Emma asked Chris Grabenstein:

Did you always want to be an author?

Chris Grabenstein I started writing when I was in the fifth grade! I decided, with the encouragement of some excellent teachers, that I wanted to be a professional writer when I was in 8th grade. I fell in love with Hemingway, Shakespeare, and Mark Twain in High School. I studied communications in college. Then I moved to New York where, over five years, I wrote for the Muppets, co-wrote a made-for-TV movie, and created skits with an improvisational comedy troupe. In 1984, I landed a job as a copy writer, creating advertising. My first boss was James Patterson. I published my first novel in 2005. It was a mystery for adults and won the Anthony Award for best first mystery that year.

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