Sarah Grace McCandless Interview When did you first realize the divisions of class when you were growing up in Michigan? I lived in Grosse Pointe as a young child, from ages 3 to 5, and then moved back when I was 9 and stayed there until I graduated from high school. I don't think I realized the importance placed on money and status until I moved back, and that awareness came from where I went to school- well, it was more clearly defined because of where I went to school. In 4th grade, I attended a private Catholic school, but it was my 5th grade school, the University of Ligget, that slapped the big "money card" in my face. First of all, just look at the name. University of Ligget. I wasn't Little Man Tate, off to college at a young age or anything. That was just how the school was, and the yearly tuition matched it. How my parents afforded it, I have no idea. We were fine- well off, but not like the kids I went to school with- I'm talking vacation homes in Europe, not just Florida like most of the Pointers, and enough Polo shirts to keep Ralph Lauren a happy man in 1985. My upper middle class household suddenly didn't seem like it was enough. In 6th grade, I switched over to the public school system, but that's also when my parents divorced. Before my mom remarried, we lived in a flat, and that was a big deal. To go from a house to an apartment- I remember feeling embarrassed about that, which of course seems so ridiculous to me now. You've done some readings from your book in Michigan. What's that been like? Any people from the book show up? Oh yeah. You could say that. The funny part: when a portion of "The Lochmoor Moms" showed up at my reading, because a lot of them are now friends with my dad and my stepmom. I remember thinking "Don't read that story outloud!" and also making some crack about how my post-reading reception was going to be held at the Lochmoor Country Club. My dad had a cocktail party after my reading (at neutral ground- his home), and what was really funny (at least to me) was at different points throughout the night, several of the "Lochmoor Moms" came up to me, individually, sort of "claiming" their identity in the story. The truth was, the one I thought of the most while writing that story wasn't even there. That seemed to be a typical reaction- because sometimes I used real names in the stories, and sometimes I didn't. But a significant group of the people I've run into since the book was published have reacted first like, "Ooooh am I in your book?" And then if they find out they aren't, the majority of reactions have been "Huh? Why not?" I haven't had anyone go insane on me because they WERE mentioned. I tried to be careful about that- my intention wasn't to hurt anyone or embarrass anyone. I mean, honestly, the person portrayed as the biggest dork in the book is me. The bad side of this was my friend's mother showing up at my reading- he's mentioned in my book both overtly and disguised, in affectionate ways- and she had me sign the book for him, as he was away at school. She was really excited about it, and told me he was too. Eight days after the reading, he committed suicide. It just devastated me- it made it difficult to even pick up the book. He was the boy I worshipped as a teen- the boy all the girls faniced themselves marrying, and to lose him, especially so soon after finishing the book, when my memories of him were so fresh in my mind... it just left this space in my heart. You also do some theater work in Portland. So here's your choice: famous actress or famous writer? How about famous musician? Can I be the female Ryan Adams? Please? No, really, definitely, it's famous writer. I love theatre, and at times, I am decent at it. But to be honest, getting involved in theatre in Portland was just a good, quick way to meet people. It was also a way to justify this nasty little habit I have: procrastinating on my writing. How strange- I love writing more than anything, yet at times it's what I avoid the most. Maybe that's typical- maybe it's a "fear of failing" what I love to do, because if I do fail, well then, what the hell do I do with myself? But so far, so good. I think me getting to a point where I realized and accepted that not everyone is going to like what I write, and being okay with that, helped conquer some of my procrastinating. What sort of experiences have you had with writing classes or teachers? I've had a handful of teachers that got me to where I am, and the ones I encountered before the book was published I made sure to thank in my acknowledgements- my 7th grade social studies teacher, my 9th grade creative writing teacher, my 11th grade journalism teacher. In college, the list grew even smaller- my greatest hero was my poetry professor Anita Skeen, followed closely by a dynamic playwriting professor, Arthur Athanson. But I also encountered this terrible witch in college, who seemed to strive at cutting people down and reminding them that they would never be as good as she was. She was horribly abusive and malicious- threatening, to the point of violating codes of conduct, which resulted in me filing an official complaint with the university. Of course, nothing happened, other than me finding out I was one in a line of many complaints. I stopped writing for almost a year, until I realized if I stop, she wins. And I just couldn't let her have that. The best experience I've had recently was a weekend workshop with probably my greatest influence, Pam Houston. She was just phenominal, and oddly enough, we have had many similar experiences with past instructors. We also conquer many of the same demons in our writing- our relationships with other men, with our own bodies. I was very nervous about the workshop, and about meeting her. I mean, what if she turned out to be like the cruel witch I had in college? But of course she wasn't- she was perfect. She was smart and beautiful and kind and best of all, she taught in a way that made you feel like she related, instead of placing herself on a higher pedestal when she has every right to. She made you feel like it was all possible. I could go on and on about her, but the best thing I can say is she has had a tremendous impact on my life, and not just my writing. Your day job is also involved with publishing. What exactly do you do? Right now, I work as the Marketing Manager for Dark Horse Comics, a publisher based in Portland. We publish some really cool comics, from licensed titles like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Wars to cool "creator-owned" titles like Frank Miller's Sin City, Tony Millionaire's Sock Monkey, and Mike Mignola's Hellboy. To be honest, I didn't know shit about comics before I started there, other than my brother collecting X-Men as a kid. But it's given me a new appreciation for the medium, and some of the talent I've met and worked with have been really inspiring. Also, there's a lot of overlap with the creator-owned, more indie titles and small, alternative presses. One of the best experiences I've had at Dark Horse is working with book market, and attending big shows like Book Expo America. I mean, here I am with my Dark Horse Marketing Manager cap on, but on every break I had from the booth, I am racing around the floor, introducing myself to publishers, and authors, and checking out all these cool presses. I feel pretty fortunate that I get to work in this field, as opposed to, say, marketing for a microchip company. Yuck. Boring. The one drawback is I have an increasing amount of responsibilty at my "day job", and that makes me nervous about having time to write. How's work going on your next novel? What's it about? This is sort of tricky. Prior to GPG, I was working on a book called "The House of Crooked Light", a novel narrated by a 10 year old, Presley Moran. It highlights the year in her life where her two family heroes, a cousin on her dad's side and an aunt on her mom's side, fall from the narrator's grace. It is also really the story of the relationship between the cousin and aunt, and the consequences their choices have on everyone around them. But after the Pam Houston workshop, I began a series of stories that went beyond this initial idea, several of which dealt with body image and relationships. So "The House of Crooked Light" may end up being one story in a new collection, all with the same main character, Presley. So I guess it's sort of a novel but the stories take place at different points in her life. I'd say these stories are "mostly" fictional but "somewhat" autobiographical, whereas GPG was "mostly" true. I've also been tossing around some ideas that fall under a group of stories I'm currently calling "the boys i used to know". This is more "mostly" true, and it speaks to some of the male relationships I had primarily in college. Time for my revenge! But that's ok, I've let most of the exes know. What is the best way to seduce someone? Age 12: Claiming their favorite Guns'n'Roses song is your favorite, too. Age 17: A folded note passed between third and fourth period. A Mickey's 40 shared on the porch of a party about to get busted. Long, wet kisses in a parked car by Lake St. Clair. Breaking curfew and not caring about the consequences. Age 21: A nice clean shot of drama, injected directly into the vein. Terrible poetry that you write just for them. "My roommate is staying at her boyfriend's tonight." A blue black light in your room. And in the background? "Chloe Dancer" by Mother Love Bone. Age 25: A chocolate martini. Letting them light your cigarette. A hand on their arm, their leg. "Tell me all about yourself". Revealing nothing. Age 27: I'm still trying to figure this one out.