reply

Ivan’s really good question inspires a seemingly unrelated one with a follow-up that ties them together.

So, the question: Do you regularly write (or have you ever written) books out of their order of publication? For example, did you finish writing the Slapshots series before starting the Nose Pickers series, even though the first Nose Pickers book went to press before the final two Slapshots books? 

And the arcane follow-up: Did something like that happen with Bugs Potter and I Want to Go Home? My understanding of the publication timeline of your books is:

  1 – This Can’t Be Happening (1978)
  2 – Go Jump in the Pool (1979)
  3 – Beware the Fish (1980)
  4 – Who Is Bugs Potter? (1980)
  5 – I Want to Go Home (1981)

I recall you’ve said “Bugs” was a marathon writing effort. Did it come after Rudy and Mike were already penned?