The question I’m asked most often about my books is this:
How do you get the covers so shiny?
I don't do this myself — the printers melt thin, shiny sheets of plastic onto the book cover while it’s still a flat piece of paper. This is called laminating, and it’s very hot. When the covers have cooled off, they’re cut to the right size, folded, and the pages are attached. In schools, they usually have matte finish lamination instead of glossy. The glossy is excellent for books because it prevents fingerprints, crayons, or jam crayons from staining the cover.
The question I’m asked second most often is:
Which of your books is your favorite?
I like all my books. Some days I like one more than another, but when you spend that much time with your story and characters, you become very fond of them. Even if they’re ogres.
And the next question I hear most often is:
Where do you get your ideas?
I turn the dial in my brain to LISTENING FOR IDEAS. Sometimes it takes a while to warm up. Sometimes I feel too all-over-the-place to concentrate. I often get my best ideas when I’m really bored (like waiting for the dentist, or sitting in a traffic jam). The first five minutes or so of looking for ideas is almost always useless, I find. Nothing happens. Brain numb. Still not much happening. But if I stay with it (best with pencil and paper in hand), the ideas start waking up. So that wretched, uncomfortable first five minutes is worth it. (On some days it’s only a minute before the ideas start flowing. Some days it’s three and a half hours.)
What’s your favorite book by somebody else?
I really like Matilda, by Roald Dahl (the book way more than the movie). Later I’ll tell you about more books that I’ve especially enjoyed.
All for now. More to come. Come back soon,
Loris