Today: Interview With Children's Author, Robert Elmer

 

 

 

 

Robert Elmer: Hey Jason!

 

Jason: Hi. How are you doing?

 

Robert Elmer: Great! Snow falling here in north Idaho.

 

Jason: I would like you again for agreeing to this interview, and congrats again on HyperLinkz 1 and 2 winning book of the month for KidMagine. I look forward to reading more of that series.

 

Robert Elmer: It was so much fun to write, and thanks for the recognition! Having kids actually go "into" the Internet opened up all kinds of writing possibilities.

 

Jason: Tell us a little about yourself as a kid. i.e. talents, likes and dislikes, hobbies, dreams, etc.

 

Robert Elmer: My wife and I live near a lake in north Idaho, and in my spare time (what spare time) I love to work on my little sailboat. We're also active in our local church, where my wife is the receptionist. But of course a lot of my time is spent right here in front of a keyboard, making up stories. Talk about a dream job!

 

Jason: Tell us a little about yourself as a kid.

 

Robert Elmer: Grew up in California, Chicago, Puerto Rico... My dad had a job that moved us around a bit. So I loved to travel. They (my parents) also both grew up in Denmark, so I grew up in a Danish home. Let's see... I always loved animals, thought I was going to be a veterinarian. And I loved water, the ocean, thought I would join the Coast Guard. Spent a lot of time when I was kid biking around, exploring, raising homing pigeons, building boats. Also loved writing, from an early age.

 

Jason: I can just see you as a Coast Guard veterinarian who writes books in his spare time. ;-) Who was your hero as a kid?

 

Robert Elmer: First my dad, of course. He still is. I guess as a teen, though, my hero was my Sea Scout "Skipper". He spent countless hours with us, teaching us how to sail, and work on boats. Almost every weekend he would be out at our base, working with us. Plus, he always asked me about my writing. "When are you going to write something new?" he would ask me.

 

Jason: When did you first decide you wanted to become an author?

 

Robert Elmer: Well, I knew in the third grade that I loved to write. But it wasn't until high school that I started to get serious about the possibilities. But even then, writing seemed like a scary thing. I never dreamed of writing a book, for example. So I set my sights on being a journalist.

 

Jason: Did you ever help with your school paper?

 

Robert Elmer: Actually, no -- and I'm not sure why not. Guess I was too busy with all the boats and after-school adventures my friends and I were always into. I didn't have much time for hanging around school. :-) Wasn't until college that I really got into working on the school paper, and then I had a great time with it.

 

Jason: Do you like to read? If so, what are your favorite books and authors?

 

Robert Elmer: I do. My favorite books when I was young were by Beverly Cleary (Mouse and the Motorcycle) and Robert McCloskey. I loved fun books like Homer Price and Henry Huggins, mysteries, all kinds of books. Today I enjoy books by Deborah Raney, Alton Gansky, Bill Myers, Angela Hunt. I guess I read mostly fiction.

 

Jason: How did you get started writing actual books?

 

Robert Elmer: My wife and I have three kids -- they're in their twenties now. But when they were starting to read chapter books, even some of my favorites, I started to wonder: "Hmmm, I wonder how hard it really would be to write something like this?" I started thinking about some of the wild stories I'd heard growing up, the ones my parents told me. They had grown up in Denmark, after all, during World War 2. So I took a few of my parents' stories and put them together with pretend characters -- an action/adventure historical novel, and called it A Way Through the Sea. That was the story of two Danish kids during WW2 who helped their Jewish friend escape to safety. Things like that actually happened! That book came out in 1994.

 

Jason: Who or what do you think most inspired you to write?

 

Robert Elmer: First when my mom read Cat in the Hat to me when I was four. English wasn't her first language, after all. My parents always immersed me in good books and encouraged me to read. And then there was my eighth grade English teacher, Mr. Little. I still remember what he wrote in my yearbook: "I'll expect to read (or teach) something of yours someday. Best always, Ed Little." I've spent the rest of my life trying to live up to that encouragement.

 

Jason: What gave you the idea for the HyperLinkz series?

 

Robert Elmer: I always loved time travel books, but I didn't want to just copy all the good ones out there. I wanted to do something different, but still have the main characters able to jump around into the past, the future, all over the world, or space... And along comes the Internet, the perfect vehicle to launch a fun adventure story. It seemed natural.

 

Jason: Who is your favorite character in HyperLinkz?

 

Robert Elmer: Hmmm. Not sure if I have just one favorite. I guess I identify most with Austin.

 

Jason: What inspires you to write?

 

Robert Elmer: Oh, boy... My wife Ronda is a huge inspiration. She always encourages me. But I guess I'm inspired to write stories that kids will enjoy and learn from, stories that will make people think, stories that will draw people closer to God. Stories that I would have liked to read when I was a kid.

 

Jason: Where do you find the ideas and inspiration to come up with stories?

 

Robert Elmer: There are seeds to stories all over the place! Magazine articles, TV news, funny jokes. I have a huge folder where I stash ideas, and they're percolating there for future stories. I think of funny things that happened to me as a kid, and then spin off a story from that. Some of my recent novels have come from magazine articles.

 

Jason: Do you have any pictures, songs, etc. that you keep and use for ideas and inspiration while writing?

 

Robert Elmer: I do like to listen to movie soundtracks sometimes when I'm writing. You know, like from Braveheart or that kind of movie.

 

Jason: Are the websites in HyperLinkz based off of real websites, or just made up ones?

 

Robert Elmer: They're based on real web sites, but I've changed them so that they're "generic." The real sites are in the back of the book, in the little chapter on learning resources.

 

Jason: Is there really a town called "Normal"?

 

Robert Elmer: There sure is! When I was planning out the stories, I wanted them to be able to get back to normal at the end. And so I looked at my atlas, and sure enough, there was a town called Normal. It's in Illinois. It was either that or Boring, Oregon. But I like Normal. I even got a chance to go there and research all the settings. So the middle school and all the neighborhoods are accurate.

 

Jason: Tell us a little about HyperLinkz, without giving anything away, of course.

 

Robert Elmer: Well, HyperLinkz are the amazing adventures of Austin and Ashley Webster. With the help of Austin's digital camera (he picked it up at a garage sale) they're accidentally digitized and sent inside the World Wide Web. That's just the start of some pretty incredible adventures for the World Wide Websters. Oh, and the kids are from Normal. And getting back to Normal is harder than they think, sometimes.

 

Jason: Out of all the books you've ever written, which is your favorite? Tell us a little about it, if you haven't already.

 

Robert Elmer: You know, I really don't have one favorite. Although I have to admit, usually the book I'm working on at the time becomes my favorite. So right now my favorite is my new series, called The Wall. It's a three-book generational series for young readers, is set in Cold War Berlin. Its the story of three young teens, each connected to the other by blood, family, faith and hope . . . and separated by the Berlin Wall.  In this series, readers will also learn to experience the world through someone else's eyes. And beyond that, there's spiritual truth entwined in the plots, too. So there's plenty to discover inside the pages of The Wall.

 

Jason: If you weren't an author, what do you think you would be doing?

 

Robert Elmer: Hmm. I can't imagine anything else. I've had a chance to be an assistant pastor, a college administrator, a freelance writer, an advertising writer... This is by far the most fun and exciting. I love what I'm doing and thank God for the privilege. But every once in a while I wonder what it would have been like to be a surf boat rescue captain. :-)

 

Jason: You know, most authors say that they can't imagine being anything else. Any big plans for the future?

 

Robert Elmer: Yes! I'm working on an exciting new fantasy/sci-fi series right now, called "Shadowside." It's a challenge and a lot of fun. I also enjoy traveling the country and speaking at schools, doing writing workshops. I'm working on a new novel for grown-ups called "Like Always," too. There's always a new and different project. That's part of what makes this job so fun.

 

Jason: Any advice for aspiring children's authors?

 

Robert Elmer: Read, read, read. It rubs off on our brains and we learn to write good stuff by writing good stuff. Find a story that you HAVE TO TELL, something that sings in your heart -- not necessarily something you think will sell. And then one of the best ways these days of catching an editor's attention is at some of the leading national writing conferences.

 

Jason: Thank you so much for the interview. I had a great time.

 

Robert Elmer: Me, too! You ask good questions. Thanks for letting me share.

 

Jason: Have a great day, and I look forward to reading more of your work.

 

Robert Elmer: Okay. Thanks again!! And thanks for the good work you do on your web site. Later!