Interview with ILANA GARON

Author of  Why Do Only White People Get Abducted by Aliens?

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I’m originally from the DC area (Northern Virginia, to be exact), but my formative years were in NYC. I now reside in northern Kansas City.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

So, I moved to NYC to attend college, and ended up staying for the better part of two decades before marrying into the military in 2017. Now, because of my husband’s job, we move around a lot. We were most recently in rural Tennessee, and now we’re in the Kansas City metroplex. I’m really hoping to get back to either coast at some point–I feel dreadfully landlocked here!

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

I believed, first and foremost, that I had an interesting story to tell. But I wasn’t really sure how to make it a reality. Thankfully I had some great professors who suggested that a series of interconnected essays would be the right format for what I was trying to say.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

It’s a series of interconnected stories about inner-city students and the (very young, very inexperienced) teachers who work with them. It’s part memoir, part sociological study, part how-to-NOT manual.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

So, I would say teachers, except I actually don’t think that’s true–some teachers have loved it, and others have been frustrated by the fact that my book doesn’t represent their respective experiences. Which is totally fine–mine is really the only experience I can represent accurately. I will say, however, that my most surprising (and flattering) audience has been students themselves. I never thought I could write for teenagers especially until this book came out and some of my most enthusiastic readers were, in fact, teens.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

I learned that working with a small press can be a great experience. I went into a small but very legit press without an agent. I had an editor whom I could text at a moment’s notice, with whom I really got along quite well–and together we created a book I was really proud of. I consider her a friend as well as a business associate at this point.

If you could, what advice would you give to past self yourself before embarking on this journey?

Submit to more small presses, and don’t get so discouraged when you never hear back from agents. (I never heard back from lots of agents, and was constantly feeling discouraged and rejected.)

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

As many as possible! Writing, for me, has never been about the elusive idea of fame and fortune, so much as wanting people to read a story I worked really hard to write.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Honestly, just trying to get my name out there. The downside of small presses (and really, of being a small author–not a powerful household name) is that it’s hard to get your name and title out there.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

My biggest strength is probably my ability to talk to folks approachably, and read aloud in a funny way. 🙂 I would like to think writing is also a strength.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

I’m a terrible self-promoter, and I think I miss opportunities because of that.

When do you think you will you write your next book?

I’ve already written a YA novel, which I’m hoping someone will pick up. I’m trying not to get discouraged by rejection, remembering my experience last time. It’ll happen eventually. Also starting to work on another YA novel. I’m hoping to sort of become a YA machine from here on in, though I may do a nonfiction book (sort of like my first one) about army wives.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

I used a traditional publisher (Skyhorse Publishing)–it’s a small press, but absolutely brick and mortar.