| From |
Message |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: Hello everyone, those with teeth, those without. We are here and smiling. Thanks for joining! |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: As it happens (typing in the time allowed) we had a child in our house who lost a tooth last week, and left a note: "To whom it may concern. Please leave me 72 dollars as I belong to the Stealing Club and I am behind in my dues." Really. Only the spelling was not as good. |
| Regan |
Regan says: Hi Gregory! What are some of your thoughts about what What-the-Dickens and Pepper got up to after their grand departure? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: Hi there, Regan! I think they began to learn to be brave, and so whatever happened they were probably going to be up for it. But I also think that maybe some danger lay ahead. What do you think? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: Thinking on it some more, I have a feeling that What-the-Dickens and Pepper were going to have some problem with another tooth fairy colony. I spent so much time writing about the way the colonies could to go war with one another, and they never did. Maybe a sequel? WHAT-THE-DICKENS: THE WAR Y EARS. |
| Regan |
Regan says: You're answering the questions here, mister! I hope they start a skibbereen family of their own one day, so that What-the-Dickens has a family at last! |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: That is a really good idea. I wonder what they would call their baby? Little Molar? |
| Regan |
Regan says: What about the other 70 babies? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: Oh that's right; I am just reminded: They have so many. Thank you for remembering. |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: Let's see: Little Molar, Little Polar, Little Bi-Polar. Well, we'll stop there. |
| Chelsea |
Chelsea says: You mentioned a possible sequel above, is that something you are seriously considering or just musing about? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: You know, the editor suggested one, but I wanted to wait and see if the book took hold. Some books really demand a sequel because there are so many unanswered questions. Others you want a sequel because you loved the characters. (Still others you pray there will be no sequel, ever.) What do you think? |
| Chelsea |
Chelsea says: I think a sequel is a great idea. It was a very rich setting and set of characters; it certainly seems like there is plenty more creative ground to cover! |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: Then there's the problem of a title. What-the-Heck? Also some of the people in the publishing house wanted the story to be called by its subtitle: THE STORY OF A ROGUE TOOTH FAIRY. Did What-the-Dickens as a title appeal to you? |
| lizbee |
lizbee says: Why did you set W-t-D in a contemporary timeframe? Most fantasy novels seem to be set in a pre-industrialized world, but W-t-D encounters cars and vans and freeway cloverleafs . . . was this deliberate? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: I like the idea of a sequel, but I will wait a bit. I think Pepper and What-the-Dickens need a little time alone, don't you? |
| Chelsea |
Chelsea says: Yes I think the title was eye-catching. It drew my attention instantly. |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: As to the contemporary time frame-- good question. Let me just post this and then answer it below. |
| Vicki |
Vicki says: OK, I'm the children's librarian, but I mostly deal with picture books because I do the Story Time Program, but I'm going to have to take time to read this book! |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: I think a lot of fantasies, as you suggest, are set in a bit of a neverneverland--the place of governesses and orphanages and people floating boats in city parks. But in a way this makes magic seem as if it died out in the time of our grandparents, like the popularity of player pianos. I think magic is NOW. I want it NOW. I al |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: I also wanted it NOW when I was a kid. |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: As to story time, I tried hard to write this book in (if you will allow the metaphor) bite-size segments, for good read-aloud fun. |
| Regan |
Regan says: Have you ever won a pun contest? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: One thing I wonder is if WHAT-THE-DICKENS reminds you of any other books. |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: I have never won a pun contest. I have never entered a pun contest. It might be pun to do so sometime. |
| Brittany |
Brittany says: Did you have any particular "soundtrack " in mind while writing W-t-D? Do you listen to music while you write? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: Oh, Brittany, that is a great question! I generally don't write to music, as I play some instruments and my ear begins to listen, and deconstruct, the shape and architecture of music that I hear. But when my pen is down and my computer is dark, I listened to Ravel. |
| Regan |
Regan says: What instruments do you play? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: I play piano, fairly well (by ear); guitar, fairly poorly. I don't sing as well as I think, which my family is fond of reminding me. |
| Tracy Miracle |
Tracy Miracle says: I felt a like What-the-Dickens had some Alice in Wonderland moments Gregory. |
| LJRorrange |
LJRorrange says: Could you ever envision What-the-Dickens as a musical? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: First first: I think there WERE some Alice in Wonderland moments especially in that there is a lot of surface comedy in W-t-D's adventures, yet the overall dramatic situation was bleak. |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: As to a musical-- oh, the mind boggles. Can't you just see a chorus line of dancing teeth, in little silver shoes that look like cavity fillings? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: To tell you the truth, after the story was all done, I looked back at the character of Silviana and I thought: Hey, perhaps subconsciously I was channeling the spirit of Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda in the musical WICKED. She has the same sort of ditzy glamour and a heart bigger, it seems, than her brain. |
| lizbee |
lizbee says: Did you believe in fairies as a kid (I did)? Do you believe in them now (I don't)? And what has changed, or not, for you? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: Another great question, and I will answer it honestly. I can't remember if I believed in tooth fairies but I did believe in the money they brought. Later, as I got older (say about 11) I kind of almost sort of believed in magic, but in a larger magic that was realer than real even if I couldn't see evidence of it. Perhaps BECAUSE I couldnt se |
| Vicki |
Vicki says: why do you think that your books appeal to not only the juvenile crowd, but also adult? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: see evidence of it. |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: I have a funny feeling that everyone loves fairy tales, even grownups. What do you think? |
| Chelsea |
Chelsea says: What were your favorite children's books growing up, and do you have any favorites at the moment? |
| Vicki |
Vicki says: I think you are right, as adults sometimes its nice to escape fromthe real world |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: Well, I signaled in WHAT-THE-D that one of my favorite books was Madeleine L'Engle's A WRINKLE IN TIME, and I started out my story the way hers startsout: with a big storm. She died, alas, just weeks before my book was published, but I would have sent her a copy to thank her for her wonderful work. |
| Vicki |
Vicki says: Do you have a favorite picture book, if so what is it? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: I use fairy tales and the lore of childhood (tooth fairies, Santa Claus etc) partly because all grownups share a memory of these things, even if when they're grown up they take different opinions on politics, arts, sports, etc. |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: I am a great fan of picture books that are like mini-novels, that tell a story. I love THE AMAZING BONE by William Steig. I love many of the books of Maurice Sendak. How about you? |
| Vicki |
Vicki says: I always tell me kids that as long as you believe, you will recieve, but when you stop so does the giving! |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: Well I believe so will you send me some money? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: Just kidding. |
| Vicki |
Vicki says: As the story time lady, I love Froggy by Jonathon London and Little Quack by Lauren Thompson. And sorry about the money, I work at a library you know! |
| Regan |
Regan says: Did you do any research on fairies (tooth or otherwise) before writing W-t-D? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: I have a question for anyone who has read What-the-D. I am being blunt here. Some thought I should present the story of the tooth fairy and leave out the storm and Dinah. They thought it was distracting. Thoughts? You can be honest. |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: You know, I didn't know that research could be done on tooth fairies. In one of the reviews of the book, a very canny writer filled me in on things I didn't know. (I can't remember them now, alas, but I have the piece in my file at home.) I thought tooth fairy lore was all local, but it appears there are some real historical roots for the belief. |
| Chelsea |
Chelsea says: Oh I disagree. I believe it was vital to the story to have that storytelling aspect of it, especially in order to connect to/remember my own experiences hearing fairy tales as a child. |
| Tracy Miracle |
Tracy Miracle says: Me too. W-t-D COULD have stood alone, but the drama of the family was riveting and the messages were crucial to the whole. |
| lizbee |
lizbee says: The book would have been a bit too giddy, wouldn't it, with just the tooth fairies? I like having the underpinning of the real kids, with real problems, as a contrast. And my two favorite characters are Pepper and Dinah, which feels right--the two worlds complement and parallel one another. |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: I was once traveling in a war zone (late 1980's) and an attack on a village happened while I was there. The little kids came up under my arms for comfort, and even though I couldn't speak their language, I made funny stories happen with my fingers and my voice. This, to me, was essential to W-t-D: that we see stories happ |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: happen in real time. |
| lizbee |
lizbee says: Who's your favorite W-t-D character, btw? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: Thank you, Lizbee! I loved Dinah too. I am not sure who I am more like, Dinah or Gage. (I am not as brave as Pepper nor as innocent as W-t-D.) |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: I am especially like Gage when it comes to how useless he is with, say, a screwdriver or a hammer. |
| Tracy Miracle |
Tracy Miracle says: Almost time to sign off -- any last, burning questions for Gregory? |
| Regan |
Regan says: What's next? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: Anyone suffering from dental awareness, as we call it in the trade? |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: I am not sure what is next, but frankly, to have you ask is about all the inspiration I need to try to think of something on the way home. |
| Gregory Maguire |
Gregory Maguire says: Many thanks to all for signing in. Take care of yourselves, and your teeth, too. |
