An Author Interview with Drew Daywalt

Drew Daywalt, award-winning author of the best-selling The Day the Crayons Quit series, is about to release his second middle grade book with illustrator Mike Lowery, No Sam! and the Meow of Deception. The title continues the hilarious adventures of Sam the pug as he protects his family from suburban evil. Written in diary format by Sam himself, this installment centers on Sam’s standoff with the family cat, Meow, who has recently learned to talk.

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Let’s start by being honest: we weren’t able to get Sam for an interview – he’s been booked solid. But, we know he dictated the book to you, so you’ll have to do. 

I completely understand. He has a labyrinthine series of gatekeepers that even I sometimes can’t navigate. I’ll do my best.

This leads into the first question: What’s it like working with an author as brilliant as Sam?

I have to be honest. It’s not easy. Brilliant writers like him can be difficult, but in the end it’s always worth it. Seeing as Sam and I are both creative, sometimes we have differing ideas about how things should be done. At the end of the day, though, this is Sam’s book – and his story, not mine – so I defer to him. He likes to remind me that I’m just here to type because he doesn’t have fingers. So, yeah. Mostly what I do is correct his grammar and spelling, really. 

The work is all his. 

How did Sam feel about working with Mike Lowery on the illustrations?

I can only speak for myself, really. I absolutely love Mike’s work and I think he did a fantastic job. Every time I get to see new art come in from him, it feels like opening presents on my birthday. He makes me laugh out loud every time. I’ve had a lot of people ask me if Mike has come over and spent time with Sam! No, seriously! And I’m like, “No. Mike just has an incredible grasp of interpreting character from the written material into an uncanny visual representation.”

Sam’s mad at Mike, though. He thinks Mike makes him look “round.” And I’m like, “Sam, you’re shaped like a little velour sausage. What do you want from him?”

But Sam’s unmoved by that. And he has included this drawing of Mike as revenge. I almost didn’t include it, but Sam said he’d fire me if I didn’t. So, what are you going to do? Sam’s generally pretty wonderful, but he sure can hold a grudge.

What’s Sam’s favorite part of No Sam! And the Meow of Deception? What’s yours?

I’m a huge fan of the turn of events in which Meow, the Petersons’ dim-witted cat, becomes not only a super genius but also the de facto villain of the story. That said, though, I often like to create stories where there are no villains, and if I do introduce one, I like to give them a point of view that we can understand, and in the end I like to redeem them and bring them back into the fold. I took this from one of my favorite storytellers, Hayao Miyazaki. I’m a big fan of peaceful conflict resolution. I like everyone to have a chance at redemption.  

Sam likes the part where he does a handstand to pee up high on a tree.

What’s the writing process like with Sam? Does he like working with outlines or does he write based on his (genius) instincts?

Speaking for myself first, I’m a meticulous outliner. I like to have the framework of the plot in place, and then once I start writing, I can go on tangents, add flourishes and comedic bits and bobs, and even discover whole new facets of characters that surprise me. The thing people don’t think about with authors is that we’re the first ones to “read” the book, and more often than not, I’m as surprised as any reader at what unfolds. That’s the true joy of writing. 

Sam’s process is mostly napping and snacking. He’s especially partial to these disgusting little freeze-dried liver cubes that my vet recommended. I would ask you not to tell Sam I said they were disgusting, but he thinks my coffee habit is just as bad, but to each their own. When you love someone, you forgive their foibles.

You previously wrote some picture books that are pretty successful. How’s writing a middle grade novel different than writing a picture book?

It’s all in the plotting. I tend to write picture books that are heavy on character, but generally speaking, very light on plot. I find that young children love a good character that they can relate to more than anything else. And while my picture books are light on plot, they’re nonetheless extremely heavy on conflict.

In the context of writing for little children, I find that the best form of conflict is comedy. Look at Bugs Bunny, the Muppets, anything by Seuss or Dahl, or E. B. White. All of them knew that the shock and surprise of good comedy comes from conflict, and I really take that to heart. That shocking and unexpected funny left turn; it’s what gets the belly laughs.

Now, when doing middle grade, I try to keep that spirit of conflict and character, but I expand on plotting. Like, a lot. And I love a plot with a ton of story threads that seem completely independent and unrelated, but in the end all come together perfectly – almost mathematically – in the most unexpected way I can drum up. Tying up that neat little bow at the end after the thread of the plot looks like it’s going to fray disastrously is my favorite part of finishing a story. 

Sam doesn’t like when I talk about my picture books because he didn’t write them.

What do you enjoy about writing for older kids?

It’s a funny thing, you know? I actually don’t write for older kids. Or younger kids. Or grown-ups. Or anyone else, really. I write entirely for myself. I’m extremely selfish that way. I write what I want to read. I write what entertains me and thrills me and at the end, hopefully warms my heart – because I’m a human, and a really sensitive one, if I’m being honest. And my hope when I sit down to write is that I create characters who grow and change and become better.

And I think that’s pretty universal. We all want to be better, to ourselves and to others. If I have a theme that runs through my writing, that’s probably it. We’re terribly imperfect and we want to be better. And we get tremendous joy from seeing characters on the page do exactly that – grow and become better. And I think everyone, no matter what age, responds to that because it’s good and right and gives our lives meaning. So that’s my favorite part.

Sam’s favorite part is all the poo poo jokes. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ever since his childhood in Ohio, author Drew Daywalt has been creating escapist fantasy, horror & comedy. With a BFA in creative writing from Emerson College in Boston in 1992, Drew set off to Hollywood where he wrote for Disney & Universal on Timon & Pumba, Buzz Lightyear, and Woody Woodpecker. He also wrote the Emmy nominated animated series The Wacky World of Tex Avery. 

His first trip into live action landed him studio screenwriting and directing work with such Hollywood luminaries as Lawrence Bender, Tony Scott & Jerry Bruckheimer.

In 2013, Daywalt’s debut picture book, THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT spent a year on the NYT Bestseller List at #1, and remains on the list to this day, over five years later. The sequel book, THE DAY THE CRAYONS CAME HOME also spent a year as a NYT Bestseller, and his third book, THE LEGEND OF ROCK PAPER SCISSORS is a NYT Bestseller as well. 

Daywalt has also written a Star Wars book for Lucasfilm Publishing, called BB-8 ON THE RUN.

His books, SLEEPY THE GOODNIGHT BUDDY and THE EPIC ADVENTURES OF HUGGIE AND STICK have both been recently released to rave reviews and two national book tours.

He has received 65 awards for his children’s writing, including the coveted E.B. White Read Aloud Award and the Time Magazine Top 100 Best Children’s Books of All Time.

Find him at www.drewdaywalt.com.