Interview & Trailer: What the Spell? by Brittany Geragotelis

I’m thrilled to welcome back Brittany Geragotelis, debut author of What the Spell? (Prequel to Life’s a Witch, SimonTeen, January 2013)! She’s here today for an interview and to share the book trailer for What the Spell!

In a tweet (140 characters), tell us about your book.

WHAT THE SPELL? is about a teen witch who feels invisible to her peers and decides to use magic to help her fit in with the popular crowd.

If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would you choose?

Meg Cabot, Joss Whedon, Tori Spelling, Ellen DeGeneres, Kris Jenner

What is the one book you think everyone should read?

Harry Potter. Not only is it one of the best series ever written, it changed the way the world looked at Young Adult books. Because of HP, YA isn’t just for kids anymore. It’s acceptable to read at any age.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

NEVER let anyone else make you give up on your dreams. For eight years, all I experienced was rejection. I had an agent for a while, but when he couldn’t sell a few of my books, he dropped me as a client. At that time, I wondered if this was my sign that I wasn’t meant to write. So, I took some time off to re-evaluate things. But after 6 months, I got the itch to write again and started back up. It was then that I decided that maybe things weren’t going to happen exactly the way I thought they were (i.e. a traditional publishing deal), but that didn’t mean I couldn’t still reach my dreams. That’s when I heard about the online writing community site called Wattpad and decided to write something original and post it on there for free. Good thing, too, because I ended up getting 19 million reads of the book, which landed me a 3-book deal with Simon & Schuster. None of this would have happened if I’d listened to those who’d rejected me and given up on my dream! We live in an exciting time right now, where we have so many opportunities available to us…we just have to keep an open mind to what comes our way.

If a movie was made about your life, who would you want to play you and why?

I think I’d want Kirsten Bell to play me. I think she’s gorgeous but in a girl next door sort of way. She’s dorky (just like me) and isn’t afraid to own her nerdy side, especially in acting roles. She’s hilarious and strong….and she was on “Veronica Mars,” which I LOVED!!!

Who are your all-time favorite authors?

Meg Cabot, JK Rowling, Stacey Jay, Michelle Hodkin, Jackson Pearce, Christopher Pike, Tori Spelling…just to name a few.

What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?

The whole time I was working my butt off to get published, my mom constantly told me, “It only takes one.” Meaning, it only takes one person to fall in love with my writing/book, it only takes one person to say “yes” instead of “no”, it only takes one opportunity for my big break. It was a reminder that I just had to keep trying until I found the perfect person/timing/opportunity.

What are you favorites? Book, movie, music/band, candy, food, vacation spot?

Book: Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

Movie: Scream

TV Show: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”

Music/Band: Gavin Degraw

Candy: Sour—Sour Patch Kids ; Sweet—Chick-O-Sticks

Food: Italian (pasta) or bread (both gluten-free though, because I have Celiac Disease and can’t have gluten)

Vacation Spot: Disney (Land or World…doesn’t matter to me. I’m even getting married at Disney World on April Fool’s Day this year!)

What was your favorite children’s book?

The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone. At the time, I thought it was really funny AND I guess I loved scary stuff even back then. NOW, I appreciate the meaning behind the book so much more. So much of our stress is created in our own heads. In that case, our minds can be scarier than reality. But if we attempt to make decisions in our life based on things other than fear, we’re much better off. Besides, things are going to happen in our lives whether we worry about them or not!

Who or what inspired your last book?

Well, WHAT THE SPELL? is a part of the book series, LIFE’S A WITCH, which was inspired by the Salem Witch trials. I was sitting there on the train one day and thought to myself, “What if the people who were accused during the witch trials really were witches? And what if those who’d accused them were members of their own coven?” And then, based off of historical accounts of what happened back then, I shaped a new reality, set the series in modern day and created some really witchin’ characters! The focus on Bridget Bishop, the first person hanged during the Salem Witch Trials came about because my good friend, Jessica Grant is a direct descendent of her. Finding that fascinating and thinking about the lineage, I decided to make my main character in LAW a direct descendent of her, too!

What the Spell? Trailer!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI90s9RDTFY]

Many thanks to Brittany for answering my questions, and sharing the What the Spell? book trailer! Congrats on your upcoming wedding at Disney, how fun!