Paul B. Janeczko
Describe your latest project.
I'm currently working on a new book for Candlewick, something of a follow-up to Top Secret, my book on codes and ciphers. The new project is a history of spies in the U.S., from the American Revolution to the war in Iraq. I'm also working on a new poetry anthology with Chris Raschka, also for Candlewick. We are all very excited about this new collection. For now, I'll keep the theme of the anthology under wraps.
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Paul B. Janeczko and J. Patrick Lewis
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If you could choose any story to live in, which story would it be?
Any story that is set in Manhattan or L.A. in the late 1930s or early 1940s,
because in my previous life I owned a fancy night club that featured some
of the best jazz around. I usually show up in a white dinner jacket and
the manager hurries up to me and says, "Your table is ready, Mr.
Janeczko." Dames walk around in fishnet stockings, guys leave there snap brim hats with the hat-check girl.
Introduce one other author/illustrator you think people should read,
and suggest a good book by him/her.
Of course, it's got to be a book of poems. So, I would say, run, don't
walk, to a library or bookstore and snag any book of poems by Mary Oliver.
As far as books for kids are concerned, I think J. Patrick Lewis is one of the most talented poets writing for kids and, I'd say, one of the most under-appreciated. Check him out.
What do you do for relaxation?
I practice yoga and meditation. I also relax when I am at the ballpark
watching a game.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
The first thing I can remember wanting to be as a kid was an FBI agent.
Other things I wanted to be? Top 40 disk jockey and bullpen catcher in
the majors come to mind.
Tell us about your pets.
We have a spoiled-rotten white standard poodle named Rosie. Don't get me
started about that dog!
How did the last good book you read end up in your hands?
The last good books I read were British mysteries. One was Aftermath, a
book from the series by Peter Robinson involving Chief Inspector Alan Banks. The
other book is Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin, who writes a series about Scottish inspector John Rebus. I found both of these books, as I do with
most of the mysteries I read, in a buck-a-book flea market. I visit the
place with list in hand and usually come out with at least six mysteries.
What's your favorite holiday and why?
My favorite holiday is Opening Day of baseball season. Ok, I know,
it's not a holiday, but it should be. Actually, in my book, it is! Beyond
that, I would go with Thanksgiving because I have so much to be thankful
for.
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