Ask the Author: Liz Czukas
Answered Questions (10)
Liz Czukas
I am a LOUSY Valentine's gift giver. Luckily, so is my husband. We pretty much ignore v-day. But even if we did observe, I have to say I prefer gifts that are experiences more than things these days. You can never going wrong with a massage, in my experience :)
Liz Czukas
You never know where and when inspiration is going to strike! Sometimes it's a song lyric, sometimes a What if question, sometimes a certain turn of phrase, or a situation. For Call Me, Maybe, it was thinking about the anxious feeling I get when I have to let someone, even someone close to me, handle my phone. It's absurd how protective I feel about it! That somehow got mixed up in my head with the song Closing Time, which doesn't really have anything to do with the story, but that's how the idea came together!
Liz Czukas
It's kind of oddball, but I love the line from Winnie the Pooh, "If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you." - A.A. Milne
Liz Czukas
Wow, great questions! Readers really seem to respond to the humor in my books, which makes me very proud, so it's kind of a two for one! It's a great feeling being able to make people laugh. I like being a force for laughter in the world. There are always little things that authors would love to change about their books, but overall I'm very happy with the final products.
Thanks for taking the time to leave your questions with me! Sorry it took me so long to get back to you.
Thanks for taking the time to leave your questions with me! Sorry it took me so long to get back to you.
Liz Czukas
Yes I did! Mr. Grandy was my teacher and one of the people who really encouraged me as a writer! In fact, the book is dedicated to all three of my high school English teachers.
Thanks so much for asking!
Thanks so much for asking!
Liz Czukas
That is a fantastic question! I'm sorry I didn't notice it before now, I was on vacation and haven't been to GR in a while.
I would say most of the Top Ten Clues gang are still working at GoodFoods. Gabe is definitely getting ready for going off to college. I think they've stayed friends, and Chloe has definitely been better about taking care of herself :)
I would say most of the Top Ten Clues gang are still working at GoodFoods. Gabe is definitely getting ready for going off to college. I think they've stayed friends, and Chloe has definitely been better about taking care of herself :)
Liz Czukas
I'm always working on something! I can't give you a date for my next YA books, unfortunately, but trust me, I definitely want to bring more books into the world!
Liz Czukas
Hi Chrysten,
Thank you so much! I'm delighted you liked the books. In answer to your questions:
1. I love to create characters. It's my favorite part of writing. I often feel like they come into my head as nearly complete people. Or like I am an archaeologist who is uncovering them a piece at a time. I think it's important not to over-emphasize just one character trait, because real people are very complex. For example, Chloe is shy and bookish, but she's not afraid to admit to herself and readers that she has a big crush on Tyson. And although she had no expectation of winning the race in the store, she definitely wanted to be part of it. It's more realistic for characters to have a few conflicting traits, rather than being stereotypical "nerds" or "flirts" or whatever.
2. I am always working on new projects of all kinds! I don't have any definite dates and titles to give you right now. But I'll be sure to update my profile as soon as I do. In the meantime, if you're looking for some books with fantastic characters and wacky adventures to keep you busy, I recommend...
Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski
Fan Art by Sarah Tregay
Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae
Thank you so much! I'm delighted you liked the books. In answer to your questions:
1. I love to create characters. It's my favorite part of writing. I often feel like they come into my head as nearly complete people. Or like I am an archaeologist who is uncovering them a piece at a time. I think it's important not to over-emphasize just one character trait, because real people are very complex. For example, Chloe is shy and bookish, but she's not afraid to admit to herself and readers that she has a big crush on Tyson. And although she had no expectation of winning the race in the store, she definitely wanted to be part of it. It's more realistic for characters to have a few conflicting traits, rather than being stereotypical "nerds" or "flirts" or whatever.
2. I am always working on new projects of all kinds! I don't have any definite dates and titles to give you right now. But I'll be sure to update my profile as soon as I do. In the meantime, if you're looking for some books with fantastic characters and wacky adventures to keep you busy, I recommend...
Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski
Fan Art by Sarah Tregay
Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae
Liz Czukas
I was standing at the check-out line at the grocery store and I realized that all the cashiers and baggers around me were teenagers and they were all really different from each other. It made me wonder what happened when customers weren't paying attention. The rest of the story just kind of came together once I had my cast of characters.
Liz Czukas
Ooh, that's a tough one. I had such fun writing Heart from ASK AGAIN LATER because she's so dramatic and over the top, but it was also really fun to get into a group of characters for TOP TEN CLUES since they all had to have distinct personalities.
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