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Where do your story ideas come from? Anywhere, everywhere and nowhere. Sometimes a story starts with a character or a conflict between certain types of characters, and sometimes it starts with a plot idea. In the case of Blame it on Barbara, the idea came from the title, which was something my nephew had said to me. I had an inside joke with a college friend of mine about how funny we thought that name was for anyone under the age of 30, and I had just talked my niece into naming two of her baby dolls “Barbara” when my nephew said I should write a screenplay (I was writing scripts for Hollywood in those days) called “Blame it on Barbara.” I kept that little nugget tucked away and slowly inside my head the character of Barbara grew from that, and before I knew it she had two brothers, two sisters and a dog, she lived in the Midwest and had a grandmother in the CIA.
Do you ever get writer’s block? If so, how do you get rid of it? I don’t think I’ve ever really had writer’s block. I’ve gotten stuck on parts before, and usually that means that what I’m doing isn’t right but I’m just trying to force it, so the cure for that is to go back and figure out where I misstepped and fix it.
Are the characters you write about inspired by real people? Usually there are little elements about real people I know, or sometimes big elements, but rarely are characters completely based on real people.
Why do you write? I’m often confused and surprised and intrigued and often disappointed by other people, which is why I like to tell stories about interesting characters – it’s a way to connect with the world beyond just those people and places and things that I have a tangible relationship with.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer? When I was a kid – I’m not sure how old but somewhere in my tweens – I was watching some TV movie (that starred Ricky Schroder) and I really hated the ending. I mean really hated the ending, so much so that it bothered me long after the movie was over, and that night when I was trying to fall asleep I basically rewrote the ending in my head. Sometime soon after that I realized that’s what I’d really like to do with my life.
What are some of your favorite books and who are some of your favorite authors? I like to read a lot of different kinds of things. It’s not a book, I suppose, but I really love the magazine National Geographic Adventurer. I’m not really an “adventurer,” but the articles are about nature and survival and beauty, all things I find really fascinating. My favorites of the “classics” are The Stranger, Crime and Punishment, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Catcher in the Rye. For authors I really like PJ O’Rourke, who writes political humor, and Carl Hiaasen. And Stephen King, of course.
What were your favorite books when you were a kid? I was really hardcore into The Three Investigators series, which not a lot of other people I know have read. I also really loved The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and A Wrinkle in Time. Oh and when I was really little I loved The Five Chinese Brothers, which was a kids’ book about a murder and an execution, and one whose name I don’t remember that involved a really fat cat eating people.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers? A lot of people told me along the way to “write what you know,” but I decided they are wrong and instead believe you should write what you feel. You can learn about how things work in a hospital if you want to write about a doctor – that’s called research – but you have to write about characters you really are interested in or feel close to or you’ll end up getting bored by your own story. Other than that, you just have to write a lot in order to get better and you have to let people read what you wrote and then – and this is important - really listen to their criticism so that you can keep improving. And if your goal is to get what you wrote published, be prepared for a long process – typing “The End” is really just the beginning.
If you weren’t a writer, what job would you do? Well the job I was doing was sales, which I just sort of happened upon and kind of liked. Maybe a therapist or something? I’m not sure; I’ve never really wanted to do anything else. The art of writing and the business of publishing are so hard that if there was anything else I really thought I could have been happy doing, I probably would have done that instead.
Why did you decide to write for young adults? I didn’t really. I think it just sort of happened that way. I like to write in all kinds of genres about all kinds of characters, and Barbara just kind of happened. But when I was a kid and I felt like nobody really understood me or wanted to listen to what I had to say, I made a promise to myself that I would remember how it felt to be that age. I’d like to think I’ve honored that promise and that I’m not patronizing to kids, not to real ones or to the characters I write.
When does your next book come out? I guess it depends on how well the first one is received. If people respond to this first book, then hopefully Barbara’s adventures can continue.
How long does it take to write a book? Well it takes about two or three months for me to write a book, but it takes a few years to formulate the idea before I write it and a few years to edit it after it’s finished. Give or take a few years.
Is it true that you’re Amish? No, but my ancestors were Amish and I grew up around Amish people. It’s a culture I have a lot of respect for, mostly because I’m not sure I have that kind of strength myself.
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