Three Authors Bare All at Pen Event

In a session called “Leaps and Bounds, Fits and Starts: The Evolution of Being a Children’s Book Writer,” Pickney encouraged the authors to recall their childhoods—including both painful and humorous memories. Tan, the author of The Arrival (Scholastic, 2007), recalled growing up in his native Australia as both idyllic and boring. Being a good student and artist didn’t offset his discomfort as the only Asian-looking kid in his school. Plus, his slight stature was also an issue. His mother belied his height concern with “Shaun you’re not short, just concentrated.” Jongman, who is Dutch, told of a shy childhood with an imaginary friend. She revealed to the audience and perhaps to herself that much of her character Rits in her debut novel of the same name (Front Street, 2008) is about her. The ever-entertaining Gaiman shared that as a child, not surprisingly, he lived in a world of his own, doing well in subjects that he enjoyed and poorly in those he did not. Gaiman reminisced about a teacher saying, “Neil, before you can be eccentric, you must know where the circle is.” The event soon resembled a group therapy session with each of the panelist interjecting in a stream-of-consciousness fashion.

In an attempt to bring the panel back on task, Pickney asked each member to name a favorite childhood book. Jongam’s was Pippi Longstockings, Tan’s The Headless Horseman Rides Tonight, and Gaiman never answered the question. 

Nevertheless, the psychoanalysis returned with the question “What do you dream about?” “I stopped having nightmares after I wrote Sandman (Vertigo, 1989)” Gaiman shared. He then remembered a nightmare of an abandoned motel with dead people floating in bathtubs. “They became alive late at night because they were vampires.” He hasn’t used it in one of his books, yet. The audience also learned that Gaiman is an award-winning beekeeper, while Tan paints for pleasure.