OBS reviewer Annabell chats with author T.P. Boje about her book The Eye of the Crystal Ball, inspiration behind writing, all things gypsies and her new series Afterlife.
Annabell: What made you decide to write a story centered around the Gypsy culture? What are your favorite aspects of the culture?
T.P. Boje: The main character – the gypsy-girl Sara – has been with me always. She appeared in my head when I was still a child.
Where did she come from? Well, my parents actually. It is kind of strange I admit, but I think it is part of the reason why I have such a great imagination still as an adult. The thing is, my parents (mostly my dad – but my mom didn’t contradict him) used to tell me that I wasn’t their child. According to their story I was left on the doorstep at their house as an infant. They found me there in a small basket with a note on the pillow telling them to take good care of me. They told me I was a gypsy girl and that my real parents were going to come and get me one day soon.
I know it sounds like a horrible thing for parents to say to their child, but it wasn’t like I was young enough to really believe them. But I loved the story, and it made me very interested in gypsies; whenever we went on vacation to the Southern of Europe where you could be so lucky as to actually find gypsies – I would always go out looking for gypsies and try to get in contact with them. I didn’t believe the story – but I think maybe a big part of me wanted to. And that is where I think my love for storytelling began. My dad would tell me vividly about the gypsy way of living (in order to prepare me for when I had to go back, he would say while winking his eye) and I would get drawn right into these stories of the dark and mysterious people from distant and exotic places. Stories filled with music and dancing and fluttering skirts. And my new best friend became Sara, the gypsy girl in a long red dress that would dance in my mind and make me dream of being different, or at least something else than the pretty ordinary girl from a middleclass family in Denmark that I really was.
Annabell: There are certain dark themes explored within the confines of your plot: a boy being locked up in a cage, death, prejudice. Why did you feel those were important elements to the story you wanted to tell? What do you hope readers learn through them?
T.P. Boje: I always try to make my readers think about what they read. When I read a book, I expect to learn new things about life and often also about myself. Books can either be a mirror where you see yourself and learn something about yourself, or they can be a window where you look into a completely different world and see something you have never seen before. The good books are both, I think.
Annabell: Why did you decide to venture into the Young Adult genre?
T.P. Boje: I have always wanted to try it, and now I can’t figure why I waited so long. It is so much more fun. I used to write mystery-novels and that is fun too, but you are not allowed to use your imagination in the same way. Everything has to be so realistic. I was bored with it to tell you the truth. Now I can write anything I want to and make up my own worlds and I get to use this crazy imagination that I have.
Annabell: Sara was a young girl (14 years old) and possesses a great deal of strength for someone so young. What are qualities you share with her character?
T.P. Boje: I have always been strong. When I was her age I was very independent. I moved into my own apartment when I was only 16 and made my own money while going to high school. I put myself through university and became a journalist. I have always done everything myself and never depended on others. I think young girls can be extremely courageous and strong.
Annabell: The ending alluded to a sequel; will there be a second book in Sara’s tale? What will the plot explore?
T.P. Boje: I have currently just written three books in another series called Afterlife. It is about a 16-years old girl’s life after death. So I haven’t written the sequel to The Eye of the Crystal Ball just yet. But I do know what will happen to all of them. In it Sara goes on another adventure – this time under the surface of the ocean.
Annabell: As a writer, what inspires you to write? What do you think inspires the ideas behind your stories? 
T.P. Boje: Anything and everything. Inspiration can come from places you would never expect. Like something you read in a newspaper, or hear people talk about at work or from something you remember from your childhood. I get inspired by people I meet, by movies, by other books. But most of the time the ideas just kind of pops into my head and refuse to leave. People start talking and doing stuff and scenes keep playing in my head. That’s when I know I have to start writing.
Annabell: As a fan of Tim Burton (as am I!), which are some of your favorite movies by him?
T.P. Boje: I like it best when his movies are twisted and a little creepy, but also with a big heart. Like Edward Scissorhands and Nightmare before Christmas. But I also love the childish ones like Charlie and the Chocolate factory, but my absolute favorite has to be Big Fish. That is a beautiful movie. Just the right one for a storyteller like me =)
Annabell: If you got the chance to be a gypsy, where would you like to travel and why?
T.P. Boje: I would go to Spain where it is hot. I have travelled a lot in Spain and it is a beautiful country. Plus I adore the Flamenco, who wouldn’t love to dance like that?
Annabell: What are some writing projects you are working on now?
T.P. Boje: As mentioned I have just released three novels in a new series called Afterlife. The first is Beyond, the second Serenity and the third is Endurance. It is all about this girl who dies and goes to a school run by Angels. Here she has to learn how to surf on clouds and fly and all that. It was really a lot of fun to write. It is more of a paranormal romance though, with a hint of fantasy and a little mystery hidden in it. I am planning on writing six novels in total in the series, so that should keep me busy for awhile. After that I hope to write the sequel to The Eye of the Crystal Ball. But I never know what pops into my head.
Annabell: Now for a fun little game:
Favorite Book or Books: The Neverending Story
Favorite Reading Spot: On the beach.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Blueberry
If you could wield magic like Sara, what kind of magic would you want and what would you do with it? I would like to be able to read people’s minds. But only if I could control it and didn’t have to hear everything all the time. I would use it to read my children’s minds. It would be great to always tell if they were lying to you.
Top Five Favorite Authors: Michael Ende, Jules Verne, C. S. Lewis, Anne Rice and John Irving.
If you could have dinner with any author (dead or alive) anywhere in the world, who would you pick, why would you picked said person and where would you have dinner?
T.P. Boje: H. C. Andersen because he was Danish like me and had a beautiful childish imagination. I would like to have dinner on a mountaintop in Nepal. Then we would write a wonderful story together.
Annabell: Thank you to author T.P. Boje for taking the time to answer my questions and giving readers a chance to get to know her better. To learn more about the author and her books, check out her blog: http://www.tpboje.blogspot.com/
