Reported by Adrienne, Teen Press Corps~
First of all, A.S. King and Andrew Smith are like twins. They think alike, they write alike and they act alike. They go golfing together (via phone) twice a week, and they text random numbers back together just for fun. When it comes to first impressions, these are theirs in three words. A.S. King three-word first impression about Andrew: intelligent, dashing, and short. Andrew’s three word first impression of A.S.: Real. Freaking. Author.
And guess what! They’re writing a book together! Because of their enormous fan bases begging this to happen, they have finally announced that it’s happening. And because they’re writers, it’s best to get advice directly from them, right? Andrew says, “don’t spill your whiskey,” and A.S. says, “be true to yourself.” They both say that a big issue they run into is being boxed into little niche by their readers and media, and they feel like they just want people to understand that they both enjoy writing for themselves and writing for those who like to read, not for those who are looking specifically at their stories and their plot lines.
When Andrew sold his first book, he received the news that his book was YA. His reply? “Whaaaaaaa?” He feels so lucky to work in this field, because he can be honest about what the problems are and how to solve them. A.S. really enjoys working with teens. She says that adults should be as open-minded as teens, looking at the world in a tiny scope. The main problem, they say, is TV. “TV is killing the intellect of our country.”
As for their writing, and this applies to both of them, do they like to write with the trends? N. O. No. No. No. Andrew says, “Are mermaids a trend right now? Are you kidding me?!” Another issue they both want to see gone is the gender stereotyping of books. A.S. feels very strongly about this, and hearing “This is a book for boys” is a big no-no in her book. The books they write, especially because of their diversity, helps a lot of readers find their way. Andrew has received fan mail saying, “I finally found a book with me in it.”
As for quirky moments, A.S. King had her second baby standing up and eating a bacon cheeseburger. Andrew was once so desperate for a friend in lonely Rhode Island, that he texted back a random number.
Books in the future? A.S. King will be publishing two books in the near future – one about surrealism and students escaping standardization (no official title yet) and one other about comedic situations and cats. We can’t wait!!
A.S. King’s new book is Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future
Andrew Smith’s new book is 100 Sideways Miles
AS King and Andrew Smith