I am thrilled that people have appreciated the Proust Questionnaire: Kidlit Edition. Thank you again to all who participated and thank you to all who have mentioned it online, including Betsy Bird, Travis Jonker, and Horn Book.
Showing posts with label series: Kidlit Proust Questionnaire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label series: Kidlit Proust Questionnaire. Show all posts
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Proust Questionnaire, Kidlit Edition, round 10
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 final five:
Deborah Underwood
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Compassion.
What is your greatest strength?
Persistence sprinkled with fairy dust. Definitely not parallel parking.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Creativity and/or knowledge of nearby vegan desserts.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
By pursuing a career in writing for kids.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I’m a small-scale-extravagance person: coffee drinks, cookies, pedicures.
What is your most treasured possession?
Changes daily, but right now it’s a thank-you card from the students I taught this summer.
What was your big break?
Kate O’Sullivan at Houghton Mifflin buying The Quiet Book manuscript.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Giving a talk to 1,000 people without passing out, dying, or throwing up.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Either Joan Baez or my teenage musical crush, Barry Manilow.
What is your motto?
I have two: “The more time you spend with animals, the happier you are.” Also: “No time travel before breakfast.”
WILD CARD: Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Mma Ramotswe from the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.
Audrey Vernick
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Generosity of spirit.
What is your greatest strength?
Ability to see humor in most situations.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Holding it together when times are hard.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Helping a family member through a debilitating depression.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I chemically straighten my hair every year.
What is your most treasured possession?
A copy of my book So You Want to Be a Rock Star signed by Bruce Springsteen (with the advice “Practice, practice, practice”).
What was your big break?
Still waiting…
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I can’t claim them as an achievement, exactly, but I am inordinately proud of my children.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Bruce Springsteen.
What is your motto?
“I will (fill in important item on current to-do list), or fail to do so!” (It’s derived from a Jim Ignatowski line on Taxi.)
WILD CARD: What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Having to read or listen to someone else’s dream with the sound of leaf blowers in the background.
Emma Walton Hamilton
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Integrity.
What is your greatest strength?
Eternal optimism. (What would you expect from Mary Poppins’s daughter?)
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Probably staying calm under pressure.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Our daughter was born 10 weeks premature and spent a month and a half in the neonatal intensive care unit. I’ve also seen both kids through a couple of surgeries. Having and loving children demands a whole new kind of bravery.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Shoes, books, and gifts for people I love.
What is your most treasured possession?
Good health.
What was your big break?
My mother saying to me, “Let’s write that together.”
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Co-parenting two bright, funny, big-hearted, and conscientious human beings.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Benedict Cumberbatch. (I’m also setting aside the reality of whether or not he can sing.)
What is your motto?
“Would you rather be right, or happy?”
Hans Wilhelm
What is the trait you most admire in others?
To be totally present.
What is your greatest strength?
To quickly see the “big picture” and to grasp how it all connects.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I like to think it is kindness—but it may just be my vanity speaking here.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I cannot think of a single moment when I have been particularly brave.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Eating out with friends all the time.
What is your most treasured possession?
Having lived in many countries and continents, I stopped accumulating valuable stuff a long time ago.
What was your big break?
When I received 12 offers from various publishers for my very first book. (I had sent it out as multiple submission.) Unfortunately it never happened again.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Over my desk hangs a big sign “Guard yourself from power, greed, lust, and personal achievements” as a constant reminder.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Renée Fleming.
What is your motto?
“Love everything and everyone.” (Even made a video about it.)
Jonah Winter
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Courage.
What is your greatest strength?
Not touting my greatest strengths. Oops…
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I have no idea.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I once confronted a muscular, angry guy on a subway platform who was probably a foot taller and outweighed me by 100 pounds. He had been speaking rudely to my father.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Caviar.
What is your most treasured possession?
I’d like to answer that question at some point, but first a message to potential thieves…hey guys—here’s where I keep the loot…!
What was your big break?
When I was 13. It was a roller skating race. I was in the lead. Then I collided smack-dab with a metal pole with my kneecap as the only buffer. I’d say that was my first and biggest break.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Grilled branzino with rosemary and lemon.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Tony Bennett.
What is your motto?
“‘Tis a wise man who waters his goat—but a fool who forgets to dry him.”
WILD CARD: Who are your heroes in real life?
Annie Pearl-Avery, a former foot soldier in the Civil Rights Movement; Bryan Stevenson, head of the Equal Justice Initiative—he has been called “America’s Mandela”; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of the strongest voices for justice in American history.
Here are the final five:
Deborah Underwood
Compassion.
What is your greatest strength?
Persistence sprinkled with fairy dust. Definitely not parallel parking.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Creativity and/or knowledge of nearby vegan desserts.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
By pursuing a career in writing for kids.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I’m a small-scale-extravagance person: coffee drinks, cookies, pedicures.
What is your most treasured possession?
Changes daily, but right now it’s a thank-you card from the students I taught this summer.
What was your big break?
Kate O’Sullivan at Houghton Mifflin buying The Quiet Book manuscript.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Giving a talk to 1,000 people without passing out, dying, or throwing up.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Either Joan Baez or my teenage musical crush, Barry Manilow.
What is your motto?
I have two: “The more time you spend with animals, the happier you are.” Also: “No time travel before breakfast.”
WILD CARD: Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Mma Ramotswe from the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.
Audrey Vernick
Generosity of spirit.
What is your greatest strength?
Ability to see humor in most situations.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Holding it together when times are hard.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Helping a family member through a debilitating depression.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I chemically straighten my hair every year.
What is your most treasured possession?
A copy of my book So You Want to Be a Rock Star signed by Bruce Springsteen (with the advice “Practice, practice, practice”).
What was your big break?
Still waiting…
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I can’t claim them as an achievement, exactly, but I am inordinately proud of my children.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Bruce Springsteen.
What is your motto?
“I will (fill in important item on current to-do list), or fail to do so!” (It’s derived from a Jim Ignatowski line on Taxi.)
WILD CARD: What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Having to read or listen to someone else’s dream with the sound of leaf blowers in the background.
Emma Walton Hamilton
Integrity.
What is your greatest strength?
Eternal optimism. (What would you expect from Mary Poppins’s daughter?)
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Probably staying calm under pressure.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Our daughter was born 10 weeks premature and spent a month and a half in the neonatal intensive care unit. I’ve also seen both kids through a couple of surgeries. Having and loving children demands a whole new kind of bravery.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Shoes, books, and gifts for people I love.
What is your most treasured possession?
Good health.
What was your big break?
My mother saying to me, “Let’s write that together.”
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Co-parenting two bright, funny, big-hearted, and conscientious human beings.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Benedict Cumberbatch. (I’m also setting aside the reality of whether or not he can sing.)
What is your motto?
“Would you rather be right, or happy?”
Hans Wilhelm
To be totally present.
What is your greatest strength?
To quickly see the “big picture” and to grasp how it all connects.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I like to think it is kindness—but it may just be my vanity speaking here.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I cannot think of a single moment when I have been particularly brave.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Eating out with friends all the time.
What is your most treasured possession?
Having lived in many countries and continents, I stopped accumulating valuable stuff a long time ago.
What was your big break?
When I received 12 offers from various publishers for my very first book. (I had sent it out as multiple submission.) Unfortunately it never happened again.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Over my desk hangs a big sign “Guard yourself from power, greed, lust, and personal achievements” as a constant reminder.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Renée Fleming.
What is your motto?
“Love everything and everyone.” (Even made a video about it.)
Jonah Winter
Courage.
What is your greatest strength?
Not touting my greatest strengths. Oops…
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I have no idea.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I once confronted a muscular, angry guy on a subway platform who was probably a foot taller and outweighed me by 100 pounds. He had been speaking rudely to my father.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Caviar.
What is your most treasured possession?
I’d like to answer that question at some point, but first a message to potential thieves…hey guys—here’s where I keep the loot…!
What was your big break?
When I was 13. It was a roller skating race. I was in the lead. Then I collided smack-dab with a metal pole with my kneecap as the only buffer. I’d say that was my first and biggest break.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Grilled branzino with rosemary and lemon.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Tony Bennett.
What is your motto?
“‘Tis a wise man who waters his goat—but a fool who forgets to dry him.”
WILD CARD: Who are your heroes in real life?
Annie Pearl-Avery, a former foot soldier in the Civil Rights Movement; Bryan Stevenson, head of the Equal Justice Initiative—he has been called “America’s Mandela”; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of the strongest voices for justice in American history.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Proust Questionnaire, Kidlit Edition, round 9
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:
Andrew Smith
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Knee-jerk judgmentalism and unquestioning loyalty to mass movements for which identity is fed to hashtags.
What is your greatest strength?
Run-on sentences. And fragments. Yeah, fragments.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I give really short answers on panel discussions.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I remained an American citizen from January 2001 to January 2009.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I have two kids in universities.
What is your most treasured possession?
I have a pack of cigarettes I got from Ronald Reagan.
What was your big break?
Successfully respirating at birth. Everything after that is completely overrated.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
See above.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
With acid: Panda Bear; without acid: Jim Nabors.
What is your motto?
“A gun is not a toy. All sales final.”
WILD CARD: If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
The mother****ing Loch Ness Monster.
Tanya Lee Stone
What is the trait you most admire in others?
The ability to get sh** done.
What is your greatest strength?
Perseverance.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Optimism.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Childbirth—no meds.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Watching General Hospital.
What is your most treasured possession?
Two Maurice Sendak originals.
What was your big break?
A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Speaking my truth.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Harry Connick Jr.
What is your motto?
“Right foot, left foot.”
Lauren Tarshis
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Kindness.
What is your greatest strength?
Interest in other people.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Recently I stood up to a train conductor who was loudly and rudely harassing a woman and her daughter.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Taking trips with my husband and four kids.
What is your most treasured possession?
The clay bowls and creatures that my kids have made in elementary school. I keep my favorites on my desk.
What was your big break?
Getting my job on Storyworks, which led me into the world of children’s books.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
I have a terrible voice but I believe that one thing my life is missing is singing. I have been trying to get some of my friends to have a hootenanny, but there are few takers.
What is your motto?
“It’s never too late.”
Chris Tebbetts
What is the trait you most admire in others?
This will sound pretentious, but—an ability to understand, and to live by an understanding of, the intersection between the personal and the collective experience.
What is your greatest strength?
It’s a tie: my patience and my sense of humor.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Steadiness.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Generally by being called upon without advance notice.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Travel.
What is your most treasured possession?
My hard drive. I have plenty of stuff, but I’m not too attached or sentimental that way.
What was your big break?
James Patterson came looking for co-authors and knocked on the right door.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
At the risk of jinxing myself—a good marriage.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Jennifer Hudson. (Filed under “Go Big or Go Home.”)
What is your motto?
“Talent, luck, and persistence.”
WILD CARD: When and where were you happiest?
Somewhere (anywhere) in the water.
Terry Trueman
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Kindness.
What is your greatest strength?
Kindness.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Being witty/smart.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
When my beloved stepson killed himself (hanging himself from the deck of our home), I cut him down and did CPR until the cops/paramedics arrived, then I had to tell his mom he was gone. I wrote about this is a circuitous way in my novels Inside Out and No Right Turn. Very rough day.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Autographed book collecting.
What is your most treasured possession?
A limited edition Bukowski signed It Catches My Heart in Its Hands or my 1998 red C5 gen Corvette; hard to say which one I treasure more, although certain photos, documents, etc., I’d save first in a fire, so it’s safe to say I treasure a lot of stuff.
What was your big break?
Hmmm? There were quite a few parts/moments, but I spoze winning a Printz Honor Book award right outta the gate with my first novel Stuck in Neutral was the biggest break, although without having met and become friends/colleagues with Terry Davis, George Nicholson, and Toni Markiet, that book would never have existed.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I’m hard-pressed to think of any one thing, but publishing Stuck in Neutral was huge (see above).
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
At this particular moment, Paul McCartney because I’m going through a deep Beatles phase…again…
What is your motto?
I have several but one I find myself saying a lot is, “Every couple cuts their deal,” which is tied to how difficult it can be to make a relationship work well.
WILD CARD: I’ll make up a question: What do you see as the greatest value of interviews?
Getting to pretend I’m some kind of hot sh** that anyone would/could/should care about. Yayyyy me!
Here are the next five:
Andrew Smith
Knee-jerk judgmentalism and unquestioning loyalty to mass movements for which identity is fed to hashtags.
What is your greatest strength?
Run-on sentences. And fragments. Yeah, fragments.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I give really short answers on panel discussions.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I remained an American citizen from January 2001 to January 2009.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I have two kids in universities.
What is your most treasured possession?
I have a pack of cigarettes I got from Ronald Reagan.
What was your big break?
Successfully respirating at birth. Everything after that is completely overrated.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
See above.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
With acid: Panda Bear; without acid: Jim Nabors.
What is your motto?
“A gun is not a toy. All sales final.”
WILD CARD: If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
The mother****ing Loch Ness Monster.
Tanya Lee Stone
The ability to get sh** done.
What is your greatest strength?
Perseverance.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Optimism.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Childbirth—no meds.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Watching General Hospital.
What is your most treasured possession?
Two Maurice Sendak originals.
What was your big break?
A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Speaking my truth.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Harry Connick Jr.
What is your motto?
“Right foot, left foot.”
Lauren Tarshis
Kindness.
What is your greatest strength?
Interest in other people.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Recently I stood up to a train conductor who was loudly and rudely harassing a woman and her daughter.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Taking trips with my husband and four kids.
What is your most treasured possession?
The clay bowls and creatures that my kids have made in elementary school. I keep my favorites on my desk.
What was your big break?
Getting my job on Storyworks, which led me into the world of children’s books.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
I have a terrible voice but I believe that one thing my life is missing is singing. I have been trying to get some of my friends to have a hootenanny, but there are few takers.
What is your motto?
“It’s never too late.”
Chris Tebbetts
This will sound pretentious, but—an ability to understand, and to live by an understanding of, the intersection between the personal and the collective experience.
What is your greatest strength?
It’s a tie: my patience and my sense of humor.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Steadiness.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Generally by being called upon without advance notice.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Travel.
What is your most treasured possession?
My hard drive. I have plenty of stuff, but I’m not too attached or sentimental that way.
What was your big break?
James Patterson came looking for co-authors and knocked on the right door.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
At the risk of jinxing myself—a good marriage.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Jennifer Hudson. (Filed under “Go Big or Go Home.”)
What is your motto?
“Talent, luck, and persistence.”
WILD CARD: When and where were you happiest?
Somewhere (anywhere) in the water.
Terry Trueman
Kindness.
What is your greatest strength?
Kindness.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Being witty/smart.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
When my beloved stepson killed himself (hanging himself from the deck of our home), I cut him down and did CPR until the cops/paramedics arrived, then I had to tell his mom he was gone. I wrote about this is a circuitous way in my novels Inside Out and No Right Turn. Very rough day.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Autographed book collecting.
What is your most treasured possession?
A limited edition Bukowski signed It Catches My Heart in Its Hands or my 1998 red C5 gen Corvette; hard to say which one I treasure more, although certain photos, documents, etc., I’d save first in a fire, so it’s safe to say I treasure a lot of stuff.
What was your big break?
Hmmm? There were quite a few parts/moments, but I spoze winning a Printz Honor Book award right outta the gate with my first novel Stuck in Neutral was the biggest break, although without having met and become friends/colleagues with Terry Davis, George Nicholson, and Toni Markiet, that book would never have existed.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I’m hard-pressed to think of any one thing, but publishing Stuck in Neutral was huge (see above).
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
At this particular moment, Paul McCartney because I’m going through a deep Beatles phase…again…
What is your motto?
I have several but one I find myself saying a lot is, “Every couple cuts their deal,” which is tied to how difficult it can be to make a relationship work well.
WILD CARD: I’ll make up a question: What do you see as the greatest value of interviews?
Getting to pretend I’m some kind of hot sh** that anyone would/could/should care about. Yayyyy me!
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Proust Questionnaire, Kidlit Edition, round 8
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:
Marc Tyler Nobleman
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Integrity.
What is your greatest strength?
Persistence.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Creativity.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Giving a TED talk following the only standing ovation of the night. That speaker devised a pioneering, inexpensive test for certain kinds of cancer. When he was 15. Then I went on and talked about comic book characters.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I don’t mow my lawn (even though it is very small).
What is your most treasured possession?
Not counting things I have but don’t own (my family, my friends, my health), I’d say a paperweight that used to be Bill Finger’s.
What was your big break?
Selling Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman to Janet Schulman. My query email (like the story itself) did not use the word “Superman.”
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Being a father.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Deceased: Sam Cooke. Still a possibility: Huey Lewis.
What is your motto?
“A no is closer to a yes than never trying.”
WILD CARD: What is your greatest fear?
Running out of time. (I don’t mean dying.)
Nora Raleigh Baskin
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Kindness.
What is your greatest strength?
A desire to work on becoming a better person for the rest of my life.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Not being afraid to be honest and real in all situations. It is also my greatest weakness.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Yes, but that’s private.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I once bought a pair of $585 Italian leather boots. Now, it’s spending on my almost, but not fully, grown kids.
What is your most treasured possession?
My family, my pets, my yoga mat. And then probably my MacBook Air. No, flip yoga mat and computer.
What was your big break?
Professionally, it was when my friend and author Elinor Lipman loved a novel I had written enough to call (like, on the phone!) an editor at Little, Brown and ask her if she’d be interested in considering it. Personally—giving birth to two healthy sons…though not at the same time.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Surviving my childhood.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Bob Dylan, hands down.
What is your motto?
“Where there’s a will there’s a way.”
WILD CARD: Which talent would you most like to have?
I took this question from T Bone Burnett, who said he’d like to paint. I’d like to play the guitar really well (a lot better than I do) and write songs.
Susanna Reich
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Integrity.
What is your greatest strength?
Perseverance.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Sunny outlook.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Every time I do a school visit and face an auditorium full of children.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Orchestra seats at the Metropolitan Opera.
What is your most treasured possession?
A Tahitian pearl my husband bought for me after a ride on the Moorea lagoon in an outrigger canoe.
What was your big break?
Selling my first book to Clarion.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I once had to deliver flowers I designed for a Christmas party at the Plaza Hotel in NYC and found out that morning that deliveries could only be made by a truck with commercial plates. So I rented a 22’ truck, learned to drive it, drove to midtown Manhattan (in holiday traffic), found a parking space next to the hotel that was big enough for the truck, and parallel-parked. New Yorkers will know that the hardest part was finding the parking spot.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
George Clooney. Can he sing?
What is your motto?
“Within each flower is the perfect pattern of unfoldment, and each flower unfolds according to its nature.”
WILD CARD: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
World peace.
Aaron Reynolds
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Authenticity. Real authenticity, as opposed to the fake kind.
What is your greatest strength?
Passion. But it’s also my greatest weakness.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Passion. I’ve been known to be passionate all over my friends. I’ll say no more.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I had children. And then got up each day to parent them again, even though some nights I went to bed feeling like I was a total failure at it.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I went to culinary school. Just because.
What is your most treasured possession?
Ridiculous tenacity.
What was your big break?
After tons of editors telling me I was pretty good, but they couldn’t publish me, one editor finally told me I was pretty good and she couldn’t wait to publish me. And that I was ridiculously tenacious.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Landing my wife. She’s out of my league. Way out. She won’t see this, right?
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Freddie Mercury. He is the champion, he is the champion…of the world.
What is your motto?
“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” But it was Daniel H. Burnham’s motto first. I’m a bit of a motto-stealer.
WILD CARD: Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“You gonna eat that?”
Tammi Sauer
What is the trait you most admire in others?
A good sense of humor.
What is your greatest strength?
Spotting incorrect grammar on signs/billboards/menus. Yes, this makes me very popular.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I’m really good at going out to lunch.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I read my reviews on Goodreads.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Pedicures.
What is your most treasured possession?
My iPhone.
What was your big break?
I sold Cowboy Camp through the slush pile.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
When they were little, I got my kids to simultaneously nap.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Bon Jovi.
What is your motto?
Make good choices. (I live with teenagers.)
Here are the next five:
Marc Tyler Nobleman
photo credit: Karen London
Integrity.
What is your greatest strength?
Persistence.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Creativity.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Giving a TED talk following the only standing ovation of the night. That speaker devised a pioneering, inexpensive test for certain kinds of cancer. When he was 15. Then I went on and talked about comic book characters.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I don’t mow my lawn (even though it is very small).
What is your most treasured possession?
Not counting things I have but don’t own (my family, my friends, my health), I’d say a paperweight that used to be Bill Finger’s.
What was your big break?
Selling Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman to Janet Schulman. My query email (like the story itself) did not use the word “Superman.”
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Being a father.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Deceased: Sam Cooke. Still a possibility: Huey Lewis.
What is your motto?
“A no is closer to a yes than never trying.”
WILD CARD: What is your greatest fear?
Running out of time. (I don’t mean dying.)
Nora Raleigh Baskin
Kindness.
What is your greatest strength?
A desire to work on becoming a better person for the rest of my life.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Not being afraid to be honest and real in all situations. It is also my greatest weakness.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Yes, but that’s private.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I once bought a pair of $585 Italian leather boots. Now, it’s spending on my almost, but not fully, grown kids.
What is your most treasured possession?
My family, my pets, my yoga mat. And then probably my MacBook Air. No, flip yoga mat and computer.
What was your big break?
Professionally, it was when my friend and author Elinor Lipman loved a novel I had written enough to call (like, on the phone!) an editor at Little, Brown and ask her if she’d be interested in considering it. Personally—giving birth to two healthy sons…though not at the same time.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Surviving my childhood.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Bob Dylan, hands down.
What is your motto?
“Where there’s a will there’s a way.”
WILD CARD: Which talent would you most like to have?
I took this question from T Bone Burnett, who said he’d like to paint. I’d like to play the guitar really well (a lot better than I do) and write songs.
Susanna Reich
photo credit: Laurel Golio
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Integrity.
What is your greatest strength?
Perseverance.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Sunny outlook.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Every time I do a school visit and face an auditorium full of children.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Orchestra seats at the Metropolitan Opera.
What is your most treasured possession?
A Tahitian pearl my husband bought for me after a ride on the Moorea lagoon in an outrigger canoe.
What was your big break?
Selling my first book to Clarion.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I once had to deliver flowers I designed for a Christmas party at the Plaza Hotel in NYC and found out that morning that deliveries could only be made by a truck with commercial plates. So I rented a 22’ truck, learned to drive it, drove to midtown Manhattan (in holiday traffic), found a parking space next to the hotel that was big enough for the truck, and parallel-parked. New Yorkers will know that the hardest part was finding the parking spot.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
George Clooney. Can he sing?
What is your motto?
“Within each flower is the perfect pattern of unfoldment, and each flower unfolds according to its nature.”
WILD CARD: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
World peace.
Aaron Reynolds
Authenticity. Real authenticity, as opposed to the fake kind.
What is your greatest strength?
Passion. But it’s also my greatest weakness.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Passion. I’ve been known to be passionate all over my friends. I’ll say no more.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I had children. And then got up each day to parent them again, even though some nights I went to bed feeling like I was a total failure at it.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I went to culinary school. Just because.
What is your most treasured possession?
Ridiculous tenacity.
What was your big break?
After tons of editors telling me I was pretty good, but they couldn’t publish me, one editor finally told me I was pretty good and she couldn’t wait to publish me. And that I was ridiculously tenacious.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Landing my wife. She’s out of my league. Way out. She won’t see this, right?
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Freddie Mercury. He is the champion, he is the champion…of the world.
What is your motto?
“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” But it was Daniel H. Burnham’s motto first. I’m a bit of a motto-stealer.
WILD CARD: Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“You gonna eat that?”
Tammi Sauer
A good sense of humor.
What is your greatest strength?
Spotting incorrect grammar on signs/billboards/menus. Yes, this makes me very popular.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I’m really good at going out to lunch.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I read my reviews on Goodreads.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Pedicures.
What is your most treasured possession?
My iPhone.
What was your big break?
I sold Cowboy Camp through the slush pile.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
When they were little, I got my kids to simultaneously nap.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Bon Jovi.
What is your motto?
Make good choices. (I live with teenagers.)
Monday, September 7, 2015
Proust Questionnaire, Kidlit Edition, round 7
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:
Meghan McCarthy
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Honesty.
What is your greatest strength?
Determination.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Hmm…not sure. Maybe I should ask them?
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Yes, many times. I was bullied in junior high and managed to get through it. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and struggle with that a lot—three lumbar punctures and one that went horribly wrong! I was also carjacked. I could go on…
What is your greatest extravagance?
I bought a couch that cost way too much money and a mountain bike that was also pretty expensive. I don’t spend a lot of money on clothes or other things.
What is your most treasured possession?
Ooh, tough one. I treasure a lot of things but I guess I can’t replace old photographs of my family so I’d be sad if something happened to those. I’d be sad, of course, if something happened to the kitchen table I made or the TV stand I made or the paintings I’ve created…but I guess I could make those again.
What was your big break?
When I sold my first book to Viking.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Not sure. I don’t think I’ve done it yet!
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Dolly Parton. That’s the first person who came to mind for some odd reason.
What is your motto?
“Work hard, play hard.”
WILD CARD: How would you like to die?
I wouldn’t. I’d like to live like a vampire. But I guess that isn’t going to happen so I’d like to die without pain and not alone. Once dead, I’d like to be thrown into the Serengeti and eaten by lions.
Barbara McClintock
What is the trait you most admire in others?
The ability to grill perfect chicken—crispy on the outside, moist on the inside.
What is your greatest strength?
Doing push-ups (30 reps each, broad-arm, elbows in, diamond-hand form).
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Not bragging about my push-ups prowess.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Rescuing a busload of people submerged in a river after driving off a bridge. No—really, bravery is an evolving process in life. Just dealing with whatever gets thrown at you, and keeping your sanity, dignity, and staying on schedule with delivery of finished art.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Fresh, crisp, line-dried bed sheets.
What is your most treasured possession?
My sense of humor.
What was your big break?
Being born.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Learning not to take things too seriously.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
My partner David Johnson and son Larson in the car with the windows rolled up. Wait—that’s a trio! This is an impossible question!
What is your motto?
Not anything to be repeated in polite company.
WILD CARD: What is your dream occupation?
Circus bareback/vaulting horse rider. (Ok, ok—I’m going off-road a bit with this one!)
Richard Michelson
What is the trait you most admire in others?
“When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.”—Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
What is your greatest strength?
Perseverance. And sense of humor.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
My good looks (that’s why they are my friends).
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Serious answer: I once tackled a man I thought was trying to kidnap a baby and wrestled him till the cops came. But it turned out he was the child’s father (whoops).
What is your greatest extravagance?
My Oak Bluffs gingerbread cottage.
What is your most treasured possession?
Since family is not a possession, I will say old home movies and cards/poems the kids made me when they were young.
What was your big break?
Pinky and ring fingers—left hand. Bent back and broken by a 6th grade girlfriend.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Balancing, however imperfectly (okay, barely managing), a career as an author of 20+ books while running a successful art gallery and helping my wife raise two great kids (now adults).
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Leonard Nimoy—and we did so (and no, I can’t sing); and my daughter, composer-singer Marisa Michelson (check out her website, folks, says the proud Dad).
What is your motto?
Tie: “I yams what I yams” (Popeye) and “Always carry a doggie bag because you never know when you’ll be invited to a buffet” (Mom).
Marissa Moss
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Having a big heart, being genuinely kind and generous.
What is your greatest strength?
My tenacity. I never give up. One book took ten years of rejections before it finally got accepted!
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
How efficient I am, how much I manage to get done in a day.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
There are different kinds of bravery and the one I didn’t think I could muster was to raise three boys after the death of my husband from ALS, to take over the household and run it well. Those little boys are all young men now, so I think I’ve done okay.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Buying children’s book illustrations. I love to have great art around me!
What is your most treasured possession?
My three sons. Not that I own them, but they’re what I care most about.
What was your big break?
When I first published that odd little book, Amelia’s Notebook.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Amelia’s Notebook!
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Judy Garland, singing “Over the Rainbow,” with Toto in her arms.
What is your motto?
“Writing is 10% vision, 90% revision.”
Pam Muñoz Ryan
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Generosity of spirit.
What is your greatest strength?
My willingness to fail and start over.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I make good pies.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I’ve overcome obstacles I was nervous to try. After fifty, I learned to ride a horse, river-rafted Cataract Canyon, and gave a speech to an audience of 3,000 people. But bravery? That’s for heroes who run into burning buildings to save another’s life.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Upgrading my airline seats with frequent flyer miles. And shoes.
What is your most treasured possession?
If you’re talking about things, I’m stumped. But I do have a letter that Fred Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers, wrote to me once.
What was your big break?
When I was ten, I was riding my bike and fell and broke—oh, publishing break? Esperanza Rising.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Four children who became incredible adults, in spite of me.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Johnny Mathis.
What is your motto?
“Practice. Practice. Practice. Then leap and the net will appear.”
Here are the next five:
Meghan McCarthy
Honesty.
What is your greatest strength?
Determination.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Hmm…not sure. Maybe I should ask them?
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Yes, many times. I was bullied in junior high and managed to get through it. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and struggle with that a lot—three lumbar punctures and one that went horribly wrong! I was also carjacked. I could go on…
What is your greatest extravagance?
I bought a couch that cost way too much money and a mountain bike that was also pretty expensive. I don’t spend a lot of money on clothes or other things.
What is your most treasured possession?
Ooh, tough one. I treasure a lot of things but I guess I can’t replace old photographs of my family so I’d be sad if something happened to those. I’d be sad, of course, if something happened to the kitchen table I made or the TV stand I made or the paintings I’ve created…but I guess I could make those again.
What was your big break?
When I sold my first book to Viking.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Not sure. I don’t think I’ve done it yet!
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Dolly Parton. That’s the first person who came to mind for some odd reason.
What is your motto?
“Work hard, play hard.”
WILD CARD: How would you like to die?
I wouldn’t. I’d like to live like a vampire. But I guess that isn’t going to happen so I’d like to die without pain and not alone. Once dead, I’d like to be thrown into the Serengeti and eaten by lions.
Barbara McClintock
The ability to grill perfect chicken—crispy on the outside, moist on the inside.
What is your greatest strength?
Doing push-ups (30 reps each, broad-arm, elbows in, diamond-hand form).
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Not bragging about my push-ups prowess.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Rescuing a busload of people submerged in a river after driving off a bridge. No—really, bravery is an evolving process in life. Just dealing with whatever gets thrown at you, and keeping your sanity, dignity, and staying on schedule with delivery of finished art.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Fresh, crisp, line-dried bed sheets.
What is your most treasured possession?
My sense of humor.
What was your big break?
Being born.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Learning not to take things too seriously.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
My partner David Johnson and son Larson in the car with the windows rolled up. Wait—that’s a trio! This is an impossible question!
What is your motto?
Not anything to be repeated in polite company.
WILD CARD: What is your dream occupation?
Circus bareback/vaulting horse rider. (Ok, ok—I’m going off-road a bit with this one!)
Richard Michelson
What is the trait you most admire in others?
“When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.”—Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
What is your greatest strength?
Perseverance. And sense of humor.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
My good looks (that’s why they are my friends).
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Serious answer: I once tackled a man I thought was trying to kidnap a baby and wrestled him till the cops came. But it turned out he was the child’s father (whoops).
What is your greatest extravagance?
My Oak Bluffs gingerbread cottage.
What is your most treasured possession?
Since family is not a possession, I will say old home movies and cards/poems the kids made me when they were young.
What was your big break?
Pinky and ring fingers—left hand. Bent back and broken by a 6th grade girlfriend.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Balancing, however imperfectly (okay, barely managing), a career as an author of 20+ books while running a successful art gallery and helping my wife raise two great kids (now adults).
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Leonard Nimoy—and we did so (and no, I can’t sing); and my daughter, composer-singer Marisa Michelson (check out her website, folks, says the proud Dad).
What is your motto?
Tie: “I yams what I yams” (Popeye) and “Always carry a doggie bag because you never know when you’ll be invited to a buffet” (Mom).
Marissa Moss
Having a big heart, being genuinely kind and generous.
What is your greatest strength?
My tenacity. I never give up. One book took ten years of rejections before it finally got accepted!
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
How efficient I am, how much I manage to get done in a day.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
There are different kinds of bravery and the one I didn’t think I could muster was to raise three boys after the death of my husband from ALS, to take over the household and run it well. Those little boys are all young men now, so I think I’ve done okay.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Buying children’s book illustrations. I love to have great art around me!
What is your most treasured possession?
My three sons. Not that I own them, but they’re what I care most about.
What was your big break?
When I first published that odd little book, Amelia’s Notebook.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Amelia’s Notebook!
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Judy Garland, singing “Over the Rainbow,” with Toto in her arms.
What is your motto?
“Writing is 10% vision, 90% revision.”
Pam Muñoz Ryan
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Generosity of spirit.
What is your greatest strength?
My willingness to fail and start over.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I make good pies.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I’ve overcome obstacles I was nervous to try. After fifty, I learned to ride a horse, river-rafted Cataract Canyon, and gave a speech to an audience of 3,000 people. But bravery? That’s for heroes who run into burning buildings to save another’s life.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Upgrading my airline seats with frequent flyer miles. And shoes.
What is your most treasured possession?
If you’re talking about things, I’m stumped. But I do have a letter that Fred Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers, wrote to me once.
What was your big break?
When I was ten, I was riding my bike and fell and broke—oh, publishing break? Esperanza Rising.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Four children who became incredible adults, in spite of me.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Johnny Mathis.
What is your motto?
“Practice. Practice. Practice. Then leap and the net will appear.”
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Proust Questionnaire, Kidlit Edition, round 6
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:
David Lubar
What is the trait you most admire in others?
An appreciation of my jokes.
What is your greatest strength?
I distribute my attribute points equally among strength, dexterity, charisma, intelligence, and luck.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
My inability to make friends.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I get out of bed each morning.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Video games.
What is your most treasured possession?
My napping couch.
What was your big break?
My coccyx.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Getting off my couch.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Flipper.
What is your motto?
“Meh.”
WILD CARD: What inaccurately-depicted historical figure from a play do you most identify with?
Antonio Salieri.
Maryann Macdonald
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Courage.
What is your greatest strength?
Being friends with myself.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Not sure. Resilience, maybe?
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Once I dove into the sea to rescue a child who was being dragged out by a huge wave.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Expensive shoes.
What is your most treasured possession?
My teeth.
What was your big break?
Being forced into a 12-step program.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Keeping lifelong friends.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Stumped here!
What is your motto?
“One day at a time.”
Jeff Mack
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Unrelenting kindness.
What is your greatest strength?
Super-skinny arms.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Patience.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
By answering these questions.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I once paid someone a bunch of money to let me jump out of their airplane. If that’s not extravagant, what is?
What is your most treasured possession?
I love my old, beat-up, ex-library copy of William Steig’s The Bad Island. I included its stamped checkout page in my own book, Look!
What was your big break?
My landing after I jumped out of the plane.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Clueless McGee and the Inflatable Pants. It’s like Michelangelo’s David, except it has pants.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Stevie Wonder.
What is your motto?
“So many books, so little time.”
WILD CARD: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d stop trying to change myself.
Scott Magoon
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Quiet, humble bravery.
What is your greatest strength?
I think my legs are pretty strong. Other than that…creativity?
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
My modesty, of course. :)
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I asked for help when I needed it most.
What is your greatest extravagance?
My diamond encrusted, dual exhaust Apple Watch and band. Custom. I got it from Beyoncé and the Ford Motor Company. Oh, and Apple.
What is your most treasured possession?
My health.
What was your big break?
Getting hired as a book designer at Candlewick Press. Then not getting fired.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My family.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Frank Sinatra. Heck, maybe even Frank Sinatra, Jr.
What is your motto?
“Run the mile you’re in.”
WILD CARD: What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Bluster.
Wendy Mass
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Courage.
What is your greatest strength?
Determination.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Loyalty.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
When a dam broke and our house flooded, we had to get our family to safety and find another place to live. And on a non-life-threatening scale, I never thought I’d get to the point where I can stand up in front of hundreds of people and talk about writing and books without breaking a sweat, when not that long ago I couldn’t have stood up in front of three without nearly passing out from nerves.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Buying books and magic tricks. A not-so-slight addition to Amazon Prime. The newest gadgets (as in: had to wake up at 3 a.m. to order the Apple Watch the second it went on sale and I have a pair of Google Glasses that I’ll never wear. I also owned a DVR called ReplayTV years before anyone else and loved hearing, “What do you mean you can pause live TV?”). My husband would say my greatest extravagance is driving with the windows open and the air conditioning on. But I’m not into shoes or handbags or expensive makeup or clothes, so I figure it all evens out!
What is your most treasured possession?
My hard drive with pictures and videos of my kids that one day I will actually print out/put on DVD. (I’d say my family itself, but then we’re opening the people-as-possessions can of worms. ;o), and if we’re talking non-sentimental stuff, then it’s my light blue VW beetle convertible, aka Fending Off Impending Midlife Crisis Car.
What was your big break?
When A Mango-Shaped Space, my first book, was published. Thank you, Little, Brown and Company!
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Having twins.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Tori Amos.
What is your motto?
These are the ones currently in my head:
“Be where you are.”
“This too shall pass.”
“Nothing’s wrong till something’s wrong. “
And a quote I put in The Candymakers: “Be kind to strangers, for they are fighting a battle you know nothing about.”
WILD CARD: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d watch less reality TV and repeats of Friends! (Oh who am I kidding, Friends is still hilarious. ;o)
Here are the next five:
David Lubar
An appreciation of my jokes.
What is your greatest strength?
I distribute my attribute points equally among strength, dexterity, charisma, intelligence, and luck.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
My inability to make friends.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I get out of bed each morning.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Video games.
What is your most treasured possession?
My napping couch.
What was your big break?
My coccyx.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Getting off my couch.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Flipper.
What is your motto?
“Meh.”
WILD CARD: What inaccurately-depicted historical figure from a play do you most identify with?
Antonio Salieri.
Maryann Macdonald
Courage.
What is your greatest strength?
Being friends with myself.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Not sure. Resilience, maybe?
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Once I dove into the sea to rescue a child who was being dragged out by a huge wave.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Expensive shoes.
What is your most treasured possession?
My teeth.
What was your big break?
Being forced into a 12-step program.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Keeping lifelong friends.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Stumped here!
What is your motto?
“One day at a time.”
Jeff Mack
Unrelenting kindness.
What is your greatest strength?
Super-skinny arms.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Patience.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
By answering these questions.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I once paid someone a bunch of money to let me jump out of their airplane. If that’s not extravagant, what is?
What is your most treasured possession?
I love my old, beat-up, ex-library copy of William Steig’s The Bad Island. I included its stamped checkout page in my own book, Look!
What was your big break?
My landing after I jumped out of the plane.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Clueless McGee and the Inflatable Pants. It’s like Michelangelo’s David, except it has pants.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Stevie Wonder.
What is your motto?
“So many books, so little time.”
WILD CARD: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d stop trying to change myself.
Scott Magoon
Quiet, humble bravery.
What is your greatest strength?
I think my legs are pretty strong. Other than that…creativity?
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
My modesty, of course. :)
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I asked for help when I needed it most.
What is your greatest extravagance?
My diamond encrusted, dual exhaust Apple Watch and band. Custom. I got it from Beyoncé and the Ford Motor Company. Oh, and Apple.
What is your most treasured possession?
My health.
What was your big break?
Getting hired as a book designer at Candlewick Press. Then not getting fired.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My family.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Frank Sinatra. Heck, maybe even Frank Sinatra, Jr.
What is your motto?
“Run the mile you’re in.”
WILD CARD: What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Bluster.
Wendy Mass
Courage.
What is your greatest strength?
Determination.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Loyalty.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
When a dam broke and our house flooded, we had to get our family to safety and find another place to live. And on a non-life-threatening scale, I never thought I’d get to the point where I can stand up in front of hundreds of people and talk about writing and books without breaking a sweat, when not that long ago I couldn’t have stood up in front of three without nearly passing out from nerves.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Buying books and magic tricks. A not-so-slight addition to Amazon Prime. The newest gadgets (as in: had to wake up at 3 a.m. to order the Apple Watch the second it went on sale and I have a pair of Google Glasses that I’ll never wear. I also owned a DVR called ReplayTV years before anyone else and loved hearing, “What do you mean you can pause live TV?”). My husband would say my greatest extravagance is driving with the windows open and the air conditioning on. But I’m not into shoes or handbags or expensive makeup or clothes, so I figure it all evens out!
What is your most treasured possession?
My hard drive with pictures and videos of my kids that one day I will actually print out/put on DVD. (I’d say my family itself, but then we’re opening the people-as-possessions can of worms. ;o), and if we’re talking non-sentimental stuff, then it’s my light blue VW beetle convertible, aka Fending Off Impending Midlife Crisis Car.
What was your big break?
When A Mango-Shaped Space, my first book, was published. Thank you, Little, Brown and Company!
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Having twins.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Tori Amos.
What is your motto?
These are the ones currently in my head:
“Be where you are.”
“This too shall pass.”
“Nothing’s wrong till something’s wrong. “
And a quote I put in The Candymakers: “Be kind to strangers, for they are fighting a battle you know nothing about.”
WILD CARD: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d watch less reality TV and repeats of Friends! (Oh who am I kidding, Friends is still hilarious. ;o)
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Proust Questionnaire, Kidlit Edition, round 5
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:
Michelle Knudsen
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Compassion.
What is your greatest strength?
Perseverance.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I asked some of them; is that cheating? First responses were creativity and loyalty, which made me really happy. Then a sort of weird brainstorming thing happened, and the “strengths” became things like “smiley,” “lactose intolerant,” and “addicted to dark and stormies.”
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I’ve made some hard choices in my personal life which forced me to face certain fears I wasn’t sure I could. Also, one time there was a terrifying spider skittering horribly around my apartment and I caught it in a cup and put it outside without dying from the fear and revulsion. I’m very proud of that.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I spend money on theater tickets that I can’t really afford. Greatest single extravagance was probably my 40th birthday party. Totally worth it.
What is your most treasured possession?
My signed, limited edition print of one of Michael Whelan’s Gunslinger illustrations, which was the first thing I bought for myself with book advance money and currently hangs above my desk. Or my secondhand IKEA kitchen island, which is super awesome.
What was your big break?
When Candlewick acquired Library Lion and made it one of their lead books of the season.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My friends.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Danny Elfman (singing something from Oingo Boingo). Or Gordon Gano.
What is your motto?
“The only cure for grief is action.” (George Henry Lewes)
WILD CARD: Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Miles Vorkosigan.
Kirby Larson
Grace under pressure.
What is your greatest strength?
Persistence.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Barbara O’Connor calls me a connector; I think I am good at bringing folks together who need to be together.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Sitting with my beloved grandmother as she transitioned from this world to the next, letting her go and finding true peace in that beautiful passing.
What is your greatest extravagance?
After books, shoes.
What is your most treasured possession?
Not things: people. My family.
What was your big break?
It was two pronged. When I wrote Hattie Big Sky, Chauni Haslett (then owner of the now gone All for Kids Books and Music) was president of the Children’s Bookseller’s Association. She was asked at BEA about her favorite book, and she mentioned Hattie. Then Karen Cushman graciously gave a lovely blurb and I was off and running.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
In my personal life, raising two great children. In my professional life, hanging in there through a very dark seven year period when I didn’t sell a word.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Helen Mirren!
What is your motto?
“A writer is one who writes.” (Something I have to remind myself every day, especially when the junk drawer is in desperate need of organization.)
Tara Lazar
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Kindness.
What is your greatest strength?
My memory.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
My ability to overcome hardships.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
People say I’m brave because of my attitude toward MS, but I’m not brave, I’m just living my life. Bravery has nothing to do with it.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I may own one too many cute little dresses.
What is your most treasured possession?
My Raggedy Ann doll that I carried everywhere as a young child.
What was your big break?
Having friends believe in me.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My marriage and my two daughters.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Stevie Nicks. Or Tom Petty. Can it be a trio?
What is your motto?
“Laughter is the best medicine.”
WILD CARD: If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
Kermit the Frog.
Kelly Light
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Humor. I think comedians and cartoonists are cut from the same cloth. It’s usually a cloth that has been stepped on a lot.
What is your greatest strength?
Observation. Being shy has its one reward.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
They say I am “scrappy” and real.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I never traveled alone before fall 2014’s 27-day book tour, never spoke in front of crowds. I faced that head on, terrified the whole time.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I just bought original illustrations from a 1920s Ex-Lax advertisement! They are beautiful and funny—a before and after—ahhh!
What is your most treasured possession?
A 1930s Zenith console radio. It works! Has a green tuning eye and a police and ham radio band!
What was your big break?
In 2012, I mailed a postcard. Thirteen book deals later, I have a career from one drawing.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My daughter.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
I love to sing! I’d have to say with Paul McCartney. On “Mother Nature’s Son” from the White Album.
What is your motto?
“Give me any chance, I’ll take it; read me any rule, I’ll break it…” You can sing the rest!
WILD CARD: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Sitting in an old kitchen with an old radio playing music from the 1940s, sipping tea and drawing.
Loren Long
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Unselfishness.
What is your greatest strength?
I’m unselfish.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
My rugged masculinity.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I once stood up to a man who was chewing out an old lady in my building and later found out it was the owner, but I don’t care. Nobody chews out an old lady if I can help it.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Dark chocolate-covered almonds.
What is your most treasured possession?
My late father’s stapler.
What was your big break?
My first picture book, I Dream of Trains.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My family.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Elton John (if he could keep up with my vocal range).
What is your motto?
“Get busy living or get busy dying.” (The Shawshank Redemption)
WILD CARD: When you die, who or what would you like to come back as?
A dog adopted by Tracy Long. It would be the best life ever. Seriously.
Here are the next five:
Michelle Knudsen
Compassion.
What is your greatest strength?
Perseverance.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I asked some of them; is that cheating? First responses were creativity and loyalty, which made me really happy. Then a sort of weird brainstorming thing happened, and the “strengths” became things like “smiley,” “lactose intolerant,” and “addicted to dark and stormies.”
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I’ve made some hard choices in my personal life which forced me to face certain fears I wasn’t sure I could. Also, one time there was a terrifying spider skittering horribly around my apartment and I caught it in a cup and put it outside without dying from the fear and revulsion. I’m very proud of that.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I spend money on theater tickets that I can’t really afford. Greatest single extravagance was probably my 40th birthday party. Totally worth it.
What is your most treasured possession?
My signed, limited edition print of one of Michael Whelan’s Gunslinger illustrations, which was the first thing I bought for myself with book advance money and currently hangs above my desk. Or my secondhand IKEA kitchen island, which is super awesome.
What was your big break?
When Candlewick acquired Library Lion and made it one of their lead books of the season.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My friends.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Danny Elfman (singing something from Oingo Boingo). Or Gordon Gano.
What is your motto?
“The only cure for grief is action.” (George Henry Lewes)
WILD CARD: Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Miles Vorkosigan.
Kirby Larson
photo credit: Meryl Schenker
What is the trait you most admire in others?Grace under pressure.
What is your greatest strength?
Persistence.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Barbara O’Connor calls me a connector; I think I am good at bringing folks together who need to be together.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Sitting with my beloved grandmother as she transitioned from this world to the next, letting her go and finding true peace in that beautiful passing.
What is your greatest extravagance?
After books, shoes.
What is your most treasured possession?
Not things: people. My family.
What was your big break?
It was two pronged. When I wrote Hattie Big Sky, Chauni Haslett (then owner of the now gone All for Kids Books and Music) was president of the Children’s Bookseller’s Association. She was asked at BEA about her favorite book, and she mentioned Hattie. Then Karen Cushman graciously gave a lovely blurb and I was off and running.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
In my personal life, raising two great children. In my professional life, hanging in there through a very dark seven year period when I didn’t sell a word.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Helen Mirren!
What is your motto?
“A writer is one who writes.” (Something I have to remind myself every day, especially when the junk drawer is in desperate need of organization.)
Tara Lazar
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Kindness.
What is your greatest strength?
My memory.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
My ability to overcome hardships.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
People say I’m brave because of my attitude toward MS, but I’m not brave, I’m just living my life. Bravery has nothing to do with it.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I may own one too many cute little dresses.
What is your most treasured possession?
My Raggedy Ann doll that I carried everywhere as a young child.
What was your big break?
Having friends believe in me.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My marriage and my two daughters.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Stevie Nicks. Or Tom Petty. Can it be a trio?
What is your motto?
“Laughter is the best medicine.”
WILD CARD: If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
Kermit the Frog.
Kelly Light
Humor. I think comedians and cartoonists are cut from the same cloth. It’s usually a cloth that has been stepped on a lot.
What is your greatest strength?
Observation. Being shy has its one reward.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
They say I am “scrappy” and real.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I never traveled alone before fall 2014’s 27-day book tour, never spoke in front of crowds. I faced that head on, terrified the whole time.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I just bought original illustrations from a 1920s Ex-Lax advertisement! They are beautiful and funny—a before and after—ahhh!
What is your most treasured possession?
A 1930s Zenith console radio. It works! Has a green tuning eye and a police and ham radio band!
What was your big break?
In 2012, I mailed a postcard. Thirteen book deals later, I have a career from one drawing.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My daughter.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
I love to sing! I’d have to say with Paul McCartney. On “Mother Nature’s Son” from the White Album.
What is your motto?
“Give me any chance, I’ll take it; read me any rule, I’ll break it…” You can sing the rest!
WILD CARD: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Sitting in an old kitchen with an old radio playing music from the 1940s, sipping tea and drawing.
Loren Long
Unselfishness.
What is your greatest strength?
I’m unselfish.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
My rugged masculinity.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I once stood up to a man who was chewing out an old lady in my building and later found out it was the owner, but I don’t care. Nobody chews out an old lady if I can help it.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Dark chocolate-covered almonds.
What is your most treasured possession?
My late father’s stapler.
What was your big break?
My first picture book, I Dream of Trains.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My family.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Elton John (if he could keep up with my vocal range).
What is your motto?
“Get busy living or get busy dying.” (The Shawshank Redemption)
WILD CARD: When you die, who or what would you like to come back as?
A dog adopted by Tracy Long. It would be the best life ever. Seriously.
Friday, September 4, 2015
Proust Questionnaire, Kidlit Edition, round 4
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:
Caroline Hickey
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Confidence.
What is your greatest strength?
I work really, really hard.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I don’t let things bother me.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Watching my 3-year-old get stitches over her eye and not falling to pieces.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Family vacations. Worth every penny.
What is your most treasured possession?
My iPhone (yes, I realize how sad that is).
What was your big break?
Signing with my first agent, probably.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My daughters are both really nice kids.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Axl Rose, because he could drown out my caterwauling.
What is your motto?
“Think it, do it.”
WILD CARD: What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Lack of curiosity.
Jenni Holm
What is the trait you most admire in others?
The ability to be able to turn off “working” all the time.
What is your greatest strength?
I can fold a sweater like no one’s business. I worked at the Gap in high school.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I don’t know—what do you think, Marc?
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
?
What is your greatest extravagance?
An original Prince Valiant comic strip illustrated by Gary Gianni. (I am a huge Prince Valiant fan.)
What is your most treasured possession?
My late father’s childhood teddy bear.
What was your big break?
Getting an agent for Our Only May Amelia after a dozen rejections.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Finishing my second book.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
My brother, Matt Holm, of course. We’ve actually performed a duet already.
What is your motto?
“All they can do is say no. Someone may say yes.”
Susan Hood
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Kindness.
What is your greatest strength?
Depends what kind of a day I’m having!
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Making friends for life.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
When crewing on a 38’ sailboat from Tortola to Bermuda, we lost power, lights, and navigation the third day out. Terrifying.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Buying books and traveling to as many foreign countries as possible.
What is your most treasured possession?
A quilt made by my mother; our photographs; two picture books signed by the authors: Barbara Cooney and Arnold Lobel.
What was your big break?
Getting laid off in 2009. I got good severance pay, time to write, an agent, and a picture book that went to auction.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Marrying the love of my life and mothering my two daughters.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Kermit.
What is your motto?
“Look, leap, and enjoy the bounce!”
WILD CARD: What’s your idea of perfect happiness?
Traveling the world with my family. And then coming home.
Laurie Keller
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Being nonjudgmental.
What is your greatest strength?
Being open-minded.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Being a good listener.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Quitting my job and moving to NYC by myself to become a freelance illustrator.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Traveling.
What is your most treasured possession?
Other than family, friends, and pets (who aren’t really possessions but definitely treasured), my banjo.
What was your big break?
When Christy Ottaviano read my manuscript (which an associate had tucked in her files) and called me that day saying she wanted to publish it.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Learning to trust and follow my gut feelings in all situations.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Marcus Mumford (of Mumford & Sons).
What is your motto?
“…Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference” by Robert Frost in combo with “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right” by Henry Ford.
WILD CARD: Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Are you going to eat those M&M’s?”
Daniel Kirk
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Empathy—but not so much that it makes a person into a doormat.
What is your greatest strength?
Discipline, but not so much that it stops me from enjoying my day.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Probably my productivity. People don’t understand that I get things done by just plodding away!
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I once actually leapt from my car to stop traffic and save an injured kitten, but that was easy. I’d have to say that getting over the fear of public speaking has been my greatest challenge in the bravery department.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I buy the most expensive, free-range eggs I can find, reasoning that the hens that lay them are treated like royalty, so they won’t mind my taking their eggs.
What is your most treasured possession?
Lately I have been selling my oldest, most treasured possessions, all my comic books and monster toys from childhood, and discovering how I can detach from things and still keep my good memories. It’s not so hard to do!
What was your big break?
Professionally speaking, my big break came when I happened to meet editor Howard Reeves, who was starting up a new children’s book division at Rizzoli, and was looking for authors who had interesting work that hadn’t yet been published. Twenty-five years later, I am still making books with him!
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Without a doubt that would be raising my three children, and the joy I take in watching their life stories unfold.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Skeeter Davis. She always sang harmony with herself on her records, but I think I have those parts figured out. She’d sound great with male accompaniment.
What is your motto?
“Why not?” If I ask the question, I may come up with a dozen reasons for not doing something. But I may step up to a great opportunity, too.
WILD CARD: Who are your favorite literary characters?
Frog and Toad, George and Martha, and the extended Moomin family—Moomintroll, Moomin Mama and Papa, Little My, the Snork Maiden, among many others!
Here are the next five:
Caroline Hickey
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Confidence.
What is your greatest strength?
I work really, really hard.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I don’t let things bother me.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Watching my 3-year-old get stitches over her eye and not falling to pieces.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Family vacations. Worth every penny.
What is your most treasured possession?
My iPhone (yes, I realize how sad that is).
What was your big break?
Signing with my first agent, probably.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My daughters are both really nice kids.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Axl Rose, because he could drown out my caterwauling.
What is your motto?
“Think it, do it.”
WILD CARD: What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Lack of curiosity.
Jenni Holm
The ability to be able to turn off “working” all the time.
What is your greatest strength?
I can fold a sweater like no one’s business. I worked at the Gap in high school.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
I don’t know—what do you think, Marc?
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
?
What is your greatest extravagance?
An original Prince Valiant comic strip illustrated by Gary Gianni. (I am a huge Prince Valiant fan.)
What is your most treasured possession?
My late father’s childhood teddy bear.
What was your big break?
Getting an agent for Our Only May Amelia after a dozen rejections.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Finishing my second book.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
My brother, Matt Holm, of course. We’ve actually performed a duet already.
What is your motto?
“All they can do is say no. Someone may say yes.”
Susan Hood
Kindness.
What is your greatest strength?
Depends what kind of a day I’m having!
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Making friends for life.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
When crewing on a 38’ sailboat from Tortola to Bermuda, we lost power, lights, and navigation the third day out. Terrifying.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Buying books and traveling to as many foreign countries as possible.
What is your most treasured possession?
A quilt made by my mother; our photographs; two picture books signed by the authors: Barbara Cooney and Arnold Lobel.
What was your big break?
Getting laid off in 2009. I got good severance pay, time to write, an agent, and a picture book that went to auction.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Marrying the love of my life and mothering my two daughters.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Kermit.
What is your motto?
“Look, leap, and enjoy the bounce!”
WILD CARD: What’s your idea of perfect happiness?
Traveling the world with my family. And then coming home.
Laurie Keller
What is the trait you most admire in others?
Being nonjudgmental.
What is your greatest strength?
Being open-minded.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Being a good listener.
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
Quitting my job and moving to NYC by myself to become a freelance illustrator.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Traveling.
What is your most treasured possession?
Other than family, friends, and pets (who aren’t really possessions but definitely treasured), my banjo.
What was your big break?
When Christy Ottaviano read my manuscript (which an associate had tucked in her files) and called me that day saying she wanted to publish it.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Learning to trust and follow my gut feelings in all situations.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Marcus Mumford (of Mumford & Sons).
What is your motto?
“…Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference” by Robert Frost in combo with “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right” by Henry Ford.
WILD CARD: Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Are you going to eat those M&M’s?”
Daniel Kirk
Empathy—but not so much that it makes a person into a doormat.
What is your greatest strength?
Discipline, but not so much that it stops me from enjoying my day.
What would your friends say is your greatest strength?
Probably my productivity. People don’t understand that I get things done by just plodding away!
How have you experienced bravery you didn’t know you had?
I once actually leapt from my car to stop traffic and save an injured kitten, but that was easy. I’d have to say that getting over the fear of public speaking has been my greatest challenge in the bravery department.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I buy the most expensive, free-range eggs I can find, reasoning that the hens that lay them are treated like royalty, so they won’t mind my taking their eggs.
What is your most treasured possession?
Lately I have been selling my oldest, most treasured possessions, all my comic books and monster toys from childhood, and discovering how I can detach from things and still keep my good memories. It’s not so hard to do!
What was your big break?
Professionally speaking, my big break came when I happened to meet editor Howard Reeves, who was starting up a new children’s book division at Rizzoli, and was looking for authors who had interesting work that hadn’t yet been published. Twenty-five years later, I am still making books with him!
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Without a doubt that would be raising my three children, and the joy I take in watching their life stories unfold.
Setting aside the reality of whether or not you can sing, with whom would you like to perform a duet?
Skeeter Davis. She always sang harmony with herself on her records, but I think I have those parts figured out. She’d sound great with male accompaniment.
What is your motto?
“Why not?” If I ask the question, I may come up with a dozen reasons for not doing something. But I may step up to a great opportunity, too.
WILD CARD: Who are your favorite literary characters?
Frog and Toad, George and Martha, and the extended Moomin family—Moomintroll, Moomin Mama and Papa, Little My, the Snork Maiden, among many others!
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.”
Here are the next five:
Mike Curato
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
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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