More answers to your questions - thanks for submitting!
Magdalena Agnieszka Brzezinska:
Would you be willing to share the original story that inspired the Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane?
Hi Magdalena . . . Edward's story is the result of a Christmas gift from my friend and mentor Jane Resh Thomas . . . she gave me a rabbit doll and when she handed him to me, I said: what's his name? And she said: Edward. (I'm going to take a picture of the original Edward and see if we can post it) So I went trotting home with this rabbit doll and I put him on the couch in my living room and every time I walked into the room, he scared me. He's a very imposing rabbit. The third night that he was in the house, I had a dream about him being underwater, stripped of all his finery (i.e. naked) and waiting to be found. The image was haunting enough that I wrote it down in my notebook. And then a few days later, I thought that I would try to turn that image into a picture book. When I sat down to write, the story just kind of, I don't know, flowed out of me. It was one of the best writing experiences I've ever had. It was like the story told itself. Edward is sitting in my office right now, watching me type these words.
Linda Rozo:
I got one . . . we met you in south Florida and you said that you were happy with the way the movies were interpreted, but after that my daughter and I both read Tales of Despereaux then watched the movie and she was really disillusioned with the movie because it was missing so much of the storyline of the book, who decides what goes into the movie and how much editorial control do you get over the movie?
Hey, Linda. How are those palm trees doing down there? Six inches of snow on the ground here. Okay, then . . . on to the movies. Basically, the only control I have when a book gets turned into a movie is deciding whether or not I want to sell the dramatic rights. After that, I can't control what happens. I feel like I've been very lucky with the movies based on my books; both have been respectful and loving translations. That said though, a movie has different demands than a book, so it's impossible to be absolutely faithful when doing an adaptation. I've learned to let go of my story and let it go out into the world.
Danny Ray Pilkington:
Hi Kate, what was your favorite book given to you as a kid at Christmas?
Hey Danny Ray . . . I love this question. I still remember unwrapping the first Paddington book on a Christmas morning in Florida. Man, I loved that book. I read it all in one big, greedy gulp on Christmas day.
Pat Sharon:
We have a wild turkey that I have named Tilly wandering about our yard. She is alone, but acting like she would like to be part of the family, as she stands and looks in the window for a good part of the day. I know that she is trying to tell me her story. How do I know what it is? How do your characters tell their stories to you? Woof, PMS
Pat! Does she really look in the windows? I love that. I wonder what she's thinking when she watches you sit down to dinner. You learn Tilly's story by finding out what she wants and you do that by asking questions. Here are some questions to ask Tilly: why are you alone? Where is your tribe? What are you looking for when you stare in the windows? What would happen if you became good friends with a goose that wasn't able to make the trip south this year?
