Alex and the Ironic Gentleman by Toothpaste/Adrienne Kress

My daughter loved it! I wouldn't let her tell me anything cause I want to read it too.

ETA: She's 5th grade. (I'll get to it next week & check back in )

Hey all! I was very flattered when dolores approached me with this idea, though I thought it was cute she was worried it might embarrass me. I quickly reminded her that I am an actress and being the centre of attention does not tend to embarrass me, and so all was settled.

I will do my best to answer any questions people may have, though no pressure to ask them of course .

So I guess I'll start then!

Dolores asked me if Eoin Colfer was correct in his comparing my work to Carroll and Dickens. I would say partially.

My desire in writing Alex (aside from just the fun of writing it) was to pay homage to all my favourite children's books (hopefully it reads as such and not simply derivative). As such I really tried to put in elements that could be recognizable. The first third of the book I consider very Roald Dahl, especially with the grotesque Daughters. The second third is very much a modern version of Alice in Wonderland, pretty obvious I think as she travels through a forest and stumbles onto various vignettes. The last third was Peter Pan and Treasure Island, again pretty self explanatory. I also started each chapter with "In Which . . ." like Winnie the Pooh, and there are characters inspired from different children's books as well. Senseless was inspired by a character towards the end of "The Phantom Tollbooth" (LOVE that book).

Of course as many of you guys know here, I am obsessed with Douglas Adams. He has been my biggest inspiration since I was quite young, and I hoped that in a small way I could write with a sense of humour and observation similar to his. I don't say that I am quite as marvelous at it, but that was my hope nonetheless.

The comparison to Dickens is quite a surprise, but very flattering. I think it may go to the Roald Dahl thing, seeing as Dickens wrote quite large and colourful characters as well. Maybe also it has something to do with the naming of the characters, Uriah Heep ("David Copperfield") for example is a very evocative name. I can't be quite that fantastic with names, but I do have a special spot in my hear for Captain Magnanimous.

Anyway, I hope that answers the question!

(and yes the cover art is just amazing! I can't wait to show you all the one for Timothy, but it isn't quite finished yet!)

Toothpaste said:

The first third of the book I consider very Roald Dahl, especially with the grotesque Daughters. The second third is very much a modern version of Alice in Wonderland, pretty obvious I think as she travels through a forest and stumbles onto various vignettes. The last third was Peter Pan and Treasure Island, again pretty self explanatory. I also started each chapter with "In Which . . ." like Winnie the Pooh, and there are characters inspired from different children's books as well. Senseless was inspired by a character towards the end of "The Phantom Tollbooth" (LOVE that book).

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Yes! I got most of that (Well, me and my husband together). We got into a discussion arguing with Eoin Colfer's quote and decided that it was more Roald Dahl meets Wonderland meets Phantom Tollbooth.

While, definitely, being its own thing. And a wonderful thing that is.

dolores haze said:

Another question: How did you build the character of Alex? Is she a distant relative of The Famous Five's George?

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Huh, Alex seems nothing like George to me. I do see where you're coming from, but it never occurred to me; George is Such A Tomboy, and Alex is just who she is. She seemed more like one of Lloyd Alexander's heroines than anything Enid Blyton ever wrote, to me.

(Had to get that speculation in before Toothpaste answered and told us the Truth!)

Oh I thing this IS a book adults enjoy too. I know I did.

I read it aloud to my kids (8 and 10) and we all enjoyed it very much. Like all great books, I paused to see if they could figure out what might happen next, or who had just entered the room, and they were right every time.

My daughter's absolutely favourite character was the refrigerator. She howled through that whole scene and fell seriously in love with the Make Cold. My son is a boy of few words himself, but he hung on every word of Adrienne's.

I liked that I got to explain to them the meaning of the word "ironic", which is quite clear from the context of the novel and I hope it's a word they won't forget.

Thanks, Adrienne, for creating such a wonderful, whimsical world and for letting us get to know Alex, if only for a little while.

Oh dear. Now I have to go out and buy another book. I'll get back to you.

I'm reading it right now and I'm loving it. Very well done, Toothpaste...er, Adrienne.

It's in my TBR pile. Once I'm finished with the Cybil award finalists, it'll be next on the list.

Thanks everyone for the compliments! You're all so sweet!

The George question. Quite simply I can say no, because while I was a reader of Enid Blyton, I only ever read the Adventure series, so I don't know George. Alex was more based on me. When I was her age I always preferred hanging out with the adults and thought I knew it all (okay, still do to be honest). Alex is however far braver than I am, and doesn't care as much what people think of her (unlike me). I don't really see her as a Mary Sue (though I suppose that isn't for me to say, but the readers) because along with similar positive personality traits of mine, she also has some of my bad ones. Easily susceptible to frustration and to crying. She's stubborn and jumps to conclusions about people probably a bit too quickly. She also always thinks she's right, and she isn't always.

The reason I made her look a bit like a boy, was more of a literary device. I didn't want this book to be about a girl on an adventure. I wanted it to be about a person on an adventure. It is something I have noticed about male characters vs female characters. If you have a female lead, the story (film) whatever, tends to be first about the fact that the character is a girl, and second about the story. With a male MC you are able to have a story about ideas. Like Waiting for Godot etc. With a male MC you can have the "everyman", the person. It isn't necessarily a story about a boy, but about a person. That was what I was attempting to do with Alex.

Caro - I'm glad she liked the fridge! I love the fridge too, he's so nice and sweet! He was really fun to write.

I originally bought this book to read myself and then pass on to my 12-year old niece. Well that didn't work out, I ended up buying her another copy because, after my 14-year old daughter (who reads everything from Stephenie Meyer to George Orwell and Milton....for pleasure, not because she has to) heard me giggling as I read, she took the book when I was finished and I haven't seen it since. She read it herself, then she passed it on to Ben, Dominique, Nicole, Sammy (who swapped her Fight Club for it for 3 days), Sean, Cheese (I have no idea what that child's real name is), my son (20), my son's girlfriend (19), my brother (45), and back to another friend at her school. My niece loved her copy as well, so I would say, yeah, it has a wide appeal.

Every child in my family is getting a copy whenever a present is called for.

Then there are those, omg, did you look at the author's picture in the back of the book? She's totally way prettier than JK Rowling! conversations that just tickle me to death.

Ahem, and a great gift item. Buy lots of them

Yay! I love this thread.

Love this thread! Yay, celebration of Adrienne!

The Phantom Tollbooth! No kidding! I love this book and chose to teach it to my ESL students a few years back. Which character was Senseless based off of?

Yes, I am also obsessed with Douglas Adams. Definately saw shades of his door that says thank you when you go through it in the refrigerator. Weirdly, in some stores in Japan the doors DO say thank you when you go through them and welcome, nice to see you, etc. (One store I went into like that in Toronto I kept jumping in and out the door because it was so cool! )

Actually, how the adults were in the story reminded me a lot of the adults in Jacob Two-Two and the Hooded Fang by Mordechai Richler. More tongue in cheek than Roald Dahl which I find a little more absurdist and less sardonic. I love them both though.

What about Charles on the train and the soul sucking device?

Voyager - you make me blush! I . . . honestly it is just so cool that people are passing around my book like that, it's sort of the author's dream isn't it? Thank your daughter for me, I think I may have to assign her to be my publicist in your neck of the woods, she's amazing!

Little Jane - Phantom Tollbooth rocks, and totally a great book for ESL as it uses a lot of wordplay etc. Senseless was based very loosely on the guy at the end. When the gang are climbing the mountain to save the princesses and they are waylaid by that guy who makes them do pointless tasks. The fact that he didn't have a face always really intrigued me. Otherwise they are not really similar, but that's where I got the no face thing.

The whole soul sucking thing is interesting, and no one has asked yet. The idea itself was inspired by this painting: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/c...kNumber=NG725&collectionPublisherSection=work

It's at the National Gallery in London and was one of my favourites. I just love the light and shadow (chiaroscuro for those in the know ), and how the scientist guy is starting right out of the painting, disassociated from the rest of the scene. That is why the contraption in the book is described basically to look like the one in the painting, and a white bird is used to demonstrate the whole vacuum thing.

The turning souls into champagne thing? No idea where that came from.

Charles himself though, is based on George Sanders. That fabulous actor from the 1950's/60's (he's amazing in All About Eve, and is the voice of Shere Khan in the Jungle Book). He's just so dry and evil, even when he is playing good guys.

Voyager said:

Ahem, and a great gift item. Buy lots of them

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Funny you should mention that
I think my husband and I are on our fourth copy now. We keep giving them away because people need to read it.
(Uh, either that or we've given away copy #3 and have yet to get copy #4, eek, should check!)

I can't ask anything, because I haven't read it yet. I still need to get money to buy it.
I have it on hold tho, at B&N =]

I have to add that I loved it. It held my attention through every page. The little drawings scattered throughout are so sweet and quirky.

My favourite character is the Octopus. I mentioned to Adrienne that if this is made into a movie, the perfect voice for the Octopus would be Peter O'Toole. He reminds me of Alan Swan in My Favorite Year.

I bought the copy to give to my 7 1/2 year old niece for Christmas, but we haven't had a chance to get together for a gift exchange yet. I'm tempted to keep the book...

Adrienne: Yeah! The scientist guy in that painting is pretty cool and spooky. I love paintings where the characters are looking straight out at you like Rembrandt's "Cloth Drapers Guild," it's like they're seeing across time or something!

One question I had was how did Senseless get like that? I mean, I know he was born blind and all but what the hell happened to the rest of him? I always thought it was something Dr. Brunswick did in a fit of pique or something, but then again if that was so, I seriously doubt Mr. Sensletsky would be willing to be co-workers with him. Also... how did he hold a sword if his hands were made of wood? Are any of the secondary characters coming back in the second book? Is the octopus teaching drama at Mr. Underwood's new pirate ship school and the fridge teaching cooking? Hee, I'd love to see Jack teaching shop class!

Funny you should mention about Peter O'Toole in "My Favourite Year," Chumplet! It's one of my fav movies (I mean how could it not be? Peter O'Toole and "cousin Larry" from Perfect Strangers? Together! What is cousin Larry doin these days by the way might I add? O'Toole was in Venus and Stardust recently, so good on him,) and I also thought of the Alan Swan character.

And after I thought of the Alan Swan character, I thought of Ms. Swan from Mad TV, going "He look-a like a man," but I digress....

George Sanders, yesss! Something about him just screams deliciously sauve villainy!