Interview with autor Dan Gutman

Author Interview with Dan Gutman

1. You’re a pretty famous children’s author. If you were not an author, what job do you think you would be doing instead of writing?

Oh, I would probably get a...(gasp)...JOB!  Ugh, I might have to wear a jacket and tie, or work in a cubicle, and have a boss telling me what to do.  It would be horrible!  But if I had to do any job, I would try to work on a magazine, newspaper, or book publishing company.  And if that didn't work out, I would try to be a teacher.

2.  Do you have any writing routines?

I usually write in the morning, when my brain is most alive.  I outline my stories on index cards first, writing down anything that pops into mind--a piece of dialog, a description of a character, something that happens in the story, whatever.  Then I organize the file cards until the story flows from start to finish.  After that, I take the first card off the pile and start writing.  I use a MacBook laptop, my only computer.  Just about every day, I will revise what I worked on the previous day, and again when the whole book is done.  I like to turn in perfectly clean copy that my editor will barely touch (but always does anyway).

 

3. I have only reviewed one of your books,The Kid Who Ran For President. Where did you get your inspiration or drive to write that book?

I got the idea for The Kid Who Ran for President when Bob Dole was running for president in 1995.  He was 72 years old, and some people felt he was too old to be president.  So I figured if somebody might be too old to be president, what would be too YOUNG to be president?  That is my bestselling book, by the way.

4. I know of your Baseball Card Adventure series. If you could meet any historical figure past or present, sportsman or other, who would you meet and what would you ask?

I would love to go back to December 17th, 1903 and witness the first flight by the Wright Brothers.  I wouldn't ask them anything.  I would just want to be a fly on the wall.

5.  Do you have any new books you are working on, or a recent one that is about to be released?

Oh yeah.  The new "My Weirder School" series starts on June 21 with two books, "Miss Child Has Gone Wild!" and "Mr. Harrison is Embarrassin'!"  The second book in "The Genius Files" series comes out next January.  And the next baseball card adventure "Ted & Me" (Ted Williams) comes out in February.  So I've been busy. 







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