bunch of other things. I guess in the end stories won out because I’m not a very good ballerina and I really don’t like getting dirty as I said that on my blog. So that meant no archeologist.

And as a teacher, you didn’t feel like being in a classroom right?
Yeah, I like school but I didn’t like sitting in a classroom. So I couldn’t be a teacher either. So writing is the one I had to go with.

Now you are a graphic designer by day. What is that like?
It’s fun. The writing and the graphic designing actually, well “Something to Blog About” came in from getting into graphic design because when I started making online journals I also started designing web pages. I was learning HTML and create my own graphics. So they both began in the same place. Doing websites is fun. It’s good to have a chance to be creative throughout the day. And then also come home and be creative in a different way.

'Something to Blog About' Cover

Was it hard when you said your blog was created by hand, and not by what we have now?
Yes, back then I had to actually write all the HTML myself and make all the links to the different pages. Now with Livejournal and Blogger they do the links to the different posts. Back then, I did have a lot more time, building my websites and working on the pages, then I do now.

What were your favorite novels back then, any such now?
Back then I read a lot of Sweet Valley High. I still do. I have a lot of the books. Right now I’m really into Meg Cabot and also Sarah Dessen.

They are very great authors.
Yea.

Like the Princess Diaries and This Lullaby. Yes they are. I have a whole collection of them. I love to read them.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Keep trying! I wrote a lot of really bad stuff as a teenager. Which at the time I thought was great. Now that I’m older I can see how much work it really needed. Don’t listen to anyone who tries to tell you that you will never make it. Just keep trying and keep working. Keep always trying to improve your writing.

That’s really great advice. Thanks so much for doing the Portrait interview. Is there anything you would like to say to Portrait Readers?
Keep reading, keep trying to follow your dreams, a writer or anything else. Keep trying because you never know you might make it. I didn’t think so, but here I am.