Q&A with Philip Ardagh
Philip Ardagh is over 6 feet 7 inches tall with a big bushy beard. Not only is he very large and very hairy, but he has also written more than sixty children's books for all ages. He has been known to write books about serious subjects-such as Egyptian hieroglyphs and archeology-but also writes abnormally funny books (eg. A House Called Awful End) that make lots of people laugh.
Currently living as a full-time writer with a wife and two cats (Beanie and Snorkel), in a seaside town somewhere in England, he has been-among other things-an advertising copywriter, a hospital cleaner, a (highly qualified) librarian, and a reader for the blind.
The following interview was provided by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers.
Q: What gave you the idea for the Eddie Dickens Trilogy?
A: I simply wanted to set an adventure in the days of Charles Dickens and beyond. The characters developed from there.
Q: Do you know anyone like the Dickenses?
A: I've said it before and I'll say it again: You should meet my family!
Q: What made you choose to be a writer?
A: I went to 'proper school' when I was two-and-a-half years old. No play group for me. My big brother was at school so I wanted to go...and I always loved writing. My dad used to be given lots of business diaries come Christmas and I'd fill them with squiggles and pretend writing and - hey presto - I had a book with a cover and everything. Then I began to get (very) short stories printed in school magazines and I'd sit in my dad's study and do pretend typing on his gun-metal gray portable typewriter until I jammed the keys so badly, one time, that I was banned from that activity! So, from very early on, I discovered that I liked the thinking process, the sharing of the ideas process and the physical act of writing itself; whether with pen or by keyboard.
Q: Where do you get your ideas from?
A: I wish I had a simple answer, such as 'www.fresh-ideas-for-books.com' or '23 Ainsley Avenue' or 'from an old box I found in the attic,' but it is much more complicated than that. Ideas are often thoughts put down on paper, developed and refined... in other words: I don't really know, they just happen and I nurture them along and turn them into something.
Q: What advice would you give to budding young writers?
A: Keep reading and get writing. Once you've got something down on paper you can always go back to it and make it better. The hardest thing is getting started. If you're stuck for ideas, take an everyday situation and think, 'What if..?' For example: 'What if I wake up tomorrow and find that I've grown ten feet overnight?' From that simple idea you can start wondering what you'd do about getting clothes to fit; what your parents might think and your friends might say; what the advantages and disadvantages of being so huge might be, and so on and so on.
Q: What is your favorite color?
A: That often changes. At the moment it's the orangy-yellow of a fried egg... tomorrow it might be the particular pink of an iced Bakewell tart, or the red of a tomato, or the deep, dark brown of chocolate...
Q: What is your favorite smell?
A: My favorite smell is that of the paper of a brand new book.
This interview provided by Henry Holt and Company
For more about Philip Ardagh, please visit: www.philipardaghbooks.com
Reviews
A House Called Awful End: Book One in the Eddie Dickens Trilogy
Philip Ardagh
Illustrated by David Roberts
Philip Ardagh is a prolific British children's author of some wit. In this, Book One of the Eddie Dickens Trilogy, he begins the adventures of eleven-year-old Eddie--also known as Jonathan or even Simon, depending upon his parents' whims. Oddness appears to run in the family, for when his parents fall ill to a mysterious crinkling malaise, Eddie is shipped off to live with Mad Uncle Jack and Mad Aunt Maude and her stuffed stoat (a sort of weasel referred to as either Malcolm or Sally, depending upon circumstances, of course.) It should readily be noticed that plot is not a major concern here. Although there is a bit of it (how Eddie ends up in St. Horrid's Home for Grateful Orphans, for example), characterization and snide authorly comments à la Lemony Snicket are emphasized. Those enamored of A Series of Unfortunate Events will probably be thrilled by this addition to the genre. Shades of Roald Dahl don't hurt, and neither do Roberts' illustrations inspired by Quentin Blake. 2002, Henry Holt, Ages 8 to 12, $14.95. Reviewer Kathleen Karr
ISBN: 0-8050-6828-7
Added 08/28/02
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