Author Interview: Ellen Potter

A week or so ago I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing, SLOB the latest book by bestselling author, Ellen Potter. I had this to say about the main character, Owen.

Owen, is a wonderful self-depreciating character, and I loved getting to know him, and his sarcastic wit.

If you missed the original post, or just want to find out more of what I thought about the book and Owen, then be sure to check out my review. (After of course reading Ellen’s answers!)

Ellen Potter: I’ve never met a cookie I didn’t like. I am partial, however to Pepperidge Farm Mint Milanos, and, when I was in England, Raspberry Pims. But the golden rule is, if I am given a cookie, ANY cookie, I will eat it. And I’ll have another, thank you.

Ellen Potter: Well, one thing I wanted to do was to write a book that boys would like just as much as girls. I see a lot of gender pigeonholing with books these days, and I wanted to see if I could bypass that. So far, so good.

I did know a boy who was a lot like Owen. He was very smart and very overweight and people were just awful to him. But he had a lot of dignity (even if he didn’t think so), and he often managed to outwit the bullies. Just like Owen, his Oreo cookies were getting swiped from his lunch. After several days of this, he opened up three Oreo cookies, scraped out the cream and replaced it with horseradish, then put it back in his lunchbox. The cookies were stolen that day, but were never stolen again.

The character of Jeremy is semi-autobiographical. I also joined a GWAB-type club as a kid (a club for girls who want to be boys). I cut my hair, shopped in the boys’ departments, and renamed myself Jeremy. All the girls in the club gave themselves boy’s names, which we wrote on all our homework assignments. Also we staunchly refused to answer to our girls’ names in class. The club was short-lived.

What would Owen think of your Olivia Kidney books, (I’m assuming his sister is a fan and he’s picked up a copy!)

Ellen Potter: He would probably think I was a competent writer but that the ghost storyline was pretty rubbishy.

Ellen Potter: I had JUST finished writing another book and was sick as a dog (I always get violently ill after I finish a book) when my editor emailed to me the cover art for SLOB. I think I did one of those victory punches in the air. It was truly love at first sight. Of course, the cookie had me at hello.

Ellen Potter: My process is a little wonky. It’s an unprocess. I never know what where my story is going or what will happen next (occasionally I get a feeling about the next few pages but I’m usually wrong). I just sort of follow my characters around like a pest, tapping them on the shoulder every so often and asking “Whatcha doing now?” This makes it all very terrifying.

The most rewarding aspect of writing is when I hear the snick, snick sound of things in my story fitting in to place snugly. This generally happens just after I have convinced myself I should go back to waiting tables.

Ellen Potter: My characters always know better than I do. Mason Ragg was a bit of a surprise though. I wanted him to be pure evil but he simply refused. Also I wasn’t entirely sure who was stealing the Oreo cookies until well into the book. And the thing about the mom . . . well wink, wink, we’ll say no more, but that was surprising to me too. So basically, yeah, I’m always a chump when it comes to my books.

Ellen Potter: All dead. They’re the best kind. I would love to have lunch with Truman Capote and Henry James, though not together since Truman would probably mortify Henry. Then Henry would turn up his nose at Truman and Truman would write a tell-all about Henry and it would all be a mess.

Ellen Potter: I have two books coming out next year. One is called SPILLING INK: A YOUNG WRITER’S HANDBOOK OF INCREDIBLY USEFUL ADVICE, ODDBALL TIPS, AND RULES TO JUST PLAIN IGNORE! I co-authored it with the brilliant Anne Mazer (author of 44 books, including THE AMAZING DAYS OF ABBY HAYES series). The idea for the book came from all the emails we received from young fans who wanted writing tips. The book is fun and quirky but practical, and we frankly can’t wait till it comes out in the Spring of 2010.

I also have a new novel coming out in the Fall 2010 with Feiwel & Friends, which I’m very excited about. It’s tentatively titled KNEEBONE and was inspired by my adoration of all things E. Nesbit.

Ellen Potter: I am running a short story writing contest for kids 8-13 on my web site http://www.ellenpotter.com.

And lastly, many thanks to Bart’s Bookshelf for asking some of the weirdest, most fun interview questions ever!

No problem Ellen, thank you for stopping by to answer them!

• Buy, SLOB, from The Book Depository. (UK & Worldwide)
• Buy, SLOB, from Amazon.com

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Darren, aka Bart, is a fully signed up member of Book Addicts Anonymous ;) Despite, contantly fighting a losing battle against his T.B.R pile, he is never happier than when he manages to sneak a new book in to the house.