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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781338216530 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Scholastic, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 06/27/2017 |
| Series: | Animorphs Series |
| Sold by: | Scholastic, Inc. |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 176 |
| Sales rank: | 791,628 |
| Lexile: | 540L (what's this?) |
| File size: | 5 MB |
| Age Range: | 9 - 12 Years |
About the Author
Interviews
On October 21st, barnesandnoble.com on AOL welcomed K. A. Applegate, author of more than 70 books for young and middle-grade readers and young adults. Her Animorphs series, about five teens who can morph into any animal they touch, has been charting on bestseller lists with the likes of Stephen King and Michael Crichton. Her latest book is ANIMORPHS #12: THE REACTION.
JainBN: Ms. Applegate, thanks so much for joining us this afternoon!
K A Applegate: Glad to be here. It was either this or clean my oven.
JainBN: Oven cleaning is a bore! The mike is on and the queue is filled with questions from your readers....
K A Applegate: Excellent. The answers are yes, yes, no, and yes.
JainBN: Here's our first question.
Question: Please tell us! Where do the Animorphs live?
K A Applegate: Ha ha ha. Right. The truth is, I'm not sure even I have a definite place in mind.
Question: What's your favorite morph?
K A Applegate: If you're asking which morph I would least mind being trapped in, that would be dolphin, I suppose, or one of the birds of prey. Now, as to which is coolest to write about, that varies from book to book. I have an awful lot of fun with bug morphs. But I wouldn't want to be one.
Question: Does Tobias really turn back to human in #13: THE CHANGE?
K A Applegate: Hmmm. Okay, now we're getting into touchy areas. Let me say this: The answer is yes...and no. He will be able to morph again. He will be able to morph his old human body. But he'll still be living on mouse meat.
Question: Is it true you're slated to write more than 145 Animorph titles?
K A Applegate: Yikes! Good grief, where'd you hear that? Don't give me a heart attack. I am currently under contract to write through book 30, plus two Megamorphs and Andalite Chronicles books. I do expect there will be more beyond that. Probably not 145.
Question: Are you really making an Animorphs magazine, called something like Morph Magazine?
K A Applegate: Not as far as I know. But the powers that be don't tell me all their plans.
Question: Did you make the Animorphs Web Site or at least do a part of it?
K A Applegate: Let me put it this way: I am the computer moron of the world. I need help signing on to AOL. I could just as easily chisel a statue as do a Web page.
Question: Do you type your books by hand or on computer?
K A Applegate: I do type on a computer. Way back when I started, back before Animorphs, I used to write on a typewriter. When the editors had rewrites, I'd have to cut and paste. It was insane. So yes, I do use a computer. I like it. I use a very small percentage of the features.
Question: How do you pronounce the word "Yeerk"?
K A Applegate: Like "year" with a "k" on the end. Unless you don't like that, in which case you can come up with your own pronunciation.
Question: How long does it take you to write one book?
K A Applegate: I have to write a book a month, usually with a due date at the end of the month. Here's how that goes: The first five days of the month, I sit around and think, "I really should get started on that book." Then I have about two really enthusiastic days. Then I decide the whole idea won't work. Then I decide, nah, it'll be fine. By the time I'm done screwing around, I end up jamming the whole book into two weeks.
Question: Do you give the people who make the pictures on the cover of the book your idea of who and how the person should be morphed?
K A Applegate: Nope. I have no control over covers. When I send in my outline, I usually suggest what animal they should use. Sometimes they do. Sometimes not.
Question: Are those real people on the covers of the books?
K A Applegate: I believe so. I believe they have a group of cover models they use. But again, I'm not absolutely sure. There are many parts to producing a book. Some of them are handled by other people so that I'll have time to shop.
Question: Do you have previewers for your Animorphs series? Is it easy to become one, or is there a selection process?
K A Applegate: No, sorry, there are no previewers. I send in an outline, the editors say, "Okay" or "We have a problem with this or that," then I write the book and mail it -- usually about eight minutes before the FedEx deadline.
Question: Do you have an infinite number of Animorph stories in your mind? How do you decide what you want your characters to morph into?
K A Applegate: I guess we'll find out how infinite my idea supply is if I really do end up writing 145 books. To tell you the truth, I panic after every book and start thinking, Okay, that's it, no more ideas, pack it in, go live in a nunnery in the countryside. But then I eke out one more idea, so the series continues.
Question: Did you ever suspect that the Animorphs would be such a tremendous success? How does it make you feel?
K A Applegate: Actually, I thought Animorphs would be a sort of cult hit. You know, that a few cool kids would get it and like it. I never imagined I'd be outselling Goosebumps. It makes me feel great and sort of worried and responsible and all that.
Question: What were you writing before you tackled the Animorph series? More children's titles or something else?
K A Applegate: Well, I'd been writing kids' books for a long time. I wrote Little Mermaid books for Disney and a horse-book series under the name "Beth Kincaid," and a lot of young adult romances. Mostly I was doing YA romances and thinking, Wow, I have totally run out of things to say about boy meets girl. So I came up with Animorphs.
Question: Why don't the Animorphs wear water shoes when they morph?
K A Applegate: Well, the problem with any clothes or shoes is the size change. The shoe that would fit Jake isn't going to fit an elephant or a flea. The whole clothing thing was a real problem at first. I kept thinking, Oh, man, what am I going to do, have them morphing out of their clothes? I solved that problem, but it's always kind of annoying.
Question: How did you come up with the idea of Animorphs?
K A Applegate: I was sitting around thinking that if I had to do one more boy-meets-girl scene, I'd lose my mind. I asked myself what I really would enjoy writing about. I decided I wanted to write about animals. And in particular, what it would be like to be an animal with all the benefits of human thought. From there I knew I needed a structure to build plots on. And I needed an idea for how a bunch of kids acquired the power to become animals. One thing led to the next.
Question: Will any of your Animorph books be made into films for kids?
K A Applegate: There is a TV series planned for fall of 1998. It will be on Nickelodeon.
Question: I would love to see the Animorph series done in claymation. That would be sooo cool. Will it ever happen?
K A Applegate: I guess it could. It would be cool. But I have very little control over that end of things.
Question: Are you considering writing stories that will reach high school and college students?
K A Applegate: Hey, what are you doing, spying on me? Oddly enough, I am considering a second series. However, I cannot discuss details of that idea yet.
Question: Who are some of your favorite writers that may have inspired you to become a writer?
K A Applegate: Growing up, I was into animal books. I loved CHARLOTTE'S WEB by E. B. White, for example. And I read a little Nancy Drew here and there, too.
Question: How will Ax develop in future books?
K A Applegate: Funny you should ask. I am working on an Ax book right now. He and the rest of the kids are going to have a Zero Space accident that will drag them into the middle of a war on planet Leera. We'll first see the Leeran thing in book #15; then it will resurface in book #18, the book I'm on now.
Question: It feels so real when your characters morph into other animals. How do you create that feeling? Do you research the animals?
K A Applegate: I do some research, but not anything you can't find at your local Barnes & Noble store (cheap plug for the sponsor).
JainBN: (Cheap plug warmly received.)
K A Applegate: I get animal books, I read, I do a lot of staring at big pictures of bugs and thinking, Eeewww!
Question: Do you have a favorite animal, and why?
K A Applegate: In real life? You can't beat your average, basic dog. Smart, sweet, faithful -- what's not to like?
Question: Which character do you think you are most like?
K A Applegate: I'd have to say Cassie. I like animals, she likes animals. I'm ambivalent, she's ambivalent. She doesn't dress very well, neither do I. But it depends on the book. Whatever character I'm writing about is the one I like most.
Question: Are you planning any book tours with Scholastic for this latest book?
K A Applegate: It might be fun, but no. I kind of avoid the whole publicity thing. For one thing, I have to write a book a month. So that occupies some of my time.
Question: How long have you been writing your Animorph series? Did Scholastic embrace it right away, or did you have to really shop it around?
K A Applegate: Obviously a question from a writer. I sent Animorphs over the transom, as they say, and they called up about two weeks later and bought it. They were great. Still are great.
Question: Will the Andalites ever come to earth?
K A Applegate: You mean will the Andalite fleet eventually show up and save us? I don't know. Maybe the Animorphs will alert enough humans that humans will save themselves. Or who knows, maybe the mysterious Ellimist will step in. Or maybe Visser Three will just get too evil to stand himself and retire to Florida. I haven't decided yet.
Question: Do you ever plan on adding another character in the series?
K A Applegate: Excellent questions, by the way, from all of you. And as it happens, I am planning to add a new Animorph. But will he be good or evil? Hmmm. Not gonna tell you.
Question: Were you drawn to animals when you were little? Was it a dream come true to be able to write about them fictitiously?
K A Applegate: Absolutely. I have the honor of being the first girl ever to raise gerbils in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. And yet I've received no Nobel Prize! To be serious, yes, I've always liked animals. I worked for a vet as my first job. And I love writing about animals, even the gross ones. This morning I've been writing a scene where Ax morphs into a mosquito. Disgusting, but fun, too.
Question: What do you read to rescue yourself from kids' books, for grown-up pleasure?
K A Applegate: Right now I'm reading COLD MOUNTAIN (me and half the country) and Roger Fouts's book about animal communication -- all available at barnesandnoble@aol. (Now do I get a discount at BN?)
JainBN: This will be our last question for Ms. Applegate.
K A Applegate: Wow, really? That wasn't too painful.
JainBN: No, and full of nice plugs.
Question: Do you believe in extraterrestrials?
K A Applegate: I would like to believe that ETs are out there somewhere. But I take a skeptical approach. I need evidence. I need an ET to show up on "Letterman." Then I'll believe.
JainBN: Thanks so much for joining us this afternoon; it's been an absolute pleasure.
K A Applegate: Thank you. Thanks to everyone who showed up and tolerated my lousy typing. And thanks to all the kids who buy Animorphs. You are very cool people.
JainBN: Please come again...as your favorite Animorph!
K A Applegate: Anytime. Bye.
