The Nina, the Pinta, and the Incredible Jill Santopolo

There aren't many people who are brilliant, charming, kind, and super-duper pretty too, but the fabulous Jill Santopolo just happens to be one of them. Not only is she an editor at HarperCollins (where she edits both my books and Daphne's too), she also happens to be a writer, with her debut chapter book mystery, The Nina, the Pinta, and the Vanishing Treasure: Alec Flint, Super Sleuth, Book 1, in stores now. Daphne and I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy and, not shockingly, we both thought it was amazing. Here, we talk to Jill about Christopher Columbus, the art of writing mysteries, and lots more good stuff.

DAPHNE: How do you balance editing and writing? I know first hand what an amazing and involved editor you are and this book rocks so I'm thinking maybe you don't sleep?

JILL: Thanks so much for both those lovely compliments! Unfortunately, your guess about lack of sleep is a good one. Over the past two years, sleep has taken a bit of a backseat... What I try to do--though it doesn't always work--is make a No Editing Outside The Office policy, so that once I get home, the only thing on my mind is writing my own books. In practice, this often means I stay in the office kind of late so I can finish editing there before I go home, but on the whole, it seems to be working out for me. I also find that writing a little bit each day works well for me, too, because I can pretty much always find time to write a little something, and it keeps me in a writing mind-set.

LISA: I want to second Daphne's opinion that you are a fabulous editor!! Do you think there ways in which being an editor has informed your writing, and vice versa? Are there any ways in which being one makes the other more difficult?

JILL: Thanks to you, too, Lisa! I definitely thing being an editor has informed my writing, and being an writer has informed my editing. And I think I've become a better writer and a better editor because I've been wearing both hats. I can empathize with my authors and I can empathize with my editor--it's kind of like being an athlete who coaches, too. I actually don't think there are any ways that being one makes the other more difficult...well, except for the time crunch Daphne was asking about before.

DAPHNE: I love how the book interweaves the plot with interesting bits of history. How did you choose to write about Christopher Columbus?

JILL: I've always been interested in Christopher Columbus because he's such an important historical figure, but also such a controversial one. And then, right when I was starting to think about writing a mystery based in a museum, Christopher Columbus seemed to follow me everywhere. I wrote the first draft of The Nina, The Pinta and the Vanishing Treasure while I was living on Columbus Ave. And the subway stop I got off at to get to work was Columbus Circle. Then I went to Washington, DC, and there was a Columbus fountain. I figured if a historical figure was taking the time to follow me around, the least I could do was write about him.

LISA: I liked the Christopher Columbus bits, too, and I really enjoyed that you didn't shy away from the fact that he's a controversial figure--but you didn't beat kids over the head with history, either. What kind of research did you do for the story? And were there any interesting Columbus tidbits you ended up leaving out that you'd care to share here?

JILL: I researched a bunch about Christopher Columbus before I began writing--I read a lot of books written for 7-10-year -olds so I'd know what kind of knowledge my audience might have about Columbus, and then I read some books and online articles written for adults to see if there was anything else I wanted to use. I included most of the facts that I thought were especially interesting or especially funny--like the live animals who hung in slings while the boats crossed the Atlantic --but I did find out a bunch of information I didn't include because it didn't deal directly with Columbus's voyages.

LISA: Alec's friend and sleuthing partner, Gina, comes from a big Italian family, and I love that there is Italian language and culture sprinkled throughout the story. Do you come from Italian roots yourself?

JILL: I'm kind of a mutt. My family comes from all over--different countries, different religions, different cultures--but my grandfather on my dad's side is Italian, which means my last name is Italian, and because of that I decided to learn Italian while I was in college. I actually was on a trip to Italy when I found out that Scholastic wanted to buy The Nina, The Pinta and the Vanishing Treasure--I read the e-mail from an internet cafe in Rome (where, by the way, I found a street named after Christopher Columbus. And I found another one in Capri.).

DAPHNE: I can't imagine writing a mystery--I think it must be such a challenge to know how to drop just enough info so that the reader is following but not figuring every thing out until the end. What are your tips for how to write a mystery?

JILL: My biggest tip for mystery writing is to plan everything out before you start. I find that knowing the ending, the clues, and the red herrings in advance of putting pencil to paper--or finger to computer key--makes the whole process much easier. Once you have all those pieces, you can slot them in like a puzzle so that something interesting or important happens in each chapter of the book.

LISA: The illustrations in the book (by C.B. Canga) are just awesome. What was it like working with an illustrator?

JILL: I've never met C.B. Canga, but I love the art he did for Alec. The folks at Scholastic asked me for written descriptions of all the characters, and then C.B. created the black-and-white line art in the book based on my descriptions. It was so, so cool getting to see my characters come to life on the page.

DAPHNE: Tell us about Alec's next adventure.

JILL: Alec's next adventure, is coming out next summer (2009) and is called The Ransom Note Blues: An Alec Flint Mystery. In the book, something has gone missing from Laurel Hollows, Alec and Gina's town, and a note sent to the local newspaper is the only clue. Alec and Gina have to figure out what was stolen from the town and where it was moved to before the villain makes good on the threat to "turn the town blue." I just sent the manuscript off to my editor earlier this month, and I'm hoping she likes it!

Before I go, I want to mention a contest that Scholastic is running. The first three people to e-mail me (jill@jillsantopolo.com) with their mailing address telling me that they saw me on The Longstockings and that they've cracked the following coded message will receive a free, autographed copy of The Nina, The Pinta and the Vanishing Treasure. (Hint: The key to Alec and Gina's code is over on my site www.jillsantopolo.com)

Here's the coded message that needs to be cracked: GSZMP BLF HL NFXS, ORHZ ZMW WZKSMV! RG DZH HL MRXV GL ERHRG!

LISA: Thanks for visiting us, Jill! (Or should I say, GSZMPH ULI ERHRGRMT, QROO! BLF'IV GSV ZDVHLNVHG!)

~lisa graff~

P.S. For more great interviews with Jill, check out Through the Tollbooth and Fuse #8.

P.P.S. Why is it that spellcheck thinks "BLFTV" is a perfectly acceptable word, while "ERHRGRMT" is problematic??