D.J. MacHale Revealed
About D.J. MacHale
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Previous occupations:Busboy, trophy engraver, poultry farm worker, television producer
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Favorite job:Any job that allows me to create stories
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High school and/or college:Greenwich High School, Villanova University, New York University
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Name of your favorite composer or music artist?:Too many to name!
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Favorite movie:The Guns of Navarone
Revealing Questions
- Q. How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
- A. My life is an ongoing, ever changing adventure.
- Q. What is your motto or maxim?
- A. Do unto others...(etc.)
- Q. How would you describe perfect happiness?
- A. Laughing with my girls.
- Q. What’s your greatest fear?
- A. Leaving something undone.
- Q. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?
- A. Right here because "No matter where you go, there you are."- Buckaroo Banzai
- Q. Which living person do you most admire?
- A. Anyone who can do something I can't, which is a very long list of people that includes artists, gymnasts and mathematicians
- Q. What are your most overused words or phrases?
- A. "Excellent!" and "Exactly!"
- Q. If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
- A. I'd love to play the piano, and I'm going to work on it.
- Q. What’s your greatest flaw?
- A. I often oversimplify
- Q. What’s your best quality?
- A. My ability to oversimplify
- Q. If you could be any person or thing, who or what would it be?
- A. A dog who belonged to me. It's a good life.
- Q. Who is your favorite fictional hero?
- A. A toss-up between Groucho Marx in his films, and Bugs Bunny (Because I think they are the same character)
- Q. Who is your favorite fictional villain?
- A. Goldfinger. He had the most brilliant super villian plan ever, and a great theme song.
- Q. If you could meet any historical character, who would it be and what would you say to him or her?
- A. Probably Adolph Hitler just so I could say: "You're kidding, right?"
- Q. What is your biggest pet peeve?
- A. People who crowd the baggage carousel at airports. Relax people, we'll all get our luggage.
- Q. What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?
- A. Playing with my daughter.
- Q. What’s your fantasy profession?
- A. That's easy. Astronaut. Hey, I'm a child of the 60's!
- Q. What 3 personal qualities are most important to you?
- A. Sense of humor, compassion, honesty...in that order.
- Q. If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?
- A. Toss up. Pizza or Thanksgiving dinner.
On Books and Writing
- Q. Who are your favorite authors?
- A. Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, J.D. Salinger
- Q. What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
- A. The Call of the Wild by Jack London, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Moonraker by Ian Fleming, Candide by Voltaire, The Shining by Stephen King.
- Q. Is there a book you love to reread?
- A. The Whale and the Snail by Julia Donaldson Reading it aloud to my daughter is a blast.
- Q. Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?
- A. Always write about what you know.
- Q. What comment do you hear most often from your readers?
- A. Hurry up with the next book!
- Q. How did you come to write Merchant of Death?
- A. I believe that stories find writers, writers don't find stories. With the Pendragon series, I actually had multiple story ideas and decided that instead of writing them individually, I would create a character whose journey would thread them all together.
