Episode #126: What is it like to win an award for your writing?- with M.T. Anderson

Welcome to Kids Ask Authors! On today’s episode, we interview children’s book author M.T. Anderson and ask “What is it like to win an award for your writing?” You’ll also hear a kid book review!

TRANSCRIPT:

Grace Lin: Hello. I'm Grace Lin, children's book, author, and illustrator of many books, including the middle grade novel When the Sea Turned to Silver and the picture book A Big Mooncake for Little Star. Today, I'm here with M.T. Anderson, the author of many books, including the middle grade novel The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge with Eugene Yelchin and the Pals in Peril Tales Series. Hi, M.T.

M.T. Anderson: Hey, how are you?

Grace Lin: Good. Thank you so much for coming on. I realize that when I say M.T., it sounds like I'm saying empty.

M.T. Anderson: Yeah, my editor used to make the joke that my first book was called Thirsty, so it was Thirsty by M.T.

Grace Lin: Well, thank you so much for coming on today's podcast. Are you ready for today's kid question?

M.T. Anderson: I am.

Grace Lin: All right. Today's question is from a person named Mark and Mark asks.

Mark: What is it like to win an award for your writing?

Grace Lin: What is it like to win an award for your writing?

M.T. Anderson: Oh, it's fantastic, but it's also kind of frightening. I know that sounds strange, but it's true. Because as a writer, you work all alone in your room and it's like if you were making a movie, but you are the actors and you're the director and you're doing the scene painting and everything. You create this thing on your own, and it's very, very solitary. It's very, very isolated. And then suddenly to have something where people are recognizing it, one, it's wonderful.

M.T. Anderson: It makes your heart sing. But on the other hand, suddenly there you are standing up in front of hundreds of people. You who have always been sitting alone in a little room. It's a little overwhelming.

Grace Lin: What was the first award that you won?

M.T. Anderson: Well, the first big award was I was a finalist for the National Book Award. One of the things that is frightening about that is that you do not know who won until you go to dinner and they announce it at the dinner. You're sitting there with all the people who might have won and with all... No one knows yet who's going to be getting up and going to the stage. That year was also a famous actor, Steve Martin, was handing out the prize.

M.T. Anderson: I was so frightened that I was praying that I actually wouldn't win because I didn't want to get up in front of the audience and shake the hand of Steve Martin.

Grace Lin: Why? Were you just so embarrassed to do that or was it-

M.T. Anderson: I was just so self-conscious. Yeah.

Grace Lin: What book was that for?

M.T. Anderson: That was for my book Feed, which is for older readers. But a few years later, I won that award. And at that point, I was not quite so frightened. I think maybe because I was a few years older, so I was less shy. But I think everyone assumes that authors are used to being out in public like that and standing up in front of people. But in fact, in many cases, the reason we're authors is because we are shy people.

Grace Lin: Yeah. Well, I know for me, winning an award was really wonderful, like you said, because like you said, we spent so much time alone. I think the most heartbreaking thing about writing or creating any kind of art is when you make a piece of art and you put it out in the world and like nobody cares. That's so heartbreaking when you're like, "I made this. I love this, and I worked so hard," and no one cares at all.

Grace Lin: When it wins an award, you're like, "Yes! Yay! People care," so that's so heartening. But for me, I know the hard thing was after that I was like, "Oh no! That means the next book I write, they are expecting that to be really good too."

M.T. Anderson: Right.

Grace Lin: I know that was the hard thing for me about winning an award. It was like, "Oh no! Now my next book has to be good or else they're going to think that they made a mistake."

M.T. Anderson: And they'll all be watching.

Grace Lin: Yes.

M.T. Anderson: Right. Yeah.

Grace Lin: Has that ever happened to you at all?

M.T. Anderson: Oh, of course. Yeah. Well, especially because I try to write for many different ages and many different types of book, and so I'm always worried. I just did well writing this book that's like a fantasy adventure or something, but now I'm going to be writing a nonfiction book about World War II and Russia and spies and that kind of thing, which is totally different. It's nonfiction and that kind of thing.

M.T. Anderson: I'm like, well, wait, what's going to happen, because everyone's expecting me to do one thing and I'm doing another and that could turn out badly. I get very anxious about that just like anyone else gets anxious about their work.

Grace Lin: What would you give as advice to a young person who might have gotten some success with their writing, but a little bit nervous about writing their next one then?

M.T. Anderson: I would say just believe in yourself and forge forward, regardless of how you feel. Sometimes you have to take some time to look back at the project when you're done and see if it really is the best it can be and revise it or whatever, but still, while you're writing it, just forge forward and be brave because the world is waiting to hear your voice, because your voice is like no one else's.

Grace Lin: Yes. I think that if you do the best that you can, then you don't need any award anyway.

M.T. Anderson: Right. Yeah, exactly.

Grace Lin: I know it's kind of cliche where they say like the work itself is its reward and that's like... And if anybody said that to me as a kid, I'd probably like vomit.

M.T. Anderson: Well, okay. But here's a thing they can do. If they look back into the past at like movies that have won the big awards, like the Oscar Awards or whatever, it's so interesting that so frequently it's a movie that didn't win the award that's the one that's still famous and no one's even heard of the one that won the award.

Grace Lin: That's true.

M.T. Anderson: Yeah. There you go.

Grace Lin: The award may or may not be meaningless, but as long as it helps you make your best work, that's all that matters.

M.T. Anderson: Amen.

Grace Lin: All right. Well, I hope that helped Mark and anybody who was like Mark and curious about this question. Thank you so much M.T. for answering Mark's question and thank you, Mark, for asking it.

M.T. Anderson: Yeah, thanks and thanks, Grace, for asking me that question.

Grace Lin: Well, thank you for being on today's Kids Ask Authors Podcast. Bye.

M.T. Anderson: Bye.

Today’s KID BOOK REVIEW comes from Zahra! Zahra is reviewing, A Pals in Peril Tale: The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen by M.T. Anderson.

The book that I am reviewing is A Pals In Peril Tale: The Clue Of The Linoleum Lederhosen, by M.T. Anderson. This mystery is about three friends named Lily, Jasper, and Katie. Jasper and Katie were both the stars of their own long-forgotten book series. Lily, on the other hand, is not a book character but has had many adventures with Jasper and Katie. Therefore, they needed a relaxing vacation after their last adventure. This brings the three children to the Moose Tongue Lodge, where Katie, Lily, and Jasper meet other children's book characters. They think this is odd, but not concerning. Their bemusement quickly turns to suspicion when the mystery-solving Hooper Quints goes missing, along with a precious diamond necklace. Jasper, Katie, and Lily know that this is no coincidence. They also know that they are the only people who can solve this uncanny mystery. Will they succeed?

I really enjoyed this book, for many reasons. One reason is that I liked trying to solve the mystery myself. I also liked the fact that there are many mysteries that intertwine. Additionally, I liked the characters. I really enjoyed the fact that the author chose characters from different stories. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries.      

Thank you so much Zahra!

More about today’s authors:

M. T. Anderson has written stories for adults, picture books for children, adventure novels for young readers, and several books for older readers (both teens and adults). His satirical book Feed was a Finalist for the National Book Award and was the winner of the L.A. Times Book Prize. The first volume of his Octavian Nothing saga won the National Book Award and the Boston Globe / Horn Book Prize. Both the first and second volumes of that two-part series were Printz Honor Books. He has published stories for adults in literary journals like The Northwest Review, The Colorado Review, and Conjunctions.

He writes: "I love writing for younger readers. I love their passion. I love their commitment to stories. I love the way their heads are exploding with all the things they want to say and do. Thanks for reading the things I've written."

Grace Lin, a NY Times bestselling author/ illustrator, won the Newbery Honor for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and her picture book, A Big Mooncake for Little Star, was awarded the Caldecott Honor. Grace is an occasional commentator for New England Public Radio , a video essayist for PBS NewsHour (here & here), and the speaker of the popular TEDx talk, The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child’s Bookshelf. She is the co-host of the podcast Book Friends Forever, a kidlit podcast about friendship and publishing (geared for adults). Find her facebook, instagram , twitter ( @pacylin) or sign up for her author newsletter HERE.

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