[Darren]

Dear Mr. Korman,

Thank you.

Thank you for writing your first book and taking the shot at getting it published (ah, the naïveté of youth!). Due to that belief in yourself, I was able to grow up in the literary worlds you created. I was at the school getting into shenanigans with Bruno, Boots, et al. I was in the wilderness and club-hopping with my fellow hometown musician Bugs Potter. I camped with Rudy Miller, got-rich-quick with Artie Geller, combed for clues with the Weston boys, etc.

At some point I drifted away as I "grew up". The calling came for more adult pursuits of high school, university, work, relationships, and home life. But after a long absence, the thought occurred as to "what is GK up to these days?". Then I got to go on new adventures; scaling Everest, going back in time to the Titanic, being shipwrecked, diving for treasure, and many more to come. 

It sometimes seems surreal now to read some Stephen King, John Grisham, Clive Barker and then a Gordon Korman novel. But I also think "a book is a book is a book". While not in the same adult realm, your books have themes in them that are worthwhile for everyone throughout their entire lives: Friendship, having fun, hope. Plus they are very humorous and highly entertaining.

How enjoyable is it for fans of your work of all ages to be able to interact with you in this way? For you to read our words and respond to thoughts and questions... I don't know of any other authors who do that in the digital realm. We get to know you a bit, find out that we have some things in common. For me, that would be Douglas Adams, Vonnegut, Queen and football (though I'd like to think Bugs would be in the crowd with me, cheering on our hometown CFL team).

P.S. As I was thinking about writing this, I had a flashback to elementary school and making a school chum laugh at the term "Hot Gazoobies!". He later became a singer in a death metal band, then got a PhD and, last I heard, was a museum curator. Life is interesting.

Here's to your first 100+ novels and looking forward to the next 100.

[Gordon Korman]

Hi again, Darren,

Thank you! Your letter provides a pat on the back for everything I've done since I was 12!

The only place we differ is NFL vs. CFL. Three downs and a giant field just won't cut it. And my old hometown team was the Argos. 'Nuff said. But we're right up there with Adams, Vonnegut, and Freddie Mercury. And the fact that you add my name to that illustrious list is a big plus for me! Thanks again.

                                                                                                                  -----GK-----

[John L]

I'm in the same boat as Darren. Been reading since the beginning - getting the early books through Scholastic in New Zealand. Every 2-3 years I check out the new releases - I just picked up Notorious through Mixed Up yesterday and will spend the next week reading them! 100 books, incredible. By this time next week I'll be all caught up! Rudy Miller will always be my hero. I wonder what he's up to as an adult...?

[Gordon Korman]

Hi, John L.,

You are officially my farthest away (from New York) reader! Thank you so much for your loyalty to my books! Wow! And you're not the only one whose favorite character is Rudy Miller. He's a big star among my long-time fans. What would he be up to as an adult? He's either the Prime Minister of Canada, Chairman of the Board of a Fortune 500 company, or in jail. Anything is possible.

Really, thanks so much! I hope my output of material will continue to entertain and please you.

                                            Best regards,                                                      -----Gordon Korman-----

[Darren]

To John L:

That's fantastic! You'll definitely be entertained over the next while. Do you have the entire collection? I got out my list and abacus the other day and I'm short thirty-one books from GK's oeuvre (a mixture of old and new). I plan on starting from the beginning today or tomorrow. I think of good books like a good song, you don't only listen to a good song the one time, right?

To Mr. Korman:

A few questions for you, if you'll indulge me.

1) I know this question is somewhat of an annoyance for you but I'm looking at it perhaps differently than it's been put forth before. Do you have any interest in writing an adult novel? As a reader it's been interesting for me to see authors who usually do books for younger readers change up their tone, like Judy Blume or Paul Zindel. It's also interesting to see the reverse of that, where authors like John Grisham, James Patterson and Dave Barry write for the younger crowd. For what it's worth, there isn't a qualitative difference for me. I enjoy Grisham's Theodore Boone series as much as his other legal thrillers.

2) In your accumulated years of experience, what would be the biggest lessons you've learned about writing?

3) On a personal note, was there a specific reason you made Bugs hail from Winnipeg?

I have a few more that I'll save for another time.

Also, the Argos stopped my Bombers from having a three-peat at the Grey Cup last year. And they're starting off the year quite well. The CFL is better, but that's a debate for another time and place. ;)

[John L]

Hey Darren,

I mostly own the very early ones. I've moved a lot, including from New Zealand to the US, so some got passed along to family and friends. I just took a look at my shelf, and it looks like the oldest I still have from childhood are my original Don't Care High and Son Of Interflux. These days when I want to re-read something I use my local library.

Gordon - Rudy Miller as Prime Minister, with Mike Webster as Deputy (naturellement), is something I will now think of as the greatest unwritten story ever!

 

[Gordon Korman]

Hi, Darren,

I'm delighted that you and John L. found each other. Please feel free to use this venue.

Your questions: Re: an adult novel. Aside from the fact that I actually thought I WAS writing an adult novel when I wrote the first one, the answer is that I don't know. It's possible that, as one fan accused, I'm taking adult plots and winnowing them down so they fit middle grade. But it's more likely that I just like what I'm doing, I'm having quite a lot of success at it, and that's all there is to it.

The biggest lesson I've learned about writing? That there is no plotting dilemma so serious that you can't manage to write your way out of and/or around it. And readers will forgive you a lot if you can make them laugh.

Bugs hailed from Winnipeg because I was born in Montreal and grew up in Toronto. I guess it was just for variety's sake.

And in what universe the CFL could be better presently escapes me. Is it a Manitoba thing?

                                                         Regards,                                                                       -----GK-----

[Darren]

To John L:

That is an unfortunate casualty of moving around, the loss of books. When my wife moved up from California, she had to leave a lot of hers behind. I'm a bit of a hoarder and we're converting a bedroom into a library area. Still need to save up for more Ikea shelving though, quite a few piles on the floor, haha.

To Mr. Korman:

Thank you for your thought-provoking answers.

I would say that some of your work straddles the line of being an adult book. I saw "Born To Rock" that way. "But it's more likely that I just like what I'm doing, I'm having quite a lot of success at it, and that's all there is to it." <--- And it doesn't get better than that.

re: The CFL, I used "better" as a qualifier just as a tease. To me, sports is like art. It's subjective and whatever grabs you on a cerebral and emotional level is what is better for you. I think the CFL is a more exciting game due to some things you considered detractions (three downs, the longer and wider field). The special teams game is more important with no fair catch. It also moves along at a brisker pace. It's more of a regional thing, the prairie province teams have good support: Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, Calgary and Edmonton. BC needs to pull up their socks. In the east, Hamilton does alright, but Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal need to be better. It's not an inferior league either, just different. I have a mental list of former NFL stars who came up here and failed miserably.

As for Bugs, that's interesting. Variety or perhaps a subconscious Canadian inclusivity. I had thought that you had perhaps known a musician from Winnipeg or had been influenced by the music that had come out from the city slightly before that time, such as Neil Young, The Guess Who, Burton Cummings, BTO, etc.

Speaking of music, you had declared yourself more of a (paraphrasing) mosh pit guy. What bands spring to mind with that self-description?

[Gordon Korman]

Agreed. Names like Hal Patterson and Sam Etcheverry come to mind, although they could have played anywhere, I thought at the time. But people like Warren Moon and Doug Flutie were special on both sides of the border. And Joe Theissman until he ran into L.T. Or the other way around. I'm a Giants fan. Season ticket holder, long-suffering, but remember many glory years.

Bands. Besides the Beatles and Queen, there was Supertramp, BTO, and at least a dozen others who were fine at the time, but made no lasting impression. As a Canadian, I went Lightfoot for a while, and still feel for his music. I now have kids whose taste in music is horrifying! Everyone is allowed to like something horrifying during his/her youth. It's a rite of passage. My guilty pleasure was Bryan Adams, who really should do something about his throat.

                                                                                                                                   ---G---

P.S. Are you sure the NFL stars who came up to Canada and failed miserably had 2 working legs and were under age 60???

[Darren]

Lightfoot isn't exactly mosh pit material but I don't mind mellowing out to some of his stuff. I was thinking about Bryan Adams the other day and the very brief stint he had with Sweeney Todd. I saw an old ad for him playing at a bar here that is no longer in existence, but one that I was thrilled to play at once with an Alice Cooper tribute band I was in, simply because of the history of the bands who had performed on that stage before. Any other Canadian rock bands stand out for you? Triumph, Rush...?

Some of the NFL players who flopped up here: Vince Ferragamo, Ricky Williams, Marc Gastineau, Onterrio Smith, Todd Marinovich.

Also, I don't know if they're your biggest rivals or not, but if I did have to cheer for an NFL team, it would have to be the NYJ, who have a former quarterback of ours, Streveler, on their roster. 

[Gordon Korman]

Yes, Rush. Of course Rush, who could stand up against any band anywhere! How could I forget?

Poor Streveler is going to get splinters if he's hoping to unseat the new Jets QB!                         -G-

[Celia White]

Dear Mr. Korman,

Just wanted to let you know that as a kid in elementary school (10-15 years ago... jeez) I loved the Swindle books. I was already a voracious reader at the time, and my elementary school had both Swindle and Zoobreak and I devoured them. You can imagine I was very excited to buy Framed at the Scholastic book fair when it came out - and then I opened the book and who should you introduce in the first few pages but a new character named Celia White! Of course I was very much hoping that she would turn out to be one of the good guys - perhaps a cool adult that helped the gang out - but I was out of luck in that regard. A nosy newspaper reporter was all I was going to get. But still, how cool to read about a character with the exact same name as me!

 

Anyways, I was cleaning out my room and found my old copy from all those years ago. Just spent the afternoon rereading it and remembering how cool it was to me back then. I loved the series - I was an athlete, and saw a little bit of myself in Pitch - and all of a sudden I had one more reason to keep coming back for more. Just wanted to say thank you for all of the memories back then! And now that I am here at your website I think I will be taking a look around to see if there are any more Celia Whites crawling around in your new works.

 

All the best,

Celia White (Not a Staff Reporter)

[Gordon Korman]

To: The Real Celia White,

Thanks for posting. Sorry my Celia White turned out to be such a drip. At least I can promise you that she's the only one -- at least, I think so. I'm now about to start work on Book #106, and it's hard to keep track of everybody.

I'm glad you enjoyed some of the SWINDLE books. As you can imagine, they were fun to write, too. My personal favorite was HIDEOUT, 3 shorter stories. In it, the kids went to 3 different summer camps, where they had the job of hiding Luthor because Swindle wanted to take him back. It was a hoot.

Thanks for getting in touch, Celia.                                                           -----Gordon Korman-----

[Darren]

Mr. Korman,

Just a couple of things that popped into my head recently:

The only Blue Bomber signed jersey I owned is of Lamar McGriggs, who also played for the Giants in '91 and '92. Don't know if you'll remember him or if he left much of an impression there.

On another thread, I saw that you have a son going to college/university in Wisconsin. I have to say that's one of my favourite states to visit. I've had great times in Madison, Milwaukee and the Dells. We were there again just last month, taking a road trip through the northeastern U.S. for the first time for our son's wedding in Maine (didn't do NYC but did go over the GWB. Totally insane. We waved though, did you see us?) and coming back up through WI. My friend's band is based out of Milwaukee, called Beatallica, and they do a very interesting mash-up of the Beatles and Metallica. If you need any recommendations for good burger joints, interesting sights and bars/restaurants, hit me up.

[Gordon Korman]

Hi, Darren,

I remember McGriggs, although I didn't know he was a Bomber for a time.

That was you on the GWB? You should have dropped in -- we're on the Island.

Leo's University is in Madison. Thanks, but I guarantee he'll have all the burger joints rated before I ever get there to visit him. As for interesting sights, you're talking to an ex-Torontonian and a New Yorker. We're pretty sure anything interesting is right where we're at!

Being Giants fans is traditional with the Kormans. My folks go back to YA Tittle and Charlie Conerly, and my qb hero was Jeff Hostetler.

And Mr. Korman is my Dad. I'm Gord.                                                                                                         -----G-----

[Darren]

Gord,

(And thanks for that. After mentally composing the "Dear Mr. Korman" post, that appellation just kind of stuck with me).

McGriggs ended up playing with the Vikings after the Giants, then came up here and played for three teams before settling with the Bombers for six seasons. He also had that one outstanding season with the Zucchini Warriors. Met him briefly once, nice guy. Like many players, he ended up staying here after his playing career was over.

Would have loved to have seen NYC but we were already on a 17-day road trip. I would like to dedicate at least a week to being there to see at least 1/10,000th of the place. Same reason we didn't stop in DC.

I'm sure Leo will check out Ian's Pizza on State (I had a mac and cheese pizza there once). It's a university hangout. Would be interested to hear his comparison between that and the well-known NYC slice. Closest we were able to get to some NYC food was a buddy of mine meeting up with us in New Haven (to try their pizza) and he brought some bagels from Brooklyn for us. Dee-lish!

Is it possible for both New York and Toronto to be the center of the universe at the same time?

I wonder if Hostetler is the only QB to ever have a punt block on his resume.

 

[Gordon Korman]

If it's bagels you're after, go east, young man. There are no better bagels in the world than the ones you get in Montreal. Guaranteed. No, NY and TO can't'be the center of the universe at the same time. TO thinks it is, and NY KNOWS it is.

And right now, there's no QB I'd rather watch than Patrick Mahomes. And not one I'm rooting for more than Daniel Jones. The jury is still out on him.

Off to the Hamptons for a week of R&R, no writing, and mostly hosting our kids and their friends. How to feel young again. Enjoy the rest of the summer.                                                                   --G--

[Jon B]

Darren & John L.,

As another long-time reader, it's nice to 'meet' some of the others ... been reading GK from nearly the beginning. I can't remember with absolute certainty, but I think 'Our Man Weston' was just published when I started. (Might have been even earlier than that.)

On the moving around, I hear you. I've done a lot of moving, and have lost a lot of books in the process ... the one thing I have always kept hold of was my GK collection, because ... reasons. But I have to admit, I've been in my current place for six years now, and all of my older GK titles are still in boxes in the living room, just because I have no room here. But I still have them all!

Still continue enjoying all of the books, but my personal favorites remain the early, massively humorous ones. MacDonald Hall, Bugs Potter (I got Nickaninny by writing Scholastic Canada because it wasn't published in America, and there weren't things like amazon back then ... they were kind enough to send this poor Colonial a copy), and my biggest all-time favorite, Son of Interflux!

All hail the lifelong Gordon Korman fans!

[Darren]

Pleasure to meet you, (Sloop) Jon B, (hey, I like the Beach Boys, what can I say?)

How are you doing on the GK collection? I've got The Superteacher Project on the way, but with Mixed Up coming out, I'm still 31 books short. Interesting that you mentioned six years as the amount of time in your current residence because when I last checked my Goodreads account, six years ago was the last time I took a shot at reading all the GK books.

I've enjoyed everything he's written and I get where you're coming from with enjoying the older works more, but I wonder if nostalgia is playing a role in that. Bugs is a personal favourite. I think you're right in that there's been more of a shift from the humour of the older books to more adventurous tales like the different series (Everest, Dive, Titanic, Island, Hypnotists, On The Run, Kidnapped) and more serious adult themes (Juvie Three, Pop, Restart... those are just the most current ones of his I've read, I'm quite behind).

When I was in elementary, I enjoyed writing stories but as I got older I never pursued it. GK just being nine years older than me was someone I admired for pursuing it (and doing a damn fine job at it).

[Jon B]

I've read the vast majority. There may be three or four that I haven't read that I need to track down. After finishing Mixed Up yesterday, today I grabbed a copy of Operation Do-Over that I purchased maybe four or six months ago, but haven't read yet. I have perhaps a dozen books that I only have digitally, and eventually I want to have actual books. Gordon is one of only two authors that I still really want to have physical copies of their books. (If anyone wants to know, the other is fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson.)

Interestingly enough, my all-time favorite, Son of Interflux, was read, reread, and loaned out so much that it was starting to fall apart. A friend was kind enough to find a new hard-cover copy in perfect condition on ebay, and bought it for me. So now I have two hard covers of the original printing, plus possibly a paperback of one of the later re-releases. Let's see, still to read are the last two books of Masterminds (and the first, again, so it will be fresh in my mind) and a couple of the Swindle books, Linked, the Unteachables, and as I said, I'm reading Do-Over now. I also think I want to get one of the newer printings of Pop, and get the more recent info in it. Six unread out of 102 isn't too bad!

The thing about the ultra-humerous books is that I absolutely love humor ... early Gordon Korman, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, P. G. Wodehouse ... but there aren't all that many really humorous authors, and the early GKs just blew me away! Even if the individual lines aren't all that fully on their own, the way they are put together was funny ... "Bunny rabbit slippers, Howard?"

And I, also, was writing from a fairly early age, but eventually drifted away from it. Perhaps that's another trend for Korman fans!

[Darren]

Jon,

Six out of 102 is very impressive! I'm not sure how many I've read over the years, so when I compiled my list (wiki was a good resource for doing so), I just decided to make it zero and read them all, crossing them off as I did so. Under this arrangement, I've now read five, lol. It's a little tough to get all of GK's works, I check in fairly frequently at thrift shops and used bookstores for the older ones (I forgot to mention to GK that I did pick up a few at a great place called Half Price Books in Wisconsin). The NFL books are the toughest to find, for me.

Like yourself, I have a bit of a completist fetish, although my first list for doing so has forty authors on it. I do have a few GK in ebook form, but I consider them placeholders until I can get the hard copies. I loved the Kindle when I first got it but do prefer actual books these days.

Son Of Interflux is a good one. I think it was the following book, A Semester... when I first drifted away from reading GK's works. A 20-odd year hiatus was enough, lol. You're right about there not being a lot of humorous authors. You may want to check out some Vonnegut, he can be fairly amusing, although maybe not in the same vein. That GK quote made me laugh and I do love it when he uses dialogue in that way.

I'd like to see some reviews or discussion from you about the books in the other forum. Once I finish re-reading the Macdonald Hall series, I plan on posting there about that.

[Raymond Jardine]

Darren and Jon B: I'm really enjoying your discussion of the humor in the "Korman classics," and the pursuit of a completist/completionist collection. Both topics are near and dear to my own heart. There's a podcast--The Zucchini Warriors--that you should check out if you haven't already. It dives head-first into those early books and has helped unite some "vintage" Korman fans on Twitter.

Staying on the Forum, I really hope to see you contribute to the upcoming MIXED UP "book club." A younger fan will spearhead the discussion and it would be cool to have perspectives from across the age spectrum. (In other words, I don't want to be the only old guy in the discussion.) 

Mixed Up book club info: http://gordonkorman.com/forum?t=22994

[Darren]

Hi Raymond!

I did see the podcast mentioned in another post and I do plan to check it out after I've read through all the books of GK's that I have. I just didn't want to have it influence any of my thoughts before I talked about the books on here. Never been a Twitter fan, but I should check out and see if there's anything similar on Facebook.

I had replied to Jade's post about discussing Mixed Up but I doubt I'll get to that book in time to participate in the discussion of it. I'm being a touch OCD about going through the list in order. I'm sure I'll be ready for whatever book follows that one.

[Jon B]

Personally, I don't do Twitter. Just never had an interest, and there are too many platforms out there to do them all (for me, personally.) On the other hand, a podcast sounds fun. I'll at least look into it a bit, as time allows.

[RobertLob]

Best cucmber ever cucumber

OK, cucumber.                                                                                                          ---Gordon Korman---