To celebrate the release of Perchance to Dream, I’m interviewing some of the authors featured in the anthology. Today’s interview is with Jane Watson!
Tell us a little bit about your story, “The Taming of the Dudebro.”
“The Taming of the Dudebro” is the story of Patricia Verona, a high school senior who has always been very active in the theater program at her school, and is finally getting the chance to direct a one-act play for the school theater festival. The play is written by her best friend and fellow thespian Grizz Sheridan and the two girls are looking forward to making their play the best one at the festival, until they’re saddled with one of the most annoying and jerky guys in school as an assistant. Kurt Minola is flunking the class and is assigned to help with their one-act for extra credit. From the moment he joins the team he is lazy, habitually late, and more of a hindrance than a help. Patricia is worried that his participation is going to wreak havoc on their productionβso it’s time to teach this dudebro a lesson!
What drew you to write an adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew?
I’ve always liked the biting wit of that play, and I enjoy seeing adaptations of it, such as the musical Kiss Me, Kate, which is a big favorite of mine. Another fun adaptation I’ve always liked is from the classic 1960s sitcom Car 54, Where are You?, where they spoofed the play with an episode entitled “The Taming of Lucille.” But while I really wanted to do The Taming of the Shrew, my goal was to make it different than anything we’d ever seen before, and I definitely didn’t want it to be the girl who was tamed. I thought it would be hilarious if they guy was being a total jerk and had to be taught a lesson, and thus “The Taming of the Dudebro” was born!
Most of the time, I make lots of notes before I actually start writing anything, focusing on even the smallest of details. It seems crazy at first, but it really helps me build the story’s universe, and then, even if those details never actually show up, it is a lot easier for me to write. After that, I just type and type, and go back and fix a little at a time. If I’m ever stuck on a scene I jot down ideas I have for it and go on to the next scene.
“The Taming of the Dudebro” is your first published work. Do you have any other YA projects you’re working on, or plans to write anything else?
I am currently working on a pirate-romance novel, as well as a fairytale retelling, but I do plan on doing more contemporary, because it is so much fun! I have many ideas for YA stories, so I hope you will be seeing a lot more from me very soon!
I hope you enjoyed this interview with Jane Watson! You can read her story, “The Taming of the Dudebro,” in Perchance to Dream, which is available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other major retailers. If you’d like to learn more about Jane, you can visit her website.