Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Introducing John Green

When we Buzz Girls decided to do this very special interview week, my first thought was, "John Green!" Some bees might remember John from my Geeky Cute AuthorBoyz post of last year. (He was #1, by the way.) Since I have a huge author crush on him and my editor was the assistant on his first two books, I thought I would take advantage of this opportunity to get to know him a little better.

Before we get into the interview, here's some background on John. His first book, Looking for Alaska, won the Michael J. Printz Award (mega-prestigious) along with a bunch of other accolades. Then came An Abundance of Katherines, a Printz honor book and Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. Now, his latest, Paper Towns, is following in those well-awarded footsteps by winning the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for YA lit. Pretty awesome credentials, huh?



Well, on top of all that, John has a huge online following (the Nerdfighters) that began with Brotherhood 2.0, a vlog between John and his brother Hank. Their cleverness and hilarity earned them legions of fans that quickly followed them to the Nerfighters Ning--and made Paper Towns an instant bestseller.

The very best part is that John is genuinely nice, answered all of my questions with his characteristic wit (and uncharacteristic speed), and has proven himself entirely worthy of my author crush.

Now, without further explanation or gushing, John Green.

1. The obligatory author question: What's your process? Do you begin with a premise or a situation or a character? How do you proceed from there?

I begin with characters, although saying that maybe creates the expectation that I sit down and start writing with these wholly formed characters in my mind, which isn't the case. I start with characters, but in the process of writing the first draft, try to understand the people in the book and their stories better. Then I delete most of that first draft in revision. Most of the real writing of my books is done in revision.

2. The other obligatory author question: Describe your workplace. Do you write at home or out in the world? On the computer, longhand, in crayon, or by other means? What do you drink/eat/listen to while writing?

I write on a computer, and I have written on a computer since I was eight and my dad got us an Apple IIe. In a lot of ways, my books are collaborations between the computer and me. (I assume this is true for many writers, but my writing process is so intertwined with the architecture of word processing software--the cutting and pasting and scrolling and searching and replacing--that I literally don't know how to do it any other way.)

Physical location is less significant to me--I often write in various rooms of my house, but sometimes go to coffee shops or write in hotel rooms or airports or wherever I find myself. I don't listen to music while writing, except occasionally.

3. You collect famous last words (and used them in your debut, Printz-and-billions-of-others-award-winning novel, Looking For Alaska). Have any new ones or favorites you'd like to share? Or, if you could pre-script your own last words right now, what would they be?

If I could prescript my last words, I would tell my wife I love her. Hardly memorable, but that's what I'd say. Most of my favorite last words didn't make their way into the book, actually, because I didn't want to overwhelm the novel with last words and make it feel all schticky. The best last words I've come across are those of Emily Dickinson: I must go in. The fog is rising.

4. For An Abundance of Katherines, you had to do some serious, brain-bending, math-related research. What's the most outrageous/hardest/craziest thing you've done in the name of research?

Well, the vast majority of my research involves typing things into a computer. I know that there's no substitute for "being there," but there's also no substitute for detailed satellite maps with topographical overlays. (So, for instance, I had to figure out how to break into Sea World for Paper Towns. It is easy enough just to break into Sea World--I'm not going to comment on whether I did that--but just breaking into Sea World does not give you an actual sense of HOW it happened, only that it happened.) I go to the places I write about, and spend a lot of time there, but other than that, yeah, all my research is inside the Internet. (Yet another way my books would be impossible without computers.)

5. You are single-handedly responsible for the resurrection of the word awesome. Why awesome? Why not rad, amped, killer, or some other slang term from our generation?

I don't even know, and I partially regret it. I've always liked taking a word and playing around with its tense or usage--adjectiving nouns or verbing adjectives or whatever. Awesome was ruined long, long before I got to it--here is this word that manages to capture both the fascination and the terror we feel when we encounter something radically other, the feeling we have when we're on our knees and praying in hope *and* praise *and* fear *and* gratitude. Here is this amazing word, and now we use it to describe...a skateboarding trick. Ideally, we should have let awesome go the way of rad, so that it might one day be returned to its original splendor, but the problem is that for me at least the word still retains the tiniest vestige of its former greatness, and so I just like it.

So when my brother and I started making videoblogs, we used the word a lot because we liked it, and then we started using it as a noun because we both like to play around with usage, and then it just kind of took off with our viewers.

6. If you were in high school today, what fictional character(s) would you want to take to prom and/or eat lunch with?

Huck Finn.

7. If you could require every teen in the country to read three books before graduation, what would they be and why?

My answers are involve the dreaded classics, I'm afraid: The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, because it's beautifully written and discusses all the most important things. The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger, because more than any other book I've read, it gets to the murderous isolation that accompanies every adolescence. And The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, because love is never any better than the lover.

8. Define irony. (Seriously. I was a theatre major. I'm still trying to figure it out.)

I've always just gone with the definition Ethan Hawke's character uses in the film Reality Bites: Irony is when the actual meaning is the complete opposite from the literal meaning.

9. First there was the blog, then the vlog, and now Twitter and the Ning. Your online presence has been a major contributor to your success--that and phenomenal writing talent, of course. Is that "work" for you, or fun? Do you ever worry that it takes time away from the writing? What's the next big thing in online networking?

I think Twitter is the next big thing in online networking, but it's important to remember that nothing lasts forever in this brave new world. We're always cycling through technologies, because the next one will give us the feeling of interconnectedness we want (which of course the next one never quite does).

I think to be totally honest that my online presence has done more to get my books out to their audience than any talent I might have as a writer. My job is to write the best books I possibly can, but I also want people to read and like those books. So certainly the online work is very much part of my job. Vlogging and blogging are fun a lot of the time, but so is writing. (Working at Steak 'n Shake was also often fun, but it was still work.)

As for whether it takes time away from my writing: I'm sure it does. But I've always had work other than writing--whether it was a day job or Internet-based stuff, so I don't see it as a problem.

10. What can gushing fangirls and nerdfighters everywhere expect from you next? (In the literary sense, not the general, what-I'm-having-for-lunch-tomorrow sense.)

I've got a new book coming out in April of next year that I cowrote with my friend David Levithan called WILL GRAYSON WILL GRAYSON. So look out for that! And of course between now and then, many vlogs and blogs and tweets and status updates.

Oh, I think we'll all be following closely.

Now for the free stuff! I'm giving away a collection of John's books (Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, and Paper Towns). Comment below with your answer to Question 6: What fictional character(s) would you want to take to prom and/or eat lunch with? (I'm feeling generous, so I won't outlaw Edward Cullen as a possible answer.)

Hugs,
TLC

OH. MY. GODS. (now in paperback!)
GODDESS BOOT CAMP (out now!)

85 comments:

Liyana said...

I'd love to eat lunch with Buffy The Vampire Slayer. She knows martial arts too, too well, and I'm betting she could teach me how to shed the calories off after lunch! Not only that, but let's talk fashion sense and quirky quips. Not only does she slay vampires and other nondescript characters on a daily basis, but she manages to stay in the latest of fashion trends and make snarky comments too?!

Life's unfair, but not that unfair that she can't teach me! Also, I can use those newfound skills to beat my homework into submission and make veiled threats to people who threaten my family and friends. *narrows eyes*

Bottom line; I wanna be her protege. ;) Oh, and heck no, she won't be following me to prom! We'll be outside in the cool night staking *coughglitterycough* vampires, kthanksbai.

Babycat said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Babycat said...

What fictional character(s) would you want to take to eat lunch with?

Hmmm that's a tough one... There's a lot of character's I would love to have lunch with...The true question is do I go with the classics and sound intelligent. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy from 'Pride and Prejudice' or Holden Caulfield from 'Catcher in the Rye...

Or do I satisfy my inner "teenage girl" and list the group of totally hot guys I wouldn't mind meeting.

Hmmm it’s more fun to go with the latter... :)

Marc- from the Shifter series by Rachel Vincent,
Shane form the Morganville Vampire series by Rachel Caine,
Jared McCreary from Top Ten Uses... by Tina Ferraro,
Griffin or Troy from Oh. My. Gods. by Tera lynn Childs.
Marcus from the Bewitching series by Madelyn Alt.
and instead of Edward Cullen I'm going to go with his brother Jasper Hale...

Now that I sound like a Hot-boy-character-obsessed fan, I think I'll quit writing...

Everyone good luck and have a great week !!!!

Jennifer Rummel said...

Mr Darcy! hands down.

nisha said...

I'm afraid I would jump Mr. Darcy if I took him to prom or had lunch with him. I was quite hormone enraged as a teen girl. I'm with John on the classics though. I always wanted to get inside Daisy Buchanan's head from The Great Gatsby. There was something about her feigned innocence, her white car, that always got to me. I think about the character every time I ride in a white car with a friend or whatever.

Great interview!

<3Nisha

Erica said...

Question 6: What fictional character(s) would you want to take to prom and/or eat lunch with?
I'd want to eat lunch with Kahlan Amnell from Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth! She's such a strong women, and could inspire many. I mean she's someone who's basically hated by all because of something she can't control, yet she still goes out and does her best to help those same people who hate her for something she was born with.

Anonymous said...

I want to start with how amazing that interview was. I love John Green. I am currently re-reading An Abundance of Katherines and I am a proud nerdfighter!!! Now to the question. I think I would eat lunch with Hannah from Thirteen Reasons Why. She seemed like an amazing person if you got to break through her outer shell. I wouldn't take her to prom though. That honor would go to Harry Potter.

TinaFerraro said...

At the risk of looking like a kiss-up, I'd like to say Pudge from LOOKING FOR ALASKA!

Great interview...and I especially appreciated reading Emily Dickenson's last words!

Anonymous said...

Question 6: I'd take Carrie to prom. It'd be an interesting night.

Sarah said...

Well, we just finished reading "An Abundance of Katherine's" in my teen reading club, so I would like to take Colin to prom. My name is not Katherine, but I think he might be over that by now.

Amanda McLoughlin said...

I would want to talk to Werther from 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' by Goethe. He is such a complex, artistic young man, though not completely sane all the time. He makes some wonderful observations about the world, and I would love to discuss those with him.

In terms of modern fiction, I would just love to spend a day with Alaska! Her vibrant personality and curiosities fascinate me, so meeting her would be wonderful.

adribetty394 said...

Hmmm ... lunch and prom are very different occasions. Because one talks about a lot of very very interesting things during lunch and so I think I'd have to pick someone who's brain I'd like to pick for lunch while for prom it would be more of a "OMG it's be so cool to touch your hair" type of fictional character.

With that in mind I think I'd want to have lunch with Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince.
Because I've learned many things from him every time I read the novel, so lunch would be...dare I say it...awesome.

On the other hand prom is a completely different event to which I'd take someone who's hair I'd very very much want to touch. I'm going to make public my opinion that TV is a form of literature and go ahead and say I'd very much like to take Sylar from Heroes to prom. Yes, risk of decapitation and all, he has nice versatile hair.

Gamesplaychris said...

Ford Perfect from the hitchhikers guide could be very interesting to have lunch with. May even get a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster out of it too :)

Anne Shealy said...

I absolutely love the John Green books and apparently my students do too. In fact, ALL of them were stolen from my classroom library this year!

Of the characters that I would take to lunch, I would have to say one of the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird. Jem is going to grow into such a nice young man and so once he's grown up a bit, I'd enjoy his company. Or, it could be Boo Radley. I've always appreciated his quiet, gentle nature.

Anonymous said...

I think it would be fun to hang out with Will Freeman from About a Boy. Maybe talk some sense into him, haha.

Summer said...

What a cool interview. John Green seems so cool. I still haven't read any of his books yet. I'm lame. Who would I eat lunch with? Uh... wow, I'm trying to think of somebody hot. I don't know. Back in 7th grade I had a crush on Jem from To Kill a Mockingbird so let my 13 year old self go out with him.

Anonymous said...

I wanna eat with santa because I would love to know how hard it would be to visit nearly every house in just one night!! How cool/awesome??

Jackie Zimmerman said...

Honestly, as lame as it sounds... Colin from an abundance of katherines. The underlying humor and wit that embodies that character is amazing. I feel like we could just sit around and the banter would be awesome.

Katrina Gavel said...

Dumbledore, hands down.

Artemisia said...

I don't do prom. But lunch ... ? And Dary is already taken ... ? Actually - I'd have tea with Miss Marple inside a Jane Austen novel, would love to have her running commentary on all that ...

Artemisia said...

DarCy. Not Dary. But fascinating though Dumbledore is, I can't quite shake the feeling that would be kind of tiresome, and I'd spend the entire time feeling inadequate.

C. M. Higgins said...

Franny from Salinger's Franny and Zooey.

MollyOmigosh said...

I would want to take Pudge from looking for Alaska to prom, because something tells me he never got asked in high school. Plus, he actually has some interesting thoughts, but isn't pushy about them. He has a really cool and fascinating history that I feel would make him a really good person overall. I would try to comfort him and help him move on from Alaska if he let me. His background is really humble too, so his expectations will be low. Which is always a good thing, I suppose. Better to be happy with what you have, than crave more because you've had it. Well, then again, I don't think I'll ever be able to fit in Alaska's flip-flops, but maybe I can at least put a band-aid on the broken heart she left behind. He's up for anything, too. I mean, just look at the pranks he helped pull off! Pretty much guarentees a fun prom night. Instead of sweet nothings, he could whisper last words into my ear. Morbid, but interesting. lol (maybe that will make up for his, I'm sure 'erratic' at best dance moves) Oh!. And I'd show him there's better things in life than blow-jobs from Russian girls. :p

morganjacobson said...

What fictional character would I like to go out with?

I would take Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series. She strong and independent and of course smart, she is a Ravenclaw after all. Plus, she is a little eccentric, but that makes her special. It would be fun just to listen to her talk.

Great interview

Shanan said...

I would definitely like to spend time with Hannibal Lector from Silence of the Lambs, get a feel for that profound insight ... Of course I would have to take him to prom as I'm not sure what he would think if I walked up to him and said "would you like some lunch?".

The Golfing Librarian said...

I'd like to take to Prom/Lunch Caroline "Sister Carrie" Meeber, from Theodore Dreiser's "Sister Carrie". But only sweet, pure, fresh from Wisconcin Carrie. Not the Carrie that had been polished like a bannister by a thousand hands.

Anonymous said...

What a fantastic interview! :D

What fictional character(s) would I take to prom/go to lunch with?

I would want to go to lunch with the entire gang from Jurassic Park (even Gennaro and Hammond).

The conversation would be so stimulating, not to mention I'd get to look at Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill the whole time ;] (they would *be* like the characters in the book, rather than the movie, but they would *look* like the ones in the movie, lol).

We could talk about chaos theory and the threat of dinosaurs living in today's world versus the benefits of it, and discuss how much closer dinosaurs are to birds than they are lizards.

It would be so interesting and I love those characters with all my heart. To be able to eat with them and chat for an hour would be a dream come true.

Adela said...

Honestly, and not because this is under a John Green interview, I would love to spend time with Alaska from Looking for Alaska.
She seems so interesting and I got really attached to her as a character, I can't even explain why I liked her so much! I know her character is really screwed up in a lot of ways but that's part of how interesting she is. Just the way she sees the world is so strange and I love it. The weirdest part is that she's not that similar to me but I understand her really well. And the parts about her that I don't understand are what interests me the most.

Unknown said...

Hassan - because us fatties have to stick together.

Dayna said...

Patrick Bateman from American Psycho or Holden Caulfield.

Mary said...

Mr. Darcy is (evidently) the obvious choice for a prom date. Although I fear he wouldn't be much fun, as Lord knows he wouldn't dance unless he was exceptionally taken by me.

As far as lunch goes, I think the girls from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants would be a whole lot of fun.

Tsplasher4 said...

ahg. well. I don't really have a book hero that I'd love to go to prom with BUT. I would enjoy eating lunch with Nick Carraway or Jay Gatsby from the Great Gatsby because I believe they could explain those experiences better than the book itself could.

Thao said...

I have a copy of John Green's debut book but I haven't read it yet, still saving it for summer. He sounds so cool in the interview and I'm excited about his new book already.

Fictional character I want to take to a prom date? Definitely Jordan from Two Way Street. He's genuine, fun and caring. We could totally ditch prom in the middle for something else if I don't feel belonged - which I usually do.

Llehn said...

I'd love to have lunch with Nobody Owens from the Graveyard Book. I think he would have a very interesting point of view on life (and death) and maybe he could teach me how to Fade and Dream Walk!

anna said...

I would love to have lunch w/ the fictional version of Jerry Seinfeld from the sitcom Seinfeld. You may argue that technically he's a real person but the Jerry on the show and real-life comedian Jerry Seinfeld are different. A lot of my own humor has come from literally growing up watching the show. I would love to sit down w/ fictional Jerry and basically just make fun of things. There's something about comedians that really fascinates me.

TapperLisa said...

I would have to say Peter Wiggin from the Ender books by Orson Scott Card. (adult Peter, The Hegemon)
In "Ender's Game" Peter is built up as this evil big brother in Ender's head. As the series continues you get to hear about Peter's ultimate wisdom and humanity, but never truly see it first hand. I would love to have lunch with him and see the balance of the cruel boy and successful, benevolent world leader while hearing his point of view of the events of his life.

Manar said...

That is a very difficult question. I think that if I had to pick someone, then I would pick Dumbledore. (To go to lunch with, not prom.)

stephhale said...

Great questions, TLC!
Congrats on all your success, John and thanks for honoring the bees with your presence today.

ps- TAKHOMASAK rules! ;)

Anonymous said...

Great interview!

As to question 6, I would just have to say Dorian Gray. It would certainly make the evening/lunch interesting!

horriblehannah said...

I could probably go on forever and ever about the book characters I'd like to eat lunch with, but I guess I have to Harry Potter, because he's the first book character I ever fell in love with.

I've been infatuated with him since I was 7 years old, so going out to lunch with Harry would be something of a dream come true. I have to add that my attraction to Harry isn't just physical attraction, but also emotional and very personal. I'm drawn to him as a character and as a person.

So there's my daily dose of fangirling for you...I love Harry Potter and John Green :]

Heather Davis said...

Wow -- look at you guys comment -- that is an awesome response and someone is going to win a book just for commenting. Yay!
Congrats to John Green on his great success and thanks for a fab interveiw TLC! I can't wait to see who turns up on the Buzz Blog interview tomorrow!! I know I've got someone super cool for Thursday...

Hugs,

Heath
PS I would eat lunch with Mr. Darcy, of course. ;)

Breanna said...

There are many fictional characters that I'd love to sit down and have lunch with but the one that comes to mind right now is Holden Caulfield.

I think the main reason that I can read the catcher in the rye over and over again is because of Holden's point of view on everything. He's just so sarcastic and awesome. It would be great to be able to sit down and actually talk to him!

-Breanna

Neko the Ninja said...

I would definitely have lunch with Harry Potter, no doubt.

after him, maybe.. Tom Sawyer, Alex Delarge, or Artemis Fowl.

JacquelynMarrr said...

I think I would like to take Spencer Martin from Suite Scarlett to prom. From the way he is described, he would totally have a lot of fun, and be a crazy, out of control dancer. And it's better to dance with someone as crazy as you do ( I love crazy dancing). And plus I have a total boy from a book crush on him.

Ashley Rautenstrauch said...

Great interview!

I'd take Henry DeTamble from "The Time Traveler's Wife" out to lunch. I'd love to talk with him about music and art- he seems like a well-versed guy. The time travel might pose a problem, though. ( :

Sydney said...

Oooh . . . that's a hard one! And I'm going to make myself sound like a total obsessed girl right now, but I would have lunch with Carlisle Cullen (even though I'd be the only one eating) and go to prom with Edward. Honestly, I tried to think of other characters, but I kept circling back to them. I considered having lunch with Mersault from The Stranger just because he irritates me and I'd love to knock some sense into him. I thought about several women . . . but I kept coming back to those darn Cullen men!

I think talking to Carlisle would be so enlightening. Think of all the things he's seen and experienced with how long he's been alive and all the places he's traveled!! I'd also love to experience the compassion he has. I would pick his brain and try to figure out how he stays so calm and compassionate. I could definitely learn from him.

And Edward . . . apart from obvious reasons, the way he thinks is so fascinating to me! It's so different from how I think. He's so analytical and everything is so black and white to him. Very interesting. He's most definitely not perfect, but perfect guys are boring!

Unknown said...

I'd choose lunch with Avi's Charlotte Doyle. What an adventure she had!

Brittaneee said...

I would love to eat lunch with Fred and George Weasley. I can only imagine the insane amount of fun a lunch with them would be.

To go to prom with I have a thing for the evil guys so I am going to have to go with Draco Malfoy. I mean he's rich and good looking. Perfect and ideal for a prom date no?

fyiagcg said...

I thought about this one pretty hard, and decided I would very much like to have lunch with Katherine from 'Taming of the Shrew' or Beatrice from 'Much Ado about Nothing', because they are both smart, funny women with wicked and sharp wit. I think we could have fun at a corner cafe and people watch.

As far as prom, I would very much like to go with (and I'm not sucking up here, he's the only teenage boy that I would want to go with) Colin from John Green's 'An Abundance of Katherines'. He'd actually have things to say while we were there.

kelly said...

What fictional character(s) would you want to take to eat lunch with?

Well I'd like to have a kind of mini lunch party with Margo from 'Paper Towns', Kernel and Bec from the 'Demonata' series by Darren shan and Jasper and Alice from 'Twilight' because I think it would be very interesting to see how each of their personalities are similar and different, not to mention that I think these characters are great! There are so many different characters that I would like to have lunch with but I'd think it would be the most interesting with those characters!

Shakespeare said...

Answer: Honestly, I couldn't go through with it. So far I haven't read a character that I would want to take off the pages and force them into real life. Their worlds are so different than ours that it would most likely be really awkward.

Besides, can a character really say or think anything other than what the author writes him to? So technically, you'd be taking the author to prom or to lunch, since every character has a little bit of the author (no matter how tiny that piece is) embedded in its being.

I've decided: I chose whichever character that will have John Green sitting across the food court table from me. (And if Maureen Johnson just happens to show up, I'm sure we can spare some table space.) =P

Patricia Oppenheim, Ph. D. said...

Very boring and trite but I would like to go to the prom with Harry Potter so I would be able to learn some magic and feel protected from the forces of evil.

On a more classical note, I would probably choose Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights because I can still remember the yearning I felt reading the book at age 12.

kirsten watson said...

What fictional character(s) would you want to take to prom and/or eat lunch with?

I would have to say Holden from The Catcher in the Rye, because his thoughts and expressions throughout his short journey in the book taught me a lot about life. It also taught me a lot about myself, and the person I want to be. Although, we'd both probably ditch prom thinking it was an unnecessary occassion, only to miss the experience later.

Close seconds were Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower (because only after that book did I become presently aware of the infinite moments) and Miles from Looking for Alaska (read when I was fourteen, a book and a character that opened my eyes to everything I couldn't understand before).

Spending a day with Alaska would be quite the experience too, while we are both the self destructive mirrors of our past, her extrovert-like personality would collide wonderfully with my rather introvert one.

Cate said...

I think it would be ridiculously interesting to have lunch with Andrew "Ender" Wiggin from the Ender series. I've never really been a huge fan of sci-fi but all of the Ender books, especially Ender's Game, have found a special place in my heart. Ender is an extremely well developed character and I think that if he were a real person he would have a lot to teach the world (actually even as a fictional character he can show people a lot of things they're doing wrong...). Ender is really smart, but he is also very caring and he seems to have a great passion for everything that he does. I think that even just having lunch and talking with him for 30 minutes would make me an infinitely better person.

Izzle said...

I would most like to have dinner with Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series. I find Snape very interesting, and feel that he'd have many an intriguing story to tell. We could have a lovely dinner together and then he could knock me up a potion or two, purely for recreationl use you understand (jokes). If evil Lord Voldemort decided to pop by, at least i would have some chance of not being killed by him, we may even be able to resume our dinner after Snape is done with him.
I approve of Snape's take on gothic fashion, it's comfortable, yet smart enough for dinner at a resaurant or bistro. His hair could do with some work, but i'm sure i could fix that. I do find Snape weirdly attractive, and we could while away the hours slapping Ron Weasley with text books and bitching about Harry.

Great question.
I would like to end with:
DFTBA! Nerdfighters!

Unknown said...

Godot.

Enough said.

Lorelai said...

Hamlet!

Crazy? Not crazy?

Maybe totally rational given his information, but relying on hallucinations as "information"?

I'd like to know.

Renee said...

Question 6: What fictional character(s) would you want to take to prom and/or eat lunch with? I would love to have lunch with the Marquis de Carabas from Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. The Marquis is so intriguing that I always want to know more about him. I'm quite sure that I would not be able to get any more out of him than he would be willing to tell, but it would be terribly interesting to pick his brain.

I'd like to know how he became Marquis. Was he born in London Below or was he originally from London Above? If we could have lunch in London Below that would be amazing as well. However, I will not eat any cat! :P

SamiMae said...

If I could choose any fictional character to eat lunch with, I'd have to choose Stargirl.

I'm going to be a sophomore in college and I chose Stargirl because she is one of the most unique girls ever imagined. I read the book a couple of years ago. It was meant to be read just so I could do a book report, but I hadn't realized I would quickly fall in love with the unique qualities of the young girl.

When eating lunch with Stargirl, the first thing I would be sure to tell her is that I still flip pennies heads up if I find them on tails, just so others can have good luck.

Eating lunch with such a unique girl like Stargirl would make me look totally unique as well. Hopefully, I would learn a thing or two from her amazing personality.

SamiMae said...

If I could choose any fictional character to eat lunch with, I'd have to choose Stargirl.

I'm going to be a sophomore in college and I chose Stargirl because she is one of the most unique girls ever imagined. I read the book a couple of years ago. It was meant to be read just so I could do a book report, but I hadn't realized I would quickly fall in love with the unique qualities of the young girl.

When eating lunch with Stargirl, the first thing I would be sure to tell her is that I still flip pennies heads up if I find them on tails, just so others can have good luck.

Eating lunch with such a unique girl like Stargirl would make me look totally unique as well. Hopefully, I would learn a thing or two from her amazing personality.

Marley Gibson said...

Excellent interview, TLC!!!

Unknown said...

I would love to eat lunch with Aravis from the Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis. She just seems like someone who I would really get along well with and she is a great story teller. Her attitude toward Lasaraleen is very similar to how I am toward most girls my age. I think we would get along splendidly.

Anonymous said...

Lunch with Mrs. Weasley would be a blast. I've got a bunch of boys, she's got a bunch of boys -- we could compare horror stories and most miraculous I-can't-believe-he-survived-that stories. ;)

Paddy said...

I think I'd like to have lunch with Ellie from the series "Tomorrow, When the War Began." Actually, I think I just want to mother her. Does that count? :-)

Andrea said...

Atticus Finch.

OtherLivingThings said...

I'd give a lot to have lunch with the prince from The Little Prince. What a fascinating character.
I think he has an immense amount to comment on in the way of living and being a person on earth. His story has been my favorite since I was nine years old, and it remains one of the few books I have found that takes creativity so seriously. The prince knows how to love, and I can't imagine a better thing to learn.

Anonymous said...

What fictional character(s) would you want to take to prom and/or eat lunch with?
This is a near to impossible question. Out of all the books i have read I have narrowed it down to one lunch date and one prom date!

My more pretentious answer is to have lunch "Iago" from "Othello". After studying his superior manipulating skills in High School I am in awe of his general awesomeness.

But the teenage girl inside of me won't let me go without saying that I wouldn't exactly mind Mr Mark Darcy from "Bridget Jones' Diary" taking me to prom! He is the modernized version of Pride and Prejudice's Mr. Darcy

Mena said...

Jo March from Little Women, Little Men, and Jo's Boys. She was a female author and a women's rights activist at a time with it wasn't popular. She taught others, was a moral example, and a wonderful mother. She knew her faults and strove to improve them. She's always been one of my heroines!

Christina said...

I would have lunch with Shane Collins from the Morganville Vampires series. He is just so... amazing. If someone he cares about is in any kind of trouble he is there fighting for them.

Unknown said...

Hi :)
Great Interview.
I would love to have lunch with Honor Harrington from the David Weber series. And then take her to Prom. :)
Thanks
xoxo

Stephanie Pellegrin said...

Hannibal Lecter... kidding!

In all seriousness, probably Aslan from C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia." I'd love to know how his mind works, what he thinks, etc.

Lori T said...

I would love to have lunch with Rose Hathaway from Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy or Ponyboy from S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders.

Congrats on your success John and your books sound really good.

Stephanie Kuehnert said...

Great interview! I would love to have lunch with Weetzie Bat from Francesca Lia Block's books. I'd go to prom with her too if she would make a dress for me out of adorable cartoon print sheets and feathers and other such things!

Kay Cassidy said...

What a fun interview! And WOW. I remember our Apple IIe. I was a... um... fetus at the time, I think.

#6 - I'd have to agree with someone else who said Dumbledore. What an amazing, if cryptic, meal that would be.

Unknown said...

I would eat lunch with Anne Shirley, probably circa Anne of the Island. There would be picnicking, wildflower gathering, and an unplanned adventure or two!

An Ng. said...

Great interview! I've been a fan of John Green for a while now, and have absolutely enjoyed all of his works.

To answer the question, the fictional character that I totally take out to lunch is Antoine de Saint Exupéry's Little Prince. As a matter of fact, I spent my high school and college years learning French only so that someday, if I ever meet the Little Prince, I'd be able to tell him that I'd like to be tamed by him as well.

Amanda said...

Great interview! John Green is one of my favourite authors.

I'd love to eat lunch with The Doctor from the show "Doctor Who". Being over 900 years old and having travelled all over the universe, and through time, he would have some interesting stories to tell. And don't even get me started on the TARDIS, just seeing it would be beyond awesome.

Ms Davidson said...

Owen Meany!!! A Prayer for Owen Meany is my favorite book ever (well, after Huck Finn), and you'll never find a more honest character.

Anonymous said...

queen betsy




maryjanice davidson book



blackroze37@yahoo.com

Katie said...

I would take Owen from Sarah Dessen's Just Listen to prom and he would comment on the music selection all night =]

Kristin said...

I would love to talk to Wes from The Truth About Forever for lunch...or for a while. =D
His perspective on people and life just seems so...beautiful (wow, lame...) and interesting. I would love to see where he got that. I would also just love to meet such a great guy and know he's real. (But he's not...haha.)
Oh well.

Anonymous said...

This is so tough--I've felt like characters are my friends in SO many books I've read, and I'd adore meeting any of them IRL. That said, I've currently been re-reading the Ender's Game/Ender's Shadow series and since it's foremost on my mind, I'd say Petra Arkanian. I love her character as a strong girl-woman who is stil human, who loves 100% and fiercely defends what she believes in.

Lindsay said...

Harry Potter.

linzer_08(at)bust(dot)com

Amanda Villagómez said...

I haven't been able to read any of John Green's book yet. Your post made me realize all that I have been missing! I saw Paper Towns a lot before, but I had not heard about his other books.

Hmm...it is hard to choose which character I would like to go to prom/lunch with, but one would definitely be Alex from Perfect Chemistry.

MarjoleinBookBlog said...

I so want to read John Greens books! heard so many great things about it!
Did you know John recently was in the netherlands here? (and I didn't know) He loved the dutch delicacies bitterballen (little fried meat balls) and chocolade hagelslag (chocolate sprinkles on white bread..mm!)His books are translated in dutch now too.
If I could have lunch with a fictional character, I think it would be..ehm..Mia Thermopolis and Tina Hakim Baba from the Princess Diaries, because I think they are two perfect cool friends to have lunch with, and we share the passion for books!