Dreams do come true. Just ask author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, author and illustrator of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" Series 1 and 2. Book lovers are huge fans of this popular series about middle school mischief and Kinney can't crank them out fast enough. Kinny talks about the joy of success.
Q: Your fans are dying to know if there will be a Series 3 of "Diary of A Wimpy Kid."
A: The third book is coming out on January 13th. My publisher is going to do a national laydown, which is very exciting. But this fall, we're going to release a book called "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book," which is a sort of interactive journal. It's got lots of content in it, so it goes beyond being a blank book.
Q: Are you surprised by the popularity of your "Diary of A Wimpy Kid" series?
A: Yes! I'm shocked by it, really. I didn’t think I had a realistic shot at getting published, since the book was so unusual in its format. Everything after publication has been gravy for me.
Q: Do your sons give you material for your writing?
A: My sons are two and five, so they're too young to inspire material for Greg Heffley, who is a middle schooler. But they're giving me good ideas for Greg's younger brother, Manny, who is a preschooler.
Q: The challenges of being a kid are numerous. How do you narrow your focus when demonstrating these challenges in your writing?
A: I try to just remember what it felt like to be a kid and to write from that perspective. My biggest challenge in writing is to try to take the adult perspective out of my writing and keep it authentically kid.
Q: What's your opinion of print versus online reading? Which do you prefer?
A: I always like to say that you can't take a computer in the bathroom with you. So I think print wins every time.
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