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Designing Obama

My ten-year-old neighbor Chris is whip-smart and well read. This summer, I lent him my advanced copy of Claudia Osmond’s SMUDGE’S MARK. Next thing I knew, Chris finished it, loved it and had comments. So we sent them to Claudia. And I had an idea: ask Chris to interview Claudia for my blog!

Chris: When you were younger, did you dream of becoming an author?

Claudia: When I was really young, I thought it would be so cool to have a job pumping gasoline! But when I got older, I started dreaming of becoming an actress. Either that or a hairdresser. Believe it or not, becoming an author never even crossed my mind. But let me tell you how I think it actually happened. And I think it involves four important facts about me as a kid:

#1 When I was young I loved writing materials (different kinds of paper, colored pens, markers, etc… PENCILS have always been my favorite. Pencils and red pens!) And I always wrote a lot; like all over my binders and notebooks and textbooks, and scrap pieces of paper, but not stories or anything, though.

#2 For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved letters and words – the look of them; the sound of them.  Sometimes, when I see or hear a word that I find fascinating, I can just look at it or listen to it forever - as if it was my favorite color or favorite song.

#3 I’m an only child and so I spent most of my childhood inside my head. I loved imagining things. I’d spend my days thinking about things I’d love to do, people I’d love to meet (and be), and places I’d love to see. And I’d have lots of conversations with myself about those things, people, and places. (Hey, you would, too, if you didn’t have anyone else to talk to!) Now, mix #’s 1, 2, and 3 with #4: my early discovery – and love – of Dr. Seuss books. I ADORED Dr. Seuss books: the way they looked and felt in my hand, the way the paper smelled. I loved their silliness, the way they made me laugh (and stare). I loved the pictures and fonts, the way rules were broken to make up brand new words no one had ever used before, and the way the illustrations made those far-fetched words real. I read those books over and over again, memorizing them and even tape recording myself reading them.  (Yes, tape recording myself – that was the extent of my technology back then!)

So, thanks to the combination of my childhood obsessions with writing materials, words, imaginary conversations, and Dr. Seuss books – voila! An author was born; way before I even knew it and wrote my first book. So, really, becoming an author wasn’t something I ever dreamed of being – it was something that I always was. It just took me a long time to see how all the pieces of who I am fit together. And then it took a longer time to write a book.

Chris: Where did you get the idea of writing a book like this (Smudge’s Mark)?

Claudia: I love reading books that are unpredictable, full of action, have a hint of magic in them, and are funny. I also love it when I can get lost in the world an author has created, and I love it even more when I feel like I’ve said goodbye to a great friend after I’ve finished the last chapter and closed the book. (Well, that part’s kind of sad, but it tells me that I’ve grown to love the characters and the world they live in and that it’s all been so real to me that I actually care about them.) So, based on the sort of books I like to read, I decided I wanted to create that kind of experience for other people. It’s my hope that readers of Smudge’s Mark can get lost in Smudge’s world and feel like they belong there and that they have made new friends during their visit. And I hope they can have some laughs along the way, too.

Chris: When you were writing this book, did you have it all planned out or did you put it together as you wrote?

Claudia: You know, I really wish I was a planner. I think life would be easier for me if I was. And I think writing would be easier for me, too. I don’t plan ahead. When I’m writing I follow the characters’ lead and go where they go. After all, it’s their lives I’m writing about, not mine. But sometimes writing like this is really frustrating, especially when a character is in trouble and I can’t see a way to help them. So I have to have some strategies that get me out of those kinds of messes since I don’t have a clear plan, or map, to follow. One of those strategies is that I skip ahead in the story and write a scene that is totally un-connected to the scene I’m having trouble with. Sometimes that helps spark an idea for solving the problem, but even if it doesn’t, at least it keeps me writing. I’m always amazed, though, when I see how all the scenes I’ve written somehow magically connect to each other, kind of like a puzzle. That’s one of the best parts of writing the way I do – sometimes even I’m surprised at how things turn out! And if I can’t predict what’s going to happen then I can safely assume my readers won’t be able to predict what happens. (For the most part, at least!) And I think that’s a good thing! :)

Chris: Are any of the characters in your book based on real people?

Claudia: I get asked this a lot. When I first started writing Smudge’s Mark, I had planned for Smudge to take after my eldest son. But as the story progressed I realized that Smudge was a completely different kid than my son, so that quickly changed. As for the other characters, I’d never intended for any of them to resemble any person I’ve ever known; they just sort of formed themselves within my imagination as the story called for certain kinds of characters. Whenever I’m asked this question now, my answer is always, “They are all a part of me.” (Yes, even Demlock!) I believe that the characters in Smudge’s Mark have been created from a mix all of the experiences, relationships, attitudes, and feelings I’ve had throughout my entire lifetime. If I get in the right zone I can tap into any experience or emotion I’ve had and then I turn on those taps to feed my characters to make them believable. (And I’ll let you in on a little secret: turning on the taps of my dark side to create an evil character is really a lot of fun!) Of course that’s not to say that if I create a character that kills someone that means I must be a murderer too. It’s the just the stored-up emotions, knowledge, and opinions that I have about murderers that would feed my ability to create that kind of a character. So, all of the characters in Smudge’s Mark represent a little bit of me and I can’t say that any one of them is more like me than any other. (Although, as I’ve mentioned before, I still do constantly have internal monologues like Smudge does!)

Chris: In your lifetime, do you think you’ll write a series other than Smudge’s Mark?

Claudia: I like to think of Smudge’s Mark as a “twology” because I’m hoping to get Smudge’s story told in two books. It isn’t going to be a series from what I can tell right now. But as for writing a series sometime in my lifetime - who knows? Anything is possible.

Claudia Osmond’s book, SMUDGE’S MARK is out in Canada, with a US release date Spring of 2010.

What’s fourteen-year-old Simon Mugford to do if he can’t remember anything before seven months ago? Draw, that’s what!  Well, at least that’s what his grampa tells him to do. But he also tells Simon to chew on stinky roots, so Grampa’s sanity can’t be completely trusted. However, Simon draws anyway, because, well, it can’t hurt can it? And besides, he’s discovered he’s a pretty good artist, if he may say so himself.

One night, Simon has a bizarre dream that not only jogs a few memories and messes with his sketches, but also sets his life on a new course. He wakes up with half of a key in his pajama pocket and a feeling that he’s not just the average fourteen-year-old boy he thought he was. As he attempts to fit the scattered jigsaw-puzzle pieces of his life together, Simon quickly discovers he’s right in the middle of a dangerous plot. And it’s up to him to free his best friend, and the Two Realms, from a deadly curse.

I’d never purchased a book after reading an author’s blog. Until I read Bennett Madison’s blog. The Bennett Madison Extravaganza, a sassy hodgepodge of thoughts, commentary and videos about everything from publishing to reality tv to bands like Roxette, piqued my curiosity. I immediately bought Madison’s YA Mystery LULU DARK CAN SEE THROUGH WALLS, and loved Lulu’s confidence and tenacity.

THE BLONDE OF THE JOKE, Madison’s latest novel about two girls, a mall, shoplifting, and the mild distain for suburban monotony is out this week. Read it. I did. It’s funny and poignant and I cried a little.



THE BLONDE OF THE JOKE, while it takes place present day, feels so eighties (in the best way possible). What is it about that decade that inspired you?


Everyone keeps saying that! The thing is that I barely even remember the ’80s. I mean, I was alive for most of the 80’s; I just wasn’t paying much attention. Angela Chase and I are about the same age. Buffy Summers and I are actually the exact same age, including astrological sign (Aries). I am a product of the 90’s. So I guess it is a little weird that I chose to use so many trappings of the 80’s in this book. The Bronski Beat records, the red high heels and press-on nails. Even David Lynch, whom the book references, is pretty 80s. (The Reagans were big Lynch fans, which is completely fucked up if you think about it.) And obviously and most importantly the book is set at the shopping mall.


Anyway, I guess there were a few reasons for the 80’s vibe, some of which maybe have something to do with my early-childhood psychosexual fascination with my favorite babysitters’ big hair and sweater-dresses. I’ll skip that part though cause probably no one wants to know. (I kinda wanted to know, but I didn’t ask him to elaborate)


What’s more important anyway is that in some aspect the book is about untrammelled consumerism coming home to roost. It’s about the impending death of the mall, with Francie and Val trying to strip to its bones. And if you’re going to talk about things like consumerism going crazy while the God abandons the shopping mall, you sort of have to reference the ’80s, when the God took up residence there in the first place.


That’s a great point about the Death of the Shopping Mall, and the death of the shopping mall culture.  In a way, Francie and Val seek refuge at the mall. How would you describe their relationship?


It’s a little hard for me to be concise in describing the relationship between Francie and Val, but if I had to do it in one sentence I would say that they are a lot like vampires in love.


They suck the life out if each other while giving each other strength?


Yes, exactly— they are totally in a weird symbiotic relationship.


This book is very different from your Lulu Dark series (except for maybe the frequent mention of lipgloss & eyeliner). Where did the BLONDE story come from?


Although the book is a big departure from my earlier published books, it actually feels like a return to a more natural style for me— in a way, Lulu is the fluke because I had never envisioned myself writing anything like that. Lulu just sort of happened by happy accident. This book, on the other hand, actually grew out of a short story I wrote in college, which was later published in Michael Cart’s late, lamented RUSH HOUR anthology series a few years ago. So it was sort of a long time in the making.


I’m not exactly sure where the guts of the story came from at its inception, except that it sort of encompasses a lot of my interests and obsessions. I have always been attracted to brittle, difficult girls with big hair and lots of eyeliner. In a way, I wanted to write a book about the girls who are noble and strange and tragic without being kooky Belle and Sebastian free spirits like in 500 Days of Summer or whatever. I wanted to write about free spirits who were also unlikable, or at least troubled. Making Francie and Val somewhat hard to like seemed ways more respectful of them. There’s something about the way those kooky girls that seems like it’s denying them they’re realness. It’s just like some dude’s fantasy.


Anyway, I actually like unlikable characters. They tend to be very resilient and stubborn and emotionally vulnerable and those are charming qualities to me.


What project are you working on now? BLONDE isn’t a series, is it?


I’m working on a secret project! Blonde is not exactly a series, but it’s part of a sort of cycle of books all set in sort of the same universe, with loosely connected characters. Or maybe not! But that’s how I’m looking at it.


The next book will be out in 2010-ish, also from HarperCollins.



Bennett recently moved his blog. The New Bennett Madison Extravaganza is all dolled up and shiny. The Archived Bennett Madison Extravaganza is literally all sparkly.

Comments

rise of the creative economy.

don’t take the red pill. it will make looking at these photos a bit traumatizing. chalk in three deeeee.

games for creatives… like creatives need help wasting time. FORMation alliance

robo-geisha! i’m so there.

good morning. just need 5 seconds of your time.

i smell some bitterness… and it never smelled so right.

i don’t even remember playing that show. i do remember the shirt i was wearing. i think it was my father’s. so unsexy.