- November 4th, 2008 at
11:42 am by --KALEB NATION-- -
Yesterday, I was able to talk to Robert Pattinson as a part of an interview conference call, and ask him one question. Rob plays the lead role of Edward Cullen in Twilight, the upcoming film based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer.
It is so funny, since months ago I didn’t know who this person was, and in fact announced my own (fake) part in the Twilight movie just days before he signed on (and months before I even started reading the books). Never thought I would actually get to talk to him on the phone one day.
- October 13th, 2008 at
12:44 am by --KALEB NATION-- -
A long while back, I heard of a new author from Shadow Mountain Press named J. Scott Savage. Having followed along with him on his blog, I enjoyed the premise of his soon-to-be-released book called FARWORLD: WATER KEEP and was sent an advance copy to read.
If you are a fan of Erec Rex or The Thirteenth Reality, you should honestly check out this new series — and especially, its awesome website at ReadFarworld.com. And to help speed your way along to the bookshops, I managed to nab a special interview with the author himself!
And not only that: five randomly selected people who comment will receive a FREE copy of FARWORLD: WATER KEEP! So without further ado, the author himself:
1. Hi Scott, thanks for coming on! First off, there is a tradition on my site for authors to describe themselves in ten words or less: the closer you get to exactly ten, the more points!
Can I use the points for a toaster once we finish? (note: ten words exactly)
Scott Savage used to cut school to read books. Irony?
2. Of all the 60+ odd jobs you have had, which one was your favorite (besides being an author)?
I really liked being a French chef. Mostly because I always ate well.
3. When did you realize that being an author was your dream job?
I think it was shortly after I had published my second regional novel. I didn’t make any money with those, and the distribution was tiny, but I really loved everything about writing and publishing fiction. I always hoped I would be able to write fulltime one day, and it has definitely been worth the wait.
4. How did the original inspiration for Farworld come to you?
Over a number of years. This was one of those stories that didn’t make it onto paper (or hard drive) until it had developed for a long time inside my head. Mostly because I didn’t think I could write fantasy. But I loved the idea of two heroes that seem like such unlikely heroes. There are a lot of books that start out with an outcast as a hero, but usually they find out they are really the greatest magician, or have amazing superpowers, or something like that. I wanted heroes that still have their weaknesses even after they discover their destinies.
5. Are there any characters that you feel were (intentionally or unintentionally) based off of someone you know?
- August 2nd, 2008 at
12:05 am by --KALEB NATION-- -
Last year, I happened to be wandering around the Texas Book Festival dodging dragons, when I saw a panel that included a few authors who were speaking about Writing Books For Boys. I went inside because I was exhausted and they had chairs, but I stayed because the speakers were enthralling.
I had never read any of their books before but they clearly knew their stuff. Later, I was surprised to discover that one of the people on the panel had been none other than Jeff Kinney, whose popularity from his Diary Of A Wimpy Kid series has increased enormously since then (it was written for younger children, but I am 19, and my laughter when reading the first could be heard down the hall). At the moment, he perches at the top of the New York Times, hogging both #1 and #2, but he has taken time from his busy work on the upcoming third book in the series to answer some questions for me!
—-
Hey Jeff! First, there’s a tradition here for authors to describe themselves in ten words or less. The closer you land to exactly ten words of an improv bio, the more points you get:
I’m a newspaper cartoonist wannabe who found success in books.
Did you ever expect that you would become an author with the Diary of a Wimpy Kid stories you published online, or did it happen unexpectedly?
I actually felt very ambivalent about publishing my work online. I thought it would cheapen the work and make it harder to get published. But I couldn’t resist Funbrain’s audience… the online version has been ready by more than 50 million kids to date. I never did expect to get published in print, so I’m thrilled that it worked out.
Your books have been noted as being very popular with boys. What is the most important writing advice you can give to authors who want to write for boys?
I think boys are very hard to write for, because there are a lot of things competing for their attention. I cheated by including lots of pictures. I think that in the years to come, there will be a lot more books like mine, that feature copious, light illustrations.
How do you feel that your experience in designing online games for kids might have helped you in creating engaging stories?
I bring a visual literacy to my writing, and I think that comes from creating video games.
What is the best part about being an author for you?
The best part is having the satisfaction of being in print.
What has been the hardest part about being a popular author?
Time management… I have a full-time job and I’m also helping to make a movie version of the book.
There is talk about a movie: what’s the latest news on that side?
Yes… Fox 2000 is making the movie. It should be half live-action, half animated.
The third book in the series is coming in January of 2009- what can you tell us about it and how it fits with the first two?
The third book will center around a conflict between Greg and his dad. Greg’s dad is threatening military academy if Greg doesn’t change his wimpy ways.
After the Wimpy Kid series, do you plan to continue writing books in the same format, or try writing other types of books?
I’m hoping to write these until I run out of creative juice. I think of these more as a cartoon series than a series of novels. I’d like to write a mixed-media book as a guide-to-life for graduates in the next few years. That would be a lot of fun.
- July 25th, 2008 at
12:05 am by --KALEB NATION-- -
For those of you who haven’t already seen it on TwilightGuy.com, I was recently interviewed for a small Feedback section in this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly. My interview is regarding Twilight for the most part, and my thoughts on the upcoming movie, other fan sites and Stephenie Meyer.
The issue comes out at the same time my 940,000-th hit bounces onto TwilightGuy.com, since I started it in mid-April. I, of course, am extremely thrilled over this as it’s my first major national interview, and even though it’s not exactly about MY book yet, it’s still a wonderful way to start off
Also, whilst taking a drastically-needed break from my book revisions on Wednesday, I happened to go back to my instruments in an effort to distract my aching brain, and before I knew it I had composed an entirely new song. I’ll have it up here as soon as I have some of the mastering done.
NOTE: Remember: the interview should be in the magazine that is released TODAY, NOT the issue DATED JULY 25 (it will be in the issue with the Dark Knight cover, dated August 1). So check the magazine first! The issue might not be available immediately in all areas. — Kaleb
- March 28th, 2008 at
6:02 am by --KALEB NATION-- -
I could go on for days about the interesting ways in which I have met people (you already know the bizarre way I met April Lurie, for one). Why can’t I simply meet someone by walking up and saying ‘Hello, sir or madam, pleased to make your acquaintance’ like normal humans do?
My connection with Julie Halpern was also unusual, and takes us back seven years. I won’t tell the story because it is very long, but I’ll leave it by saying it involved an overly-precocious 12-year-old me, a telephone call to a top editor at the biggest publishing house for children’s books, somehow ending up talking to a security guard instead, and the realization just a few months ago that Julie’s editor and that editor are the same person. Funny how small this world is. Thus I just had to have an:
Interview with Julie Halpern
1. Quick! Describe yourself in ten words or less (and ‘Hey Ya’ll I Wrote Get Well Soon It’s Real Good’ doesn’t count):
I’m a Harry Potter-Sims-Degrassi-roadtrip-husband-cat-Buffy-lovin’ fool. I’m not quite sure how many words that is, actually.
2. On your website (www.juliehalpern.com), you say you wrote lots of stories when you were younger, especially through high school. Did you ever think of yourself as becoming a writer one day?
No. I never really thought of myself as a “writer,’ I guess because it was just me doing it for myself or my friends. I took some creative writing classes in both high school and college, and even then I just took the classes because I enjoyed writing, not because I thought I wanted to be a writer. Looking back, the fact that I was always writing tells me that it was probably more important to me than I thought.
3. Where did the idea for your book GET WELL SOON come from?
Get Well Soon is a story about a girl in high school who’s hospitalized for depression, and I was hospitalized for depression in high school. Much of it is based on the weird things and people who I met while I was there. So much of it was so bizarre, almost unbelievable, that I always thought it would make a great book. I originally serialized the story as a zine, which made me think that maybe I could write a novel (I had never written anything that long). I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the novel writing process.
4. How did it come about that you decided to take the leap and start looking for a publisher?
