Derek Kirk Kim, author of Good As Lily (Minx) and the forthcoming The Eternal Smile (First Second, with Gene Luen Yang), is the second of our panelists for the Mavericks of YA Graphic Novels on Friday at 8-9:20 a.m. See him with Kean Soo, Svetlana Chmakova, and Terry Moore.
1. Have you attended TLA before? If so, what advice do you have for new authors?
No, this is my first time. I'm very honored to be invited this year.
2. What is your preferred method of writing and why -- laptop, longhand, typewriter?
I use a laptop. I love the clickety-clack of the keyboard and the sensation of the keys popping up and down against my fingertips. Sometimes I'll just type for the experience even if I have nothing to write.
3. Favorite books of the past year
Well, I have so little free time I hardly ever read a book in the year that it's released. But a few books I happened to read this past year that I really enjoyed were Black Hole by Charles Burns, Sublife #1 by John Pham, Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, Empire Park by Jason Shiga, assorted mini-comics by Jesse Reklaw, and Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. There were many others but those are the ones I'm remembering off the top of my head right now.
4. Favorite books from your YA years
The Catcher In The Rye, A Wrinkle In Time, Zot!, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Book of Three series, A Joy In The Morning, Elfquest, Wizard of Oz, Bone.
5. Finish this sentence. The perfect vacation is...
...a trip to TLA? ;)
6. MySpace or Facebook?
Neither.
7. BBQ or Tex-Mex?
Korean BBQ.
8. Finish this sentence. Libraries are…
...like the Internet without all the annoying banner ads and mean comments. More importantly, the human race wouldn't be where we are today without them. Libraries are a gift to you and me.
9. Do you have a blog, website, or other online presence that you would like to share with us?
Sure, lowbright.com.
