Interview with Camryn Garrett

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I'm back with another interview and this time it's with Camryn Garrett who has her second novel, Off the Record releasing May 18th. If you haven't already I encourage you to pre-order it.

You’ve contributed to The Huffington Post, Time Magazine and other large publications. How did you get into writing?

I always liked writing, even when I was little. I used to write stories in notebooks. I entered school contests, which I think gave me the confidence to enter the talent search for TIME for Kids. I was selected as a Kid Reporter, which allowed me awesome experiences like attending a press junket and early screening of Frozen, interviewing people like Warren Buffett and Kristen Bell, and getting the chance to talk to lots of authors about their process. That experience specifically set me on the path to taking myself seriously as a writer.

                                    At what age did you sign your first publishing contract?

I think I was eighteen when I actually signed the contract for my first book.

You’re also a film student who is graduating soon. Why did you decide to get into film?

I think I’ve always been interested in film; I love the way it brings us together and leaves lasting   memories. There are some stories I think are better told in film and some better told in a book. 

                        What advice do you have for someone balancing school and writing?

I would say to prioritize, which doesn’t exactly sound great, but I think you have to know yourself and your professors and figure out what is most important in a specific moment. Sometimes I miss class or assignments because I know it won’t impact my grade and I need to attend an event or work on a revision. Sometimes I push off writing to tend to school. It’s a weird balancing act, but I think it’s individual to every person.

How do you select the names of your characters? 

Ah, you’re the first person who has asked me this! I love names. Like, I think reading and learning  about names could be considered a hobby of mine. Picking names for characters is a super important part of the process for me.

I’m not exactly sure how I came to Simone from Full Disclosure, but I knew it felt like a very Black name to me, if that makes sense? And it just perfectly fit her. It feels confident and brassy and musical, like she is, and then there’s the Nina Simone connection. Her last name is Garcia-Hampton; I had a friend whose last name was Garcia when I was younger, and I picked Hampton because of Fred Hampton.

Josie in Off the Record was named after a journalist named Josie Duffy Rice. I wanted something that felt sort of girly and feminine, if that makes sense, but also kind of hip in a retro way. I don’t know if this makes any sense, but she’s shy, and I could really see a shy girl being named Josie. I love names! 

Where did you get the idea from for Off the Record?

I honestly am not really sure. My memory is horrible; I wrote the first draft in 2019, when MeToo was all over the news, and I knew I wanted to write something that reflected my own time as a teen reporter. I combined MeToo with the concept of Almost Famous, one of my favorite movies, and decided to do whatever I wanted in the first draft. That’s how the book came to be!

Were you able to incorporate some of your own experiences into the story?

I was! During the scene where Josie first finds out that she won the contest, I used the actual email I got from TIME for Kids when I won their talent search. Josie also goes to several press events in the story, and I based them on my own experiences. When I got to go to the Frozen events, I was at a very fancy hotel in Manhattan and they fed us in the dining room, which happens to Josie. They also gave us free stuff (I still have an art book and Kristoff doll somewhere), which I replicated in the book. 

Josie’s anxiety before and during interviews was definitely based on my own experiences. I have anxiety, and though it’s not as intense as Josie’s, it would really flare up whenever I had an interview. There wasn’t really anything that helped except just doing it.

How has your experience publishing your second book differed from your first?

I’m sadly publishing this second one during a pandemic, so I don’t get to do in person events. I really, really miss those. When my first book came out, I was flying to different places every weekend and meeting teachers and booksellers and teenagers and it was so, so rewarding, you know? Like, even when I felt down on myself for whatever reason, I met people who were so kind and exciting and got to go to new places. I think it’s a little harder to have those connections over Zoom, especially when we’re a little tired of that.

My first book also came out about two months after my dad had passed. I think I was running on fumes, honestly. I think I’ll be in a better place emotionally this time. 

Have you Googled yourself recently?

I Google myself a lot, usually to get to my website to change information, ha. So I know what links will come up and everything. I’m still blown away that I have a Wikipedia page.

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing? 

I’d probably be in college still, but I wouldn’t have been able to afford the private school I go to now. I think I would’ve gone to a state school upstate! Maybe I would’ve studied English. I’m not sure what I’d do as an actual job in that timeline, but I don’t know what I’ll do after college in general, so!

Do you have any hobbies you’re trying to explore right now?

No, sadly. I took up embroidering in January because I was bored, but I haven’t gone back to it, since I don’t think I enjoyed it that much. I think I definitely need a hobby. Right now, I read and make lists of names.

Are there any books you’re excited about that are releasing later this year?

A ton! Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli, Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry ​by Joya Goffney, Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar, Counting Down With You by Tashie Bhuiyan, Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson, and Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler! I’m also, as always, extremely excited for Jasmine Guillory’s next book!

Are you able to talk about your next project?

I don’t think I can say specifics, but it’s another YA and it’s a romance and it’s really close to my heart!

You can follow Camryn Garrett on Twitter @dancingofpens and Instagram @camryngwrites