SIX MINUTES WITH STUART GIBBS:

Author Stuart Gibbs joins LitPick for Six Minutes with an Author! Stuart’s books include the Spy School series, Fun Jungle series, Last Musketeer series, and Space Case which came out in the fall.

 

How did you get started writing?

 

I have always written, ever since I was a kid.  It was simply what I loved to do.  I started professionally as a screenwriter.  I got work there by writing spec scripts, which attracted a manager, who helped me sell them to the studios.  I started getting represented by an agency which had book agents as well as movie agents.  I reached out to the book division to ask about writing books.  One of those agents suggested that I write middle grade, which I had never considered before, but the moment she mentioned it it seemed like the perfect fit for me.  With her help I was able to sell Belly Up with only a few chapters and a pitch for the rest of the book -- and the rest is history.

 

Who influenced you?

 

I was very influenced by the writing of Carl Hiaasen, Gregory McDonald and Michael Crichton.

 

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

I tend to love mysteries, as well as non-fiction books about science.

 

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

 

Write.  All the time.  The more you practice, the better you get.  If you love writing, this won't sound like a chore at all because you're probably doing it anyhow.  If it sounds like a chore, then you probably don't like writing enough, and I would advise you to find another job.

 

Where is your favorite place to write?

 

In my office, which is at the back of my house.  It's the only place I write.  There are too many great things to do everywhere else in the world.

 

What else would you like to tell us?
 

I am really thankful to all the readers who have written to me to tell me how much they have enjoyed my books.  It makes the job of writing really that much more wonderful.  Also, I have more books coming out over the next year:  Evil Spy School will be out in April, and Big Game, the next in the FunJungle series, will be out next September.  And then a sequel to Space Case will be out in the spring of 2016.

 

Stuart, thank you for joining LitPick for six minutes! Thank you for sharing the great news about your books coming out in the near future!