Felicia Day, who you might recognize from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” or her web series “The Guild,” which she wrote and starred in, can now add the achievement of authoring a memoir to her extensive resume.
Her new book, “You’re Never Weird On The Internet (Almost),” out Aug. 11, chronicles her journey all the way from her unique homeschooling experience to her career as a budding actress in Los Angeles, the development of her web series and her role as founder of Geek & Sundry, a digital entertainment network that has more than 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube.
The book also mentions Day’s involvement with GamerGate, a controversial debate regarding feminism in the gaming world. Day writes about the way in which she spoke out during the controversy and received backlash for her opinions.
amNewYork spoke with Day about her book, which she’ll discuss Monday night at Housing Works.
amNY: Inspiration, and where it comes from, is a theme in your book. What was it like to use your own experiences to talk about the life lessons you explain?
Felicia Day: It feels amazing to have gone through the ups and downs of inventing as I go along and have the culminating effect of what I’ve been through maybe help jumpstart other people.
amNY: Your book not only shares career highs and lows but also personal highs and lows. Did you ever think twice about sharing so much?
FD: When you’re creating something, the more personal aspects are always going to resonate with other people more because there’s an authenticity to it. That’s something I’ve always approached in my video work that I knew that I needed to translate into the book form because I wanted it to impact people in positive ways.
amNY: Can you comment on the process of setting the record straight regarding your role in GamerGate in one of the last chapters of your book?
FD: That incident happened after I finished my draft of the book, and that particular GamerGate incident was sort of an addendum to a chapter that was already there entitled “Negative Comments and How to Deal with Them.” I’ve encountered a lot of negativity from a small minority of people who have a problem with the changing face of gaming. The great thing that happened because of all of that is that gaming has pushed back against that kind of negativity.
amNY: Given your addiction to and love for the Internet, how are you feeling about old-fashioned book signings?
FD: As a reader, I am thrilled! The only thing I did as a kid was read book after book. So the old school bookstore is really awesome, and meeting fans face to face is what gets me through.
amNY: What else will you be doing while you’re in New York City?
FD: New York is my favorite place to visit. To be able to walk 30 blocks and see so many different things and experience so many different cultures in just a few hours is one of the highlights of my visit.
