Q&A with 2012 Featured Author Michelle Ray
Michelle Ray is an MCPS teacher and the debut author of “Falling for Hamlet,” about which the New York Times said: “Not at all dull . . . it’s filled with the pageantry and royalty that so many [teens] have discovered in the William and Kate romance. It also has the kind of unfamiliar setting and code of behavior that has drawn them to books like those of the Hunger Games series.” A Shakespeare fan from a young age (in 5th grade, she even named her bird Polonius), she spends her time trying to convince people that Shakespeare is not scary.
Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere! For “Falling for Hamlet,” I found inspiration in DC’s Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Hamlet, which was modern but not fussy about it. Their production made me think about the timelessness of love and betrayal, of family and heartbreak. I also find inspiration in art, overheard conversations, movies, my students, and my friends. In fact, many of them are characters in my books. I ask permission or change names, but I love to use people I know because the nature of our relationships and their characteristics are so vivid in my mind. I look for inspiration anywhere, and don’t judge. People think that just because I like Shakespeare, I must be snobby, but I love a good fart joke as much as a good soliloquy.
What are you reading right now?
I just finished Elizabeth Bunce’s awesome sequel to “Starcrossed,” “Liar’s Moon.” Now I’m reading “Heroes, Gods, and Monsters,” huuuuundreds of student papers for work, and “Shiver” by Maggie Stiefvater. “Shiver” is very out of character for me because I tend to avoid paranormal romance, but I’m hooked. It’s proof that if a book is well written and fits one’s taste (in my case, lots of action and daring characters), genre doesn’t matter.
What’s your favorite opening line from a book?
“It was a pleasure to burn.” – “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury
I never read it in school, but now I teach it. This amazing opening sets up the main character and the messed up future world Bradbury created. I read the book aloud with my students, and I always stop after that first line and watch their faces. They’re full of questions, outrage, surprise and amusement. Then they want to read on.
What book has inspired or affected you in some way?
You probably expect me to say “Hamlet,” but that goes without saying!
“Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher. As a middle school teacher, a parent, and a former teen, it made me think a lot about how kids, and really, all people, hurt each other without thinking about the consequences. Sometimes, an unintentional slight or an intentional comment or action can ripple out and do damage beyond what one could have predicted. On the flip side, I like to think that the kindnesses we do in life can unexpectedly help others, as well. I keep this in mind with my own students and my own friends, for I’d much rather be remembered for the good that I do and say than off-hand remarks or jibes that could serve as the final straw in tearing someone down.
