TitleTales

Author Interview: Kenneth Oppel

BWI: When you are writing a book, what does your typical day look like?

KO: I drop my kids off at school, then go back home to my study, where I start work about 9:30. Once I’m past the research and outline stage, and am actually writing the book, I try to write 1000 words a day. I try to do this before checking my email or doing any other tasks, so I stay focused. Sometimes, it takes me half an hour; other times seven hours; and sometimes (and this is rare, fortunately) nothing comes at all.

BWI: Which authors have had the biggest impact on you professionally and personally?

KO: Roald Dahl, both professionally and personally because I loved his work as a kid, and emulated his style when I wrote my first book, and he very kindly helped me get it published by recommending it to his own literary agent. Other authors whose works have influenced me include Brian Doyle (stylistically) and L.M. Montgomery, whose Emily of New Moon books I found so personally inspiring when I was a kid who wanted to become a writer.

BWI: What do you like best about being a writer?

KO: The part when I don’t have to write: the daydreaming stage when I imagine a whole world where my new story will take place.

BWI: Since you’ve written for all ages, do you develop ideas that suggest themselves as aimed a particular age range, or do you decide a target age range first, then develop ideas?

KO: I start with the idea; and the idea will inevitably determine both the format, and target age range of the story. Often it’s as simple as the age of the protagonist; other times it has more to do with the subject matter or complexity of the theme.

BWI: We’ve really enjoyed Airborn and Skybreaker. We think one of the things the books have in common is the feeling the reader has of actually being on the air vessel. We got a good feel for the “Saga,” but even more realistic feel for the Hyperion. We loved the secret passageways. What we’re saying is that we admire that ability you have of fully imagining the vessel involved. How do you imagine these vessels, as well as the Aurora, in such detail?

KO: With the Aurora, I started with the Hindenburg, and fused it with the interior of theTitanic! I drew myself a big blueprint of the ship, because I thought it really important that its geography be clear to the reader at all times—and that’s why I urged my publishers to include a map in the book. The Aurora is the main setting, and also almost a character in itself. With Skybreaker, I did the same with the Sagarmatha and the Hyperion. I drew myself blueprints so I knew every inch of the ship, and could get around easily. It was one of the really fun parts of writing these two novels.

BWI: We also admired the portrayal of our hero’s gold lust and how it all played out in Skybreaker. It was handled with such a light touch. Did you intend for that theme to be understated to the action?

KO: I feel that any theme should never rear its head too overtly. When I write a book, I’m concerned with the story and characters; I never start out with themes in mind. They become apparent as I write and rewrite the book, and often it takes me a while to discern them. At that point, I might develop and hone them more deliberately, but I never want them to capsize the action!

BWI: We loved the end of the book! It was great to have the ornithopters work. We loved the dead man who’d been missing, the gold bars, the fact they were pedaled. It was all wonderful, including the landing. We liked Matt Cruse’s sky suit. Do you think it is difficult to write endings of books? The Skybreaker ending was cinematic!

KO: Endings can be killers. I always want to finish with a cinematic bang, which is challenging in itself, but even harder is bringing the charcters to a good endpoint. With Skybreaker, I wrote two endings, and had trouble deciding whether they get the gold, or the blueprints—or anything at all! You also want to provide some kind of emotional resolution without being too pat. Personally, I like open endings where there are some loose ends, and the delicious sense that the world of the story continues long after you turn the last page and close the book.

BWI: For that matter, the beginning of the book worked very well too. We liked the sequel every bit as much as the first book, and that is rare. Do you plan to write another sequel?

KO: I have every intention of writing another book about Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries, but right now I’m taking a break and writing a prequel to my novel Silverwing. It takes place 65 million years ago and tells the story of the very first bats.

BWI: What types of scientific and/or historical research did you have to do to create Airborn and Skybreaker?

KO: I read quite a bit about the real airships of the 20’s and 30’s, particularly the Graf Zeppelin and the Hindenburg, which were the models for the Aurora. I wanted to know all the basics about lighter-than-air flight, down to the amount of water carried in the ballast tanks, the maximum angle of ascent, the names of all the controls in the bridge. Since the book is set in an imaginary past, circa 1910, I also researched the clothing and decor and social mores of the time. My goal is to immerse the reader in a believable world, even if some of it is pure invention.

BWI: What books did you enjoy reading as a child, and what do you like to read now?

KO: As a child: The Great Brain books, The Mad Scientist Club books, anything by Roald Dahl, Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery, G.B. Trudeau’s Doonesbury comics, Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles.

Now: Roald Dahl (to my own kids), Ian McEwan, Peter Carey, M.T. Anderson, Philip Reeve, Michael Chabon.

BWI: What was it like to win the Printz award?

KO: It was fabulous to win a Printz Honor Book award. As a Canadian, I didn’t even know I was eligible! It was the first time a book of mine had received such acclaim in the United States, so I was very grateful to have the chance to become better known there.

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