When I decided to start up my Whimsy Talks blog again, and had to decide who to interview first, the very talented Karen Kaufman Orloff was an obvious choice. Besides her talent, she is also a humble, caring lady who always supports struggling authors around her. She is an example of how to remain graceful while being such a big success in your field. It is refreshing.
I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I enjoyed asking the questions. We discussed her picture books (I Wanna Iguana, I Wanna New Room, I Wanna Go Home, If Mom had Three Arms, and Talk, Oscar, Please!), as well as her mysteries for young readers. We even got an idea of what she's doing next! So, sit back and enjoy the conversation, as Whimsy Talks to Karen Kaufman Orloff.
Q
)- How old were you when you started writing? A)- I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I loved writing stories and always
dreamed of being a writer.
Q)- In “I Wanna Iguana,” Alex wants a pet Iguana and debates it with his Mother. Did your
children ever do this with you, or did you ever do this over a pet with your own parents?
A)- I probably begged my parents for a dog, and we finally got one, a miniature schnauzer
named Scuffy, when I was about ten. My kids also wanted a pet and because of some allergy issues, we
weren’t sure about a dog or cat, so we ended up with two baby iguanas! We finally got a dog years later. That’s
Bailey, who we still have and love. She’s the sweetest dog.
Q)- In “I Wanna New Room,” Alex returns with a plea for his own room when his new sister
comes along—did you draw from you own life for this as well?
A)- When I was very young, we lived in the Bronx and I shared a room with my older sister. I’m
sure she wanted her own space, as I was probably the annoying little sister! Once, she actually made some
kind of line across the room and told me to stay on my side (which didn’t have the door). I definitely took that
experience and gave it to brothers Alex and Ethan!
Q)- Do you feel day-to-day issues that normally arise in families make for good storylines for
children’s books?
A)- Yes, ideas generally come from what we know and experience. We just have to fictionalize
them here and there to make them more interesting. Real life usually isn’t as funny as what we can imagine,
although, sometimes it is!
Q)- In your latest book, “I Wanna Go Home,” Alex feels as though he’s getting shortchanged
going to his Grandparents when his parents are going on vacation. How do you get in the mindset of a child his
age to write your characters so believably?
A)- Thanks,Michelle! I’m really not sure but I may be remembering my own childhood, or that of
my kid’s (they are 21 and 27 now). But somehow, Alex just speaks to me. I can hear his voice in my head. He
probably has a bit of my son, Max, in him, and maybe even some of my daughter, Emily.
Q)- How did you like working with David Catrow as your illustrator? What tips could you give
aspiring authors for their first time working with an illustrator?
A)- Honestly, although I love Dave’s illustrations and am thrilled that he is my illustrator for
these books, I had no real contact with him throughout the process. The publisher chose him for the books,
and we don’t work together. Once in a while, my editor will ask me for feedback on some of Dave’s illustrations,
but ultimately, it’s up to him, the editor and the art director to decide what direction to go. My best advice is –
let the illustrator do his or her job. They are professionals and chances are they will enhance your story in ways
you could not even imagine.
Q)- “If Mom Had Three Arms,” seems like something that would be ideal for most moms in real
life! Was this one inspired by the way so many moms have so much to juggle?
A)- Yes, absolutely! I was probably in the midst of juggling many things with my own kids when
I thought of that idea. I often have moms tell me how they can relate to that one!
Q)- Do you find it effective to teach concepts like counting in a whimsical way?
A)- I’m not a teacher, but I really do think it’s great to teach basic concepts in a fun way. I know
of teachers who make up songs, for instance, to have kids memorize basic facts. That’s a surefire way to
remember things.
Q)- Do you find it easier to write in rhyme? Is this common in picture books?
A)- Some of my stories just seem to come out in rhyme; others do not. But rhyme is very, very
hard, and although it’s fun to write that way, I probably would not recommend it to everyone. It can be really
frustrating because it’s so hard to get it right. Sometimes I wish certain stories wouldn’t come out in rhyme, but
the rhythm just seems to pound away in my head. I think, as far as picture books in general, there’s a good mix
of those in rhyme, and those without. It depends on the book. Rhyme doesn’t work for everything.
Q)- “Talk, Oscar, Please!” is a wonderful concept—after all, who wouldn’t want to carry on a
conversation with their pets?! Where did the idea for this one come from?
A)- I’m guessing it came from my own wish to better communicate with Bailey. Most of the
time, I know what she wants and what she’s thinking (and I think she understands me) but once in a while I’d
like to have a real conversation. I imagine she might tell me to stop babying her. She’s seven, after all, and I still
treat her like a puppy!
Q)- I’ve noticed there are a lot of animals in your stories—are you an animal lover?
A)- Yes. I love dogs, especially, but I do like animals very much. I must admit, I wasn’t too sure
about the iguanas, but they are actually very nice animals, and I grew to love the ones we had.
Q)- Do you think children can relate to the children in your books?
A)- I hope so. When I do school visits, it’s interesting to see what the kids laugh at, what they
relate to, the parts they like best, etc. I think many of them relate to Alex.
Q)- I found it fascinating to see that besides your picture books, you also wrote two mysteries
for beginning readers, “Mystery at the Museum,” and “The Big Top Circus Mystery.” Would you ever write
mystery stories for this age group (or any other) again in future?
A)- Those mysteries, which are for young kids, were a “work-for-hire,” meaning I was
approached by Peter Pauper Press to come up with the story line for an interactive mystery. They already had
the concept for the paper “flashlight” and it was my job to come up with the rest. I had never done anything like
that before. It wasn’t easy, actually, but kind of fun. (There’s a third in the series, as well, called “Mystery at the
Aquarium.”) I actually have recently completed a middle-grade time travel mystery, plus a sequel, and would
love to have these published one day. Maybe I could write more in the series. Of course, middle grade takes a
lot more time than picture books,but it’s a fun genre.
Q)- I was crazy about the idea of finding clues in these books by means of a flashlight
underneath the pages! I would’ve loved that as a child. Did you think of that idea?
A)- No, as mentioned above, the publisher came up with the concept, but I thought it was a great
idea! I agree it would have been fun to have this sort of thing when I was that age.
Q)- How much say does the author have in making creative decisions like that?
A)- I think it depends on the publisher and your relationship with your editor. Sometimes an editor
will suggest an idea, and the writer comes up with a working storyline. The more you work with an editor, the
more chances there are to make creative decisions.
Q)- Are there any new books coming out in 2015?
A)- Not in 2015, but there is a new picture book coming out in the spring of 2016. It’s called “Miles
of Smiles,” and is a rhyming “pay it forward” type of story involving a baby’s smile that gets passed on to others.
It will be published by Sterling, who did “If Mom Had Three Arms” and “Talk, Oscar, Please.”
Q)- Can you give us a hint at some ideas you’re working on?
A)- I have another dog-type story, a middle-grade novel about a family visiting the moon, and
probably a few more unfinished stories that I should be working on!
Q)- Do you have any advice for aspiring writers on getting into children’s book publishing that
you’ve learned along the way?
A)- I always say they should take the time to learn their craft. Go to classes, workshops,
conferences, critique groups, etc. Keep writing, re-writing and submitting. Don’t worry about the rejections. I still
get them, and every writer I know still gets them. You have to develop a thick skin. It took me about ten years of
doing all of this before I finally got an acceptance from an editor, and that book was “I Wanna Iguana,” which is
still in print after ten years, and still used for persuasive writing in schools. Don’t give up! If you were meant to be
a writer, it will happen for you!
Q)- I know you once did classes locally on writing picture books. Do you still do these? Are there
any coming up in future? Do you go on book tours?
A)- I have given classes, along with friend and fellow author, Della Ross Ferreri, to adults interested
in writing for children. We took a break for a bit but I’d actually like to find time to do that again. Nothing in the
works yet, but I’ll let people know via facebook and emails if we start up again. We give these classes at Merritt
Bookstore in Millbrook, and also can do library presentations locally. I do signings,mostly locally, at various
bookstores, book fairs, and other events. I also am available for school visits. People can contact me at
Q)- Any advice for children who want to be an author one day?
A)- Yes. Read, read, read, as much as you can. If you want to be a good writer, you need to be a
good reader. Then keep writing. Remember, it’s not going to be perfect the first time you write it, or the second,
or third, or sometimes even more. Take time to work on your story to make it right. You’ll be
0 Comments on An Interview with Karen Kaufman Orloff as of 1/9/2015 3:15:00 PM
By Michelle M. Mead
Last year, I was fortunate enough to interview my favorite
children’s writer, Jack Gantos. Jack Gantos is the author of the picture book
series "Rotten Ralph," the Middle Grade series’ of Jack Henry and Joey Pigza,
as well as Young Adult titles "The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs," and "Desire
Lines." His autobiographical "Hole in my Life" has touched the lives of many
teens today. Rather than tell you why his books are so powerful and important
for young people today (and in future), I will let the interview and the man himself,
speak about his works.
Michelle: Do you see parts of yourself in the characters Joey Pigza and Jack Henry?
Jack: Yes, in part I exist in the Joey books. I’m not ADHD, but like any child you have hopes
and dreams and you feel victories and failures very deeply. Joey has strong emotional
responses to the tilted family life in which he is both trapped and embraces. As a child, I had
strong feelings, and so I draw on those feelings for Joey.
As for the Jack Henry books- since they are autobiographical, then I do feel what
Jack feels.
Michelle: I read DESIRE LINES before its recent reprint and thought the way you handled the
subject matter was excellent, showing the different perspectives in the situation. It seems to
me that it was ahead of its time. Do you feel your writing is edgy in that it tackles real life
in all its good and bad?
Jack: I appreciate that you read DESIRE LINES when it first came out. The book was well-
received, but not widely read. My children’s book reputation was largely established through
my ROTTEN RALPH picture books, and so when DESIRE LINES was released, I think it
surprised some readers. But for years I had been writing adult stories and novels, so I was
just using my adult writing skills to write a young adult novel. Writing DESIRE LINES was a
conscious decision to write for young adults, and to focus on material which I felt young
adults would like to investigate. So when you look at my young adult titles- DESIRE LINES,
HOLE IN MY LIFE, THE LOVE CURSE OF THE RUMBAUGHS- all three of those books could
have been written for an adult audience. But they are written for young adults, yet I don’t
pull my punches. As a result, they have the emotional range, and subject range of an adult
book, while clearly taking the point of view of the young adult.
Michelle: The thing I appreciate most about your books is that they show a reality that isn’t
perfect, yet you add a hilarious humor, which is what is needed in real life to get through the
tough times. This really helps the reader identify with the imperfect beauty of your
characters. Do you ever find it difficult to get the balance right between how far you want to
explore serious issues and yet still retain the humorous side?
Jack: Good question. Yes, the humor is important. In THE LOVE CURSE OF THE
RUMBAUGHS, I examine, among other themes, "man’s" desire to pursue perfection at the
expense of reality. I find that romancing idealism-political, religious, interpersonal- can lead
to overlooking problems at hand. But when you do write about realistic problems, then, for
me, it is important to expand the emotional range through the use of humor. No one wants to
be hit over the head time and time again with a problematic theme. The humor provides not
only a rest, but also another avenue to examine a difficult issue.
In the JACK HENRY books, and the JOEY PIGZA books the humor is equally as
important as the drama. The books would not be realistic, nor would they be as effective,
without the marriage of humor and drama.
Michelle: It has been said that there is a lack of good books for boys to read. Do you think
this is true, and does it affect how you write?
Jack: No. I think there are plenty of good books to read for boys. I think it is a pathetically
weak excuse to say that the books are at fault when looking at why boys don’t read. I think
it has more to do with the curriculum, and the culture in which we live. I always wonder if
boys would read more if schools had fifty percent male teachers who were modeling out the
value of reading. And too, I wonder if boys would read more if books were a larger part of
the curriculum. And if their fathers read. And too, when I’m in high schools I see more
posters up for joining the army than I do for joining your local library. The problem is with
how much our society values reading.
Michelle: What advice would you give to children aspiring to be writers?
Jack: Keep a journal. Read good books. Set up good writing habits-write a little every day
and write about what you know about. Keep an eye on the relationship between content and
form. And don’t buy into the fallacy that you are "born" to be a writer or not. You can work
hard at this and get better and do quite well.
Michelle: In your new book THE LOVE CURSE OF THE RUMBAUGHS, some have said that you
have taken a turn towards the gothic with a dose of black humor. Do you think that gothic
stories help the author as well as the reader to confront their fears and find the levity in an
otherwise frightening situation?
Jack: The gothic elements in THE LOVE CURSE OF THE RUMBAUGHS work in the same way
that humor works in the JOEY PIGZA books- the gothic tone that sets the table for the more
serious subjects to be examined: obsessive mother love, nature vs nurture, eugenics and
newgenics and self will and destiny. So the tone allows for a comfortable resting place
from which you can set off to think about the themes.
Michelle: Your autobiography HOLE IN MY LIFE tells the story of your beginnings with
admirable honesty. What made you decide to write about this time in your life and did you
find it difficult to write about your own life?
Jack: I did not find it difficult to write about that event in my life. The difficulty was with
getting it right. To make sure the relationship between the physical events and the emotional
responses were true. Memoir requires all the skill of a fiction writer, but with all the ethics of
a journalist.
I wrote it because it was a good story. I mean, how could you not write it? And I’m
deep enough in my children’s writing career where I can write that book without fearing that
it is going to damage my reputation. As it turned out, the book has been well-received in
the field.
Michelle: I don’t know how anyone could not love JOEY PIGZA. With so many people dealing
with ADD, what inspired you as a writer to explore the subject?
Jack: I always knew a lot of kids like Joey. They were good kids. They were my friends.
they were smart and yes, often in trouble. But I never saw many of them in literature and so I
thought to bring those kids into the spotlight so that their interior goodness could outshine
their exterior friskiness.
Michelle: The ROTTEN RALPH books were in picture book format and aimed at a younger
reader. How difficult is it for you as an author to write for the different age groups?
Jack: I don’t think it is a difficult task to go from one form and sensibility to the next. You
just have to want to do it and devote yourself to the forms. Each form has its particular
difficulties and pleasures and the more you work on a range of books, the better you become
at managing the ideas and structures.
Michelle: Did you want to be a writer when you were a kid, and did you, or do you now, keep
a journal like JACK HENRY?
Jack: As a kid I kept journals with regularity and after awhile, I sort of wised up and thought
maybe all this journal writing is telling me something. I was also a big reader, so between
the reading and the writing I finally sensed that what I loved to do should be my compass.