Watson, C.G.

PERSONAL:

Married; husband's name Tom; children: two. Hobbies and other interests: Writing, playing and listening to music, reading, in-line skating, learning new languages, bike riding, connecting with people.

ADDRESSES:

Home—CA. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer and educator. Teaches high school Spanish in CA. Has also worked as a songwriter and musician.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Cybils nomination, 2007, and Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers selection, American Library Association, and Edgar Award nomination, Mystery Writers of America, both 2008, all for Quad.

WRITINGS:

Quad (novel), Razorbill (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

C.G. Watson is the author of Quad, her debut work of young adult fiction. The novel concerns a school shooting spree that takes the life of a teenage girl. "I never wanted to write a book like Quad," the author stated in an interview with Becky Laney on the Becky's Book Reviews Web site. "But I'm a high school teacher, and a couple of years ago, I watched helplessly as one of my classes systematically dismantled certain kids with a campaign of meanness, teasing and isolation so cruel, I was afraid it would end in tragedy. And they wouldn't listen to my interventions, which came off as flimsy, even funny to them. I felt like I needed to find another way for them to get the message. Not long after that, the first draft of Quad was born."

In the novel, six students from disparate backgrounds find themselves trapped in the school store after gunshots ring out. As the teens attempt to determine the shooter's identity, suspicion immediately falls on Stone, a bullying football player. The chapters, written from the perspective of the students in the school's various cliques, "describe their thinking in a way with which readers can empathize," observed Corinda J. Humphrey in School Library Journal.

Parents and teachers can help prevent the type of situation described in her novel, Watson maintains, telling Laney: "We simply can't let negative comments, name-calling, or hurtful, isolating language go unchallenged, ever. Not at home, not at school. And we need to lead by example. Sometimes I think that parents and other caring adults underestimate their value in the eyes of our children—especially our teens."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July-August, 2007, Deborah Stevenson, review of Quad, p. 489.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2007, review of Quad.

School Library Journal, August, 2007, Corinda J. Humphrey, review of Quad, p. 128.

Voice of Youth Advocates, June, 2007, Vikki Terrile, review of Quad, p. 155.

ONLINE

Becky's Book Reviews Web site,http://blbooks.blogspot.com/ (November 19, 2007), Becky Laney, interview with Watson.

C.G. Watson Home Page,http://www.cgwatson.com (August 10, 2008).

C.G. Watson Web log,http://antiquecarrot.typepad.com/ (August 10, 2008).

Class of 2k7 Web site,http://classof2k7.com/ (August 10, 2008), "C.G. Watson."