Name your five favorite books.
1. "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
2. "The Shining" by Stephen King
3. "The Sheltering Sky" by Paul Bowles
4. "The Mosquito Coast" by Paul Theroux
5. "The Beach" by Alex Garland
Talk about your writing process.
I write late at night, usually from midnight to 3 or 4am. Generally I write about 5 pages a day, but these pages are fairly rough, and usually take some revision. So once the rough draft is done, I get to work editing and rewriting.
What book do you wish you had written?
Alex Garland's "The Beach", Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," or Stephen King's "Carrie."
What celebrity do you look most like?
John Lennon (or so they tell me). I actually got an offer from an agency my first month out here to work as a John Lennon impersonator. Yes, I'm serious.
Name your five favorite albums.
1. "Surfer Rosa" by The Pixies
2. "Young Americans" by David Bowie
3. "Dirty Mind" by Prince
4. "Radio City" by Big Star
5. "Putting the Days to Bed" by The Long Winters
Why did you move to California?
I'm working on several screenplays, so it made sense.
Talk about your music.
When I was in high school, I played in an indie rock band called Vegetarian Meat (yeah, stupid name, I know.) We got signed by a label in NYC called No.6 Records that was part of Elektra Records, while we were still in our teens. We released a couple singles and an album. After that band broke up, I started making albums under my middle name "Charles Douglas" that were released by a number of different indie labels. I got to work with Maureen Tucker from The Velvet Underground and Joey Santiago from The Pixies, and go on a couple tours. I even got a letter from David Bowie. It was a fun time.
Where did you grow up?
My parents are from London. I was born in Seattle, but grew up mostly in Dallas, TX and Dayton, OH. I've also lived in Providence, RI; Allentown, PA; Philadelphia, PA; New York City; Chapel Hill, NC; and currently in Los Angeles.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Just read as many great books as possible. I never learned much in school or in creative writing classes. I mostly learned from reading stuff on my own. My other advice is to keep at it, and write a little bit every day. If you write a couple pages every day, you'll have a whole book done in just four or five months.
Why does Bad Girls end kind of abruptly?
I just didn't think the book needed any sort of "happy" epilogue. It ended when it needed to end. I didn't care much for Anna's parents, so I didn't want to see them come back. In a way, Anna is more mature than them by the end of the book. I wasn't planning on leaving the door open for a sequel or anything, although it might turn out that way...
Name some of your favorite films.
1. "The Science of Sleep" directed by Michel Gondry
2. "A Clockwork Orange" directed by Stanley Kubrick
3. "Blue Velvet" directed by David Lynch
4. "The Dark Knight" directed by Christopher Nolan
5. "Notorious" directed by Alfred Hitchcock
6. "Talk to Her" directed by Pedro Almodovar
7. "American History X" directed by Tony Kaye
8. "Y Tu Mama Tambien" directed by Alfonso Cuaron
9. "Wild at Heart" directed by David Lynch
10. "Body Double" directed by Brian De Palma
What's the best live concert you've ever seen?
It's a four way tie for first: The Breeders with Mudhoney in Providence, RI in 1992, Bjork in Providence, RI in 1995, Cat Power in a tiny, empty bar called Silk City in Philadelphia in 1995, and The Fall at Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill sometime in 2002.
Are you going to get a dog sometime, or do you only like cats?
I love dogs, but I'm pretty lazy, and I don't want to go walk them. We also have a new baby and two cats, so that's more than enough.
Do you have any involvement in the film version of Bad Girls?
Yup, I'm writing the screenplay for Inferno Entertainment.
Is the fictional Danbroke Island in Lost Summer based on Ocracoke Island in North Carolina?
I was surprised so many readers caught this! I guess you all are more up on geography and the Outer Banks of NC than I would have thought.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Hopefully still alive. Writing books and screenplays, and directing films.
Will you ever write a nonfiction book?
I'm working on a book about my misadventures in the "Grunge" years. I got to hang out with, or meet: members of The Pixies, The Velvet Underground, Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr., The Breeders, Luna, They Might Be Giants, Pavement, Eugenius, Busta Rhymes, Braniac, Guided by Voices, Grand Mal and St. Johnny, Mercury Rev, and too many more!
What celebrities would you like to meet?
J.D. Salinger, Thomas Pynchon, and The Wachowski Brothers.
Who are your heroes?
The Flaming Lips.
Do you get along well with your parents?
Most of the time, we get along really well.
Is Hilary Duff and/or Lindsay Lohan going to be in the film version of Bad Girls?
I don't think so. This is an old rumor that came out in 2005 when the book was first published. There are more recent casting rumors floating around at the moment (check out Cinematical for some gossip about Emily Browning and Dakota Fanning...)
Do you believe in God?
Maybe. I'm skeptical of organized religion, but concede that God (or some form of alien life that helped "create" the universe as we know it) probably exists, or existed. But I don't really know anything... Ask a priest or a rabbi!
How did you get your agent and get published?
I wrote a letter to the novelist and musician Matt O'Keefe who lived nearby in Chapel Hill. I was a fan of his book "You Think You Hear" which was a novel based on his experiences as a roadie for The Cardigans and Papas Fritas. He wrote a letter back and suggested I send Bad Girls to his agent Dave Dunton. Dave liked the book and sold it to MTV within a few weeks.
Does Andros Island from Bad Girls actually exist?
Yes. I lived there for a month when I was 15. It's a very strange place, almost exactly like I described it in the book. The character of Cici in the book is based on an actual old woman who lived out in the jungle. The island is huge and almost completely desolate--very spooky at night.
What kind of person/student were you like high school?
I was really into punk and indie rock music, but I was also geeky and studied a lot. I was so into music, I figured that would be my career in some way, shape or form. I'm not sure how I ended up writing books and screenplays.
Who is your favorite fictional character from your books?
Maggie Leigh from "Shelter Me."
Which of your fictional characters are you most like?
All of them (except the bad guys).
Now that you're living in Los Angeles, what was your favorite celebrity encounter?
Naveen Andrews (Sayeed from "Lost") on the street corner near our apartment.
Do you like living in Los Angeles?
Love it!
How do you think you are going to die?
As I'm planning to cryogenically freeze my body and reenter society 3,000 years from now, this question has no real answer.
What sign are you?
Aquarius.
Do you like the cover art for your books?
Absolutely! I especially like "Bad Girls" and "Shelter Me."
What is your favorite food?
Hamburgers and French fries (yeah, I know, I know). I've heard about this thing called "salad," but it's just not for me.
Do you smoke, drink, or do drugs?
No, Yes, No.
Now that you live in Los Angeles, are you going to join the Church of Scientology?
I think I would need some convincing!
What's the weirdest book, movie, music you've ever encountered--not that you necessarily liked it...
The weirdest movies are probably "El Topo" by Alejandro Jodorowsky and "Riddles of the Sphinx" by Laura Mulvey (I actually quite liked both of them). The weirdest book would be J.G. Ballard's "Atrocity Exhibition" which I thought was unreadable, although Ballard is one of my favorite authors. The book is basically just a big jumbled collage without a plot. There's tons of weird music out there (I generally love weird music, I have to admit). I think the weirdest song I've heard is "Gretchen's New Dish" which can be found on the American Song Poem collection released by Bar/None Records.
Will you come to my school and read?
That depends on where you live. I like to go to places and read. It's fun. If your school is in or around Los Angeles, then sure. If it's farther away, then... maybe.
Do you listen to music when you write?
Yes. Recently it's CSS, Pixies, Antlers, Fiery Furnaces, Polvo, MGMT, Brakes (UK), Wye Oak, Dungeon, The Long Winters, Comas, Dirty Projectors, Alina Simone, Unrest, Japandroids, Dead Weather, Sonic Youth and many more.
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Nope. But I did grow up with a bunch of cats and dogs.
What is your favorite inspirational quote, or a quote from a book, movie or TV show?
I'm paraphrasing here but, "Koala bears-- they're telepathic! Plus they control the weather." (Bonus points if anyone can tell me what film that's from.)