About the author
John David Anderson is the author of several critically-acclaimed novels for young people. He lives with his patient wife and brilliant twins in Indianapolis, Indiana, right next to a State park and a Walmart. He does not wear ties. He enjoys hiking, reading, chocolate, spending time with his family, playing the piano, chocolate, putting off the dishes, watching movies, and chocolate. Those aren't his real teeth. Not all of them, anyway.
There are lots of ways to contact him. Telepathy, for example. Carrier pigeon. Alien distress beacon. Sky writing. Failing those, you can always e-mail him here. Be sure to tell him how his book has revolutionized your life, or, barring that, how you used it to smash a bug or something.
There are lots of ways to contact him. Telepathy, for example. Carrier pigeon. Alien distress beacon. Sky writing. Failing those, you can always e-mail him here. Be sure to tell him how his book has revolutionized your life, or, barring that, how you used it to smash a bug or something.
Questions. Questions that need answering!
Did you want to be a writer even as a kid?
I wanted to be a storyteller of some kind. I knew that much. It was a compulsion. I often retreated into the elaborate fantasy worlds inside my head, playing out variations on the stories I’d fallen in love with on the page or the big screen, picturing myself as the sword-wielding, laser-blasting, smart-mouthed protagonist. And I always had a bit of a creative streak. I just wasn’t sure what my medium would be. It wasn’t until high school, really, that I fell in love with writing. And even then I wasn't very good at it.
Is it hard being a writer?
It’s hard being a good writer. I imagine it’s almost impossible being a great one. I wouldn’t know. But it’s a challenge I welcome. Solving the puzzle of a plot. Unpacking the personality of a new character. Translating the picture in my head into words on the page. And the revision. Oh brutal, heartless, malevolent revision gods--how you torment me so. Writing requires patience, stamina, and caffeine, but it's always worth the effort.
Do your kids influence your writing?
Always. I learn a great deal from watching my kids engage with the world. I make a note of how they talk, what they like, what they care about. I catalog their drama, their moods, their ambitions. I store it all in the back of my mind and then it works its way into my stories. Plus I sometimes use their friend’s names for my characters.
Are any of the characters in your books based on you?
I don’t have superpowers. And I do have all my fingers. I never had to break my teacher out of the hospital or slay a dragon or fight a werewolf. But my protagonists all have doubts and insecurities. They have the dreams and fears that I had when I was ten or twelve or fourteen (or forty-two). I can empathize with them, and in doing so, I see myself reflected in them. Sometimes they are the kid I wished I was, going on the kinds of adventures I dreamed of going on, but their questions and their quest for personal growth are definitely mine.
And here come some “favorites”…
What’s your favorite book, like, EVER!
I honestly couldn’t even begin to tell you. There are dozens. Maybe even hundreds. My favorite Starburst is the yellow one, though.
What’s your favorite book that you’ve written?
I don’t have a favorite there either. Some of them were definitely more fun to write than others, though they were all rewarding in their own right. My favorite book is probably the one that I’m writing right now. That’s the one that’s stuck in my head. Those are the voices that are keeping me awake at night.
Who’s your favorite superhero?
Marvel or D.C.?
Marvel.
Iron Man. Though I’m also partial to Wolverine, bub.
D.C.
Batman. I’m a sucker for tortured souls. Though D.C. is also responsible for the Wonder Twins, so that's a strike against them. My favorite favorite superhero is The Tick, though.
Never heard of him.
I suggest you remedy this immediately by getting your hands on some old comics or episodes of the animated series. You’ll be shouting “SPOOOOON!” in no time.
What’s your favorite kind of chocolate? Root beer? Flavor of potato chip? Minion? Star Wars character? No…from the new movies? Pizza topping? Thing to pick up with your toes?
Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Caramels with Sea Salt. Dang! Sour cream and onion. Dave (naturally). Han Solo. Oh…then it has to be Rey. Pepperoni. And dirty laundry. Because I get tired of bending over all the time.
Do you have any hobbies?
I read a lot. I run, but I don't like it. I hike, and I do like that. I play the piano and ukulele. Collect Lego. Make and play board games. Take naps. I'm trying to learn how to throw knives. I figure I need a skill just in case there's a zombie apocalypse.
What’s the best part about being a writer?
Oh man. There are so many fantastic things about being a writer. Going to work in my PJs. Visiting with young readers at schools or over Skype. Signing books (yep—I actually love that part). The best part still has to be that first day on a new novel, though. When I boot up the laptop and stare at the blank screen for a few seconds, fingers hovering over the keys. And then I get that first sentence down and it’s a rush. In that moment absolutely anything is possible. If I’m being honest, it’s all a little downhill from there.
What’s the worst part about being a writer?
The constant crippling fear that I’m not good enough.
How old were you when you wrote your first book?
I wrote my first “novel” when I was in high school. It was terrible. It no longer exists in this dimension (though I sometimes imagine an alternative reality where humans have no literary taste and my first ever book is a New York Times bestseller). I published my first novel when I was thirty. It took over ten years to write something worth printing.
Are you rich?
On Friday nights my wife, kids, and I take our eight-year-old Kia minivan to Qdoba to gorge ourselves on too many chips, and then we hit up the Redbox—often using a coupon code to get our movie free. Afterwards we snuggle under blankets on our ancient sofa/jungle gym and treat ourselves to ice-cream sandwiches while watching the latest superhero flick on our 32 inch T.V. and eating microwave popcorn. So yeah. I think I'm rich.
Do you ever get writer’s block?
I don’t like to call it writer’s block. I like to think of it as a knot. You get to a place that’s tangled is all, and it takes a little more time to tease it out. You ever have one of those knots that you have to pick at and pick at, but once you get the first little bit loose the rest comes easy? I’ve never had a knot that I couldn’t untie, though some I’ve had to pick at longer than others.
You live in Indianapolis. Do you know John Green?
I met him at a party once. My wife got her picture with him. I suspect she keeps it hidden somewhere I can’t find it. Like maybe in her desk at work.
Where do you get your ideas?
From everywhere. Books. Movies. Plays. Pictures. Dreams. Friends. Observations. Eavesdropped conversations. Some of them come to me while I’m driving, running, sleeping. In the bathroom. Waiting in line for a milkshake. Sitting on a park bench. Staring at my toes. So many ideas. We all have them. It’s just that some of us are better trained to catch them as they flitter by and trap them in a jar for closer inspection.
How long does it take you to write a book?
Six to eight weeks. Maybe ten. That will get you 75,000 words, approximately 30,000 of which will actually find their way into the finished manuscript. The other 40K will be replaced with even better words in that months-long agonizing exercise in mental and emotional torture we call “revision”.
Are any of your books ever going to be turned into movies?
I hope so! Because then they will make action figures out of my characters. How cool would that be? And I could have my Star Wars guys (I still have some from the 1980s) do battle with them.
Is it easier to write kids’ books than adult books?
I think writing books is probably difficult no matter the intended audience. But I like my audience. I like that kids’ books can grapple with serious issues but often in a silly or outlandish way. I like the hopefulness in writing kid’s books, the sense of optimism. I also like knowing that the imaginations of my readers are still spry enough to suspend their disbelief without too much difficulty.
Do you have any advice for young writers who someday would like to get published?
You’ll never be perfect. Don’t sweat it. Learn your craft. Try new things. Share your work. Don’t get so discouraged that you quit, just discouraged enough that you get ticked off and more determined to prove everybody wrong. Practice your book award acceptance speech in the shower—it will make you feel better. Find the perfect place to write. Marry somebody with good health insurance. Love writing more than anything else you could possibly do.
I wanted to be a storyteller of some kind. I knew that much. It was a compulsion. I often retreated into the elaborate fantasy worlds inside my head, playing out variations on the stories I’d fallen in love with on the page or the big screen, picturing myself as the sword-wielding, laser-blasting, smart-mouthed protagonist. And I always had a bit of a creative streak. I just wasn’t sure what my medium would be. It wasn’t until high school, really, that I fell in love with writing. And even then I wasn't very good at it.
Is it hard being a writer?
It’s hard being a good writer. I imagine it’s almost impossible being a great one. I wouldn’t know. But it’s a challenge I welcome. Solving the puzzle of a plot. Unpacking the personality of a new character. Translating the picture in my head into words on the page. And the revision. Oh brutal, heartless, malevolent revision gods--how you torment me so. Writing requires patience, stamina, and caffeine, but it's always worth the effort.
Do your kids influence your writing?
Always. I learn a great deal from watching my kids engage with the world. I make a note of how they talk, what they like, what they care about. I catalog their drama, their moods, their ambitions. I store it all in the back of my mind and then it works its way into my stories. Plus I sometimes use their friend’s names for my characters.
Are any of the characters in your books based on you?
I don’t have superpowers. And I do have all my fingers. I never had to break my teacher out of the hospital or slay a dragon or fight a werewolf. But my protagonists all have doubts and insecurities. They have the dreams and fears that I had when I was ten or twelve or fourteen (or forty-two). I can empathize with them, and in doing so, I see myself reflected in them. Sometimes they are the kid I wished I was, going on the kinds of adventures I dreamed of going on, but their questions and their quest for personal growth are definitely mine.
And here come some “favorites”…
What’s your favorite book, like, EVER!
I honestly couldn’t even begin to tell you. There are dozens. Maybe even hundreds. My favorite Starburst is the yellow one, though.
What’s your favorite book that you’ve written?
I don’t have a favorite there either. Some of them were definitely more fun to write than others, though they were all rewarding in their own right. My favorite book is probably the one that I’m writing right now. That’s the one that’s stuck in my head. Those are the voices that are keeping me awake at night.
Who’s your favorite superhero?
Marvel or D.C.?
Marvel.
Iron Man. Though I’m also partial to Wolverine, bub.
D.C.
Batman. I’m a sucker for tortured souls. Though D.C. is also responsible for the Wonder Twins, so that's a strike against them. My favorite favorite superhero is The Tick, though.
Never heard of him.
I suggest you remedy this immediately by getting your hands on some old comics or episodes of the animated series. You’ll be shouting “SPOOOOON!” in no time.
What’s your favorite kind of chocolate? Root beer? Flavor of potato chip? Minion? Star Wars character? No…from the new movies? Pizza topping? Thing to pick up with your toes?
Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Caramels with Sea Salt. Dang! Sour cream and onion. Dave (naturally). Han Solo. Oh…then it has to be Rey. Pepperoni. And dirty laundry. Because I get tired of bending over all the time.
Do you have any hobbies?
I read a lot. I run, but I don't like it. I hike, and I do like that. I play the piano and ukulele. Collect Lego. Make and play board games. Take naps. I'm trying to learn how to throw knives. I figure I need a skill just in case there's a zombie apocalypse.
What’s the best part about being a writer?
Oh man. There are so many fantastic things about being a writer. Going to work in my PJs. Visiting with young readers at schools or over Skype. Signing books (yep—I actually love that part). The best part still has to be that first day on a new novel, though. When I boot up the laptop and stare at the blank screen for a few seconds, fingers hovering over the keys. And then I get that first sentence down and it’s a rush. In that moment absolutely anything is possible. If I’m being honest, it’s all a little downhill from there.
What’s the worst part about being a writer?
The constant crippling fear that I’m not good enough.
How old were you when you wrote your first book?
I wrote my first “novel” when I was in high school. It was terrible. It no longer exists in this dimension (though I sometimes imagine an alternative reality where humans have no literary taste and my first ever book is a New York Times bestseller). I published my first novel when I was thirty. It took over ten years to write something worth printing.
Are you rich?
On Friday nights my wife, kids, and I take our eight-year-old Kia minivan to Qdoba to gorge ourselves on too many chips, and then we hit up the Redbox—often using a coupon code to get our movie free. Afterwards we snuggle under blankets on our ancient sofa/jungle gym and treat ourselves to ice-cream sandwiches while watching the latest superhero flick on our 32 inch T.V. and eating microwave popcorn. So yeah. I think I'm rich.
Do you ever get writer’s block?
I don’t like to call it writer’s block. I like to think of it as a knot. You get to a place that’s tangled is all, and it takes a little more time to tease it out. You ever have one of those knots that you have to pick at and pick at, but once you get the first little bit loose the rest comes easy? I’ve never had a knot that I couldn’t untie, though some I’ve had to pick at longer than others.
You live in Indianapolis. Do you know John Green?
I met him at a party once. My wife got her picture with him. I suspect she keeps it hidden somewhere I can’t find it. Like maybe in her desk at work.
Where do you get your ideas?
From everywhere. Books. Movies. Plays. Pictures. Dreams. Friends. Observations. Eavesdropped conversations. Some of them come to me while I’m driving, running, sleeping. In the bathroom. Waiting in line for a milkshake. Sitting on a park bench. Staring at my toes. So many ideas. We all have them. It’s just that some of us are better trained to catch them as they flitter by and trap them in a jar for closer inspection.
How long does it take you to write a book?
Six to eight weeks. Maybe ten. That will get you 75,000 words, approximately 30,000 of which will actually find their way into the finished manuscript. The other 40K will be replaced with even better words in that months-long agonizing exercise in mental and emotional torture we call “revision”.
Are any of your books ever going to be turned into movies?
I hope so! Because then they will make action figures out of my characters. How cool would that be? And I could have my Star Wars guys (I still have some from the 1980s) do battle with them.
Is it easier to write kids’ books than adult books?
I think writing books is probably difficult no matter the intended audience. But I like my audience. I like that kids’ books can grapple with serious issues but often in a silly or outlandish way. I like the hopefulness in writing kid’s books, the sense of optimism. I also like knowing that the imaginations of my readers are still spry enough to suspend their disbelief without too much difficulty.
Do you have any advice for young writers who someday would like to get published?
You’ll never be perfect. Don’t sweat it. Learn your craft. Try new things. Share your work. Don’t get so discouraged that you quit, just discouraged enough that you get ticked off and more determined to prove everybody wrong. Practice your book award acceptance speech in the shower—it will make you feel better. Find the perfect place to write. Marry somebody with good health insurance. Love writing more than anything else you could possibly do.
