Tish Cohen drops by for an interview

Most of you are aware that I recently reviewed Tish Cohen's newest release The Truth About Delilah Blue (great title!!!).

The author was kind enough to answer a few questions that I had, after I finished the book.  Here is that interview now :)

Thank you to author Tish Cohen and all the people at HarperCollins for making this possible :) and you can read my review of the book at

http://bookshipper.blogspot.com/2010/07/blog-tour-for-truth-about-delilah-blue.html

1.Your book deals with a very difficult topic - discovering who you truly are. Is this something that you feel most of us have to do, on some level?

Tish Cohen:  I think every one of us must explore who we are at one point or another. If you think about the way we grow up—surrounded by family members, all of whom have their own perceptions, hopes, and dreams for us—it is not at all strange that our “selves” are often less than clear. And even loving parents can inadvertently bestow us with limitations based on their own beliefs. It is vital we explore who we are once we start to view ourselves as independent.

2. Do you feel as though young adults today are very different than the previous generations?

Tish Cohen: Not really. There is this perception today that teens are self-centered these days but I really don’t see that the kids themselves are much different—it’s the world they’re bumping around inside of that is bizarre. You still have kids who feel insecure, bullied, gawky, invincible (wrongly!), rebellious, angry, etc. The kids themselves haven’t changed. What we’re feeding them has.

3.Which character in your book do you feel was the most powerful - other than the main one?

Tish Cohen: You may find it surprising, but I think Lichty is one of the strongest, most positive character in the book. He, like Elisabeth, has a tendency to criticize. But if you really examine them you’ll notice that Elisabeth’s harshness is meant to cut, to reinforce her own place in the world. Lichty’s criticism is meant to build artists who can go out and take whatever they may face from an industry that can shred your ego.

4.Do you believe that you can really ever know someone else - their thoughts, emotions?

Tish Cohen: Funny you should ask that. About a million times, since I was very young, I have tried to imagine what it would be like to live the movie that is someone else’s life, to actually be inside their minds and bodies and feel my way around. But it’s impossible without having lived their every moment, isn’t it? I find it fascinating…

5.If this book were turned into a movie, who would you see as the main players?

Tish Cohen: For Victor, a younger Jack Nicholson. For Elisabeth, I could see someone like Nicole Kidman or maybe Naomi Watts. Delilah could be played by Emily Blunt, maybe Rachel McAdams or Carey Mulligan - I loved her in An Education.

You can visit the author's website at: http://www.tishcohen.com/
 
and you can visit the HarperCollins site at: http://www.harpercollins.ca/books/The-Truth-About-Delilah-Blue-Tish-Cohen?isbn=9781554685868&HCHP=TB_The+Truth+About+Delilah+Blue