JL lives with his family, including two rescue dogs and a rescue kitty, in a really old house just outside of San Francisco, CA. He’s not sure if the house is haunted, but sometimes he hears things that go bump in the middle of the night and wonders what his pets are staring at in the hallway. JL has published all kinds of things for adults and kids, but likes writing scary stories most of all. Sometimes he sleeps with the lights on.

 

SIX MINUTES WITH J.L. LIPP:

Today J.L. Lipp joins LitPick for Six Minutes with an Author! J.L. is the author of The Monsters’ Anonymous Club: Don’t Play With Dead Things. He is also the proud pet parent of a rescued cat and two rescued dogs.

How did you get started writing?

I can’t remember a time not writing.  I learned how to use my mom’s typewriter when I was about seven (this was before we had personal computers) and started typing out all kinds of stories and ideas. I think I was about 14 when I wrote an actual full-length book. The manuscript is long gone, but I can remember it had a haunted house in it, just like The Monsters’ Anonymous Club! I became a published author when I was 26; a one act play for high school students called Titanic: Destination Disaster that was published in the magazine “Plays.” I still remember how great it was when the acceptance letter arrived in the mail and someone else – besides my friends! - told me they liked my writing.

Who influenced you?

My Grandfather was a writer and publisher of the local newspaper. Even though I never met him - he died before I was born - I always heard great things about him as a writer and editor. My mother LOVED writing long letters to people. As I got older and moved away to college, she would send me these epic letters that were funny and sweet. In school, I was lucky to have some really excellent teachers who encouraged me to write and believe in myself. I also had some teachers who weren’t able to see the real me behind the shy façade. Fortunately, I didn’t listen to them! LOL!

Do you have a favorite book/subject/character/setting?

Ever since I was a kid, I always read both nonfiction and fiction. Even now, I tend to have at least three books I’m reading at any one time, and they are usually all very different from each other.

My favorite books growing up were series like the Boxcar Children, Encyclopedia Brown, the Great Brain, the Little House books, Runaway Ralph, Hardy Boys and even though boys weren’t supposed to read them – I loved the Nancy Drew books! I’m so glad I didn’t let peer pressure keep me from discovering great stories. A couple standalone books I loved – and still do – are From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Rascal, Sounder, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The Cricket in Times Square, Stuart Little, and The Incredible Journey. In terms of nonfiction – I devoured books about animals (monkeys and dogs!), shipwrecks, old movies, American Presidents, and World War II.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to be an author?

Do it! Seriously, just keep writing and try to make time to do it every day. If people make fun of you for having a dream of being an author, just ignore them. The more you write, the better the writer you will become. Also, write for yourself, not for what you perceive other people will think is cool.

Where is your favorite place to write?

Experts say you should always write in the same place, but to be honest, I’m all over the place! My office, my backyard (when it’s nice out), at the library, at a coffee shop – it usually depends on what I’m in the mood for and when a great idea inspires me to sit down and write. I learned to always carry a notepad so I can jot down writing ideas when they pop into my head.  (Or the memo App on my phone.) I wrote some of the Monsters’ Anonymous Club in Central Park while on vacation in NYC. That was pretty awesome!

What else would you like to tell us?

I think reading made me a much better writer, and I can’t imagine life without books. I would even give up chocolate before I would give up books.  When I was a kid, I sometimes felt lonely and didn’t always have a lot of friends. I guess you could say I wasn’t the popular kid. Books allowed me to escape into all kinds of great worlds, and reading about other people and understanding how everyone has struggles, I became a lot more confident as well. Books made me feel less alone in the world. To me, there was nothing better than roaming the stacks of books at our local library or going into a book store. It was as if all these books were calling to me and I knew, if I picked the right one, it could change my life forever. I still feel that way when going into a library. You never know what new friends and adventures are waiting on the shelves.

Finally, my two rescue dogs and rescue kitty – his name his Rex and he’s with me in the author photo – love to hear me read out loud. If you haven’t tried reading to your pet, you should!

Thank you for spending six minutes with LitPick! Your list of favorite books is a great list for anyone wondering what to read aloud with their family! And thanks for the tip about reading to pets!