Emily Ecton

Emily Ecton Revealed

About Emily Ecton

Previous occupations:

I've scooped ice cream, written plays, been a costume character, wrangled chinchillas, worked as a production assistant and answered questions from cranky people about public television.
High school and/or college:

Culpeper County High School, Washington and Lee University for undergrad and Northwestern University for grad school.
Favorite movie:

It depends on my mood, but it would be either Singin' in the Rain, A Little Romance or O Brother Where Art Thou.
Favorite television show:

Probably either Alias or the first season of Veronica Mars.

Revealing Questions

Q. How would you describe your life in only 8 words?: A. It all comes down to the dog.
Q. What is your motto or maxim?: A. semper ubi sub ubi.
Q. How would you describe perfect happiness?: A. I think warm puppy still covers it.
Q. What’s your greatest fear?: A. Cockroaches really freak me out.
Q. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?: A. Somewhere warm and green near a beach, with all my friends and family.
Q. Which living person do you most admire?: A. Oprah, of course. (She's reading this, right?)
Q. What are your most overused words or phrases?: A. That's going to leave a mark.
Q. What do you regret most?: A. Getting that Leather Tuscadero haircut in the eighth grade.
Q. If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?: A. Talking to animals would be fun.
Q. What is your greatest achievement?: A. Finally passing the driving range portion of the high school driver's ed class (their motto: we'll keep you here forever if we have to.)
Q. What’s your greatest flaw?: A. My overactive imagination.
Q. What’s your best quality?: A. My overactive imagination.
Q. What trait is most noticeable about you?: A. I'm a picky eater.
Q. Who is your favorite fictional hero?: A. Probably Mary Russell from the Laurie R. King books -- she's supersmart and very cool. She makes me wish I knew how to use throwing knives and lockpicks, and that I had a bolt hole somewhere to hide in.
Q. Who is your favorite fictional villain?: A. The Groke from Tove Jansson's Moomin books. Although she's not really evil, just misunderstood.
Q. If you could meet any historical character, who would it be and what would you say to him or her?: A. Agatha Christie -- I'd ask her about her disappearance in 1926.
Q. What is your biggest pet peeve?: A. Overly perfumed stores really bug me.
Q. What’s your fantasy profession?: A. Trapeze artist / wildlife photographer / 50's backup singer. The fantasy me is pretty busy.
Q. What 3 personal qualities are most important to you?: A. Trustworthiness, intelligence and a sense of humor.
Q. If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?: A. I'm going to have to go with food on that one.
Q. What are your 5 favorite songs?: A. The Pony Express by Jimmy Driftwood, the Laibach version of Across the Universe, Crazy by Gnarls Barkley, Show Me Your Soul by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before by the Smiths.

On Books and Writing

Q. Who are your favorite authors?: A. Terry Pratchett, Elizabeth Enright, Christopher Moore, Edward Eager, PG Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, Laurie R. King, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Wilkie Collins, Connie Willis, John D. Fitzgerald, Jane Austen, Lois Duncan, Roald Dahl, John Bellairs, Ellen Raskin, L. Frank Baum...okay, I'll stop now.
Q. What are your 5 favorite books of all time?: A. Sticking strictly to children's books (otherwise I'll never narrow it down enough): Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce, Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson, Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright (or her books about the Melendy family -- I can't decide), Half Magic by Edward Eager and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle.
Q. Is there a book you love to reread?: A. The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith
Q. Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?: A. Read everything you can.
Q. How did you come to write Night of the Living Lawn Ornaments?: A. Boots and Pieces: I had a dream about a girl running into a monster in the woods and being completely unimpressed. I tried writing it as a ten minute play, but it really wasn't more than a sketch, so I decided to try to expand it into a book. It worked, and the dream became Tina and Arlie's first encounter with the monster. Curse of Cuddles McGee: I wanted to do a story with a curse in it, and so I thought Arlie and Ty could come across a cursed grave, and with their luck, it would be a cursed pet grave. So I tried to figure out which pet would be the goofiest, but with the largest capacity for destruction. I've seen hamsters trying to swallow grapes bigger than their heads whole, and I know what they can do to a toilet paper tube, so it was a no brainer -- Arlie and Ty had to go up against an undead hamster. Night of the Living Lawn Ornaments: My dog, Binky, had an orange kangaroo squeaky toy that she really loved. One day while I was gone, she managed to completely undo the stitching on the top of his head, leaving her kangaroo with a gaping head wound and brain fluff strewn around on the floor. And my first thought when I found them was thank goodness he's not alive to complain about it.