An Interview with Christy Schillig

Christy Schillig is a middle school teacher who lives in a log cabin in suburban South Jersey with her two children, her husband/best friend since 6th grade, and her dogs, Puppay and Sheep. Christy graduated from Villanova University with a degree in Italian Literature and Language (yes, that’s a real degree) and uses that degree to commentate classroom science games in Italian and plan off-the-grid trips to the Italian Rivieras. On any given day, you can find her reading young adult paranormal romance beneath her desk at school.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I am a teacher. I’ve worked in retail. I’ve worked in pharmaceutical sales. But teaching is the first career that actually fulfilled me. And now we are eleven years in, and as burnt out as I feel sometimes in that classroom, I know that it is the right place for me. Also, the whole summers-off thing isn’t too bad.

Through all of these versions of myself, I wrote. Writing was always a calling. Sometimes it was a treatment for my mental health and sometimes it was an escape and almost always it was a struggle. My relationship with my writing has changed form over the years and I’m sure will continue to morph and develop as time passes.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

My title evolved over a decade and a half and three separate versions of the novel. What started as Urbino and morphed into Wish You Were Here landed perfectly on Wish You Weren’t Here. The cheeky twist of words captured the vibe between our two main characters in just the right way.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

When I studied abroad in Urbino at nineteen, Coldplay’s Parachutes album was in my ear for every bus ride through the Italian countryside. Add on some atmospheric Italian songs by Andrea Bocelli and a few moody compositions by Ludvico Einaudi and you have yourself a soundtrack. Oh, and “Juicy” for the club scene, obviously!

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

Life is never what you expect it to be. The more you try to plan and control the chaos, the more you miss the beauty in staying present. Italian culture encapsulates that message to me. My heart aches for Italy every moment I’m not there.

Hmmm…perfect reader. Anyone who needs to escape and loves romance would fall headlong into Ava’s story. I believe readers of Abby Jimenez and Christina Lauren, three of my favorite authors, are perfect candidates for Wish You Weren’t Here.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

The most rewarding part of publication was showing my children and my students that the road to making your dream come true is flooded with failure. Sharing just how many rejections I faced before finding that one “yes” from my agent (and ultimately my publisher) is the most meaningful example of resilience that I have to offer. My own children witnessed most of the “nos” that were thrown my way, and seeing that battle will hopefully shape them into two fierce individuals who persevere through life’s pitfalls.

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

So many projects! I’d love to get a book that died on submission into my readers’ hands after a little reworking. It has that delight factor mixed with the deeper emotional issues that I know my readers appreciated in Wish You Weren’t Here. I’ve got a small-town romance duology in the works that’s set right where I live and I’m working on a romantasy that is stretching my writing in ways that I couldn’t have imagined. Stay tuned!

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.