Love Ain't Easy: David Hopkins Talks Emily Edison (click here to read)
While "Emily Edison" is an all ages book, and that potentially large audience should be considered a good thing, the term "all ages" always seems to cause some people to cringe. They imagined work that has been dumbed down for younger readers or heavily "sanitized" writing -- neither of which apply to "Emily Edison." "Come on!" exclaims Hoplins. "There's more to a story than whether or not to cuss, and show blood. Heck, I would consider Steve Niles' 'Freaks of the Heartland' to be a children's story in its development and tone, almost like a fairy tale. And it's the best thing he's ever written. The real challenge for an all ages book is to tell a good story, blow their little minds, and not to hold back -- and that sometimes means upsetting the parents. J.K. Rowling has angered a fair share of adults along the way, but all she cares about is her story."We need more of that kind of courage with comic book creators. The problem is we've got a whole industry of very creative comic book writers who have no clue or desire to tell a kid's story. That's sad. You've got the exceptions, and god bless them, but many more well meaning people have ruined this medium for kids. We need publishers willing to take a risk. We need school libraries willing to carry our books. We need local retailers to host more kid friendly events like Free Comic Book Day, once a month."
In other news: Melissa and I went to Big Hat Books, an independent bookstore located in Indianapolis' Broad Ripple area. Out of curiousity, I asked them about Emily Edison (without saying I was the writer) and it turns out they've ordered two copies! That made my day.
