(Imagine the literary version ofArrivalmeeting that really eerie bookshelf inInterstellar.)
The book was aGood Morning Americapick and aNew York Timesbest-seller, among other accolades.
What is the first thing ever that you remember writing?
I wrote about a day trip to London.
My parents still have the piece of paper.
It went like this.
“I went to London.
I went on a train, an UNDERGROUND train, and a taxi.”
The narrative was very transport-focused.
I drew the pictures too, in crayon.
It arguably remains my best work.
What is the last book that made you cry?
When Things Fall Apart, by Pema Chodron.
But not out of sadness.
Out of a therapeutic feeling of self-acceptance.
Which book is at the top of your current to-read list?
Where do you write?
I used to write in my shed.
I thought it was what a writer should do.
Have a special writing place.
Now, alas, I tend to just write on the sofa.
Which book made you a forever reader?
Oh, such a mean question!
Hinton; andThe Power and the Glory, by Graham Greene.
What is a snack you couldn’t write without?
Toast and peanut butter.
I am also British, so I occasionally place a layer of Marmite under the peanut butter.
If toasters hadn’t been invented, I doubt I could write.
If you could change one thing about any of your books, what would it be?
There can never be enough dogs in a story.
And sometimes I forget that golden rule.
What is your favorite part ofThe Midnight Library?
I think the most fun for me was envisioning the actual Midnight Library itself.
What was the hardest plot point or character to write?
Write a movie poster tag line for the book:
“One library.
