On Tuesday, March 9th, Jodi Picoult (My Sister's Keeper, Nineteen Minutes) came to Conant High School in Hoffman Estates to promote her newest title House Rules, a story about Jacob, a young man with Asperger's syndrome.
Picoult asked the audience how many know someone on the autism spectrum. Nearly everyone raised a hand. She said this is exactly why she chose this topic. In America, 1 in 100 children are diagnosed with some form of autism. In her opinion, our justice system works well if "you communicate a certain way" but that someone with autism may look guilty because of his mannerisms.
Dressed in blue jeans and a black sleeveless top, Picoult began her reading, rocking her knees forward and back behind the podium. The first few sections aptly set up the conflict, introducing us to Jacob, his mother, and a detective. She whet our appetite, showing us just how Jacob lands himself into trouble with his forensics sleuthing.
Picoult spent the remainder of the first hour taking questions from the audience. One girl's question (How did you like the movie My Sister's Keeper") made her laugh - "So. Um . . . perhaps you noticed the ending was different?" Picoult explained once authors sell movie rights, they lose control of the creative process. Although she understands that, she ended up feeling like "you've sold your baby to crack whores."
Another student asked which was the "funnest" book she ever wrote. Picout immediately responded that she doesn't write books for the fun, but for the challenge. Second Glance was the "most technically challenging" of her books. She thought the research process was fun since it was all about ghosts and ghost hunting. She had fun writing Jesse, a character from My Sister's Keeper. But she concluded by saying, "The reason I end up liking a book isn't because it's fun to write but because it's hard and knowing that I pulled it off."
When asked about her long writing career before becoming so well known, Picoult credits "word of mouth" as the main reason she became a best selling author. She shared that even though she's been writing for two decades, it really "wasn't until five years ago I felt like I'd become well enough known that if I left my publisher, I could get another contract."
A young mother asked "When will you write another comic book?" Picoult told the story about how The Tenth Circle having a graphic novel element to it caused DC Comics to approach her about writing Wonder Woman. At first, she wasn't interested, but it was her kids who ultimately talked her into it. It was difficult because she hadn't created this character, had to fit within the boundaries already established. Although she doesn't rule it out, she doesn't see herself writing another comic any time soon.
A man asked her "does it bug you when critics say you're not a good writer because you work too fast?" Picoult said she chose to be a commercial writer because "all the marketing money goes into commercial books," she explained, and that she realized the tradeoff is that she's "never going to get those accolades" like the National Book Award or the Pulitzer Prize, generally reserved for more literary works. She did show some vulnerability when she complained about the Amazon reviewers, whose comments she won't read anymore -- "Who are these people, and why are they so mean?" Regarding the criticism that her stories are formulaic, Picoult points to the extensive research for every title and says she learns something from every book she writes.
Asked about the cover for House Rules, how the boy on the cover is much younger than Jacob, she laughed and said, "it's pretty, calming, and whatever."
Before the book signing portion of the evening began, Picoult gave us a taste of what she's working on now. Next year's book will be about embryo donation and gay rights with a character who is a musician and music therapist. The book will be released with a CD of original tracks related to the story.
Picoult asked the audience how many know someone on the autism spectrum. Nearly everyone raised a hand. She said this is exactly why she chose this topic. In America, 1 in 100 children are diagnosed with some form of autism. In her opinion, our justice system works well if "you communicate a certain way" but that someone with autism may look guilty because of his mannerisms.
Dressed in blue jeans and a black sleeveless top, Picoult began her reading, rocking her knees forward and back behind the podium. The first few sections aptly set up the conflict, introducing us to Jacob, his mother, and a detective. She whet our appetite, showing us just how Jacob lands himself into trouble with his forensics sleuthing.Picoult spent the remainder of the first hour taking questions from the audience. One girl's question (How did you like the movie My Sister's Keeper") made her laugh - "So. Um . . . perhaps you noticed the ending was different?" Picoult explained once authors sell movie rights, they lose control of the creative process. Although she understands that, she ended up feeling like "you've sold your baby to crack whores."
Another student asked which was the "funnest" book she ever wrote. Picout immediately responded that she doesn't write books for the fun, but for the challenge. Second Glance was the "most technically challenging" of her books. She thought the research process was fun since it was all about ghosts and ghost hunting. She had fun writing Jesse, a character from My Sister's Keeper. But she concluded by saying, "The reason I end up liking a book isn't because it's fun to write but because it's hard and knowing that I pulled it off."
When asked about her long writing career before becoming so well known, Picoult credits "word of mouth" as the main reason she became a best selling author. She shared that even though she's been writing for two decades, it really "wasn't until five years ago I felt like I'd become well enough known that if I left my publisher, I could get another contract."
A young mother asked "When will you write another comic book?" Picoult told the story about how The Tenth Circle having a graphic novel element to it caused DC Comics to approach her about writing Wonder Woman. At first, she wasn't interested, but it was her kids who ultimately talked her into it. It was difficult because she hadn't created this character, had to fit within the boundaries already established. Although she doesn't rule it out, she doesn't see herself writing another comic any time soon.
A man asked her "does it bug you when critics say you're not a good writer because you work too fast?" Picoult said she chose to be a commercial writer because "all the marketing money goes into commercial books," she explained, and that she realized the tradeoff is that she's "never going to get those accolades" like the National Book Award or the Pulitzer Prize, generally reserved for more literary works. She did show some vulnerability when she complained about the Amazon reviewers, whose comments she won't read anymore -- "Who are these people, and why are they so mean?" Regarding the criticism that her stories are formulaic, Picoult points to the extensive research for every title and says she learns something from every book she writes.
Asked about the cover for House Rules, how the boy on the cover is much younger than Jacob, she laughed and said, "it's pretty, calming, and whatever."
Before the book signing portion of the evening began, Picoult gave us a taste of what she's working on now. Next year's book will be about embryo donation and gay rights with a character who is a musician and music therapist. The book will be released with a CD of original tracks related to the story.
