by: James Grainger
Gordon Korman is one of the busiest, most prolific, and beloved authors writing for young people today. If that weren’t enough to recommend him to the books site, he also spent most of his childhood and teen years right here in Toronto, where he wrote his first novel, This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall, as a Grade 7 English class assignment. The novel was published in 1978, when Korman was 14, and he’s been a working writer ever since, publishing witty, intensely readable series and stand-alone novels for a loyal fan base.
Korman is back in the city this weekend to promote his latest addition to the 39 Clues series, an action-adventure series for 9- to-12-year-olds that has landed Korman on the New York Times best seller list. Books@Torontoist managed to snag a few minutes of Korman’s time for a Q&A.
Torontoist: You’ve been living on Long Island for some time now. How often do you get back to Toronto?
Gordon Korman: My parents are in Thornhill, so I still get up there a few times per year.
Torontoist: Do you still draw on your experiences growing up in Toronto (and Montreal) for your writing for young people?
GK: Absolutely. That’s where I was a kid.
Torontoist: Do you run into a lot of now-adult readers who grew up reading your work? Is that especially true in Canada?
GK: It’s true that I’ve acquired legions of “old” fans. In Canada, some of them are nearly as old as I am. I love it, though. How cool that my readers still remember my early books.
Torontoist: How did you get involved with the 39 Clues series?
GK: My Scholastic U.S. editor recruited me. I’m so glad he did!
Torontoist: Do you prefer writing for a book series or a stand-alone book, or do each hold their particular pleasures and challenges?
GK: Because I’ve written more than 70 books. I put a huge premium on variety. I love the fact that I’m involved in so many different kinds of books and series. That means more to me than any single genre or novel. The best part of 39 Clues is having co-workers (the individual books are penned by different authors). After all, I’ve been self employed since Grade 7.
Torontoist: You’re currently working on a novel about the Titanic. Can you talk a bit about that?
GK: I really wanted to get back to the trilogy format of Island, Everest, and Dive. I also wanted to try something historical, and the Titanic was a natural!
Torontoist: You’ve been a professional writer since you were a teenager. Have you ever considered another career?
GK: No! My last job was as a middle schooler!
From: Torontoist
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