What is your creative process/What does your creative process look like? Ideas don’t come to me easily. I end up ruminating on a character and then trying to find a plot to fit that character and then once that happens, my process involves a lot of eating chocolate covered almonds and drinking espresso. And then once I find the story in my head, it becomes a bit obsessive and won’t let go of me until it’s done. As many of my stories involve bad people doing bad things, it doesn’t always make me a pleasure to be around. What do you think draws readers to your work? I think I tend to write about good people doing bad things. Or bad people trying to be good people. Within that, there’s a lot of wish fulfillment, which is to say that I often write characters who say the things we wish we could have said in any given moment, but due to social mores and/or the desire not to be punched in the mouth, don’t. That’s fun to read. I hope. Outside of writing, what do you like to do? I love to travel, to read, to watch movies and TV, follow almost all sports and get deeply offended when my team loses, and I genuinely like to sit outside with my wife watching the sun set. How did you initially get into writing? It’s the family business. My mother was a journalist, my father was a TV news journalist, my brother is a novelist and TV producer, my sisters write books on art together, my uncle writes true crime, my cousin writes about classic cars… it’s endless! So it was always something I’ve done. Professionally, it’s also always been what I wanted to do. What is a cause you care about? Women’s rights. Book banning. Equal access to education. Voting rights. Equal protection under the law. You know. All the things the Supreme Court is trying to strip from citizens on a yearly basis these days. Could you tell us about authors who have inspired you? The list is long. Perhaps too long for this simple interview. So let me just tell you about one thing. I got to spend a day with one of my heroes, Donald Westlake. Westlake essentially created the genre of crime fiction that has defined my career and so talking to him was like sitting at the hand of God and finding out the secret sauce, to mix metaphors. He was so kind, so open and vulnerable, so filled with practical wisdom, and he gave me the best piece of writing advice I’ve ever received. More than that, though, was that he was just a mensch. There’s nothing worse than meeting your heroes only to find that their capes are made of asshole. What advice do you have for aspiring authors? Read as much as possible and as widely. Don’t be an asshole. Get a really good chair. Don’t scrimp on the chair. Over-pay on the chair if need be. What does your working space look like? What do you need in order to be productive?
All right, let’s talk about what you can see here. There’s always a stack of books or magazines on my desk, things I’m reading or things I mean to read or things I’m in. So over there today we’ve got Matthew Zapruder’s excellent collection of poems Father’s Day, which I’ve been re-reading for inspiration for something I’m writing; Lou Berney’s new novel Dark Ride, which I’m reading out of pure unadulterated jealousy; a copy of Publishers Weekly that has a starred review of Gangsters Don’t Die in it, which I mean to file away, but, you know, STARRED; and the latest issue of Palm Springs Life magazine, which I’m required to have in my home as a resident. There’s two coffee mugs from the LA Times Festival of Books – one holding pens, one holding the memory of coffee. There’s an old box from Italy meant to hold stamps but it holds USB drives – it belonged to my grandfather, so it’s nice to see it everyday. There’s some snow globes of favorite places – the Bay Area, the Hotel Del – and then there’s a tiny leather box embossed with another grandfather’s initials. I keep more USB drives in there. I have a lot of USB drives. There’s a nameplate for myself, in case I begin to disassociate. There’s a copy of my latest book, so I can hold it up in Zoom interviews. There’s my Macbook Pro, my podcasting mic, various bits of detritus. And then over to the left, on an antique table of my nana’s, there’s an old typewriter, some classic photos of Palm Springs, some Jason Isbell paraphernalia, and forty pound book of Shakespeare’s collected work. I require all of this to write books. Talk to us about music. What are your favorite songs for writing? How do you switch it up? Do you have a theme song for yourself as a writing professional? I always listen to music when I’m writing. At some point it becomes white noise, which helps me concentrate. But I also use music to prime me for emotional scenes, to get me in a ruminative mood, to get me ready to have big shoot outs, that sort of thing. So I listen to a lot of different music depending upon what I’m using the music for in my head. I tend to make big playlists for my books and play the songs over and over again, or until my wife Wendy goes absolutely batshit and tells me to pick new music. I tend to listen to a lot of Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, The Replacements, The Hold Steady, the Drive-by Truckers, Lori McKenna, Bruce Springsteen, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Mary Gauthier, Ceschi, Beastie Boys, Lucinda Williams, Tom Petty, Kyuss, and then a ton of old 80s music, gangsta rap, and Neil Diamond, obviously. My theme song? Sure Shot by the Beastie Boys. You can’t, you won’t, you don’t stop… What has it been like working with Dunham Literary? It has been a very productive 25 years! Jennie and I started working together when we were both kids – I was 28, I think Jennie was maybe a year older? – and were both so filled with hope and promise. We’ve had such incredible heights – the New York Times bestseller list! Great reviews for a decade at a time! – alongside tough lows – the book I shouldn’t have written because we both knew it wouldn’t sell, and then, lo and behold, it didn’t! – and then spots in between – losing awards but going out for ice cream sundaes afterward and laughing into the morning – and then all the real life shit that is part of a true partnership. I couldn’t ask for anything more. What are your favorite moments of suspense, happiness, or other in your upcoming book? Oh, there’s a scene in my new book that, when I wrote it, I said to my wife: I think I just wrote one of the most fucked up scenes in the history of American literature. She read it and agreed. I won’t spoil it for you. But the biggest thing, for me, was satisfying for the readers the long wait to complete the trilogy. Everything gets answered. But not everyone gets the ending you might want. What are your favorite jokes and quotes in your upcoming book? I think it all comes down to the very last word in the book: “…mitzvah.” That was the title of the short story that started this 15 year journey with the Rabbi David Cohen and it’s a fitting end. How do you celebrate a book release? Mild panic attacks, a great dinner with my wife, and then I just refresh my Amazon number until I fall asleep in a pool of my own saliva. What have you put in your story that you also look for when writers apply to your MFA program? A thing I learned from the wonderful writer Megan Mayhew Bergman: I try to put something strange or something beautiful on every page. A thing I learned from Elmore Leonard: That even the worst humans deserve some level of empathy. That thing I learned from Donald Westlake: That a story is over when the reader could write the next page. Are your dogs with you while you write or are they too distracting? Always! There’s one sitting beside me right now, licking her foot. Gracie Goldberg, stop! What inspired you to create the Cat’s Cradle Series?
Ironically, it was inspired by a dog! You know those types of gentle giants that think they're tiny little lap dogs? My partner's family had the biggest, sweetest pit bull just like that. He had a habit of flopping down on top of me when I sat on the floor, and then refusing to get up. So one day as I'm lying there pinned to the floor, I plead with him that if he'll just get off of me, I'll take him to the land of giants where he can finally be a lap dog. The thought stuck with me, and over time it grew into this whole story about monsters, friendship and finding your true home. What is your creative process? What does your creative process look like? Do you ever switch it up? Do you have any tips for breaking writer’s (or illustrator’s) block? My stories start like a sprouting seed— one scene that excites me and grabs my attention. Everything grows from there, and my role is like a gardener's in a topiary— nurturing new shoots and pruning others, until I'm satisfied with the shape. The drawing will usually grow alongside the story, as I need to know what my characters look like. If I'm ever stuck drawing, I just sketch loosely until I find something interesting. Writer's block is harder to tackle for me, as I came to writing later than drawing, but I have developed a few techniques that help. If I'm stuck in a particular plot point, I'll sometimes try the opposite of what I originally intended: If I wanted my characters to escape, what if they get captured instead? I send all these feelers out and see if any take root. What do you think draws readers to your work? It's tough to get an outside perspective on your own work, but from the comments I get, I'd say that “charming spookiness” is one of the factors. Even when I try to make a monster downright scary, I can't seem to help making it cute somehow. Outside of writing and illustrating, what do you like to do in your personal time? I love treasure hunts! My own type of treasure that is— mushrooms and fossils. Where I live in the Ottawa region, we're lucky to have some pretty cool fossil deposits, and the trails in my village are full of weird mushrooms if you look for them. What is a cause you care about? Education. Education is so much more than preparing kids for the workforce— it's about making them creative, critical thinkers and good human beings. Could you tell us about authors and illustrators who have inspired you? I have a wide range of influences, from Calvin and Hobbes, to Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials, and Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma ½. Style-wise, I've been hugely influenced by Isabella Mazzanti and Matt Rockefeller. What advice for do you have for aspiring authors and illustrators? Create and share. Start putting your sketches or short stories out there, even if you think they're not quite ready yet. Participate in online writing or drawing challenges to get practice and reach a wider audience. And don't be afraid of trying out techniques and motifs you see in artists you love. When I was younger, I resisted looking at other artists too closely— as if I was "cheating", and that my style had to come purely from my imagination to be my own. But once I gave myself permission to learn from other artists, my style improved in leaps and bounds! Graphic novels are captivating but a lot of work. What do you like best about the graphic format and what are the biggest challenges? Comics are magic— they give the impression of action with just a few key drawings. They're the perfect blend of story and art, where both reinforce the other. The biggest challenge is exactly what you said— they're a lot of work! What does your working space look like? What do you need in order to be productive? Like a Victorian alternate reality, with a mix of thrifted antiques and giant computer screens. I LOVE old objects and paintings— they nurture my soul! And though I'm far from a neat freak, I keep my studio fairly tidy these days, as I find clutter distracting. Talk to us about music. What are your favorite songs for writing? Do you have different favorite songs for illustrating? Why the difference? Do you have a theme song for yourself as a writing professional? For writing I need wordless music, so classical is a first choice, along with some contemporary piano. I don't have just one theme song, but I have music to associate with particular times of the year. My music playlists are divided by seasons, with autumn and winter being more inspiring usually! What has it been like working with Dunham Literary? Amazing! I first met Jennie at a conference and connected instantly! I love her straightforward approach and her genuine love of books and stories. And it's great to have someone who's very organized to keep an eye on me, since I can be scatterbrained when left to my own devices. What are your favorite moments of suspense or happiness in your upcoming book? In the second book I introduce a young thief who's hiding a dark secret from Suri, my main character. I love the tension it creates when the audience knows something the others characters don't! What are your favorite quotes and illustrations from the series so far? I love drawing dynamic scenes and moody lighting. Because much of the action in The Mole King's Lair takes place in a cave, I got to play with colors to my heart's content! How do you celebrate a book release? By getting together with some of my writer friends, and rewarding myself with more books! I love getting books— maybe too much. We have bookshelves in every room and we're still running out of space! 1. What inspired you to put your story on paper in LIFE B?
It started with an idea for a personal essay – and when that essay, published on Elle.com, went viral-ish and I heard from scores of readers about their struggles with treatment-resistant depression, I knew that my story might help some other people. Those readers are the ones who inspired me to write my memoir. 2. What is your creative process/What does your creative process look like? The hard truth: Writers write. For many years, I wanted to call myself a writer. . . but I wasn’t putting in the work. My life and my process changed when I committed to a daily writing practice. For me, in the past decade, that’s meant writing morning pages first thing (if you’re not familiar with “morning pages,” see Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way”), then writing for 3-4 hours, depending on deadlines and meetings. I always get those hours in, even if it means I have to set aside time in the afternoon. However, like many of my fellow writers, my best creative work happens in the morning. And with coffee. 3. What do you think draws readers to your work? I’ve done many different kinds of work over the years, including blog posts for myself, blogs for other people and institutions, book reviews, author profiles, book-industry reporting, designed books for National Geographic, an anthology, a broadcast author-interview show, designing launch publications, more. . . and the thing that ties all of that together with my creative work (essays and memoir and more in the future, I hope) is my commitment to authenticity and connection. I truly want to engage with writers, authors, creatives, and anyone else who is interested in my work. I’m not in it just for myself and I hope I say that with intentionality and humility. 4. How do you organize your research? The answer would be I’m working on this! All the time. I know some writers loved Scrivener, for example, to organize projects and manuscripts. I haven’t gotten on that train yet. Something that works really well for me is using specific subject lines for emails and other messages, and specific file names for various stages of a project, whether in drafts or first-pass pages. I try to maintain paper files for financial documents and all I can say about that is I’m glad I have a spouse who is detail oriented. 5. Outside of writing, what do you like to do? (personal life outside of writing) I started life as someone enchanted by stories (thanks, Mom, again and always!) and continue to be the most avid of readers – as well as someone with remarkably broad and deep reading taste. I do not judge forms or genres that people love. We all read what we need to read, and thank goodness for librarians, who help many many people , children and others, discover the books that unlock a lifetime of reading. But I do have a life outside of books! I’m long married to my best friend and (at this point) lifelong love; he and I have two grown daughters and we love to spend time with them. The surprise is that they love to spend time with us! We’re all very happy on trail walks (the three of them hike; I’m a little less intrepid), trying every kind of cuisine, visiting museums, you name it. We have a miniature schnauzer who walks with us at home. I love to swim, anywhere, anytime, the colder the water the better, and have swum in an Adirondack lake in late September, the Baltic in May, and at the Cape Cod National Seashore in October. Speaking of museums, I just returned from Los Angeles and took my first visit to The Getty Museum. Its location, grounds, and gardens were stunning. I’ve made a few dozen trips, now, to The Cloisters in Manhattan. I studied medieval literature in grad school and will maintain my Metropolitan Museum of Art membership forever just so I can sit in those cloister walks whenever I’m able to visit. 6. How did you initially get into writing? Like so many of my friends and colleagues in the literary world, I’ve always considered myself a writer. Are you born a writer? I don’t know. But it wasn’t until I’d had quite a few life experiences that I was able to write consistently. My way in was through book reviews, since I’d done so much reading. 7. What is a cause you care about? I care deeply about removing the stigma around mental illness and in improving mental health awareness, so one organization I support is the National Association for the Mentally Ill (NAMI). I believe strongly in reproductive rights for all and have supported Planned Parenthood and NARAL since college. While we have freedom to write and publish in the United States (as of yet), that’s not true in all parts of the world. PEN America and PEN International support the rights of creatives everywhere and keep watch over changing social and political conditions. 8. Could you tell us about authors who have inspired you? And now this questionnaire becomes a manuscript. . . Joking! I’m joking. But I *am* known as The Book Maven for a reason, and that’s because so many different books and authors inspire my work and creativity. There are two books from 2021 that I am still talking about in 2023 and will probably still be talking about in 2029, so I’ll start with them, because they’re so different. The first is THE LOVE SONGS OF W.E.B. DUBOIS by Honorée Fannone Jeffers, an important poet. Her debut novel tells an alternate history of the United States, by which I mean a different history. The contemporary narrator, Ailey Pearl Garfield, delves into her family’s history to learn how to cope with what DuBois called “double consciousness” for Black Americans. It’s fiction – but it’s based on fact, based on the people whose lives were ignored, suppressed, eliminated, by the Western European patriarchal structure that came to power. It’s long (816 pages) and rich and thoughtful and sweeping and necessary. The second is ALL THE FREQUENT TROUBLES OF OUR DAYS by Rebecca R. R. Donner, the biography of her aunt Mildred Harnack that challenges the strictures of the biography genre and pushes it almost into memoir territory – to magnificent effect. Harnack was the only American woman involved in the German resistance movement during World War II. She was executed in 1943 by direct order from Adolf Hitler. Many surprises await the reader, but what makes the book stunning are the surprises that awaited the author during her research. 9. What advice for do you have for aspiring authors? I just tweeted about this! The Serenity Prayer. I don’t do the 12 Steps, but The Serenity Prayer is for us all. I’m not joking. If we really think about what we can’t change, what we can change, and the difference between them, we can take the next right steps on our journeys. Along with that, if you truly want to be an author? Either get a ghostwriter – or become a writer. And the latter choice will take the time it takes. We can’t change that! What we can change, as aspiring authors, is how much we learn about the process of moving from manuscript to finished book. Education is something no one can take away from you. 10. What does your working space look like? What do you need in order to be productive? People who speak to me via videoconference see a serene (if varied) set of bookshelves filled with galleys, ARCs, finished books, paperbacks, hardcovers. Sometimes they also see a lovely vintage writing desk and a chaise longue (which is where I do a lot of reading). What they don’t see is my “working” (writing) desk, which is not a mess, but does have a great deal of stuff on it, from my favorite Uniball pens to a photo of my family to colored pencils to a giant pinboard covered with things that include one daughter’s nursery-school art, an Electric Lit “Read More Women” postcard, and notes from my favorite book publicists. 11. Talk to us about music. What are your favorite songs for writing? How do you switch it up? Do you have a theme song for yourself as a writing professional? I’m currently writing up a Largehearted Boy playlist for “Life B” so this is a question very much on my mind. I write in silence a great deal of the time because my brain pings around a lot when there’s music playing. When I do listen to music it’s often Baroque/classical, the kind that encourages productivity and stability, to keep me going as I finish the day’s word count. When I do need something more energizing, I listen to a lot of African pop, from Nigeria and Ghana specifically. My spouse is a huge blues/soul/R&B aficionado and we share a longtime love of Fela Kuti’s music, which is what has led me to learn about Amadou, Davido, Femi Kuti, so many more! And the women!!! Fatoumata Diawara from Mali is one of my new favorites. Speaking of world beats, have you listened to ADG7, the Korean shamanic pop group that plays on traditional instruments? Holy shit are they great. Now back to my usual nerd content: I love, love, love Early Music. Medieval and Renaissance. Said spouse, who does NOT love it the way I do, takes me to several Folger Consort performances each year (we are so fortunate to have that group associated with DC’s Folger Shakespeare Library). I’ll talk to anyone about Early Music, plainsong, Monteverdi, any time. 12. What has it been like working with Dunham Literary? Seamless. Jennie Dunham is a true professional and a lovely person whose ability to keep an author calm in any crisis cannot be praised highly enough. I’m looking forward to our next projects! 13. How do you celebrate a book release? Eeeeeek. I had the best party for my first all-me book in 2011 for “An Uncommon History of Common Courtesy,” sponsored by National Geographic Books and catered by a local restaurant owned by a former French Embassy chef, held at One More Page Books in Arlington, Virginia. It was truly special. For the anthology I edited, “The Books That Changed My Life,” I had a launch at Book Court in Brooklyn. . . that was, sadly, the wonderful bookstore’s very last event! This time around my launch will be at Politics & Prose in Washington, DC, in conversation with Alexandra Zapruder, and I’m still trying to decide (at the eleventh hour) what kind of celebration will take place. There WILL be cake and Champagne. Add anything else that might be interesting or fun: 1. I lived in Berlin for 3.5 years and will talk to you any time about that city, especially as it was my first “home” after college, my first home after marriage, etc. I don’t return as often as I should and might have to make the trek soon. If anyone is heading there in 2023 do not miss the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum, even if you think you’re not into modern/experimental art. There’s a lot to take in as you explore the “tracks” galleries. It also holds one of the most wonderful Viennese restaurants outside of Vienna. 2. Another thing I’ll talk about any time: Writing groups. Get into one. Stick with it, but also pay attention to when you might need to find a new one, whether because your goals have changed or your writing has. Getting regular supportive and constructive feedback is great, but even greater: PROVIDING supportive and constructive feedback. It’s how we grow as writers. 3. I created the #FridayReads hashtag/meme in 2009, when Twitter was still an exciting new phenomenon, and all these years later to see it still being used, and being used by individuals, libraries, bookstores, institutions of different kinds. . . is amazing. One thing I do like to share: for a few years we tracked the #FridayReads metrics, and even when we had as many as 10,000 people sharing their current books, only a handful would ever be reading the same book. We don’t all have to read the same things in order to connect through stories. Every once in a while, special circumstances bring a group together for an unusual creative project. ADDISON MIZNER, Visionary Architect came about in just this way. The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach wanted an authoritative text to use in their Heritage Education Program as well as when talking about the history of the town to visitors and school groups. They could have made a brochure, but they realized that they needed more than this. Despite it being a much bigger undertaking, they decided to create a book that would be historically accurate but also engaging for readers of all ages. Robert Forbes was a natural choice for the text because he was already a published author who lives in Palm Beach, not to mention that he’s a member of the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach. He suggested Barbara McClintock for the elegance and whimsy that her illustrations could bring to the book. The result is remarkable. Filled with photographs alongside Barbara McClintock’s art, the book offers both a captivating story and a plethora of facts that invite the reader to take a deep dive into the man who created the look of Palm Beach. Below are some questions and responses that each of them gave about the book and the process of creating it. Barbara McClintock: Q: What made you interested in the project in the first place? A: I’m fascinated by stories about creative people. Both my parents were artistic - my mother was a textile and design major in college; she was skilled in sewing intricately tailored clothing, and created her own patterns from which she made most of her own clothing ( and most of the dresses for my sister and me ). My father was a professional portrait photographer; later in his career he switched to architectural photography. He loved talking about the special lenses he used to mitigated the extreme perspective lines that are problematic when photographing tall buildings. His interest in texture, lighting, pattern, detail, and historical constructs of buildings led me to a deep interest in drawing buildings in my illustration career. My partner is an editorial illustrator. Many of my friends are artists, graphic designers, writers, musicians and people involved in movement through dance, qigong and martial arts. Nothing gives me joy as much as being part of a creative community, and celebrating the gifts that beauty brings to us all. Q: What is your favorite fact about Addison Mizner? A: That he had a life-long love of spider monkeys. Q: What was your biggest challenge in creating the book? A: There’s so much to say and show about Addison’s life! I wish I could make a book just about the scrapbooks of drawings and photos of the buildings, materials and influences he loved! He had such a far-ranging imagination and an ever-curious eye. And he was quite a character! He deserves a book the size of the Gutenberg Bible, but I must say Bob Forbes did a splendid job of reducing Addison’s amazing life into a handy-sized book! Q: What was the most joyful part of creating the book? A: Being part of Team Mizner - our crew who made this book possible. I miss our regular emails and meetings brainstorming about creating our marvelous book. Q: What do you hope readers will take away from the book? A: As Frank Lloyd Write said about Addison; “Many architects had imagination but only Addison Mizner had the courage to let it out of the cage.” I hope our book inspires readers to do just that. Q: Is there anything else you want to add or comment on? A: I hope anyone holding this book in their hands knows all the love, inspiration, imagination and hard work that went into it’s creation. I’ve been privileged to work with the author Bob Forbes, designer Bob Kosturko, my every generous agent Jennie Dunham, Marie Penny and all the folks at the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach. It’s been a blast! Bob Forbes: Q: What made you interested in the project in the first place? A; A friend of mine, Pauline Pitt, knew I was a children’s author and asked me if I would be interested in writing a biography of Addison Mizner. She was the former Board Chair of The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, and the book would be used for their popular 4th Grade Heritage Education Program with its emphasis on architecture. I was intrigued by the idea of writing a non-fiction book and I knew there was plenty of material on Mizner available, especially in Palm Beach, his hometown. I said yes, but it wasn’t until I started reading books on this multi-faceted man, visiting collections, and making copious notes, that I realized he was a big subject in more ways than one. From my earlier writing I felt I had the right voice for the intended readers, but I soon found I was including too much material. After a few drafts and with help from an editor I’ve worked with in the past, the project began to come together nicely. I learned I had to make tough choices on what to include and what just wouldn’t fit. Q: What is your favorite fact about Addison Mizner? A: That for all the disappointments and hurdles life kept throwing at him, his growing passion for architecture never diminished. The vision of how he wanted to incorporate building styles he had seen in his travels burst forth when he met Paris Singer and moved to Palm Beach to build what became the Everglades Club, one of his greatest masterpieces. What he created was very much his own brand of architecture, and it took the world by storm. Q: What was your biggest challenge in creating the book? A: I came to realize that writing non-fiction was for me a whole lot harder than writing fiction. But the challenge was made easier by the extraordinary character I was writing about. Q: What was the most joyful part of creating the book? A: By far the most joyful part was when Barbara McClintock said yes to doing the illustrations! I knew then the book would be a lovely adventure for its readers. Q: What do you hope readers will take away from the book? A: I hope they come away understanding that, like it was for Addison, life isn’t a straight path, but that by believing in yourself and working hard, you may just find your way; and like Addison, you need to keep going forward! Also, that readers come away aware of how Addison’s famous Mediterranean Revival style evolved and how he applied it so effectively for each client. In all his wanderings, he had accumulated vast hands-on knowledge that allowed him to make almost everything he needed to do every job, from roof tiles and ironwork details to furnishings to laying out the landscaping and gardens and always situating houses perfectly on the client’s property. I hope too that readers find the book a lively welcome into the world of a truly visionary architect. Q: Is there anything else you want to add or comment on? A: There is a fun story of Addison from his early travels where he ends up in Australia and finds himself in a boxing ring face-to-face with “The Pride of Australia.” It was a big match he was very much expected to lose. I won’t say any more; you’ll simply have to read the book to find out what happens! Amanda Skier, President & CEO and Marie Penny, Director of Archives - The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach Q: What made you interested in the project in the first place? A: The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach introduced its Heritage Education Program in 1987 to teach about the history of the region through the medium of local architecture. When I was in the role of Director of Education several years ago, I dreamed of creating a children’s book about Addison Mizner. There has been so much written about him, but nothing targeted towards young readers. Our new publication Addison Mizner, Visionary Architect allows for students from all over Palm Beach County to learn about the development of the Mediterranean Revival style. -AS Q: What is your favorite fact about Addison Mizner? A: That he was an artisan in addition to being an architect. He didn’t just design his buildings, but he fabricated many of the materials and created spaces with strong historical precedents. -MP Q: What was your biggest challenge in creating the book? A; Addison seemed to have lived many lives. Fitting it all in to the book, while focusing on his trajectory as an architect was a challenge. However, we believe including all of Addison’s trials adds to the richness of the story. -MP Q: What was the most joyful part of creating the book? A:Robert Forbes creative vision steered this project, he introduced illustrator Barbara McClintock and graphic designer Robert Kosturko who brought his narrative to life. Watching this all unfold from my original concept was incredibly rewarding! -AS Q: What do you hope readers will take away from the book? A: Students will relate to the story of Addison, who has his own hero’s journey throughout his many travels and adventures. His story of overcoming hurdles such as his leg injury and finding a way to pursue his dreams is timeless. In addition, readers will learn about architecture as seen through the eyes of Addison, especially his early exposure to Mayan and Spanish Colonial architecture in Guatemala. -MP The book is not currently available in bookstores. Here’s a link below to purchase the book online from The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach: https://www.shoppalmbeachpreservation.org/products/addison-mizner-visionary-architect
Illustrations copyright © 2023 by Barbara McClintock Describe your creative process?
I wake up, read the paper, hang out with my dog Coda, practice guitar and then go upstairs to my office and write until lunch. I am most creative in the morning. What do you think draws readers to your work? The chance to learn through stories. For example, I interviewed Claudette Colvin extensively so that my book about her would offer more than just the information that there was a bus protestor before Rosa Parks. It also conveyed how it felt to try to make changes in a racially divided city. With DUET I read somewhere that scientists had proved through experiments that mockingbirds could identify individual humans one from another. This was a terrifically important finding, but a pretty dry story. So I found and interviewed Cristine Stracey, a scientist whose work was central to the project. She turned out to be both a fine biologist and a good storyteller. And she sharpened the story a good bit! Outside of writing, what do you like to do? I love to learn about birds. I spend a lot of time behind binoculars. I practice guitar and harmonica. I love to hike. I travel a lot. How did you initially get into writing? I was encouraged by my high school English teacher, Grace Hine. “Do you think I’ll be a writer?" I once asked her. “Only if you need to,” she said. I guess I needed to. What is a cause you care about? So many causes. I support groups that use books—children’s literature—to welcome immigrant children. I support groups that protect plants, animals and ecosystems. I support Planned Parenthood. Who are some authors who have inspired you? Tom Wolfe, Munro Leaf, John R. Tunis, Harper Lee, Rachel Carson Do you have advice for future and aspiring authors? Write a lot, and show your work to others. Join or start a writer’s club at school. It’s scary to share your writing, but that’s the way to get better. What does your working space look like? What do you need in order to be productive? My office walls are lined with bookshelves overflowing with books and papers. A yellow paper-mache dragon is suspended over my head. Posters of my books are pinned to the walls. I can see a sliver of the ocean through my window. Talk to us about music. What are your favorite songs for writing? How do you switch it up? Do you have a theme song for yourself as a writing professional? I am like a mockingbird. I write songs, and learn to play by other musicians. In the late afternoon my wife and I sing harmonies to songs we call up on Alexa. We agree with the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche who said, “without music life would be a mistake.” How did the idea for this new book come to you? A magazine editor hired me to write a piece about mockingbirds. I had always loved their song but didn’t really know much about them. After the article was published I wrote a proposal for a book about mockers. The research was fascinating. I was totally surprised by the power of their connection with humans. Now that I’m tuned into mockingbirds I hear them just about everywhere I go. What was your biggest challenge in writing this book? Waiting for the book to be published. I wanted to share this story with everyone the instant I was finished writing. What about the Mockingbird do you find most interesting or inspiring? Trying to interpret the components of the mockingbird’s song. The song is like a quilt stitched together with song fragments. I know the songs of many birds, and I’m always asking myself, “was that a chipping sparrow?” or “that one was a cardinal’s song, wasn’t it?” The song is fascinating. What are your favorite facts and quotes from the book? “I think of the mockingbird as our native jazz musician…No other area of the world, as far as I know, has a bird so devoted to improvisation.” --Earl Vickers What has it been like working with Dunham Literary? Exciting. We move at a rapid clip and exchange ideas liberally. And we get results! How did you come into your career as a paper engineer?
I started my career in paper engineering as an intern at the pop-up book studios of Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart. After graduating from the Pratt Institute with a degree in Illustration I studied under Robert and Matthew for several years, before opening my own pop-up book studio. What is your creative process/What does your creative process look like? My creative process is different for every project. Generally though it starts with the concept, what will I make pop-up. From their I use card stock, scissors, glue, and tape to create a rough mockup of each spread of the pop-up book. Going back and forth with the publisher to refine the pop-ups I then create a color mockup with all the art added to the pieces. Once that is completed I am able to work with the printer/manufacturer to help them reproduce the pop-up for mass production. What do you think draws people to your work? I think people are drawn to my work because I try to make sure that my work always has an element of the unexpected. I try to create situations that no one has ever seen before. Also, I think people just love pop-up books, and are excited to see new was of paper engineering. Outside of your work, what do you like to do? Outside of my work I love to be in nature. I live in Brooklyn, New York so it is sometimes hard to get to the natural world. but i am in the giant park near my house whenever possible. What is a cause you care about? The Climate Crisis. I think it is the most pressing issue happening today. We need to be focusing and rethinking our understanding of humanities impact on the environment, and changing the way we interact with in on a national, international, community, and personal level. Only a systematic restructuring of our society will allow us to whether this change. Who are some creators who have inspired you? I think one of my biggest creative inspirations is Michel Gondry. I remember seeing his music videos on MTV when I was a kid and I was totally blown away by his ingenuity. His film ‘Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind’ is still a touchstone for me in how you can tell a story. Another important creative figure is the illustrator Charlie Harper. His use of geometric forms to distill down the natural world has had a major impact on my work. Whenever I am stuck I go back to his work. What is your advice for future and aspiring book creators and pop-up designers? Pay attention to the details. It is the small, specific moments in the first hour of engineering a spread that matter. Take the time at the beginning to set up your pop-up page so that it can do what you need it to do. Sure you can put a bunch of bells and whistles on it, but make sure the bones are in the right place first. What does your working space look like? What do you need in order to be productive? My studio is 2 desks next to each other with all my tools on one desk, and all my ‘attempts’ on the other. I need lots of room to spread out and lots of time to flesh out ideas and make mistakes. And music, I need to be listening to something while I am creating. Talk to us about music. What are your favorite songs for writing? How do you switch it up? Do you have a theme song for yourself as an industry professional? I don’t know that I have a theme song, maybe I should get one. I have been listening to a lot of female musicians lately: Neko Case, Slater Kenny, Solange, some Heart. I really try to mix it up. I also listen to a lot of audiobooks while I work. I end up associating different projects with whatever audiobook I was reading at the time. What has it been like working with Dunham Literary? I have really enjoyed working with Dunham Literary. It is always reassuring to know they have my back when dealing with clients. They have a smart, measured wisdom that insures the working relationships with publishers run smoothly, allowing me to focus on the work that I get to do. What are your favorite elements of this new book? Honestly I really love how excited all the fans are! It is so trilling to see how fans of Stranger Things are interacting with the book already. People seem really excited about it. Regarding the book itself, I think my favorite part is all the transformations and secrets I was able to sneak into the book. There are a lot of fun surprises through out the book. I hope readers find something new every time they open it. What was the hardest part of this project to complete? Which pop-up is the most intricate or complicated to make? I think the hardest part of the Stranger Things Pop-up to make was spread 1, the scene with the Basement/the Upside Down. I wanted to showcase the transformation from one world to another. There is a pull tab in the center of the spread that changes the whole scene. That was definitely the hardest part of the project to do. Geek out on Stranger Things a bit! Which characters and scenes do you like the best? What plot twist surprised you the most? Have you had nightmares about demogorgons and One (as Vecna)? What do you hope happens in season 5? I love Stranger Things. I have loved it since the show first came out, and I have really been enjoying the newest season. I think the way they have managed to layer this seemingly ordinary town and these ordinary kids with this supernatural, extraordinary world is fantastic. It is such a great and inventive show. I have not had too many nightmares about demogorgons. Though staying up late working on the pop-up book might have given me a nightmare or two, haha. I can’t wait for season 5. I think they are going to do a really good job of ending the series because they know how important the show is to so many people. Thanks, Simon! Stranger Things: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book is available now! What does your creative process look like?It starts with a word, a phrase, or a thought, sparked by something I’ve seen or heard or dreamt; something that sticks in my mind. For now, I’ll jot it into my Ideas folder. As much as I might want to act on it—shiny, new object and all—it’ll sit there until I finish my current project. (When I start writing a book, I’ve made a commitment to finish a semi-polished draft.) Back to the spark. Usually, it will fade. But if it continues to tug on my imagination and has me thinking about it incessantly, I get serious. What follows are weeks or months of ruminating and notetaking. It’s not until deeper ideas are spilling out my ears AND I hear the voice of the main character dictating a first sentence that I’ll open a file and begin. After that, look out! I’ll write fast and sloppy; anywhere from 1,000 to 7,500 words a day until The End. And then revision. And more revision. And more… What do you think draws readers to your work?For starters, I try to craft that first sentence—at least, that first paragraph—to have readers questioning, already, what’s about to happen. Then, let’s include some mystery and intrigue even when that’s not the point of the story. That’s often how my characters back themselves into some delicious corner. Once there, they find previously unrecognized strengths; realize there’s more to them than they even know. We all like to feel that way, right? Outside of writing, what do you like to do?I LOVE visiting schools. Okay, so that’s part of writing. Not writing? I cook (and do it pretty well I’m told), read (of course), work crossword and other puzzles, travel, golf, watch football and movies and TV (maybe too much of all three). As for collecting, I have a different take on that: I chose to collect experiences rather than specific things. How do you celebrate a book release?Outside of cheering and fist-pumping and all, I do two things. 1. I plant a tree as a token gesture to offset the resources that writing and publishing use. 2. I buy myself a piece of artwork that, in some way, reflects a scene or mood of the book. How did you initially get into writing?I was a freshman in college, majoring in psychology, until that day when I realized how absolutely bored I was with my classes. I HAD to change majors which also meant that I needed to figure out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Nothing excited me. But I was at the University of Missouri, home of the Mizzou School of Journalism, the world’s first and best J-School. So, why not? It turned out I could write well, write fast, and most important, I was never bored. What is a cause you care about?The First Amendment; particularly, free speech, freedom of expression. Also, freedom to allow our children access to books from all viewpoints. This world is a great big, beautifully diverse place, and the best way for us to be learning, loving people is to understand the totality of humankind. Who are the authors who have inspired you?Through his books, Donald J. Sobol, author of the Encyclopedia Brown series, first made me aware that there are real people behind the words we read. Yes, I understood the concept of the author, but as I read each mini-mystery I wondered how he came up with the solution. Could I have done that? No, I thought. I know differently now. What is your advice for future/aspiring authors?My standard three-part answer used to be: 1) Read, read, read. Write, write, write. 2). Finish any story you start. 3). Once you finish, promise not to look at your story for the next two months, until you can view it with fresh eyes. Those are still valid, but now I stick to a single piece of advice: Get your face out of your devices! By experiencing life and the world around you, firsthand, you give your mind time and space to generate YOUR thoughts and YOUR ideas. Those are the ones that will create new and fresh and strong stories that leap off the page. What does your working space look like?There’s a desk. On the desk is a big old computer screen. And books and papers and pens. On the printer is Hubert, the printer mascot. He’s a stuffed turtle. I don’t know how he got there, and I don’t know who named him Hubert, but there he lives. What else is on my desk? It depends on how deep I am into the story. The messier the desk, the more I’m writing. Right now, you can barely see the light-colored wood on the surface. Talk to us about music. What are your favorite songs for writing? How do you switch it up? Do you have a theme song for yourself as a writing professional?It seems that each book I write comes with a theme song. I don’t look for one. Instead, it’ll be something I randomly hear one day. The reason may not be obvious to anyone but me, but it keeps me on track and captures an essence of why I began writing this book or these characters in the first place. This practice started with THE SEVENTH LEVEL and Bigger Than My Body by John Mayer. For NO WAY HOME, Paradise by Coldplay. And for my current WIP, We Gotta Get Out of This Place by The Animals. What has it been like working with Dunham Literary?Just when you think you’ve got it made (I have an agent!!!), the real work begins. Jennie will not let you get away with less than your best. And her instincts have been spot on. What are your favorite moments of both suspense and happiness in the NO WAY HOME?There’s a point in NO WAY HOME when Tess (the main character) snaps and, unexpectedly especially to her, turns the tables on her tormentors. I loved writing and re-reading that scene. In a whole different mood, there’s a meet-cute. I never expected to write one and didn’t know it was happening until I finished the scene. What are your favorite jokes and quotes in the book?I had fun with the parts where Tess, the main character, is struggling with her Italian; really mangling it. Her host family is doing the same with their English. At one point Tess reflects:
I have no clue whether I said the crypt was scary or it had a lot of gold. And some quotes? Very early in the book, I like how Tess, describing her counterpart in the exchange program, tells a lot about her own self…without telling a lot: I knew she was gorgeous—we’ve FaceTimed her and her parents weekly since we were paired up—but seeing her in person… Is there a step above breathtaking? If every girl in Italy is like Sofia, I’ll be utterly ignorable. Also this from Tess: “Don’t make it sound like a crime. I mean, it was, but I feel guilty enough.” One more thing… I wrote haikus! Who knew I could write haikus? They’re fun! If you have a minute, please send me one of your favorites! |
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