Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Author Interview: Crystal Smith-Connelly


Welcome Crystal Smith to Author Fever!















Hello Crystal, tell our readers a little bit about yourself.

I’m a playwright from Charleston, SC who has written more than fifty plays, some of which have been performed in New York, Los Angeles, Maryland, and France. I’m the author of two play anthologies-For I Am Zeus: A Collection of Plays About Greek Mythology and Never Trust an Angel and Other Plays-and Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Conan O’Brien, Sarah Silverman, and Tina Fey are some of the people who influence me.  I have a husband (Kyle), a dog (Layla), and two hamsters (Bret and Jemaine), and I’m obsessed with Arrested Development.

What do you do when you aren’t writing?

Read, watch TV and movies, listen to music and stand-up comedy CDs, go to stand-up comedy shows

If you had to choose an all-time favorite book, what would it be?

Naked Pictures of Famous People by Jon Stewart…it’s hilarious, and I’ve read it multiple times.

What inspired you to start writing?

I don’t remember…I’ve loved writing for as long as I can remember.  As for playwriting though, I took an Arthurian Legends class my senior year of high school, and we decided to write and perform a play at the end of the semester; it was the first time I’d tried playwriting, and I really liked it, so I took playwriting classes in college and kept writing plays long after I graduated.

What is your favorite genre to write?

Comedy…I want to spend my life making people laugh, and all the people who inspire me are very funny.

Do you have a set writing schedule, or do you do it when the fancy strikes.

I just do it when an idea hits me.

Do you outline or write as you go (describe your writing process)?

Most of my plays are pretty short (ten to twenty minutes), so I don’t really need an outline…I just start writing and see where it takes me.

Do you have a certain vice that helps you write?

Not really…but I have noticed that sometimes after I see a stand-up comic or a good play, I’ll end up starting a new play the next day.

Describe your muse.

When I write my Zeus plays, Will Ferrell is my muse…I imagine him in the part, and that makes it even more fun to write.

What inspires you?

Good comedy


Are the people in your life supportive of your writing?

Yes, most of them have bought my book, and my husband (my then-boyfriend) traveled with me to Los Angeles a few years ago to see my play “Godly Acres”…and he didn’t mind sitting through it twice!

Is music a part of your writing process?

Not really…I love music, but I’m usually in front of the TV when I’m writing.

Tell us about your current work in progress.

I’m currently proofreading my first proof of Never Trust an Angel and Other Plays…it should be out sometime in March.

You can find more about Crystal here:
Extras:
Is the glass half-empty or half-full?

Half-full

If money were no option, where would you live?

Los Angeles

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A paleontologist or a rock star

What is your all-time favorite movie?

Cannibal!: The Musical

If you could have a dinner party with five people [living or dead], who would you choose and why?

Will Arnett, Will Ferrell, Conan O’Brien, Tina Fey, and Sarah Silverman…they’re all people who inspire me, and that would be the most fun dinner party ever!



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