20 QUESTIONS with JAY FAERBER
Twenty things you (probably) didn’t know about Zoo and Copperhead writer, Jay Faerber.
- My first job was… bagging groceries at the Acme supermarket in Dallas, PA.
- If I wasn’t a writer, I would likely be… a location scout for film and TV. If it’s possible to be a nerd about TV and film locations, that’s me. I find it fascinating.
- I collect… comic books. A few Christmases ago, my wife got me one of those vintage comic book spinner racks, like you used to see at the corner drug store years and years ago.
- My favorite word is… particularly.
- I’m a big fan of… 80s television.
- The single best piece of (writing related) advice I have ever gotten… Let yourself be bad. You can always go back and fix it later.
- I have always wanted to… travel across Canada by train.
- The best thing I have ever read, (but did not write) is… Early Autumn, a detective novel by Robert B. Parker. Okay, it may not be the best thing I ever read, but it had a huge impact on me as a teenager.
- People often tell me that I… have a frighteningly accurate memory when it comes to obscure TV shows and actors.
- I really think that my best work (published or not) is… whatever I just finished writing.
- I find inspiration in… Long road trips. I can drive for hours with no radio or podcast to listen to. Just silence. I tend to get a lot of thinking done that way, and the ideas start to come as the scenery rolls by.
- The best thing about being a professional writer is… Seeing a story I wrote brought to life by a comic book artist, or a group of actors (and producers, crew, etc.).
- I spend way too much time… ascribing human-like motivations to my dog’s behavior.
- The funniest person in my cell phone is… Ben Zelevansky. You should follow him on Twitter.
- It really bothers me when… other people aren’t aware of their surroundings. However that manifests — playing music too loud, driving carelessly. That stuff makes me nuts.
- The worst thing about being a professional writer is… Those days when you’ve been “working,” but haven’t done any actual writing. “Thinking” is a necessary part of the process, but it still frustrates me when all I’ve done is think about the story, but haven’t made any progress on paper.
- One mistake that most aspiring writers make is… To wait to write until they are “inspired.”
- If I knew the apocalypse was coming in 24 hours, I’d… eat a lot of the junk food I try to avoid (or normally feel guilty about eating).
- The three websites I visit most often are… Deadline, Facebook, and IMDb.
- You’d be surprised to know that I… have never seen Goonies. Or Animal House. Or Godfather II. Too busy with Hardcastle & McCormick reruns, I guess.
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