Thursday, September 3, 2015

Proust Questionnaire, Kidlit Edition, round 3

Fifty kidlit authors and illustrators answer a Vanity Fair-style Proust Questionnaire (i.e. short to read, long on insight). Same 10 questions for all (plus, for some, a wild card 11th of their choosing.) The series intro explains more and lists the participants.

Here are the next five:

Mike Curato


What is the trait you most admire in others?

Being considerate.

What is your greatest strength?

Compassion.

What would your friends say is your greatest strength?

My sweet tooth.

How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?

By coming out, I conquered my greatest fear. Afterwards, I felt like I could do anything.

What is your greatest extravagance?

My caloric intake.

What is your most treasured possession?

My wits.

What was your big break?

The SCBWI NY 2012 Portfolio Showcase.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Getting published!

Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?

Fiona Apple.

What is your motto?

“Whatever works.”

WILD CARD: What is your favorite journey?

It’s a toss-up between traveling to the Philippines to meet my father’s family for the first time and spending five months in Italy studying art.

Katie Davis



What is the trait you most admire in others?

Quick wit, slow to judge, and the ability to eat whatever you want.

What is your greatest strength?

Knowing when to quit.

What would your friends say is your greatest strength?

Perseverance.

How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?

By doing something I was scared to do but doing it anyway.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Spending time. Because you can make more money but you can’t make more time.

What is your most treasured possession?

My time machine. Okay, fine. My imagination.

What was your big break?

My femur.

Just kidding.

Meeting the great and generous Peggy Rathmann, who connected me with my first agent, Steven Malk.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Helping writers. When I hear from them that their careers have changed because they took a course of mine, it’s an out-of-body experience. Also publishing books that kids tell me is their favorite book ever, or just making people laugh so hard they think they’re going to burst a thing in their neck.

Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?

If you watch Jennifer Hudson on Carpool Karaoke, it’s obvious she and I are meant to be together.

What is your motto?

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Also, “Reciprocity rocks!” And “OMG this tastes so good.”

Julia DeVillers



What is the trait you most admire in others?

Sense of humor.

What is your greatest strength?

Empathy.

What would your friends say is your greatest strength?

Generosity of spirit. (Ooh, I like that. Thanks, friend I asked.)

How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?

I was in Israel with my twin sister and our cousin went the wrong way on hairpin turn cliffs. Across the Lebanon border. While the two countries were engaged in a rocket battle. When we finally made it home, relieved, we collapsed on her couch just as a rare earthquake hit.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Hardcover books.

What is your most treasured possession?

My diaries, because I’ll always be able to relive memories from second grade on. My college diary is locked. Although much of it is unintelligible anyway.

What was your big break?

My novel becoming a Disney Channel movie opened some fun doors.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

My two kids.

Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?

I did a karaoke duet with Cher once!

But my forever dream duet would be with John Travolta singing “You’re the One That I Want.” My daughter was recently on a movie set with him and he sang to her. She lived my dream!

What is your motto?

“Play well with others.”

Marla Frazee



What is the trait you most admire in others?

Remaining unruffled when things go wrong.

What is your greatest strength?

I question stuff.

What would your friends say is your greatest strength?

Probably that I can make pretty good hummus. And guacamole.

How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?

I’ve found out that when I really have to do something, I can do it.

What is your greatest extravagance?

I have purchased some ridiculously expensive shoes.

What is your most treasured possession?

My grandmother’s 1940s six-burner, double-oven Wedgewood stove.

What was your big break?

It’s been more of a series of little breaks over a long time.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I have three incredible, interesting, kind, sensitive, and smart sons.

Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?

Woody Guthrie (with Gustavo Dudamel conducting).

What is your motto?

C’mon. Do people have mottos?

WILD CARD: What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Lethargy.

Liz Garton Scanlon



What is the trait you most admire in others?

Open-heartedness. Oh, and humor. So, I guess, witty kindness.

What is your greatest strength?

Definitely not my abs. My friends—I’m awash in love and support.

What would your friends say is your greatest strength?

I asked a few of them and my favorite answer was “general badassery,” so I’m going with that.

How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?

Being a mom, especially when things are sad or hard or confusing, requires a seriously big breath of brave.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Travel.

What is your most treasured possession?

I would say my dog but he doesn’t like being called a possession so probably my passport. (See above.)

What was your big break?

I’ve had a lot of perfect little lucky breaks. I always meet just the right people at just the right time—my agent, my editors, my writing partners, my illustrators. They’re my breaks.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

My daughters. I’d like to say they’re my gift to the world, but I think they might actually be the world’s gift to me.

Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?

James Taylor, of course. Is that a trick question?

What is your motto?

“Go with your gut.”

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