Author: Brian MeehlBook: Out of Patience,
Suck It Up, and
You Don't Know About MeBrian's website.Where do you find inspiration?I am a news junky and avid reader of history and non-fiction. My inspiration for fiction comes from a collision between the reality of my personal experience and the reality of the world (present and pas) at large. This collision sometimes provides the spark of imagination that leads to a story I want to explore, write, and share with readers.
What advice do you have for aspiring authors?Read, read, read, write, write, write. Both reading and writing is a process of discovery. You can’t discover the stories you want to tell without doing a lot of both.
What's your favorite opening line from a book?“You don’t know about me, without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but that ain’t no matter.” --
The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnIn fact, the first five words of that sentence are the title of my latest book: "
You Don’t Know About Me."
What book has inspired or affected you in some way?I think the book that may have influenced me the most was "
Moby Dick" which I read in 11th grade English. I loved how the book jumps back and forth from the narrative of a man chasing a whale to chapters on the art and science of whaling. From my many years in children’s educational television, where a story had to be combined with curriculum, to my present weaving of history and science into my stories, I think I imprinted on that dance between fiction and non-fiction.
If you could sit down at dinner with three other authors, living or dead, which three authors would you choose and why?
Herman Melville, Mark Twain, and Emile Zola.
I’d love to hear Melville expound on his writing process. With Twain, I’d want to tickle his funny bone with historical and current events since he died in 1910 and watch him hold forth. From Zola, I’d want to pick his brain all about Paris in the 1890s for research on my next book.
So we just heard from one of our Children's Village authors -- Pam Smallcomb, author of "Earth to Clunk" and "I'm Not." -- about some of the great, interactive activities she has planned during her appearance. Here's a taste...
