April 26th, 2007
Question:
Do you have different taste in kids' books as an adult writer than as a kid?
(Part 3 of 4)
Kelly Bingham, SHARK GIRL (Candlewick Press, May 2007)
Only my taste in subject matter has changed. I loved to read as a kid...mysteries and fun, sweet, stories...couldn't bear books where animals suffered, like Black Beauty or Lassie Come Home. I liked to read about animals, mostly, and kids in the twelve-year old range. I couldn't read scarey things. They gave me nightmares.
I still avoid books where anybody suffers unduly, but I do lean more now towards reflective writing. I just love the No. 1 Ladie's Detective Agency series, for example. So wonderful, so life affirming!
And I have matured enough to where I can handle a little death or a little gore in my mysteries. (But only a little.)
But as far as my tastes....I like well-written, well-crafted books, the kind you don't want to see end. That hasn't changed!
Eric Luper, BIG SLICK (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, September 2007)
Actually, I was a reluctant reader when I was in high school. I did everything I could to avoid reading. That included television, Dungeons and Dragons, movies, and Cliff's Notes. Yes, I'm ashamed to admit it...Cliff's Notes played an important role in my school experience.
Strangely, these days I have an unquenchable desire to write books. I think that's why my books are structured the way they are. They have a tendency to grab hold right on the first page and not let go. Having been a reluctant reader as a child and a writer today, I am keenly aware of how important it is to hang on to your reader and not give him or her any reason to put that book down.
Am I digressing here?
Today, I read far more than ever before. In fact, I regret missing all those years of reading opportunity. I think I'm making up for it now.
Eric Luper
author of BIG SLICK
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
September 2007
Sarah Aronson, HEAD CASE (Roaring Brook Press, Fall 2007)
As a kid, I did not read. I loved film and TV. Horror and comedy. I didn't really read much at all until age 16, when I lived in England, and began studying and devouring English literature.
I began to write as I started reading to my kids. I loved that experience. Kid on lap. Book in hand. Drama!!!
Now when I read, I have to remind myself to read for pleasure. I know that sounds ridiculous, but while getting an MFA, I learned to read to learn to write. (It's the best way!!)
Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you!
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Do you have different taste in kids' books as an adult writer than as a kid?
(Part 3 of 4)
Kelly Bingham, SHARK GIRL (Candlewick Press, May 2007)
Only my taste in subject matter has changed. I loved to read as a kid...mysteries and fun, sweet, stories...couldn't bear books where animals suffered, like Black Beauty or Lassie Come Home. I liked to read about animals, mostly, and kids in the twelve-year old range. I couldn't read scarey things. They gave me nightmares.
I still avoid books where anybody suffers unduly, but I do lean more now towards reflective writing. I just love the No. 1 Ladie's Detective Agency series, for example. So wonderful, so life affirming!
And I have matured enough to where I can handle a little death or a little gore in my mysteries. (But only a little.)
But as far as my tastes....I like well-written, well-crafted books, the kind you don't want to see end. That hasn't changed!
Eric Luper, BIG SLICK (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, September 2007)
Actually, I was a reluctant reader when I was in high school. I did everything I could to avoid reading. That included television, Dungeons and Dragons, movies, and Cliff's Notes. Yes, I'm ashamed to admit it...Cliff's Notes played an important role in my school experience.
Strangely, these days I have an unquenchable desire to write books. I think that's why my books are structured the way they are. They have a tendency to grab hold right on the first page and not let go. Having been a reluctant reader as a child and a writer today, I am keenly aware of how important it is to hang on to your reader and not give him or her any reason to put that book down.
Am I digressing here?
Today, I read far more than ever before. In fact, I regret missing all those years of reading opportunity. I think I'm making up for it now.
Eric Luper
author of BIG SLICK
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
September 2007
Sarah Aronson, HEAD CASE (Roaring Brook Press, Fall 2007)
As a kid, I did not read. I loved film and TV. Horror and comedy. I didn't really read much at all until age 16, when I lived in England, and began studying and devouring English literature.
I began to write as I started reading to my kids. I loved that experience. Kid on lap. Book in hand. Drama!!!
Now when I read, I have to remind myself to read for pleasure. I know that sounds ridiculous, but while getting an MFA, I learned to read to learn to write. (It's the best way!!)
Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you!
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