{"id":34294,"date":"2023-12-21T06:30:39","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T11:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/?p=34294"},"modified":"2023-12-25T09:59:41","modified_gmt":"2023-12-25T14:59:41","slug":"interview-with-ashley-griffin-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/interview-with-ashley-griffin-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Ashley Griffin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greetings, travelers, and welcome to the Otherworld once again. Today we\u2019re making a special stop to revisit one of the creators we\u2019ve spent time with in the past. Ashley Griffin is the multi-talented phenomenon behind bestseller The Spindle<\/em>, which released in October of 2022. The author is back today to tell us about her experiences with that post-release, and to talk about her new book, Blank Paige<\/em>, which released earlier this month and just became a #1 Bestseller. Read on to learn more about Ashley Griffin, and her wonderful projects!<\/p>\n

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Tellest:<\/strong> Welcome back, Ashley! \u00a0It looks as though you\u2019ve had a wonderful time over this past year, and we\u2019re very excited to find out what your experience has been since we last spoke.<\/p>\n

Ashley Griffin:<\/strong> Thank you so much! It\u2019s wonderful to be back and I\u2019m so excited to introduce everyone to Blank Paige<\/em>! It\u2019s very close to my heart and I\u2019ve been working on it for a long time.<\/p>\n

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T:<\/strong> It\u2019s been a little over a year since the last time we spoke at great length about your authorship.\u00a0 Now that your first book, The Spindle<\/em>, has been out for a while, and your new release, Blank Paige<\/em>, has hit shelves, how do you feel?\u00a0 What has this last year been like for you?<\/p>\n

AG: <\/strong>I\u2019m so excited to finally get to share this story with everyone. This past year has been interesting\u2014I\u2019m still dealing with the fallout from the pandemic both personally and professionally and it\u2019s really nice to be able to end the year with something as special as this book release. And I have really enjoyed getting to have The Spindle<\/em> out in the world. I\u2019m honored that it\u2019s being taught in schools and featured in libraries and I\u2019ve loved getting to go and talk to many of the young people reading it (as well as fans in general). And it looks like Blank Paige <\/em>is on track to follow suit which makes me really happy.<\/p>\n

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T:<\/strong> That\u2019s pretty big news!\u00a0 How did The Spindle<\/em> end up getting into libraries, and who took the initiative for it to be taught in schools?\u00a0 Do you know if it is being taught as literature, or are they leaning into your theater experience and talking about how it sort of lives on that periphery?<\/p>\n

AG: <\/strong>It is being taught as literature, which is a huge honor. I actually worked as a library page (fun \u201cPaige<\/em>\u201d tie in) the summer after I graduated from high school. I have a strong connection with my local library (I\u2019ve been an avid frequenter since I was very young and, like I said, I worked there\u2026) so getting into libraries started with my partnering with my childhood library and that led to other libraries expressing interest. I\u2019m also honored to still have connections to various school districts\u2014I have connections to my teachers and others who teach, and I\u2019ve created theater programs for several school districts (I\u2019m also fortunate to have fans of my work who are teachers) and through all those avenues my books ended up being introduced to teachers throughout the country. I was honored when several of them volunteered that they wanted to teach the books as part of their curriculum and were approved to do so.<\/p>\n

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T:<\/strong> Do you suspect that, now that Blank Paige<\/em> has been released, it will also be part of a curriculum or end up in the library system as well?<\/p>\n

AG: <\/strong>Yes, I know that Blank Paige<\/em> will for sure be taught in classrooms (as literature) and featured in libraries.<\/p>\n

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T:<\/strong> You mentioned that the pandemic is still lingering about in your life.\u00a0 What do you think the biggest challenges are that remain for you and your community, and how do you think you get back to a comfortable place?<\/p>\n

AG: <\/strong>The pandemic reached a point where there was no easy coming back from it. We sort of passed the point of no return and it\u2019s going to take a very long time to fight our way back to what the entertainment world, and the theater world in particular was. I had twelve people close to me pass away just in the past year\u2026 And honestly, I don\u2019t quite know how we return to a comfortable place. We need the economics of the theater world to change, we need people to continue to be cautious about our health\u2014there are a lot of people who are acting like the pandemic never happened, and I understand that desire, but it\u2019s still here and we need to be in this together to find a way forward.<\/p>\n

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T:<\/strong> Film certainly had the means to pivot streaming in a lot of ways, and for better or worse, we\u2019re seeing a lot of people who are partaking of that.\u00a0 The cinema experience has kind of shifted quite a bit since the pandemic, with only a few of the big tentpoles performing well.<\/p>\n

Does theater have to find a way to pivot as well in order to continue with some sort of prosperity?<\/p>\n

Toward the beginning of the pandemic, Hamilton made a huge impact when it was released on Disney+.\u00a0 Could there be similar value in broadcasting the theater experience so that more people could enjoy it in a safe manner?\u00a0 And even if it could, does that harm the soul of the arts in some way, in your opinion?<\/p>\n

AG: <\/strong>This is a huge question with a lot of answers\u2026 In terms of the streaming question specifically, I think it\u2019s a wonderful tool that theater should take advantage of more (why they don\u2019t is partially due to costs and partially due to union restrictions which is a whole other can of worms\u2026). But I believe it\u2019s been statistically proven that streaming live performances actually increases ticket sales. People see something they like, and they want to go see it live (if they can) \u2014as opposed to the (unfounded) worry that folks would be like \u201coh, I\u2019ve already seen it, I don\u2019t need to go see it in the theater\u201d. The soul of the arts will never fade and I think people want to experience theater live and in the format it was intended. That\u2019s why it\u2019s lasted all these centuries! I\u2019m a huge fan of what the National Theater has done with National Theater Live broadcasts\u2014it\u2019s grown their audience by leaps and bounds and it\u2019s been an added income source from people who aren\u2019t able to go in person (i.e. people in the states who don\u2019t have plans to or aren\u2019t able to go to the UK.) And it\u2019s also provided a route for National Theater shows to transfer to Broadway because people in the states want to see a piece in person.<\/p>\n

But theater, especially in the U.S., needs to majorly rethink and adjust the economics of producing a show (I actually did a whole video on this on my YouTube channel.) A lot of former Broadway producers won\u2019t even produce in the states anymore because it\u2019s just not financially viable.<\/p>\n

And I think there are a lot of takeaways for why movies aren\u2019t doing as well in cinemas\u2014something that started happening long before Covid. Ticket prices have gotten crazy high (it\u2019s now more money to go see one movie in a movie theater than for a monthly Netflix fee where you can watch hundreds of movies and T.V. shows\u2026) adding \u201cbenefits\u201d like reclining seats, serving food, etc. isn\u2019t helping\u2014honestly it\u2019s just making going out to a movie more like staying home and watching a movie\u2026 Plus there have been a lot of really horrible tragedies that have taken place at movie theaters in addition to the fact that the overall quality of movies isn\u2019t what it once was, and now with the threat of Covid and other illnesses\u2026 It just doesn\u2019t make sense for a lot of people anymore.<\/p>\n

And theater is dealing with a lot of those same issues and then some. Bottom line, something has to give with the economics\u2014both in terms of how much it costs to put up a show (which affects what shows are even produced in the first place) and how difficult it is for people to go and see a show. If I didn\u2019t have access to tickets because of being in the industry I wouldn\u2019t be able to see most theatrical shows\u2026 I can\u2019t afford the ticket prices!<\/p>\n

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T:<\/strong> In our last interview, we had talked about how, with your multitude of projects, it felt as though you barely had time to get something like The Spindle<\/em> spun up. Blank Paige<\/em> is an even bigger book, tackling more original content. How did you manage to complete such a powerful new story with all your endeavors pulling you in so many directions?<\/p>\n

AG: <\/strong>LOL juggling a million projects is the norm for me so I\u2019m really used to it and I\u2019m good at getting things done. And Blank Paige <\/em>is a piece that\u2019s been with me for a long time so it\u2019s something I\u2019ve been working on in the background of everything else I have going on.<\/p>\n

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T:<\/strong> At this point, with Blank Paige<\/em> done, are you just shy of a million projects?\u00a0 Or have you expanded beyond that number, with little side quests and spinoffs jumping into your mind?<\/p>\n

AG: <\/strong>I actually started to keep track and I currently have forty-six dramatic works (theater\/film\/TV) that have been produced\/received significant development and two published novels, in addition to projects I\u2019m acting in or directing and other pieces that are in earlier stages of development.<\/p>\n

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T:<\/strong> How do you determine what to put your focus on?\u00a0 I know you juggle a lot of projects, but is there a way that you decide which should take priority?<\/p>\n

AG: <\/strong>It\u2019s a constant reassessment at any given moment\u2026 I sort of have a tiered list of priorities:<\/p>\n