>> THIS VPT PRODUCTION IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE WYANT FUND, PROMOTING CANADIAN U.S.

CROSS BORDER PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS.

>>> JOURNALIST, SHORT STORY AND SCREEN WRITER HEATHER O'NEILL HAS RECEIVED INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM FOR HER RECENT GRIPPING AND HEART WRENCHING NOVEL ABOUT MONTREAL STREET KIDS, INFLUENCED BY HER OWN TOUGH CHILDHOOD.

HEATHER O'NEILL IS MY GUEST NEXT ON "PROFILE."

>> HEATHER O'NEILL WAS BORN IN MONTREAL, BUT SPENT PART OF HER CHILDHOOD IN VIRGINIA, HER MOTHER'S HOME TURF.

O'NEILL STARTED WRITING WHEN SHE WAS YOUNG, ZIPPED THROUGH McGILL UNIVERSITY IN TWO YEARS, AND KEPT ON WRITING.

HER CREDITS INCLUDE SCREENPLAYS, ONE MADE INTO THE FILM "ST.

JUDE," A BOOK OF POETRY, AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE "NEW YORK TIMES" MAGAZINE, PUBLIC RADIO INTERNATIONAL'S "THIS AMERICAN LIFE," AND THE CBC'S "WIRETAP."

HER DEBUT NOVEL, "LULLABIES FOR LITTLE CRIMINALS" HAS WON NUMEROUS ACCOLADES, INCLUDING THE WINNING "CANADA READS" NOVEL FOR 2007, A GOVERNOR GENERAL'S FINALIST AWARD, AND MAJOR NODS FROM AMAZON.COM, BARNES AND NOBLE, AND PEOPLE MAGAZINE.

SHE CURRENTLY LIVES IN MONTREAL WITH BROADCASTER JONATHAN GOLDSTEIN AND HER DAUGHTER, ARIZONA.

>> IT IS GREAT HAVING YOU HERE.

>> THANK YOU.

>> THANKS FOR COMING.

SO, YOU SAID THAT BOTH OF YOUR PARENTS HAD THIS NOTION THAT LIFE SHOULD HAVE TREATED THEM BETTER, THEIR TALENT, INTELLIGENCE SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED, NOW YOURS HAS, WHICH -- AT A YOUNG AGE, WHAT HAVE YOUR NOTIONS BEEN ABOUT WHAT TO EXPECT OF LIFE?

>> UM, I DON'T KNOW, I JUST -- I MEAN, AS FAR AS WRITING THE NOVEL GOES, I EVEN -- I NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT THE END PRODUCT WAS, BECAUSE IT WAS SORT OF JUST -- I JUST KIND OF DELVED INTO IT.

I ENJOYED WRITING POETRY, TOOK ME OUT OF ORDINARY LIFE AND GAVE ME SOMETHING THAT I COULD CONTROL.

YEAH, IT WAS -- THE RECOGNITION FOR IT WAS ALMOST KIND OF SHOCKING, BECAUSE I'M SO USED TO JUST LIVING IN A WORLD WHERE EVERYBODY DOES THESE KIND OF LIKE OUTRAGEOUS, KIND OF SHOW-OFFY THINGS BUT FALLS FLAT ON THEIR FACE BUT EVERYTHING IS KIND OF, IMMITATION OF GRAND EUR.

>> HAVE WRITING AND READING BEEN OBSESSIONS SINCE THE TIME YOU WERE ABLE TO MANAGE THEM?

>> I THINK I WAS ABLE TO READ REALLY YOUNG, AND I THINK THAT KIND OF -- IT SORT OF MADE ME WHO I AM, BECAUSE MY MOTHER LEFT WHEN I WAS VERY YOUNG -- I WAS AT A VERY YOUNG AGE, RECENTLY I HEARD, WHY IS HEATHER ALWAYS BELLY ACHING, I GAVE HER SEVEN YEARS OF MY LIFE.

SO, I DIDN'T HAVE A MOTHER, I ALWAYS READ, AND THAT'S HOW I GOT MY IDEAS ABOUT THE WORLD.

IT IS INTERESTING, BECAUSE YOU HAVE AN UNUSUAL IDEA OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE, AND YOU SEE HISTORICAL IDEAS, FICTIONAL IDEAS, THAT MAKES YOU IMAGE -- >> I ALWAYS LOVED PLAY WRITING, I LOVE SAMUEL BECKETT, AND HAROLD PINTER, KIND THE COOLEST GUYS, I USED TO SEE OLD PICTURES OF THEM WITH THE OLD RATTY SUITS AND THE DARK GLASSES, AND I THOUGHT -- AND HE WOULD WRITE THESE PLAYS THAT I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND.

A LOT OF WHAT I READ AS A KID I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND, BUT I KNEW THERE WAS SOME MEANINGFUL, DARK SUB TEXT THAT ONE DAY I WOULD GET.

THE ADULT WORLD.

>> IT WASN'T DIALOGUE -- MAYBE IT WAS.

>> I DON'T KNOW, I LIKE THE ABSURDEDTY OF PLAYS.

>> YOU WENT TO McGILL, WHICH YOU CREDIT AS ONE OF THE BEST UNIVERSITIES IN CANADA, BUT YOU WROTE THAT IT IS DESIGNED TO DISTRACT YOU FROM REALITY, YOU WROTE, AND YOU FELT IT WAS PRETTY SELF-SERVING.

>> WELL, I MEAN, IT WAS A WONDERFUL PLACE.

I REALLY HAD A GREAT TIME THERE, BECAUSE IT IS SO ACADEMIC AND YOU DON'T REALLY THINK OF THE WORLD.

IT TAKES YOU -- IT DOES MAKE YOU A BRIGHTER PERSON, AND MORE INTELLIGENT.

THESE ARE SKILLS -- >> AND YOU ARE A BRIGHT STUDENT, WENT THROUGH IN TWO YEARS.

>> HELP YOU WITH WRITING, AND I WOULD FEEL LIKE IN A WAY I HAD TO LOSE ALL OF THAT INSANITY AND LIKE THIS CRAZY ACADEMIC STYLE OF WRITING THEY HAVE, AND READING, AND SO DIVORCED FROM REALITY THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU COME OUT WITH A MIND FULL OF NONSENSE.

>> SOMEHOW YOU DIDN'T LOSE YOUR SENSE OF REALITY.

BEFORE WE GET THERE, JUST TO GO BACK SINCE YOU TALKED ABOUT YOUR MOM.

YOU WERE BORN IN MONTREAL, YOU DID LIVE IN VIRGINIA.

A LOT OF YOUR MOTHER'S RELATIVES THERE.

ECCENTRIC, NOT MUCH OF A PARENT, SHE DID SEND YOU BACK AT AGE SEVEN TO MONTREAL TO LIVE WITH YOUR FATHER, WHO ALSO LIFE WAS REALLY NO PICNIC.

AND -- BUT READING AND WRITING WERE SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD FIND YOURSELF -- YOU COULD BURY YOURSELF IN THERE.

DID THAT HELP THROUGH THOSE DIFFICULT TIMES?

>> IT DID, BECAUSE IT IS A WAY -- IT WAS SOMETHING I COULD TOTALLY CONTROL AND CREATE ANY REALITY I WANTED.

IT ALSO LIKE IMPORTANTLY, AND ALSO LIKE YOU CAN SEE IT IN MY BOOK, IT WAS A WAY TO MAKE A NARRATIVE OF EVERYTHING THAT WAS HAPPENING AROUND ME, AND IT SOMEHOW MADE SENSE BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO MAKE UNUSUAL PEOPLE THAT I MET INTO CHARACTERS AND THEN JUST DESCRIBE THE STREET ALMOST AS A MAGICAL PLACE.

SO, I THINK DOING THAT WAS ALMOST THERAPEUTIC FOR ME, BECAUSE IT GAVE ME SOME CONTROL OVER IT, AS OPPOSED TO IT SHAPING ME, I JUST KIND OF FELT LIKE I WAS SHAPING IT.

>> YOU ARE SUCH A GOOD STORY TELLER, YOU TAKE REALITY AND MAKE IT INTO SOMETHING VERY FRESH.

I THINK OF SOUTHERNERS HAVING THAT GIFT, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS AN INFLUENCE AT ALL, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE YOUR INFLUENCES AROUND STORY TELLING AND WRITING STYLE?

>> I TRY AND DO ALMOST LIKE A COLLAGE, I LIKE TO BE INFLUENCED ALSO BY DIFFERENT MUSIC THAT I LIKE OR FILM, PHOTOGRAPHERY, THINGS YOU HERE ON THE SUBWAY, I WANT TO CRAM IT ALL IN THERE, WRITING STYLE WHERE THERE IS A LOT OF DETAILS, DESCRIPTIVE STUFF AND IMAGES.

WORDS, SHOVING IT INTO THERE, A BURSTING EFFECT.

>> EVERYTHING INFLUENCES YOU IN A WAY IT SOUNDS LIKE IN READING THINGS ABOUT WHAT EXCITES YOU.

YOU NAME IT.

SO, "LULLABIES FOR LITTLE CRIMINALS" IS ABOUT A GIRL COMING OF AGE IN MONTREAL'S RED LIGHT DISTRICT, ST.

KATHERINE, BABY, NO MOTHER, HER FATHER IS A JUNKY, BARELY AN ADULT HIMSELF.

SHE IS SMART AND PER COSHOUS, AND SHE ALSO MAKES BAD DECISIONS.

HOW MUCH OF THIS BOOK IS INSPIRED BY YOUR OWN CHILDHOOD?

>> I ALWAYS GET THAT QUESTION.

A LOT OF IT IS DRAWN FROM THINGS THAT I HAVE SEEN OR EXPERIENCED, BUT IT IS NOT MY STORY, I AM NOT BABY, YOU MOW WHAT I MEAN?

JULES IS OBVIOUSLY NOT MY DAD.

>> RIGHT.

>> SOMETIMES IT GETS HARDER WHEN YOU ARE WRITING ABOUT, IF YOU COME FROM, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE LOWER CLASSES, OR WHATEVER, SO ANY STORY YOU TELL OF THAT LIFE, OH, IT IS A -- >> VERY DIFFERENT FROM YOUR >> YEAH, RADICALLY DIFFERENT.

>> THIS GIVES US A SENSE OF HOW YOU SET THINGS UP, AND BABY'S TAKE.

SHE IS VERY SOPHISTICATED.

SHE IS, WHAT, 11, AT THIS POINT.

>> IF I HAD HAD PARENTS WHO WERE ADULTS, I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN CALLED BABY.

THE LITTLE STORES ON ST.

KATHERINE STREET, JULES WALKED ME PAST ALWAYS HAD GOLD NECKLACES WITH PENDANTS THAT SAID BABY.

MY HEART SKIPPED A BEAT WHEN I HEARD IT IN A SONG.

I LOVED HOW PEOPLE GOT CONFUSED WHEN WE HAD TO EXPLAIN HOW IT WASN'T JUST A NICKNAME.

IT WAS AN IRONIC NAME.

IT DIDN'T MEAN YOU WERE INNOCENT AT ALL.

IT MEANT YOU WERE COOL AND GORGEOUS.

I WAS ONLY A KID, BUT I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING A LADY WITH THAT NAME.

I HAD STRINGY BLONDE HAIR AND SKINNY AS HELL, BUT JULES'S FRIEND SAID I WOULD BE A HEART BREAKER SOON.

>> SO, BABY AND JULES, HER FATHER, ON THE MOVE AGAIN.

THEY MOVE INTO A NEW PLACE, THE FIRST THING HE DOES IS HE UNPLUGS THE SMOKE DETECTER, A GREAT DETAIL OF THIS NOT WITH IT PARENT, BECAUSE HE WANTS TO SMOKE CIGARETTES AND NOT WORRY ABOUT THAT.

HOW DID YOU FIND AND REALLY DEVELOP THE VOICE OF THIS STREET-WISE, AND YET STILL QUITE INNOCENT GIRL?

>> WELL, BABY WAS A VOICE THAT I HAD WORKED ON FOR YEARS.

I ALWAYS KNEW I WANTED TO TELL A STORY LIKE THIS.

AND IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF HOW I WAS GOING TO DO IT, AND THEN I HAD A SHORT STORY WITH A LITTLE GIRL, BECAUSE I TRIED DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, SO I HAD JUST WRITTEN A SHORT STORY WITH THIS VOICE, AND IT WAS A 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL WHOSE DAD IS IS NOT -- SHE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE HE IS.

THE VCE WORKED SO WELL BECAUSE SHE WAS JUST ABLE, BECAUSE OF HER AGE, AND SHE WAS ABLE TO DESCRIBE EVERYONE IN THIS KIND OF UNFILTERED, UNJUDGMENTAL WAY.

AND ALSO I FOUND THAT READERS ARE ABLE WITH THIS CHARACTER, BECAUSE THEY BECOME SO INTIMATE WITH HER, AND SHE IS JUST A VERY LOVABLE CHARACTER, THAT THEY ENGAGE IN THE STORY, WHERE USUALLY THEY WOULD TURN OFF.

THEY JUST GO ALONG FOR THE RIDE.

WHICH BECOMES DIFFICULT FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.

WHY DID YOU CREATE A CHARACTER I LOVED SO MUCH AND PUT HER IN SO MANY SITUATIONS?

>> YES, SHE BEFRIENDS A PIMP, THIS IS IS TOWARD THE END, I HOPE I AM NOT GIVING TOO MUCH AWAY, TAKES ON TRICKS, HEROIN AT SOME POINT, OF COURSE, SHE HAS BEEN FAMILIAR WITH THAT MOST OF HER LIFE, WHAT -- YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS TO A KID LIVING ON THE EDGE AS THEY BECOME ADULT-LIKE AT THE ONSET OF PUBERTY?

THIS IS A TIME FRAME, ST.

JUDE WAS INVOLVED IN THIS, WHAT IS IT ABOUT THAT AGE FOR GIRLS IN PARTICULAR THAT INTRIGUED YOU SO MUCH?

WHAT HAPPENS THEN?

>> WELL, I MEAN, I ALWAYS KIND OF LIKED JUXTAPOSITION IN LITERATURE, AND AT THAT AGE, YOU HAVE ONE FOOT IN CHILDHOOD, ONE FOOT IN ADULTHOOD, AND IT IS INTERESTING, BECAUSE THE CHARACTERS IN THE BOOK, THEY LIVE IN A SCREWED UP KIND OF NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT THEY DO VERY CHILD-LIKE THINGS, SINGING DOWN THE STREET, REENACTING THINGS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME THEY ARE JUST ENTERING THIS ADULT WORLD WHERE THERE IS DRUGS, PROSTITUTION, AND I JUST FOUND THE -- THAT CONTRAST.

THERE WAS SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL ABOUT IT, HOW YOU CAN HAVE -- IT SHOWS THE COMPLEXITY OF WHAT IT IS TO BE HUMAN, WHERE YOU CAN JUST HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS AT ONE TIME JUST PLAYING AND MAKE BELIEVING AND THEN DOING SOMETHING CRIMINAL, AND I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, IN A WAY THAT IS WHAT IT IS TO BE HUMAN.

WE'RE JUST SO LIKE -- WE'RE CAPABLE OF SO MUCH JOY AND THEN SUCH SADNESS, INNOCENCE, CORRUPTION.

I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S LIKE -- >> IT ACTUALLY IS HOPEFUL AT THE END, NOT HAPPY, BUT THERE IS A HOPEFUL MESS, WAS THAT VERY PURPOSEFUL, OR WAS THAT WHERE YOU FELT IT NEEDED TO GO FOR YOU?

>> THE WAY IT IS NARRATED I THINK IS THE NARRATER OF A SURVIVOR, A SENSE OF SOMEONE TELLING THIS FROM A BETTER PLACE.

IT WAS HOPEFUL.

I MEAN, THE WHOLE BOOK, I TRIED TO MAKE IT FUNNY.

IT IS LIKE A TRAGIC COMEDY.

>> IT IS, IT IS VERY FUNNY.

>> YES, VERY, VERY FUNNY, AND THE KIDS ARE -- LIKE, YOU KNOW, I WANTED THE KIDS TO BE FUNNY, LIKE JULES IS RIDICULOUS AND FUNNY, BABY IS FUNNY.

I DIDN'T WANT IT TO BE LIKE IN A WAY A DARK BOOK.

IT IS A REAL CHALLENGE, BECAUSE IT HAS INCREDIBLY DARK SUBJECT MATTER, BUT AT THE SAME TIME I WANTED IT TO BE FUNNY AND FULL OF HUMOR.

THAT'S LIFE, FOR CHILDREN NO MATTER WHAT THEIR SITUATION IS, THERE IS ALWAYS KINDS OF HUMOR IN IT.

>> I WAS STRUCK, YOU DID WRITE JOURNALS WHEN YOU WERE A KID.

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SUCH A RESOURCE FOR YOU, THE FACT THAT YOU WROTE THEM PROBABLY HELPED IN SOME WAY.

>> I GUESS SO.

YEAH, AND IT IS ALSO -- I JUST THINK I HAVE DEVELOPED LIKE A BIT OF -- I FOUND LIKE WRITING ALWAYS GAVE ME SUCH PLEASURE AS A CHILD, AND THEN ANY TIME THAT ANYTHING BAD HAPPENED, I WOULD TAKE A NOTEBOOK AND JUST WRITE ANYTHING, AND CALM, OKAY.

WE ARE WRITING.

>> YOUR DAUGHTER IS 13 YEARS OLD.

I IMAGINE HER UPBRINGING HAS BEEN QUITE DIFFERENT FROM YOURS.

YOU'RE NOT FOLLOWING IN THE CYCLICAL PATTERN, AND SHE HAS -- AND SHE HAS A MOTHER.

SO, HOW HAS THAT BEEN, HOW HAS MOTHERHOOD BEEN FOR YOU?

>> IT HAS BEEN WONDERFUL.

I MEAN, IT'S FUNNY, BECAUSE I MEAN, A LOT OF MY NARRATIVES LACK MOTHERS.

EVEN THOUGH I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS TO HAVE A MOTHER, BUT NOW I KNOW WHAT IT IS TO BE A MOTHER, ODDLY RADICALLY DIFFERENT THING, BUT, I DON'T KNOW, IT HAS BEEN GREAT.

>> YEAH.

>> YOU HAVE PUBLISHED A BOOK OF POEMS.

YOUR SCREENPLAY MADE INTO ST.

JUDE IN 2000, TERRIFIC NOVEL, DOES THE VARIETY OF WORK INSPIRE YOU OR HAVE YOU REALLY FOUND YOUR NICHE IN THE NOVEL?

>> I USUALLY FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE IS KIND OF JUST LITTLE EXPERIMENTS, BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT IS GOOD TO COME OUT OF A NOVEL AND BREATHE, BECAUSE IT TAKES FIVE, SIX YEARS, AND YOU JUST WANT TO DO YOUR LITTLE TAP DANCE AND SEE WHAT I CAN DO.

THAT'S -- LIKE RADIO, SOMETIMES IT IS A BREATHER FROM THE NOVEL, BUT THE NOVEL ALWAYS FEELS LIKE THE MAIN KIND OF -- >> PROCESS A LOT DIFFERENT WHEN YOU ARE WRITING THE NOVEL?

I MEAN, IT FEELS LIKE ONE IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR IN A SENSE.

>> I THINK SO, YES, THE PROCESS IT DIFFERENT.

WHEN I WRITE SHORTER PIECES OR SHORT STORIES, BECAUSE I HAVE -- I ALWAYS KNOW MORE WHAT I AM DOING, AND IT IS USUALLY WRITTEN FOR SOMETHING.

THE STRUCTURE IS ALREADY THERE.

EVERYTHING SEEMS CLEAR AND EASY, BUT THE NOVEL, EVEN THE SECOND ONE I THOUGHT NOW IT IS GOING TO BE EASIER, BUT IT IS JUST HELL.

[LAUGHTER] >> HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH P.R.I.

'S, THIS AMERICAN LIFE AND CBC'S "WIRETAP"?

>> JUST THROUGH THE -- THIS AMERICAN LIFE I WAS DATING JONATHAN GOLDSTEIN, AND HE WAS THE PRODUCER FOR IT.

SO I ENDED UP WRITING FOR THAT.

BUT WE HAD COLLABORATED ON A LOT BEFORE BECAUSE WE WERE DATING WHEN WE WERE YOUNG, AND, YEAH -- >> WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON ART AS A PATH OUT OF POVERTY AND ITS CULTURE?

I MEAN, THE MIDDLE CLASS DOESN'T SEE REALLY ART AS A WAY UP, AND KIND OF HAVE AN AMBIVALENT FEELING ABOUT IT, IT SEEMS, BUT WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT?

>> ABOUT ART AS A WAY OUT?

>> OR AS A WAY OUT OF AT LEAST POVERTY OR THAT CULTURE.

>> WELL, I THINK IT IS A WAY -- IT IS RARE TO BE A SUCCESSFUL ARTIST, BUT I THINK ART IN ITSELF IS A WAY OF JUST ALLOWING PEOPLE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES AND KIDS AND LIKE READING AND JUST WRITING, AND ALL KINDS OF ART FORMS THAT ALLOWS YOU TO EXPAND YOUR MIND AND JUST -- I DON'T KNOW.

IT JUST DEVELOPS AN ABILITY TO IMAGINE, AND SOMETIMES WHEN KIDS ARE IN DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES LIKE THE HARDEST THING IS TO IMAGINE THEMSELVES OUT OF IT, AND IF THEY ARE, YOU DEVELOP THESE POWERS OF CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATION, AND IT IS MUCH EASIER TO SEE A DIFFERENT LIFE FOR YOURSELF.

I THINK ART IS A USEFUL TOOL IN THAT SENSE.

>> LULLABY HAS WON SEVERAL PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS, AND SHORT LISTED FOR THE ORANGE PRIZE FOR FIX IN 2008, U.K.

PRIZE, ENGLISH LANGUAGE FOR WOMEN, CONGRATULATIONS, THAT'S EXCITING.

YOU ARE ON YOUR WAY TO SYDNEY AND OFF TO LONDON SOON.

HOW HAS THIS -- HOW HAS THIS LIFE BEEN?

IS IT LIKE TOO MUCH, TOO DISTRACTING?

HOW HAS ALL OF THIS ATTENTION BEEN FOR YOU?

>> WELL, IT HAS BEEN GREAT.

I'VE REALLY ENJOYED IT.

NOW STARTING TO BE A BIT DISTRACTING.

I HAVE TO FINISH THE NEXT BOOK.

I DON'T KNOW.

IT'S -- ALWAYS HAD SO MUCH SELF-DOUBT, AND A SENSE OF WHAT AM I DOING?

I SUPPOSE EVERY FIRST NOVELIST HAS IT AND YOU JUST SPEND YEARS, THERE IS ALWAYS A VOICE OVER YOUR HEAD SAYING LIKE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

ARE YOU MAD?

FOUR YEARS, FIVE YEARS -- WHEN YOU GET RECOGNITION, IT IS ALMOST JUST LIKE YOU JUST GET UNBURDENED FOR ABOUT A YEAR OF THAT VOICE, BUT IT IS FUNNY THEN THE VOICE COMES BACK.

YOUR SECOND NOVEL, YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO WRITE AGAIN.

>> A WHOLE DIFFERENT CHALLENGE.

WHAT WAS IT WRITE TO BE PART OF CANADA READS WEEK?

THIS IS A WEEK-LONG RADIO DEBATE THAT YOU CAME OUT ON TOP OF, BUT WHAT IS THAT LIKE?

FIRST DESCRIBE IT FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT NOT KNOW WHAT IT IS, AND WHAT IS -- WHAT IS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE FOR YOU AS THE WRITER?

>> IT IS THIS HUGE THING IN CANADA WHERE IT IS SORT OF -- IT IS LIKE A SURVIVOR TYPE SHOW, BUT IT IS WITH BOOKS, FIVE BOOKS ARE SELECTED EACH YEAR BY DIFFERENT JUDGES WHO BATTLE FOR THE BOOKS TO STAY ON, AND THEN ONE IS VOTED OFF EACH DAY.

AND THE WINNER BECOMES THE CANADA READS BOOKS, WHICH EVERYONE IN CANADA IS SUPPOSED TO READ.

>> AND THIS IS THE ONE.

>> YES, THIS WAS THE ONE.

IT IS JUST FUNNY BECAUSE USUALLY FOR AWARDS, YOU KNOW, CEREMONIES, WHATEVER, YOU DON'T HEAR THE DISCUSSION.

IT IS ALL DONE IN BACK ROOMS.

SO, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST END UP FEELING FINE.

IF YOU WON, IT'S GREAT.

IF YOU DIDN'T WIN, IT'S GREAT, TOO.

FOR THIS ONE, IT IS IS ALL BROADCAST, PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE YOUR BOOK, ARE YOU MAD?

HOW COULD YOU SELECT "LULLABIES FOR LITTLE CRIMINALS," THIS BOOK IS TRASH, PLEASE.

THEY TEAR IT APART.

AS FAR AS THE ENTERTAINMENT ALSO, YEAH, I WOULD LISTEN TO SOME OF IT BUT I WOULD HAVE TO TURN THE RADIO OFF BECAUSE THERE WAS ONE JUDGE LIKE FROM THE START SHE WANTED MY BOOK OFF, AND SHE WOULD TRY LIKE ANYTHING TO BRING IT DOWN.

I WAS LIKE, OH, I CAN'T LISTEN TO THIS.

SITTING AT HOME.

>> THAT'S WHAT I WONDERED, IT IS KIND OF PAINFUL, HER ISSUE WAS YOU WERE BRINGING UP THIS DIFFICULT SIDE OF SOCIETY, RIGHT?

>> BUT THAT'S LITERATURE, YOU KNOW.

>> YES, ABSOLUTELY.

I FOUND THAT WAS KIND OF INTERESTING THAT THAT WAS HER MAIN THING THAT SHE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT CANADIANS READING ABOUT THIS.

>> SHE HAD -- SHE WAS OPPOSED TO THE SUBJECT MATTER.

SO SHE KEPT BRINGING THAT UP AND IT WAS UNSUITABLE.

>> WELL, ANYWAY.

I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT.

>> THANK YOU.

>> YOU RAN AWAY AT AGE 15.

>> UH-HMM.

>> AND YOU HAD YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE IN VERMONT.

I HOPE IT HAS BEEN BETTER SINCE.

>> I HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT IN A WHILE, YEAH.

>> WHAT HAPPENED?

>> I JUST TALKED ABOUT THIS ON AIR -- NO, I RAN AWAY, AND I WENT TO A RAINBOW FESTIVAL HERE IN VERMONT, UP IN THE WOODS, AND THEN MY FRIEND WAS LIKE, LET'S JUST GO FIND SOME PIZZA.

LET'S GO BACK TO CIVILIZATION, AND THERE WAS A STATE TROOPER THERE.

HE STUCK HIS HEAD IN THE CAR.

DO ANY OF YOU KNOW HEATHER O'NEILL?

IT WAS SO ODD TO ME THAT I JUST TURNED MY HEAD, AND WAS SO OBVIOUS IT WAS ME.

THEY WERE LIKE, YOU'RE GOING BACK TO CANADA, KID.

>> HE WAS LOOKING FOR YOU SPECIFICALLY.

>> YEAH.

>> WELL, I HOPE THAT YOUR EXPERIENCE OF VERMONT WILL CONTINUE TO GET BETTER FROM THAT TIME ON.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BEING A MONTREALER?

>> I -- IT'S HARD.

I HAVE BEEN THERE SO LONG, SOMETIMES IT IS HARD TO SEE YOUR OWN CITY.

>> THROUGH THE 80s, A TURBULENT TIME.

>> ALWAYS JUST KIND OF BEEN, KIND OF CRAZY, BOHEMIAN PLACE, I MEAN, THE RENTS WERE ALWAYS SO LOW, AND THERE IS NOT REALLY LIKE A SENSE -- KIND OF ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN, LIKE I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE IT, BUT VERY MUCH LIKE THE OLD LEONARD COHEN SONGS, DOWN BY THE RIVER, UMBRELLAS, AND THERE WAS ALWAYS SOMETHING MAGICAL TO ME ABOUT IT.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS BECAUSE I GREW UP THERE SO YOU JUST PROJECT THESE THINGS ON TO IT, BUT -- MY DAD WAS ALWAYS A STORY TELLER, HE GREW UP IN MONTREAL, ALWAYS HAD THESE KIND OF CRAZY STOSTORIES, THINGS THA HAPPENED ON COLONIAL STREET, DOWN BY PRINCE ARTHUR WHERE HE GREW UP, AND I ALWAYS LISTENED TO THE STORIES WHICH WERE PROBABLY 70% LIES, BUT THEN I WOULD GO THERE, AND IT WOULD SEEM LIKE WOW, THIS IS WHERE ALL STORIES TAKE PLACE, YOU KNOW.

NEVER TOLD FAIRY TALES OR ANYTHING, BUT JUST MAKE UP STORIES ABOUT CRIMINALS IN MONTREAL.

>> VERY PLACE-ORIENTED.

>> YES, VERY PLACE-ORIENTED, AND FOR ME IT WAS THAT AREA WHICH WAS THE BACK DROP OF ALL OF HIS TALES, AND THEN IT BECAME THE BACK-DROP OF MY OWN NOVEL.

IT IS INTERESTING.

>> WHAT'S COMING UP?

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?

>> NOW I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SECOND NOVEL.

IT IS DIFFERENT FROM LULLABIES, NOT CRAZY, CRAZY DIFFERENT, BUT THERE ARE JUST ADULTS IN IT WHICH IS A RELIEF.

WHEN YOU A WRITE A NOVEL FOR SO LONG FROM A KID'S PERSPECTIVE, YOU START FEELING A BIT OF ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW.

>> I GUESS.

WELL, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

HEATHER O'NEILL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY.

>> THANK YOU.

>> HEATHER O'NEILL IS THE AUTHOR OF "LULLABIES FOR LITTLE CRIMINALS."

NEXT WEEK, MEET WESTON PLAY HOUSE HEAD AND ACADEMY AWARD WINNER.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

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