An interview with Iva-Marie Palmer, author of Gimme Everything You Got
About the Book:
1) How did you come up with the story of Gimme Everything You Got?
A friend had told me about a soccer coach at his son’s school who all the moms had a crush on because he was so beautiful. I started to think about what it was like when that coach walked the halls of a school. There’s that scene in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High when Phoebe Cates’ character climbs out of the pool in a red bikini and Judge Reinhold’s character is staring at her, having this fantasy that she struts right up to him.
So, I imagined a young woman watching a new coach as he walked through the cafeteria for the first time, and her deciding she wanted to do anything she could to be in his orbit. But since he’s totally off-limits, her only way to do that is try out for the girls’ soccer team, even though playing a sport has never occurred to her. I loved envisioning a crush that leads a person to a better version of themselves.
2) Which of the characters from Gimme Everything You Got are you the most similar to?
I’m a lot like Susan, in terms that she’s always daydreaming and observing, which are both habits critical to my writing. And I also am a lot like Tina, in that she’s very goal-oriented and driven. But in life I function as a hybrid of the two of them; like, I know I want to achieve things, like Tina, but sometimes am not sure what, or can imagine all kinds of scenarios playing out, like Susan.
Oh, but I will put out there that my sense of humor is a lot like Joe Gianelli’s; sometimes I can be a bit cocky and full of myself, or just want to make a joke out of everything.
3) What message are you sending to your readers while they are reading this book?
In writing about a character who is eager to gain sexual experience, even as she shuts down a lot of guys, I hope they realize that their desires -- whatever they may be -- are normal, and that pursuing their pleasure -- so long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else -- is crucial.
I also hope that some readers see themselves in Susan. I’ve written ambitious characters before -- my middle grade series, Gabby Garcia’s Ultimate Playbook, centers on an extremely confident (though sometimes anxious) and driven athlete -- but Susan is someone who wants to do something but isn’t sure what. So many young adult characters -- even if they have problems they want to solve -- are achievers and A-student types, and Susan is not. I liked writing her story because she’s someone who’s been afraid -- even if she doesn’t know she’s afraid -- to take a real chance on something. She dismisses potential dates because she’s a bit scared to choose the wrong one; she doesn’t do activities at school because she thinks it won’t be worth it. Then, she decides to play soccer -- at first for Bobby’s sake, and later, more importantly, because she learns she loves it -- and realizes she wants to take a chance on herself, even if it’s a challenge, and in some ways is risky; she might be terrible, she might lose.
I hope readers take away the message that it’s important not necessarily to succeed but to try, even if that means giving yourself permission to screw up. Screw-ups and failures are just as, if not more, valuable than successes.
4) Which scene was the hardest to write in Gimme Everything You Got?
As it’s been a while since I wrote this, I’m looking back at the book and because I can hold a finished copy in my hand, it doesn’t feel like anything was that hard! Writing for me is a lot like strenuous exercise in that I’ll feel somewhere in the middle of writing or a workout like I can’t possibly go on, but eventually I make it to the end, and look back at the workout or writing session like, “pfft, that was no problem.”
For Gimme Everything You Got, of course it was difficult to write Susan’s very low point when she feels like she’s screwed everything up. Those low points are always tough to write, just in terms of getting into the headspace to do it well. But, the actual mechanically hardest part to write was the party scene with the team in their motel room in Wisconsin. That chapter was initially way overlong because I wanted to pack in every last detail, and I always find it a little hard to write scenes with a lot of characters doing different things and conversations happening at once. I think it comes from being able to imagine the scene the way it would be shot in a movie -- where you can cut pretty fluidly between conversations and moments -- but knowing that those transitions are harder to do on the page.
About You:
1. If you won a prize for something, what would it be and why?
Remaining functional amid self-created chaos. It’s somewhat self-explanatory but I have a Gemini tendency to be a little interested in a lot of things and to possibly overcommit myself to undertakings and projects I want to take on; new things I want to learn; books I want to read; places I want to go (this was more true before the pandemic, of course), so my days tend to border on overstuffed, and it can stress me out. However, the idea of streamlining my life or having a more minimalist brain feels impossible and anathema to who I am. So, I’ve learned to survive and sometimes thrive not in spite of but maybe because I am a mess.
2. If a director wanted to make Gimme Everything You Got into a movie and wanted you to act in it, who would you be and why?
I think I would be Vice Principal Lawler because she probably has a great wardrobe but doesn’t have too big a role. I took an acting course in college and I know my talents well enough now to know I should not be in a big role.
3. What are some of your favorite tv shows and movies?
I fall all over myself for snappy dialogue and if it can be spoken in support of a budding romance, even better. So, anything with great banter is an instant hit with me: I love old screwball comedies like Bringing Up Baby and It Happened One Night and have binged Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Veronica Mars more than once. One of my favorite movies that comes as a surprise to people is GoodFellas, and I just started watching The Sopranos, which I’d never seen. More recent releases I loved include Lady Bird, and I just adored the new Netflix series Never Have I Ever.
4. If you could have dinner with any 3 people (fictional, real or dead), who would it be?
This may be a bit of a cop-out because I’m indecisive but I think I’d like to show up to a random selection of historic and fictional characters and see what happened. I mean, there are some definite “no way” people from history but for the most part, I love the way people surprise you when you get to know them. And even if it’s terrible, it’s one dinner. But you know, it could even be a dinner of three totally unknown people and it’s still an opportunity to be left delighted or aghast, which I kind of love.
But, as I typed that, it did occur to me that I’d love to dine with any three people from Edward Hopper paintings, or maybe the crew from his famous Nighthawks at the Diner. Everyone he painted had a rich inner life, I think.
5. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
As I hinted above, I like to do too many things. Reading, of course, and everything from novels to great longform Internet pieces to snippets from the many magazines and newspapers I have lying around. Hanging out with my kids and husband, whether it’s going to the beach together or watching a movie or talking after-dinner walks; they’re great company. I love exercising, and pre-pandemic, I went to a great boxing class twice a week, in addition to runs and HIIT workouts. I cook often but I don’t consider a hobby as much as a necessity, except when my love of novelty is engaged and I get to make something I’ve never made before. I love visiting new neighborhoods and walking around, as well as eavesdropping in cafes. I’m generally up for anything, and I always say I’m a proud dilettante because I’ll learn anything once.
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