Where do you write?

MR. I: Heidy-ho, Miss Erin. Thanks for stopping by Room 6 to talk about writing with my super students. I'll ask a few questions first, then turn it over to the class. All righty?

ERIN: Sounds good. Thanks for having me!

MR. I: One of the things our class is wondering is, where do you get your nifty ideas?

ERIN: I am a big observer. I love watching and listening to people around me. There are ideas everywhere, if you remember to keep your eyes and ears and imagination open! I like to pull ideas for my books from real life - stories on the radio, overheard conversations at doctors' offices, things that happen in my own family, that sort of thing. I started developing the idea for Puppy Pirates after my dog wore a pirate costume for his first Halloween! Of course, the idea of a family with magical powers isn't something that I pulled directly from real life, but the idea of fitting in is something everyone grapples with from time to time. It's just that the Quirks have to deal with fitting in on a much larger scale.

MR. I: Where did you come up with the Quirk family's magic powers? Golly, I'd really like to be able to rewind time.

ERIN: So would I! But obviously, magical powers also get people in quite a bit of trouble - as the Quirk family knows, all too well. As for how I came up with the Quirks' powers...I'm not really sure, exactly, when I figured out who could do what. I had all kinds of ideas floating around in my head, and it was really the characters themselves who came to me first - their powers followed their personalities.

I knew I wanted the Quirk series to be about family, first and foremost. The other thing that really struck me as interesting was a set of twins - one with magical powers, and one without. I have twins myself (boy/girl), and I find it really cool to see how very connected they are, though they're totally different kids! I love writing about Molly and Penelope as they go through very similar experiences, knowing that each one will respond to and deal with the things that are thrown at them in very different ways.

Finn was there all along, really - the idea for him came from my family's imaginary (invisible) fourth kid. Once I started writing, Finn kept begging to be a bigger character. He's hilarious, so he ended up getting a much larger role than I originally thought he would have. Frankly, Finn reminds me a lot of my own kids, so maybe that's why he's so fun to write about...

Grandpa Quill plopped onto the page fully-formed - that's a guy whose character seemed to just come to life the minute I wrote his first lines. Bree, however, took quite a bit of work in revisions. Her magic felt a little fuzzy for a long time - the most important thing to me was that she needed to become the nurturing force that really does hold this fun family together with love and acceptance. But I had a hard time making it clear to the reader exactly how her magic works (and doesn't work).

MR. I: So do you revise your books a lot? My students are working on revising and perfecting some Haikus we've been jotting down - it's a long process. Revising a whole book must take a mighty long time.

ERIN: It does! I started writing the Quirks in 2010...and the first book didn't come out until June 2013. So it took more than three years to get this first book right! I went through more than ten drafts of the novel before my editor and I felt good about it - and frankly, when you're an author, it never really feels like the book is done.

MR. I: How do you mean?

ERIN: Sometimes, I still edit myself when I read my books aloud to classrooms full of kids. I will add and subtract things here and there, just to feel like I'm still in control of the book. It's hard to let go of something you've worked on for so long.

MR. I: That's neato. I hope you don't mind my asking, but do you like the way your two series - The Quirks and Puppy Pirates - turned out?

ERIN: Ha! Of course I do. I'm so proud of these stories, and the best thing is, I love writing about all of these characters. After so much time with the Quirk family and the Salty Bone crew, I never grow tired of them. In fact, I sometimes feel like they're real.

MR. I: I'm not sick of those charming Quirk girls, either. They're a delight to have in class. And their mother is a real jewel.

ERIN: I'm glad you think so.

MR. I: Will you write more books about the Quirk family? What about the Puppy Pirates?

ERIN: No more Quirks, I'm afraid. I ended the series after book four. There are already 10 Puppy Pirates adventures on the horizon - and I'd love to write more! But I'm also working on a couple new series that I'll come back to tell you more about soon.

MR. I: Thanks a bunch, Miss Erin. Nolan? Did you have a question?

NOLAN PAULSON: Yeah, I do. Do you draw your own pictures? Can you draw me?

ERIN: Luckily, my publishers hire professional illustrators to draw the pictures in my books. I love to create characters in my mind, and I sometimes sketch out my characters and scenes to use while I'm putting a story together. But I prefer to have someone else illustrate my books for me - it's fun to see someone else's vision of what my characters look like!

NOLAN: I can draw anything. Wanna see?

MR. I: Mr. Paulson...

NOLAN: How does your illustrator know what to draw? Do you boss him or her around?

ERIN: The way it works is this: When I finish a book, I send it to my editor. We then work on revising the book a bunch of times, and when we finally feel good about it and are ready to call it done, the art director at my publishing house sends the manuscript to the illustrator. She or he reads the book, then decides what s/he wants to draw. S/he sketches up some great ideas for scenes and characters and such, and then sends them back to the art director so we can all say yes to our favorites. It's really fun to see what scenes inspire the illustrator to draw a picture...I'm always surprised to see the art inside and on the cover of the book. I feel like the stories really come alive with all this incredible art.

MR. I: I believe Stella has another question about The Quirks, if you don't mind, Nolan. Stella?

STELLA: Yeah, I was wondering: Why did you start writing about the Quirk family in the first place?

ERIN: Well, I love writing about lovable and silly families…but in my teen and tween novels (which I write using the name Erin Downing), I often write about dysfunctional families who don’t get along very well. So I wanted to write a book about a family that loves and supports one another, people who are there for each other no matter what. The Quirks (who were originally called the Martins!) hatched from there. Because the family's "Quirks" make it difficult for them to fit in with the rest of the world, they're extra close to and supportive of one another.

MR. I: So what came first, the chicken or the egg?

ERIN: How do you mean?

MR. I: Har de har! I mean, did you come up with their magic powers first, or did you know what the characters would be like before you figured out what their Quirks were going to be.

ERIN: That's a great question. I actually created the book's characters and their personalities first, and came up with their "Quirks" second...so that their magic would match their personality!

MR. I: Our media specialist is always eager to find the perfect book for the perfect kiddo here in Normal. Any idea what kinds of kids would like this book?

AMELIA: Would I like it?

JOEY: Would I?

ERIN: Mr. Intihar, I'd be happy to talk to your media specialist about books anytime! I love sharing book recommendations (I have a whole page of them here on my website!). I read a lot of kids' books, and keep shelves full of my favorites. The Quirks is a middle-grade chapter book that would be perfect for kids who love books like Junie B., Judy Moody, Stink, Ivy & Bean, and other fun early chapter books, but are ready for the next step. The Quirks books are a little longer and more complicated than early chapter books—but the themes are not difficult or scary. Puppy Pirates is perfect for fans of Magic Tree House, Junie B., and other chapter book series. I like to write funny books, but also books with a lot of heart!

MR. I: One last question, and then I'd best get these kids off to the lunchroom. Yes, Norah?

NORAH: Is there anyone special who inspired you to write about the Quirks?

ERIN: Actually, yes. I’ve been writing young adult and tween novels for a while, but I really wanted to write something my own kids would enjoy. I wrote a story that I hoped they would adore—and they do! They’re my best brainstorming partners, and the perfect first readers for all of my books. It’s great to have my target audience sitting at the dinner table with me!

MR. I: Well, Miss Erin, we thank you so much for your visit today. Have a swell day in Normal!