Author Interview: A. S. King

For this post I'm glad to introduce you to A.S. King, author of the novel The Dust of 100 Dogs. Mondays are always crazy busy for me, so let's cut to the chase and get right to the interview!

What was your funniest writer moment?

Wow—there are so many. Like the time I wrote a book and killed off a character in chapter six, only to have her reappear in chapter twelve and live a long life. Or the poetry reading where the guy introduced my poem by telling the audience what it was about—when it wasn’t about any of the stuff he said it was. Or, my first book signing, where the oil light in my car went on while I was stuck behind a trash truck, and the engine overheated on the way to the book store.

Have you ever had a job that required a geeky uniform?

Several. I’d say my bus girl dress at the diner was the worst—brown polyester wrap around style, without enough wrap around, so that every time I bent over, it opened. Also, the Arby’s uniforms in the early 1980’s were pretty ugly/geekish. Oh—and then there was the late 1980’s IHOP uniform. I’d applied, interviewed, and stopped by the day before my first shift to pick up the uniform, and went home and tried it on. I then walked back to IHOP, returned it and quit before ever working there. That probably doesn’t count, but man, was that a bad uniform.

Wow. It must have been really bad! If your life was a TV series, what would the theme song be? And would it be a comedy or drama?

Live comedy with no laugh tracks. Theme song? How about “Good Foot” by James Brown?

Favorite pirate inspiration?

I think I was most inspired by actual pirates rather than fictional ones. The breadth of their fierceness is fascinating.

I totally agree. But sometimes fictional ones are pretty fun too. Are you allowed to give us a sneak peek of anything new you’re working on?
I can tell you about Ignore Vera Dietz which will come from Knopf in fall 2010. It’s about a teenage girl, her dead (ex) best friend, and her attempt to clear his name, and it features a sarcastic pagoda. I just finished work on a book with no solid title, but it’s about a summer at the swimming pool, a trip to Arizona, and a man who’s been lost in the jungle for over 35 years.

What is the one question no one ever asks you but you wish they would? And the answer too!

Q: If you built yourself a Utopia, what would it look like?

A: It would be an island in the Caribbean, with no one else living on it. There would be a large swimming pool and a lot of books. I would have a huge (hurricane proof) office with windows for walls, looking out into the untamed wilderness in one direction, and the sea in the other direction. The island would be close to civilization, where I could go a few times per week and work in my literacy center. There would be copious amounts of reggae music and there would be dancing.

Thank you so much for coming by! This was super fun.

Thanks for having me Alyssa! And happy blog anniversary!

A.S. King’s short fiction has appeared in a lot of great journals and has been nominated for awards, including Best New American Voices. Her first young adult novel, The Dust of 100 Dogs, was published by Flux in February 2009 and was an Indie Next List pick for teens and has been nominated for YALSA's Best Books for Young Adults. Her next novel, Ignore Vera Dietz, is due in Fall 2010 from Knopf.