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Back to Featured Interviews >> MEET GIANNA MARINO
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| Gianna Marino |
I was a shy child and writing stories was a way to escape the talking world and make up my own world. I have little books I made from the age of 5 that make no sense but have the innocence and imagination that we somehow misplace when we get older. They are all about animals, mostly ones getting lost and found, or living in a house with some sort of evil monster trying to get them. I wonder if I was influenced by the Three Little Pigs!
What was your first job when you graduated from college?
I have always had strange jobs, even while attending college. I was a horse carriage driver in Golden Gate Park, a muralist for Carlos Marchiori, a jewelry designer assistant and finally a gift and children’s toy designer. I have always worked freelance – so as not to be tied down to one place – giving me the freedom to travel. Each year I wandered through different countries. My biggest fear was to have a “real” job, working 9-5 in a windowless box. I never did have to do that and now I can work on my books full time.
Was your first book accepted immediately? or did you experience a number of rejections?
I was very lucky with my first book. It was a wordless alphabet book and since my drawing skills were good, it got a lot of visual attention. I brought my book to an SCBWI conference in LA where it was seen by several editors. I only sent it to two houses before it was purchased. This fast paced experience made me think selling a book was so easy…. Until I tried to sell my second one.
Do you do other types of writing - for example, educational, nonfiction, magazine work?
To date, my published books are all picture books. ZOOPA: AN ANIMAL ALPHABET (Chronicle) was my first, ONE TOO MANY – A SEEK AND FIND COUNTING BOOK (Chronicle) my second. My next three books, MEET ME AT THE MOON, TOO TALL HOUSES and WHOOSH are due out 2012 and 2013 with Viking. I have also published numerous travel articles and I am working on a YA novel.
Where do you get your ideas?
I always wonder where ideas come from, since most seem to appear out of nowhere and usually at odd times of the day, like when I am in the shower or sleeping or doing something that does not involve thinking too hard. But I think deep down they come from personal experience, from what is important to me in the world.
Do you work on more than one book at a time?
I NEED to work at more than one book at a time. Does that mean I have A.D.D.? I find I am much better juggling several projects at once. If I have only one thing to work on, or one illustration to finish, it is hard to stay focused. In fact, sometimes when I have a deadline and I can’t focus on the last part of my work, I will start a new project and it helps me want to finish the first. If I think too much, like I said before, ideas do not come easily. If I am working on something else and not thinking about the project due, ideas flow much better.
Do you write every day and do you have set hours that you work?
I write or draw almost everyday, though I do take long breaks (sometimes weeks at a time) were I am thinking more than creating. But I think the creative process needs time to think, to struggle, to NOT get anything done. Experimenting is a good thing and if I need to take time to work on rough sketches or just make scribbles to get where I need to go, I allow it. Some days I just can’t draw or write and all and I have finally learned to take the day off and work on something I can do.
What do you most want the students to get out of your school visits?
The biggest message I have for children is that there is no perfect way to be an artist and anyone who tells you otherwise is not an artist. There is no right and wrong and it is perfectly fine that their elephant looks different from their classmates. I also want them to know that they can follow their dreams. They can do whatever they want if they put their mind to it. Life can be full of joy if you see it that way.