Visit with Todd Mitchell

www.toddmitchellbooks.com

Today we're visiting with author Todd Mitchell, whose latest YA title, THE SECRET TO LYING, was released on 6/8/10 by Candlewick!



A teenage boy’s self-reinvention gets out of control in a sharp, funny, poignant, and compulsively readable novel that gives a familiar theme a surprising twist.

James was the guy no one noticed — just another fifteen-year-old in a small town. So when he gets into an academy for gifted students, he decides to leave his boring past behind. In a boarding school full of nerds and geeks, being cool is easy. All it takes is a few harmless pranks to invent a new James: fighter, rebel, punk. Everyone’s impressed, except for the beautiful "Ice Queen" Ellie Frost and the mysterious ghost44, an IM presence who sees through his new identity. But James is riding high, playing pranks and hooking up with luscious Jessica Keen. There’s just one thing awry: he’s starting to have vivid dreams of being a demon-hunting warrior, a thrill that is spilling over into dangerous and self-destructive acts while he’s awake. As he’s drawn deeper into his real-life lies and his dream-world conquests, James begins to wonder: What’s the price for being the coolest guy around?



**I had the chance to ask Todd a bunch of questions about his life and writing, which he gladly answered so that I could share with all of you. But before we dive into the questions, he had a great directive for aspiring authors:

Advice for Aspiring Writers

Write the books you most want to read. Write every day. Let yourself make mistakes and write bad books. And keep on writing. Most published authors I know wrote several “practice” novels before they got one published (I wrote four books that shall never see the light of day before creating THE TRAITOR KING. A friend of mine, who’s a best-selling author now, wrote seven “practice” novels before she figured out how to keep a reader interested for 200 pages).

When you think you’ve written something good, share it with a writing group. Listen to what they say. Don’t try to please everyone, but realize that every comment has a reason. Revise until your eyes hurt. Then revise until you can read the whole book in one sitting without stopping or falling asleep. Then send it out to a contest, editor, or agent (you can find out more about editors and agents from Writer’s Market books).

Now here’s the crucial part — don’t put all your eggs in one basket. While one book is out, maybe going through a series of rejections (as all writers get rejected dozens, if not hundreds of times) start writing something else. I always try to have one book floating around among editors, and another book I’m working on that’s completely different, so I always have something new to give me hope if one of my books gets turned down.

Lastly, try to write from love, not fear. In other words, don’t worry about rejection. Instead, focus on what you want to create, and love what you do create. Seek out what only you can say, and realize that if you don’t write the story, it won’t exist. Write honestly, and the rest will follow.

PS: If you want more writing tips —check out my website under “Be a Writer.”

**Thanks so much, Todd! And now, onto the questions:

If you could bring any character from one of your books to life, who would it be and why?

Definitely ghost44 from THE SECRET TO LYING. I need an honest, insightful, challenging correspondence like that.

Your own six-word memoir.

Born in a cornfield. Another rewrite.

Twitter your newest or upcoming release in 140 characters or less.

Boarding school, demons, romance, pranks, the meaning of life, and pancake enchiladas. THE SECRET TO LYING is a one-of-a-kind book.

You have the chance to spend the day with any character from one of your favorite books. Who would you choose and why?

I’d like to spend the day hiking with Edward Cullen. But if he called me his little spider monkey, I’d have to make fun of his sparkly skin. Also, I’d ask him why, after being around for 150 years, he was still dating teenagers. I mean, come on, Ed. Isn’t that a little creepy?

What was your favorite book growing up as a teen?

I think the first book that ever got me to fall in love with reading was A WRINKLE IN TIME. I was probably ten years old when I read it, but it gave me permission to think big thoughts. It made me feel like I was smart, and that the life of the mind was vitally important.

When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I spent a lot of time imagining surviving the apocalypse, and sifting through garbage for canned food, and learning to make a bow using piano wire so I could hunt food. I don’t know what to call that occupation — lone survivor dude? Zombie apocalypse hunter? At any rate, that’s what I wanted to be (minus the end of civilization part).

The one book everyone in the world should read.

Everyone should read FEED by M.T. Anderson. At first, it seems like speculative fiction, but the more you get into it, the more you realize this is our society now, and the feed is consuming us. More than any other book I can think of, that book changed my perspective of consumer society.

The book you wish you had written.

FEED, by M.T. Anderson. See above. I aspire to write books that are not only fun to read, but make a difference in the world.

You’ve invented a new national holiday. What is it called, and what does it celebrate? (Plus, would we get the day off of school and work??)

National Squirrel Tagging Day — a day when all good Americans attempt to creep up on wild squirrels and tag their fluffy little tails. Those who do touch a tail are blessed with good fortune for the rest of the year. Those who get mauled and bit are marked as “squirrel jabbers” and forced to endure rabies injections. On this day, it would also be customary to reenact mass squirrel migrations, dress like squirrels, climb trees, and take daring, insane squirrel-like leaps. School would, of course, be canceled in remembrance of famous squirrels.

Using the letters J L W (my initials!), create the title of your next bestseller. (For example, Jumping Love Walrus.)

Juicy Loogie Waffles (sorry –I forgot about the bestseller part, and went for the most disgusting title I could think of).

If you weren’t an author, what job would you be doing?

I sometimes toy around with the idea of becoming a crazy mountain monk. Or a surf bum. I could buy an old RV and go up and down the west coast surfing with my family and mowing lawns when we need money. (Incidentally, when I presented these other options to my parents, they seemed pleased that I wanted to pursue something more stable and lucrative, like writing.)

You get the chance to star in an upcoming film release. What movie would you star in for your acting debut? (If you can’t choose an upcoming film, you can choose a past release.)

I want to play Frank, the rabbit, in Donnie Darko (one of my favorite movies!). Or maybe I’d play Harvey, the rabbit in Harvey. Basically, I’m a terrible actor, but I think it would be fun to wear a big, creepy bunny suit and appear at odd moments (or be invisible, as is the case with Harvey).

A movie is being made of ONE of your books. Which book is it, and who will star as the main characters?

THE SECRET TO LYING starring Robert Pattinson as James and Kristen Bell as Ellie Frost. It would be a huge box office success, largely because Robert Pattinson would take off his shirt for the frozen pond swimming scene. Granted, Robert might look a little old for the part, but he could play the dark, brooding rebel side of James well (although I’m not sure how he’d deliver the more humorous lines.)

Okay, the truth is, I don’t have a clue who should play James, because I don’t know many teen actors. So… if you read the book, please let me know who your ideal cast would be. Then tell your people in Hollywood to make it so. :)

The paranormal genre is big in teen/YA literature right now. Most bestsellers feature vampires, werewolves, faeries, angels, or the like as a main character. In your opinion, why are teens currently fascinated with all things paranormal?

Because teens are paranormal. Seriously. Beings like vampires and werewolves and the Fey are stuck between worlds, and that’s exactly where most teens find themselves — with one foot in the creativity, passion, and invulnerability of childhood, and one in the freedom and responsibility of adulthood. Being stuck between worlds like this can give one special abilities, and teens get that, but it can also be awkward, like when your girlfriend finds out you drink the blood of pigs for a snack, or when your face breaks out with wolf hair.

Remember those “classics” that you were made to read in high school English class? What was your favorite, and which title should students never have to be subjected to reading?

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD was my favorite. I also loved THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, although I didn’t fully grasp the genius of the book until after high school. I can’t think of any books that shouldn’t be taught. But there are some books, like THE GREAT GATSBY, that make more sense when you’re in your thirties. My fear is that by forcing “adult” literature on teens, teens will get turned off of reading, and not revisit those books when they’re older. I think it makes much more sense to have teens read books in high school that have teen characters, and deal with teen issues (like PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, or SPEAK, or THE SECRET TO LYING) rather than forcing teens to read books that mostly address issues that have greater relevance to people in their thirties or forties. But that’s a larger discussion…

Someone tells you that you’ll never publish another book that you write. Do you still keep writing?

Definitely. The reason I write is because I want to see what happens to my characters, and where the stories go. It’s a lot of work, but if someone is trying to write for fame or money, they probably don’t have a very realistic understanding of the publishing business.

**Thanks so much to Todd for visiting with us today! Be sure to visit his website, listed above, or you can also find him at the YA-Tribe Blog, at Facebook, on MySpace, or email him directly at toddmitchellbooks@hotmail.com.

Todd has been so kind as to offer to send one lucky poster today a signed, hardcover copy of THE SECRET TO LYING, so be sure to leave any comments or questions you have for him in the comments section. He'll be stopping by later today to see what we're discussing!