This interview originally appeared in Book Fun Magazine
How long have you been blogging, Max
My first post
was in January of 2007. At that time I’d had a few action-adventures and
mysteries published for young readers.
Why did you begin blogging?
Other writers talked about
how we needed to have blogs in order to connect with our readers. And this was
before social media had arrived. So, along with my website, I began blogging.
Posting on my blog allowed me to put out timely information without having to
wait for someone else to update my website. And it gave people an opportunity
to connect with me directly in a new way.
You grew up in and around
the film production business. Can you tell me more about that?
I had the great privilege
of growing up in a family where our dad wrote, produced, and directed dramatic
films. We lived in Wolf Lake, Michigan, at the time, not far from Muskegon. And
the studio was an old dance hall that had been renovated and moved to a
location close to our house. A dirt path was soon worn through the woods where
I could ride my bike, or, if a tire was flat, it was an easy run to the
building.
Pusing the dolly on the film, Without Onion
From a very young age, I
used to make my way to that studio and hang out in the shadows of the sets.
There I could watch the actors, listen to dialog and timing, notice the
setting, plot, and everything that went into making a film. Later I helped out
in the editing process where the film was cut together and music and sound
effects were added.
Looking lost while editing a film sequence
Working on another film production
Later I sat with audiences
and watched some of the finished films. It was amazing to hear them laugh in
just the right spots, and cry when the story turned sad. Because of those
experiences I knew, from a very early age, that I wanted to work on films, too.
Has your film and video
experience helped in writing action adventures and Mysteries for middle grade
readers?
The 10 books currently published
I believe those early
experiences have everything to do with how I write today. My professional life
included the production of films, video programs, and television commercials
for over forty years. In that time, I was responsible for bringing all kinds of
stories to the screen. In the process, and without my knowing it, I’d been
storing countless impressions, in my subconscious, that would surface later as
I began writing.
I don’t write to an
outline. I do have the beginning, middle, and end in mind when I start, along
with who the main character is and what challenges he’ll be facing. From there
the story emerges in front of me as I write. And writing it feels like I’m
watching a feature film appear right before my eyes. Sometimes I’ll close my
eyes just to look at the setting and observe the characters in a scene.
Borrowing a page from my filmmaking days, I like to have props and pictures around the computer that suggest elements in the story I’m writing. In addition, I’ll play mood appropriate music and even sound effects to help set the tone. I prefer to write summer stories when it’s hot outside and winter stories when the air is freezing. Then, all I have to do is step outside to get in the proper mood.
What is the focus of your
blog?
At first I thought I should
write to kids, but there were some problems with doing that. Parents can be
pretty cautious when it comes to turning young children loose on the Internet,
and I completely agree with them. I realized early that, to get good books into
the hands of kids, I needed to speak to parents, grandparents, and other adults
in their lives. So that’s what I’ve been doing over the last several years. My
blog subjects range from personal experiences, production trips and locations,
important articles by others, and book introductions for other middle grade
authors. Anytime I have an article in magazines like Book Fun, or others, I post information about that along with a link. And each
time I have a new release, it gets a lot of attention on my blog.
Later I go back and do
other promotion for books of mine that have been out for a time. But in everything
that I put on my blog, the focus is on getting kids, especially boys, to read.
After all, where do we expect to find our adult readers of the future if we
aren’t grooming them when they’re young?
Why did you choose to focus
on books for boys?
My writing began in late
2001. At that time, there seemed to be plenty of material available for girls,
but not so much for boys. In addition, I grew up hating to read, even though my
dad was an author of over 70 books. I felt there had to be lots of boys out
there who didn’t like to read. We’d rather be doing things, or seeing how they
work; not reading about them in books. I thought if I could write the kinds of
books I would have enjoyed as a boy, maybe other boys and girls would like
reading them, too, and that’s exactly what I’ve found. What’s been fun is to
hear from kids, and their parent, how reading one of my books is like being in
an exciting movie. It kind of makes all my other work experiences come full
circle.
Who should be reading your
blog?
The information on my blog
would be helpful to teachers, librarians, parents, grandparents, children’s
workers, tutors, and kids. Over the course of a year, there’ll be something for
everyone. Most importantly, if anyone knows of a reluctant reader, like I was,
they should be checking out my blog, too.
Do you plan to continue
with your blog?
Yes. The fact that it came
in 2nd at Book Fun Magazine last year indicates that people are interested in
good reading material for kids. Hopefully, through this award, more and more
people will become aware of my Books for Boys blog http://booksandboys.blogspot.com My new releases are launched on the blog
along with video trailers for these books http://www.youtube.com/user/Maxbooks100?feature=watch
Amazon
Author Page
http://www.amazon.com/Max-Elliot-Anderson/e/B002BLP3EE
What are some of the
subjects you've covered in your blog?
We’ve talked about
bullying, reluctant readers, other authors, current events, issues related to
education, and more. It’s a good place to keep connected with what’s important
to kids and reading.
What do you hope is the
take-away for readers of your blog?
I view my blog as a
conversation. Parents especially can get to know the heart of an author who is
attempting to reach out to children. I’m the dad to two grown children and now
have two little granddaughters. So I know some of the pressures and issues
related to raising children. We need to understand that reading is probably the
most important skill that will predict the success of a child in school and
later in life. Anyone coming to my blog will get that. But there are also
helpful suggestions, links to important articles and sites, along with
information on my new releases. An education company in Canada has contracted six books,
and the serialized
story concept that is emerging through Book Fun Magazine, and Elk Lake
Publishing, should keep my blog pretty active.
What's ahead for your
writing?
There are a number of
things I’d like to write, but I don’t want to get into that just now. And since
I wrote thirty-six middle grade manuscripts, almost non-stop over a period of
three years, there are still several of those that need to find publishing homes. I find
most of my time is spent in marketing, promotion, and writing a regular, monthly column. In addition, I’ll be continuing an ongoing series
with Elk Lake Publishing in the months ahead. It’s called, "The Accidental
Adventures of Kurt Benson and his friends, Riley and Jordan." The first
story, The Cat Burglars, will be
starting soon, is in six parts, and will be delivered primarily to electronic
reading devices. The next story, with the same characters, is Funny Money Mystery. So be sure to watch
for information on these in Book Fun Magazine.
Thank you for taking time to do this interview.
I enjoyed
it, Bill. Nice to connect with you again.
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