About a year ago I was sitting in my office sipping a cup of hot cocoa (it was a rather chilly day) when my boss came in and asked me to write flap copy for a novel on our list that I hadn't read yet. I peeled the giant
rubber band off the manuscript and began to read. And about twenty minutes into the book, I realized something: I have pretty much the best job ever. Who else gets paid to drink hot chocolate and read really, really good books??
Fortunately for the world, the book I was so lucky to be reading that day is now available for general consumption. The novel is
Big Slick, by debut author (and
class of 2k7 member)
Eric Luper, who was kind enough to stop by and chat with us.
Big Slick is about sixteen-year-old Andrew Lang, who assists his dad with his dry-cleaning business by day and haunts the local underground poker club by night. There are girls, cars, stolen cash, one really lovable dorky best friend . . . and a whole lot of poker. If that doesn't add up to a
kickin' first novel, I don't know what does. Oh yeah, and it's also funny. Really funny.
Here, Eric gives us his take on writing books, cleaning things dryly, and
Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
What was your favorite book when you were 16?
When I was 16, I was reading mostly comic books. Two series that absolutely moved me (and still do) were The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and The Watchmen by Alan Moore. They have long since been compiled into graphic novels. I highly recommend them. But if you’re asking specifically about texty books with all words in them then I would have to say Interview With The Vampire was my favorite. Ann Rice has a way of painting a very colorful picture. I read that book over and over and was absolutely elated when The Vampire Lestat came out.
What fictional character would Andrew Lang most like to meet and what would they do?
Andrew, like any other rational human being, would like best to meet Buffy the Vampire Slayer and go on a vampire killing spree. Who wouldn’t? That or Matlock.
If you could assemble your dream team for the Ultimate Poker Match (you, of course, are also playing), who would be there and why?
You know, I feel bad for everything I put Andrew through in BIG SLICK—every time he was down I just kicked him harder—so I think I would have to say the Ultimate Poker Match would be my main character, Andrew, and nine members of the Swedish Bikini Team. Oh, you said I’d be playing too? Well then, I guess it would be me, Andrew and eight members of the Swedish Bikini Team. The things I do for my work!
Tell us a bit about your time in the dry cleaning business. How awesome was that and do you ever contemplate giving up writing completely to just go back to your heyday?
First of all, my heyday was not working in the dry-cleaners. My heyday was when I won a Halloween contest when I was five. I dressed as Frankenstein’s monster, with one of my dad’s old 60’s wide-lapel sport jackets and a scary rubber mask I begged my mom for. They called me up on stage to win my award (which was two handfuls of quarters out of this big quarter barrel) but by the time I got up there I was so hot in my mask that I took it off and told the masses I was a cheesy businessman for Halloween.
But back on topic: I started working at the dry-cleaning business in 9th grade. For the first few months all I did was sweep the floor for minimum wage under the table. That is, my wages were under the table, not my sweeping. Damn you, confusing clause! Anyhow, once my boss discovered I had the aptitude for bigger things, he began to show me the ropes. Over the course of the next few years I learned the business from top to bottom. He had me bagging, tagging, spotting, delivering, changing loads, pressing, and playing with all sorts of terribly carcinogenic chemicals. One day out of curiosity I stuck my head in a barrel in the back and took a whiff. I lost a good ten minutes of my life and everything has been hazy since.
Working at the dry-cleaners was fun while it lasted. I loved dealing with the customers, finding all sorts of incriminating things in people’s pockets, and the kick-ass bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches from the deli next door. But I don’t miss the 115 degrees in the summer. Or the carcinogens!
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I first realized I wanted to be a writer when I was in college—after I had my awakening. Only when I was at Rutgers did I discover that I loved the written word. I have to chalk this up to poor teachers and poor librarians and the lack of a significant attention span. Don’t get me wrong, I read a lot when I was young. Comic books and magazines littered my room. I was a typical reluctant reader. But the idea of becoming a writer happened later—in my freshman comp class to be precise. It all had to do with this one particular assignment where we were given another student’s essay and asked to write a critique of it. I had a blast with that project at poor Rebecca ______’s expense. I haven’t looked back since.
What types of stories do you like to read, but would be terrible at writing?
I like to read thrillers, but I think I would be terrible at writing them. I mean how cool would it be to invent some sick serial killer and let him loose on a fictitious world? My problem would be that I would not want to let anyone catch him; despite his obvious shortcomings, I’d like the guy too much! I mean, you go to all that trouble to create a clever, sneaky, brilliant serial killer and the last thing you want to do is let the cops catch him!
What is your favorite snack to eat while writing?
Does a glass of wine count as a snack? No? Okay, then I would have to say chocolate covered peanuts. I have a friend who lives in Virginia and he sends me these fresh Virginia peanuts covered with copious amounts of chocolate. I think it’s the salty and sweet at the same time…Mmmmmm. I’m running low, so if you’re reading this, Brian, it’s time for another shipment!
What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given? The worst?
The best piece of advice I was ever given? That’s a really hard one…not because I’ve been given so much good advice in my lifetime; more because I typically don’t listen.
I suppose the best advice I was ever given was from my grandfather some time before he died. I was four or five at the time and he told me never to steal anything unless the reward outweighed the risk. In retrospect, this may also be the worst advice I’ve ever been given too because I went on a pre-pubescent crime spree figuring the worst that would happen was a few time outs—and hey look at all the candy bars and hot Wheels cars I could get! Yeah, that was bad. Now that I think about it, there’s a chapter book in there somewhere. I’ll have to get right on that.
Be sure to check out Eric's website, and especially his blog, where among other things, he answers the age old question of what the heck an author is supposed to do with that giant box of books the publisher sends him. And stop by for the other legs of his blog tour, which include visits to Alice Pope's CWIM blog, Saturncast, and Bildungsroman
IMPORTANT UPDATE: I've just been informed that the first two people to email childrens.publicity@fsgbooks.com with their names and addresses will be sent their very own **free copy** of Big Slick. Woohoo!
The Longstockings lived their own scary story this past weekend.
Yep, it was the debut teen novel of none other than our very own Swiss miss, Coe Booth! I thought about telling them that my friend wrote the book, but I decided against it, since any association with the irrated lady who'd been shooting them "quiet down" glances for the past five minutes would probably make the book uncool.
Michelle illustrated the children's book GOLDFISH AND CHRYSANTHEMUMS. She has drawn book covers, including this beauty for PLAYING DAD'S SONG. Her art can also be found in numerous magazines and journals.
