Bryann Aguilar: An Interactive Interview with Robert McCammon

 

An Interactive Interview with Mr. Robert McCammon

Bryann Aguilar, Out of Reality blog

Left: Robert McCammon | Right: Boy's Life

Left: Robert McCammon | Right: Boy’s Life

I planned for my final project on our Novel study of Boy’s Life is to interview its author, Robert McCammon. I contacted him through his official Twitter account which is @MacCammon. Unfortunately, he did not replied on the time given for me to pass the final project although, I was flattered when I found out that he emailed back to me last December 21, 2012. I never imagined being as close to an author.

I want to share his answers to my questions. And I hope it will help you understand more about Boy’s Life (if you had read it).

  • The book’s genre is different from the horror genre of your books before this one. Was it hard for you to write a book that is different from your books before?

No, I was ready to write a book in a different genre. In fact, BOY’S LIFE started out as a straight murder mystery story and I really didn’t like it, so I decided to write the book I really wanted to write in the first place.

  • How did you come up with the idea of writing the book?What was your inspiration?

I had had the idea of doing this for several years but had just never gotten around to it. Again, when I didn’t like the straight “murder mystery” idea I decided to do this. I wanted to write about both the joy of childhood and the joy of writing.

  • For whom are you writing the book? Why?

I was writing the book for myself, as I write all my books.

  • Magic realism is one of the motif tethered in the story. There are the boys flight together with their dogs, the dinosaur, Rocket, the ball that never came down after Nemo Curlis threw it, to name a few. Why did you incorporate magic on the book? Do you believe in magic?

Well, what is “magic”, really? Is it something that really happens or something you “want” to happen? Is it something you “make happen” with your wishes and desires? Can magic be all around you, and you don’t recognize it? But yes, I did want an element of the “fantastic” in the book, because I wanted there to be the idea that “magic” exists in many forms.

  • The book is a fictiography (fiction and biography mixed). You incorporated parts of your life in the story. Why? Was your childhood as magical as Cory?

No, my childhood was very different. Wish it had been like Cory’s, though.

  • Mrs. Neville told Cory a secret which is “No one ever grows up..”. What do mean with that statement? What do you want to tell your readers with that statement?

“No one ever grows up”… because within every person, no matter how old, is still the child. I want to tell readers to get in touch with that inner child, and to celebrate knowing the richness of magic and imagination the inner child can bring to your life.

  • Aside from Cory, among the characters, whom do you see yourself? Why?

I see myself as Vernon. I went through a lot of what Vernon went through. No, I don’t and never did walk around town without clothes…but as a writer, to reveal what’s in your mind and imagination to others you don’t know is a form of “nakedness”, isn’t it? It’s taking a chance of being rejected or accepted…which is the risk and reward all writers have to chance.

Okay, there you go. Hope those answers are ok, and I’m very glad you enjoyed the book.

(All the answers where not altered and originally came from the email of Mr. McCammon sent to me.)

Fin.

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