Hillary Carlip	The Week of July 2nd, 2006

Queen of the Oddballs

1. What's in your wallet right now?

About $34.73. I prefer credit cards to cash, so plenty of those. Other cards: Writers Guild, Gym, Office Depot Rewards Program, and organ donor — I love how you can check off if you'd prefer to donate only certain parts. Like take anything you want, but you can't have my spleen.

2. What do you wish your parents taught you about money?

That I didn't have to watch every damn cent in fear that money could run out at any time.

3. What is your worst habit around finances?

That I watch every damn cent in fear that money could run out at any time.

4. What makes you happy?

Expressing myself creatively and inspiring people in the process. Currently, I get deep satisfaction hearing from people who have been blown away by my book (Queen of the Oddballs: And Other True Stories from a Life Unaccording to Plan), and that it's made them want to live their lives more fully, and embrace who they are.

5. Personal philosophy around money?

It's an exchange of energy in a way.

6. Where does money come from?

Well let's just say for me it has come from being a professional fire-eater, juggler, artist, singing telegram deliverer, screenwriter, professional fan, entrepreneur, brainstormer, and Gong Show winner (Seven hundred, twelve dollars and five cents, thank you very much!).

7. What would you do with a million dollars?

Start an arts foundation that supports people in empowering themselves through creative expression.

8. What is your most prized possession?

I'd have to say my journals, which I've been keeping since I was 13. And they're not just all about writing; they're also filled with ephemera — photos, letters, and things like Joni Mitchell's cigarette butt, my backstage pass from when I appeared on Oprah, etc. Luckily I was able to include a lot of ephemera in my book — my fave being a handwritten letter from Carly Simon which she sent me when I befriended her when I was 14 years old.

9. Who is your role model?

Anyone and everyone daring to live the life they truly desire and helping others less fortunate to do the same.

10. What is your greatest achievement?

I'd have to say helping others find their voice and giving them a place to express it — through my first two books (Girl Power: Young Women Speak Out and Zine Scene), and also through my literary website devoted to personal essays, FRESH YARN (www.freshyarn.com).

11. Tell us about Queen of the Oddballs.

Well, according to my publisher, HarperCollins, it's: A hilariously offbeat memoir about an adventurous young woman's escapades as she defies conventions and transforms an ordinary Los Angeles life into a star-studded, extraordinary miracle of self-discovery.

Queen of the Oddballs forms a chronology of Hillary Carlip's habitual straying from roads more traveled from a wisecracking third-grader suspended from school for smoking (while imitating Holly Golightly), to a headline-making teen activist, juggler and fire eater, friend of Carly Simon and Carole King, grand prize-winning Gong Show contestant, cult rock star, and seeker of spiritual and romantic truths that definitely defy expectations. Queen of the Oddballs presents a virtual time capsule of pop culture's last four decades and celebrates a creative life lived to the hilt.

12. What contributions to society do you want to make?

I'd love for my work to inspire millions to live their lives more fully; embrace, express, and find empowerment and self-acceptance through their creativity; and discover their limitless possibilities.

13. If you could buy one thing right now what would it be?

Millions of copies of my book and all my author friends' books so we could all be on the bestseller list at the same time!

14. Favorite activity that doesn't cost a dime?

Writing, creating, scheming, brainstorming and adventuring with my girlfriend, hanging out with our friends and dogs. If I do that all at once, it counts as one activity, right?

15. How do you indulge yourself?

I stop working for a minute or so!

Hillary Carlip is the author of the memoir Queen of the Oddballs: And Other True Stories from a Life Unaccording to Plan (HarperCollins), which has received rave reviews and was an American Bookseller's Association Book Sense Pick, chosen by independent bookstores throughout the country. Her first book, Girl Power: Young Women Speak Out (Warner Books), was chosen by the New York Public Library for its "Best Books for Teens" list, and led to Hillary's appearance on Oprah for a show devoted to her book. Now in its eighth printing, Girl Power continues to attract new readers and is required reading for many Women's Studies courses throughout the country. Her second book, Zine Scene, (Girl Press), which she designed herself and co-wrote with the award-winning, acclaimed author Francesca Lia Block, was included in the "alt.media" show at the New Museum for Contemporary Art in New York City, and won an American Library Association Award.

Hillary is the creator, editor and host of the acclaimed literary website, FRESH YARN: The Online Salon for Personal Essays. She is also an artist, NPR commentator, and reads and performs her writing at spoken word hot spots throughout the country.

---

« Previous Interview

Next Interview »

Send to a Friend:

From:

To: