Ten Questions That Kids
Frequently Ask Allan
Q. What books did you read when you were growing up?
A. I read every book in the Hardy Boys series and the Tom Swift series. I loved how the boys could solve mysteries and get out of dangerous or tense situations. By junior high (middle school) I became a big science fiction fan, reading incredible stories by Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein and Jules Verne. Then I discovered Edgar Allan Poe, and would get creeped out by his scary tales. I also enjoyed reading O. Henry's short stories because they all had great twists at the end.
Q. How did you end up becoming a writer?
 A. Blame it on baseball. I dreamed of becoming a major league baseball player. When I was growing up, I was an awesome fielder, but I couldn't hit the curveball, fastball or any other pitch for that matter. In fact, the longest hit I ever had in organized baseball was a pop fly double that the first baseman lost in the sun. So I turned in my cleats and jersey and decided that if I couldn't play the game I loved, I'd write about it and all the other sports I enjoyed but couldn't play well. I planned on becoming a sportswriter.
I wanted to be the sports editor of my high school newspaper. But there was a problem. I was getting bad grades in English, so I couldn't get on the paper. Then the newspaper advisor, Gretchen Galer, spent extra time tutoring me before and after school for six weeks and I eventually earned an A in English, so I was rewarded by being named sports editor. I loved it. I knew then I would be make my living as a writer.
Q. How long does it take to write a book?
A. It all depends on the book. Sometimes the research takes several months and requires travel and lots of phone calls and interviews to get answers to my questions. Some of the research is done over the Internet. Often, I hire researchers to help me. (One of the best researchers I've teamed up with is Mara Bovsun, who has worked with me on several books.)
When it comes to actually creating a manuscript, I try to write at least 2,000 words a day for my first draft. One of my typical books for Scholastic has about 34,000 words. That means it will take me 17 working days to complete the draft. Then I need another week or two to rewrite, edit and polish it.
Everything is done on the computer. When I'm satisfied with the manuscript, I email it to the editor who then goes over it very carefully and might make some changes (hopefully not too many). It could take anywhere from six months to a year after I turn in a manuscript before the book is published.
Q. What is the best thing about being a writer?
A. The best part about being a writer is the freedom to work on my own.
During my research, I learn something new every day and I get to interview lots of interesting people from all walks of life.
My writing has taken me to many different parts of the world where I've visited villages in the Amazon jungle, Inca ruins in Peru, refugee camps in Guatemala, Mount McKinley in Alaska, the Coliseum in Rome, castles in Portugal and Spain, and temples in South Korea.
Q. Where do you get your ideas?
 A. Because I write nonfiction, my ideas come from the real world. I find them everywhere — while reading the newspaper, watching the TV news, strolling downtown, hiking in the woods. To me, there are so many incredibly fascinating and intriguing things — from the zany to the eerie to the tragic — that happen in everyday life, I will always find plenty of material to write about. A few years ago, I read a story in the newspaper about a dog that dragged a little boy out of the street and saved him from getting run over. That gave me the idea to write a book about animal heroes. For my research, I combed through the Internet looking for stories of animals that saved people's lives. I also contacted several dog food companies and animal organizations that give out annual awards to life-saving pets. With the information that I gathered, I wrote the book True Tales of Animal Heroes.
Q. Why do you write books on so many different subjects?
A. I'm interested in so many different things because, well, life is made up of so many different things. No matter what book I'm working on, I learn so much in my research.
Although I might be best known for writing books about the offbeat side of life, I don't want to be known as an author of one particular type of book or subject. I have many interests.
Q. Of all the books you've written, what's your favorite?
A. I don't have a favorite. Many of my books are filled with amazing but true anecdotes. I love writing about the weird and wacky side of real life, whether it's about cats or baseball or business.
I'm extremely proud of writing Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust and Heroes of the Holocaust: True Stories of Rescues by Teens (both with my co-author Mara Bovsun). I felt honored to have interviewed these remarkable survivors and rescuers, and I'm pleased to have been able to tell their stories to young readers. It might be hard for students to imagine that anyone, especially children, could bear so much suffering. However, each of these books is a celebration of the human spirit — the will to overcome unspeakable horrors, the will to triumph over evil, the will to live.
Q. Do you have any writing tips?
A. I sure do. First, read, read, read as much as you can. Read everything you can get your hands on from comic books to classics, from poetry to newspapers. See how the writer uses his or her vocabulary, punctuation, sentence structure, and point of view. Pay attention to the way the writer crafted the story to build suspense or to stir up emotion or to give out information in a clear, concise way. Examining the styles of other authors will help you become a much better writer.
Second, write, write, write. It could be in your private journal or diary, on your computer, or in a letter to Grandma. It doesn't really matter as long as you get those words down. Find time to write about things that interest you the most such as animals, sports or ghosts. Write a made-up story from your imagination or pen a poem. Maybe write about events in your life or the lives of your family or friends. For example, describe what happened to you today. How did you feel about it? Why did you feel that way? Also look around you and describe the sights, smells and sounds. How do people dress, act and talk? Make the reader feel what you're feeling and see what you're seeing.
If you think you can't write, you're probably wrong. Just write the way you talk. You don't need big, fancy words. Write your story the way you would tell it to your family members if you were sitting across the dinner table from them.
The more you read and write, the better your chances will be that you'll be a terrific writer.
Q. Do you ever get writer's block?
 A. Not really. But there are many days when I struggle, when every sentence seems like a large rock that I can barely lift and fit in a stone wall. I keep writing anyway, knowing that the next morning I will probably delete everything that I wrote the previous day. Sometimes I need to get all that bad stuff out of my head, like turning on the faucet to flush out all the grit before the clean water flows. Usually, the next day, I will sit in front of my computer and the words just gush out.
Sometimes when I'm having a difficult time getting started, I'll try to find a place in the story that seems the easiest part. I might start in the middle or work on the ending — any place where it won't seem so hard. Then I'll go back and try to work on the rest of the story. Writing the easy part first sometimes acts like jump-starting the dead battery in a car. No matter what, I keep writing. I don't worry about writer's block because I know tomorrow will be better.
Q. Where do you live?
A. I live with my wife Kathryn on a mountain about 25 minutes from downtown Asheville, North Carolina. We have two grown children and two grandsons who live in another state. I work in my home office, but on nice days I take my laptop outside and write on my deck.
If you would like to see a view from my mountain, click here.
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