The Kidlit Interview Series
Children's fiction encompasses some of the most imaginative, well-written books out there, so every Tuesday I shine a spotlight on it by interviewing a different middle-grade author. Come back regularly to find super-talented writers answering crucial questions like who they'd want riding alongside come the zombie apocalypse...
This week's guest is the alligator-wrestling (really - see below!) Marion Jensen. By day he's a mild-mannered instructional designer. By night, he puts on a cape and writes superhero books. Books that will make you laugh, cry (but only because you're laughing so hard), and then laugh some more.
His debut, Almost Super, came out in January, 2014 with HarperCollins. Perfect for fans of Pixar's The Incredibles, Almost Super is a fresh, funny middle-grade adventure about two brothers in a family of superheroes who must find a way to be heroic despite receiving powers that are total duds.
His debut, Almost Super, came out in January, 2014 with HarperCollins. Perfect for fans of Pixar's The Incredibles, Almost Super is a fresh, funny middle-grade adventure about two brothers in a family of superheroes who must find a way to be heroic despite receiving powers that are total duds.
THE HERE BE DRAGONS 8 KILLER QUESTIONS
1) Uh oh, it’s the zombie apocalypse. Which author (living or dead) do you want riding shotgun?
My first thought is to have a tough author by me to help fight off the zombies. Somebody like Ernest Hemingway who was as good at fisticuffs as any writer I know. The problem with this strategy is that everybody knows whoever is riding shotgun is a secondary character. That means at some point, they're going to be bitten, which means now I've got a zombie Earnest Hemingway to deal with. Yeah. I don't like that idea either. So instead, I'm going with James Joyce. I think I could outrun a zombie James Joyce.
My first thought is to have a tough author by me to help fight off the zombies. Somebody like Ernest Hemingway who was as good at fisticuffs as any writer I know. The problem with this strategy is that everybody knows whoever is riding shotgun is a secondary character. That means at some point, they're going to be bitten, which means now I've got a zombie Earnest Hemingway to deal with. Yeah. I don't like that idea either. So instead, I'm going with James Joyce. I think I could outrun a zombie James Joyce.
James Joyce: Yup, I think maybe even *I* could outrun him.
2) Look, I got a time machine on eBay! Where do you want to go? (Said time machine may possibly malfunction and leave you there. Possibly. It was *very* cheap.)
That's easy. I'd go back to last Thursday when I TOTALLY fell for a RickRoll. Stupid Rickroll.
3) What’s your favourite thing about writing for kids?
I love writing for kids who check under their beds for monsters... just in case. Kids who, when they get stung by a bee, wait to see if they develop superpowers. Kids that age still live in what I call the age of wonder, and they have a great imagination and a wonderful outlook on life.
4) A witch has cast a spell on you (sorry about that) and you’ve woken up as a character in a children’s book – what’s your special talent or power?
I'm going to pick a character out of my upcoming book, Searching for Super. Merry Johnson is a superhero. She has the ability to grow a mustache on her left kneecap. Because I mean... come on. That's just awesome.
5) What’s the scariest or strangest thing you’ve ever done?
I once wrestled an alligator. No joke. An honest, live alligator in Florida. Just don't ask how big it was. Okay. It was about ten inches. But still... I won.
6) What’s something you wish you’d known about writing when you started out?
I wish I'd known that writing isn't something you can either do or not do. It's just like everything else. If you practice, you're going to get better. The more you practice, the better you will become. It's like running. You don't wake up one morning and run fifty miles. But if you practice, you can totally run that far.
7) What would your daemon be?
I don't know for sure what my daemon would be, but if there is fairness and beauty in the world, it would have the ability to dispense Pez. A Pez-dispensing daemon.
8) My books don’t have dragons, but they do have... belly buttons, Russian belchers, and a military-grade glove compartment.
That's easy. I'd go back to last Thursday when I TOTALLY fell for a RickRoll. Stupid Rickroll.
3) What’s your favourite thing about writing for kids?
I love writing for kids who check under their beds for monsters... just in case. Kids who, when they get stung by a bee, wait to see if they develop superpowers. Kids that age still live in what I call the age of wonder, and they have a great imagination and a wonderful outlook on life.
4) A witch has cast a spell on you (sorry about that) and you’ve woken up as a character in a children’s book – what’s your special talent or power?
I'm going to pick a character out of my upcoming book, Searching for Super. Merry Johnson is a superhero. She has the ability to grow a mustache on her left kneecap. Because I mean... come on. That's just awesome.
5) What’s the scariest or strangest thing you’ve ever done?
I once wrestled an alligator. No joke. An honest, live alligator in Florida. Just don't ask how big it was. Okay. It was about ten inches. But still... I won.
6) What’s something you wish you’d known about writing when you started out?
I wish I'd known that writing isn't something you can either do or not do. It's just like everything else. If you practice, you're going to get better. The more you practice, the better you will become. It's like running. You don't wake up one morning and run fifty miles. But if you practice, you can totally run that far.
7) What would your daemon be?
I don't know for sure what my daemon would be, but if there is fairness and beauty in the world, it would have the ability to dispense Pez. A Pez-dispensing daemon.
8) My books don’t have dragons, but they do have... belly buttons, Russian belchers, and a military-grade glove compartment.
A Pez-dispensing daemon may be my favourite idea yet :D Find out more about Marion and his books on his website and Goodreads page, and chat with him on Twitter.
Come back next Tuesday for the Here Be Dragons interview with Sage Blackwood, author of the Jinx series!
