Roxanna Elden
Author Interview - Roxanna Elden
Author I draw inspiration from: Three novels that inspired Adequate Yearly Progress were On Beauty, by Zadie Smith, A Man in Full, by Tom Wolfe, and A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan. Each of these novels features an ensemble cast of fully-rounded characters, which allows the stories to filter through different personalities and opinions. I also love that each character has blind spots that are only apparent through the eyes of others. Another inspirational quality: it’s clear that all three of these authors did a tremendous amount of research while writing their books. While the stories were fictional, I felt I was gaining knowledge about the real world while reading them.
Author Interview - Roxanna Elden
Favorite place to read a book: In bed. It’s always been the only way I can fall asleep.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: That depends. . . How long are we going to be stuck in the elevator?
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: The idea for my first book hit me four years into my career as a high school English teacher. My younger sister began her own teaching career that year, and we talked a lot about our toughest moments in the classroom. Neither of us responded well to the generalized advice or inspirational stories so often offered to beginning educators. During one discussion, I was ranting about a moment in my first year when a well-meaning colleague gave me the book Chicken Soup for the Teacher’s Soul, and said, “on a bad day, new teachers need something stronger than chicken soup. They need something like… Hard Liquor for the Teacher’s Soul.” And then I thought, now that should be a book. Nobody wanted to publish a book with that title, but over time the idea did evolve into my first book – a funny, honest guide called See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers.
Author Interview - Roxanna Elden
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: Ebook. I almost definitely need reading glasses at this point, but blowing the letters up to their largest size on an e-reader lets me stay in denial. Having to switch to a new page every two sentences is a small price to pay.
The last book I read: The most recent novel I absolutely could not put down was Fleishman is in Trouble, by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. It was so funny, so observant, and filled with flawed, realistic characters I felt I got to know and about. I read the whole book with a combination of enjoyment and author envy, because there were so many lines and paragraphs I wished I’d written.
Author Interview - Roxanna Elden
Pen & paper or computer: Always computer. Or, if I’m not at a computer, I’ll do the writing on my phone and send it to a secret email address I set up just for that purpose. When I was working on my first book, I would write ideas on sticky notes and collect them in a pile. Then, on the weekend, I’d have to force myself to sit down and type up all those sticky notes. It’s so much easier to have everything typed from the beginning.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Both Frog and Toad from the Frog and Toad kids’ series seem like they’d be solid besties.
Author Interview - Roxanna Elden
If I wasn’t an author, I’d be a: High school English teacher with an unpublished manuscript.
Favorite decade in fashion history: The mid-nineties. I never fully stopped wearing the liquid eyeliner, hoop earrings, and zip-up Adidas jackets that I loved as a high school student. It’s both exciting and terrifying to see that all of these are on their way back into style.
My signature drink: Lots and lots of coffee.
Favorite artist: My favorite artist is illustrator Ginger Seehafer, who’s also a long-time friend. We met when we were nineteen and the only two female caricature artists in a theme park near Chicago called Great America. From there, Ginger went on to a long career as a professional illustrator. (She’s probably drawn the storyboards for some of your favorite commercials!) Anything I can describe in words, Ginger has always been able capture perfectly in a drawing, so I’ve turned to her any time I needed a picture to go along with my writing. We recently collaborated on a children’s book, Rudy’s New Human, about a dog who has to get used to a new baby in the house.
Author Interview - Roxanna Elden
Find more from Roxana Elden:
Twitter: @RoxannaElden
Facebook: Roxanna Elden, Author
Instagram: RoxannaEldenAuthor
